Chapter 169: The Reserve of Scholars

People of culture tend to be more reserved in their speech. This is not only for the sake of grace and face, but also for the sake of protecting oneself.

After Wang Zixu's manuscript was rejected, he read the memoirs of a famous editor during the period of revision. The editor wrote in the article:
Whenever a famous writer submits a manuscript, he will not send it directly to the editorial department. Instead, he will call the editor and say on the phone, "I have a manuscript. Is your company interested?"

Sending the manuscript directly is submission, even if it is agreed in advance, it is submission. Submission is different from editors actively sending it to you. People in the world never cherish things that are sent to them voluntarily, and the same is true for manuscripts.

It's not that writers are arrogant. There are too many new writers who are struggling to submit their works. If you are mixed with them, others will not take you seriously. The more powerful authors always know a few editors and can contact the editors directly. This is their privilege. If you don't use this privilege, it means you are not confident in yourself and don't respect the fruits of your labor. The editors will also think that it is too much.

So writers will ask, "I have a manuscript, are you interested?" If you are interested, then you have to come to me to ask for it, which means you are actively asking for it. If you are not interested, it means you don't value me. Since you don't value me, then I don't need to bother myself.

In the more glorious era of literary publishing, magazines relied on snatching manuscripts, using every possible means to replace one article with another.

For example, a beautiful editor was sent by train to travel thousands of miles to lobby the author, but she was defeated by other companies because the female editor of the other company was prettier. There is also a legend that an editor even went to the meeting alone with a briefcase, and when she met the author, she opened the box and found it was full of cash. She said, "Teacher, please give your manuscript to us."

There are also basic operations such as asking writers to revise manuscripts, opening a special hotel to provide them with good food and drink every day, allowing the writers to concentrate on revising until the manuscript is finalized, and all expenses in the process are covered by the magazine.

This is called attention.

This kind of thing seemed like a fairy tale to Wang Zixu. After reading it, he was shocked and suddenly felt that what was right was wrong.

He used to be a pure grassroots. He didn't feel ashamed when his manuscripts were rejected, and he didn't have any psychological burden when his manuscripts were rejected. He never considered that writers needed to be reserved, and he never thought that writers' reserve was a protection for themselves, nor did he feel that he was qualified to be reserved.

In short, the editor of Get asked him if he was interested in meeting. Asking if he was interested meant that he wanted to meet him. The other party also gave him a way out, saying that he was too busy and that they could just chat online. In this way, the submission of the article became an active invitation.

How could he remain reserved any longer?

"Absolutely interested. Where should I meet you?"

The editor on the other side replied: “We are here to see you.”

Wang Zixu said, "Aren't you in Tianjing?"

The editor said, "We'll come here by train."

Wang Zixu carefully picked out the words: "Can this manuscript of mine be published?"

The screen shows "The other party is typing" intermittently. This usually means that the other party has typed something, deleted it, and typed it again. After a while, the other party replied:
"You don't have any additional requirements for publication?"

"any request?"

Wang Zixu was puzzled and typed: "No request."

After saying this, he regretted it.

According to the reserve of a writer, he should have made a few elegant requests, which would have raised his own status and given the other party a way to refuse. This way, even if his manuscript was rejected, he would still be able to save face.

The other party said: "There are a few points I would like to discuss with you. It's not that I have any opinions, but our editorial department wants to understand your ideas more clearly."

Wang Zixu asked: "As long as it can be published, I have no objection to any changes."

The editor on the other side was stunned for a moment before replying: "No, no, no, we don't want to change it. We want to change it according to your ideas. We still attach great importance to the author's own expression. And whether it is changed or not, we have decided to publish this work, but there are still some issues to be discussed."

Wang Zixu felt that both sides were very anxious. Mainly because he had never received such a warm reception, and the other side had not expected that he had such a good temper. Both sides were a little flattered and did not see eye to eye.

Just when Wang Zixu was wondering if he had not done a good job of exercising the reserve of a scholar, what he didn't know was that the editor was actually surprised by his good temper and was left with a good impression.

The editor was astounded after reading his manuscript. To pay 60 yuan for a manuscript of this quality in one go meant that the person was either incredibly sensitive or terribly arrogant. Wang Zixu was so easy to talk to, which was beyond his expectations.

……

"cheers!"

After everyone finished drinking, they sat down. Ning Chunyan finished his beer, wiped his mouth and asked Lu Qingxuan beside him: "Did he really say that there is a hope to be on "Get"?

Lu Qingxuan nodded: "From the look of him, he seems to be very promising."

"Don't be too happy, don't be too happy too early. Dedao is one of the top magazines in China. Be cautious and wait and see."

Having said that, Ning Chunyan could no longer suppress the corners of her mouth, like the skirt of a dancing girl that could not be suppressed in the wind.

