This was not how he had imagined it!
Why?
Were these people blind?
That author had definitely hired paid commenters!
Why were they not going after that author? Why were they turning around to attack him instead?
Furious and flustered, Baiyun123 threw on an alternate account and started cursing in the thread.
[334L: Are you all insane? How could a man writing a no-CP novel possibly be that popular on a female-oriented platform? Do women not all like reading about romance and love? So he is obviously doing marketing! Those numbers and readers are fake! You have all been fooled by him!]
One sentence stirred up a thousand waves.
[355L: What do you mean? Based on the code, 334 is the original poster, right? What do you mean by “a place like the female-oriented platform”? What do you mean by “women all like romance”? Are you a man? What, is the female-oriented platform bothering you? Are women bothering you? Since when can women not like no-CP stories?]
[356L: Let me translate for everyone: 🙂 The original poster means—what? Are not women in this world supposed to have nothing in their heads except romance? Oh my, so a no-CP novel blowing up on a female-oriented site must be impossible! It has to be fake data! Report section, is this some fatherless troll?]
[378L: I am about to throw up. I thought a fresh melon would rinse my mouth after that spoiled one, and it turns out to be this garbage. Suggest you stop preventing your mother from finding true love. She is a woman too, right? By your logic, her head must also be full of romance and loving someone new every day. Do not worry, you are clearly an accident. So is your father. :)]
[382L: A perfectly good New Year ruined by an idiot. I am going to throw up too. Report section. What kind of low-level nonsense is this? And you dare post it on the forum?]
It really was low.
Having just learned the word, Yin Chen nodded vigorously at the screen.
“Low” was used perfectly here.
It resonated deeply with him.
However—
Yin Chen’s gaze turned icy.
Dare to target his boyfriend?
Then pay for it.
Lawyer Gao contacted Yin Chen.
“President Yin, everything has been arranged. Shall we proceed?”
Yin Chen closed the forum page.
“Release it. Keep a close eye on things. If there are any issues, report back to me immediately.”
“No problem.”
A small request from the financial backer? That was nothing.
The forum was full of professional melon-eaters. And then they saw another new thread being pushed to the top.
“Let’s Talk About the Original Poster Next Door!”
Wait, what?
No nesting dolls allowed!
Even so, the title screamed fresh gossip.
Charge!
Everyone clicked in—and nearly dropped their sunflower seeds, stools, and soda in shock.
[Let’s discuss the real reason why the original poster next door has been obsessively attacking a certain author! Do you remember the writing group mentioned while we were eating melons in that thread? As everyone knows, a writing group means the group owner cannot be just a reader, right? So I dug into the group owner’s real identity—and finally found the reason!]
Holy—
Spicy. Go on!
People picked up their snacks again and squatted down to continue.
[The original poster’s tone was extremely straight-man. No objections, right?]
None at all!
[Then he used the phrase “female-oriented platform.” As everyone knows, people who are actually on female-oriented platforms do not call them that, since there are so many different sites. So we can reasonably guess that this original poster probably came from male-oriented platforms.]
Mm-hmm, and then?
[So I thought: someone from male-oriented platforms, claiming female-oriented platforms only like romance and that no-CP authors have no readers—why such hostility toward that author? The simplest answer: jealousy.]
I see, I see!
[So I searched through lesser-known no-CP novels, especially horror infinite-flow ones 🙂 After all, it is easier to be jealous of someone in the same genre, right? And I found this alternate account—link attached. You can click and take a look. This author has not even successfully signed a contract! His first book is also horror infinite-flow. But I have to say 🙂 It clearly does not fit our site’s style. Let me summarize the core idea in one sentence—As long as you are bold enough, even Sadako can take maternity leave! Think carefully about that sentence :)]
[That is not all. Probably because the first book failed to get signed, he reflected deeply and wrote a second one—modern boys’ love. I will not go into details. Let us just say it does not look like people falling in love. It nearly disgusted me so much that I almost stopped believing in love altogether :)]
Wait, what?
Wen Liu, who had been undercover for five days, could not help clicking the link.
She wanted to see for herself—
Who dared to target her favorite author!
To expose this bastard, she had fought for the top contributor badge for four straight days!
There was another person who had also been fighting for it—probably a sister-in-arms. They had suffered so much, sob.
Clicking the link, Wen Liu skimmed rapidly.
Then her expression slowly shifted into one of having been force-fed something unspeakable.
I have battled through the sea of web novels for over a decade and never encountered writing this shitty.
She clicked open the first chapter of his new novel and slowly raised a hand.
Better to gouge out my own eyes.
[98L: I… was still too young. When I saw that line “As long as you are bold enough, even Sadako can take maternity leave,” I already had a bad feeling. What gave me the courage to click in? Offering a reward for a pair of eyes that have not read this. Anyone?]
[103L: Is Liang Jingru selling courage wholesale today? I should not have clicked either! Same as above—offering a reward for a fresh pair of eyes! Ahhhh! I am going crazy. What is this garbage?]
