Chapter 236 Outsiders

Chapter 236 Outsiders

Chapter 236 Outsiders (9000 words)
Zhuang Die pursed her lips and said loudly, "Wang Zixu, don't accuse me. I didn't say that you shouldn't read books because you are a civil servant. If you want to hype that I look down on county civil servants, I can't bear such a big accusation. I am just raising reasonable doubts about your reading volume, and I have to make this clear."

Meng Xin hugged her arms tightly and tried to keep her tone calm:
"Moreover, one's understanding and sensitivity of literature are not determined solely by the amount of reading. You proposed to use this kind of variety show-like method to compete, which only proves that you have a good memory, but it does not prove that your interpretation of literature is correct."

"It's a reasonable question. It's a variety show." Wang Zixu repeated what they said. "When you said I was hyping myself up, chasing traffic, and had no real talent, that's not what you meant."

……

Gu Xuan and Ma Yongrong are familiar with each other, so familiar that they would brag, chat and insult each other at the same table.

If Wang Zixu knew about this, he would be surprised and ask: So people who are so rich would also brag, gossip, chat and insult each other?

An Younan would roll his eyes at him and say that anyone can brag, gossip, and insult each other, even the President of the United States.

This shows that bragging, gossiping, chatting and insulting each other are the basic needs of human beings. When Gu Xuan saw An Younan and Chen Qingluo quarreling, he felt itchy and wanted to tell Ma Yongrong about it next time they were at the wine table to see how he would react.

But he couldn't tell. Not only that, he ran away at the most exciting moment, giving up the opportunity to watch this wonderful show.

First of all, Ma Yongrong loved his daughter An Younan very much. He might just laugh it off if someone insulted him, but once the question involved his daughter, he lost all sense of humor and his face instantly fell, revealing a very ugly expression.
Secondly, Gu Xuan had experienced An Younan's character. She was petty and had a strong desire for revenge. You'd better not stand by her when she encounters embarrassment, because even if you did nothing, she will still hate you.

However, it was not entirely false when Gu Xuan said that he saw someone he wanted to meet.

"Teacher Yan, it's been a long time."

Yan Zishan slowly turned his head and looked at Gu Xuan with his transparent gray eyes.

"Mr. Gu, how are you?"

Yan Zishan was wearing a gray executive jacket and was dressed simply like a Cultural Bureau official who came to inspect work. He did not fit in with the people around him.

He always wears this outfit wherever he goes. He also wore this outfit at the last Mao Dun Literature Prize ceremony. Gu Xuan even suspected that when he took wedding photos, the bride wore a wedding dress, but he was still wearing an executive jacket.

But he was Yanzishan. Just because he was Yanzishan, he could dress casually. His status gave him such power. No one dared to look at him strangely.

"I'm fine." Gu Xuan smiled and returned the greeting, his tone very respectful, "You didn't show up last year, and I thought you wouldn't come this year either."

"At this time last year, I was writing Exploring the Silk Road, a novel about intangible cultural heritage, a political assignment. The deadline for submission was very strict, so I couldn't come. Sorry."

Gu Xuan waved his hand: "Don't be embarrassed. I'm honored that you can come. I'm relieved if you don't come. It means that another masterpiece is about to be released."

After that, Gu Xuan lowered his voice and asked again: "Teacher Yan, how is Teacher Shi Tonghe doing recently?"

Yan Zishan said: "I proposed to visit him, but was rejected."

Gu Xuan frowned: "Did that incident affect his condition?"

Yan Zishan shook his head, indicating that he was not sure.

The "thing" that Gu Xuan was talking about was naturally referring to Wang Zixu's exposure of Shi Tonghe's secret deal.

Yan Zishan is a fellow villager of Shi Tonghe. Because of the friendship between fellow villagers, Shi Tonghe took good care of him. In the literary world, Yan Zishan is a true "Shi School".

Gu Xuan looked at the audience, then looked at Yan Zishan, and smiled slightly: "Are you interested in him too?"

"Correct."

Gu Xuan was a little surprised by Yan Zishan's frankness.

