333: Chapter 333 Snatching Food from a Tiger's Mouth - Bonus Chapter of <Chen Taibai Is No Longer White>

The night wind blew through the streets of Shanghai, carrying away the day's sweltering heat.

The sensor doors of Century Book City's first-floor lobby had long been closed, leaving only the flashlight beams of security personnel patrolling inside.

But just a few streets away from the bookstore, inside the Shanghai Writers Association office building, the third-floor publicity office remained brightly lit.

Hu Yizhao heavily pressed the stack of sales reports, still warm from the printer, onto the desktop.

This was already the tenth time he had paced back and forth in the office.

He unbuttoned the top two buttons of his shirt, his chest heaving unevenly.

That usually serious face was now flushed red, and his gaze could not move away from that set of terrifying data.

The screen displayed the real-time trending list on the Microblogging platform.

Terms containing 'folding beijing' and 'class barriers' were climbing at a speed visible to the naked eye.

The background monitoring of the total reading and discussion volume across the entire network had already surpassed the thirty million mark.

And this number continued to roll upward with the activity of the night owls.

The red landline on the desk rang without warning.

Hu Yizhao immediately stopped in his tracks, took two steps to the desk, and picked up the receiver.

“Chairman Lu.” He immediately realized who was on the other end of the line.

“Have the final closing data for Shanghai's first day been calculated?”

Chairman Lu's voice came through the receiver, carrying the composure of someone who had long held a high position.

“I've just finished summarizing them.” Hu Yizhao's tone betrayed an irrepressible excitement.

“I've just finished summarizing the final closing data and sent it to your email.”

Hu Yizhao took a deep breath, his speaking speed half a beat faster than usual.

“The data itself is already very telling, but there are two details I must report to you separately.

First, after two o'clock this afternoon, over forty percent of the buyers were repeat readers who actively diverted from the 'ordinary world' exhibition area on the left.

Second, you should have also noticed the long review posted on the Microblogging platform by that young pianist.

This long review has already sparked a phenomenal cross-circle discussion online!”

There was a moment of silence on the other end of the receiver.

“This is more than just a common cross-circle event.”

Chairman Lu's voice became solemn.

“For a seventeen-year-old child to accurately ignite social emotions on this scale, the market vitality and cultural potential of this work have already far exceeded our initial evaluation expectations.

This matter is no longer something our Shanghai branch can handle entirely on its own.”

Holding the receiver, Hu Yizhao's expression immediately tightened.

“I will immediately go to brief the General Office of the National Writers Association, and at the same time, bring in Chairman Gu's side from Su Province.” Chairman Lu decisively issued the order.

“Lin Que is a talent brought forward by their Su Province. Since this fire has been lit, these parties must immediately synchronize their steps.

Prepare all the raw data; be ready for an online meeting in five minutes.”

Meanwhile, in Jinling, a thousand miles away.

In a tea room of the Su Province Writers Association office building, the lights were also on.

Gu Changfeng sat behind a mahogany tea table. His tablet screen displayed Ye Xi's long review that had ignited the entire internet, along with the constantly refreshing comment section below.

The door to the tea room was pushed open, and Liang Wenyou strode in, holding an urgent fax in his hand.

“The initial closing figures from Shanghai have arrived.”

Liang Wenyou handed the fax to Gu Changfeng, his finger pointing at the bolded numbers at the bottom.

“Over nine thousand eight hundred copies. Nearly half of the first printing has been consumed.”

“When we first absorbed him into the Provincial Writers Association, how many people were gossiping behind our backs?

Now, with this report card slapped on the table, let's see what those people have to say.”

Gu Changfeng picked up the cup of Biluochun tea that had long since cooled and drank it unhurriedly.

“Old Liang, is there any movement from the New Tide side?”

Gu Changfeng set down the teacup and asked directly.

Liang Wenyou nodded, then lowered his voice:

“I just caught wind of it this afternoon. Wang De'an from New Tide didn't go through official channels;

he directly used personal connections in the capital to probe Lin Que's background.

The contract status with the Huaxia Publishing Bureau, the agency contract... everything is being investigated.”

Gu Changfeng slowly placed the teacup back on the table.

“He certainly acts quickly.”

“Since this child has stood his ground on his own, we should worry about what comes next.

A good sprout is a good sprout, but what a good sprout fears most isn't wind and frost; it's being uprooted by others.”

Liang Wenyou nodded in deep agreement, planning whether to give the Shanghai side a heads-up.

Almost at the same moment, the secure private line in the corner of the tea room, which rarely rang, suddenly erupted with a short and sharp buzzing sound.

Liang Wenyou immediately walked over to answer it.

After listening for a few moments, he covered the mouthpiece and turned to look at Gu Changfeng:

“It's an urgent connection request from the General Office of the China Writers Association. Vice Chairman Zhou is presiding personally, and Chairman Lu from Shanghai is already online.”

The atmosphere in the tea room instantly shed its previous casual chatter, becoming solemn and full of anticipation.

