360: Master Zhuang is devastated! Fans are in an uproar: As expected of President Xu, he's stirred up another big scandal!

“What? That's impossible. How could that kid write a work of this caliber? Old Zhou, are you still messing with me right now?”

Listening to Zhou Wenhao on the other end, Zhuang Qiu suddenly stood up and spoke with some irritation.

If he hadn't considered that the person opposite him was, after all, his friend, and that he currently needed a favor, Zhuang Qiu's attitude would definitely not have been so gentle.

However, to his surprise, even after he said that, Zhou Wenhao's statement on the other end remained unchanged.

“Old Zhuang, why would I joke with you right now? That work, 'to live', was indeed written by that kid named Xu Lu. I was quite shocked too.

But it's the truth. Why would I lie to you? Moreover, if you go to a place called Shuqie Novel Website, you can even see that kid's homepage.

Besides 'to live', there is also a Genre novel called 'Condor Heroes'. You should have heard of that one; it was also written by that kid...”

Hearing this, Zhuang Qiu finally stopped believing Zhou Wenhao was joking with him. The other party was telling the truth.

But how could this be possible?

A mere Director, how could he possibly write a work with such depth? This is simply a fantasy!

He had honed his skills in the literary field for so many years just to write 'the bitter journey of life', yet unexpectedly, it was still replaced by this young Director's 'to live'.

Zhuang Qiu felt reality was utterly surreal.

Everything that happened today didn't feel real; it felt more like a nightmare.

As if once he woke up, none of this would exist.

But his clear mind kept telling him that he wasn't dreaming, and everything was happening in reality.

His 'the bitter journey of life' truly failed to make the annual famous works list; instead, that young Director named Xu Lu had a work that made the list!

“Old Zhuang, Old Zhuang, listen to me. I think that kid named Xu Lu is a bit wicked. You know me; I was completely humiliated by that kid's Modern Poetry back then.

So I advise you to stay calm and keep a low profile for now. We can't afford to provoke him, but we can avoid him. After all, that kid can't possibly keep hounding you...”

Zhou Wenhao's advice slowly came from the other end.

Zhuang Qiu responded vaguely, wordlessly agreeing. He currently had absolutely no idea what to do, so he actually found his friend Zhou Wenhao's suggestion somewhat reasonable.

Before today, he had been planning to ensure that little Director could never recover.

Yet, reality was too fantastical.

In just one day, he found himself thinking about how to protect himself in this whole affair.

As for how to deal with the opponent again, Zhuang Qiu felt there was no hope whatsoever.

The situation had simply changed too quickly.

In the blink of an eye, the conflict shifted from an insider vs. outsider struggle to a competition between insiders.

Clearly, no one would take sides in an internal competition; otherwise, he wouldn't have received zero phone calls all day.

Evidently, other industry insiders had also realized this point, and thus would no longer risk offending someone whose work made the annual famous works list, just for the sake of Zhuang Qiu.

“He truly is wicked! That kid is wicked. I've never seen anything so wicked...”

Listening to Zhou Wenhao's advice, Master Zhuang muttered to himself.

“Sigh, Old Zhuang, I really harmed you. If I hadn't asked for your help back then, you wouldn't have...”

Zhou Wenhao repeated this statement, his tone quite apologetic.

But Zhuang Qiu was thinking of something else. He quickly interrupted, saying repeatedly:

“Sigh, Old Zhou, don't blame yourself. Seriously, this isn't your fault. It's my own problem. It's my Year of Destiny!

I originally thought I could smoothly sail through this year, but I ended up stumbling after all. This is fate!”

Uh... Zhou Wenhao on the other side was stunned, slightly frightened by Master Zhuang's mental state.

After all, a Literary Master rambling superstitiously about his Year of Destiny sounded truly bizarre.

Thinking of this, Zhou Wenhao could only offer comfort:

“Ahem, well, Old Zhuang, take care of yourself. This matter will pass soon.”

Zhuang Qiu responded:

“Okay, I know. Alas, everything is fate; nothing is up to man. This year is my Year of Destiny...”

Zhou Wenhao's mouth twitched. In the end, he said nothing more and chose to hang up the phone directly... Meanwhile, Xu Lu's fans were erupting:

[Holy cow, Our CEO Xu has stirred up major news again. Who would have thought?]

[I think Master Zhuang offending Our CEO Xu was truly the biggest mistake of his life.

He originally thought he could treat CEO Xu like a soft persimmon to squeeze, but unexpectedly, the reality was nothing like what he imagined.]

[I was quite worried about CEO Xu at the time, but it turns out my worry was completely unnecessary...]

[Hahahaha, Director Xu is always so surprising. After being targeted by a Literary Master, he immediately wrote 'to live', making himself a Literary Master as well.]

[...I have to say, this is the best countermeasure. It's just like the saying, 'Only magic can defeat magic'.]

[Exactly! How many people in the literary circle spoke up for Master Zhuang back then?

But after the annual famous works list was released, all those people secretly deleted their posts on the Social Media Platform.]

[Hahahaha, of course they had to delete their Social Media Platform posts! Back then, they were united against an outsider, not wanting an outsider to bully them.

But now they discovered that the person bullying Master Zhuang is also an insider, so what 'outsider' is there left to oppose?]

[Amazing! CEO Xu's move to 'Seize the initiative' is truly incredible, leaving people astonished!]

[...Uh, everyone, has anyone read this novel by CEO Xu yet?

Here's a piece of advice: make sure you choose a secluded place when reading it.]

[Yes, I recommend that too, and also prepare a large amount of tissues, just in case...]

[What's going on? What's going on? All of you, how could CEO Xu write that kind of novel?]

[Brother, don't get the wrong idea! Once you read Director Xu's 'to live', you'll understand why we gave that advice—it's purely out of kindness!]

...As more and more people discussed the content of 'to live', more people began reading the novel.

At first, everyone didn't pay much attention.

But when they reached the most moving parts, they realized that the 'joking remarks' in the comment section were actually not jokes at all.

Because any moderately normal person who finished the novel would inevitably be 'cured' (in the sense of emotional catharsis).

If one were to cry uncontrollably in public, it would be quite embarrassing.

Similarly, if tissues weren't prepared, one's sleeves would likely be covered in tears and snot.

Therefore, 'choosing a secluded place' and 'preparing a large amount of tissues' could definitely be called the most thoughtful warnings.

It's just a shame that many people didn't realize this before reading 'to live'.

And once they truly got into the story, they realized it was too late to regret it!