[118L: No exaggeration, I actually threw up 🙂 My mom even came over asking if I had eaten too much and gotten food poisoning. I cannot exactly show her this stuff, can I? Now she has canceled my New Year feast plans. That low-level idiot—this grudge is noted.]
The forum wailed in collective agony.
On the other side, Baiyun123 stared at the thread, his hands and feet growing cold.
How could this happen?
How had his identity been exposed?
Impossible!
He had never used his real IP when posting. He had specifically learned how to use botnets!
And he had never told anyone about his alternate account. How could someone have traced it?
And those people who joined the group—was it one of them?
Who was it?
His entire body felt frozen, as if plunged into an ice cellar.
The next second, there was a knock on the door of his rented apartment.
Dazed, Baiyun123 fled from his computer and opened the door.
Two police officers stood outside.
His face turned pale.
“Excuse us. We suspect you have violated cybersecurity regulations. Please come with us.”
Baiyun123 immediately tried to slam the door shut!
The two officers blocked it with their bodies.
“Please cooperate.”
He was just an ordinary shut-in. Faced with this, he collapsed to the floor.
This should not be happening.
It should not—
How had it come to this?
“It is settled?”
Yin Chen answered Lawyer Gao’s call.
Lawyer Gao smiled faintly.
“You can enjoy the New Year with peace of mind now. Happy New Year in advance.”
He would not fail to live up to his client’s… money.
As expected of a man worth twenty million.
Yin Chen nodded and casually sent another small red envelope.
“Happy New Year.”
Lawyer Gao glanced at the amount and did not find it too small.
After all, when it came to money, as long as there was some, who would complain?
After a moment’s thought, he decided to provide an extra service in honor of the red envelope.
He found the phone number he had previously recorded for Zong Cheng, briefly edited the situation into a message, and sent it out.
Done.
Satisfied, he set down his phone and went out for a short while.
Half an hour later, he returned holding a bouquet of vivid red roses and presented them to his wife.
Exhausted from the day’s work, Madam Gao froze for a moment, then broke into a smile brighter than the flowers.
Lawyer Gao smiled, took her hand, and sat with her at the table filled with exquisite dishes.
After all, New Year’s should be celebrated happily.
Madam Tang had just set the dishes on the table when she saw Zong Cheng staring at his phone in a daze.
She glanced at Tang Chen.
What is wrong with your brother?
Tang Chen looked confused and shook his head.
How would I know?
He just suddenly went blank staring at his phone!
Madam Tang pondered for a moment, carried the dishes back into the kitchen, took out several food containers, and packed half of each dish neatly inside.
Only then did she reorganize the remaining dishes and bring them back out.
As soon as she came out, Zong Cheng looked at her hesitantly.
She set down the plates, returned to the kitchen once more, and brought out the packed bag.
After placing everything down properly, she looked at him unhurriedly.
“Well? Something you want to say?”
Zong Cheng thought for a moment and nodded slowly.
“If you have something to say, just say it.”
She fixed her gaze on him.
Zong Cheng flexed his knuckles and spoke carefully.
“I… Happy New Year. This year, I might not be able to stay.”
After reading the message from Lawyer Gao, he could not sit still.
He wanted to see Yin Chen.
Immediately. Right now.
“At least you have some guts.”
Madam Tang’s stern expression broke into a smile. She clapped twice, turned around, and brought out the large packed bag, handing it to him.
“I already said—this year we either have two more people, or one less. Not bad. Still my nephew, not a coward. If you are going, hurry up. If you leave now, you might even make it in time to ring in the New Year together.”
Zong Cheng stared at the prepared bag in surprise.
After a long moment, he stepped forward and gently hugged her.
“Thank you.”
Her eyes warmed. Madam Tang kicked his calf lightly.
“So mushy. That does not work on me. Why are you not running off to cling to your boyfriend? Use some tactics. Try to bring him home next year to celebrate with me!”
Zong Cheng coughed softly.
“I will try.”
He strode forward. As he passed Tang Chen, he suddenly bent down and left him with a sentence.
“That little gift you gave Lin Yuhan before—prepare one for me too. I will give you a big red envelope this year.”
Huh?
What gift?
Tang Chen stared blankly at his departing figure.
Madam Tang walked over and knocked him on the head.
“What did your brother say to you?”
Tang Chen was baffled.
How would he know?
When had he given Lin Yuhan any little gift?
And even if he had, how would Brother Zong know—
Ah.
Tang Chen shuddered.
A thought flashed through his mind. Looking in the direction Zong Cheng had left, he slowly muttered a curse.
No way. No way. No way.
Brother Zong, you are such a fierce top. What do you want that thing for?
Author’s Note: Tang Chen: I think I just discovered something very wrong!!!
The power went out at home today. I wrote this outside.
No wild remarks this time.
…
Mainly because the comments section is too wild. I do not dare open it in an internet café.
Covering my face.