amaotonovel Chapter 1597 A Good Article Can Be Broken
Chapter 1597 A Good Article Can Be Broken
"Qin Hao, what did you update last night? Your book has been banned again. This is the seventh one of yours!"
An angry voice exploded in his ears like thunder. Qin Hao slowly opened his eyes and saw a delicate but distorted face—short hair, raised eyebrows, and eyes spitting fire. The person in front of him stood with their hands on their hips, looking like a volcano about to erupt.
Seeing Qin Hao's lack of reaction, the short-haired beauty clearly wasn't going to let him off the hook: "I'm asking you a question! This is the seventh book! Seven books banned in two years, seven different aliases—is this some kind of elaborate way to court death?"
A series of memories rushed into Qin Hao's mind—
The original owner was thirty years old and a professional online novelist.
The short-haired beauty who was currently bombarding him with firepower was named Lin Zhanqiao, his editor, and also the founder and boss of Zhixing Culture Media Co., Ltd.
The "seventh book to be banned" mentioned earlier was "The God of War," written under his seventh pseudonym. Last night, the original owner couldn't resist updating a chapter with "powerful plot twists" at 3 AM, only to have it banned by the platform at 8 AM this morning. From upload to ban, it took less than five minutes, practically lightning fast.
"Are you even listening to me?!" Lin Zhanqiao's voice pulled Qin Hao back from the flood of memories.
Qin Hao blinked, looking at the angry short-haired beauty in front of him, and the corners of his mouth turned up slightly.
He yawned and shrugged, "Hey, it's just a novel. If it's banned, it's banned. I'll just write a new one."
This statement is as effective as pouring a ladle of cold water into a pot of boiling oil.
Lin Zhanqiao froze, staring at Qin Hao in disbelief. The next second, her face turned bright red, and her voice trembled.
"You make it sound so easy!" She took a step closer, her finger almost poking Qin Hao's nose. "You think you can just start a new book like that? These books aren't just your work! All the materials, outlines, and character designs were provided by me; they contain my hard work! Do you know how much effort I put into helping you restart your books? Do you know how the platforms curse me every time your book gets banned?"
Her voice grew louder and louder until it was almost a shout, her anger echoing throughout the office.
Qin Hao gave a look of sudden realization and said "Oh—" drawing out the last syllable.
"No wonder I couldn't outwrite He Han..."
Lin Zhanqiao was visibly taken aback, her anger intensifying: "What did you say?"
Qin Hao pursed his lips, his tone as casual as if he were talking about the weather: "If I'm not mistaken, these outlines you gave me are the ones He Han didn't want, right?"
It felt like the air had been sucked out.
Lin Zhanqiao's face flushed red, then paled, then flushed again. Her lips trembled slightly, her face turning bright red with anger: "That's right! He Han did review the outlines I gave you before, but it's not that they weren't good enough; it's just that they didn't suit He Han's style! Are you implying that I'm biased?"
Qin Hao shrugged, looking completely innocent: "You said that, I didn't."
"you--"
Lin Zhanqiao blushed deeply. Her hand, pointing to the door, trembled.
"Fine! Since you think I'm biased, then we don't need to cooperate anymore. You can leave!"
Qin Hao was amused.
That's exactly the effect he wanted to achieve by provoking Lin Zhanqiao.
Lin Zhanqiao's Zhixing is no charity. Top authors like He Han receive a 50% cut—meaning that for every 100 yuan He Han earns, 50 yuan goes to Zhixing. Although Zhixing provides assistance such as outlines and promotion, for Qin Hao, that "assistance" feels more like a shackle.
He needs someone to provide an outline for his online novel? Are you kidding me?
"You mean you want to terminate the contract with me?" Qin Hao deliberately asked to confirm.
Lin Zhanqiao gritted his teeth and said, word by word, "Our company is too small to accommodate someone as great as you. You should find another job."
"Okay, you said it."
Qin Hao stood up, picked up his phone from the table, and did so swiftly and decisively without the slightest hesitation.
The office door wasn't closed, and the argument between the two had already attracted the attention of the other offices. When Qin Hao walked out, more than a dozen heads turned around at once, their eyes filled with curiosity, shock, schadenfreude, and a variety of other emotions.
Lin Zhanqiao followed closely behind him and shouted to the administrator, "Bring me a termination contract!"
