Chapter 154 Color is Emptiness

Chapter 154 Color is Emptiness

Chapter 154 Color is Emptiness
"You have to remember, I can only drink three cups. After three cups, I will be drunk and laugh and cry and roll on the ground and then pass out. Don't let me drink more than three cups."

"I heard that pretty girls can drink a lot, right?"

"You think I'm pretty?"

"No, it's not important. You really only drink three cups? I don't have much experience drinking. You know, I don't do very well in the company, and I don't have many opportunities to practice."

So Ning Chunyan looked unhappy: "I only drink three cups anyway. If you let me drink more than three cups, it's your responsibility."

Wang Zixu said, "That's easy. When you come to the table, tell them, 'Gentlemen, I just took cefuroxime and drank tea instead of wine. I hope you can forgive me. The law is so strict now that no one dares to force it, or else they will be held responsible.'"

Ning Chunyan rolled his eyes: "Do you think I don't know? But think about it, why did they let me come?"

Wang Zixu asked: "Why? To watch you drink?"

"In a sense, you can say that," Ning Chunyan said, "Do you know what they did in the afternoon? Shi Tonghe went to play mahjong with our Li Dean and a few others. They won or lost tens of thousands in one night."

Wang Zixu was stunned: "Such a big fight? Transfer of benefits?"

"No, it's just a small amount of money for them. It's just a social method, just like playing mahjong. They won't be happy if they don't make money."

Ning Chunyan finished speaking, blinked at him, and said:

"Shi Tonghe's son has been studying at Nanjing University for such a long time, but their father-son relationship has only been made public to the school today. Why? One reason is that he is a scholar with aloofness and could not bring himself to find an opportunity to establish a connection with our school before..."

Wang Zixu interrupted: "Why aren't you noble now?"

"Wait for me to finish. There must be a reason why he is not so noble now. Shi Shuqiu is a junior. He will go abroad, continue to study in graduate school or do something else. His father must have paved the way for him in advance. Whether it is giving a speech on stage or competing for the Feishi Literature Award, it is all about building up his resume."

"Oh……"

A familiar melody floated in Wang Zixu's mind: I have a - a good father! A good father!

Ning Chunyan continued, "What is the meaning of today's game? We are just an introduction. In fact, we are not important. Shi Tonghe is just using this opportunity to build a relationship with the school leaders. It is also natural for us to participate to liven up the atmosphere. The protagonist is Shi Tonghe."

Wang Zixu suddenly realized: "We are lubricants?"

"Yes, you are the lubricant and I am the vase. Do you understand what a vase is?" Ning Chunyan was as calm as an artificial intelligence. "If I don't drink, will they be happy?"

Wang Zixu felt sorry for her: "Your self-perception is too realistic."

Ning Chunyan said: "Of course."

"But that's not right," Wang Zixu said again, "You didn't ask him to do anything, so why bother? If you want him to stand up for the little prince, it's definitely not something that can be done by drinking a few glasses of wine. There's no need to waste your energy, right?"

Ning Chunyan said: "Of course I'm not doing this for the little prince, I'm doing this for you."

"what?"

"Aren't you worried about not being able to find a place to publish your new work?" Ning Chunyan said, "This time, leave a good impression on Shi Tonghe at the dinner table and ask him for help. Isn't it just a matter of a word from him?"

Wang Zixu was deeply moved: "Thank you."

"You're welcome," Ning Chunyan said with a sly smile, "As the official editor of our magazine, you can't just rely on the title of Xihe Literary Society. You have to improve your reputation so that the reputation of our magazine can rise!"

Ning Chunyan smiled slyly and made a lot of calculations, but Wang Zixu was still very moved and decided to go through fire and water for her. A gentleman will die for his friend, so he would accept it even if he was fooled.

The two of them prepared themselves mentally and walked bravely towards the hotel.

Stepping into the door of the private hotel, Wang Zixu was shocked by the luxury here even though he tried hard to remain calm: from the floor to the sky, it was covered with mysterious and profound lines and patterns, which looked like miniature paintings by superb Arab craftsmen and the works of postmodern structuralist masters. Gold-stamped fonts floated on the wall coverings and the air was filled with the fragrance of tulips. It can be seen that the owner spent a lot of money to make this place look very expensive, and then spent even more money so that you can't tell how much the layout here cost.

Wang Zixu came close to Ning Chunyan and asked quietly, "Who's paying for this meal?"

"I don't know. Anyway, it wasn't me. If I were asked to A, I would die on the spot." Ning Chunyan's words were very cowardly, but it made Wang Zixu feel good.

