Chapter 249: Chapter 169: This Time, There’s Really Nothing to Criticize!

He’s even quite well-known in the “fan circle” because he looks good and his singing skills are solid.

Plus, that beautiful song “Red Rose” has attracted many young female fans.

Sanjiang University.

Meeting room.

Principal Zhu Qidong sat in the center, with Zhao Changtian, Liu Hongyu, and other school leaders on either side.

“What does everyone think about Shen Qiushan and Vice Secretary Lin?”

Zhu Qidong posed the question and then observed the reactions of the people around him.

Shen Qiushan’s stepping in did serve to block the bullets.

After his performance video at the bar was released, the discussions about Lin Xiamo decreased significantly.

However, the school still hasn’t made a clear statement.

“Old Zhao, you go first.”

This topic is quite sensitive, so after Zhu Qidong brought it up, no one was keen to speak.

There was a moment of silence in the meeting room, and Zhu Qidong had to directly name someone.

He called on Executive Vice Principal Zhao Changtian, whose duties included school publicity.

Thus, it was appropriate for him to express his perspective on this matter.

Zhao Changtian cleared his throat. He already had his own views but had been waiting to see others’ attitudes before speaking, which is basic protocol for a leader.

Since no one else was speaking and Zhu Qidong had named him, Zhao Changtian had to start sharing his thoughts.

“I think this isn’t a bad thing for our school.”

“Shen Qiushan is a Nebula Award winner and recently featured on CCTV’s ’Focus Person’, which means he has official endorsement.”

“Before the meeting, I carefully examined the online comments about him. About eighty to ninety percent are positive, with only a small portion being negative.”

“As Shen Qiushan’s alma mater, we should be his strongest support, demonstrating our school’s spirit of inclusiveness.”

“It’s just singing; what’s the big deal? Besides, so many people enjoy it.”

Zhao Changtian’s stance was clear, firmly supporting Shen Qiushan, for once not trying to appease everyone.

“I agree with Old Zhao.”

Vice Principal Liu Hongyu chimed in: “Neither Shen Qiushan nor Vice Secretary Lin broke any rules, and we shouldn’t be swayed by public opinion.”

“Moreover, the criticisms are not purely motivated and might even have ulterior motives.”

“I think our school should offer steadfast support in times like this, unlike some schools and organizations that hide at the first sign of online dissent, opting for lesser troubles.”

“One major reason for the poor online discourse environment is that many institutions or individuals are afraid of trouble and compromise with wrongdoers.”

“Sanjiang University cannot be a coward!”

Originally, it was Liu Hongyu who personally recruited Shen Qiushan to Sanjiang University, so he has always had a good impression of him.

Furthermore, Shen Qiushan winning the Nebula Award was an honor for Sanjiang University in itself.

Currently, the school’s website still prominently features a huge poster congratulating Shen Qiushan for winning the Nebula Award!

Seeing the unified stance of Vice Principals Zhao Changtian and Liu Hongyu, other prudent school leaders also voiced their opinions accordingly.

Meeting adjourned.

The school reached a consensus on supporting Shen Qiushan and Lin Xiamo.

Supporting their own.

Backing up the staff and students of the school!

Soon, Sanjiang University’s official website released a statement showing support for Shen Qiushan and Lin Xiamo for forming a band and singing in their spare time.

Originally, there were more voices of support online, but with Sanjiang University voicing their support, the criticisms seemed even more jarring.

Friday.

“Three-Body Civilization” officially went on sale.

As of today, online pre-sales had already reached 110,000 copies.

This means that “Three-Body Civilization” had a starting sale of 110,000 copies.

These pre-sold books are all being shipped today.

So, the quickest way to get a physical copy would actually be to buy it at major bookstores.

AM.

A long queue had formed at the entrance of the Xinhua Bookstore near University Town.

Most of those in line were university students from nearby, with many from Sanjiang University.

After all, the author of “Three-Body Civilization”, Shen Qiushan, is from Sanjiang University.

Due to the “singing in bars” incident, Shen Qiushan faced criticism from many writers, with some even claiming he won the award by discrediting his country in his work and promoting Western political correctness.

Some were skeptical about “Three-Body Civilization’s” sales, suggesting pre-sale figures were fraudulent and that hardly any copies would sell once officially launched…

In this context, Sanjiang University students, as Shen Qiushan’s alumni, naturally were eager to show support.

Of course, they were also genuinely curious about this Nebula Award-winning work.

Similar queues could be seen at many bookstores, particularly those near university towns bustling with young people.

A Nebula Award winner performing at a bar!

To Yang Xijin and others, this was an unforgivable crime.

However, to most young people, it seemed incredibly cool!

Especially when Shen Qiushan not only has a good image but sings well too, so his bar performance actually gained him a lot of young fans.

Now that “Three-Body Civilization” is on sale, these fans are showing their support for Shen Qiushan through their actions.

Near the Sanjiang Evening News office building, there’s a Xinhua Bookstore, and Wang Zhixin would pass by it every day on his way to work, including today.

But today, there were about a dozen people lining up outside the bookstore.

As a seasoned “Shen Hei”, Wang Zhixin clearly remembered today was the launch of “Three-Body Civilization” and had planned to buy a copy from the bookstore to see for himself.

As the saying goes, “Know thy enemy and know yourself, and you will never be defeated.”

If he didn’t know what Shen Qiushan wrote, how could he later release videos criticizing him!

He parked by the roadside, joined the end of the line, and stood behind two young men in their twenties.

They were chatting away.

“Old Shen’s book must be supported to show those naysayers!”

“Yeah, I feel the same. Those online jerks cursing Old Shen are up to no good!”

“They’re just jealous. Old Shen not only wins awards but also sings, outshining those crooked writers by far!”

“And that Wang Zhixin, always on Old Shen’s tail just to get some traffic, shameless!”

“Just an attention-seeking clown, not worth bothering. Even after getting his face slapped, he’s still yapping!”

The two exchanged comments, revealing they didn’t know each other before but bonded over their shared support for Shen Qiushan.

Listening to their conversation, Wang Zhixin’s face turned dark. Luckily, he was wearing a baseball cap today, so the two young men didn’t notice him.

But worried about being recognized, he pulled the brim of his hat lower.

The bookstore opened.

Those queuing entered the bookstore in an orderly fashion, and the book they wanted to buy was surprisingly consistent.

Sure enough, it was all Shen Qiushan’s “Three-Body Civilization”.

Wang Zhixin also bought all three volumes and quickly left the bookstore.

At the office,

He opened the first volume and started reading intently.

As a top student in journalism, Wang Zhixin had a vast reading background and a fair understanding of literary works.

He approached Shen Qiushan’s book with a critical mindset.

Because of this mindset, he initially enjoyed it since there were many points he could critique, even taking notes.

He planned to release one or several videos to “analyze” Shen Qiushan’s book comprehensively.

But as he read on, his mood soured.

Because the story got surprisingly captivating.

The multi-perspective narrative initially seemed chaotic, even confusing.

But as the story progressed, threads began to connect.

Peeling away layers! Hidden clues beneath the surface!

The grand framework and various hardcore sci-fi settings emerged, provoking applause!

Initially, Wang Zhixin intended to take advantage of “analyzing” “Three-Body Civilization” to pick faults with Shen Qiushan and regain some lost face.

But after truly reading the book, he realized his own shallowness!

Shen Qiushan’s Nebula Award was rightly earned through solid talent!

Even loyal “Shen Hei” like Wang Zhixin couldn’t help but silently exclaim, “Impressive!”

No grounds for criticism!

Not this time!

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep