I am not a literary giant

Chapter 200 The King Who Became the Wind (6000 words)

"Miss An Younan said that she insists you come over. She also said that you will gladly accept the offer after hearing this."

After the tall, thin man finished speaking, he clasped his hands together and swayed slightly, seemingly proud of what Miss An Younan had said.

But after listening, Wang Zixu felt that An Younan either lacked self-awareness or had a poor understanding of Wang Zixu. He felt no "joy" at all; instead, he felt a bit terrified.

However, An Younan was at least certain of one thing: even if he was horrified, he had to accept the proposal with a sense of dread.

"See?" Sartre poked his head out from across the black sedan. "I told you it happened! Run!"

"Escape? Where can you escape to?" The Little Prince, wearing a trench coat, stood on the street corner. "You can escape your physical body, but you can't escape your social relationships."

"That's true. If you don't go today, she'll be asking Ning Chunyan tomorrow," Sartre said, turning to Wang Zixu. "You should go. If Ning Chunyan finds out you gave Miss An an aromatherapy back massage when he wasn't looking, things will get really messy."

In fact, Prince Xu didn't give An Younan an essential oil back massage. But he didn't have time to correct his mistaken view. In any case, he had already gotten into the tall, thin man's car.

The tall, thin man was the driver. After getting in the car, he adjusted the rearview mirror, fastened his seatbelt, and glanced back at Wang Zixu.

"Miss An asked me to make a polite invitation. I'm a rough man and don't really know how to be polite, but you can relax and don't need to be so reserved."

Prince Xu placed his hands on his knees: "I'm not being reserved."

"Then why are you sitting in the middle?"

Prince Xu sat in the middle of the back row. He looked to his left and right and saw Sartre and the little prince sitting on either side. Then he realized that the driver couldn't see them.

"It's okay, I'll just sit in the middle. I like this feeling of being confined."

The driver gave him a suspicious look, then started the car.

Sartre said, "Miss Anne is quite sloppy in her work."

The little prince asked, "How do you know?"

"She only sent one person. What can he do? For example, right now, if someone wants to jump out of the car, he can't stop them."

"Have you been watching too many police dramas?"

Wang Zixu, not wanting to listen to their nonsense, asked the driver, "How did you know I was here?"

"Miss An gave me the address," the driver said. "She told me to come, so I came. I don't know anything else."

"No, I mean, how did you know I was coming down to throw out the trash at this time?"

"I waited by the door," the driver said. "I saw you go upstairs, chased after you, missed the elevator, and then I waited downstairs."

"What will you do if I don't come down?"

"I'll leave at 10 o'clock. That's all the salary I get, I won't stay up all night."

Wang Zixu felt that he was out of sync with his worldview, and the conversation was disjointed. Although this was not what he wanted to ask, he was still a little relieved.

When that tall, thin man suddenly appeared, he really thought that An Younan was incredibly powerful, like someone in Gu Long's novels who appeared and disappeared like a ghost, even timing his trash-taking perfectly.

"Miss An, what brings you here so late?"

After asking the question, Wang Zixu saw a strange smile on the driver's face in the rearview mirror.

"Hehe, I never pry into the boss's private affairs."

Prince Xu was very curious and shocked about what he had misunderstood, and said:

"If it's a personal matter, I won't go."

"I don't concern myself with official business. I don't know what it is." The driver quickly changed his tune, without making any move to stop the car.

……

The car stopped at the entrance of the "Floating Stars Residence" residential complex. This is one of the two most well-known upscale residential areas in Qingshan District, Donghai, the other being Yunchi Villa.

The residents here can't be described as all rich and powerful, but they are certainly incredibly wealthy and famous. In the past, Wang Zixu had only heard of these two places, and considering the land prices, he never imagined that he would have any connection with them in his life.

Unexpectedly, he visited both neighborhoods in just one day.

The driver drove into the underground parking lot, pointed to the building number, and told him to go up by himself and come back to the same spot when he came down.

So Wang Zixu took the elevator upstairs as instructed. The sightseeing elevator car rose from the ground, offering a panoramic view of the neighborhood's night scene. Apart from the dark greenery and the small lights dotting the roadside, Wang Zixu looked left and right and felt that, like Yunchi Villa, it was still a maze.

Nowadays, high-end residential areas separate pedestrians and vehicles to keep the ground clean and orderly. Then, they make the roads on the ground winding and meandering, with various layers of mountains to obscure the view.

Wang Zixu couldn't help but sigh: The richer people are, the more they value privacy, even regarding it as a virtue. People living in old, dilapidated apartments on the first, second, or third floor of street-facing buildings have their underwear on the ground floor known to everyone, so of course they don't deserve this kind of virtue.

