Chapter 36: The Lion of Marco Polo Bridge

Chapter 36: The Lion of Marco Polo Bridge

Chapter 36: The Lion of Marco Polo Bridge (Thanks to the leader Jing Feng Zhi Yuan)
After Wang Zixu and Lin Feng exchanged the various versions of the rumors they had heard, they both squatted dejectedly on the edge of a flower bed by the road in the park, their expressions neatly matched, like two stone lions on the Marco Polo Bridge.

The stories they heard, if distinguished by different character creation techniques, can be roughly divided into four versions: "Mutual Appreciation", "Ignorant of the Highness of the Sky and the Thickness of the Earth", "Experts Among the Common People", and "Dog Bites Dog".

"Xing Xing Xiang Xi" is the version that is closest to the truth, focusing on the spiritual resonance between Raymond Lam and Wang Zixu. However, because it is not very down-to-earth and requires some more transcendent emotions to understand, this version is less popular.

The "Dog Bite Dog" version is completely the opposite. This version uses harsh language to describe the two of them as funny characters who drink a lot. This version is Shen Qingfeng's refined and annotated version. Although it is not widely circulated, the language is obviously polished and sarcastic, which is a good example.
In the version of "Ignorant of the Highness of the Heaven and the Thickness of the Earth", Raymond Lam is an absolutely positive character, while Wang Zixu is a clown. In this version, Wang Zixu is similar to a folk scientist, holding on to a bunch of ancient scrolls that are not grounded, and accidentally won over Raymond Lam in a very remote field. Raymond Lam "bravely" and "clearly explained the floating numbers and gave a congratulatory speech" in a very cultured manner;
The version of "Masters Among the People" is like a variation of the previous version. Here Wang Zixu is a positive character, while Lin Feng is the one who is arrogant and prejudiced. He is not worthy of his reputation and is not qualified to be the vice president of the Writers Association. A talent like Wang Zixu should not fall into the dust.

With so many different opinions, this dinner turned into the Hongmen Banquet. Everyone has his or her own interpretation, but the key is that each version is very detailed and the details are quite authentic.

No matter which version it is, they all point to one fact - Raymond Lam and Wang Zixu became really popular together.

The two of them didn't feel much about it now, because it hadn't had time to ferment. When they went back to work after the weekend, they would feel the fear of people's gossip.

If it were someone else, they would probably be ecstatic at this point. Black and red are also red, and if you look closely at this matter, there is not much black, it should be purple-black with a hint of red and a little pink. The best way to solve the problem is to rush into the crowd carefree and enjoy the attention of everyone. As time goes by, no one will remember this history.

But it just so happens that both of them are engaged in literature, and they both have a kind of self-admiration twisted spirit - it is obviously a very touching thing, how come it becomes like this in your mouth? Unacceptable! They cannot accept that their spiritual world is misinterpreted.

And the reason why Wang Zixu and Lin Feng were depressed was not just that. The stories they heard cleverly avoided the version where they were the clown. When they heard the stories, they found that they were being laughed at so ridiculously behind their backs, and they became depressed on the spot.

Wang Zixu had been undercover once, so he heard more comprehensively, and heard the "Dog Bite Dog" version from Shen Qingfeng. He thought he could bear it better than Raymond Lam. But after Raymond Lam described the "I Don't Know How High the Sky Is" version in detail, he still became uncontrollably angry.

Human hearts are so sinister.

"How disgraceful, how disgraceful!" Lin Feng took out a lighter from his arms, his hands still trembling a little.

"'I cannot bear to look at the tragic scene, and I cannot bear to hear the rumors...' I have always been willing to assume the worst of these people. I have been attacked time and again. I thought I had seen it all and there was nothing to worry about. But I never thought there was such a way to slander people. This is really... Do you have cigarettes?"

Wang Zixu said, I have it. Then he took out the big harvest from his arms and handed it to him. Lin Feng took only one puff and started coughing violently.

Wang Zixu patted his back: "Are you okay?"

Lin Feng held a cigarette in his hand and asked, "What brand of cigarette is this?"

"Great Harvest, a brand from a small local factory, very cheap. Is it too strong? A bit hard to get used to, right?"

Lin Feng said: "No, this cigarette is very good. It has to be strong. Strong, can strengthen my nerves, exercise my spirit. Only in pain can people be free. If they don't explode in silence, they will perish in silence..."

He took a deep breath and started coughing hard again.

Wang Zixu also took out a cigarette for himself, and Lin Feng lit it for him. He was flattered and held the light. The two squatted and smoked for a while, and no one spoke. People passing by looked sideways and then quickly turned their heads away.

Wang Zixu said, "Actually, this is easy to understand. I am just a nobody. According to the principles of journalism and communication, and the celebrity effect, everyone's attention is on you as a celebrity, so the exaggerated and outrageous version can spread like wildfire. Ultimately, it's my fault. I'm too transparent."

Lin Feng said, "No, I don't blame you. This is not the principle of journalism. This is the art of thick black. There is something wrong here." Lin Feng said this with a look of grief and indignation. Suddenly, a middle school girl came over and said, "Teacher Lin, please give me an autograph."

He quickly put out his cigarette, stood up and greeted the girl with a smile, and signed an autograph for her. After the girl left, he sat down again and explained to Wang Zixu:

“I give a lot of presentations at local middle schools and the students know me.”

"Oh."

"Do you have any more cigarettes?"

"Yes, there are."

Lin Feng lit up another one, perhaps because he felt that he changed his attitude too quickly, which was not in line with the image of a scholar who was not easily affected by fame or disgrace, so he scratched his head in annoyance.

Wang Zixu said: "It's nothing actually. Those who slander you are the ones who have conflicts with you in real life, or they are jealous of you. Those who are innocent will be innocent, and not many people will believe it."

Lin Feng waved his hand: "I don't care about this. I just think that this matter was purely caused by me, and I have affected your life."

Wang Zixu took a puff of cigarette and smiled with relief:
"It's nothing. My life is already full of shit. No matter how bad it gets, it can't be that bad. Besides, I'm just a civil servant. What can they do to me?"

"Don't keep saying that, brother. You still have a bright future ahead of you."

After a while, Lin Feng calmed down: "You don't know. This matter is really my fault. There must be a villain behind the scenes who maliciously fabricated this matter, otherwise it wouldn't have spread like this."

Wang Zixu turned around and asked, "How do you know?"

Lin Feng exhaled a puff of smoke: "I just know. Oh, forget it, I can tell you in detail. There is someone in the Writers Association who I won't reveal his name, because it's a bit contradictory."

Wang Zixu said: "Is it Shen Qingfeng?"

Lin Feng turned around and glared at him: "How do you know?"

He wanted to say that his contempt for you was almost written on his face.

He said, my guess is just my intuition.

Lin Feng sighed and said, "Forget it if you know. This is what happened. The president of our Writers Association, my teacher, is about to retire. She plans to recommend me, but Shen Qingfeng has never been convinced."

(End of this chapter)