I am not a literary giant

Even if we met, so what?

For a time, Wang Zixu desperately wanted to see Chen Qingluo again, before his marriage. Whenever he heard news of Chen Qingluo's return to Xihe, he would wander the entire city, searching for every alley and corner of Xihe, every glimpse of its vibrant life.

He didn't meet anyone. All he gained was an average of 30,000 steps a day on WeChat Sports and over fifty likes. Nobody knew he just wanted to "bump into" someone.

Fortunately, he didn't "bump into" Chen Qingluo. He thought to himself later.

She doesn't belong to Xihe, just as the East Sea doesn't belong to him. Even if he were to recite a poem like Borges's "What can I use to keep you?" to Chen Qingluo, overshadowing all the desolate streets, the desperate sunset, and the moon over the barren countryside of Xihe, he would only suffer a crushing defeat.

He had no reason to see her before, and he had even less face to see her after they got married. He couldn't possibly stare at Chen Qingluo and then burst into tears, crying like Lin Daiyu—he couldn't do something so grotesque.

He couldn't very well extend his hand and say, "Hello, I'm Wang Zixu, now that I'm married. It's a pleasure to see you again. You left a deep and lasting mark on my life."

He couldn't possibly feel so ashamed that he would erupt into a strong aggression and say to her, "I am not famous and you are not married; we are probably both inferior to others."

The most likely scenario is that they simply don't remember him at all.

When Chen Qingluo looked at him, it was no different from how she looked at countless other enthusiastic fans, and she cautiously said to him:

"Excuse me, you look familiar. What's your name? Oh, Wang Zixu? I do remember you, I really do... Ah, were we deskmates?"

Perhaps from the moment their fates were predetermined, their lives were already sealed. He lacked Chen Qingluo's talent, couldn't keep up with her pace, and could only watch, breathless, as she disappeared into the crowd. He stopped, lit a large firecracker, and vigorously pounded his legs. It wasn't giving up; it was accepting reality.

It's better not to meet.

Wang Zixu and Lin Feng walked out of the barbecue restaurant, each holding a bottle of beer, and squatted by the roadside like two dogs.

"If we had known it would turn out like this, we wouldn't have sat at their table," Lin Feng said angrily. "I thought you and your classmate were on good terms. I didn't expect him to be constantly putting you down. What a mess this is."

Prince Xu asked in surprise, "Huh? Really?"

He had always been very insensitive. He vaguely sensed Xie Cong's malice, but he didn't think it was enough to make others so indignant.

"Yeah, he practically said, 'Why are you still so poor?' He's always comparing himself to you. You can tell from his voice that he didn't do well in school."

Wang Zixu said, "Actually, I think it's okay. When old classmates meet, unless they used to be really close, they'll definitely compare salaries and incomes, or they'll talk about having affairs."

Lin Feng scoffed, "That's true. Damn it, in school we compare grades, after graduation we compare income. People always need a number as their footnote."

Wang Zixu said, "The adult world is so boring. You have to tell them that this is a house that costs 100,000 francs before they will think it's beautiful."

"That's human nature. Let's go."

"Drink slowly, do as you please."

Beer bottles clattered against each other on the deserted street.

"Hey," Lin Feng pointed at him and said, "Do you know what 'Gong Xi Fa Cai' means? 'Gong Xi Fa Cai' means 'Hurry up and become rich.' Next time you see Xie Cong, give that kid a good thrashing. What 'a gentleman is content with poverty'? Just 'Hurry up and wish me wealth.' It's simply the most wonderful blessing we Chinese people can offer."

"Then I wish you prosperity and good fortune."

"May you be happy and prosperous!"

As Wang Zixu drank his wine, he thought to himself that he really should congratulate himself on his fortune. He planned to go to his father tomorrow and have him sign Wen Ai's contract, then he could collect a profit of over 100,000 yuan a month. At that time, he would be temporarily freed from his misery.

He had no time to linger sadly gazing at the lonely moon. He was busy crafting sentences, making deals with his dreams, and relentlessly striving for those 50 chances to win the Nobel Prize in Literature. But before that, he had to immediately congratulate himself on his fortune to prove he wasn't a coward.

