39: Borrow the east wind that sweeps through the city, and break the stagnant pool.

Editor-in-Chief Wang De'an of New Tide had been walking on air these past few days.

He personally led a team rushing to Bailu Publishing House, the largest in Su Province.

Both parties hit it off immediately.

Zhang Ce, the president of Bailu Publishing House, was a seasoned veteran who had been rolling around in the publishing industry for thirty years.

Upon seeing Wang De'an approach him to publish The Miracles of the Namiya General Store, he was beyond excited.

"I've finally waited for you, Old Wang!"

"Ever since The Miracles started serializing, I've been waiting for this day!"

Therefore, Zhang Ce made the decision on the spot.

He listed it as the top key project of the year and promised to provide the highest level of promotional resources.

Everything seemed to be developing in the most perfect direction.

The efficiency of Bailu Publishing House was frighteningly high; within two days, all application materials had been neatly sent to the provincial capital's Nanjing Press and Publication Bureau.

Everyone thought this was merely a formality.

For a positive-energy work that shone with the brilliance of human nature throughout, was warm and healing, and even had the endorsement of official media, wouldn't securing a book number be as easy as reaching out and taking it?

However, a week passed.

The book number that should have been issued was nowhere to be heard of.

When Wang De'an made a phone call, the other party's reply was polite yet distant:

"Editor-in-Chief Wang, the process is under review, please wait patiently."

Three days later, before Wang De'an could dial out, Zhang Ce's call came in first.

His tone was grave beyond precedent.

"Old Wang, something has happened."

"The book number... has been put on hold."

"On hold? Why?!"

He practically roared it out.

The other end of the line fell silent for a moment, followed by a weary sigh:

"The bureau's reason is very vague, saying that the core premise of the work involves some non-materialistic concepts, and they are currently organizing experts to discuss its social impact..."

"Discuss? What absolute bullshit!"

Wang De'an felt it was both absurd and laughable.

Non-materialistic concepts?

How could a book that used stories to soothe people's hearts possibly be linked to "non-materialism"?!

Slapping this label on it was simply trying to beat this book to death!

"Old Wang, calm down."

Zhang Ce comforted him.

"This matter reeks of fishiness, I've also asked people to snoop around..."

Burning with anxiety, Wang De'an hung up the phone and began to mobilize the connections he had accumulated over decades.

Yet the responses he received were ambiguously identical.

Someone hinted to him:

"That Editor-in-Chief Fang in Nanjing has immense clout."

Someone advised him:

"Old Wang, the literary world runs deep. Jian Shen's current edge is too sharp, which isn't a good thing. Take it slow, don't rush."

Wang De'an refused to accept this!

He personally made a trip to Nanjing, wanting to ask Director Zhao Chuliang of the approval department face-to-face why he was doing this!

As a result, he couldn't even get into Zhao Chuliang's office door.

"I'm sorry, Editor-in-Chief Wang, Director Zhao is attending an important study meeting in the province and won't be back for a few days."

The secretary's formulaic smile, however, was like an ice wall, blocking all his anger and questioning outside the door.

Wang De'an stood in the empty corridor and thought for a long time.

He finally understood.

This was by no means an accident. This was a precise strangulation targeted at him, or rather, targeted at Jian Shen!

...

The atmosphere in the New Tide editorial department was oppressive.

Xu Lan watched the Editor-in-Chief grow increasingly haggard day by day. In just a few days, several strands of glaring white hair had sprouted at his temples, filling Xu Lan's heart with both sadness and self-blame.

She felt that it was she who had brought this work before the Editor-in-Chief, thus plunging him into this unprovoked disaster.

Late at night, all was silent.

Sitting in front of the computer, Xu Lan bit her lip and, with an extremely apprehensive mood, informed Jian Shen via email about the predicament of the book number being stuck.

At the end of the email, she typed the line of words that made her eye sockets turn red.

[Teacher Jian Shen, I'm sorry.]

[It is our incompetence that we failed to protect your work well.]

...

On the 28th floor of SOHO Future City.