The young administrative assistant shuddered in fright and frantically rummaged through the documents. Qin Hao took the contract and quickly glanced at the terms—there was no penalty clause for breach of contract, and the copyright of the work would belong to Zhixing Company after termination.
Qin Hao didn't care at all. He signed his name with a flourish, stuffed the copy of the contract into his pocket, and walked out without looking back.
Lin Zhanqiao yelled from behind him, "What are you looking at? Anyone else who wants to leave can come and terminate their contract anytime!"
These words were like a bucket of cold water, dousing all the onlookers' heads. Everyone lowered their heads, pretending to be working diligently.
"Bang--"
Lin Zhanqiao slammed the office door shut, causing dust to fall from the door frame.
The office area was quiet for about three seconds, then, as if someone had flipped a switch, a buzz of discussion instantly erupted.
"Sigh, it's such a pity about the book 'God of War's Picture.' It was almost as popular as He Han's. I thought our company was about to produce another great author." The speaker was a boy wearing glasses, and his tone was full of regret.
"What's there to regret?" A girl with curly hair next to her rolled her eyes. "If you ask me, Qin Hao is nowhere near as good as He Han. The reason his books are so popular is entirely due to their suggestive harem elements."
"However, it's undeniable that other authors, even if they try to create harem-like scenarios, can't even touch the hem of He Han's work," the bespectacled man argued.
The curly-haired woman scoffed, "Authors who rely on skirting the edges to create a harem will never become top-tier authors."
"That's not necessarily true; readers vote with their feet..."
Just as everyone was arguing, a tall, slender figure walked down the corridor, wearing a dark blue casual suit, his steps unhurried, a faint smile on his lips. People greeted him as he passed.
"Teacher He Han."
"Good morning, Teacher He Han."
He Han smiled and nodded to everyone before pushing open the door to Lin Zhanqiao's office.
In the office, Lin Zhanqiao was leaning back in her chair, rubbing her temples with her eyes closed.
“It’s me.” He Han closed the door and sat down opposite her.
Lin Zhanqiao opened her eyes, and upon seeing him, her expression softened slightly, but she still kept a stern face: "What are you doing here? To see the joke?"
"How could I dare?" He Han waved his hand with a grin. "I heard about Lao Qin's situation. Okay, don't be angry. You know Lao Qin's writing style is like that; he never considers censorship when he writes, and this isn't a new thing."
"One or two days?" Lin Zhanqiao smiled bitterly. "It's been two years, He Han. Seven books have been banned in two years, and I've changed my online identity seven times. Every time, I get a thorough dressing-down from the platform. I, Lin Zhanqiao, have been in this industry for so many years, and I'm always the one criticizing others. But because of Qin Hao, I get called and scolded by the platform editors every few days. Do you know how that feels?"
He Han didn't respond, but waited quietly for her to finish before slowly speaking: "Don't forget, if it weren't for Lao Qin's occasional financial support back then, we might have given up writing long ago."
Lin Zhanqiao was stunned for a moment, and her anger deflated quickly as if she had been pricked by a needle.
“Back then, writing ‘intense plots’ could make money; traditional Chinese publishing catered to that. Old Qin’s talent was undeniable, but times have changed, censorship has become stricter, and he hasn’t adapted yet.” He Han’s tone became serious: “But it’s not that he can’t write good stuff; he’s just… used to grabbing readers’ attention in the most direct way.”
Lin Zhanqiao remained silent for a long time before finally sighing, "If it weren't for our past friendship, I would have stopped serving him long ago. Two years, He Han, a full two years, how many times have I cleaned up his messes?"
"How about this," He Han clapped his hands, "I'll invite Lao Qin to dinner later and try to persuade him. You can also give him a way out."
Lin Zhanqiao gave a soft hum, but her tone had clearly softened: "Then he must guarantee that all future manuscripts will have to be reviewed by me before they can be published."
“Okay—” He Han drawled, “I’ll go talk to him.”
Seeing that Lin Zhanqiao remained silent, He Han smiled. Based on his understanding of Lin Zhanqiao, silence meant consent.
-
After leaving the constellation of Zixing, He Han stood by the roadside and made a phone call to Qin Hao.
The phone was answered after three rings.
"Hey, Lao Qin, haven't eaten yet? Want to go together?" He Han tucked his phone between his ear and shoulder while hailing a taxi.
"Great, that's perfect, we're so poor we can barely afford food."
