Life countdown begins, ice queen bursts into security room

On its third day of release, "Wukong" surpassed 200 million views.

The popularity of terms related to "Journey to the West" on the trending search list has remained consistently high.

Although it has been taken down from the Endpoint Literature website, there are still screenshots of excerpts reposted by readers all over the internet.

The more it's banned, the more popular it becomes; the more it's criticized, the more people want to watch it.

Jiang Fan sat in his office, with music production software running on his computer.

He has already completed most of the arrangement framework for the two songs in Su Yuyan's concert.

He was adjusting the string arrangement for the chorus of "Puppet Show" when his phone vibrated.

It's news about Song Siyi.

"Check Weibo's trending topics."

Jiang Fan switched to his phone, and a new hashtag appeared at number eight on Weibo's trending topics list.

#Xinghua Publishing House announces suspension of all cooperation with Jiang Fan#

He clicked on it and saw the official account of Xinghua Publishing House, which had posted a statement.

"Given the huge controversy surrounding 'Journey to the West' online, and in the spirit of being responsible to our readers, Xinghua Publishing House has decided to suspend publishing cooperation negotiations with Mr. Jiang Fan. We call on all creators to respect traditional culture and resist harmful content."

Jiang Fan tossed his phone onto the table.

The people at Xinghua have a rather peculiar way of thinking. Just a few days ago, they were eager to collaborate, but when they were rejected, they became furious.

In the comments section, Liu Qingshan's supporters have already begun to celebrate.

"See? The mainstream publishers are starting to speak up!"

"This kind of trash book should be swept into the dustbin of history!"

What's the use of singing a song well if it's never good enough to be considered mainstream?

Jiang Fan read a few messages and then turned off his phone.

These people won't be able to keep up this for much longer. The sample books I sent to the education department a few days ago should be reviewed soon according to procedure.

-

Kyoto, National Educational Library Review Center, third-floor conference room.

Several beautifully bound sample copies of "Journey to the West" were on the table, the smell of ink still lingering.

An elderly man in his seventies was sitting in the main seat.

With his gray hair and reading glasses, he is Zheng Huaiming, the chairman of the China Writers Association and a leading figure in the education field.

Liu Qingshan's title of vice chairman is nothing compared to this man.

There were quite a few people sitting in the conference room, all of them retired professors from the Chinese departments of various universities.

I am usually responsible for the final review of extracurricular reading materials for primary and secondary schools.

No one spoke; only the sound of pages turning could be heard.

Zheng Huaiming read very slowly, starting from the splitting of the fairy stone on Flower Fruit Mountain, seeing Sun Wukong becoming a disciple and learning skills, then seeing him make havoc in the Heavenly Palace and being suppressed under the Five Elements Mountain.

He took off his reading glasses and placed them on the table, then rubbed his temples.

"Who sent this book?"

The head of the audit center next to me handed me a document.

"Qitian Culture Media Co., Ltd. claims they want to donate one million books to primary and secondary school libraries nationwide free of charge, and they need us to provide a compliance review report."

Zheng Huaiming put his glasses back on and tapped the cover twice with his fingers.

"This book is well written."

He glanced around at the group of senior professors present. "What are your thoughts?"

The second chair on the left is occupied by a 67-year-old professor from the Department of Classical Literature at Kyoto University, who has dedicated his life to the study of mythology.

He closed the book in his hand and took off his glasses.

"Old Zheng, this is truly amazing. The mythological system within is meticulously constructed. The hierarchy of the Heavenly Court, the operational mechanisms of the Underworld, and the checks and balances between Buddhism and Taoism—this isn't just random fabrication; it's an extremely grand reconstruction based on traditional culture."

Another professor chimed in: "The writing is very solid and easy to understand. In particular, the spirit of resistance and the values ​​of punishing evil and promoting good contained within it are very suitable for primary and secondary school students. Even those of us who have been involved in literature all our lives can glean a lot from it."

Zheng Huaiming nodded.

He recalled the online activity of the past few days.

