Chapter 255 There is no soul in the tail
An Younan’s gaze crossed Ning Chunyan’s shoulder and landed on Wang Zixu’s face, asking silently with his eyes: How is it?
Wang Zixu shook his head very slightly. This is not the right time to discuss this matter.
Ning Chunyan hugged his arms tightly, and his fingers were so hard that they almost pinched into his arms: "Hey, Wang Zixu, do you want our magazine to issue a statement?"
Wang Zixu asked: "What statement?"
"Support the little prince's statement," Ning Chunyan bit her nails unconsciously, "As the only magazine that has published the little prince's works, we cannot remain silent when he is criticized by thousands of people."
Wang Zixu was surprised: "We are just an ordinary magazine, not an official mouthpiece, what is the use of issuing a statement?"
An Younan also said: "I advise you to calm down and go against the tune of the TV station. You will never get any good results."
Ning Chunyan stamped his feet anxiously: "The little prince is criticized and stigmatized by them like this. Do you want me to sit idly by? I... I can't do it."
Wang Zixu slowed down his tone: "I understand your feelings, but if we end rashly now, it will only make the situation more chaotic. Believe me, the little prince will never want you to do this."
Ning Chunyan paced around anxiously for two steps before suddenly standing still: "I'll go find Qingluo to discuss it!"
After that, she rushed out of the door like a gust of wind.
After confirming that the footsteps of Ning Chunyan had gone away, An Younan turned around and looked at Wang Zixu with complex eyes. There was a light in his eyes that could not be told whether it was admiration or teasing: "You are so smart."
Wang Zixu was confused: "Where is the skill?"
An Younan said: "I understand now why you refused to expose your identity. Did you foresee that such a day would come?"
Wang Zixu smiled bitterly: "How is it possible? I am not Zhuge Liang who can calculate things, how can I predict things like a god? I just... simply want to follow the serious path of literature, not the 'Wen Yan' one" Road."
But An Younan said: "But the evaluation and influence of your 'little prince' status in literature are much higher than the serious literary works you have racked your brains to write? You see, even the central station was shocked. "
When Wang Zixu heard this, he felt as if he had been punched, and he felt mixed emotions.
An Younan's tone deepened: "You are in danger now."
Wang Zixu whispered: "I know."
She said: "Although you have not revealed your identity, but you really have to follow the clues to investigate. The disguise you made is just a cover-up."
Wang Zixu: "I know."
She added: "This news report is a clear signal. Next, we will name specific companies, local governments will focus on rectification, catch examples, and finally... arrest you and bring you to justice."
Wang Zixu was silent.
An Younan finally asked: "What are you going to do?"
Wang Zixu took a deep breath: "I'm not going to do it. Cut it completely."
An Younan tilted his head and looked at him: "You said cutting can be done cleanly?"
Wang Zixu said: "Zuo Ziliang is also a family man, he will not take this risk. Besides, I haven't touched my feet for two months. It won’t matter if I withdraw completely now.”
An Younan shook his head: “I’m not asking you this. I’m asking you, are you really willing to completely cut off your identity as ‘little prince’?”
Wang Zixu asked, “Do you think I will be attached to this identity?”
An Younan stared into his eyes and said clearly word for word: "The gecko can cut off its tail to survive because there is absolutely no soul stored in its tail. But the 'little prince' is your other half. Can you really give it up without hesitation?"
Wang Zixu opened his mouth slightly. , looked at her for a long time, and then said confusedly: "You confused me. Do you want me to quit, or do you not want me to quit?"
An Younan said: "I just hope that you... don't regret this in the future."
This answer is impeccable. But life is such a helpless thing, how can it ever allow people to never regret it?
Wang Zixu sighed and said slowly: "You just said that there is no soul in the gecko's tail. My soul is not in the identity of the 'little prince'. It is only in my words and will always be there."
...
After the two talked, they had to deal with business matters urgently, so they made phone calls.
Wang Zixu contacted Ye Lan and Zuo Ziliang respectively.
Ye Lan was enjoying the warmth of the Spring Festival reunion with his family. When he heard the news, it was like being poured a basin of ice water from head to toe; Zuo Ziliang had just finished watching the news and was looking for him. The three of them made an appointment to meet in detail the next day.
The situation on An Younan's side was obviously much more difficult. The phone calls came one after another, and even after more than a dozen calls, there was no sign of stopping. The prince was so confused that he simply walked out of the main building alone, wanting to get some fresh air outside and change his mood.