Lin Que looked at this email, the lazy smile on his face slowly fading.

Fang Zhenyun.

He instantly thought of this name.

Using the unspoken rules of the circle, using the power of the system to carry out a dimensional reduction strike?

A bit interesting.

But that was also just it.

He did not reply to Xu Lan.

He switched interfaces and logged into a bounty forum lingering on the edge of the dark web, one he only came into contact with when tracking down the source of piracy in his past life.

Here, identities were not asked; only bounties were recognized.

Lin Que skillfully posted a new task, the content of which was concise and clear:

[Target: Fang Zhenyun, deputy Editor-in-Chief of the Su Province journal October. Requirement: All contact records between him and personnel from the Su Province publishing system within the past half month.]

In the bounty column, he thought for a moment, selected [BTC] for the currency, and [2] for the quantity.

Two BTCs were worth around 1.3 million-plus Chinese yuan.

To his current net worth, this sum of money was merely a drop in the bucket, but at this moment, it transformed into the sharpest blade to break the deadlock.

He didn't need to know who would take the order; he only needed results.

In less than twenty minutes, a detailed report was sent to his designated encrypted email address.

[Fang Zhenyun, male, 52 years old... His university advisor and Zhao Chuliang, the head of the approval department at the Su Province Press and Publication Bureau, were martial brothers under the same master...]

...

[...Seven days ago, at 8:00 PM, at the Zhuyuxuan private club in Nanjing, Fang Zhenyun and Zhao Chuliang met alone for two hours and thirty-four minutes...]

Looking at this report, Lin Que smiled.

"Want to crush me to death with the table of rules?"

He muttered to himself, a cold glint welling up in his eyes.

"Then let's see just who can truly play these rules!"

Switching back to Jian Shen's email, he ignored Xu Lan's apology-filled letter.

He composed a new email, putting forward a brand new suggestion that seemed completely unrelated to publishing.

[Hello, Editor Xu.]

[There is no need to worry for me. Books are merely the carriers of words; if the spirit cannot be conveyed, no matter how exquisite the binding, it is entirely meaningless.]

[The Miracles of the Namiya General Store is about to close for the day, but I hope its spirit can truly be carried on.]

[I propose that New Tide can join hands with Jiangcheng's official media to jointly host a large-scale public welfare event titled "Finding the worry solver Around Us".]

Not giving the other party time to react, he directly dragged in an attachment he had just prepared.

That was a complete event proposal spanning over a dozen pages.

From the conception of the event to the execution details, everything was thoroughly covered.

The core of the proposal was extremely simple, yet extremely piercing to the heart.

——Inviting all the real-life figures who participated in the rescue during the Xiao Duo incident, such as the handling police officers, Women's Federation officials, and community grid workers, to step forward and speak from personal experience.

Turning the transmission of warmth from a fictional story into a real-life action that swept across the entire city!

...

By the time Wang De'an saw the email, it was already three o'clock in the morning.

Looking at Teacher Jian Shen's carefree reply letter and the massive proposal attachment, he was first stunned, and then fell into a long, deep contemplation.

He didn't immediately click open the proposal, but instead paced back and forth in the office over and over again.

The book number was stuck, hanging by a thread between life and death.

How could this Teacher Jian Shen seem not to care at all?

And instead still have the mood to run some public welfare event?

What on earth was he trying to do?

Carrying a belly full of doubts, he finally clicked open the proposal.

Reading line by line, his footsteps grew slower and slower.

His breathing became increasingly hurried.

When he saw the invitation for the real-life figures of the Xiao Duo incident to take the stage, his steps came to an abrupt halt!

The whole person felt as if struck by lightning!

Standing in the center of the office, he read the entire proposal from beginning to end twice more.

There was a deathly silence in the office.

After a long while, Wang De'an slammed his thigh, sweeping away the dejection crushed by reality in an instant!

"An open conspiracy!"

His voice was hoarse, yet deafening.

"This is an open conspiracy that no one can refuse!"

"He is going to borrow the east wind across the city to break a stagnant pool!"