Prince Xuding's restaurant is on Binhai Road. It is a place reminiscent of the exaggerated descriptions by Guo Jingming in his famous works - a maze-like city, white-skinned foreigners talking eloquently, dazzling luxury goods, aloof clerks,

And the streets are filled with elegant sports cars such as Ferrari, Lamborghini, and Koenigsegg.

He was sitting by the window, and the expensive spotlights shone with golden light, turning his A-grade suit into gold, giving him a high-end product atmosphere.

An old mother-in-law walked by the window, suddenly looked back, and looked at him through the window. This glance actually revealed the artistic conception of class barriers and identity gaps. If you find a good angle to take a photo at this time, you will definitely be able to take a photo.

It arouses strong resonance in people's hearts.

Wang Zixu felt that what this world is like actually depends on how you look at it. Just like him and this old lady, when everyone in the world cast their eyes on this picture with compassion and sighed about this materialistic little era,

Who knows if that old lady lives near Binhai Road and has 20 houses demolished and replaced?

Maybe Wang Zixu is the one who deserves sympathy.

Prince Xu has no way of knowing what the old lady's life experience is. For others, the life experience of Wang Zixu sitting in this splendid window is also unknown.

What is going on in the world is the reality. Apart from the reality, it is all speculation. Guessing is fiction, and people's evaluation of characters is mostly based on fiction in their minds.

Whether you sympathize with the old lady or sympathize with Wang Zixu, you are just fabricating a reason for them to sympathize with in your mind, and forcibly assigning your own ruthlessness to them.

Both of them sympathize with, and then sympathize with all human beings, and feel that all living beings are suffering, so they are Buddhas; both of them do not sympathize with, and then have no sympathy for any living creatures, they are demons. Both of them are firm and unshakable, and will not be easily influenced by external things.

Influence.

It is extremely difficult for human beings to become Buddhas and demons. They mostly wander between the two and project their limited emotions onto a small number of people, so they are easy to be happy and sad.

When something makes you feel bad, if you look at it from another angle, you may get a completely different feeling. Because the fictional part is different. Human beings are animals that create fiction all the time.

Wang Zixu is a person who sells fiction. Whether he writes novels or pretends to be a little prince to create libido, he secretly disguises what he feels as reality and sells it to people who are willing to pay. Of course, he tries his best to

It is the duty of a serious writer to tell only the truth.

However, reality is also subjective. For him here and now, it is true that he can see tall plane trees growing on the roadside through the window, and it is true that he can feel the sea breeze blowing on his face on this street at night.

It’s true that he can’t afford to buy any of the cars parked on the roadside.

These messy realities together constitute a complex and meaningless world. Human beings use their own eyes to give meaning to this world. He extracts these realities, combines them into a certain shape, and then sends them to people's eyes. This is his job

.

In this sense, he feels a great responsibility.

When Wang Zixu is in a daze, he will think. When he thinks, he will think of these things. These thoughts make him easily become cold and unhappy.

Just when Wang Zixu's thoughts were getting more and more wild, the editor finally arrived. He looked about 40 years old, with a serious expression. He was wearing a brown shirt, with his sleeves rolled up neatly, revealing an old-fashioned wrist.

surface.

Wang Zixu's first impression of him was that he was a very decent man.

The editor walked to the table and sat down face to face with him, putting his briefcase on the chair next to him: "My surname is Hao. You can call me Editor Hao. You may not have heard of my name, but you must have heard of my subordinates."

The manuscripts I have passed, the works of Yanzishan and Xiao Mengyin are all written by me."

This opening statement was arrogant and shocking. Wang Zixu was shocked in the first second. He quickly reached out and shook his hand: "Hello, hello."

Editor Hao added: "What about your situation? Chairman Shi told me about it. I also know your concerns, so I'll get straight to the point... By the way, the food is ready to be served. Time is limited. Let's talk while eating.

.”

Wang Zixu said: "The dishes haven't been ordered yet. I'm waiting for you to come over and order. Waiter!"

Bian Hao took the menu and smiled sarcastically: "You can just order...I'll order a sea cucumber roasted with green onions, a Huaiyang gold lion's head, a saltwater squab, and a garlic-baked East China Sea small yellow croaker.

, and then wagyu bibimbap. That’s it.”

These dishes were not cheap. Obviously, this man did not consider helping Wang Zixu save money. He handed the menu to Wang Zixu. Wang Zixu took it with pain and ordered two cold dishes at random.

Editor Hao took a sip of water: "By the way, where did you say that? You were introduced by Chairman Shi, so I'll just say it straight...Have you brought your manuscript?"

Wang Zixu quickly took out the manuscript and said, "I'll take it with me."

Editor Hao took the manuscript, glanced at it twice, then raised his head and said, "I'll be honest, you must be the one, you know. Can I take the manuscript back?"

He spoke vaguely. In fact, Wang Zixu didn't understand and wanted to ask clearly. But seeing Bian Hao's serious expression, he didn't dare to ask too carefully for fear of offending him. He just nodded and asked, "Yes. What do you mean,

Can I submit the manuscript for publication?"

Editor Hao sneered. He neither said he could nor said he couldn't. He only said: "Chairman Shi recommended it. Are you still worried about publishing it?"

The stone in Wang Zixu's heart dropped to the ground, and suddenly the bill didn't feel so painful anymore.