Shi Shuqiu was standing at the stairs. Seeing the two of them, he came up to them with a big smile on his face:
"Ms. Ning, you are here?"

Ning Chunyan looked at him with a proper smile: "Oh, Master Shi is here to welcome guests personally?"

Shi Shuqiu smiled embarrassedly and said, "Talking about 'in person' is too flattering to me. Everyone here is my teacher and senior. It is my duty as a junior to wait in front of you. My father also asked me to learn more from you."

Ning Chunyan asked: "Study? But I heard from Xiao Mengyin that you praised me for my beauty behind my back. Is that true or false?"

Shi Shuqiu felt even more embarrassed: "This... anyone with eyes can see it!"

Ning Chunyan said, "Is that what I'm asking? Ah, did you say that?"

Shi Shuqiu tilted his head and pretended to be dumb: "Sister Mengyin is making a fuss out of nothing. This matter is not worth telling Ning Cainu specifically."

Ning Chunyan snorted, then let him go with a smile: "Alright, I'll go up first."

"Okay. There's no one else back here, I'll go with you guys."

Ning Chunyan was in a good mood and walked upstairs in front. After entering the private room, Wang Zixu saw a group of people in suits and leather shoes sitting at the tea table instead of the dining table. The atmosphere was solemn, like some kind of ceremony.

Shi Tonghe sat on the armchair at the top with a cup of tea at hand. A young girl in cheongsam sat beside him, lighting the cup gently. Dean Li, Huang Xinghuo and other bigwigs were divided into two rows.

Ning Chunyan crouched over and carefully sat on the sofa at the bottom, leaving Wang Zixu without a seat, so he could only stand where he was.

"...Xiao Ning just happened to be here. We were just talking about which young writers in China are good, and here comes Xiao Ning."

Ning Chunyan waved his hands quickly: "How can I be considered as such? The volume of my writings is not large enough, so how can I dare to represent the younger generation of writers?"

Shi Tonghe shook his head and said, "I usually never praise young writers. If a young writer gets a compliment from me, he or she will probably tell others about it every day, and his or her reputation will rise several notches in an instant. But I think you are worthy of praise."

Ning Chunyan was terrified: "I don't deserve it."

"Xiao Ning, I have seen your work. My evaluation is that it does not speak human language, does not do human things, is difficult to understand without deep study, and is difficult to be happy without deep learning."

Ning Chunyan's expression was a little depressed. She had been preparing for the compliment for a long time, but are you complimenting me? Why do I sound sarcastic?
She looked at Shi Tonghe with confusion, but found that the old man had a smile on his face, without any strange expression. For a moment, she didn't know what he meant.

If you say it was a compliment, his words didn't sound nice; if you say it was a criticism, his smile was very gentle; if you say he was joking, his tone was too serious.

Ning Chunyan didn't know how to react.

Wang Zixu said: "That is to say, the article written by Chief Ning is more academic."

Shi Tonghe nodded: "Yes." Ning Chunyan breathed a sigh of relief and looked at Wang Zixu, who had successfully saved the situation, with a bit of gratitude.

Shi Tonghe asked: "Who are you?"

Ning Chunyan rushed to introduce: "This is our magazine's editor-in-charge, Wang Zixu."

After that, she added: "He is also a writer of the new generation. His works have won the Xihe..."

She was halfway through her words when the cheongsam girl said something to Dean Li, who said, "Everyone is here, and the food is ready. Let's all sit down and chat."

Shi Tonghe laughed and put his glasses on his face: "I didn't even plan to stay for dinner. At my age, I'm not used to big fish and meat. I just want to eat some simple food to fill my stomach."

Someone came over and held his arm, helping him to stand up slowly:

"Mr. Shi, you should take care of yourself. You are like the pillar of the literary world. Seeing that you are in good health makes me feel reassured. I don't know how many people are concerned about your health."

Shi Tonghe smiled again: "I am old, so I have to deal with all the problems that are expected. But I have been practicing the Diamond Sutra recently and have found some insights. I have tried vegetarianism and I feel that my body has become much lighter and my eyesight has become clearer. I recommend this to you."

Everyone took their seats, with Wang Zixu sitting at the bottom, with Huang Xinghuo on the right and Ning Chunyan on the left. Huang Xinghuo remained silent, but Wang Zixu had a much better impression of him than the others, so he was slightly relieved about the seating arrangement.

Dean Li asked, "Is Mr. Shi studying Buddhism?"

