570: Chapter 570 Nobody Will Stay on the Shore

The black sedan screeched to a halt in front of the Huanyu Publishing Group building. Its right tire rolled through a puddle, splashing dirty water violently onto the steps.

Shen Jiangping pushed open the car door, clutching that old paper bag in his hand.

The bottom of the paper bag was bulging from the weight of the trophy's metal base, and its corners were already worn through.

Shen Jiangping pressed his contracted author access card against the sensor.

The green light turned on, and the turnstile opened automatically. The security guard on duty recognized him and was just about to ask about his appointment, but he had already strode across the lobby.

The young woman at the front desk stood up, her tone still relatively polite.

Shen Jiangping did not stop.

"Teacher Shen, you need to register to enter the executive floor at this hour."

He pressed the elevator button.

The receptionist came out from behind the service desk and followed him for two steps.

"Teacher Shen, please wait a moment. Let me contact Assistant Sun for you."

Shen Jiangping turned his head; the whites of his eyes were bloodshot.

"I am looking for President Zhao."

The young woman at the desk met his bloodshot gaze, her hand pausing on the internal phone, and she subconsciously retreated back to the side of the service desk.

An industry news flash suddenly popped up on the service desk computer, the notification sound still on.

The screen title clearly read: [Previous champion Shen Jiangping's competition qualification suspended.]

The receptionist hurriedly closed the window, but Shen Jiangping had already seen it.

His grip on the paper bag tightened even further.

Then, he pressed his contracted author access card against the sensor again.

The elevator recognized the Grade A partnership card that President Zhao had personally awarded him three years ago, and the button for the top floor lit up immediately.

Only then did the receptionist realize that the group's loss-mitigation list had been issued, but the access privileges had not yet been revoked. She quickly dialed the assistant's internal phone number.

The elevator ascended. The numbers ticked up floor by floor.

Shen Jiangping stared at his reflection in the metal door. His collar was crooked, his hair was disheveled, and there were dark circles under his eyes.

He remembered the first time he entered this building three years ago.

That day, President Zhao had come downstairs personally to meet him. There was no red carpet, but three department heads stood by the elevator.

President Zhao had shaken his hand and said: "Jiangping, Huanyu Publishing Group has been waiting for you for a long time."

Tonight, all that greeted him were endless phrases of "please wait."

Ding. The elevator reached the top floor.

As soon as the door opened, Sun Tong was already standing in the center of the corridor.

She was wearing a grey suit, holding a tablet, with two security guards standing three steps behind her.

"Teacher Shen." Sun Tong nodded at him.

"President Zhao is not available to receive guests tonight. Regarding your situation, the group will communicate through official channels tomorrow morning."

Shen Jiangping stopped in front of her.

"I called twice just now, and you said he was in a meeting."

Sun Tong's expression remained steady.

"President Zhao does indeed have internal affairs to attend to."

"Where is the conference room?"

Sun Tong did not retreat.

"Teacher Shen, please go wait in the reception room first."

Shen Jiangping took a step forward. Sun Tong raised her hand to block him.

"The top-floor office area involves internal group materials and cannot be entered without permission."

Shen Jiangping stared at her.

"Assistant Sun, are you talking to me about rules?"

"This is my job, Teacher Shen."

"The exclusive copyrights of three of my works are tied up at Huanyu Publishing Group, and you're trying to stop me with visitor rules now? Do you know what President Zhao said to me back then?"

Sun Tong's hand remained stretched out in front of him.

"Please don't get agitated. I am just carrying out President Zhao's arrangements."

Shen Jiangping suddenly laughed. The laugh was short and harsh.

"Arrangements."

Shen Jiangping turned to force his way through. Sun Tong grabbed his sleeve and was dragged half a step by the momentum, her tablet nearly falling to the ground. The two security guards immediately stepped forward.

"Teacher Shen!"

Shen Jiangping didn't even look at them. He strode toward the dark brown conference room door at the end of the corridor.

Sun Tong chased after him, her voice finally raised.

"Shen Jiangping, if you barge in now, you will bear all the subsequent consequences yourself."

Shen Jiangping looked back at her.

"Haven't I borne enough already?"

Just as the two security guards grabbed Shen Jiangping's arms, President Zhao's voice came over the corridor speakers.

"Let him in."

Apparently, from the moment Shen Jiangping stepped out of the elevator, President Zhao had been watching.

Shen Jiangping shook off their grip and kicked open the ajar door. The door panel hit the metal doorstop, the dull thud echoing through the corridor.

