213: The biggest Easter egg

"Continue... going to work..."

Xu Changge repeated those four words, his fingers resting on the armrest tightening unconsciously.

He had always believed that the highest realm of tragedy was destruction—the magnificent sacrifice of jade shattering rather than remaining whole as common tile.

In "soul of the ancient wall," he had written of war and separation with exquisite poignancy, where even the flowing blood carried the fragrance of plum blossoms.

But now, a single understated sentence from Lin Que had directly ripped away that layer of "romantic" filters.

No uprising, no heroes; exhausting all one's strength just to stay alive.

Xu Changge stared at the youth beside him who was unwrapping a second candy wrapper. His originally stiff back relaxed ever so slightly.

His gaze lingered for a long time on Lin Que's nonchalant profile.

He suddenly realized that he had been looking down at the masses from behind a window of fine Phoebe zhennan wood,

while Lin Que was standing in the mud, handing that blood-stained knife to the readers.

"It's no wonder I lost."

Xu Changge sighed inwardly and straightened his posture once more.

At that moment, the lights in the entire venue suddenly dimmed.

Clang—

A stirring orchestral piece pierced the air, and the giant LED screen on stage lit up.

Simultaneously, the national television station's 8K high-definition live signal was pushed to major platforms across the internet via fiber optics.

Only one minute after the broadcast started, the number of online viewers in the livestream directly surpassed eight million, with bullet comments densely blanketing the entire screen.

"Selling blood pressure meds in the front row! I'm afraid someone's going to faint in a bit!"

"Young Master Xu is as steady as an old dog this time. If that guy from Su Province can win, I'll livestream myself washing my hair while doing a handstand!"

"Where's Brother 28? Director, give us a shot! I want to see what kind of sacred being he is."

On the big screen, the competition review VCR officially began to play.

The visuals were extremely polished, starting with a montage of the various candidates.

Xu Changge, dressed in a white Tang suit, sat upright in the center of the examination hall, his expression focused and solemn.

Many girls in the audience let out suppressed screams, and the bullet comments were instantly flooded with

"So handsome," "A man as elegant as jade," and "The Capital guy's got this."

Immediately after, the style shifted.

The background music became heavy and oppressive.

The camera panned over other candidates; some were scratching their heads in frustration, some were silently weeping at their screens,

and there was even a guy clutching his keyboard and dry-heaving, his face as pale as paper.

This realistic display of misery drew a burst of empathetic laughter from the audience.

The BGM suddenly changed, switching to an extremely quirky cartoon track.

The screen cut to seat number 0816.

The youth in the footage was seen taking off his suit jacket with extremely nimble movements,

draping it over his head, then leaning back and slumping into his chair to start snoring loudly.

If one didn't look at the countdown in the background, they would have thought this was a vacation promotional video for some five-star hotel.

"Hahahaha..."

"He's appeared! This is that Brother 28. Public execution is the deadliest!"

"Brother 28 truly lives up to his name! This slacker attitude is simply a role model for our generation!"

Dozens of media outlets caught the scent of viral traffic. Their telephoto lenses all swivelled with a "swish," pointing in unison at Lin Que's face in the third row.

The real-time feed on the big screen also cut to a close-up of Lin Que.

However, to everyone's disappointment, Lin Que did not dodge.

He still had that mint in his mouth, his cheek bulging slightly.

Facing the lens that was almost touching the tip of his nose, Lin Que didn't even lift his eyelids.

With the candy in his mouth, he sluggishly raised two fingers, making a soulless peace sign.

This scene was transmitted through the signal to thousands of households.

A brief vacuum appeared in the bullet comments, followed by a frantic refresh.

"Wait a second, why is he actually kind of handsome?"

"To be honest, this guy's mindset is truly amazing!"

"Who understands? This 'done with the world' face really hits me..."

The topic #Lin Que's Mindset Is Great# immediately secured a spot on the trending searches at the moment of that peace sign.

The VCR finished playing, and the lights came back on.

A well-known host from the national station walked onto the stage with steady steps.

He didn't waste words and immediately began introducing tonight's heavyweight guests.

"Respected guests here at the venue, in front of your televisions, and those watching the livestream..."

"On this star-studded..."

After a familiar set of opening remarks.

"First, let us have the honor of introducing the Chairman of the Huaxia Writers Association, Mr. Xue Hongchuan!"

In the center of the first row, a middle-aged man in a dark suit jacket slowly stood up, smiling and waving to those behind him.

"Minister of Education, Mr. Ding Huaijin!"

Immediately after, another heavyweight figure stood up.

"Minister of the Propaganda Department, Mr. Wan Yunju!"

There was no shouting, only uniform, almost thunderous applause.

The bullet comments in the livestream even stagnated for a moment.

"Holy crap! This lineup!!"

"They're all top-level heads! Am I watching the Evening News?"

"How is this a student essay competition? This is a national-level cultural strategy meeting, right? Big shots from the Ministry of Education and the Propaganda Department are all here..."

"What kind of god-tier scale has this year's Fu Zhi Yao reached to disturb so many big Buddhas?"

In the guest seats at the edge of the first row, Gu Changfeng rubbed the thumb ring on his hand.

Tao Zhiyan, sitting beside him, leaned over and joked in a voice only the two of them could hear:

"Old Gu, stay steady. I can even hear your heartbeat."