Qin Hao agreed very readily on the other end of the phone, which surprised He Han. Based on his understanding of Qin Hao, he should be at home smashing things and cursing right now, so why did he sound so cheerful?
However, he didn't think much of it, hailed a car, and gave Qin Hao's address.
Half an hour later, at a barbecue restaurant on the street.
The shop is small and simply decorated, but its strength lies in its fresh ingredients and affordable prices, making it Qin Hao's regular haunt. The neon sign at the entrance is broken, and the last character for "meat" in "Lao Jin Barbecue" is reduced to a single radical, making it look from a distance like "Lao Jin Barbecue Inside," which is rather absurd.
Qin Hao had already arrived and was sitting by the window, with two plates of marinated mutton and a dish of edamame in front of him. He waved to He Han as he entered.
"Oh, Master He, what an honor to have you here!"
"Come on." He Han sat down opposite him, put his phone and car keys on the table, and started stirring the charcoal fire himself. "You got here pretty fast."
"The advantage of not writing books is that you have more time." Qin Hao pushed a plate of mutton onto the grill. The sliced and marinated mutton shrank rapidly under the heat of the charcoal fire, sizzling and releasing a rich aroma of meat.
He Han didn't stand on ceremony, picking up a piece of roasted mutton and stuffing it into his mouth. It burned his teeth, but he couldn't bear to spit it out, mumbling, "I heard you terminated your contract with Zhixing?"
"You're asking a question you already know the answer to."
He Han choked for a moment.
Qin Hao feigned lingering anger: "So you invited me to dinner out of the blue, just to act as a go-between for Lin Zhanqiao? No wonder it's a 'no good' dinner."
"Alright," He Han put another piece of meat on his plate, "If you ask me, you're also partly to blame. You know how strict the platform is with its borderline reviews these days, yet you still went for it. This resulted in the 'God of War' image being banned immediately, and all of everyone's hard work going to waste. If I were Lin Zhanqiao, I'd be angry too."
Qin Hao didn't reply, and continued grilling the meat.
He Han observed his expression and continued, "Of course, Lin Zhanqiao's methods were indeed a bit rough. That's just how she is; she strives for perfection in everything. Besides, she has a ton of work to handle at Zhengxing Company, and she's under a lot of pressure. She's overwhelmed every day. You two should try to be understanding of each other."
As he spoke, he placed another piece of meat on Qin Hao's plate, as if trying to soften the other's stance with the barbecue.
Qin Hao put down his chopsticks.
He looked up at He Han, his playful smile fading, replaced by an unusual seriousness.
"He Han, since we've come this far, I'll tell you the truth."
He Han put down his chopsticks and said seriously, "You speak."
"I was indeed a bit impulsive at the time," Qin Hao frankly admitted. "But I think terminating my contract with Zhixing was actually a good thing."
"Good news?" He Han frowned. "Another company has tried to poach you?"
Given Qin Hao's popularity in the online literature circle, it's not surprising that some companies want to sign him.
Qin Hao smiled and shook his head: "Why is it necessary to sign with a company?"
He Han was taken aback: "You're planning to go it alone?"
"why not?"
The lamb on the grill was already golden brown, the fat dripping onto the charcoal and crackling, wisps of smoke rising in the air. A variety show was playing on the TV in the shop, bursts of laughter filling the air, but neither of them paid any attention.
He Han said seriously, "But how can you ask the platform for promotion if you're going solo? You know how online literature platforms allocate traffic these days. Without a company backing you, you can't even get featured on the homepage. Even if your book is good, it's all for nothing without exposure."
That's the truth. The online literature industry has evolved to the point where "good wine needs no bush" is no longer the case. Platform recommendation slots are a limited resource, prioritized for authors signed with companies. For individual authors to stand out, the difficulty is virtually insurmountable.
Qin Hao picked up his chopsticks, took a piece of roasted mutton, and chewed it slowly, as if he were savoring some unparalleled delicacy.
"Even the best writing can be broken."
Four words, written lightly, yet carrying a powerful weight.
He Han stared at him for several seconds, trying to find a trace of joking in his expression, but Qin Hao's eyes were calm and determined, not like he was talking big.
"are you serious?"
Qin Hao put down his chopsticks, picked up his beer and clinked glasses with He Han, then took a swig before half-jokingly saying, "You'll see when my new book comes out. Don't cry if I pull you off the top of the charts."