"I heard that Xiao Liu is leading the online criticism of this book?" The Xiao Liu that Zheng Huaiming is referring to is Liu Qingshan.

The director was a little embarrassed.

"Yes. Vice Chairman Liu said that this book distorts traditional myths and poisons the minds of young people."

Zheng Huaiming sneered.

"What does he know about traditional mythology? He's like a frog in a well. This 'Journey to the West' isn't just suitable for primary and secondary school students; even us old folks deserve to analyze it word by word with a magnifying glass!"

None of the professors in the conference room uttered a sound.

He picked up the pen on the table and signed his name on the review report.

"The instructions are clear: proceed with the green light. Whatever amount Qitian Culture wants to donate, we will accept."

He paused for a moment, then twisted the pen cap back and placed it on the table.

"Also, have the office arrange for Liu Qingshan to come over later. The association's atmosphere needs some rectification."

-

Jiang Fan's phone vibrated again; it was another message from Song Siyi.

"Xiao Fan! The education department has approved it! Chairman Zheng Huaiming of the Writers' Association personally signed it! It's all on the right track!"

After reading it, Jiang Fan placed his phone face down on the table, and his lips twitched slightly.

Zheng Huaiming is the one who truly holds the power in the Writers' Association; Liu Qingshan is a joke in his eyes.

Jiang Fan opened Word and started typing.

A few minutes later, an announcement was completed.

Announcement Regarding Qitian Culture's Donation of One Million Copies of "Journey to the West" to Primary and Secondary Schools Nationwide

The main text consists of only a few sentences—

Qitian Culture Media Co., Ltd. has decided to self-fund the printing of one million copies of "Journey to the West" and donate them free of charge to primary and secondary school libraries across the country. Schools in need can send an email to the address below to apply.

Archive it and send it to Song Siyi.

"Posted using Qitian Culture's official Weibo account."

-

In Qitian Culture's office, Song Siyi sat in the boss's chair and opened the document sent by Jiang Fan.

One million copies, at cost price, printing and logistics would cost at least ten million.

Song Siyi paused on the keyboard for a few seconds.

She had indeed worked as an editor for five years, but this kind of money-burning method was beyond her comprehension.

She bit her lip, copied the document content to the official Weibo account of Qitian Culture, and clicked "publish".

Two minutes later, Jiang Fan's personal account forwarded the announcement.

-

Forty minutes later, in Liu Qingshan's study.

He stared at the computer screen, looking at the donation announcement.

The purple clay teapot on the table was bumped by his elbow, fell to the ground, and shattered into several pieces.

One million copies were donated to charity.

Liu Qingshan's temples throbbed twice; this kid's gone mad.

The books aren't for sale anymore? Are you just giving them away?

No. Sending them to schools would mean exposure to tens of millions of students.

When that time comes, will we still have to worry about selling the official retail version?

That's a really vicious move.

Liu Qingshan grabbed the landline, dialed Zhou Ming's number, and it rang six or seven times before being answered.

"Zhou Ming! Did you see that?!"

"I saw it." Zhou Ming's voice sounded weak and listless.

"You need to figure something out right now! Stop these books from being sold!"

"Teacher Liu," Zhou Ming paused, "we can't stop him. He's making a charitable donation, and the education department has already stamped it. We can't go against the education system."

Zhou Ming continued, "And I just received news that the person who signed the review report... is Zheng Huaiming."

The phone went silent at both ends.

Liu Qingshan's knuckles turned white as he gripped the microphone.

Zheng Huaiming, his immediate superior.

If Zheng Huaiming personally approved this, then Liu Qingshan's previous Weibo posts weren't just criticizing Jiang Fan—they were slapping Zheng Huaiming in the face.

Zhou Ming's voice rang out again.

"Teacher Liu, we're planning to launch a few new books and hold some offline events soon, to try and shift our focus elsewhere. I suggest you... think carefully about what you do during this time."

beep - beep -

After the call ended, Liu Qingshan sat in his chair for a long time, listening to the busy tone.