Shi Tonghe said: "Buddhism is profound and extensive, and it is the root of Chinese culture. You can't do without it."

Dean Li nodded: "Indeed."

Shi Tonghe said: "Buddhism has three major sutras. Speaking of the three major sutras, Professor Huang, do you know which three major sutras they are?"

Huang Xinghuo was waiting for his meal with his head down when he was suddenly called out. He was a little overwhelmed and looked up and said, "Uh, I don't know much about Buddhism."

He majored in modern literature. If Professor Zhong Junmin were here, he would definitely be able to explain everything, but he can't.

Seeing that he had stumped the professor from Nanjing University, Shi Tonghe couldn't help but feel a little proud. He then turned to ask Dean Li, "Does Dean Li know?"

Dean Li also looked embarrassed and said, "The Heart Sutra, the Diamond Sutra..."

"No, no." Shi Tonghe shook his head like a rattle, "All wrong."

Dean Li laughed dryly and said, "It would be great if Professor Zhong was here. He would definitely know."

"Who is Professor Zhong?"

"Professor Zhong Junmin is a professor in our school who studies ancient literature," Shi Shuqiu introduced.

"Oh!" Shi Tonghe raised his head, "As I said just now, Buddhism is also the root of Chinese culture. To study literature, you must also study Buddhist classics."

Wang Zixu glanced at Wang Xinghuo's expression and felt that he might not agree in his heart, but in this situation, it would be impolite to offend Shi Tonghe, so they all nodded in agreement.

Shi Tonghe said: "Alas, the whole room is full of great scholars, but none of them know what the three major sutras of Buddhism are?"

Ning Chunyan glanced at Wang Zixu and exchanged glances: "Do you know?"

Wang Zixu also looked at her secretly: "I definitely know."

"You know what you said!"

Ning Chunyan's eyes were very charming. Wang Zixu didn't know whether she meant what he understood, but he really knew.

“The three great sutras are the Avatamsaka Sutra, the Lotus Sutra, and the Shurangama Sutra.”

The round table seemed to be divided into two parts. The upper part was occupied by the big guys headed by Shi Tonghe, and the lower part was occupied by the taciturn people headed by Ning Chunyan. The upper part was obviously much more lively. Wang Zixu's words made the lower half of the table, which had been silent for a long time, feel a little bit shocked.

Shi Tonghe looked at him: "You know?"

Wang Zixu nodded: "I know a little."

"Have you dabbled in Buddhism?"

"Just a little bit."

Ning Chunyan suddenly patted Wang Zixu's arm and said, "He is preparing to take the postgraduate entrance examination at our Nanjing University this year."

Dean Li's eyes lit up: "Really? Are you applying to our Chinese department?"

"Correct."

Dean Li looked at Wang Zixu and said, "I didn't expect you to be a candidate. Are you from this school?"

"No, I graduated from Beijing Institute of Technology for my undergraduate degree and it's been many years since I graduated."

Wang Zixu helped Nanda regain a point, and Dean Li was very happy: "Do you know any of our Nanda University's tutors? Which major do you like? Do you want me to introduce you to someone?"

Wang Zixu said, "Thank you, Dean Li. I am ready to apply for Professor Zhong's research fellowship."

Shi Tonghe put down his chopsticks and bowl in silence. He was planning to continue his talk on Buddhism, but Wang Zixu's words interrupted him. Wang Zixu became a little anxious.

Originally, Shi Tonghe was supposed to pretend to be the one who did it, and the foreplay had all been prepared, but Wang Zixu took it over instead. Although this helped Dean Li gain face, it did not serve the purpose of their trip.

Dean Li said to Shi Tonghe, "You see, our Chinese Department of Nanjing University is inclusive and has many well-educated people in various fields. If you want to continue your studies, don't worry, you can just stay in our school."

Wang Zixu secretly cheered for Dean Li in his heart. He was worthy of being the dean. His ability to smoothly bring the topic back on track was truly admirable.

Shi Tonghe sighed and said, "I have been practicing hard recently, but I haven't reached the state of emptiness is color and color is emptiness. I am only worried about having a child in my old age."

Dean Li said seriously, "I have paid attention to your son's grades and performance in school. They are excellent. You don't have to worry."

“The waves behind the Yangtze River push the waves ahead.”

"No, it's the front wave that breaks through the waves, and the back wave that is so powerful, both are great!"

Shi Tonghe raised his head: "Where's the wine? Bring me some!"

Seeing the waitress placing four or five bottles of high-proof liquor on the table, Prince felt as if he was stepping on empty air.

(End of this chapter)