Recently, besides Ting Yu releasing two songs, the online literature circle also erupted in an uproar. This was because a novel titled "The Legend of Sword and Fairy" (Xian Jian Qi Xia Zhuan) caused countless online literature enthusiasts to cry out in anguish.
"I'll pay handsomely for the address of the old thief Jiangnan! I've bought a whole batch of razor blades, and I don't just want to mail them, I want to go there in person and 'cut' this scoundrel!"
"My Yue Ru! Old thief Jiangnan, give me back my Yue Ru!"
"I was still imagining them going to the Demon Locking Tower to rescue Ling'er and start a beautiful life, and you just killed off Lin Yue Ru?"
"Everyone, don't panic yet, maybe she'll be resurrected later."
"My friend recommended a healing-genre Xianxia novel to me, and I actually believed them!"
"Is this healing genre? This is clearly a soul-crushing genre!"
"I'm broken, seeing the plot made me depressed on the spot. No, I can't be the only one, I've already recommended this book to my friends."
"So devious! I've already shared it on my Moments."
"..."
The plot of "The Legend of Sword and Fairy" had reached the point of going to the Demon Locking Tower to rescue Zhao Ling'er. Originally, readers were contemplating how this Jiangnan would handle the relationship between Lin Yue Ru and Zhao Ling'er. Who would have thought he would directly write Lin Yue Ru to death? This time, everyone lost their composure and clamored to send razor blades.
However, the author, Jiangnan, acted as if he hadn't seen these comments. He updated his novel daily and did not respond to the readers' anger. These readers felt that they couldn't be the only ones to suffer, so they went around dragging their friends into the pit. As a result, the book instantly became popular. It not only secured the first place on the Xianxia bestseller list but also climbed into the top ten of the website's overall bestseller list.
...
Qing Kong Literature.
Xianxia Editorial Department.
"Sisi, how are the stats?" The editors huddled around Zhou Sisi's computer. Chief editor Li Minghui asked nervously.
Zhou Sisi clicked into the backend. She was a little hesitant to look. After all, there was a lot of criticism online about "The Legend of Sword and Fairy." While it was popular, it might cause a sharp drop in subscriptions.
When she opened yesterday's subscription data:
"Holy crap!"
"Taking off!"
"Average subscription reached fifty thousand!"
Everyone gasped, looking at the data.
"Ch-chief editor, what do we do now?" Zhou Sisi was about to cry. An average subscription of ten thousand already qualified as a bestseller, and the book in her hands had reached a staggering fifty thousand!
"Quick! Pack your things and head to the Shuangqing City branch office. You'll be working there from now on!" Li Minghui said hastily.
"Go there for what? This Jiangnan won't listen to my suggestions..." Zhou Sisi said wistfully. She had asked Su Yu to change the plot before, but Su Yu insisted on writing it this way. Still, she felt a bit fortunate. If she hadn't listened to her own opinion, perhaps the current explosive situation wouldn't have happened.
"Go and keep an eye on things. It's easier to resolve any issues promptly, and you can discuss any requirements face-to-face, which shows our sincerity. Whether the Xianxia department can soar depends on this Jiangnan!" For the past few years, Xianxia had been in decline, and the entire category was quite stagnant. To finally encounter such a popular book, they naturally had to seize this opportunity.
"I'm not managing my other books anymore?" Zhou Sisi's mouth twitched. What was this? Was she being asked to go and work like a beast of burden?
"Forget about them, hand them over to others," Li Minghui said without a second thought.
"Alright... alright." Although Zhou Sisi looked displeased, she was overjoyed in her heart. Although the Shuangqing office was a branch, the working hours there were very flexible. Moreover, her current task was essentially no task at all. She just needed to play and check the data occasionally.
"Su Yu, you are truly my lucky star!" Has the curse of bad luck finally been broken? It seems so!
...
Gong Juren had noticed something unusual about his father, Gong Youcai, in the past two days. His temper was incredibly volatile. He had even made the housekeeper cry several times. Although he usually chatted and joked with his father, Gong Juren didn't dare to provoke him when he was truly angry.
