Chapter 99: Oh Heavens Above!
Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
Many of the chapters of “Murder The Dream Guy” got locked.
There was an email from from the platform’s editorial department, asking her to modify those chapters.
Reason for being locked: violence, gore, involving rated content.
This was the first time that Xiang Wan encountered such a matter as an author all these years.
Locked for rated content? Her female and male lead in “Murder The Dream Guy” had not even kissed. What exactly happened?
What was more dreadful was that a “war” had started at the review and comments page.
There were readers questioning about the lock. The mild mannered ones were asking for reasons, while those with poor att.i.tude directly slammed the author and the website as they had paid money to read the chapters. Consequently, there were suddenly someone who claimed to know what happened—they said that the book contained violent, gory as well as s.e.xually explicit content. That was why the book got reported.
A tossed stone raises a thousand ripples.
Everyone was in an uproar, and the discussion was vigorous.
The readers’ viewpoints could never be unanimous.
Hence, there was a heated debate if the book actually contained inappropriate content.
At that moment, the book review and comments section were crowded like the market as everyone had their own opinions with regards to the topic.
…
Xiang Wan eyeballed the IDs who thought her book were full of gore and contained s.e.xually explicit content and noticed that these IDs looked really unfamiliar. They had never appeared in her review and comments section of “Murder The Dream Guy” before.
Well, she was able to notice that as she only had a small base of readers, which was perhaps the only benefit of not having a lot of readers. As long as these readers had left a comment or a review, she would remember their ID.
And those who were defending her books were exactly her base of readers, with Yuan Qianqian as the representative of her pool of readers since long time ago.
The Supporters of the Ban:
“The crime scene description of the case makes readers feel nauseous, disgusted, and uncomfortable. It will be a bad influence for the young. The emotional details and body movements as well as dialogues are too direct and crude. It simply means that the author is not cultured at all…”
The Defenders:
“This is called realism, thank you! Those readers who want to read pure, innocent romance with fanciful poetic words that even the author doesn’t know, much less readers like us, please leave this page and read other books. It is alright to not like this book, but resorting to such dirty tricks is uncalled for…”
Neutral:
“I’m only concerned if there will be an update today. Dear author, no matter if it’s s.e.xually explicit content or gory murders, do you dare to up the level? If you dare, I’ll manage and deliver your meals in the ‘prison’!”
More dramas:
“A trashy author will be supported by trashy readers. Pardon me, but people who read this book are the older women, losers with low IQ…”
“To the one above, pardon me for saying this, your pair of n.o.ble eyes are only suited to read dictionaries!”
“Hurhur, it’s no use trying to put up a defense. When the website locked the chapters, it already clearly showed that there IS a problem with the chapters. This is called official verdict, understand? For having s.e.xually explicit content, violence, and gory murders, this is a piece of trashy work that is not suitable for youngsters to read. Hurry and delete this book, don’t be a disgrace!”
“…”
There was a surge of bad reviews.
The review and comments page was quite a healthy and harmonious environment until these people came along. They were like the monsoon waves that hit the book review and comments page. Everything was thrown off balance.
In addition, these people possessed “high combat power” for they seemed organized with a purpose and aim.
Xiang Wan read through the page for a long time when she suddenly gulped.
“Fang Yuanyuan, you come in right now!”
The door was opened and Fang Yuanyuan stood aside obediently.
“You’re the one who asked me to go out.”
Xiang Wan stared at her and noticed that she was avoiding to look at her in the eye.
At that moment, Xiang Wan suddenly realized something.
Originally, she had thought Fang Yuanyuan did all these things to appease her because of them moving here…
But it was actually because of the locked chapters!
“My dear editor, since when did my story become violent and gory? Fine, I can attribute that as too realistic to the actual case. But what is this s.e.xually explicit content about? My dear, both my male and female leads are still virgins…”
“Even if they are virgins, there’s still rated scenes!” Fang Yuanyuan answered weakly. “Who told you to write flirting scenes all the time whenever they meet? Do you know that they captured two sentences as screenshots to prove your ‘crime’…”
“Fang Yuanyuan!” Xiang Wan stared at her with eyes wide-opened. She wished she could strangle her to death. “Try saying it again one more time? If my book is so full of rated content and gory scenes, then the bulk of books in the whole platform should have been removed?”
Xiang Wan’s gaze were like piercing knives. Fang Yuanyuan pulled a stool and sat beside her dejectedly.
“Can’t you see the problem?” She went straight to the point. “This is not the fundamental problem at all.”
“Then tell me, what is the fundamental problem?” Xiang Wan glared at her fiercely, as if she was going to eat her up.