Editor Hao flipped through the thick manuscript, raised his head and said, "Please briefly explain your thoughts. Your article is so thick that it will take a month just to review it. Please tell me your thoughts and I will sort it out when I get back."

Wang Zixu then told him his outline and ideas in great detail. Editor Hao did not interrupt him, but nodded and said "hmm" from time to time.

After finishing speaking, Editor Hao raised his head and said, "Very good!"

"Yeah?"

"This is a great idea." Bian Hao lowered his head to eat the food, "Okay, I get it. I personally think this is pretty good."

Wang Zixu breathed a sigh of relief: "Thank you."

Bian Hao used chopsticks to open the lion's head, then used an iron spoon to scoop up the minced meat, dipped it in a little soup from the bottom of the plate and brought it into his mouth; he also flipped the Wagyu beef slices to mix the meat juice and rice thoroughly, picked up a sea cucumber, and put it on

Put it on the rice and put it into your mouth with a spoon.

The prince clapped his leg and said, "Hey, I forgot to order a drink."

Bian Hao said while chewing: "No, I don't drink sugary drinks, my blood fat is a bit high."

He cut the squab open with a knife and fork, poured the scallion sauce on the meat, picked up a leg and chewed it, making the sound crispy.

In a blink of an eye, he had eaten both the sea cucumber and the legs of the squab. Wang Zixu could only pick up some cold vegetables. He had no intention of eating and asked: "Editor Hao, do you have many submissions for you?"

"There are so many, so many, like snow flakes." Editor Hao said as he chewed, "They are all piled up into a mountain. The first task of our interns there is to review the manuscripts. They sit there every day at work and look at it. When will the internship period be over?

, there’s no need to look at it.”

"Intern." Wang Zixu was a little disappointed after hearing this, "Are there many high-quality manuscripts?"

Bian Hao put down his bowl and chopsticks, his lips still oily.

"Let me tell you this, the main source of manuscripts for our magazine is commissioned manuscripts. We also have manuscript submission channels, but basically we don't use submitted manuscripts."

"Why?"

Editor Hao was stunned when asked: "Why? Of course it's because the quality is so poor. Most of the submissions were veteran cadres who had nothing to do at home after retirement and suddenly recalled their literary dreams. They wrote something and sent it over, but they couldn't read it at all.

"

Wang Zixu recalled what he saw in the editorial department of Xihe Literature and Art, and sighed that it turned out to be the same everywhere.

Editor Hao added: "We mainly ask for manuscripts from well-known authors. The quality of their writing is controllable and it is easier to review. Looking for manuscripts through public submissions is like gold mining in a sea of ​​shit."

Wang Zixu asked cautiously: "What should I do if the manuscripts requested are not enough?"

"Why is there not enough?" Editor Hao laughed, "We have quite a large number of manuscripts, but we don't even have enough space."

Wang Zixu asked: "Then my article is so long, can I upload it?"

Editor Hao paused for a moment, as if he was considering his words: "You are indeed in trouble for this article. If it is to be published, we will open a special long-form column for you. We don't have many long-form columns in our magazine, and generally only famous people have them.

You’re qualified to write a long story!”

After hearing this, Wang Zixu felt even more uneasy: "Then... then I'm sorry to trouble you."

After saying that, he sat in his seat feeling disappointed. In the past, he failed to submit articles everywhere, and the reasons can probably be thought of. If it weren't for Shi Tonghe's words, he would not be able to sit here and talk directly to the editor. Thinking about it this way, he seems to be a

Some people who used the back door were on pins and needles.

After finishing the meal, the two of them paid a total of 3,800, including a 5% service charge. Wang Zixu grinned when he paid. The clerk thought he had a toothache and asked him if he needed warm water. Wang Zixu said no. What he needed was calculation.

device.

One meal cost nearly 4,000 yuan, and one article could not earn that much in royalties. It was really a waste of money to publish in the magazine. The more Wang Zixu thought about it, the more he felt that he had been taken advantage of.

This place was not chosen by him, but by Zuo Ziliang. Zuo Ziliang knew a little bit about the inside story. When choosing a seat, he told him that since you are worried about offending others, pick one. When others want to harm you, you will think of this meal.

, a place where you can show your noble hand. So Wang Zixu decided to go here.

Thinking about it now, at least 3,000 of the 3,800 yuan was public relations expenses caused by offending Shi Tonghe.

Shi Tonghe, you are so precious!

Fortunately he has money.

After Wang Zixu paid the bill, he thought to himself that it was his fault for writing the essay. If the essay hadn't made money, he wouldn't even be qualified to submit it. No wonder a top student like Sakura-chan also went to write the essay.

Before saying goodbye, he added Hao Bian on WeChat. After returning home, he sent an emoticon to someone, and the other person also sent an emoticon. Because he didn’t know how to talk and was afraid of disturbing the other person, Wang Zixu didn’t continue talking and kept it secret.

Hope the wait continues.

Five days passed like this. There was no news from Bian Hao.

Wang Zixu finished smoking on the toilet in the bathroom, turned on the exhaust fan, washed his hands, and looked out the bathroom window. Half of it was buildings and half of it was the sky.

As the NTU postgraduate examination is approaching, the deadline for Fei Shi’s essay collection is also approaching step by step.

He stood up, packed his clothes, and set out for Nanda.

He contacted Editor Hao once yesterday, and he was asked to wait for news. He was embarrassed to rush him, but Fei Shi's impending date made him really anxious.
To be continued...