31: Literature should not have gatekeepers.

The office of the Editor-in-Chief of New Tide.

Wang De'an's fingertip hovered over the mouse, motionless for a long time.

The office was silent in the dead of night,

with only the light from the computer screen reflecting his extremely solemn face.

At this moment, he was staring at the document in the email titled "reply letter."

Tearing open the red cloth, guarding the shrine...

Wang De'an had lived for over fifty years and considered himself to have seen great storms in the literary world,

but he had never seen writing so sharp and so incisive!

This was no longer a debate about the atmosphere of the literary world.

This was an execution of the heart!

This "Jian Shen" used a gentle tone to write the sharpest challenge.

What he wanted to challenge was not Wang Shouyi's views, but the very authority he relied on to stand!

Wang De'an slowly leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes.

He knew that if he truly pressed this "Publish" button,

the entire Jiangcheng literary world—no, the entire Chinese Literary World—would face an unprecedented earthquake.

He would offend Wang Shouyi and the large group of conservatives huddling together for warmth behind him.

But...

He thought of the girl named Xiao Duo, and the phrase "the hand that passes the letter,"

and remembered that afternoon when he slammed the table and told the Legal Department to contact the police.

He snapped his eyes open, the last trace of hesitation in his gaze replaced by resolve.

To hell with weighing the pros and cons!

He, Wang De'an, had dedicated his life to pure literature.

If he chose to play it safe now, then the literary integrity he had upheld his entire life,

how would it be any different from that domestic-abusing scum he had personally sent to prison?

He did not use the official New Tide account.

Instead, he logged into a social media account registered in his own name.

He copied and pasted that "reply letter" exactly as it was,

and then, at the very top of the article, typed a highly provocative introductory note.

[The hall of literature should not have gatekeepers.]

Click, send!

...

One in the morning.

When the vast majority of people had already entered their dreams, the battlefield of the internet was completely ignited.

This personal post by Wang De'an

was shared by several literary Big Vs within just ten minutes of being posted.

Then, like a wildfire, it spread!

[Holy crap! A battle of the gods! Teacher Jian Shen has personally taken the field?!]

["When this love becomes a narrowness that does not allow others to exist, what you guard is no longer literature, but your own shrine." I finished reading this part on my knees! It's too incredible!]

["Tearing open this cloth, even if it brings temporary darkness and pain, is a greater light." I declare this is the most badass sentence I've seen this year! Bar none!]

Public opinion reversed in an instant!

If ghosts do not read poetry was a mockery and humiliation of Wang Shouyi,

then this "reply letter" was a dimensional strike from the levels of philosophy and morality!

It accurately struck the most sensitive nerve in all onlookers: the natural aversion to the "abuse of power" and the "right to define"!

Wang Shouyi's joint proposal instantly became the biggest joke.

Just a few days ago, he was shouting about learning from Teacher Jian Shen,

and as a result, the other party turned around and slapped him, telling him: you don't understand literature at all.

This was no longer a slap in the face; it was kicking the memorial arch he had built with his own hands into pieces!

On major social platforms, the trending lists were refreshed at a speed visible to the naked eye.

#Jian Shen reply letter# [Explosive]

#The Hall of Literature Should Not Have Gatekeepers# [Explosive]

#Wang Shouyi Your Shrine# [Hot]

#Tear Open That Red Cloth# [New]

The "Moral Guardians" who were still cheering for Wang Shouyi just now were collectively silenced.

Meanwhile, the young readers and web novel enthusiasts who had been suppressed for a long time

felt as if they had found their backbone and launched a tidal wave of counterattacks!

"Hahahaha! I'm dying! Wang Shouyi: Please, Teacher Jian Shen, come forth to slay the demons! Teacher Jian Shen: Okay, watch my sword!"

"The funniest thing is, Wang Shouyi can't even argue back! Does he dare say Jian Shen is wrong? He just finished putting the man on a pedestal as a god!"

"This is called an official backstab—the most lethal kind!"

...

Jiangcheng University, Professor's Apartments.

In the quiet of the night, a burst of hearty laughter suddenly erupted from Professor Li Yuanchao's apartment.

"Hahahaha! Good! What a 'guarding the shrine'! That was a satisfying scolding!"

He looked at the "reply letter" on the screen, his face flushed with excitement,

as if seeing his younger self who pointed out the flaws in the world and wrote with passion.

Without the slightest hesitation, he used his real-name verified account to share Wang De'an's post.

And he attached a categorical comment.

[Integrity is having the courage to swing a sword at injustice, not building high walls. Teacher Jian Shen is the true integrity of this era! Respect!]

This comment was like a heavy hammer, completely shattering Wang Shouyi's last bit of dignity.

If Wang De'an's share lit the fuse,

then the real-name support from a titan-level professor like Li Yuanchao was equivalent to detonating the war!

This meant that the highest academic institution of the Jiangcheng literary world had completely broken with the Writers Association!

...

Municipal Writers Association.

The Chairman's office was a mess.

Wang Shouyi stared intently at the screen,

his bloodshot eyes held no anger, only heavy breathing remained.

The phone slipped from his trembling hand and crashed to the floor,

the screen cracking into a spiderweb, but he didn't even notice.

"Traitor..."

Broken syllables squeezed out of his throat,

as if questioning the void, or perhaps judging himself.

"Why... I'm the one who's right... I clearly did it for literature..."

He couldn't figure it out!

He clearly held the moral high ground, he clearly did it to purify the literary world, he was clearly the righteous side!

Why?

Why would the god he personally elevated turn around and cast him into hell?!

"Ring ring ring—"

The landline on the desk rang at an inopportune time.

Wang Shouyi took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing his surging emotions, and picked up the receiver.

On the other end of the line was the voice of New Tide Editor-in-Chief Wang De'an, calm to the point of indifference.

"Chairman Wang, I heard you were looking for me?"

"Wang De'an!"

Wang Shouyi gritted his teeth.

"What is the meaning of this? Are you trying to make an enemy of the Chinese Literary World?!"

"Chairman Wang, I am just an editor who published an article I felt should be published."

Wang De'an's tone was neither hot nor cold.

"As for you, you probably can't represent the Chinese Literary World either!"

Wang Shouyi's pupils suddenly contracted!

"You...!"

" beep... beep... beep..."

A busy signal came from the phone, but Wang Shouyi still held the receiver, maintaining that posture.

After a long time, he slowly put it down.

His gaze swept across the office,

past the plaque on the wall that read "Literature is the Vehicle of the Way,"

and the bookshelves stuffed with the works and trophies he took pride in.

In the past, these were his medals.

He slowly reached out his hand, trembling,

stroking a golden trophy, only for it to eventually drop powerlessly.

Those hands that had once written countless passionate words

could no longer hold a pen.

...