Chapter 110 The Weapon of Criticism

"Your work 'Wild Vines' was published in 'Yangtze River', it has more than 3 words!" said Lin Feng.

When he said "more than 3 words", his eyes widened. Lin Feng was surprised at something that no one except Wang Zixu could understand - the magazine was short of space, and Wang Zixu, as a newcomer, occupied more than 3 words in his first appearance in the magazine. It was no exaggeration to describe it as a "feat".

You know, when Flesh and Soul was published, the editors of the magazine struggled for days because of the word count. Later, Flesh and Soul was well received as soon as it was published, and later won the Outstanding Short Story Award, and was later adapted into the well-known movie The Wrangler - and Flesh and Soul was less than 20,000 words.

Lin Feng paused, and then said, "The news hasn't spread yet. If it spreads, someone will definitely rush to recommend you. When the time comes, you can just say that I have recommended you, okay?"

Wang Zixu nodded: "Of course, didn't we agree on this a month ago?"

Lin Feng smiled naively. Wang Zixu was talking about the promise they made when they were squatting in front of the flower bed in the park smoking. He was very happy that Wang Zixu still remembered the agreement at that time, which meant that they both kept their words and were good people.

Zhang Cangnian raised his voice and asked, "What level of magazine is Yangtze River? Does the Literary Association have to fight for people to recruit them?"

Lin Feng replied: "Yangtze River is the most prestigious literary journal in the province. The admission criteria of the Literary Association are that the number of words published in the journal exceeds 10, and if it is a core journal, the number of words can be reduced to 3. Brother Wang has reached the standard with just one novel, which is really amazing."

Zhang Cangnian was very happy: "Director Gou, you really have a good eye for talent. Not only is Xiao Diao in our unit being snatched away by the Literary Association, but now Wang Zixu has also been snatched away. Our unit has a strong literary style!"

He was just enjoying the fun, not caring at all that Gou Yingbiao's facial features were distorted and torn into pieces. Gou Yingbiao knew whether he had the "insight to recognize a pearl". But he still had to smile and agree to show his generosity.

Wang Zixu didn't pay any attention to Gou Yingbiao's expression. Instead, he asked about Lin Feng: "Did your work make it to the final round?"

Lin Feng said: "He went in. But... Lin Luo also went in."

He said the second half of his sentence in a voice that only Wang Zixu could hear. After that, he patted Wang Zixu on the shoulder and said, "It's a pity that you didn't make it to the essay competition this time, but "Yangtze River" is not bad compared to the ranking of the literary competition. It can be said that it is a blessing in disguise."

Wang Zixu was not in a position to reveal to Lin Feng in front of other people that his manuscript had been specially invited by Nanjing University, so he avoided the question and said, "Aren't you hot in such a thick suit?"

Lin Feng smiled shyly: "Today is a big occasion. Even if we can't get a good ranking, we have to dress decently to at least look impressive. In fact, you should also dress nicely. There are many celebrities coming today. It would be great if you can leave a good impression on them."

Wang Zixu said, "I don't care. I don't have to meet those celebrities. Even if I do meet them, we may not have any interactions in the future."

Lin Feng did not persuade him. He had other things to do. After saying hello to the others, he was about to leave. Before leaving, Song Yinglian mustered up his courage and said:
"Teacher Lin, our Xiao Diao has also entered the third round this time. Can you recommend her to join the Literary Association?"

"Hey!"

Diao Yiwen uttered a short sound. It was too late to stop Song Yinglian, he had already spoken. Diao Yiwen covered half of her face with a painful expression.

Lin Feng turned around and looked at Diao Yiwen in surprise, then smiled and said, "Entered the third round? I heard about that. It's great to get this result at this age, but there is a word count requirement for joining the Writers Association. Just entering the tenth place is not enough. Write more and publish more in the future, and you will have a chance to join."

Song Yinglian was not amused, and his expression was a little embarrassed. Diao Yiwen glared at him resentfully. Just now, Lin Feng had explained the requirements for joining the Literary Association. Isn't this just humiliating himself?

Lin Feng took two steps, then suddenly thought of something, turned back, and said to Wang Zixu, "Yangtze River Magazine will not send sample copies to writers whose articles are published. If you have time, you can buy one as a souvenir. There is one at the bookstall over there."