……

When Ning Chunyan met Chen Qingluo, she was wearing a sun hat, sunglasses, and a mask, each covering half of her face. She was wrapped tightly in a thin trench coat and wore sneakers. Only her exposed white ankles revealed the condition of her skin.

However, Ning Chunyan herself wasn't much better off; apart from not wearing a trench coat, she was completely covered up in other areas.

"Aren't you hot wearing this?" Ning Chunyan asked in a muffled voice.

Chen Qingluo said with a hint of excitement, "We're like those exhibitionists, the kind who go out on the street late at night, stop someone, and take off all their clothes, like they're not wearing anything underneath."

"That's because you look like it, not me."

The two hid in a 24-hour convenience store that was still lit up. Ning Chunyan took out Wang Zixu's manuscript, slammed it on the table, and said, "This is it. Give me a thumbs up."

Chen Qingluo picked it up and glanced at it, then said in less than ten seconds, "This won't do."

"What do you mean, 'no'?"

"It won't get published in 'Get' magazine," Chen Qingluo said. "The subject matter wasn't chosen well; these kinds of mundane family stories are no longer popular."

Ning Chunyan was speechless: "I didn't ask you that."

Chen Qingluo analyzed: "This author must have considered this when choosing the subject matter. It's true that fewer people write about this theme now, but it used to be popular! It doesn't involve infidelity or adultery, so who would read it? But from another perspective, it's quite impressive that this author can capture attention so effectively by focusing on the character's transformation without writing about infidelity or adultery."

Ning Chunyan asked, "Do you think he and the Little Prince are the same person?"

Chen Qingluo glanced at it again and said, "It's hard to say. The writing style is indeed similar, but not particularly so. And this novel doesn't have the charm of The Little Prince."

Ning Chunyan's eyes lit up: "You also think the Little Prince is very interesting, right?"

"No, no, I've never done speech therapy. I'm not talking about the kind of fun you're thinking of."

How did you know what kind of fun I was thinking about?

Chen Qingluo flipped to the first page of the manuscript: "Who wrote this?...Wang Zixu?"

She was stunned for a moment, then Ning Chunyan asked, "You know him?"

"Is this Prince Xu the same Prince Xu with thick eyebrows, big eyes, and a silly look on his face?"

Ning Chunyan couldn't help but laugh: "The description 'thick eyebrows and big eyes' is too abstract, but it does indeed make him look silly."

"Is it that Prince Xu who's always so clueless, doesn't understand anything, has negative emotional intelligence, is stubborn and headstrong like a wild boar, charging forward without ever admitting his own ideas?"

Ning Chunyan asked in surprise, "You really know him?"

Chen Qingluo threw down the manuscript paper: "Even if we knew each other before, we don't anymore. We're from two different worlds."

She got up and walked towards the door. Ning Chunyan put away the manuscript and followed behind her, saying, "You're leaving already? You still haven't told me if he's the Little Prince?"

"I don't know. I can't tell."

Ning Chunyan felt a little better; not being able to tell meant it wasn't true. She followed her and said, "So, that married Prince Xu is indeed your age. You don't actually know him, do you?"

Chen Qingluo looked at her: "Why do you emphasize that you're married? Are you implying that I'm single?"

Ning Chunyan broke out in a sweat, thinking to herself, "Sister, you're being a bit too sensitive: The first time I met him, I wanted to add him on WeChat, but he refused, saying he was married. That's the nickname I gave him."

Chen Qingluo gave a mocking laugh, and after laughing, she said, "I don't care, I don't concern myself. We're from two different worlds."

She walked quickly forward. She was wearing sneakers, while Ning Chunyan was wearing sandals and couldn't keep up.

"Where are you going now?"

"running."

"Running so late?" Ning Chunyan asked in surprise. "Did you break up with your boyfriend?"

She quoted a line from the movie "Chungking Express," and Chen Qingluo merely glanced at her indifferently: "Crazy."

She then remembered that Chen Qingluo didn't like watching movies.

In the middle of the night, Ning Chunyan was woken up by a phone call. It was Chen Qingluo's mother, who asked where the two of them had been and why Chen Qingluo hadn't come home yet.

When she opened Chen Qingluo's WeChat, she was shocked to find that her WeChat Sports step count was as high as 30,000 steps, and her latest Moments were full of praise for her strong athletic ability, with flattery pouring in.