Chapter 234 The Rebel
This is the beginning of the prince’s sincere speech. After Zhuang Die heard it, his first reaction was, is he crazy?
His speech was quite reminiscent of Cixi’s spiritual inheritance - "Declare war on Britain! Declare war on France! Declare war on the powers of the world!" - Otherwise, how can we explain that he announced to everyone that everyone is a noob?
It’s really crazy.
Zhuang Die has a rather mean personality, while Meng Xin, who has a gentle personality, would not expect her to be so straightforward.
She thought with a little pity: This is a stressful defensive reaction.
Excessive pressure has caused the psychological defense line to collapse, and the defense has turned into a hysterical indiscriminate attack to maintain one's own existence. A bit pitiful.
Of course, in terms of behavior, she is also a player who participated in the siege of Wang Zixu, a ray of waves in the tsunami. But she doesn't repent.
In her eyes, Wang Zixu is just like Sisyphus in Camus's novel. Facing the huge absurdity and meaninglessness of the world, he chooses to resist in vain and attacks everyone to defend his dignity.
But he did not have the sobriety of Camus. His resistance did not adhere to the necessary moral bottom line, and was a tyrannical resistance -
The evidence is: How can we fail?
No matter how you look at the people at this table, he is the best.
At first no one cared about Wang Zixu’s madness.
Everyone thought he would show his ugly face soon.
But no one can imagine that this is just the beginning.
Years later, when people mentioned the speech at this seminar, they mostly used it to explain Wang Zixu’s unruly character, who was not bound by worldly relationships and was a free and arrogant person.
Some people praised him with admiration and said he was sharp in words. It's just a matter of talking about people's talents, and he also said that he is very sincere and talks about people's talents very sincerely, "with great ridicule and sarcasm, making everyone present sweat."
Of course, some haters were more explicit, saying that he looked down on others just because he was talented. He had such a bad personality that he deserved to be isolated by his peers.
No matter they are idiot fans or anti-fans, they don’t believe that he is sincere. But in fact, he is very sincere. He felt from the bottom of his heart that these people were terrible.
Wang Zixu felt that he was more tactful. It's hard to describe how he felt about these people at this time using "caishi".
Their discussion is full of the prejudices of those with narrow vision. If Lovecraft is discriminating against other races based on his eugenics views; Maugham is misogynistic because of his failed marriage; and Marquez is prejudiced against the Chinese because of immigrants... then the prejudices of these people are simply underestimated.
Their point of view is a bit like taking the harsh comments on the Internet and transforming them into a decent way, adding some extreme descriptions, and then stitching them together according to their own personality to create a violent theory full of prejudice.
If you look more closely, you will never come up with such a point of view that cannot withstand questioning.
“To be honest, when I heard it, I was a little unbelievable, ‘Are they really at this level?’
“You must be dissatisfied now. Okay, I'll do it one by one. Let’s start with Zhuang Die.
“To summarize what Zhuang Die just said, we probably start with "The Quiet Don", talk about the contradiction between Solzhenitsyn and Sholokhov, and then expand on the overview of literature in the Soviet period.
"I want to discuss this issue. The most basic thing is that you have to read the representative works of Sholokhov, Solzhenitsyn, and Pasternak, right?
"For example, Solzhenitsyn, you have to read both the early "Gulag Archipelago" and the later "Rebuilding Russia" to understand his ideological changes, right?
“If I could explain it more thoroughly, I would like to see Gorky and Mayakovsky in the pre-Stalin era, the thaw literature in the Khrushchev period, the underground literature in the stagnation period, and Alexeevich in the post-Soviet era...
“You have to read all of these to get a general idea, right?
“But after listening to it for a while, I realized, no, buddy, you haven’t even read Solzhenitsyn???
“Isn’t this the same as not having passed the first level? Isn’t it the same as taking an exam without bringing a pen?
“You haven’t even read the most basic requirements, so why are you talking about Soviet literature? Isn’t what you said just like farting?”
The whole audience was in an uproar.
Zhuang Die’s face turned red and white, a little warmed up.
Based on common sense, it is the other party who is going crazy, and he should not have heated up.
He was a little embarrassed mainly because the other party was right: he had indeed never read the writers and books the other party listed.
All discussion topics in Guxuan Salon are kept confidential before the opening, and the participants have no way of knowing before they come. This ensures that discussion on stage must rely on accumulation.
It’s not that he doesn’t read a lot, he has also read many Nobel Prize-winning books. But Russian literature is indeed a part of which he has little exposure.