After Lin Feng left, no one spoke for a long time under the awning. Gou Yingbiao had just finished criticizing Wang Zixu halfway through, and when he got to the point of "no talent", Lin Feng's arrival completely interrupted him, and he couldn't continue his argument. If Gou Yingbiao didn't speak, the others had nothing to say, and could only stare blankly.

Zhang Cangnian rarely experienced such fun. At this time, only old comrades like him who were about to retire had the right to be exempted from silence. He patted Wang Zixu on the chest and said, "Xiao Wang, you are on the Yangtze River, why don't you feel excited at all?"

Wang Zixu said: "There's nothing to be excited about. It's just an article. I'm already this old, it's time for me to publish an article."

Zhang Cangnian patted him on the shoulder and said, "Very good." Then he turned to look at Gou Yingbiao and said, "Director Gou, didn't you just say that young comrades should go to literary gatherings more often? How about letting Wang Zixu go to the bookstore to buy a copy of Yangtze River to inspire the comrades in the unit?"

Gou Yingbiao couldn't refuse, and Wang Zixu couldn't say anything. The more he looked at him, the more annoyed he became. He waved his hand with a look of disgust, motioning for them to leave. This was exactly what Wang Zixu wanted. He saw that Gou Yingbiao was also very annoyed, so he turned around and left without even saying hello.

After walking ten meters away, he turned around and found that Diao Yiwen's campaign team was following him.

He smiled, didn't care, and walked straight to the bookstall.

Not far behind, Song Yinglian whispered, "Xiao Diao, do you plan to follow him and take a look?"

Diao Yiwen nodded: "I was originally planning to go to the bookstore."

Guo Ranran whispered, "I think we should go check it out too. Wasn't his manuscript rejected before? How come he was suddenly published in Yangtze River? There might be some misunderstanding."

Diao Yiwen didn't respond, but followed Wang Zixu silently. Guo Ranran wasn't stubborn, that was her personality. She could have an unsuccessful life, but Wang Zixu's life had to fail, otherwise she wouldn't be able to live well.

Song Yinglian whispered, "What has he been doing for so many days? Why did he suddenly buy such an expensive car?"

Guo Ranran asked: "What car?"

"Didn't you see? The Audi he drives costs at least three or four hundred thousand yuan."

"So expensive?"

"Do you think?"

Guo Ranran was dumbfounded for a long time, and suddenly felt very discouraged. Song Yinglian was thinking hard, he didn't care whether Wang Zixu climbed the Yangtze River or the Yellow River, he was very jealous of the car.

For a time, the three of them each had their own secrets.

The books and magazine kiosks and bookstore stalls at the literary conference are next to each other. They are jointly contracted by several bookstores in the city. They use blue colored plastic tiles to cover a shed area of more than 200 square meters in the center of the square. The walls are made of transparent plastic and are equipped with four temporary air conditioners, making it the most densely populated area in the square.

There are four doors in the east, west, south and north. When you push open the door curtain and enter, you will see a maze of bookshelves up to two meters high. Several "book pillars" are arranged in spirals and rise up. There are all kinds of books from ancient times to the present, from China to foreign countries. The bookshelves are staggered in height, layer by layer, and the winding paths lead to secluded places. The room is filled with the faint fragrance of ink.

Wang Zixu walked through the forest of books and finally found the place where the newspapers were. After searching among the magazines for a long time, he finally found "Yangtze River". Just as he was about to reach out to take it, Guo Ranran rushed out from the side and snatched it away.

"Let me see."

She opened the magazine and flipped through it roughly for a long time. Finally, she found the novel "Wild Creepers" on the first page after the table of contents. The three small words "Wang Zixu" below confirmed her failure. She was immediately furious and clasped her hands tightly.

Wang Zixu hesitated to speak, and finally leaned over to look for other uncrumpled copies of Yangtze River. Just as Raymond Lam said, this magazine is worth remembering.

At this moment, he suddenly found a book called "Literary World". On the cover were printed the words "The Little Prince's Love Letter to the World". He smiled knowingly and pulled it out from the bookshelf.

At this moment, a familiar voice that I hadn't heard for a long time rang in my ears:

"Wang Zixu? What a coincidence, you are here too?"

When Wang Zixu looked up, he saw Ning Chunyan.

(End of this chapter)

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