"You are not the first person to tell me today that you are interested in Wang Zixu." Gu Xuan said, "Do you have a positive or negative opinion of him?"

Yan Zishan did not answer his question directly, but after a long silence, he asked him:
"Do you believe what he revealed?"

Gu Xuan was slightly stunned.

"What are you talking about? Is he talking about the matter where Mr. Shi tried to stop him from making trouble for his "Fire in the Stone"? " Gu Xuan asked.

Yan Zishan nodded.

Gu Xuan's expression changed slightly: "...Do you believe it?"

Gu Xuan didn't believe it at first.

Bragging, gossiping, chatting and insulting each other are the basic needs of human beings. After the incident at the seminar that day, he immediately made many phone calls and inquired about the matter from various sources.

Every statement he heard was different, so he would not easily accept any point of view, including the so-called evidence Wang Zixu threw out at the seminar.

Based on his rational analysis, he did not believe that Shi Lao would trip up a newcomer. He could not think of any reason why Shi Tonghe would do so.

Although he didn't say directly whether he believed it or not, his tone betrayed him.

Yan Zishan turned around and looked at him: "Have you ever read Fire in the Stone?"

Gu Xuan shook his head: "No. You actually read a newcomer's work?"

Yan Zishan leaned over the railing and did not answer the question directly, but asked in return: "What do you think is the fundamental standard for evaluating the quality of a work?"

Gu Xuan smiled and said, "I am a layman in literature. I read whatever I like and cannot tell whether it is good or bad. That is why I like to hold salons, receive some literary influences, and work hard to improve my cultural literacy."

Yan Zishan asked: "If you like a work very much, but a famous writer denies it, how can you prove that it is a good work?"

Gu Xuan hesitated for a moment and asked, "Are you speaking up for Wang Zixu?"

Yan Zishan said: "Wang Zixu's writing skills are the strongest among all the authors I have ever seen."

After a pause, he added: "It is infinitely close to me."

After that, there was a long silence between the two.

Yan Zishan was a man whose pride was hard to accept, but whose achievements were so high that it was hard to oppose him. This evaluation he gave made Gu Xuan feel unbelievable.

In his evaluation system, words like "excellent writer" and "worthy of attention" are just superficial compliments, and only "close to me" is the highest evaluation.

In private, Gu Xuan had never heard him praise anyone like this before.

Gu Xuan asked tentatively, "Is he really that powerful?"

Yan Zishan said: "There is no need for me to do any commercial promotion for him."

Gu Xuan nodded, the shock in his heart lingering for a long time.

"'Fire in the Stone' is a good book, but now everyone is convinced that the author is not good enough," Yan Zishan said. "If you were him, how would you prove yourself?"

Gu Xuan didn't say anything. He couldn't put himself in Wang Zixu's shoes and couldn't empathize with him about this problem.

At this moment, Wang Zixu's generous speech was heard again downstairs.

Wang Zixu slowly scanned the crowd with a burning gaze and said:
“Everyone, when I was still in that small place called Xihe, I always thought that the literary world was the place that valued talent and knowledge the most.

“No one ever told me that what matters more here is fame, wealth, qualifications and background.

"I am not a professional, I have no fame, no wealth, no qualifications, no background, I deserve to be besieged by you.

“You can say that I, a civil servant in a small county, shouldn’t read so many books. You can also say that I debuted at an older age and tried my best to hype myself up, and I was crazy about becoming famous.

"You have fame, wealth, experience, and background, so whatever you say is what it is.

“Just like when Shi Tonghe asked people to criticize my book, I had no choice but to admit it. If I didn’t, I would be going against the entire literary world. Even the Chinese Literary Association told me to shut up.

“But you shouldn’t say that I have no real talent.

"With all due respect, I am the king when it comes to Nobel Prize-winning literature.

“No one here is better than me in this area.

"How talented do you have to be to be called 'talented' by you?
“I can only use this method of pouring out my heart and soul and rolling on the ground to make you come down from the stage and compete with me.

