One-Dimensional Building

The next day, Wang Zixu woke up on the floor. The moment he opened his eyes, he suspected that he had fought a fierce battle with the floor all night, and his whole body ached terribly.

When he got home last night, he was in a very excited mood and had a lot to say to his wife.

He felt he had accomplished a great feat. He tried to organize his thoughts, he tried to use his Nobel Prize-level vocabulary, to tell his wife about what had happened that day.

After he finished organizing the outline, he suddenly realized that it didn't seem like much.

Whether it's his career-defying act or Raymond Lam's praise, the greatest significance is nothing more than a small victory in his inner world. The only social impact is that it provides another topic of conversation, which only adds to the amusement.

Compared to those 50 opportunities to win the Nobel Prize in Literature, this is so insignificant, not even as great as one of them.

So, in the end, he gave a crooked smile and simply summarized:

"I talked to them about literature and they were all stunned; I drank with them and they all got drunk; Raymond Lam said I should make it in the literary world, but I think he was drunk."

His wife was also stunned. After a long pause, she finally said, "You're crazy. I think you're the one who's drunk."

Prince Xu was in an excellent mood. So he peeled his wife's skirt like a banana and began to caress her.

His wife squinted and began to moan. She had been quite cooperative, but just as things were getting intimate, she suddenly opened her eyes, kicked him off the sofa, and said:

"You reek of alcohol, you stink! All that talk about trying to conceive, and it's all for nothing!"

"What a waste of time preparing this?" Prince Xu stood up like a crow. "Then don't bother preparing it!"

His wife pressed her foot against his stomach, her calf taut: "Starting today, we'll begin again from scratch! There's not much time left!"

Prince Xu gently massaged his wife's feet: "There's still time, a day or two won't make a difference."

His wife nudged him with her other foot: "What if I get pregnant?"

The prince was disheartened.

His wife climbed off the sofa, walked past him haughtily, and said, "You reek of alcohol today. Don't sleep with me. Go sleep in the small bed. Go take a shower."

The prince went to the toilet dejectedly, took off his pants, but that stupid thing was stubborn and hard, so he couldn't relieve himself for a long time.

This fool had a bronze sheen all over his body, like a Greek muscular sculpture, with bulging veins and a bristling beard and hair, and always maintained a high fighting spirit, which was in stark contrast to his appearance.

He couldn't help but feel a surge of anger and slapped the stupid thing across the cheek: "Are you still not done yet?"

This slap shattered his memory. His next memory was waking up on the floor in a small room, his whole body aching.

Wang Zixu had just finished dressing and washing up when he suddenly received a phone call. The caller ID read "Section Chief Liu from the Government Office," but he had no recollection of the person at all.

After answering the phone, he suddenly realized that this person was one of the people at the dinner table yesterday, and also a member of the inspection team.

The inspection team led by Lin Feng was not affiliated with any one unit, but rather came from all over the country and was organized together. Lin Feng was the highest-ranking official, so he led the team.

As a powerful department, the government office cannot be treated carelessly, not to mention the section chief, even ordinary clerks. Prince greeted the man respectfully and then asked him what business he had with him on the weekend.

He smiled sheepishly and said, "There's a good thing I'd like to ask you to come to the government office to discuss. Although it's a day off, I'm making sure it doesn't waste my time and that my trip to the government office is worthwhile."

The other party's words were cryptic and confusing, making Wang Zixu realize the unfathomable nature of the authorities. He wasn't so ungrateful as to refuse them, but he genuinely didn't know why they wanted to see him.

On his way to the government office, the least absurd reason he could think of was to help the leader's child with his summer homework.

The government office was just across the street from Wang Zixu's workplace. Although his workplace was very close to the building, it was far from the center of power and did not have much business dealings with the government office on a regular basis.

His workplace was a three-story building with a Sino-European architectural style, which ranked among the most fashionable in the city—unfortunately, that was 50 years ago.

Fifty years later, the short, squat Western-style buildings have become relics of the past, while the government office building just across the street is the tall, handsome young man.

The government office building is 12 stories high, with all of it made of dark blue atomic mirror glass, making it transparent in one direction. The transparency represents an upright style where nothing is off-limits; the one-way transparency represents a serious attitude towards the orderly operation of power.

Wang Zixu didn't argue with the security guards at the door for long. He mentioned Section Chief Liu's name, and they let him through.

This was his first time entering the building, and he was deeply impressed by everything from the clean and bright marble floors to the simple yet grand domed ceiling. He felt like a country bumpkin visiting a grand garden.

When he arrived at the floor designated by Section Chief Liu, he walked along a long corridor, counting the office door numbers as he went.

It was Saturday, but almost all the offices were open and occupied. In the first office, a young man was diligently mopping the floor; in the second, a bald middle-aged man was shaking a cup to pour out tea leaves; in the third, a dignified man in a white shirt sat in a chair directly opposite the door, giving him a sharp look that sent chills down his spine, and he hurried away.

Upon arriving at the agreed-upon office, Wang Zixu saw Section Chief Liu sitting inside. Upon seeing him, the bespectacled, middle-aged man smiled.

"You're here, have a seat."

He pointed to the leather sofa next to him. As soon as Prince Xu sat down, his body sank in, as soft as a trap.

Wang Zixu was a little reserved, and began, "Section Chief Liu, you wanted to see me...?"

Section Chief Liu sat in a chair opposite him, holding a teacup, legs crossed, smiling at him, his voice drowning out his own:

"So you've always enjoyed studying literature?"

Wang Zixu was interrupted by him and followed his topic: "I wouldn't call it research, I just like reading."

Section Chief Liu asked, "How many have you seen?"

Prince Xu looked up and thought for a moment, then said, "I haven't specifically calculated that, but it's quite a lot. If you count by word count, it's over a billion."

Section Chief Liu said, "Oh."

After saying that, he lowered his head and drank his tea.

While he was drinking tea, Wang Zixu finally mustered up his courage and asked, "Section Chief Liu, what brings you here?"

Section Chief Liu sipped his tea, shaking his head as he did so. He then spat out the tea leaves, put the lid back on the cup, looked up, and said:

"I'd better not tell you beforehand. Director Mei wants to see you now, so let him tell you."

"Director Mei?"

Upon hearing this name, Prince Xu was startled.

Although he was oblivious to what was happening around him, knew little about local celebrities, and never watched local news, he still knew the name "Director Mei".

Mei Rucheng was the chief writer of the Prefectural Office; all important speeches issued by the Prefectural Office were drafted by him.

In the local magazine "Xihe Literature", each issue features a short article by a prominent figure on the title page. He appears there frequently, with a sharp and incisive writing style and strong logic.

With his qualifications, he was more than qualified to serve as chairman of the Writers' Association, but he was too busy with his actual duties to even accept an honorary title, and declined the other party's kind invitation.

Anyone who survives within the system will most likely have heard of Mei Rucheng. So even someone as laid-back as Wang Zixu knows of him.

Wang Zixu asked, "When will Director Mei arrive?"

As they were talking, a burly man strode into the office, threw his briefcase on the table, and in a flash, Section Chief Liu changed his relaxed and carefree attitude and stood up respectfully.

"Director Mei, you've arrived."