Gu Changfeng stood up, straightened his collar, and stepped toward the inner video conference room.

Meanwhile, inside the China Writers Association headquarters building next to Chang'an Avenue in the capital, the atmosphere was equally tense.

Vice Chairman Zhou Wenyuan had just finished an internal meeting regarding next year's strategic deployment for the entire cultural field.

Without even having time for a sip of water, he pushed open the door of the high-spec video conference room and sat down at the head of the oval conference table.

With the technician's operation, the huge screen in front was split in two.

On the left, the images of Chairman Lu and Hu Yizhao from the Shanghai Writers Association lit up, while on the right were the faces of Gu Changfeng and Liang Wenyou from the Su Province Writers Association.

Zhou Wenyuan sat upright in his chair, his stern expression revealing a hint of irrepressible joy.

He skipped the pleasantries and went straight to the point.

“Everyone is here.”

Zhou Wenyuan crossed his hands on the table and looked directly into the camera.

“I've just seen the public opinion report.

The original intention of today's clash between the old and the new was to let the young man experience a real market storm.

Surviving would count as passing; surviving while standing tall would be a pleasant surprise.

But the current situation has clearly exceeded the scope of just surviving.

Shanghai side, report the latest situation.”

Sitting in front of the screen, Hu Yizhao unconsciously straightened his back.

Facing the inquiry of this top power figure in the literary world, he picked up the report in front of him.

“Chairman Zhou, leaders, the total actual sales for the first day in the four cities have been fully verified.”

Hu Yizhao's tone was steady, his words clear.

“On the day of its four-city debut, 'folding beijing' sold a total of nine thousand eight hundred and fifty-seven copies.

The Shanghai main venue contributed the most, and the popularity in the other three cities has shown an upward trend since two o'clock this afternoon.

Without any suspense, it has reached the top as the sales champion of 'Fu Zhi Yao Competition' publishing series.”

These words spread through the conference room via the speakers.

On the right side of the screen, Liang Wenyou's body, which had been leaning against the back of the chair, suddenly lurched forward, his hands bracing against the table.

The national first printing was only twenty thousand copies in total, and now, only one day has passed.

Under Jian Shen's extreme market monopoly, a newcomer has forcibly snatched away half of the inventory.

Gu Changfeng's eyelids twitched slightly. Having navigated the literary world for half his life, he knew all too well the weight of this data.

This wasn't just a new sprout entering the field; it was a literal case of snatching food from the tiger's mouth.

Hu Yizhao looked toward the camera and continued to add key information.

“The more critical situation lies in tomorrow.” Hu Yizhao brought up a line graph of predicted online popularity.

“Given the traffic driven by that young pianist's article tonight, combined with the complete fermentation of discussions about the underlying logic on major platforms,

the offline physical bookstores across the country tomorrow will inevitably face a wave of retaliatory panic buying!”

Hu Yizhao turned to the last page and looked up.

“Vice Chairman Zhou, the inventory here in Shanghai is only less than half left.

According to the current rate of fermentation, the remaining ten thousand or so copies of the first printing won't even last until tomorrow noon.”

The conference rooms in both Shanghai and Su Province fell into a very brief silence.

Everyone was mentally calculating the proportions of this extremely out-of-control data.

“I suggest an immediate reprint.”

Chairman Lu stared at the camera and was the first to break the silence, his tone like an urgent dispatch from the front lines.

“Shanghai's inventory won't last until tomorrow noon.

Once word-of-mouth forms momentum, running out of stock is equivalent to actively stalling.

If this time window is missed, even spending three times the resources later might not bring the popularity back.”

“Su Province seconds the motion.” Gu Changfeng took over the conversation, his voice steady yet carrying an unquestionable certainty.

“Lin Que is a child brought forward by our Su Province. Since he has withstood this storm himself, there is no reason for us elders to drop the ball on logistics.

If a reprint is needed, reprint it; if additional investment is needed, invest it.

If the grain and fodder in the rear are cut off halfway through a battle, then no matter how well the soldiers in the front can fight, it's all for naught.”

The two big shots of the local Writers Associations, who wielded great influence in their regions, made the request in unison.

For a newcomer just starting to make a mark, for the authorities to provide market escort of this scale was an absolute exception and affirmation.

Chairman Lu and Chairman Gu were both waiting for the final approval.

As long as Zhou Wenyuan nodded, several major printing plants under the National Writers Association could start their machines overnight.

Zhou Wenyuan did not speak immediately.

He nodded slightly, shifting his gaze to the data reports scrolling synchronously beside the screen.

Those various bar charts and line graphs representing social discussion, click rates, and physical sales were reflected in his deep pupils.

He rhythmically tapped the solid wood table with the knuckle of his index finger.

Only this faint tapping sound could be heard in the entire video conference room.

Time passed second by second; Zhou Wenyuan was calculating a much larger account.

At this moment, connection requests from several branch venues lit up one after another at the bottom of the screen.

The specifications of this late-night emergency meeting

were continuing to escalate in an unstoppable manner.

...