"Let's see who really has no real talent or knowledge."

Wang Zixu had a smile on his face when he said this.

Many people interpret this smile as arrogance, pride or madness. In fact, it is not.

In fact, he smiled miserably.

There's a fine line between misery and humor, and sometimes it's hard to tell.

A year ago, at the small dining table in the back kitchen cafeteria of that small public institution in Xihe, he said almost the same words in front of Lin Feng.

Gou Yingbiao said he was uneducated and not humble enough; Guo Ranran said he deliberately talked about unpopular works to show off his knowledge; Sister Hu said he was a little hipster.

He said this just to prove that he was not showing off his knowledge. Knowledge is in his mind, no one can see it, and no one even cares about it. Only he cares.

He just wanted to prove that he didn't turn into a crab after falling into the mud, and he didn't keep talking about those books just to find existence.

He just wanted to prove that he was not as narrow-minded as those who looked down on him, and he was just defending his dignity by rolling in the mud. It was ugly, but it worked.

Gou Yingbiao and Guo Ranran are the two people in the world who are the farthest from literature. They don't understand him. He doesn't blame them.

But here, in this "reading salon", the closest altar to literature in this country, he still has to say the same words for the same reason, and it is still so embarrassing that he looks like rolling on the ground.

The absurdity that permeated it made people laugh. It was a miserable laugh. However, bystanders only thought that his laughter was the madness caused by jealousy and resentment.

Wang Zixu said: "Everyone, everyone who is at the top of the literary world.

"At this moment, I see in your eyes the look of a stray dog.

"But unlike you, I don't have the background that you guys say is true. This is my only way to prove my innocence.

"The literary world is yours, and it is also mine, but it is ultimately yours. But I cannot abandon my innocence, and you cannot curse me and then turn around to block my mouth.

“Please do not rely on your status, reputation, background, connections, or opportunities to stand on the dry shore with your hands behind your back and lightly hold my head down to pass judgment on me without thinking.

“I implore you, please step down.

"Please step down and compete with a wild dog like me.

"I ask you to use your real skills to fight me, and the bayonets will be bloody."

There was silence.

"He's crazy." Gu Xuan on the second floor said, "Does he really not intend to stay in the literary world? He said something so openly hostile to the Literary Association."

Yan Zishan took a puff of cigarette and said nothing.

Gu Xuan waited for a long time, but no one stood up to respond, so he asked again:

"So, you do think that Mr. Shi is trying to trip up a newcomer just for the Feishi Literature Award?"

Yan Zishan did not directly answer this question, but just said:
"The work "Stone Fire" should have directly entered for the Mao Dun Literature Prize. Unfortunately, according to our current literary system, it would be difficult for him to get a good publishing contract without the Fei Shi Literature Prize."

Gu Xuan took a deep breath and said, "If you say so, then I must go and watch Fire in the Stone."

Yan Zishan nodded and said nothing more.

What he was thinking was, what's the point of going to see it now?
Gu Xuan couldn't answer any of the questions he just asked.

What he wants to point to is not just Wang Zixu's personal fate. What he wants to show is a deeper collapse.

Not far from the two of them, An Younan and Chen Qingluo also listened to Wang Zixu's speech without saying a word.

An Younan stared at Chen Qingluo very seriously. After a long while, she finally said, "So you are such an emotional person?"

Chen Qingluo said coldly: "What are you talking about?"

"Is what Wang Zixu said so tearful? You're already crying..."

"Which eye of yours saw me cry?"

"You just cried, your tears rolled down in your eyes."

Chen Qingluo's breathing suddenly became rapid: "Nothing."

She closed her eyes and tried hard to calm herself down, as if she wanted her eyelids to absorb the tears, but she failed.

An Younan bit her lip and leaned on the railing and said:
"I don't understand. Is it necessary to be so aggrieved for this? And isn't it easy for him to get traffic? It's completely nonsense to make a sincere speech here."

Chen Qingluo glanced at her: "What do you know."

An Younan stood up straight. She could say that she didn't understand, but she would be unhappy if others said that she didn't understand. She asked provocatively: "Do you understand it very well?"

