Chapter 171 I am a coward

Chapter 171 I am a coward

Chapter 171 I am a coward (thanks to Alliance Leader Doclamur)

Hearing this question, Wang Zixu said in his heart, Here it comes.

He had gone over this question many times in his mind and rehearsed many decent ways of answering it, but in the end he could not convince himself.

In short, it is not easy to answer, but we cannot not answer it.

Pu Yuyang played with the stirring stick in the paper cup with his fingers, staring at him with a playful look.

"Others submit their manuscripts from high to low, but you do it from low to high. I think our magazine is much better than Ancient City. Our reputation and circulation are all slightly higher." Pu Yuyang said while gesturing, causing the book to lose the Korean market. "Why do you do it the other way around?"

Wang Zixu said: "I know it's a bit strange to do this."

"No, I'm not saying you're weird," Pu Yuyang said, "I just don't quite understand. I'm just curious. Let's just talk. Can you...explain it?"

Pu Yuyang is an interesting person. She said she didn't think Wang Zixu was weird. But if Wang Zixu wasn't weird, then there was only one explanation for his behavior: he looked down on "Get".

Wang Zixu waved his hands repeatedly and said: "You misunderstood. In fact, it is my dream to be accepted by Get."

"Then why didn't you give your dream wings from the beginning?"

"Because I... have broken wings."

"puff."

Pu Yuyang laughed out loud, then sat up straight, with his hands flat on the table like a primary school student:
"Please be serious. This question of mine is very serious. Depending on your answer, we may even be able to withdraw our conditions from yesterday."

"No," Wang Zixu said, "I thought Get only looked at the quality of the manuscript."

"The quality of the manuscript is the first priority, but we also pay attention to the author's own ideas." After saying this, perhaps realizing that her words sounded a bit official, she simply said:
"I'll tell you the truth. I just heard late last night that you submitted your manuscript to Ancient City, but no one else took it, so you submitted it to us. Let me describe my feelings at that time: cardiopulmonary arrest."

Wang Zixu pursed his lips and asked, "Who told you about this?"

Pu Yuyang hesitated for a moment, then said, "Don't worry about it. We editors have our own communication channels. Normally, we wouldn't communicate with the author in this situation, but because I know you and I know a little bit about you, I wanted to talk about this matter openly.

"Do you remember? When we talked about life and ideals, you said you wanted to be a pure writer. I still remember your words and I admire you very much. But do you still have the sincerity you had back then?"

The prince pursed his lips.

Talking about the past is a privilege reserved for middle-aged and elderly people, but talking about the future is an advantage for young people. Ten years ago, after Chen Qingluo left, he and several classmates gathered in the study room and talked about the future.

All the other classmates talked about their favorite majors, universities, jobs, and even the type of person they would marry and how many children they would have. Only Wang Zixu remained particularly detached.

He said, living in a humble alley, with a bowl of rice and a jug of water, and no one knows where he is, he is still happy. It is his wish to write novels all his life.

This was very pretentious in the ears of some people, and Xie Cong was so angry that he gnashed his teeth, and thus formed a grudge that lasted for ten years. Pu Yuyang was also present at the time and said to Wang Zixu, "You are so great. It's great to have your own dream. I don't know what I want to do."

Now, people who don’t know what they want to do are sitting in the editorial office of Get, holding the power of life and death over “unchanged happiness”. It’s a bit ironic no matter how you look at it.

Pu Yuyang tilted his head and asked, "Is it because it's inconvenient to tell me the reason?"

The prince shook his head.

"Whatever the reason is, at least give me an explanation," Pu Yuyang said in a low voice, "I came all the way here, you should believe that we value you very much and don't want any conflicts to arise because of this matter."

Wang Zixu knew that Pu Yuyang had traveled thousands of miles by train to the south, and had spent a long time warming up the atmosphere to this point, and it was definitely not just to talk to him about life and ideals.

Their editorial department must have misunderstood him.

He didn't know what she thought of him, nor did he want to know what she thought. When it came to submissions, there were always all kinds of unspoken rules and thin red lines, and he was tired of it.