The reason why he wanted to use Russian literature that he was unfamiliar with this time was because he had just recently reviewed "The Quiet Don"; secondly, because Sholokhov's life experience is relatively niche in China and is easy to expose; thirdly, it was to make it easier to criticize Wang Zixu.
However, he thought that the organization in his own language was gorgeous and wonderful enough. If he were not a professional scholar of Russian literature, he would not be able to see that he was timid.
How did Wang Zixu tell that he had not read it? Is this what he specializes in?
Zhuang Die was still thinking about it, but over there, Wang Zixu changed his weapon.
"And you, Meng Xin," Wang Zixu looked at the woman in red, "You are farting too."
Meng Xin had a peaceful smile on his lips, but after hearing these words, his expression suddenly froze.
"You chose an extremely ambitious topic, 'French Literature in the Nobel Prize.' I was shocked when I first heard it.
"The French writer has won the most Nobel Prizes, with 16 people.
“I thought you wanted to talk about the newly awarded Anne Ernault, or about Patrick Modiano, the most uncontroversial figure in recent years.
“Or you want to talk about the controversial figure Gao Xingjian, who shines Andre Gide, who has gradually faded out of sight,
“Or Saint-Jones Pace, who writes poetry like you.
“As a result, your final destination is Camus and Sartre, the enemies.
“And you are still wrong when talking about their two views!
“Have you only read Camus’s “The Stranger” and “The Resistance”? Your knowledge of Sartre is simply incomplete.
“You haven’t read his review of his writing career, “A Literary Career,” nor his analysis of his creation, “Baudelaire,” nor have you read “The Age of Reason,” “Probation,” and “Death of the Soul”...
“It’s just a topic between two people, and I haven’t read it all. If not, what is shit? You can't handle this topic. Can you finish reading it before talking? ”
Meng Xin was about to cry.
After all, she is a girl and has a thin skin. When she was spoken to in such a harsh manner, she was a little upset on the spot.
Xiao Mengyin saw it and was afraid that she would really cry.
Firstly, Xiao Mengyin doesn’t like to cry, and she hates other girls who love to cry; secondly, if Meng Xin cries, many flower protectors will appear on the scene, and the situation will be even more unfavorable to Wang Zixu.
After Wang Zixu finished speaking, she was the next one to speak. He was happy with the scolding, what should she do?
Such a wonderful debate just happened, she couldn’t just pretend that nothing happened? Wang Zixu said they farted, and if she didn't take sides, would she be able to hang out in the industry again?
In short, she is very confused now.
This is her current thought.
After 10 minutes, she no longer has to worry about this issue.
Because she later discovered that she thought she was at the peak just now, but she didn’t expect that it was just Wang Zixu’s opening remarks.
…
“Sorry, I’m late.”
Gu Xuan sat down on the sofa opposite. His tall body pressed the sofa with a creaking sound. The legs of his well-fitting suit trousers moved up one centimeter, revealing gray socks.
Gu Xuan is over 50 years old. As an older entrepreneur, he is not as paunchy as the stereotype. His hair is neatly combed, his figure has been sculpted through exercise, and his body shape is well maintained.
Chen Qingluo picked up the teacup and took a sip.
“You don’t have to be so polite, I didn’t make an appointment in advance.”
Gu Xuan smiled and said, “You are an honored guest, you have been invited for so many years, and you just came here this year. Of course I want to Come and see."
"Sorry, I don't like to deal with this kind of situation."
Although she said she was sorry, there was no hint of embarrassment in her tone.
Gu Xuan patted his thigh, sighed, and said, "I can understand you. In fact, I didn't even plan to come over this year."
"Why?" Chen Qingluo raised her dark eyes to look at his face.
“Over the years, the influence of the salon has become greater and greater, but it has also deviated more and more from my original intention,” Gu Xuan said. “My original idea was to use business as a bait to allow a group of interesting souls to rub and collide.”
Chen Qingluo said: "Then what do you think the current salon is like?"
Gu Xuan smiled and said: "Now, the bait is about to become the fundamental purpose."
Chen Qingluo said: "That's just because the fish has become smarter and ate the bait and vomited the hook. Naturally, the fishermen will not be happy."
Gu Xuan's smile turned into a bitter smile: "You are still so sharp."
Chen Qingluo straightened up and said, "I came here to ask you something."
"Begging me?" Gu Xuan raised his eyebrows and then smiled, "Chen, a talented woman, actually uses the word 'begging'?"
Chen Qingluo nodded solemnly: "Well. This matter will not do you any good, and it is also extremely troublesome. Apart from begging, I can't think of any other way to persuade you to do this favor for me."