Chen Qingluo asked: "Do you know why he read so many books?"

An Younan said: "To write a novel."

"That's not true," Chen Qingluo said, "He read so many books just for me."

An Younan's body froze.

Then she got really angry: What's wrong with this woman? What's with that "I won" look on her face? What's with that "You'll never understand" look?
Feeling so angry!
How can a 30-year-old woman still be so childish?
Hey, I’m so angry!

I even said that I kissed him, do you understand?
After sulking for a while, An Younan gradually calmed down and decided not to tell anyone about the kiss.

What if Chen Qingluo said, "I took it from him too," wouldn't that be humiliating herself?

They were high school classmates, who knows how much they have known each other, given their personalities, what can't they do? Maybe they have done everything.

An Younan glared at Chen Qingluo, then turned and left.

"Where are you going?" Chen Qingluo asked.

"I don't have time to be sad with you." An Younan said, "I have to go to save the situation."

……

After Wang Zixu's impassioned speech, he stood there for about 5 minutes.

No one stood up to speak.

He had hoped to be able to open the door with dignity, but the atmosphere turned cold. The atmosphere was originally quite exciting, but the ultimate move was just a waste of time, which was a bit embarrassing.

The atmosphere was so heated just now that the reporters were all crazy, and the shutter sounds kept ringing. Some experts took a picture of the prince's virtual back, and the composition was that he was facing all the people in front of him, and even the title was ready, "The Lone Brave Man".

No one responded.

The crowd at the scene clearly shared the same sentiment as him. Regardless of whether they supported Wang Zixu or not, everyone was looking forward to a tough battle, rather than these famous masters not accepting the challenge out of fear of losing face.

The host had been counting the time. After receiving the dispatcher's instructions again, he finally spoke:

"Well, the time is almost up. If no teacher is willing to question, then this session is over."

There was a sudden sound of disappointment from off the field.

The host tried his best to hold back. He had also seen a lot of storms and waves, and he spoke into the microphone in the tone of a hammer at an auction:

"The teachers may not be ready yet. Let's wait for another minute, yes, one minute, to see if any teacher is willing to come out and question... OK, there's still half a minute left. Is there anyone?"

The host looked around, and everyone he was staring at looked away.

The camera very tactfully moved the lens to face Zhuang Die, and his red and warm cheeks suddenly appeared on the big screen. He pretended not to know, lowered his head, played with his phone, and turned a deaf ear to the host's words and the whispers of the audience.

He is arrogant, but he is not stupid. He is here to gild his character, not to fight with others!
It is embarrassing to pretend to be a coward now, but you will only be laughed at for a while, and it will pass after the heat has died down.

But if he really stood up and battled with Wang Zixu and lost, wouldn’t the popularity explode?
He can tell the difference between being laughed at for a while and being laughed at for a lifetime.

As for the discussion off the field... no matter how embarrassing it is, you have to hold on. What victory is there to speak of? Holding on is everything.

As for whether he would win against Wang Zixu in the next match... he had never considered that he would win.

Are you kidding? During the debate just now, Wang Zixu mentioned some of the books he hadn’t read. How could he win?

He has a clear self-awareness.

Meng Xin, who was beside him, glanced at him several times with her beautiful eyes and clenched her hands in her legs.

Meng Xin's character is a cold-faced beauty, but that doesn't mean she doesn't have a temper. She was almost being scolded, who wouldn't have emotions? She wanted to stand up and take the fight.

She believed that no matter how much Wang Zixu boasted about being the king in the field of Nobel Prize-winning works, his reading volume could not be greater than that of all the people present combined. There must be things he had not read.

We all rushed forward, but there was no guarantee that he would be able to defeat all of us.

Therefore, we only need to bring a few more people to compete with him in turns, and he will definitely be embarrassed in the end. Afterwards, it will be a "draw" at best.

But the problem is that if you want to fight in a round-robin battle, someone has to take the lead, and the person who takes the lead will definitely be the one under the most pressure.