He decided to tell the truth.

"Actually," he said after considering his words, "the version I sent to Ancient City is different from the current version. It has been significantly revised."

Pu Yuyang drank coffee: "Well, a responsible author should do so. Your explanation is..."

"I changed it 23 times in total."

"23 times?!" Pu Yuyang almost choked on his coffee and coughed violently.

After a long while, her coughing finally subsided. She patted her chest and said in a low voice, "60 words, and you revised it 23 times? It's not the kind of revision that affects the entire text."

"The entire text was revised 23 times, and the partial revisions were countless."

Pu Yuyang was stunned: "Is this the revision suggestion given to you by Ancient City?"

Wang Zixu continued, "They didn't provide me with any suggestions for revision. I have revised it 14 times. After it was rejected by Ancient City, I revised it 6 more times. It was rejected by Yangtze River again. Then, I revised it 3 more times and submitted it to you. I have saved all the versions of the manuscript and can show you the difference."

"No, no, I trust you." Pu Yuyang said quickly, and then asked, "Why did you revise it so many times?"

"Because... I'm a coward."

"what?"

"Pu Yuyang, I have to admit to you that I did not live in a shabby alley and focus on writing. In fact, I am just like ordinary people. I found a stable job, fell in love, got married, and took on social responsibilities.

“I don’t dare to live a life that is different from most people. The huge uncertainty of survival looms over me. I can only live along the path of my parents and the people around me, because I am as timid as a mouse.

"But why am I so timid? Because my efforts were not rewarded. Do you remember the essay competition held in the second year of high school in our school? I stayed up for three nights, but the essay I wrote did not win any prize. In the end, the first prize went to the son of the head of the grade.

"I have submitted manuscripts to Get before, and I have submitted manuscripts to many well-known magazines, but I didn't get any response. I can only attribute it to my lack of effort, so I read more books, stayed up more all night, and if three revisions were not enough, I would revise it five times, and if five revisions were not enough, I would revise it ten times. I am as timid as a mouse, but I am also as stubborn as a donkey."

Pu Yuyang was silent for a long time, and said: "Wang Zixu, believe me, I fully, completely, and thoroughly understand your feelings. Every writer has similar thoughts to a greater or lesser extent. The most important thing in literature is persistence. Later..."

Wang Zixu said: "So Shi Tonghe recommended me to submit my work to Ancient City, and I submitted it to them."

"Ah?" Pu Yuyang was stunned again, "Did Shi Tonghe recommend you to go?"

Wang Zixu risked his life and said, "I confess that I may have offended Shi Tonghe. He used some tricks to cause my manuscript to fail at Ancient City and Yangtze River. I was worried that you would not accept my manuscript because of Shi Tonghe's influence, so I didn't want to tell you before. This is the situation. I have told you the truth. You can reconsider my manuscript now."

"You underestimate us at Obtain. Shi Tonghe alone will not affect our manuscript collection." A voice came from behind.

……

When Lu Qingxuan saw Duan Xiaosang the next day, there seemed to be a delicate despair on the other's face that could not be concealed by magic water and concealer.

"So, it's a failure?"

"Ah."

"After waiting for two or three days, it just failed so easily?"

"What else can we do?" Lu Qingxuan Little Bear spread his hands.

Duan Xiaosang rubbed his forehead and said, "You are classmates, and there is still a chance for you to meet each other. Don't give up so easily, right?"

"I've already laid my cards on the table with her. She's on guard now, and it'll be hard to get anything out of her in the future." Lu Qingxuan lied.

Last night, she sent a tentative message to Du Kezhu, and thought she would not get a reply. Unexpectedly, she not only replied to her, but also said a long paragraph. It seems that their friendship has not been affected at all, and their relationship has even become closer.