Pushing open the door and rushing into the world that was still filled with chilly spring weather, Wang Zixu exhaled a breath of white air and retracted his neck into his coat.
The sky in late winter is like an unloved child, with no blood on the face. Even if the day is high, the light appears weak and bleak.
There are two silent trees on the left and right side of the main building. It is said that they are tree species shipped from the south at a unit price of 100,000 yuan.
As a tree without legs, I wouldn’t have thought that it would be glorious to move to such a cold place.
In short, there is nothing to see outside, it is still cold, and the already bleak mood is exaggerated by this desolate scenery, making it even more sad.
He thought, maybe he shouldn't come here. He should listen to a song with a long prelude, bury himself under the quilt, and not think about anything. "Let the blessed air of the New Year embrace himself loudly and sweep away all kinds of troubles." Integrating into the universal celebration may reduce his own embarrassment.
But that’s just a thought. The loneliness he felt at this time could not be cured by a quilt.
He stepped on the steps, and the soles of his shoes made a lonely sound when they came into contact with the cold ground. In this silence that was stripped of color, he saw her.
Chen Qingluo.
Chen Qingluo was wrapped in a thick dark coat. The ill-fitting size made her look petite and clumsy.
She raised her face slightly, letting the thin skylight flow on her cheeks, and the line from her jaw to her ears was clear and precise.
In Wang Zixu’s vision, she seemed to have a shimmer of light, like a star that accidentally fell into the winter night. Instead of engulfing her, the desolation around her became a bleak background to set off her existence.
Wang Zixu hesitated for a moment and finally walked towards her.
"What...are you looking at?" he asked softly.
Chen Qing turned around, looked at him with a "Isn't this obvious?" look, and replied: "Look at the clouds."
Wang Zixu looked up at the sky and said, "The sky is so pale, how can there be any clouds?"
She cast another look that said, "Does this still need an explanation?" and said calmly: "These are all clouds."
"Oh."
Seemingly worried that he still didn't understand, she added: "They are altostratus clouds."
"...I know."
Wang Zixu also put his hands in his pockets and watched the clouds with her.
Silence spread between the two, and Wang Zixu finally plucked up the courage to speak again:
"Ningchun Banquet...did I talk to you about the little prince?"
"I did." Chen Qingluo nodded.
“Did you persuade her?”
“I support her.”
“Huh?” Wang Zixu turned his head to look at her.
Chen Qingluo's tone remained calm: "Our magazine can take this opportunity to do some in-depth literary criticism, so I support her."
After a pause, she said softly: "But I clearly support her, she But I'm worried that making comments rashly will affect you."
Wang Zixuan said: "Actually, I think so, I'm not afraid..."
The words just started, but suddenly stopped in mid-air. His pupils shrank, and a layer of cold sweat broke out on his back.
He suddenly realized that what Chen Qingluo just said was not "affecting the little prince", but "affecting you".
A huge panic instantly seized him: Did she find out? When did she find out?
Wang Zixu’s heart beat violently, but he suppressed the surging emotions, tried to keep his tone calm, and forced a stiff smile on his lips, saying:
"It affects me? It affects the little prince, right? What does this have to do with me?"
Chen Qingluo turned her face, tilted her head slightly, and there was a trace of confusion in her dark eyes.
"It affects you. You are competing for the Feishi Literary Award. Ning Chunyan is worried that our magazine's involvement in this matter will make you blocked by the literary circle and make it more difficult to win the award."
Wang Zixu felt relieved, and then, a warmth quietly rose from the bottom of his heart: "I didn't expect that she was still thinking about me."
"She has been thinking about you." Chen Qingluo said.
For some reason, Wang Zixu vaguely felt—perhaps just an illusion—that there was an imperceptible sourness in Chen Qingluo's tone.
She cleared her throat gently, adjusted her tone, and said: "So I suggested to her that she might as well comment on other platforms in her own name to support the little prince."
Wang Zixu was moved again and said: "Actually, I am not afraid of being affected at all. The literary circle has long regarded me as an alien, and a few more lice will not itch me anymore."
Chen Qingluo shook her head: "No. The literary circle has not been able to do anything to you so far, not because they don't hate you enough, but because they haven't found a solid clue yet. If they do this, there may be a clue."
Wang Zixu felt tired and decided not to think about it anymore, and asked: "Why did she Not with you? "
"She felt that speaking out in her own name was not enough, and she was still struggling," Chen Qingluo said calmly, "I thought she was annoyed, so I came out first."