Upon reaching the door, a strange woman opened it. She had a cold expression, wore a black pencil skirt, black stockings, and cotton slippers. Seeing Wang Zixu arrive, she simply said:

There are shoe covers in the shoe cabinet.

The shoe covers were made of thin white fabric, unlike plastic bags which made a rustling sound and lowered the overall style. The interior was well-furnished, decorated in a high-end modern style, and the living room felt particularly magnificent.

An Younan sat on the brown leather sofa, hugging her legs, staring at Wang Zixu with her eyes darting around.

"I apologize for inviting you over so late, Teacher Wang," An Younan said.

When Wang Zixu saw the strange woman, a sliver of hope flickered in his heart, thinking that perhaps his secret had not been exposed. He tried his best to maintain the same serious but reserved demeanor as yesterday.

"Such a fine night, one should go to bed early. If you felt it was presumptuous of you to invite me over like this; since you're already here, don't bother with formalities."

An Younan chuckled, her mouth widening to reveal her white teeth; her smile was sweet.

"I always thought Teacher Wang was a very dashing person. No wonder he is an author whom even my teacher praises highly."

The unfamiliar woman beside him took a sip of tea, nodded slightly, and stared intently at Prince Xu, her eyes seemingly weighing an item in her hand.

An Younan kicked off her slippers and put her legs on the sofa. "Sorry, I'm more relaxed at home. I invited you to my place because I didn't want to have a formal discussion with you. You don't mind, do you?"

"I don't mind."

"That's great." An Younan pointed to the woman next to her, "Let me introduce you. This is Duan Xiaosang, a well-known matchmaker in the industry."

"matchmaker?"

Duan Xiaosang spat at her: "What matchmaker? You're talking nonsense again."

"If you're not a matchmaker, what are you?" An Younan chuckled, leaning on the sofa armrest. "I don't really like the term 'broker'."

"I'm not a middleman. I'm just putting the right resources in the right places."

An Younan said, "Okay, seriously, Professor Wang Zixu, to be honest, I think every author should have a friend like Duan Xiaosang. Being friends with her can change a writer's life trajectory."

"That's a bit of an exaggeration," Duan Xiaosang said, adjusting her glasses.

"No, not at all. If I had to give an example, Xiao Sang herself would be one," An Younan said, leaning back lazily on the sofa. "Most of the emerging martial arts generation that swept the nation 10 years ago have now fallen to the point of worrying about their children's schooling and saving a few gas bills. Look how carefree Xiao Sang is, living in the same neighborhood as me, having access to top-tier resources, and earning a seven-figure annual income. Do you know why she can do all that?"

Upon hearing the other person's annual income, Wang Zixu unconsciously lowered his head and asked cooperatively, "Why?"

"It's all about copyright management," An Younan said. "Books, movies, merchandise, audiobooks... these are the core competitive advantages that make your writing valuable. How much money can you make just by writing? Which writer survives solely on royalties?"

Wang Zixu asked softly, "Does Miss An mean to introduce Miss Duan to me as a friend?"

"I can only introduce her to you. As for whether you can become friends, that depends on whether you can provide the corresponding value."

Duan Xiaosang took the initiative to extend her hand to Wang Zixu: "Let me formally introduce myself. I am the editor-in-chief of 'Feng Hua' magazine, and I also handle copyright operations."

Wang Zixu shook hands with her, completely bewildered.

Duan Xiaosang added, "I have a good relationship with Xiao Mengyin, and she often talks about you to me."

An Younan's eyes widened: "Xiao Mengyin knows him too?"

"Yeah, didn't I say that?" Duan Xiaosang drank some water.

"No wonder." An Younan blinked, a fleeting glint of cunning in her eyes.

The prince, clenching his fist loosely, asked, "I don't know much about copyright management. What value do I have that would attract Miss Duan's attention?"

An Younan adjusted her posture: "Wouldn't you like to talk to Miss Duan about the publication of 'Fire in the Stone'?"

Wang Zixu asked calmly, "Isn't it too early to talk about publishing now?"

"It's getting late, you could even say it's getting late," Duan Xiaosang said. "Your workshop on your work is about to start, right?"

Prince Xu was taken aback: "How did you know?"

He only knew about the decision made by the editorial department of "Get" in advance because of his classmate Pu Yuyang. How did she know?

Duan Xiaosang took a casual sip of coffee, not answering Wang Zixu's question, as if she had only mentioned something unimportant. She then said:

"It's hard to get an ISBN these days. For an amateur like you who has never published a book, if you want to go into publishing, you either need to pay for it yourself, win an award, or get a prestigious magazine to praise and promote you."

"Some newer publishers have definitely already set their sights on you. The reason they haven't contacted you yet is because the seminar hasn't started yet, and they're still hesitating. Once the seminar starts, they can start discussing contracts with you."

Prince Xu nodded: "I see."

