47: Tearing open the wound, stitching up the world

The dagger is revealed.

The very first question put Lin Que directly on the fire.

The surrounding noisy sounds instantly fell silent.

All the reporters pricked up their ears, one after another aiming their lenses at the boy.

Wang De'an's face instantly turned pale, and he hurriedly stepped forward to block:

"This reporter, today is the new book launch, please do not ask unrelated..."

"How is it unrelated?"

Zhou Yang's voice rose, interrupting Wang De'an.

"Student Lin Que is the student representative, his viewpoint exactly represents the true thoughts of the younger generation of readers.

Editor-in-Chief Wang, you aren't afraid of hearing some different voices, are you?"

With such a big label slapped on him, if Wang De'an tried to block again, it would only make him appear guilty.

Shen Qingqiu took a step forward, blocking in front of Lin Que, and said coldly:

"He is still just a child, this kind of academic debate..."

"Teacher."

A hand gently rested on Shen Qingqiu's shoulder.

Lin Que walked out from behind Shen Qingqiu, the lazy sleepiness on his face having disappeared at some unknown moment.

He looked at the aggressive Zhou Yang in front of him, revealing a slightly shy smile that fit his age.

"This reporter uncle, your question is a bit long, let me sort it out."

Lin Que scratched his head, looking harmless.

"You mean that Professor Sun thinks writing about darkness is higher-level and more avant-garde than writing about warmth, right?"

A glimmer of shrewdness flashed in Zhou Yang's eyes, and he coaxed:

"That can be understood that way. After all, whitewashing peace is easy, but facing dripping blood is very difficult.

Young people today should prefer that kind of real, stimulating, and unhypocritical writing, like 'the human world is like a prison', right?"

The pit had already been dug.

As long as Lin Que nodded, or revealed even a little bit of appreciation for 'the human world is like a prison', tomorrow's report would become — 'Student Representative Angrily Praises Dream Weaver, The Miracles of the Namiya General Store Accused of Whitewashing Peace'.

Lin Que's parents stood on the periphery, completely failing to understand the twists and turns here, still happily taking pictures.

Shen Qingqiu's palms were already full of sweat; she had just wanted to forcibly interrupt, but heard Lin Que speak.

"Uncle, have you ever been sick?"

Lin Que suddenly asked a totally irrelevant question.

Zhou Yang was stunned: "What?"

"Just that kind of very painful illness, the kind that needs surgery to dig out the rotten flesh."

Lin Que gestured, the expression on his face still sincere.

"What does this have to do with my question?" Zhou Yang frowned.

"Of course it has a relationship."

Lin Que restrained his smile, looking at Zhou Yang with calm eyes.

"Hell Dream Weaver's surgical knife is very fast and very sharp.

He pricked open the abscesses of this world, smashed open the bones, and let us see the rotten flesh and black blood inside.

This is indeed very satisfying, very refreshing, and also very real."

Zhou Yang was ecstatic inside. He said it! He said it! He admitted the Dream Weaver is more real!

The sound of shutters rang out crazily.

However, Lin Que's line of reasoning did not stop.

He turned his head and took a look at the huge poster of 'The Miracles of the Namiya General Store' behind him, looking at the kind old Grandpa Namiya holding an envelope, his eyes becoming somewhat deep.

"However, uncle."

"If a doctor is only responsible for cutting open the stomach, tearing the wound, and showing it to everyone, and then drops the scalpel and leaves. Then what happens to the patient?"

The whole venue was dead silent.

The smile on Zhou Yang's face froze.

Lin Que turned back around, looking directly into Zhou Yang's eyes, approaching step by step.

"The wound has been torn open, it needs to be sutured."

"The blood has flowed out, it needs to be stopped."

"After a person has seen hell clearly, they need someone to tell them that even if they are in hell, they can still look up at the starry sky."

The boy's voice was clear and bright, echoing in the empty hall.

"Professor Sun asks, what kind of avant-garde do we need?"

"I think the person who dares to tear open a wound is a warrior.

But the person who is willing to sit by the bedside, even with hands full of blood, and stitch the wound up one needle and one thread at a time, telling the patient that they will get better..."

Lin Que paused and smiled. "He is a saint."

"Without the former, we cannot see the pain clearly. Without the latter, we cannot survive the pain."

"So, uncle, you insist on forcing me to choose between a doctor and a nurse, saying who is greater... Isn't this... a bit childish?"

"Click!" Don't know who pressed the shutter first.

Immediately after, the flashlights lit up like a rainstorm, almost drowning out Zhou Yang's face, which was turning from green to white.

Wang De'an opened his mouth wide, looking at this boy who was talking eloquently in front of him, getting goosebumps all over his body.

Amazing! This answer is simply amazing!

He not only didn't fall into the trap, but instead used an ingenious metaphor to pull 'Dream Weaver' and 'Jian Shen' from opposite sides to a height of complementarity!

He both affirmed the courage of the Dream Weaver (not offending the fans on that side), and greatly elevated the compassion of 'Jian Shen' (defending the home field on this side).

More importantly, his final word, childish, was simply a loud slap in the face, fiercely striking the faces of those so-called 'critics' trying to stir up opposition!

Shen Qingqiu stood to the side, looking at Lin Que's upright back, her eyes somewhat dazed.

She remembered that day in the office when this boy said, "You don't understand hope."

Now it seems, he perhaps understands better than anyone else.

The hand Zhou Yang held the microphone with was trembling slightly.

He never dreamed that he, an old slicker who had been in the news industry for more than ten years, would actually be taught a lesson by a high school student.

He was still not resigned, gritting his teeth and wanting to counterattack:

"But... but many readers feel that the story of 'The Miracles of the Namiya General Store' is too fake, how can there be so many in reality..."

"Is it fake?" Lin Que interrupted him.

He raised his hand and pointed to the winding long queue on the square downstairs.

Through the huge floor-to-ceiling glass windows, one could see those ordinary people holding envelopes with expectant smiles on their faces.

"Uncle, look down."

"Those people in line, some are delivery workers, some are street sweepers, some are students. Each of them has their own troubles and is struggling in life."

"If 'The Miracles of the Namiya General Store' is fake, then why did they come?"

"They came because they believe that in this world, there really is someone willing to listen, and really is someone willing to release kindness."

Lin Que turned around, no longer looking at Zhou Yang, but instead spoke softly to all the lenses.

"The Grandpa Namiya in the book might be fake."

"But today, every person standing here, the heart that wants to become a Namiya person is real!"

"As long as this heart is real, then this bowl of so-called chicken soup in your mouths is life-saving medicine!"

Wow—! Don't know who started it, thunderous applause broke out.

At first it was Wang De'an, then Shen Qingqiu, then the surrounding staff, and finally, even those reporters who originally held a mentality of watching the fun couldn't help but applaud.

The applause was long-lasting, even drowning out the clamor outside.

Zhou Yang stood in the center of the crowd, his face gray.

He knew today's mission had completely failed. Not only did it fail, but he had become the biggest villain background board in this play.

Lin Que bowed slightly amidst the applause, appearing humble and appropriate.

Only Shen Qingqiu, who was closest to him, heard a very light mutter when he lowered his head.

"I'm exhausted... can I hand in the assignment now?"