I am not a literary giant

Chapter 275 Activities

Ning Chunyan and Chen Qingluo exchanged a glance.

"Why do we have to wait a day?" Ning Chunyan asked in a low voice.

Chen Qingluo didn't speak. Her gaze fell on the curtain, where Wenren Zao was giving his closing remarks. His young face wore a standard professional smile, revealing nothing about him.

"There's a problem." Chen Qingluo finally spoke up. "In the past, the live broadcast selection process always included a nomination intention stage, and the results were usually announced on the spot. The shortlist would be released an hour after the live broadcast ended."

Ning Chunyan frowned.

"So someone was talking to you from behind?"

Chen Qingluo did not answer. But her slightly pursed lips said it all.

The lecture hall suddenly went dark. The projection screen went black.

The believer stared blankly at the black projection screen for a few seconds.

"Tomorrow? Why wait until tomorrow?"

He turned his head and looked at Xiao Mengyin.

Xiao Mengyin leaned back on the sofa, her lips slightly bitten. She usually bit her lip when she was thinking.

"Sister Xiao?" Black Dog chimed in, "What happened? Weren't the results supposed to be out on the spot?"

"Who is this 'Sister Xiao'?!"

The black dog immediately tucked its head in, like a turtle.

Xiao Mengyin's temper didn't last long; she quickly fell silent.

Then she opened her lips and made a soft "tsk" sound.

"It seems some people were worried that the nomination results wouldn't meet their expectations, so they contacted the production team."

The black dog looked around, completely bewildered: "What does that mean?"

"What I mean is," Xiao Mengyin said, a little impatiently, but not because of the black dog, "the judges had agreed on the nomination criteria before the show, but after the show just finished, some people were worried that the voting results might change, so they changed the process."

The believer paused for a moment.

"Huh? Is that even possible?"

"You guys don't think that these kinds of shows are just judges chatting on the spot and whatever comes to mind is the result, right?" Xiao Mengyin rolled her eyes at him.

No one spoke.

Xiao Mengyin continued, "Before the show started, the judges had already discussed with the organizers who would get how many votes and what their general intentions were for each book."

The black dog stammered, "Then, they were arguing just now—"

"The argument was an unexpected scene," Xiao Mengyin said. "It's probably because of this argument that some people got a little anxious."

"So, they want to renegotiate, behind closed doors, and discuss it privately?"

"right."

"Should we renegotiate until the outcome meets our expectations?"

"Yes. At the very least, the outcome must be controllable."

Black Dog's voice rose: "If the results are all decided by them in private, then what's the point of doing this live stream?"

Isn't this like taking off your pants to fart?!

The believer reached out and patted his shoulder.

The black dog ignored her, staring at Xiao Mengyin, waiting for an answer.

Xiao Mengyin looked at him and suddenly smiled.

"What's the point?" she said. "What's the point of winning an award? I was the first prize winner last year, and I'm still sitting here talking to you. Do I have a halo around my head?"

"Uh—" The black dog was speechless for a moment.

Xiao Mengyin then asked, "How many people watched that live stream? How many times did it trend on social media?"

The black dog paused for a moment.

Xiao Mengyin continued, "How much discussion is there? How many people on your phone are talking about 'Spark in the Stone' right now?"

The black dog glanced down at its phone. The page for that book community had already garnered over ten thousand discussions.

That's enough.

Xiao Mengyin stood up and walked to the window.

"Does the selection result matter?" she said. "Of course it matters. But what's more important than the result is that this book has been seen."

She turned around and looked at the people inside the room.

"What is *Fire in the Stone* now? It's a topic of discussion. It's something that makes Lü Qinghou frown, Cheng Wu fire his accusations, Hu Yezhou endorse it, and Jia Siming say it's interesting." The fact that it's seen and discussed is already significant. Even winning first prize wouldn't change that.

Xiao Mengyin paused for a moment, then said, "You could say that 'Fire in the Stone' was still glorious in defeat."

As the black dog listened, the anger on its face slowly transformed into another complex, indescribable expression, seemingly a mixture of relief and sadness.

Cheng Xing said, "Wait, 'Even in defeat, there is honor,' does that mean you've already concluded that *Spark in the Stone* will fail?"

"It will lose." Xiao Mengyin answered decisively, "Anyone with less than half of the judges backing it is just cannon fodder. With only two and a half supporting it, it's already lost."

Silence hung in the air for a moment.

"Is there really no chance at all?" the believer asked.

"Yes," Xiao Mengyin said, "it requires some 'moving' (initiative), but knowing Wang Zixu's personality as I do, he definitely won't be willing."

"What is an 'activity'?" the believer asked.