Diao Yiwen said with a sour tone: "I didn't expect that he would be published in Get so early, and it's such a long article. It's really... unexpected."

Chen Qingluo glanced at her coldly: "He worked so hard, isn't this what he deserves?"

Diao Yiwen waved her hands and said, "No, no, what I mean is that his first article was published on the front page of Yangtze River, his second article won the first prize of Xihe Literary Association, and his third article was published in Get. It feels like a blockbuster. Who would have thought that he was just an unknown middle-aged man before?"

Chen Qingluo said: "This is just a superficial reputation. Whether it's a 30-year-old middle-aged man with no fame or a famous writer who became famous overnight, to me, Wang Zixu is just Wang Zixu, there is no difference.

"Right and wrong, honor and disgrace always accompany a person throughout his life. Sometimes, he is famous all over the world one second, and everyone hates him the next. Remembering who you are, remembering what you wanted in the beginning, and always looking back on where you came from are the keys to self-salvation. Be like a stone, and do not be discouraged by the world's praise or criticism."

After that, she raised her glass sullenly: "I talk too much, I drink."

Diao Yiwen smiled awkwardly, not knowing what to say. Ning Chunyan turned around and looked at the green-haired girl beside him: "Classmate, are you Lu Qingxuan's friend? What's your name?"

"My name is Du Kezhu. I'm not Lu Qingxuan's friend."

"Ah?" Ning Chunyan was a little embarrassed.

"We are friends, we are friends, but she is being stubborn." Lu Qingxuan said, "She insisted that eating together does not make us friends."

Du Kezhu rolled his eyes: "Just having a meal together makes you friends? Then when you graduate and get a job, and you go out for a social dinner, all the people at the table, including project manager Zhang, driver Li, programmer Wang, and receptionist Liu, are all your friends?"

"You're just a college student, why do you give such a social example?"

Ning Chunyan took the opportunity to ask, "Du Kezhu, are you interested in becoming our editor? The salary is very generous!"

"No." Du Kezhu ate the skewers. "I have a side job. I'm too busy. Sorry."

Ning Chunyan was a little disappointed: "We are seriously short of people right now. If you have a friend who is interested in literature and has a certain aesthetic ability, please be sure to introduce him to us."

Diao Yiwen said: "Boss, why don't we hire a few men? Wang Zixu is the only man, and he doesn't even come to work. It's hard for us to even change the water."

Ning Chunyan pondered: "You are right, indeed, we should recruit a few men."

Lu Qingxuan said: "Well... forget it."

"what happened?"

"nothing."

"Tell me! I'm so anxious!"

Lu Qingxuan said, "Shi Shuqiu came to me the day before yesterday and said he wanted to apply for the editor position and asked me about it."

Ning Chunyan said with disgust: "Forget it. Recently, the ridicule of Wang Zixu for having his manuscripts rejected has almost become a meme in the academy. He must be the source, right? He seems a bit fake."

Lu Qingxuan said, "That's why I didn't want to say it just now, because I thought of this." Chen Qingluo was stunned: "What's the joke?"

Everyone looked at each other.

Based on their understanding of Chen Qingluo's temper, if she knew how Shi Shuqiu created the rhythm and meme, she would definitely be furious.

Chen Qingluo's eyes shone, and she said in the tone of the last supper: "You are hiding something from me."

Ning Chunyan said: "Qingluo, it's not that we don't want to tell you, but you have to promise not to lose your temper and curse at others after you know it."

Chen Qingluo said: "You have known me for so many years, when have you ever seen me lose my temper and curse at people?"

"That's a lot."

"I'm so disappointed. You've known me for so many years, but you don't know me at all."

Ning Chunyan grabbed her hand and said, "Qingluo, listen to me. Although you are an excellent writer, your perception of yourself is very disordered. I don't dislike you, but if I showed you the things on the forum, you would definitely curse at us loudly on the spot, causing people on the street to look at us."

Chen Qingluo said: "I promise not to do that, please show me."

Ning Chunyan decided to believe her, solemnly handed over the phone, and opened the Nanjing University campus forum.

Du Kezhu also came over curiously.

On the forum page, the featured topic post clearly reads:

"Watch Brother Chang's work calmly and see if his ability matches his temper."

Chen Qingluo looked up: "Who is Brother Chang?"

"Wang Zixu."

"Why do you call him Brother Chang?"

"I don't know. Even when I found out, I felt very confused."

"Pfft." Chen Qingluo laughed out loud with gloating, "Keep watching."

She continued reading, and the content became increasingly disgusting.

The post started with a copy of Wang Zixu's manuscript published in Yangtze River, followed by some literary analysis, which seemed quite normal. It also explained how rare it was for a newcomer to have his work published on the front page of Yangtze River.