The first person to bear the brunt of Wang Zixu's challenge was Zhuang Die. It was Zhuang Die who first fired at Wang Zixu, and the hats Wang Zixu mentioned were all put on by Zhuang Die.

She had not read many Nobel Prize-winning works, so she was not sure she could beat Wang Zixu. Among the people present, only Zhuang Die was known for her reading volume. Meng Xin suspected that he might not be able to beat Wang Zixu.

Therefore, if we are to fight, Zhuang Die should take the lead.

If Zhuang Die didn't move, she would be very embarrassed - if she accepted the challenge first and then lost, and then no one came up, wouldn't she be the only loser?

The writers present had a variety of ideas, and many people had also thought of what Meng Xin had considered.

While everyone was hesitating, the host's last moment was running out.

"Okay, then, let's end the questioning session here. Next, we will let the last teacher speak. Teacher Xiao Mengyin, please share your reading experience."

Xiao Mengyin woke up as if from a dream.

What? Who am I? Where am I? What am I going to do?
Do I still want to speak?
She stood up and said in a weak voice, "I, what I want to share is my idol writer, also a female writer, Alice Munro..."

……

The discussion is over.

After Wang Zixu left his seat, he still felt something was not real; his feet felt the ground was soft.

He was about to fall to pieces, but he didn't expect to be lifted up high and then gently put down, and it ended without any waves. It was just like "Guilty Crown", which started so amazingly but ended so mediocrely.

Wang Zixu had not yet recovered from his experience. Xiao Mengyin was about to approach him to talk, but just as she stretched out her hand halfway, she was suddenly elbowed aside by a man.

"Teacher Wang Zixu, I'm from Donghai TV Station. Can I ask you a few questions?"

"I am a reporter from the Culture Star Channel. Can you accept our interview, teacher?"

"Teacher, I am from the self-media classic reading..."

"I'm from Gouyang Publishing House..."

Suddenly, the crowd was noisy, and it seemed as if everyone in the audience was crowding around Wang Zixu. Wang Zixu fainted again.

He vaguely realized that the operation to establish his character seemed to have been completely successful.

It's just a little too successful.

At a glance, the bigwigs in the publishing industry who had been eyeing me since entering the hall were staring at me with burning eyes, and the microphones of the local TV stations were almost fed to their mouths.

Each of them seems very important, and none of them can be offended.

"Everyone, everyone, please make way, make way..."

The crowd opened up a gap, and An Younan came in, clapping her hands. She had a slim figure and beautiful eyes.

"I'm An Younan. Sorry to all the friends in the media, Mr. Wang Zixu is not accepting interviews at the moment. If you are interested in an interview, please contact Duan Xiaosang to schedule an interview. Friends in the publishing industry who are interested in cooperation, please also contact Duan Xiaosang."

Someone in the crowd asked, "What is the relationship between Duan Xiaosang and him?"

An Younan immediately replied: "Duan Xiaosang is Mr. Wang Zixu's agent."

There was a noisy chatter in the room. Duan Xiaosang squeezed in, wiping his sweat, and handed out business cards non-stop: "Dear teachers, I'm really sorry, please contact me, thank you, please contact me..."

An Younan grabbed the corner of Wang Zixu's clothes and whispered into his ear, "Let's go." Then he strode out.

Wang Zixu hurriedly followed.

After leaving the house, the two ran towards the parking lot as if they were fleeing in panic. Wang Zixu didn't understand how she could run so fast with the height of her high heels.

He plopped into the passenger seat of An Younan's car. An Younan also sat next to him. Both of them had their chests heaving and breathing heavily.

A few seconds later, An Younan took off her high heels, hooked the shoelaces with her fingers and threw them into Wang Zixu's arms, then pressed the ignition button to start the car.

Wang Zixu held her shoes for a while, then he reacted and threw them into the back seat, asking, "Why are we running away?"

"The strategic goal has been achieved. If we don't leave now, when will we leave?" An Younan said, and touched his head with his hand. "You performed well today. Yes, you performed exceptionally well. I like it very much."

