I am not a literary giant

Chapter 84 The Siege of Baideng (Thanks to Alliance Leader Yun Qing)

Ye Lan, her eyes watery, bit her lip and peeked at his expression, practically screaming "Let's fight!"

She didn't find it "interesting"; she just wanted to have some fun.

Wang Zixu didn't want to entertain her, so he simply said, "Okay, I understand. Besides, I don't find it very interesting."

Ye Lan looked disappointed: "You really have no temper at all?"

"You didn't see me lose my temper. Besides, even if I did lose my temper, I wouldn't lose it to nobody," Wang Zixu said.

"Hmph." Ye Lan let out a slightly arrogant sound. "Now that you're a shareholder, what's your opinion on what to do with this speech therapist? Should you ban his account?"

Wang Zixu said, "Why ban him? With that kind of thinking, he's already eliminating himself."

"You seem quite confident."

Wang Zixu said, "Our first batch of scripts is out, and we should be able to see the results today."

"How much do you estimate you can improve?"

"The retention rate was 6% before? I estimate it can be raised to 10%."

Ye Lan opened her mouth: "You're really that confident? Achieving a 10% retention rate in a day, you're even better than those top operations staff."

Wang Zixu said, "Actually, I think it can reach 15%."

Outside the door, the aspiring scriptwriters returned one after another, all drenched in sweat, grumbling and complaining.

Ye Lan's lips curled into a smile, as if she were plotting something mischievous. She said, "Okay, but what if we don't reach 15% today?"

"Then pretend I didn't say anything."

Seeing that the prince wasn't taking the bait, Ye Lan exclaimed, "Tch, boring, utterly boring."

Prince Xu got up and went to open the door for the scriptwriters.

The timing of Qiu Ze's appearance was extremely opportune. The Wen'ai Club had just been established when he jumped out to advocate the uselessness of scripts. It was as if Xiahou Dun had just arrived after Zhuge Liang's three visits to the thatched cottage, only to burn down Bowang Temple as a show of force.

Wang Zixu knew that someone like Qiu Ze was definitely not the only one. The speech therapist team was so large, and Zuo Ziliang had recently expanded recruitment, adding a large number of new members. Their quality varied greatly, and certainly not everyone would be convinced by him, the "Little Prince."

Actually, his current situation is quite precarious, somewhat like the Han Dynasty after the Battle of Baideng. He desperately needs a victory on par with Huo Qubing's blitzkrieg against the Xiongnu to firmly establish his position. If he loses this decisive battle, the people's hearts will be scattered, and his influence within the team will diminish in the future.

He turned to Ye Lan and said, "If I lose, I'll treat you all to a late-night snack."

Ye Lan was overjoyed: "Great! I want to go to the seafood market to eat Boston lobster."

Prince Xu said, "Unfortunately, I can't lose."

Ye Lan felt she could barely suppress a smile: "Really?"

Wang Zixu said, "What if you lose? If you lose, you'll have to perform a talent show, right?"

Ye Lan insisted, "Yes, it's possible."

Prince Xu began to be confused.

He felt that Ye Lan had agreed a little too readily. He suspected that Ye Lan might be withholding some information from him.

He probed, "If you lose, you'll have to dance at the company's year-end party?"

"Sure, sure," Ye Lan readily agreed.

"Is there something you haven't told me?" Wang Zixu asked.

His worries came true, and Ye Lan burst into laughter: "Hahaha, you just realized? Let me tell you the truth, our app had another small surge yesterday, with an unprecedented 100,000+ downloads in a single day. If you can achieve a 15% retention rate, that's equivalent to bringing us 15,000 new users in one day. What's dancing compared to that? I could dance in a maid outfit with fishnet stockings, it wouldn't matter! The key is you can't do it, hahaha..."

The prince stood frozen in place. The trap had been waiting there all along.

……

The security door opened, revealing a beautiful face. Ning Chunyan stood at the door, holding a box of bird's nest in both hands, and said in a sweet voice, "Greetings, Master!"

"Xiaochun's here? Come in, come in. Why did you bring things when you came to play? Honestly, this child..."

The old man invited Ning Chunyan into the house. Ning Chunyan behaved well, changed into slippers, and walked into the inner room with her hands behind her back.