"If an assignment falls between 'Excellent' and 'Good,'" Xiao Mengyin said, "how would you grade it? 'Excellent' or 'Good'?"

"Uh—depends on my mood?" the believer asked uncertainly.

"Activities" are a social means to ensure that assignments that can be rated as "good" or "excellent" are...

It received an "Excellent" grade.

The believer licked his lips: "It sounds like something very gray from the adult world."

"That's similar to your understanding."

"Has it always been like this? Do you need to participate in 'activities' to win the Fei Shi Literary Award?" Xing Sheng asked softly.

"Let alone the Jade Scholar," Xiao Mengyin said, "even the Mao Dun Literature Prize is very difficult to obtain without 'pulling strings'."

The black dog suddenly spoke up: "I have a question."

"you say."

Is "Fire in the Stone" rated "Excellent" or "Good"?

Xiao Mengyin gave him a deep look.

"Since you've been wanting to know the answer to this question, I'll satisfy your curiosity," Xiao Mengyin said. "From my personal perspective, this book is fantastic, a level above all other works in this year's competition—it's overwhelmingly superior."

The black dog said, "I think an excellent work should be awarded 'excellent.' If it's number one, it should be number one."

He looked around with a pleading gaze: "Isn't this how the world is supposed to be?"

"That's not how it works."

Xiao Mengyin looked at him and slowly shook her head.

"Survival of the fittest, not survival of the best," she said. "The world has never been like that."

Ning Chunyan and Chen Qingluo walked out of the lecture hall. The corridor was empty, with only the emergency lights emitting a pale glow.

"It's not time to despair yet," Ning Chunyan said. "There's still a chance."

"What chance?" Chen Qingluo asked, her face dark. "It's over. Can't you see?"

As she walked quickly, she whispered, "Hu Yezhou and Jia Siming unexpectedly supported 'Stone Fire,' and Yanzishan's attitude is unclear. If we get 3 votes, we'll have a chance to make the shortlist—"

At this point, she suddenly stopped walking: "Can't you guess who this sudden announcement of a closed vote is targeting?"

"Even if they wanted to target Wang Zixu, they might not be able to," Ning Chunyan said. "Hu Yezhou and Jia Siming are both well-known figures; they're not the kind of people who can be easily bought off—"

"Hu Yezhou and Jia Siming only have two votes."

"I have a feeling that Yanzishan might vote for 'Spark in the Stone'," Ning Chunyan said. "I don't know why, I just have this feeling."

"What if it's a tie?" Chen Qingluo turned to look at her. "A tie of 3 votes is very easy to happen."

Ning Chunyan was taken aback.

"That's why they don't hold public voting, understand?"

After Chen Qingluo finished speaking, she walked quickly forward, and Ning Chunyan jogged a few steps to catch up.

"I think there's still a chance, and we should trust that the masses have discerning eyes," she said. "In fact, today's discussion has already shown everyone the appeal of *Fire in the Stone*. If they don't treat *Fire in the Stone* fairly, the readers won't accept it—"

Chen Qingluo turned around, her expression seemingly somewhat sad.

"I'm willing to believe that the masses have discerning eyes," she said, "but I don't trust the masses' aesthetic sense."

"Editor-in-Chief Chen, Editor-in-Chief Ning!"

The two turned around and saw a girl running towards them, panting, carrying a book in her arms.

"I'm a fan of *New Appreciation* magazine. There were so many people surrounding you just now, I'm sorry—could I get an autograph?"

Ning Chunyan took the magazine she handed him.

"—What do you want me to write?"

"Just write 'Wishing you a speedy realization of your dreams'."

As Ning Chunyan was signing, the girl blinked and asked, "Editor-in-Chief Ning, I remember you support..."

Is it from "Fire in the Stone"?

Ning Chunyan glanced at her.

"yes."

"After seeing this round of judging, with such a lot of controversy among the mentors, have your opinions changed?" the girl asked.

Ning Chunyan and Chen Qingluo exchanged a glance.

"Which aspect are you referring to specifically?" Chen Qingluo asked.

"Regarding the female narrative," the girl said, standing on tiptoe, "what Cheng Wu said—that *Stone Fire* is too biased towards men—what do you think? Do you still support him?"

Chen Qingluo glanced at Ning Chunyan, her eyes seeming to say, "Am I right?"

She cleared her throat, preparing to launch into a long speech, when Ning Chunyan casually made up an excuse and pulled her away.

Studio.

The camera has already cut off, but the five judges haven't left yet.

Lu Qinghou stood up and straightened the collar of his Zhongshan suit. His movements were slow, as if he were showing it to someone.