Wang Zixu moved a little further away from her, avoiding her hand, and asked, "Shall we just leave now? My car is still over there."

An Younan said, "Let's ask the designated driver to come over later."

Wang Zixu said: "But this is not a good way to go, right? It gives people a feeling of winning but still losing."

An Younan said, "How could that be? You didn't even see how jealous the other writers were when they surrounded you. They wanted to eat you alive. It's not good to attract too much attention. This is called retreating at the peak of your career."

Wang Zixu said: "Oh. I didn't expect you to have such wisdom."

An Younan added, "Anyway, you have already laid the groundwork for your character setting to the climax today. If you stay there for too long, you will be easily exposed as a coward. You should just leave without showing off. When the task is completed, leave in a huff, hiding your achievements and fame."

"When the work is done, I will leave, hiding my body and name." Wang Zixu corrected.

An Younan added: "As for publishing, it is a seller's market now. You need to be a little reserved and aloof. Let them compete. You just need to sit back and reap the benefits. Believe in Duan Xiaosang's professionalism."

Wang Zixu said, I was thinking of saying hello. I didn't even see Gu Xuan this time. It feels a bit rude to just leave. Saying hello shouldn't conflict with being aloof, right? Being aloof isn't rude.

An Younan shook his head: "No, there is a key reason that determines that you can't stay there for too long."

Wang Zixu asked: "What's the reason?"

An Younan said, "Don't talk yet. I'll tell you when we get to my house."

An Younan drove onto Binjiang Avenue and drove for seven or eight kilometers. The road was less crowded and the driving was very comfortable. Finally, he arrived at a well-known villa area in Donghai.

The only problem is that this place is far away from the location of An Younan's home in Wang Zixu's memory.

"Okay, that's enough," An Younan said, "I can tell you why."

Wang Zixu turned his head and waited for his answer.

An Younan turned to look at him, a snicker on his lips: "If you stay there a little longer, you will run into Chen Qingluo."

Wang Zixu's eyes widened and his brain went into a state of panic.

An Younan explained: "Chen Qingluo is here too, on the second floor. I watched your performance with her."

"what?????"

Wang Zixu finally made a sound of collapse.

An Younan smiled playfully: "You want to see her? What do you want to see her for?"

Wang Zixu was speechless for a moment: "Yes, just to meet, after all, we are so familiar with each other."

"Oh," An Younan looked away and looked ahead, "It's too late! Even if you go back now, it's probably too late. Chen Qingluo went back a long time ago."

Wang Zixu was very annoyed: "Why didn't you tell me? Why didn't you let me meet her? Why?"

An Younan said: "No reason, I'm just unhappy, that's it."

"Why are you unhappy?"

"If I'm unhappy, I'm unhappy. That's just my personality. What's wrong? Do you have any objection?"

Wang Zixu didn't know about the tense conversation between An Younan and Chen Qingluo, nor did he know what she was thinking. From his perspective, he just felt that women were a kind of inexplicable animal, as incomprehensible as Cthulhu.

An Younan drove the car into a small courtyard, parked the car, and said to him, "Give me back my high heels."

Wang Zixu pointed backwards: "In the back seat."

An Younan rolled his eyes at him and said, "I asked you to hold it for me, why can't you pick it up with me?"

"I didn't agree to hold your shoes for you."

"I've helped you so much, you even pinched my feet, and you're still being pretentious with me?"

Wang Zixu climbed into the back seat and retrieved her shoes, hoping to make her shut up.

An Younan raised his eyebrows at him triumphantly.

The two got out of the car.

Wang Zixu looked up at the villa in front of him and asked, "Didn't you say we were going to your house?"

"I never said I only have one home. Besides, don't be silly. The place you went to is for work. Who would bring a man to where they live?" An Younan chuckled and turned back to him and said, "Come in."

On the one hand, she said that she would not bring a man to her place, and on the other hand, she asked Wang Zixu to come in, which completely confused him. He was more determined that women belonged to Cthulhu.

