I am not a literary giant

On Monday, Wang Zixu had completely forgotten about yesterday's conversation before going to work. When he noticed the complicated looks from his colleagues, he thought he had left his zipper undone.

After sneaking off to the restroom to check, he returned to his office and sat down. Just then, Zhang Cangnian walked in and said, "Our star character has arrived for work!"

The prince spread his hands, wondering what a novel way of mocking people this was. Zhang Cangnian then said:

"I spent my weekend like this. I couldn't see you at all, but you were everywhere. At my family dinner, all the conversations at the table were about you."

Prince Xu said, "Huh?"

Office Director Xu Shichao, who was just passing by, overheard their conversation, turned in, and said:

"That's nothing compared to what you've got! You know, my daughter comes home and tells me all about Wang Zixu and Raymond Lam!"

Zhang Cangnian said, "Your daughter is only in kindergarten, right?"

Xu Shichao said, "I went to elementary school. I was in the third grade."

Zhang Cangnian: "How come it's so fast? Last time I saw him he was just a tiny little thing, and now he's in third grade."

Xu Shichao said, "Who can argue with that? Life is short."

The conversation gradually veered off course, but Wang Zixu's thoughts remained focused on his newfound fame. He asked, "How did your daughter know about me?"

He was quite certain that there were no girls in his social circle who were in the third grade of elementary school.

Xu Shichao laughed: "You don't know her, but she knows you. Their Chinese teacher told the students about what happened at the dinner table a few days ago, using it to tell them that they need to read more, accumulate more knowledge, and reflect more in order to shine in life."

In fact, the Chinese teacher also said that even a nobody like Wang Zixu, facing a literary veteran like Lin Feng, was able to remain neither humble nor arrogant, bravely showcasing himself. Think about it, if we were to write an essay, what other angles could we approach the topic from? Right, what is it? We shouldn't resort to authority, but when facing authority, we should also bravely express our own opinions…

The students erupted in commotion, discussing what "authority" meant. One boy said, "I know! My dad says authority is about how powerful your fist is!" The teacher said, "Li Zixuan, sit down! Did I tell you to talk like that?"

Unfortunately, Prince Xu was unaware of his teacher's words. If he had, he might have vomited three large bowls of blood on the spot. I am clearly the authority on literary common sense. Why judge someone by their reputation instead of their knowledge?

Zhang Cangnian laughed and said, "My family is the same. On Sunday, during a family dinner, my son's sister-in-law asked me, 'Is Wang Zixu from our workplace?' I said, 'Yes, I chat with him every day.' She said, 'Is what they're saying true? That Lin Feng was really embarrassed?' I said, 'That's not true at all. I was at the dinner table that day…'"

Wang Zixu felt slightly relieved. After he and Lin Feng compiled four versions of the story, they both felt despair about human nature and their own reputation. Unexpectedly, when they heard this in the office, everyone actually leaned towards the version that was considered a positive one.

There are still more good people than bad in the world.

At this point, Wang Zixu saw Guo Ranran pass by the door and glare at him. If eyes had a physical form, they would have slapped Wang Zixu across the face, which left him completely bewildered.

Then, his office became incredibly noisy with other colleagues coming and going. Everyone was talking about how many stories they had heard about him over the weekend. People repeatedly investigated and debated, some trying to reconstruct Wang Zixu's story, others trying to misunderstand him. He didn't have the strength to refute them.

He felt like he had become a train station, where people came and went, said some things, did some things, and left nothing behind but the noise that echoed endlessly in the silence.

"Wang Zixu, come to the conference room quickly, you're on the news!"

Wang Zixu got up, feeling dizzy, and walked out to the conference room. About 7% of the people in the company were there. He looked at the TV, which was the local Xihe TV station, but Shen Qingfeng was talking eloquently on the screen.

"...The decline of literature is an undeniable fact. Of course, I'm not blaming the Xihe Federation of Literary and Art Circles or the Writers Association, nor am I saying we've done a bad job. It's due to the times, something beyond our human control. But if you ask whether it's tragic or not, I personally think it's very tragic, and even laughable; some laughable things are happening around us..."

Wang Zixu turned his head and said, "Who shouted that just now? How was I on TV?"

A colleague said, "Don't worry, it'll be your turn soon. He'll be speaking in a bit..."

Sure enough, Shen Qingfeng's voice became clearer on the television:

"...I heard something ridiculous the day before yesterday. Apparently, Lin Feng from our Writers' Association was competing with an unknown clerk in terms of literary knowledge, and the way they competed was by reciting the names of authors and their works. Isn't that laughable? Can literary knowledge be demonstrated simply by knowing a few titles?"

"Literature requires heartfelt understanding; it's a comprehensive expression of talent. What's the use of just knowing a few titles? Even elementary school students can memorize them. You need to read, observe, and write with your heart—that's what true cultivation is. The fact that someone can be admired simply for memorizing a few titles only proves that our era is the end of literature..."

After Shen Qingfeng finished speaking, Guo Ranran shook her head and clicked her tongue, saying, "It's always the cultured people like Teacher Shen who speak so well. Their insights are always refreshing."

Another colleague said, "Shen Qingfeng is a true writer and a true cultured person, so his perspective is definitely different."

Zhang Cangnian glanced at Wang Zixu and said, "What he said isn't entirely comprehensive either."

Xu Shichao said, "Yes, the rumors he heard probably aren't complete. Xiao Wang actually recited a passage from a book on the spot that day. What was it again?... Anyway, he recited that long passage without a single stutter. I was absolutely stunned. Xiao Wang is quite capable."

Guo Ranran didn't even look at Wang Zixu, and said, "I don't know if he recited it correctly. But I still choose to believe that he is a truly cultured person."

She emphasized the word "true," then glanced at Wang Zixu. Wang Zixu, used to being contradicted, remained unmoved, simply muttering to himself:

"What kind of cultured person is Shen Qingfeng...?"

"Huh? What did you say?"

Guo Ranran's question went unanswered because the leader had entered the meeting room. Director Gou, seeing the group huddled together, asked:

"What are you doing? When did you guys become so enthusiastic about meetings?"

Everyone scattered like birds and beasts, finding their seats. Director Gou turned to look at the television, and suddenly realized:

"Oh, you guys are watching this seminar? I watched the replay yesterday. Okay, okay, stop chatting. It's time for the meeting to start."

Director Gou sat down at the head of the long table and took out a small notebook from his bag:

"A brief routine meeting. Ah, it's Monday, everyone's busy. Ah, I understand how you feel, so I won't say much. Ah, let's give a brief report on last week's events."

As soon as Director Gou started the meeting, Wang Zixu began to feel sleepy.

Director Gou has a peculiar characteristic: he speaks normally, but when he is hosting a meeting, he likes to use "ah" in his speech, as if he were using "ah" as a period, and he does it with great rhythm, which makes Wang Zixu sleepy.

"Last week, thanks to the hard work of everyone, our unit's inspection preparations were successfully completed. We ultimately achieved a score of 7.8. An excellent rating."

As soon as Director Gou finished speaking, enthusiastic applause erupted in the room.

Director Gou continued, "However, ah, I still want to emphasize that some comrades, ah, such as our Comrade Wang Zixu, ah."