Chapter 225: Let Him Experience the Harshness of Society
The speaker was a middle-aged man dressed sharply in a suit. His thinning hair made him look a bit older than he actually was.
Sang Zhe glanced at his name tag.
This guy was famous.
Even someone like Sang Zhe, who usually didn’t pay much attention to Fusa Pavilion’s works, had heard of his well-known name.
…Tang Jia Qi Shao.
It was said that he was one of the earliest and most successful novelists when Fusa Pavilion was founded, creating numerous bestsellers that spanned a wide range of genres, appealing to both male and female readers.
In the beginning, he wrote anything and everything, and regardless of the quality, he often landed on the bestseller list just from fan loyalty.
However, later on, it was rumored that he became a high-ranking official at Fusa Pavilion, continuously restricting the themes of other authors’ works, leading to a lot of complaints.
This guy held a pretty high position in Fusa Pavilion, especially since when he spoke, everyone present fell silent, no one dared interrupt his rant.
“In my humble opinion, literary creation is an extremely noble pursuit.”
Tang Jia Qi Shao stroked his goatee and said in a strange tone: “Our Fusa Pavilion readership is primarily comprised of cultivators and notable families in the mortal realm, whose offspring might have the chance to embark on the path of cultivation.”
“What is most important for cultivators?”
“Naturally, it’s to focus on their cultivation, align with the heavenly principles, and maintain a tranquil mind!”
“So, us authors should embody the core values of truth, goodness, and beauty in our works, promoting positive values and encouraging readers to bravely step into the cultivation path.”
“The journey of cultivation is long and lonely, inevitably exposed to worldly desires and temptations.”
“At such times, we should create protagonists with unwavering will, dedicated to their path, untouched by external distractions. We must record their passionate and inspiring success stories to motivate our readers.”
“As for matters between men and women, it’s merely carnal enjoyment, how boring! How lowly!”
“How could it compare to the sense of achievement that comes from ultimately breaking through in cultivation?”
His words were firm and persuasive, leading to endless applause in the room.
Even Sang Zhe unconsciously clapped along.
That made sense.
Hua Jianglian tilted her little head, contemplating her response. After an awkward pause, her face turned red as she managed to sputter:
“B-but I just wanted to see the male and female leads being all lovey-dovey! Being lovey-dovey is so beautiful, so blissful, so sweet! It makes people so happy…”
“Humph, childish and absurd! Such a juvenile mindset!”
Tang Jia Qi Shao waved his sleeve and scoffed: “How can one grasp the true essence of cultivation while reveling in such indulgences?”
“As authors, how can we promote such misguided trends? If the next generation of cultivators is filled with thoughts of indulgence and frivolous activities, who will bother to cultivate in the future?”
“If we spread this sentiment, are we any different from the demon cultists?”
Hua Jianglian pouted. Suddenly, she mumbled softly: “But the most popular work of yours was filled with steamy moments, wasn’t it…? Why are you backstabbing your own work…”
Although her voice was small, Tang Jia Qi Shao caught it instantly, and his face turned beet red with anger and embarrassment:
“What do you know! That was driven by the protagonist’s passion! How can it be compared to your base and crude content?”
What a double-standard jerk! Hua Jianglian puffed her lips even more defiantly.
“I see you, little girl, are quite unfamiliar. You probably just got lucky this year with a hit and ended up here on the third floor, huh?”
He folded his arms arrogantly: “Little girl, I don’t know what group you belong to, but since you so strongly disagree with my views, I assume your works must have already topped the bestseller charts, right?”
“May I ask for your title? I’d love to read it!”
“I…” Hua Jianglian thought but swallowed her words.
Seeing Hua Jianglian hanging her head in silence, Tang Jia Qi Shao’s sneer grew.
“Can’t even present a decent piece and still dare to speak? Such ignorance truly highlights youthful folly.”
Sang Zhe was just enjoying the show when he heard that line and thought something was off.
Turning his head, he saw their sect leader’s little fists clenched tightly, as if she were about to channel her inner Demon Cult Sect Leader and take that double-standard jerk’s head off.
Sang Zhe didn’t mind her doing that, but this was someone else’s territory, and causing a scene wouldn’t really help anyone save face.
So, just as Hua Jianglian silently rolled up her sleeves, a mocking voice suddenly came from behind:
“Mr. Tang Jia Qi Shao, is it?”
“In my opinion, dwelling on past honors feels dated and creatively bankrupt, wouldn’t you agree?”
Tang Jia Qi Shao’s face stiffened as he looked at Sang Zhe: “What are you trying to say?”
“How about I make a suggestion?”
Sang Zhe chuckled: “Since you’re so confident in your opinions and works, you must be ready to claim victory in the upcoming competition hosted by our great president.”
“If so, let’s determine our standings in this competition.”
“If you win the grand prize, we’ll both come to apologize to you.”
“But if we win this time…”
Sang Zhe smiled silently at Tang Jia Qi Shao.
The latter looked them over disdainfully, sneering: “I’ve been in this novel business for so many years. If I lose to two nobodies like you, that would be nothing short of a laughingstock, publicly humiliated!”
“If you win, I’ll let you live-stream your victory smacking my face; what’s the harm in that?”
“You said it.”
Sang Zhe smiled brightly: “Then it’s a deal!”
Tang Jia Qi Shao glared fiercely at Sang Zhe.
Sang Zhe calmly gazed back.
The atmosphere was tense until the leader of Fusa Pavilion sheepishly intervened to ease the tension.
“Ahem, having your own opinions is great, and we encourage authors to express their thoughts actively. Now, let’s continue…”
——
After the chit-chat resumed, Sang Zhe and the others tuned out.
Taking advantage of everyone’s distraction, Hua Jianglian gently poked Sang Zhe, whispering:
“Hey, Sang Zhe, how did you dare to make that bet?”
“I’m curious myself,” added Gongzi Shuiming, chuckling softly. “Does Sang Gongzi have confidence that his novel will be more popular than those of Fusa Pavilion’s bestselling authors?”
“Of course not,” Sang Zhe shamelessly admitted.
“Then why would Sang Gongzi dare…”
Gongzi Shuiming looked puzzled: “How will this all end up?”
“Simple. Authors have their methods; working stiffs have theirs.”
“I might not write better than him, but who said I can’t win an award?”
Sang Zhe smiled mysteriously: “Don’t forget, I’m an important client of your president.”
“When it comes to comparing with my own employees, the client is the real parent.”
“Just watch, I’ll reach out to the president as a client and let that old man experience the harshness of society. Hehe.”
Gongzi Shuiming: “……”
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