Lu Qingxuan said this because she didn't want Duan Xiaosang to start with Du Kezhu again, which would make things difficult for her. Duan Xiaosang sighed, "Then it seems that we can only start from another direction. Some time ago, "Shu Ya Man Tan" published an interview with the Little Prince. The owner of that account is Zhang Wei, who is quite famous in the publishing circle. Starting from him, maybe we can find some clues."

When Lu Qingxuan heard the word "exclusive interview", some of her memories seemed to be triggered, but she couldn't remember what they were specifically.

She asked, "Sister Sang, why are you so persistent in finding the Little Prince? There are so many excellent authors in the world, and you can definitely discover many with your keen eye. Why do you have to look for the illusory Little Prince?"

Duan Xiaosang sighed: "You're still asking me? In the final analysis, it's all for your cousin."

"My cousin? Xiao Mengyin? Don't she and the little prince have a bad relationship?"

Lu Qingxuan tilted her head in confusion. When Xiao Mengyin's last article comparing her to the Little Prince went viral, her response was indifferent, meaning that she didn't want to be compared to him. In fact, the evaluation in the literary circle was quite favorable to her.

In people's eyes, no matter how popular the Little Prince is, he will always be vulgar and cannot compare to Xiao Mengyin who writes pure literature. Therefore, although the Little Prince has many fans, his public opinion is far less than the support for Xiao Mengyin.

This situation is quite sensitive, and the fans of the little prince must be holding back their anger. If the two groups of fans quarrel, who knows what kind of storm will be caused. Xiao Mengyin should avoid the little prince, maintain the aloofness of her own personality, and try not to get involved and touch the powder keg.

Duan Xiaosang said: "On the surface, they do not get along, but in fact, it is precisely because of this that we need to establish a personal relationship, so as to avoid... forget it, these are all adults' affairs, you don't need to worry about these things as a child."

Lu Qingxuan pouted.

Suddenly, an idea flashed in her mind, and she said, "I remember now, why don't you look for Wang Zixu?"

"Who?"

"Wang Zixu, Wang Zixu from our magazine." Lu Qingxuan said, "I remember that last time someone asked him for the Little Prince's contact information and wanted to arrange an interview, he readily agreed. Although I don't know if he fulfilled his promise later, he may have the Little Prince's contact information."

Duan Xiaosang frowned and said, "The Wang Zixu you are talking about, is he the Chang Ge who has become famous recently?"

Lu Qingxuan glared: "Isn't this a joke from our Nan Da Literature Department? How come even you know about it?"

Duan Xiaosang sneered: "I often visit forums. Don't underestimate the influence of your spam posts."

Lu Qingxuan thought about it and realized that it was true. The two lists of the Nanjing University Library were very famous, and Duan Xiaosang, who worked in this industry, would definitely keep an eye on them.

Duan Xiaosang said: "Thank you for your reminder. I'd better go find Zhang Wei first. If there is really no clue, I will try to find Chang... Wang Zixu."

Lu Qingxuan nodded: "But don't look for him recently. He has been busy polishing his manuscript for Feishi and has been neglecting his sleep and food."

"Him? Impacting Feishi?" Duan Xiaosang was surprised. "Hasn't his manuscript been rejected twice? Why hasn't he given up yet?"

"How do you know him so well?"

"It's a pun. No need to explain."

……

When Lu Qingxuan returned to the publishing house, she found that the crowd was a little excited. Ning Chunyan and Diao Yiwen were discussing something enthusiastically. After saying hello, she was told that the warm-up for the Fei Shi Literature Award had already begun today and the first flagship author had been announced.

It turned out to be Shi Shuqiu.

Lu Qingxuan quickly sat down and looked at the Weibo of the organizer of Feishi, which read:
[Shi Shuqiu's "Yesterday's Stars" takes us into a fascinating feast of life. Reality and illusion, the material world and the poetic world, reading this work, a magnificent picture seems to slowly unfold before our eyes, giving us a wandering experience like entering a dream and waking up from a dream...]

After Lu Qingxuan finished reading, he looked up and said, "That's a pretty high evaluation."

"It's more than high." Diao Yiwen said, "Shi Shuqiu must be very happy, right?"