Duan Xiaosang said, "But if you rashly start negotiating contracts with people at that time, you're bound to fail, and the terms you get will definitely not be good."

The prince asked tentatively, "Why?"

Duan Xiaosang did not answer. She got up, took a new book wrapped in plastic from the bookshelf next to the TV, and handed it over.

Prince Xu took it in his hand and looked at it. He saw that the book's obi (sleeve) was printed with:

"Yesterday's Star"

"Xiangxiao Reading Annual Award, First Prize Winner"

Recommended by Yanzishan (writer), Zhang Qiaoyun (writer), Gu Zao (writer), Xiao Mengyin (writer), and Murong Yan (writer).

"Shi Shuqiu may be the most promising young writer of the year. — Yanzishan"

"..."

After reading it, Prince Xu raised his face expressionlessly.

Duan Xiaosang leaned closer, pointed to the lines of text with her finger, and said:

"Awards, celebrity endorsements, and praise from heavyweight authors are all necessary conditions for a book to sell well. In addition, the contract terms must be favorable. Otherwise, it is impossible for the book to sell well."

Prince Xu placed Shi Shuqiu's "masterpiece" on the coffee table with a blank expression. An Younan sat casually on the sofa, her legs elegantly placed to one side, watching him with a smile.

"I've never heard of this Xiangxiao Reading Award."

"This is a small prize, the kind you can organize with a budget of 20 yuan. Just invite a few low-paid performers out, give them a good compliment, and that's it," Duan Xiaosang said. "But it's necessary. Do you really think that if you ignore everything else and just rush in to win a prize, everything will be fine?"

Prince Xu sat down obediently. He truly believed it.

"The Fei Shi Literary Award isn't easy to win," An Younan said with a smile. "Fei Shi is a rather commercial award. They spend millions to organize a competition, and if they can't break even, they definitely won't do it."

A flawless version after careful inspection!

Duan Xiaosang continued, "What I mean is that for their awards, the nominated works must all have considerable popularity and recognition. You can go and see for yourself; several of the nominated works are either about to be published as physical books or have already been released."

An Younan added, "I've heard that many people spend a lot of money to try and win this prize. I have plenty of money too. What do you think, if I use my pocket money to try and increase my chances of winning the grand prize next year?"

Duan Xiaosang said, "Just getting a nomination is enough for you. The competition organizers have some self-respect. Last year, so-and-so spent two million on the event, and in the end, Xiao Mengyin still won first prize all by herself."

An Younan smiled and said, "Isn't that because you and she are good friends?"

"To win awards, you can't just rely on events; you need real skill. But not participating at all won't work either," Duan Xiaosang said. "After all, whether your writing is good or not is up to others to decide, understand?"

The prince rubbed his thighs together, his palms slightly sweaty. "So how do we move around?"

"There's a set of methods for organizing events; it's not just about blindly throwing money around."

Duan Xiaosang made a vague statement that sounded correct but actually contained no information whatsoever.

Wang Zixu initially thought about it for a while, but then he realized that the previous content was all free. The following content was a secret technique that only those who were close to him would easily hear about.

An Younan smiled and said to Wang Zixu, "Teacher Wang Zixu, may I interject? It just so happens that Duan Xiaosang and I have been looking for someone recently."

Here it comes. Prince Xu perked up. Looks like we're about to get to the heart of the matter.

"We searched high and low, and finally found that all the clues were with you. I'd like to ask if you could share them with me?"

Wang Zixu asked, "Who are you looking for?"

"Little Prince." An Younan's smile remained unchanged.

Wang Zixu struggled to keep an expression off his face: "What do you want with him?"

"Of course it's a good thing," An Younan said.

"Oh—" Prince nodded slightly. "The Little Prince also belongs to the kind of 'amateur' you mentioned. Compared to me, he probably needs copyright management more."

"Yes. That's right." An Younan nodded, her smile widening. "You must have his contact information, right?"

Wang Zixu said, "I'm just an ordinary editor. Contacting the Little Prince has always been handled by our Chief Editor Ning..."

"You're not just an ordinary editor," Duan Xiaosang said. "You know Zhang Xixi, right?"

"……know."

"She told me that she had arranged a written interview with The Little Prince, which was introduced by you."

Wang Zixu had a slight sheen of sweat on his back: "Is that so? Then I should have asked Editor-in-Chief Ning..."

"Coincidentally, I've talked to Ning Chunyan, and she knows nothing about this," An Younan said.

Prince Xu fell silent.

"Professor Wang Zixu," An Younan suddenly said, "do you like Miss Ning Chunyan?"

"Huh?" Prince Xu looked up in surprise.

Seeing his expression, An Younan immediately understood: "You should understand what we were just talking about, right? Xiao Sang can help you manage the copyright. If you want to win the Fei Shi Literary Award, get a better publishing contract, and even continue to develop the copyright in depth in the future, her help will obviously be more beneficial to your personal development."