Now, the sound of a shattering cup came from the study again, startling Gong Juren, who was watching TV in the living room.
"What on earth is going on?" Seeing the housekeeper emerge from the study with a wronged expression, Gong Juren quickly went up to ask.
"Boss Gong has been reading a book recently. He really likes this book and spent a lot of money for the number one spot on the fan rankings. But the author killed off his favorite character, which made the boss incredibly angry. Young master, please try to persuade him. He's been like this for two days..." The housekeeper said with red eyes, then took the trash can with the broken cups downstairs.
"Online literature? A character was killed off?" Gong Juren was utterly bewildered. He knew his father had a habit of reading online novels, but he had never seen him get angry over a plot point before.
"Oh, right, which book was he reading?" Gong Juren called out to the housekeeper.
"It seems to be called 'The Legend of Sword and Fairy'," the housekeeper replied, frowning.
"Wh-what!" Gong Juren was greatly surprised. "The Legend of Sword and Fairy"? Wasn't that the book written by Brother Yu? And I've been reading this book too. I'm also ranked second on the fan list. Why not first? Because I encountered a wealthy patron called 'Happy Life.' Every time I managed to get to the top of the fan list by sending gifts, that person would soon surpass me. The two of us have been continuously competing for fan ranking by spending money. However, this 'Happy Life' always had the upper hand over me.
"Could it be that my father's favorite character is Lin Yue Ru?" Gong Juren muttered to himself. In the recent plot, only this character had died. Thinking of this, the corner of his eye twitched involuntarily. Gong Juren was a loyal fan of Zhao Ling'er and was indifferent to Lin Yue Ru. Therefore, he hadn't experienced much emotional fluctuation in the recent plot. He never expected his father to be a fan of Lin Yue Ru...
He walked to the study door and carefully opened it. Seeing Gong Youcai sitting on the sofa with a gloomy expression, not saying a word, he called out, "Dad..."
"Something?" Gong Youcai glanced at him and said indifferently.
"Heh heh, I heard you're also reading 'The Legend of Sword and Fairy,' so I came to discuss the plot with you." Gong Juren entered and sat beside him.
"You read it too?" Gong Youcai smiled at first, then his expression instantly turned grim, and he sternly said, "Ah! Old thief Jiangnan! Give me back my Lin Yue Ru!"
Seeing Gong Youcai's chuunibyou-like behavior, Gong Juren almost couldn't hold back his laughter. He put his arm around his shoulder and comforted him, "I think author Jiangnan's writing is fine. Don't you dislike harems? So Lin Yue Ru was destined not to end up with Li Xiaoyao."
"Hmph, couldn't he just break up? Why did he have to write her dead?" Gong Youcai was still angry.
"If they broke up, there would still be entanglements, which would make the plot imperfect. Only tragedy can create a classic. Although Lin Yue Ru died in the book, she lives on in the hearts of all readers who like her, just like you," Gong Juren advised. Inwardly, he was full of admiration for Su Yu. This was the first time his father, who had been reading novels for so many years, exhibited such symptoms. It showed that Brother Yu's book was truly well-written!
"Juren, after listening to you, I feel much better." Gong Youcai's expression softened. Just as Gong Juren was feeling happy, his expression suddenly changed, and he asked Gong Juren, "Do you really read 'The Legend of Sword and Fairy'?"
"Yes, I've been reading it all along." Gong Juren was taken aback.
"Then why aren't you sad?" Gong Youcai pressed.
"Uh... I... I am sad... Old thief Jiangnan! Give me back my Lin Yue Ru!" Gong Juren quickly put on an act.
"You're not a fan of Zhao Ling'er and Li Xiaoyao, are you?"
"N-no."
"Heh heh, you always stammer when you lie."
"I... I'm not... stammering..."
"You brat, you're actually the enemy!"
"Dad... I'm not! I... I'm an ally!"
"..."
Gong Family Villa.
At this moment, the family was filled with happiness, father and son sharing affection!