Ning Chunyan said: "Usually, Fei Shi uses heavyweight works for the opening, but Shi Shuqiu's article doesn't even have 100,000 words, it seems to have only 80,000 words. It can be seen that he is giving face to Shi Tonghe."

Lu Qingxuan was silent.

This is not a real nomination. According to the process, the Feishi Literature Award will go through three stages: shortlisting, nomination, and first prize. It is still in the shortlisting stage. Posting a blog to promote Shi Shuqiu's works is, on the one hand, to warm up, and on the other hand, to give more space for excellent works to be displayed.

Of course, not all entries will receive this treatment. Basically, any work that can be displayed in the shortlisted stage is equivalent to being nominated in advance, with very few exceptions.

Last year, Xiao Mengyin's work was also the first to be released for pre-production.

Ning Chunyan clenched her fists. She could already imagine what Xiao Mengyin would say - See, I told you that the first prize would only go to Shi Shuqiu - she would definitely say that, then raise her eyes and look at people with the lower half of her eyes, revealing an expression that asked for a beating.

Lu Qingxuan opened her phone to look at the forum, took a breath, and then showed the screen to everyone:

"Wen Xiehe School has decided to hold a seminar on Shi Shuqiu's "Yesterday's Stars"."

"Let me see." Ning Chunyan snatched the phone, took a look at it, and gave it back to her.

"What does a seminar mean?" Lu Qingxuan asked.

Ning Chunyan said: "It's just to gather a bunch of literary critics together for a meeting to praise the works."

After that, she added: "Of course, it's not all praise, there must be different voices. But since we have decided to open it, it must be mainly praise."

Lu Qingxuan asked carefully, "Is it generally true that only well-known authors would hold seminars?"

Ning Chunyan smiled bitterly: "More than that."

For a work to be worthy of a seminar, it must be at least at the level of the chairman or vice chairman of the provincial literary association. Some organization will officially endorse and help support the new work and hold such a seminar.

Or maybe the work has caused a huge social response and has attracted a lot of social discussion, and the literary community has reached the point where they have to respond to this wave of enthusiasm and give a professional attitude, so they hold a seminar;

Or perhaps the work itself is of extremely high quality, but the channels for reading and learning are relatively narrow, and in order to expand the circle, authors and literary critics are called upon to read and appreciate the work, and seminars are held for this purpose.

Shi Shuqiu was not involved in any of these three situations, so it was easy to imagine who was behind the scenes. Ning Chunyan thought that the dinner was not in vain after all, and it did play a role.

Of course, Shi Shuqiu was able to receive such treatment because he worked hard. His works were not inferior. They were approved by several teachers and were the first to be publicly promoted, so their quality must be good.

The children of celebrities and wealthy people can get twice the return for every point of effort they put in, so they can always go further and further in the fields they are good at.

"Why hasn't Wang Zixu replied to my message yet?" Ning Chunyan lowered her head to look at her phone. "I told him to text me back when he got approved, but there has been no response since then."

"It can't be that it's failed and they don't dare to tell you." Diao Yiwen immediately used bottom-line thinking to make the worst inference.

"Sister Xiaochun, you said before, what will he do if he can't pass "Get"? " Lu Qingxuan asked.

Ning Chunyan shook his head: "I don't know."

……

"You underestimate us at Obtain. Shi Tonghe alone won't affect our ability to collect articles."

The voice came from behind, not from Pu Yuyang in front of him. Pu Yuyang held the coffee cup and looked at Wang Zixu with a complicated expression, but he said nothing.

Wang Zixu turned around and saw an old man in elegant attire standing up from the table and extending his hand to him.

"Let me introduce you," Pu Yuyang said as he got down from his seat. "This is our editor-in-chief, Li Minyang."

Wang Zixu stood up, stammering, and awkwardly stretched out his hand to shake hands with him.

Li Minyang walked down from his seat and sat down opposite Wang Zixu's desk. He placed his hands on the desk and said with a smile:
"Sorry to test you a little bit."

(End of this chapter)