327: Chapter 327 The Hard Defenses Shattered Silently

The moment the low voice came from behind the crowd, several reporters in the front row holding microphones subconsciously turned around.

The crowd automatically parted to create a path to both sides.

A tall, middle-aged man, surrounded by several staff members,

walked unhurriedly through the crowd, heading straight for the sales area.

He wore a dark gray standing-collar jacket, with a steady expression and composed steps,

yet his aura suppressed the noise of the entire hall by a significant margin.

A senior female reporter in the front row first noticed the silver badge pinned to his chest.

She gasped and sharply tugged at her colleague's sleeve.

"That's... someone from the China Writers Association?"

Her colleague's hand, holding the camera, froze in mid-air, forgetting even to press the shutter.

The newcomer was none other than the Vice Chairman of the China Writers Association, Zhou Wenyuan.

Although he wore a smile, his years in a high-ranking position gave him the natural, imposing aura of a top authority in the literary world.

The Vice Chairman walked straight onto the stage and took the microphone from the host.

Standing in the center of the stage, his gaze swept over the media in the room, finally locking sharply onto that male reporter.

"I strongly support our media friends in conducting normal news interviews and content exploration."

The Vice Chairman defined the nature of the matter as soon as he spoke, then his tone suddenly turned stern.

"But I resolutely oppose vulgar interviews that deliberately create conflict and exploit an author's personal traits for the sake of traffic!"

Immediately after, the Vice Chairman turned around,

facing Dan Yi and Xu Changge on the stage, and publicly supported all the young creators present with his highest official stance.

"The literary hall of Huaxia has never been anyone's private backyard."

Every word of the Vice Chairman's voice slammed heavily onto the floor.

"Mo City can produce good writing, and the capital can produce trash. This has absolutely nothing to do with where you were born or what you look like."

He turned, his gaze sweeping across all the young faces on the stage, finally resting on Dan Yi for a full two seconds.

"Our purpose in doing Fu Zhi Yao Competition boils down to one sentence—"

The Vice Chairman leaned forward slightly, holding the microphone.

"As long as there is truth in your writing, this door will always be open for you."

Before the Vice Chairman's voice had even fully faded, someone in the front row below the stage began to clap vigorously.

The applause spread from the first row to the third, then to the center of the hall.

Within seconds, the clapping throughout the entire first floor merged into a dull wave.

The male reporter's lips moved, as if he wanted to say something else.

But the gazes surging from all sides forced him to slowly retract his recording pen into his chest pocket.

He pulled at the brim of his hat to cover half his face and quietly stepped back twice, disappearing behind the wall of his colleagues.

The atmosphere at the scene stabilized quickly, and the young creators sitting behind the signing tables felt even more encouraged, their backs straightening a bit more.

The electronic clock on the wall ticked quietly.

Ten o'clock in the morning.

The official launch ceremony ended, and the host announced that sales had begun simultaneously in four cities.

The army of readers waiting outside the bookstore flooded into the first-floor hall like a tide.

The attention of the entire venue instantly shifted from the earlier ceremonial conflict to the most authentic sales competition between the two major exhibition areas.

The bouquet of lilies placed in front of the signing table

emitted an overly strong fragrance in the empty exhibition area.

In the crowd queuing next door, several college students held their newly acquired physical books, excitedly flipping through the title pages.

"Look at the feel of this paper; it's much better than I imagined. The first edition really is different."

"My roommate asked me to get him a copy too. He couldn't come because he has class today and almost got mad at me."

Not a single person cast a second glance to the right.

Readers were using their feet and their wallets to cast the most direct votes.

In front of the ordinary world booth on the left, a long line that seemed to have no end formed instantly.

Readers swarmed in a frenzy, and stacks of earthy-yellow physical books were quickly carried away.

The sound of scanning at the checkout counters rose and fell, and the sales showed a terrifying, crushing momentum.

The young creators watching from the sidelines looked at the boiling crowd and smiled helplessly.

"There's no way to compete. I just saw someone buy ten copies in one go."

"That's Jian Shen, a top-tier god with tens of millions of fans. It's an honor just to be signing books under the same roof as him."

Everyone sighed at the exaggerated market appeal of this classic work.

On the other hand, the scene at the extremely luxurious Fu Zhi Yao Competition signing table was nothing short of disastrous.

Aside from the pre-arranged official media, a few staff members maintaining order, and a scattering of friends and family supporting the contestants,

there were very few actual readers who came spontaneously, and the entire exhibition area was deserted.

Dan Yi sat at the very edge of the signing table, coldly watching this home-field defeat.

A few young readers in the neighboring line peeked over and whispered:

"Look over there, Young Master Xu is sitting on the cold bench. How pathetic."

"With such a gap, I wouldn't be able to sit still if I were him."

But Xu Changge remained calm from beginning to end, with not a hint of frustration on his face.

Dan Yi sat at the edge, his peripheral vision unconsciously falling on Xu Changge, who sat in the middle.

He saw this young master from the capital watch the grand purchasing scene opposite them for a while,

then, in front of everyone, he stood up composedly, left his own quiet signing table,

walked straight across the red carpet, and went to the ordinary world exhibition area opposite.

Xu Changge walked to the end of the crowded line on the left and quietly moved forward with the crowd.

When it was his turn, he took out his wallet, paid decisively, and took two copies of ordinary world.

A few minutes later, Xu Changge walked back to the signing table with the two newly purchased books.

He didn't intentionally approach Dan Yi to strike up a conversation,

but simply placed one of the books gently on the corner of the table between them, using a tiny gesture to indicate that Dan Yi could take it if he wanted.

Then, he sat back in his own seat and calmly opened the copy of ordinary world in his hand.

"Senior Jian Shen's writing skills and literary vision are indeed admirable."

As Xu Changge flipped through the pages, he openly and honestly praised the work in front of everyone.

"It's only natural for us young creators to lose to such a timeless masterpiece today; there's nothing to be ashamed of."

Seeing this, the peers watching from the sidelines all showed looks of admiration for Xu Changge's magnanimous character.

As Dan Yi gazed at the heavy physical book on the corner of the table, the hard defenses that had enveloped his whole body silently cracked.

Dan Yi's originally tense shoulders slowly relaxed.

He didn't immediately pick up the book, but his gaze remained fixed on the earthy-yellow cover for a long time.

He watched Xu Changge's profile as he composedly flipped through the pages,

but his mind uncontrollably flashed back to the award ceremony, to the figure of that young man who remained unruffled even when facing countless cameras.

Two equally magnanimous shadows, unafraid of the storm,

quietly overlapped at this moment.

...