After entering the villa, Wang Zixu began to understand why An Younan said that the high-end apartment "Floating Star Shangpin" was an office.

That place was decorated luxuriously enough for Wang Zixu, but it was nothing compared to this villa.

The furniture and furnishings here are extremely luxurious. All kinds of things that Wang Zixu could hardly imagine being installed in his home, such as movie theaters and KTVs, are integrated into this house. Rather than a place to live, this place is more like an entertainment club.

In comparison, the outdoor heated swimming pool is not that rare.

When An Younan came out of the room, she had taken off all her clothes and changed into a swimsuit. She was holding a cup of yellow drink with a slice of lemon on it.

"I told Duan Xiaosang to contact her publishing agency and editors and pass them on to me. I will do background checks to facilitate the subsequent operations."

Wang Zixu said: "Aren't you still working here?"

An Younan said: "But with you."

Wang Zixu spread his hands. He didn't understand the logical connection between the two sentences.

An Younan didn't explain. She instructed the servants to prepare her computer and invited Wang Zixu to go swimming.

Wang Zixu naturally wouldn't go swimming, he didn't even bring his swimming trunks.

An Younan did not force it. Wang Zixu squatted by the swimming pool and watched her enter the water with a beautiful posture. After diving two meters, she emerged from the bottom of the water and raised her head.

Not long after, the servant came over with a cell phone. As soon as An Younan answered the call, his face changed instantly.

"Wow!"

She climbed out of the water, came over hurriedly, and grabbed Wang Zixu's collar with her wet hands.

"Hurry, hurry up, my mother is back."

"what?"

"Go, go, go!"

An Younan pushed Wang Zixu to the door, then changed her mind and pulled him back:
"No, no, it's too late. She will find out anyway. Go wait in the living room."

Wang Zixu said: "Ah?"

An Younan dragged him back to the living room without saying a word, pressed him hard on the sofa, then quickly went upstairs to change clothes.

Wang Zixu had never seen her so flustered before.

An Younan dressed very quickly and came downstairs soon. She was dressed very solemnly. She sat down next to Wang Zixu and put on makeup.

"When my mom comes later, just tell her you're my friend and that you're here to play. Don't say anything extra. Do you understand?"

Wang Zixu was slightly curious: "It seems that your aunt disciplines you very strictly."

An Younan thought he was talking too much and rolled his eyes at him: "My mother will definitely ask you this and that, so don't say you are a novelist. Just say you are in publishing, understand?"

"Why can't I say that he's a novelist? Does your aunt have any prejudice against novelists?"

"Tsk! Don't ask, just remember it!... Oh, it's too late! You might as well not say anything and just play dumb!"

She angrily threw the makeup box into the drawer of the coffee table, then pulled the prince up and went to the hallway to greet him.

Wang Zixu was very surprised. In his impression, An Younan had always been a lawless person. He always thought that An Younan's family education was very lax. He never expected that she would be so well-behaved at home and even so polite.

An Younan glanced at his watch and said, "My mother will be at the door in one minute. When you see her, just say 'Hello, Auntie'. I will say the rest, and you don't say a word. Do you understand?"

"understand."

Wang Zixu also let it go.

Just as An Younan said, the door was opened on time, exactly one minute later.

A familiar yet unfamiliar face appeared at the door.

The woman's face shows that she is not young, but she has taken good care of herself. One can even see the power of huge amounts of money, which has allowed her face to maintain a certain degree of youthfulness.

You can't tell the exact price of the clothes she's wearing, but you can tell at a glance that they're expensive.

It was precisely because this face had retained its youthfulness to a certain extent that Wang Zixu's memory was instantly awakened. Then his heart began to beat wildly, and his heart rate soared from 60 to 120 in an instant.

When the woman saw him, she was also stunned.

An Younan turned around and winked at him, suggesting that he should say hello quickly. But Wang Zixu seemed to be petrified, frozen in place.

After a long time, his stiff body finally melted away, but he also lost his strength along with it.

He bowed his head and greeted, "Mom."

"haven't seen you for a long time."

(End of this chapter)