He Han also picked up his beer, took a sip, and scoffed, "Tch, wait until you can write over a million words without getting banned before you say that."
Qin Hao smiled and did not refute.
After seeing He Han off, Qin Hao returned to his rented room, turned on his computer, logged into the author assistant on Dingqi.com, and clicked "Create New Book".
In the title field, he typed five words—
The night watchman of Dafeng.
The cursor blinked in the description bar for two seconds, and Qin Hao began typing. His fingers flew across the keyboard at an extremely fast speed, yet almost without pause, as if all the words had already matured in his mind and were now simply being poured out.
Xu Qi'an, a modern policeman, transmigrates to the Great Feng Dynasty and becomes a lowly night watchman in the capital. His life begins with imprisonment—his second uncle is implicated and imprisoned, and his entire family faces exile. He must use his knowledge and reasoning skills from his previous life to overturn his uncle's conviction and save his family.
Suspense, mystery, court intrigue, and cultivation—these four elements intertwine like a meticulously woven net, with each chapter ending precisely at the point where readers are most eager to know what will happen next.
Two hours, 30,000 words, all in one go.
Click to publish.
A notification popped up on the screen: "Work published successfully."
-
One day later, at the editorial department of Dingqi.com.
At 9:15 a.m., editor Xiao Cai walked into the office just as the work bell rang. She threw her backpack on the desk and slumped into her swivel chair, which creaked under the weight of her weight.
He expertly pressed the power button on his computer, and while waiting, he turned to his colleague at the next workstation and complained, "Sigh, working in this line of work is like finding gold in shit."
My colleague, a guy wearing black-rimmed glasses, peeked out from behind the monitor and adjusted his glasses: "What's up now? What time did you finish your night shift reviewing manuscripts last night?"
"Three in the morning." Xiao Cai rubbed his temples weakly. "One hundred and twenty-three submissions, less than ten were even worth reading, three were worthy of a contract, and not a single one was worth recommending. Especially those new authors, none of them seem to learn how to attract readers with their opening chapters; all they say is—"
He mimicked in a high-pitched voice, "'I've written a lengthy masterpiece; those without patience are not worthy of reading it.'"
My colleague laughed: "Stop complaining. The presence of new talent means this industry still has a future. If no one submits articles to us anymore, we'll be out of a job."
“That’s true.” Xiao Cai sighed, opened the backend review system, and began routinely reviewing the new submissions from last night to this morning.
Book titles flashed by one after another—"Supreme God Emperor," "Rebellious Young Master," "Rebirth of the Urban Immortal Venerable," "Invincible System of Myriad Realms"... Each book title seemed to be mass-produced by an online novel title generator, and you could guess 80% of the content at a glance.
Xiao Cai mechanically clicks, glances at the app, closes it, and then clicks on the next one. He repeats this routine hundreds of times a day, even with his eyes closed.
Until a book title suddenly caught my eye—
"The Night Watchman of Dafeng".
Xiao Cai's hand stopped.
"The Great Feng Night Watchman?" he read aloud, his brows furrowing. "What a rubbish title. It's obviously a flop."
A night watchman? The one who rings a gong in the middle of the night and shouts "Dry weather, be careful of fire!"? What's so interesting about that? And what dynasty is "Da Feng"? Did such a dynasty even exist in history?
Xiao Cai shook his head, but still clicked on it as usual. After all, he had been in this industry for three years, so he naturally wouldn't hastily judge the fate of a book just by looking at the title. Some titles are amazing, but the content is as bad as a primary school student's composition; some titles are so corny, but clicking on them is surprisingly refreshing.
However, he didn't have high hopes for it anyway.
Chapter One, The Beginning—
Xu Qi'an transmigrated because his second uncle was implicated in a tax evasion case and imprisoned, putting his entire family at risk of exile. The story begins with a life-or-death crisis, without any unnecessary preamble.
"Um?"
Xiao Cai sat up straight.
In Chapter Two, Xu Qi'an uses his past life's criminal investigation knowledge to analyze case files and discovers key doubts in the tax silver case—
Xiao Cai started scrolling through the page quickly.
Chapter Three: The crucial evidence for overturning the verdict emerges, but only one day remains—
Xiao Cai's swivel chair stopped spinning, and his body leaned forward unconsciously, his eyes fixed on the screen.