In the large conference room, there was no long meeting table. No projection report. No executives.

Beside the sofa by the window, President Zhao was holding a white porcelain teacup, with a tea set arranged on the coffee table. The water had just boiled, and steam was rising from the spout of the teapot.

The large screen next to them was still on. The screen was divided into four sections.

The first section showed real-time data for the Kunpeng Youth Award. "qin opera" effective reading completion rate: 85.7%. "three or two things in jincheng" effective reading completion rate: 17.4%.

The second section was the literary forum trending list. Chen Jingzhi's long post was still hanging in the first column. Chu Pengshu's "Letter of Apology" was ranked second.

The third section was the project loss-mitigation panel, where the "third-party interaction sample pool" had been completely locked, leaving only over eight thousand gray ID numbers.

Shen Jiangping recognized those ID numbers; just a few hours ago, they had been active in the comments section of the Program works.

The fourth section displayed a line of red text: Entry #0217, ineligible, promotion suspended.

President Zhao raised his gaze and looked toward the door. His suit jacket was draped over the sofa armrest, his shirt sleeves were rolled up to his forearms, and he didn't look the least bit flustered.

Sun Tong and the security guards arrived at the door.

"President Zhao."

President Zhao put down the teacup and waved his hand at them. The security guard glanced at Shen Jiangping. Sun Tong hesitated for half a second before lowering her head and retreating outside the door.

The conference room door was left open. The corridor light shone in, falling beside the broken door lock on the floor.

Shen Jiangping stood at the doorway, his chest heaving rapidly. He looked at President Zhao.

"Is this what you call a meeting?"

President Zhao picked up the tea tongs and straightened the cup.

"I am handling group affairs."

Shen Jiangping walked in, carrying the paper bag. He slammed the bag onto the coffee table. The gold-plated trophy slid halfway out, its body hitting the teacup and splashing tea everywhere.

"Is this your meeting?"

President Zhao glanced at the trophy.

"The 17th Kunpeng Youth Literature Award champion trophy." His tone was very calm. "Why did you bring it here?"

Shen Jiangping braced his hands on the edge of the coffee table.

"I'm asking you, why didn't you answer my calls?"

President Zhao pulled out a tissue and wiped the tea from his fingertips.

"The candidacy qualification has been suspended, and the group's emergency plan has shifted to loss mitigation. At this stage, phone calls cannot solve any problems."

Shen Jiangping froze.

President Zhao pointed to the screen.

"The data has already provided a result. Seventeen point four. The channel hasn't closed yet, and your completion rate is still falling."

Shen Jiangping gritted his teeth.

"That's just a temporary fluctuation."

"Ten hours, from twenty-five down to seventeen point four. The system threshold is eighteen; once it drops below that, it is automatically suspended. The threshold was written into the public rules by the Writers Association, and the system executes it automatically; Huanyu Publishing Group cannot intervene."

President Zhao looked up.

"You know very well that after the public channel opens, readers finish the creative commentary and then click into the main text; the dropout rate in the first three chapters is the heaviest. The creative commentary brought people in for you, but it also magnified the problems in the main text."

Shen Jiangping grabbed the printed data sheet from the coffee table. The paper crinkled in his grip.

"What I'm asking is why you transferred my calls to your assistant."

President Zhao picked up a data sheet from the table and handed it to him.

"The Technical Department model predicts that you will drop another two points before the list closes. Huanyu Publishing Group only adds resources to projects with a winning chance."

"Huanyu Publishing Group invests resources based on win probability. The group will not continue to pour money into a losing game."

As these words fell, Shen Jiangping's breathing hitched.

"A losing game?"

He threw the printed page back onto the coffee table.

"President Zhao, are you telling me it's a losing game now?"

He pointed to "three or two things in jincheng" on the screen.

"When this book was approved, you said it was the banner for Huanyu Publishing Group's return to the realism track."

President Zhao raised his hand to signal Sun Tong to close the door.

After the lock clicked, Shen Jiangping suppressed his anger and spoke:

"Who told me to post that article that killed with praise? Who set the direction for the creative commentary? How that batch of third-party accounts flooded into the Program comments section—you and I have both seen the backend."

"Now that something has gone wrong, you want me to take the blame alone?"

Shen Jiangping spoke faster and faster. He raised his hand and tapped his own chest.

"I posted the writing, I endorsed it, I bore all the infamy."

"Now that the completion rate has dropped, you're telling me the group doesn't enter losing games?"

He paused, looking at President Zhao with bloodshot eyes.

"If I'm going down, no one gets to stay on the shore!"