Shakespeare was very particular about the fruits he ate.
Not only was the fruit tray made of gold, but there was also a personal maid serving him. She fed the grapes into his mouth and used her hands to catch the seeds that he spat out.
At first, Zhang Heng thought that she was the maid assigned to Shakespeare by the manor. It was not until the female fantasy best-selling author greeted the maid-like woman that Zhang Heng realized that the latter was also an author invited to the manor.
Shakespeare listened to the female fantasy best-selling author introduce Zhang Heng in a respectful tone, but he did not react. After a while, he suddenly frowned and spat out the grape that was just fed to his mouth. "It's sour."
The female author who served him by the side could not help but look frightened. "I'll ask the kitchen to bring two more strings."
"No need. That's it. I'm almost done with my food."
Shakespeare said as he elegantly wiped his mouth with a napkin. He then turned to look at Zhang Heng.
"Do you want to learn writing from me?"
"I thought about it before, but I don't anymore," Zhang Heng said.
Shakespeare was a little surprised. He did not expect that there would be someone in this world who would refuse his guidance.
As soon as Zhang Heng said this, the expressions of the two female writers on the other side changed.
"You know who I am, right?" Shakespeare confirmed again to be on the safe side. "Who is the most famous author in your era?"
"William Shakespeare." Zhang Heng did not deny it.
Upon hearing this, Shakespeare's stern face softened a little. "What about my works, 'The Merchant of Venice', 'King Lear', 'Macbeth', oh, and of course, 'Romeo and Juliet' are still popular, right?"
"As far as I know, yes," Zhang Heng said.
"Interesting. Here's the problem." Shakespeare looked at Zhang Heng. "I listened to Professor McGonagall's introduction. She said that you want to write a popular novel. Is there anyone in this world more suitable than me to be your teacher?"
Without waiting for Zhang Heng to answer, Shakespeare continued, "Not to mention, I'm one of the twelve judges. Every month, the winner of the story meeting is chosen by me and the other eleven judges. You should know that people who come to this villa may lack everything except talent. In other words …"
Shakespeare paused. "The competition in the story club will be very fierce. Although there are twelve judges, the final outcome could be decided by a few decimal points. You are still young. I don't think you want to stay here forever like those old geezers, right?"
Zhang Heng could hear the threat in the man's words.
However, his expression did not change. He only bowed slightly and said, "Goodbye."
After saying this, Zhang Heng turned around and left without waiting for Shakespeare's reaction.
In fact, his final bow was not to the living Shakespeare sitting in front of him, but to the great master of the literary world who had left an immortal chapter in the history of literature.
The fantasy best-selling female author who came with him was so anxious that she almost jumped to her feet when she saw this scene. She apologized to Shakespeare as she quickened her pace, trying to catch up with Zhang Heng.
Although Zhang Heng looked calm on the outside, the fantasy best-selling female author did not believe that Zhang Heng's heart was as calm as his expression.
She jogged all the way to Zhang Heng's side, then lowered her voice and said, "I know the real person might disappoint you a little … uh, but I'm not asking you to live with him. Can't you pretend to compliment him a little in exchange for his guidance? If you're lucky, you might be able to stay by his side for a period of time. You'll learn a lot from him. Think of it as a tuition fee for writing your new work."
"I'm not disappointed." Zhang Heng slowed down a little. He didn't have any ill feelings toward the female fantasy best-selling author. He knew that she was kind enough to introduce him to Shakespeare. After all, the latter was so famous that almost everyone in the future knew about him. Not to mention, he was also one of the twelve judges. Being able to get in touch with such a big shot would only bring him more benefits than harm.
However, Zhang Heng had no interest in serving others at all.
To put it bluntly, this manor was so big that there was no shortage of talented authors. No matter how good Shakespeare was, he was not irreplaceable. Besides, Zhang Heng felt that what Hemingway said earlier was right. There was no need to be intimidated by the names of the people here and give up his own path just to chase after a star.
In fact, it wasn't just his own path, but his dignity and personality as well. He had to be like the female author around Shakespeare, constantly watching his every move, unconditionally dedicating his body and mind, willing to become a planet next to a star. Zhang Heng admitted that he couldn't do it. For the sake of learning, he was willing to pay for some tuition fees, and some he was unwilling to pay for others.
However, as he said, he was not disappointed.
Writing good works and being a good person were two completely different things. Zhang Heng knew this from the beginning, not to mention that there were hundreds of years between them. No matter what kind of person Shakespeare was, he would not be surprised.
As for the other party's threat, Zhang Heng did not take it to heart.
He still had a Mission Failure Exemption Card with him. Even if he failed to complete the main mission, he would not suffer any losses. He only had one goal in this dungeon, and that was to finish the book he wanted to write. Nothing else mattered.
When the female author saw that Zhang Heng was not affected, she was relieved. Still, she could not help but feel sorry for Zhang Heng.
On the other hand, Hemingway, who was enjoying a bottle of wine in broad daylight, gave Zhang Heng a thumbs up when he saw what was happening not far away. The tough American man was starting to feel that Zhang Heng's temper was getting to his liking. After Zhang Heng and the best-selling fantasy author parted ways, he dragged a man with long sideburns to Zhang Heng.
Zhang Heng initially thought that Hemingway was going to introduce Fitzgerald to him, but he did not expect Hemingway to say to his companion, "Chemist, come and take a look. Are you sure he is not the android in your book?"
"Boxer, I think you should get someone to take a good look at your mental illness," replied the man with black-rimmed glasses. At the same time, he extended a hand to Zhang Heng and said politely, "Zhang Heng, right? I met you at the story meeting before. You can call me Two Hundred Men."
When Zhang Heng heard the name, he immediately knew who the other party was. He was a little surprised. "Didn't you tell a story at the eye-opening story meeting?"
"If you ask me, he's probably afraid of Foggy," Hemingway said sarcastically.
"Shut up. I want to stay here for a while longer to understand the level of technology in the future," Two Hundred Men retorted.
"Then you are in luck. This kid was born a few decades later than you. Maybe you two can communicate more," Hemingway said, trying to help Zhang Heng.
"You don't have to tell me. I know." Two Hundred Men reported their room number and invited Zhang Heng at the same time. "When you have time, come to my room. We can have a good chat."
Of course, Zhang Heng would not refuse. He did not expect that after Jules Verne left, he would gain Asimov.
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