In Chapter Four, Xu Qi'an relentlessly pressed the prosecution in court, using logic and evidence to expose the loopholes in their arguments—
"Holy crap!" Xiao Cai slammed his hand on the table, startling his colleague next to him. "You idiot! How did Xu Qi'an manage to overturn Uncle's case?"
"What's wrong?" a colleague asked curiously as she approached.
Xiao Cai sent the link to the article to his colleague: "Take a look for yourself."
The colleague took the link and casually clicked on the first chapter. His initially nonchalant expression changed when he read the third paragraph; he subconsciously adjusted his posture and began to read attentively.
Five minutes later, the colleague looked up, his eyes filled with the excitement an editor has when they see a good manuscript: "This must be a new pseudonym created by some veteran author."
"You think so too?" Xiao Cai asked.
“Do you even need to think about it?” My colleague pointed at the screen. “Look at the pacing, the way the opening creates a sense of crisis, and the placement of the endings—it’s so precise, like it was measured with a ruler. A novice definitely wouldn’t have this level of skill. And look at his writing, concise and powerful, not a single wasted word, every character is instantly recognizable from the moment they appear. This is something a novice author could never achieve.”
As if waking from a dream, Xiao Cai quickly sent a private message to the other party on the author's assistant platform: "Hello, this is Xiao Cai, an editor at Dingqi.com. I am very interested in your work, 'The Night Watchman of Dafeng.' Would you be interested in signing a contract?"
After he finished, he started spinning back and forth in the chair, as if he had springs under his buttocks.
"Stop spinning," my colleague said helplessly. "I'm dizzy."
"I'm just in a hurry—"
"bite."
The in-system message notification sound has gone off.
Xiao Cai lunged at the keyboard and opened the reply. The other party only replied with two words: "Okay."
Next came the online signing process. Xiao Cai skillfully sent the contract template and waited for the other party to fill in the information. He kept his eyes glued to the screen the entire time, afraid the other party might suddenly change their mind and leave.
Ten minutes later, the other party sent a reply.
Xiao Cai subconsciously clicked on the ID card section and glanced at the name—
Holy crap!
He looked at it again to make sure he wasn't seeing things.
"What's wrong now?" His colleague was used to his shouting, but still came over.
Xiao Cai pointed at the screen, his face looking like he'd swallowed a fly: "Look."
A colleague leaned closer for a look and also swore, "What? It's this guy?"
On the screen, the real name of the signed author was clearly written as Qin Hao.
"This is his eighth alias, isn't it?" My colleague's tone was complicated. "Should he sign it or not?"
Xiao Cai was undecided. The name Qin Hao carried a similar weight in the editorial department of Dingqi.com as a "wanted criminal" did in government offices—seven books had been banned in two years, and each time their editorial department had to clean up the mess, and each time they were criticized by higher-ups on the platform.
Let's sign it, just in case it gets blocked again.
If we don't sign it, the quality of this book speaks for itself. If it gets snatched up by another platform, the editor-in-chief will definitely yell at him.
After hesitating for three minutes, Xiao Cai finally decided to report it.
He printed out a copy of the manuscript, tucked it under the contract documents, and jogged to the editor-in-chief's office. He took a deep breath and knocked on the door.
"Enter."
The editor-in-chief's surname is Zhou. He is in his early forties, balding, and wears gold-rimmed glasses. He is the kind of person who looks gentle but actually has a very short temper.
Xiao Cai placed the manuscript on Editor-in-Chief Zhou's desk and briefly reported the situation: "Editor-in-Chief Zhou, this new book is of very high quality, but I'm unsure whether to sign it."
Editor-in-Chief Zhou picked up the manuscript and glanced at the title: "The Night Watchman of the Great Feng Dynasty?"
"Yes, the title sounds ordinary, but the content is excellent. Please take a look."
Editor-in-Chief Zhou opened the first page with some skepticism. A minute later, he put down the promotional plan and began to read it carefully. Three minutes later, he took off his glasses, rubbed his eyes, and put them back on to continue reading. Five minutes later, he closed the manuscript and looked at Xiao Cai: "What's there to hesitate about with such a clearly promising article? Sign it quickly!"
Xiao Cai gave a wry smile and pushed the contract documents over: "Please take another look at his ID card."
Editor-in-Chief Zhou frowned, flipped through the documents, and his gaze fell on the photocopy of the ID card—
"It's that guy again!"