Gu Xuan crossed his legs with a playful expression: "Then I'm interested..."
After saying that, he suddenly thought of something, clapped his hands and said, "Where's Xiao Li? Give it to me. Let’s have a cup of coffee. ”
After a while, the lady at the front desk hurried back from outside. Her hair was a bit messy. She was obviously a little panicked because she was caught fishing on the spot.
She served Gu Xuan a cup of thickened almond milk latte. During the service, she looked out the door, her eyes revealing her nostalgia for the gossip outside the door.
Gu Xuan then said: "Speaking of which, who are you here for?"
"Zixu." Chen Qingluo didn't waste any words and directly stated her purpose.
Gu Xuan thought for a while and said: "This name is quite familiar. Is it the Wang Zixu who wrote "Fire in the Stone"?"
"Well," Chen Qingluo said, "He is in some trouble now."
"It's more than a little trouble!" Gu Xuan raised his voice.
After he finished speaking, Chen Qingluo remained silent for a long time. She lowered her eyebrows and watched the tips of the teacup rising, and was organizing her words very seriously.
Gu Xuan slowed down his tone a little and said: "Shi Tonghe is an old-timer after all. If he did that in person, people in the circle must have opinions."
Chen Qingluo raised her head: "What do you think?"
"Huh?"
"What do you think about this?"
"Me? I think this person's behavior is a bit impulsive." Gu Xuan took a sip of coffee, his tone unchanged.
Chen Qingluo said: "What if I say that I can guarantee him that what he said must be true?"
"Let's just say it," Gu Xuan said, "Even if Shi Tonghe really targets a newcomer, someone will be willing to sit down and ask him if the newcomer has bad conduct."
"But..."
Gu Xuan interrupted Chen Qingluo, laughed, and said: "However, what I am very curious about is, what is your relationship with him? He can actually work for you to help him as a lobbyist."
Chen Qingluo Said: "He is the editor of my editorial office."
Gu Xuan said: "Just being a colleague is not enough, right?"
"He is also my high school classmate." Chen Qingluo said.
Gu Xuan tilted his head: "That's it?"
Chen Qingluo nodded.
Gu Xuan sat up straight: "I'm really curious. With your cold temperament, no one should be able to impress you, and you are not the kind of person who can talk about favors. So I don't believe that he can get you to beg me just by virtue of a relationship."
Chen Qingluo was silent.
Gu Xuan added: "Well, although I don't like him personally, his book should still be worth publishing. If you tell me why you will help him, I will support him." Publish his book with high standards."
Chen Qingluo said: "He is my first love."
The room fell into a strange silence.
Chen Qingluo added: "I just have a good impression, I haven't confirmed the relationship, and I haven't said anything about it. And it's all in the past, it's over now."
"Ahem... um..." Standing aside The young lady at the front desk suddenly cleared her throat and said, "Um, let me ask, is the Wang Zixu you are talking about the one who has become popular on the Internet recently?"
Chen Qingluo looked at her and nodded.
“Um, didn’t you come together?” the young lady asked.
Chen Qingluo frowned, a little confused.
Gu Xuan reacted: "He is here too?"
“Yes, here we come,” the young lady pointed outside, “I’m cursing people outside.”
…
“To troll one person is a troll, to troll two people is a fool, to troll a group of people is a cynical lunatic.
But if you offend everyone, you are a loner who is not understood by the world.
Wang Zixu didn’t just complain in general, he also criticized people one by one.
Xiao Mengyin didn’t think anything was wrong at first. It wasn’t until the prince sprayed the third person clockwise that she realized:
Good guy, didn’t he remember what everyone just said?
When Wang Zi spat on the fifth person, she not only confirmed her previous thoughts, but also discovered a new question:
Why does he know everything?
Not only can he accurately say that there are 16 French writers, 13 American writers, 10 German writers and 8 Swedish writers who won the Nobel Prize, from Molière to Hugo to Proust, he has also read them all.
He is not simply complaining, he is citing scriptures and reasoning, and for every point he makes, he can cite the corresponding works, and even extract the corresponding plots from the works, and even tell which chapter the plot is in and what the context is.
This is no longer just a loner, this kind of behavior has been sublimated from a simple troll, from a shrew to cursing, to an art.
At first, everyone was dismissive of what Wang Zixu said, but later on, they couldn’t help but start thinking about whether it was really reasonable for Wang Zixu to say that other people were inferior.
When Chen Qingluo and Gu Xuan went out, they not only saw Wang Zixu standing in the middle of the hall, but also An Younan, who was smiling like a silver bell and trembling with flowers.