Chapter 205 Wuthering Heights
Chapter 205 Wuthering Heights
Wang Zixu left the noisy women behind him and pushed the door open to answer the phone.
"Hey?"
"I spoke to Teacher Shi Tonghe on the phone. He had some negative comments about you."
Xiao Mengyin's voice gradually began to sound familiar, but it still made people feel a little uncomfortable.
It's like adding a few drops of aged vinegar to lemon cola. You can't tell whether it's the inherent coldness in his nature or just some weird tantrum.
As it happened, Wang Zixu was not in a very good mood either, so he replied directly: "Are you here to confront me as well?"
"That's not my intention. But I'm helping you with this, so you can't let me ask?"
"If you want to ask, I can tell you that my opinion of Shi Tonghe is not just a mild one. If I hadn't been well-mannered, I would have scolded him directly. If you want to criticize me for this, there's no need."
"Look at you, I don't blame you! Did I say I was here to blame you? If I blamed you, would I have covered it up for you in front of Shi Tonghe? I'm just like that Lu Dongbin..."
Xiao Mengyin's defense broke down in a second. Although she complained a little like Xianglin Sao, at least she wasn't so cold and inhuman. Wang Zixu felt a little better.
"You even spoke for me in front of Shi Tonghe? What did you say?"
"It's not a nice thing to say. You don't have to listen to it."
Just by listening to the tone of the voice on the other side, he could feel that Xiao Mengyin rolled her eyes at him.
After that, she lowered her voice and added: "But you'd better be careful."
"What are you careful about?"
"Your work has come out, but the mainstream opinion has not yet come out. Shi Tonghe still has a lot of say in literary criticism. If he takes the lead in criticizing it, what will you do?"
Wang Zixu looked at the white clouds in the sky, unable to suppress the irritability in his heart. It was like trying to stop a boiling pot by adding more water; the emotional hole could not be filled.
He sighed, and suddenly thought of Ning Chunyan's catchphrase, and blurted out:
"Cold salad."
After saying this, he suddenly felt that the world had opened up, his whole being was clear, and he was in a very good mood.
Xiao Mengyin said: "Wake up and listen to me. If he takes the lead in stepping on your work, it will not only be a problem of the Feishi Award. You have to consider your own work..."
The prince turned on the hands-free function, put the phone in his chest pouch, took out a cigarette, put it in his mouth, and said:
"I am very clear-headed, very clear-headed, clearer than the colonel to whom no one writes, and I feel that nothing can stop me."
"what?"
"I am not Shi Tonghe. I don't have a position in the literary world, nor can I mobilize the public to praise or criticize me. What can I consider? I have written it down, and my mission is accomplished. As for its fate, let it be."
Wang Zixu slowly exhaled a smoke ring and watched the smoke dissipate and float into the deep clouds at the end of the sky.
People say that works are like their own children. After ten months of pregnancy, the final product is the fruit of their own hard work. Writers are also like parents in the world, some are rich, some are poor, some are good, some are bad.
Some writers are tiger moms and bear dads. They enroll their children in art classes, hire the best piano teachers, provide elite education, pave the way for their children 20 years in advance, send them abroad for gilding, and return home to inherit the family business. They even carefully select their partners to ensure a safe life for half their lives.
Some writers are like Wang Zixu’s parents. Giving birth to their children is considered a success, but they have to walk the rest of the way on their own.
It’s not that I don’t love my own children, but this is the limit of my ability.
"I feel that I protect my work before it is published, and after it is published, I should let the work protect me. I am only responsible for the content of the text, and I cannot take responsibility for anything else."
Xiao Mengyin uttered an "ah" in a daze, and Wang Zixu said again:
"Some writers may have the ability to work beyond poetry, but I can't do that. Because my ability is limited to words. Beyond words, it is beyond the scope of my ability, and I can't gallop in that field."
Xiao Mengyin was silent for a long time before he said, "Okay. Indeed, if you can do that, you are not Wang Zixu, and you can't write a work like Fire in the Stone."
Wang Zixu was greatly surprised by these words. Xiao Mengyin always looked down on others, so it was rare to hear such praise from her. Moreover, in Wang Zixu's eyes, this was a very high evaluation.
Wang Zixu was moved and felt much better. His thoughts became more open, and he said, "Then you can submit your article to our magazine."
"Submit a contribution?!" Xiao Mengyin sprained her waist due to the sudden turn of the topic.
"Yes, our magazine is in dire need of manuscripts. We just need a writer with a lot of traffic to publish articles. It would be great if you could submit your articles."
Xiao Mengyin asked: "Is this your first time to ask someone to write an article?"
"Hmm. How do you know?"
"Then I'll teach you. Remember this," Xiao Mengyin pressed his tense forehead. "First, when you ask someone to write an article, you can't ask them to 'submit' it. You should take the initiative to invite them. Especially for award-winning authors like me. Otherwise, it's easy to offend people."
"Did I just offend you?"