But then he changed the subject and asked, "Then why was Chang Ge's new work rejected by the Yangtze River, which values him so much? Let's make a reasonable analysis..."

After Chen Qingluo finished reading, she slammed the table and said, "You bastard!"

Ning Chunyan pointed at her and said, "Hey, hey, hey, you promised me not to lose your temper."

Chen Qingluo drank. After finishing her drink, she lowered her voice and said, "This behavior of putting aside the text and making all kinds of indirect analysis of me seems a bit like the tactics of the fan circle."

Ning Chunyan said: "Yes, this article was just the cause. Later, other sour students made up the meme and it spread widely. I even heard that some professors knew the name 'Chang Ge', but they didn't know it was Wang Zixu."

Du Kezhu suddenly asked: "Can I ask why these students hate him so much? Has he offended them?"

Lu Qingxuan said: "On the one hand, Shi Shuqiu is quite popular in the academy, and it is probably because of what he said. On the other hand, Wang Zixu's headline appeared on the Yangtze River, and he also won the first prize of the Xihe Literary Association as a special guest author of Nanjing University, which made many people jealous, so they all felt jealous."

"Oh."

Du Kezhu herself has achieved great success, and she simply cannot understand the world of these sour people.

Ning Chunyan smiled and said, "But it doesn't matter. When Wang Zixu's article is published in "De Dao", all these won't be a big deal. Didn't "Yangtze River" reject the manuscript? Didn't Hao Chengliang say that the manuscript was not of good quality? Aren't they all putting on airs? "De Dao has published it. Then we will see whether it is the manuscript that is of poor quality or they are too immodest."

Diao Yiwen hurriedly said, "Calm down, calm down, it's not appropriate to open the champagne in advance. It's not certain that we can appear on Get."

Ning Chunyan quickly calmed down: "Yes, yes, it's not confirmed yet, calm down first."

Chen Qingluo was still browsing the forum. The more she read, the angrier she became. She slammed the table and said, "I have been away from the Chinese Department of Nanjing University for several years. Why are the students nowadays so rude? They flatter and fawn on others, double-dealers, and kick someone when he is down. They are all the stinky feet of those who only care about authority and flatter Shi Tonghe. Damn it, why has Nanjing University become like this?"

Ning Chunyan said with some sadness: "You were like this back then, too. It has always been like this. Otherwise, how could the world become like this? It's just that you were so glorious back then that you couldn't see the maggots in the dark corners."

Chen Qingluo guzzled beer. "When Wang Zixu appears on Get, I'll see what Shi Tonghe will say. Lao Deng hasn't published any works for many years, but he's been making waves in the circle by relying on his connections. If his reputation is exposed, I wonder if he can save his face."

Ning Chunyan hurriedly said, "Calm down, calm down, we are not sure whether we can get on board yet."

"Yes, it's not confirmed yet. We can't open the champagne in advance."

……

The editor of Obtain said, "We are planning to publish the full article in this way: the full article is nearly 60 words, and we will divide it into three parts, each part is about 3 words, upper, middle and lower. Do you think this format is okay?"

The prince typed dazedly, "Okay."

The other party sent another message: "It's a bit unclear to put it this way, send me your phone number."

After Wang Zixu sent the cell phone number, the other party called him soon. To his surprise, it was a female voice.

"Hello, is this Wang Zixu?"

Wang Zixu answered the phone: "It's me."

The gentle female voice on the other end of the phone said, "It's like this. Our standard fee is 1,000 yuan per thousand words, but for long articles, it's settled once per thousand words, and the excess will not be counted. Do you understand?"

Wang Zixu said, "So one thousand and ninety counts as one thousand words?"

"Yes, that's right. You are really insightful," the other party sounded very happy. "Because it is distributed in three parts, the royalties will also be paid in three installments. Although your work is 59 words, the royalties may not be 59. Do you understand what I mean?"

Wang Zixu was stunned by the high amount of money and said, "I understand."

The other party continued without stopping: "So the specific amount of royalties will depend on how it is calculated at that time. In short, it will be less than 59. Do you think you can accept it?"

"can."

"That's it. It's getting late today. We can discuss some issues related to the manuscript when we meet tomorrow."

After hanging up the phone, Wang Zixu lay on the small bed, looking at the ceiling, with his hands behind his head, thinking about life.

He discovered that sometimes many things in the world can be done if they can be done, or cannot be done if they cannot be done.

If something cannot be done, no matter how hard you try, you cannot accomplish it. If something can be done, it will be done smoothly without you having to do anything.

Many people suffer repeated setbacks, most likely because they chose the wrong path from the beginning.

For example, those who are relentless in chasing after goddesses will end up being spare tires until they grow old. The right person will come to you on his own without you having to desperately approach him.
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Book recommendation: "Things in the underworld attract each other"

(End of this chapter)

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