Editor-in-Chief Zhou reacted exactly like Xiao Cai, even more intensely. He took off his glasses and slammed them on the table: "Qin Hao! How come he's using a new pseudonym again!"
"Editor-in-chief, are you sure you want to sign it or not?" Xiao Cai asked cautiously.
Editor-in-Chief Zhou fell silent. He picked up the manuscript again and read the opening of "The Night Watchman of Dafeng" from beginning to end once more. This time, he read it more slowly and carefully, as if he were weighing something.
After reading it, he leaned back in his chair, put his glasses back on, and sighed, "Sign it."
"what?"
“Even if it gets censored, at least this opening will attract a lot of readers, so we won’t suffer any losses.” Editor-in-Chief Zhou’s tone carried a helpless pragmatism: “Besides, what if what he wrote this time doesn’t violate any rules?”
Xiao Cai thought about it and agreed. Qin Hao's writing style was never the problem; the problem was that he always wrote borderline works. If he could really control his restless heart this time, perhaps the online novel world would gain another top-tier author.
"Finish the signing process quickly," Editor-in-Chief Zhou waved his hand. "Also, don't give a recommendation yet; observe for a few days first."
"clear."
-
One week later.
Xiao Cai sat at his workstation, staring at the backend data, his mouth agape, wide enough to fit an egg.
"The Great Feng Night Watchman" has climbed to seventh place on the Dingqi.com new book list without any recommendation resources, relying solely on organic traffic.
Number of favorites: 18723.
Follow-up rate: 46.7%.
What does this data mean? It means that nearly 50,000 readers clicked on this book, and more than a third of them read all the updated chapters and are still eagerly awaiting new chapters. Without any recommendations, this rate of continued readership is simply monstrous.
"Damn it..." Xiao Cai muttered to himself, quickly taking a screenshot and sending it to Editor-in-Chief Zhou, along with a message: "Editor-in-Chief Zhou, 'The Great Feng Night Watchman' has climbed to seventh place on the new book chart, should we give it a recommendation?"
Editor-in-Chief Zhou replied quickly: "Come to my office."
Five minutes later, Xiao Cai stood in front of Editor-in-Chief Zhou's desk.
“I’ve looked at the data,” Editor-in-Chief Zhou said, pointing to the graph on the computer screen. “The growth is very stable; it’s not inflated.”
"Yes, I checked, the data is clean."
Editor-in-Chief Zhou thought for a moment: "Let's give it a popularity recommendation first and see the effect."
Popularity recommendations are the lowest tier of recommendation resources, usually only given to new authors as a trial. They're placed in a corner of the website's homepage with limited exposure. Editor-in-Chief Zhou's arrangement is both cautious and a test—if Qin Hao's book performs poorly under popularity recommendations, it means the period of natural growth's benefits is over; if it performs well, it's not too late to gradually increase the number of recommendations.
Xiao Cai accepted the order and arranged for the popular recommendations that very day.
result--
In just one day, "The Great Feng Night Watchman" jumped from seventh to third on the new book chart.
Ahead of it are two books: one a highly recommended masterpiece by Dingqi.com, and the other a new book by a renowned author. "The Great Feng Night Watchman," however, with just one popular recommendation, has left all the other highly recommended new books far behind.
The comments section exploded.
"This book is addictive! Once you start reading, you can't put it down!"
"I watched the part where Xu Qi'an overturned the verdict three times, it was so satisfying!"
"The author is definitely a repeat user; a newcomer couldn't write this kind of prose."
"I bet five cents that this is Qin Hao's new account; the writing style is too similar."
"Who is Qin Hao? Newbie here, need some background information."
"Qin Hao is that ruthless guy who had seven books banned in two years. Those borderline works are really...tsk tsk~~~"
At the same time, the strong performance of "The Great Feng Night Watchman" on the charts has also attracted the attention of people in the industry.
-
Meeting room, Zixing Culture Media Co., Ltd.
Lin Zhanqiao sat in the main seat, with a printed copy of the first ten chapters of "The Great Feng Night Watchman" spread out in front of her. On either side of her sat the company's other two partners—Zhao Lanxin and Ling Yikai—as well as five or six editors.
"You've all read this book, right?" Lin Zhanqiao asked in a flat tone.
"I've read it," Zhao Lanxin spoke first. In her early thirties, with short, neat hair, she was the operations director of Zhixing. "This author is definitely not a newcomer; their writing style is incredibly sophisticated."