Gu Changfeng didn't reply, his eyes fixed tightly on the stage.

"Next, please welcome the initiator of this Fu Zhi Yao essay competition, Chairman of the Huaxia Writers Association, Chairman Xue Hongchuan, to give the opening remarks."

On stage, Xue Hongchuan took the microphone.

He didn't use a script. Instead, his deep gaze swept across the venue,

finally pausing for a second, seemingly unintentionally, on that lazy figure in the third row.

"Before the awards ceremony, I want to ask the professors and academicians present, or the writers and scholars, as well as all the students."

"What do you think literature is?"

His steady voice echoed through the speakers to every corner, followed by a buzz of noisy conversation.

Xue Hongchuan paused for a moment before continuing:

"Many people feel that literature is about romance and the piling up of ornate rhetoric.

But in my view, what the Huaxia literary world lacks most right now is not gorgeous figures of speech!"

Xue Hongchuan emphasized his tone:

"We need the power to dare to write the truth, to dare to touch upon pain points, and to dare to rip open those seemingly perfect facades for people to see!

Even if this power seems a bit rebellious or unconventional, that is the true vitality of literature!"

Below the stage, Zhou Wenyuan and Gu Changfeng exchanged a glance, both seeing wild joy in the other's eyes.

This was an endorsement for that essay, "folding beijing"!

Xu Changge also gave Lin Que a meaningful look.

Seeing that Lin Que's lazy expression remained unchanged, he turned his head back.

After the speech concluded, the host walked back onto the stage.

He didn't follow the procedure to immediately announce the awards. Instead, he gave a mysterious smile, building suspense.

"Everyone, before we officially begin revealing the results of this Fu Zhi Yao competition, the organizing committee has prepared a major 'Easter Egg' for you all."

The host paused, his gaze sweeping the venue as his voice suddenly rose:

"Tonight, we have also invited a very special guest.

His works have moved countless people over the past year. He is a breath of fresh air in the literary world and the 'White Moonlight' in the hearts of countless readers!"

The entire venue instantly exploded.

"Who is it? Such a big deal?"

"Could it be that Elder Xu came in person?"

"Last year? Could it be..."

Xu Changge also sat up straight, his brow furrowing slightly.

He knew his grandfather hadn't intended to come at all, so who else could it be?

Chen Jiahao craned his neck even further, looking around at all the entrances.

Seeing the anxious atmosphere below, the host finally stopped teasing and announced loudly:

"He is—the literary recluse, the Moyun Award Author of the Year, the author of 'The Miracles of the Namiya General Store,' 'the ferryman,' and 'the little prince,' Teacher Jian Shen!"

"BOOM—!!!"

If the applause earlier was thunderous, this was now a nuclear explosion.

The entire ceiling of the auditorium felt like it was about to be blown off.

"Jian Shen?! That Jian Shen who never shows his face?!"

"Holy shit! A once-in-a-lifetime moment! I'm actually going to see a living Jian Shen?"

"Ahhh! My Little Prince! My Grandpa worry solver!"

Chen Jiahao jumped right out of his chair.

Across the two rows, he shouted loudly at Lin Que:

"Master Que! Master Que, did you hear that? It's Jian Shen! It's my idol Jian Shen! I've made it in life!"

Although Xu Changge beside him wasn't as exaggerated, his usually calm face

now showed a flush of excitement, his eyes burning as he stared at the stage entrance.

Even the steady literary big shots in the second row were looking over one after another, wanting to catch a glimpse of this mysterious master's true form.

The bullet comment section was filled with nothing but the name "Jian Shen," making the screen completely unreadable.

However, just as everyone's expectations reached their peak.

No figure emerged from the stage entrance.

The host raised the microphone with a look of regret:

"But I am very sorry. Teacher Jian Shen has always been indifferent to fame and fortune, unwilling to be tainted by the noise of the secular world. He declined our invitation to attend in person."

"Tsk—"

"Booo—"

A massive, utterly disappointed booing sound erupted from the audience, and the same happened in the livestream.

"However!"

The host's tone shifted:

"Although Teacher Jian Shen didn't come in person, he specifically recorded an exclusive message for the young contestants of this competition!

He said he hopes to give all the Fu Zhi Yao candidates present some encouragement."

The booing vanished instantly, replaced by even more enthusiastic applause.

Being able to hear his voice was good enough!

"Quick, quick, quick! Get the recording ready!"

"Don't be noisy! Everyone be quiet!"

Sitting in his seat, Lin Que's mouth twitched.

This feeling was far too bizarre.

It was like attending your own funeral and listening to someone else read an elegy for you—the key being that you wrote the elegy yourself.

Although he had already anticipated this might happen, now that it actually had,

even Lin Que couldn't help but curl his toes inside his shoes. Yet, he had to force an equally expectant expression onto his face,

and even had to put on an act of being "filled with deep respect."

As the lights in the venue slowly dimmed, only a single spotlight remained on the lonely microphone in the center of the stage.

The audio indicator light turned on.

A rustling sound, like the background noise of an old record player, echoed through the auditorium.

Immediately after, a specially processed, deep, and magnetic elderly voice

slowly rang out.

...Thanks to Great Master [Ancient Ning Who Loves Eating Rose Enzyme] for the [Great God Certification] *1

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