On the shelves beside the porch were dark blue rocks and fan-shaped objects. In the hall, there was a large Qianlong yellow vase on each side, and an eight-immortal table arched in the middle, with armchairs on both sides. On the wall hung a piece of calligraphy by Yao Xueji, the wild cursive script illegible. On the cabinet was a white jade Guanyin Bodhisattva statue, which, judging from its size, had obviously been consecrated.

The old man, fiddling with two ornamental walnuts, led Ning Chunyan inside. He happened to see Lin Feng and Li Tingfang. Li Tingfang was lying on a recliner, sunbathing, while Lin Feng massaged her shoulders from behind.

Upon seeing Ning Chunyan, Lin Feng exclaimed with delight, "Talented Ning, you've come to see Teacher Li?"

Ning Chunyan nodded, somewhat surprised by this unexpected encounter, but upon reflection, it wasn't surprising. Today was Saturday.

As the president of the Writers' Association, Li Tingfang's home is a landmark building in Xihe City's literary circles. The elderly lady is warm and hospitable; every weekend, it's as lively as a cultural salon, and it's normal to see anyone there. You could say Li Tingfang's home is Xihe's version of Flaubert's dormitory or Lin Huiyin's living room—truly a place where learned scholars gather and no uncultured person is seen. Today, only Lin Feng is here; Ning Chunyan arrived relatively early.

"Xiaochun's here!" The old lady smiled, her silver hair gleaming in the sunlight. "Would you like to be the president of the Xihe Writers' Association?"

Ning Chunyan was immediately dumbfounded: "Teacher, I just arrived and you're already saying this to me? I wasn't prepared at all! Is it appropriate to talk about such a serious topic like this?"

Li Tingfang didn't mind at all, and just smiled. That's just her personality; she was straightforward even when she was young. She wrote many critical biographies of the Water Margin, and Lu Zhishen was her favorite character. This reflects her personality.

Lin Feng said, "I was just discussing this issue with my teacher, and he was also a bit worried. He was saying that it would be great if Ning Cai Nu was willing to take over the Xihe Writers Association, and then, as if on cue, he appeared."

Ning Chunyan asked curiously, "What's wrong?"

Li Tingfang said, "Isn't this just another matter among scholars? Shen Qingfeng has been making quite a stir lately."

Ning Chunyan sat down on the sofa: "I really don't understand why he's so aggressive. He's so busy and doesn't have time to handle association affairs, so why does he insist on fighting for the presidency?"

Li Tingfang said, "His books are bestsellers, but they have never been able to gain mainstream recognition. If he were given the position of chairman, it would be equivalent to having official endorsement from the literary world. Perhaps he would feel that this would make his title more valuable."

Ning Chunyan shook her head; she found this behavior boring.

Li Tingfang whispered again, "I also heard a rumor, I don't know if it's true—Shen Qingfeng is recently moving towards variety entertainment, and he needs to raise his status. He's not only vying for this position, but he's also planning to publish a new book."

Ning Chunyan said, "I see."

Lin Feng sighed, "It's still my fault for not publishing enough articles. I don't have enough fame to suppress him or convince the public. Otherwise, the teacher wouldn't have to worry so much."

Li Tingfang shook her head: "It's not your fault. You write reportage, which puts you at a disadvantage in terms of fame. But your work has great social significance. Besides, this matter is only about interests. Even if Xiaochun came, he would definitely rack his brains to undermine his opponent."

Lin Feng didn't think it was right. He knew that Shen Qingfeng was interested in pursuing Ning Chunyan. If Ning Chunyan were made president, given Shen Qingfeng's style, he might even go along with it to do her a favor, and incidentally start a relationship with Ning Chunyan, thus gaining both face and substance—a win-win situation.

Li Tingfang sighed, "My best choice is actually Chen Qingluo. It's just a pity that the girl doesn't think much of this tiny place like Xihe. Her stage is much farther away. Letting her take over my position would be a hindrance to her."

She looked down at Ning Chunyan: "Xiaochun, aren't you willing to take on this hot potato either?"

Ning Chunyan shook her head, and Li Tingfang looked up and said, "By the way, Lin Feng mentioned that Prince Xu to me before. Apparently, he's a promising talent. I heard you're helping him revise his novel?"

(End of this chapter)