Wang Zixu couldn't help but sweat the plastic sisterhood between the two of them.
Chen Qingluo seemed to see through his mind and added lightly: "I don't think she is troublesome, it's just that the sour smell of love that she exudes makes me a little unbearable."
"In love?" Wang Zixu was startled.
“Only a woman who is in love will worry about gains and losses and look forward and backward like that,” Chen Qingluo looked into the distance with a soft voice, “Especially when I think that the object of her love is illusory and has never even met, I find it even more difficult to understand. Solution."
She paused, her tone suddenly lowered, with a hint of self-deprecation: "But then I thought about it, how could I be any better?"
Wang Zixu's heart trembled.
What does Chen Qingluo mean? Does she also like the little prince? Or is there someone as persistent but out of reach as Ning Chunyan hidden in her heart?
Wang Zixu was in a state of confusion, but Chen Qingluo had no intention of explaining it. She seemed to have finished watching the clouds, turned around, and walked towards the main building with steady and determined steps.
Wang Zixu stood there blankly, unable to recover for a long time. When he finally came to his senses, his legs were already numb from the cold.
…
The next day, An Younan said goodbye to Comrade Lao Wang on the grounds of his parents’ urging.
Wang Zixu knew clearly that she was in a hurry to return to the company to hold an emergency meeting to deal with the aftermath of the project.
In just two days of getting along, Comrade Lao Wang already loved this cheap goddaughter in every possible way. After repeatedly trying to keep her, he insisted on sending her to the train station with Wang Zixu, so that An Younan didn't even have a chance to whisper to Wang Zixu.
After sending An Younan away, Wang Zixu also made an excuse to say goodbye to Lao Wang. The empty-nest old man suddenly complained a lot, and Wang Zixu just pretended not to hear it.
The meeting place agreed with Zuo Ziliang and Ye Lan was set in a private room of a KTV. Since the company moved its headquarters to Donghai, all the original offices have been cleared, not even a warehouse left. Choosing to meet at this KTV is Zuo Ziliang's usual style.
As soon as he arrived at the door, Wang Zixu saw Ye Lan.
Ye Lan, who had not seen her for a long time, seemed to have changed little. She just put on a slightly thicker winter coat, and her stockings were replaced by leggings, which still made her legs slender and tall. When she saw Wang Zixu, she raised her hand and waved from a distance.
Ye Lan trotted forward to meet him, exhaled a puff of white air, put his hands in the pockets of his windbreaker, and said: "Long time no see, happy New Year."
"Happy New Year." Wang Zixu gestured towards the door of the store. "Is he here?"
"Don't go in yet, we have to unify our stance first." Ye Lan's cheeks were slightly red from the cold, and she looked at him seriously with a pair of dark eyes, "What do you think?"
"I think..." Wang Zixu looked around and lowered his voice, "I want to quit."
"Yes," Ye Lan nodded vigorously, "That's what I mean too. Then we have agreed that no matter what he says later, we have to hold on and can't be led astray by him anymore."
Wang Zixu always felt that this scene seemed familiar: "You You mean...Zuo Ziliang still wants to do it? No, he shouldn't be so irrational?"
Ye Lan sneered: "Reason? When did you have the illusion that he is sensible?"
Wang Zixu thought about it and said, "I think... he has always been quite rational..."
Ye stretched out a finger and said solemnly: "Listen up, when we meet later, our attitude must be firm. No matter how he deceives us, we can't continue. This time he was named, it's not a joke, there is a real possibility that he will go in."
Wang Zi nodded: "I understand."
After a moment of silence, he couldn't help but be curious and asked: "Zuo Ziliang really plans to bite the bullet and keep going?"
Ye Lan sighed: "Who knows? But you are so famous now, but you haven't made corresponding money for the company. With his character, I'm afraid he won't let go easily."
After a while, she patted her chest again and said, "Fortunately, I came here to remind you. If you are not mentally prepared and you are fooled by him, you may be led into a trap again."
< br>Wang Zixu said: "No, I know it well. This time is different from before. I have really been registered. If I don't stop, I'm afraid I will lose everything. I still want to rely on writing The novel is something serious. "
Ye Lan asked curiously: "By the way, how is your novel going? Is there any hope of winning a prize?"
Wang Zixu replied vaguely: "It's hard to say."
After that, he urged Ye Lan to walk into the store.
In the private room, he saw Zuo Ziliang again.
(End of this chapter)