"I'm sorry. Shut up first and I'll continue. Second, when you ask for an article, you can't just talk about your own difficulties. I'm not your mother, so I have no obligation to help you solve your problems..."
Wang Zixu said: "We will publish the Little Prince's article in the next issue. I estimate that the circulation will be very large. If you also publish it, I think..."
"I'll give you the manuscript tomorrow."
Xiao Mengyin agreed with lightning speed and was so decisive that Wang Zixu didn't even have time to react.
"Uh, huh?" "Give it to you tomorrow." Xiao Mengyin repeated, "Put my manuscript and the little prince's in the same issue, preferably before and after. It would be best if my manuscript is placed after his... No, it would be better if it is placed before. Is that okay? Promise me and submit your manuscript."
"Okay..." Wang Zixu was moved, or shocked, by her straightforwardness.
"Also, why did you suddenly become so domineering today?" Xiao Mengyin suddenly asked.
"Have I always been like this?"
Xiao Mengyin hung up the phone before listening to his answer, as if she didn't need his answer and just wanted to express her attitude.
Wang Zixu looked at his phone for a long time before he said, "Hey!"
Back in the office, Ning Chunyan and Diao Yiwen had stopped making noise. Ning Chunyan looked at him eagerly as he strode over. Standing in front of her, Wang Zixu said:
"I just made an appointment with Xiao Mengyin."
"what?"
"The manuscript."
"what??"
"She agreed to submit the manuscript to us and said she would give it to me tomorrow."
Ning Chunyan calmed down and gradually accepted the news in his mind. Then he became excited, pulling his clothes and jumping up and down like a rabbit trying to pull a carrot.
"Wang Zixu, you are really my savior! How come you always come up with a solution in a critical moment? I was just worried about having no manuscripts!"
After dancing, Ning Chunyan realized from Diao Yiwen's gaze that her actions were a bit too intimate. After all, others didn't know that Wang Zixu had helped her with 80 yuan to publish a magazine.
After calming down and combing his hair awkwardly, Ning Chunyan asked again:
"Xiao Mengyin and I are sworn enemies. If the magazine fails, she will laugh at us. How did you get her to contribute?"
Wang Zixu said: "Maybe she appears cold on the outside but is passionate on the inside. Is she a person who is cold on the outside but warm on the inside?"
Ning Chunyan was amused by his expressionless words, but shook her head:
"Impossible. She is a person whose works are all exquisite. She never submits to magazines with less influence than the first-class ones. I know she despises our magazine even without asking her. How did you convince her?"
"I told her that the little prince would contribute to our magazine in the next issue."
Ning Chunyan and Diao Yiwen both showed expressions of sudden enlightenment.
"That's not surprising, that's not surprising!"
After solving the case, Ning Chunyan bit his finger and frowned:
"This big green tea, knowing that we are very popular in the next issue, is about to submit an article. However, it is not a bad thing for us, so it is hard to refuse."
Diao Yiwen said at the side: "Perhaps our propaganda can focus on Xiao Mengyin and the Little Prince. The battle of the century and the love of the city, if we exaggerate a little, it will definitely attract a lot of traffic."
"What do you mean?" Ning Chunyan turned to look at her in shock. "What about the Battle of the Century and the Love of the City? Why don't I understand?"
Diao Yiwen said: "Don't you know? One of the popular weird couples now is the Little Prince and Xiao Mengyin."
"what?!"
"ah??!"
Ning Chunyan and Wang Zixu were both shocked.
Diao Yiwen explained:
"The two of them are very different. One is a serious female writer, and the other is a frivolous handsome male writer. There are conflicts between the two of them. They are completely different and they are irreconcilable with each other, so it's easy to clash with them."
Wang Zixu asked: "Do you mean, like in Wuthering Heights?"
Ning Chunyan didn't understand but was greatly shocked: "I'm sorry, I don't understand how the transition between 'completely different' and 'very good' was achieved?"
Diao Yiwen said: "It's just the contrast. Because it's so contrasty, it's a good idea if you think about it carefully... Well, forget it, I won't explain it. Anyway, this has the potential to be a big hit, I think we can do it."
Ning Chunyan's expression said that she didn't want to do it. Even if it really became a big hit, she couldn't get over it in her heart. How was this different from sending her husband to her bestie's room? She didn't have that kind of niche hobby.
"Let's not talk about this for now. Let's talk about you first, Wang Zixu. I'm not sure if the manuscript for the next issue of the Little Prince can be sent to me. Why did you promise it for me?"
Wang Zixu said: "If you ask him to write an article, he will definitely give it to you."
"Why do you think so?" Ning Chunyan stared at him with her watery eyes.
"Intuition. My intuition is pretty accurate." Wang Zixu said, "Also, I think that anyone who writes cannot refuse an invitation to write. Once inspiration comes, they can't help themselves. At this time, if you give them a chance, they might just let it out."
The bright eyes stared at him for a long time, and then the owner of the eyes nodded slowly and said:
"Okay, I'll try."
……
(End of this chapter)