"How so?" Ling Yikai asked. He was in charge of business development for Zhixing and didn't have a deep understanding of online literature.
Zhao Lanxin opened the manuscript in her hand and pointed to a passage with her pen: "Look at this scene of the courtroom reversal of a verdict; the pacing is incredibly precise. Every sentence advances the plot, there's no superfluous description, yet every necessary detail is included. This kind of skill requires writing at least tens of millions of words to develop."
“Yes,” another editor chimed in, “not only is the writing excellent, but the character portrayals are also very vivid. The protagonist, Xu Qi’an, is established from the very first appearance—intelligent, calm, and principled, yet not a saint. And the Second Uncle’s family members all have distinct personalities.”
"The opening's sense of crisis and exhilarating feeling is also very well-arranged." Another editor added, "Most transmigration novels start with 'a loser in his previous life transmigrates and becomes incredibly powerful,' but this one is different. Transmigration is just the introduction; the real core is deduction and reversal of the verdict. I've never seen another book combine suspense and mystery with the exhilarating feeling of online novels so well."
As everyone analyzed the situation, Lin Zhanqiao remained silent.
Her gaze lingered on a line of text in the manuscript, her fingers unconsciously tapping the table, making a soft tapping sound.
Ling Yikai noticed her unusual behavior and asked curiously, "President Lin, what are your thoughts?"
Lin Zhanqiao raised her head, her gaze shifting from the manuscript to each person present, finally settling on Ling Yikai's face.
"Don't you guys think this person's writing style is a bit like someone else's?"
Her voice wasn't loud, but each word was like a pebble thrown into a calm lake, creating ripples.
There was a two-second silence in the conference room.
The editors were taken aback at first, then as if struck by something, a name popped into their minds at the same time.
"President Lin, you wouldn't be thinking that this is Qin Hao's new book, would you?" Zhao Lanxin asked tentatively.
This sentence was like a match thrown into a gasoline can, and the entire office instantly erupted in chaos.
"I knew it!" a young editor exclaimed, slapping his thigh. "This writing style is so similar to Qin Hao's!"
"I had some doubts before, and it turns out everyone else felt the same way."
"Looking at the comments section of Da Feng, many readers are also speculating that this is Qin Hao's new pseudonym."
"If it really is Qin Hao, then it's not surprising."
In an instant, all eyes were focused on Lin Zhanqiao.
After all, it was Lin Zhanqiao who proposed terminating the contract with Qin Hao. If "The Great Feng Night Watchman" is indeed Qin Hao's new book, then Zhixing has essentially let go of a potential top-tier author.
The atmosphere became subtle.
Seeing this, Ling Yikai quickly smoothed things over for Lin Zhanqiao: "Actually, if it really is Qin Hao's new book, we don't need to worry too much. After all, knowing his style, he'll be banned before he even reaches a million words; an author like that will never become a top author."
Several editors nodded, clearly agreeing with this assessment. Qin Hao's "past record" was there for all to see: seven books in two years, none exceeding one million words. No matter how good the writing, if it doesn't reach one million words, it has no long-term value, and the platform's recommendation resources won't be tilted towards an author who could be banned at any time.
However, this time Lin Zhanqiao shook her head.
She frowned, her tone carrying a complex, indescribable quality: "What if he writes a million words and doesn't get banned?"
This sentence was like a bucket of ice water poured over me from head to toe.
The entire office was completely silent.
The editors looked at each other, speechless.
It must be admitted that Qin Hao's writing skills are no less than He Han's, and his style is even more unique. What truly hindered his rise to fame was never the quality of his writing, but rather his penchant for writing outrageous and outrageous content that thrilled readers and terrified censors.
But if this book, *The Great Feng Night Watchman*, truly doesn't border on suggestive content and could indeed reach a million words—
That would definitely be a huge hit.
Everyone present knew what it meant that Qin Hao's writing skills were no less than He Han's, his style was more unique, and he wouldn't be banned for skirting the rules.
Silence hung like a thick fog over the entire conference room.
While everyone was still looking at each other in bewilderment, Lin Zhanqiao had already stood up, grabbed her coat from the back of the chair, and strode towards the door.
Ling Yikai was taken aback: "Where are you going?"
Lin Zhanqiao opened the office door without turning around.
"Go to Dingqi.com."
The door slammed shut behind her, leaving a room full of editors staring at each other in bewilderment. (End of Chapter)