Cheng Wu lowered her head and packed her things, her face expressionless.

Hu Yezhou leaned back in his chair, legs crossed, scrolling through his phone. Suddenly he chuckled, as if he'd seen something.

Jia Siming wore sunglasses, so no one could see through him.

Yanzishan was the last to stand up. He gently closed the book "Fire in the Stone" and held it in his hand.

Lu Qinghou suddenly spoke.

The sound wasn't loud, but everyone stopped.

"It was my suggestion to postpone it."

Cheng Wu looked up. Hu Yezhou put down his phone. Jia Siming turned his head slightly.

Lu Qinghou didn't look at anyone. He stared straight ahead, as if talking to thin air.

"Today's discussion was very thorough. But precisely because it was thorough, some issues need to be reconfirmed."

He paused.

"Ladies and gentlemen, I would like to reconfirm each other's nomination intentions."

The attic window was fitted with half a piece of dusty glass, and the sunlight slanted in, casting jagged spots of light on the floor. Tiny dust particles floated in the light, making Prince Xu feel as if he were sitting in volcanic lava.

The legs of the folding chair were sunken into the cracks in the floor, the yellowed cushions bulging and wrinkled, and the lumbar curve of the chair was a little too exaggerated. The air smelled musty of old cardboard boxes.

Wang Zixu's fingers touched the slightly curled pages of the book, his eyes remaining completely calm. The heated debates in the studio, the backstabbing among the judges, and the clamor on the internet were all kept out of this small space.

There was no controversy surrounding "The Spark in the Stone," no expectation carried by the name "The Little Prince," only the soul within the book meeting his gaze. He felt utterly relaxed and joyful, a faint smile even playing on his lips.

The tranquility was soon shattered by the noisy ringtone of a cell phone.

Wang Zixu knew that what was coming would come sooner or later. He sighed, looked at the name on his phone screen, and paused for two seconds.

Lin Feng.

He answered the phone.

"Feed?"

"Where is it?" Lin Feng asked casually, as if speaking to an old friend.

Wang Zixu paused for a moment, then said, "At home."

He didn't tell the truth, but the other end didn't press him further.

"Congratulations!" Raymond Lam said, "Your 'Spark in the Stone' isn't even winning an award yet, and it's already trending on social media!"

"Hmm... Oh?"

This was unexpected by Prince Xu.

He knew that someone would come to him about the Fischer jury sooner or later, but he didn't expect this.

Lin Feng sensed the surprise in his tone and asked, "What, you didn't watch the live stream?"

"I haven't looked at it," Wang Zixu said. "I'm a little—you could say I'm nervous, or you could say I don't want to waste my energy."

"You little brat—"

Even through the phone, Wang Zixu could see Lin Feng laughing and shaking his head.

"When I first met you, I knew you were extraordinary. Such a big deal, the judges were arguing fiercely about your book, and you didn't even read it! That kind of composure is truly rare. I was right about you."

Lin Feng always liked to speculate that Wang Zixu was doing something extraordinary, and Wang Zixu was used to it. However, he caught a special information point in Lin Feng's words.

"Is this a huge argument? What did the judges say?"

"To make a long story short," Lin Feng's tone suddenly became much more serious, "the current situation is that two judges support you, two judges oppose you, and one judge is standing by and watching."

Prince Zixu thought for a moment: "Is Yanzishan the one who's just watching from the sidelines?"

"Yes, you guessed it? Do you know him?"

"Go on."

"The two judges who opposed you were very opposed to you," Lin Feng continued.

"—And the two judges I supported weren't very supportive of me, right?" Wang Zixu continued, picking up where he left off.

Lin Feng asked in surprise, "You really didn't watch the live stream?"

"No," Prince Xu said. "So, it seems I have no chance this time."

"No, there's still a chance," Lin Feng said. "The nomination results won't be announced until tomorrow. Usually, at times like this, we can try to 'lobby' a bit."

""Activity"?"

"We invited Yanzishan to come and exchange ideas on behalf of the Literary Association," Lin Feng said.

Prince Xu remained silent.

"I know what kind of person you are. You're proud, concerned about your image, and think this kind of thing is a bit dirty, but realistically—it's an essential part of the process."

Lin Feng paused, carefully choosing his words, and said, "The Writers' Association has special funds allocated for activities," including lectures, seminars, and some informal gatherings involving food and drinks. For a work to get out and recognized, it needs to be of high quality, and the behind-the-scenes activities are also essential. Everyone does it this way."

Prince Xu sighed: "'It's always been this way, so it must be right' ————"

As if anticipating his response, Raymond Lam said, "Let me tell you a story."