"But why won't you admit you know The Little Prince? I know The Little Prince is a key competitive advantage for your magazine, but your loyalty to your magazine is a bit too high, isn't it? How much does an editor like you earn? So I think you must like Ning Chunyan to be so 'loyal,' right?"

Duan Xiaosang was also quite curious about this conclusion. She stared blankly at the two of them for a moment, then leaned closer and asked, "Did he have it?"

"It doesn't look like it." An Younan rested her hand on her chin.

"It has nothing to do with loyalty," Wang Zixu said. "The Little Prince doesn't like to be disturbed. He just wants to create in peace. He gave us his contact information because he trusts us, and I don't want to betray that trust. That's all."

Sartre raised his fist: "Are you out of your mind! What's wrong with you agreeing to him?"

The Little Prince remained silent.

Sartre shook the little prince: "Hey, say something! Even the Fédérale is so difficult to obtain, do you really think he deserves the Nobel Prize in Literature?"

The Little Prince remained silent.

An Younan sighed deeply.

"Like attracts like. You and Ning Chunyan are so rigid, they're practically cut from the same cloth."

She jumped off the sofa, stood up, beckoned to the prince with her finger, and said, "Come with me for a moment."

Duan Xiaosang also stood up, but An Younan stopped her: "Xiaosang, sit down for a moment. I want to talk to him alone."

Wang Zixu became even more nervous: "Is there anything we can't say publicly?"

"Get this straight," An Younan turned her face, her dark eyes staring at him speechlessly, "this is something you don't want to make public, not me."

The glimmer of hope that Prince Xu had just begun to have vanished.

Following An Younan into the study, the woman turned around and closed the door. Then she turned back to him, leaned against the door, and stared into his eyes.

"Is it pretty?"

"Huh?" the prince replied blankly.

"I'm asking you, isn't my body beautiful?" An Younan said. "Smooth and white, with beautiful lines, did you enjoy looking at it?"

Prince Xu, clinging to his last hope, feigned ignorance: "What are you talking about?"

An Younan pointed to her face, both amused and annoyed: "Does this say 'idiot'?"

"what?"

"I'm asking you, do I have 'idiot' written all over my face?"

"without……"

Prince Xu's shock wasn't because An Younan knew. What shocked him was that someone like her would actually utter such a vulgar word as "idiot."

It's completely different from my previous impression.

"Well, I don't have 'idiot' written all over my face, so how could you possibly think I didn't know you sneaked into our spa room?" An Younan said. "You're the only man on this whole floor, do you really think you could get away with it?"

Prince Xu's heart sank to the bottom of the sea, and he could only look up at the sky.

"Could I explain that it was a misunderstanding...?"

"No," An Younan said. "A philosopher, huh? A dough-kneading master, huh? 'Press your weight into my body,' right? 'I will enthrone myself as the king of the wind,' right?"

An Younan reached out, repeated a sentence, and slapped Wang Zixu across the face. After finishing the sentence, Wang Zixu inevitably had several red marks on his cheek, and his eyes were full of shock.

"Why are you so surprised? Do you really think I'm stupid enough not to notice?" An Younan asked breathlessly.

"No, I just thought it was amazing that you actually remembered Adonis's poem," Prince Xu said. "His poems are really good; it was worth reciting them."

An Younan's expression was strange; she bit her lip, seemingly wanting to laugh yet also wanting to explode in anger, but finally sighed as if giving up, put her hands on her hips, and pointed at him, saying:

"Let me tell you, I've seriously considered sending you to the police station. The thought of applying essential oils to you and touching you all over makes me feel nauseous."

"I said stop," Wang Zixu said, "I didn't touch you, okay? I kept it all through the towel the whole time, and there was no physical contact between us."

"I know! Otherwise you'd be in jail right now! I mean, almost!" An Younan's tone was harsh. "How dare you? I'm so incredibly naive! Nothing like this has ever happened to me before. I was already being incredibly lenient by being polite to you before resorting to force. Don't be ungrateful!"

Afraid she would hit him again, Wang Zixu raised his hands to protect his chest. An Younan, seeing his pathetic state, laughed in exasperation.

"Hurry up and hand over the Little Prince's contact information. I've already done you a favor by wasting so much time on you, you pretentious intellectual. Don't push me to resort to diplomacy, then force, then force again, and finally drop an atomic bomb on you!"

An Younan clenched her fists and burst out some startlingly terrifying lines, but her voice was too soft, making it sound comically incongruous.

The prince straightened up and sighed, "I'm sorry, I really can't give you the Little Prince's contact information."

"You really want to go to jail, don't you?"

"No," the prince leaned against the windowsill, his body seemingly weightless, "because I am the Little Prince."

(End of this chapter)