“Sis, don’t look at me like that… Sigh, darling, I’m only an editor without power.” Fang Yuanyuan said rather feebly. “A large number of readers from various means of communication channels reported you today. Someone even directly reported you to the Bureau of Cultural Affairs as well as sent an email complaining to the Mayor directly… The bosses wanted the chapters to be modified, what do you expect the editorial department to do?”
“But this is not true at all?”
“What is true and what is not? You tell me that there’s no violence and gory as well as rated content, but this is totally up to the individual, and everyone has different views to it. This is not a simple math equation of one plus one equals to two, my dear sis…”
“There’s no standard measure to this, but we can provide a reference? The famous writers directly wrote about the human reproductive organs, but no one reported them for writing about s.e.xually explicit content?”
“Then wait till you’ve become a famous writer first!” Fang Yuanyuan pulled a long face, but her gaze was conflicted and stern at the same time. “Sis, give a dog a bad name and hang him, you get it?”
Give a dog a bad name and hang him.
Xiang Wan felt as if her heart was being torn apart, and it took a long time before she could give a response.
“Got it.”
If only one person reported her, it was easy to handle.
When a group of people reported her, it became something serious.
n.o.body would scrutinize her book, let alone determine whether the book was a positive read to readers…
Just saliva alone could drown someone.
Huang He was still inside the detention center. Even the police was unable to withstand the pressure of controversy, let alone she who was just a web novelist without any backing?
“So, just modify them!” Fang Yuanyuan furrowed her brows and ma.s.saged Xiang Wan’s shoulders.
“Hur.” Xiang Wan held her head with two hands. The feeling was similar to knowing that her kid was being bullied at school by those school bullies and she was helpless and heartbroken. “I really don’t know how to modify them…”
Fang Yuanyuan took a glimpse at her. “Or, I’ll help you edit the content?”
“No need.” Xiang Wan did not lift her head. “I don’t like others to touch my child.”
“…”
“You’re too stubborn!” Fang Yuanyuan puffed a helpless sigh, then gave it a thought. “It’s just a web novel. Who would be concerned how the content is like? If they want you to modify, just change some words and phrases will do?”
“No!”
The inferno within Xiang Wan continued to spread, and she had an urge to smash her laptop.
“I want to look for the director to appeal, I want to appeal!”
When Fang Yuanyuan heard that, the words that she had been holding in her throat finally gushed out.
“It’s no use. We had a meeting and discussed this for a long time… The fact that only certain chapters are being locked is the best outcome that I have fought for you.”
Fang Yuanyuan peered at her in a worried manner and tried to make her tone sound gentler so as not to make Xiang Wan so hurt. “According to the director, this book did not rake in much earnings anyway, so we should just directly delete the entire book to avoid trouble…”
She’s right!
Trouble.
Everyone is afraid of trouble.
Hence, that is why when people stand high enough, they can do whatever they want.
A strange chill crept into Xiang Wan’s body as her mind went blank. She looked at her laptop that accompanied her day and night.
Was she hardworking enough? Yes!
Was she persistent enough? Yes!
However, the heavens played such a joke on her, was that an indication that she was not suitable for this line of work?
“Why not… let’s give up this book?” Fang Yuanyuan furrowed her brows as she helped her to a.n.a.lyze the possibilities. “Modification of content could be most frustrating. The amount of time taken might as well be used to write a new book instead. If I were you, I’ll directly delete the book, open another new account, and restart all over again. Then, I’ll write a book that the market would embrace and accept. Even if that book might not be able to become very popular, the end result should not be worse than the current situation…”
A book that the market would embrace and accept?
The way she put it was really tactful.
To boot, wasn’t that riding on the coattails of other successful authors?
Xiang Wan was fuming so much that she felt pain in her heart, but she still put on a faint smile.
Actually, the world is never evil, it’s the people who’s evil.
Since they didn’t want her to write, all the more she should persist on!
“Fine.” Xiang Wan narrowed her eyes slowly and tried to say something, but no words came out. She lowered her head then looked up. This action got repeated several times before she finally uttered the words, as if shouldering a really heavy burden, “I’ll modify them!”
With that, she seemed drained of energy and closed her eyes helplessly.
Fang Yuanyuan looked at her with concern; she felt bad to see her in such a state as well.
“Sis, I know you’ve invested a lot of emotions inside this book. But…”
“You may go now.” Xiang Wan turned her chair as well as her back away from Fang Yuanyuan. “I need all the time I have to modify my work. I’ll do it right away!”
“…”
Fang Yuanyuan got up slowly, took two steps, and turned around to look at her.
“Sis, there’s nothing wrong with insisting on your own thinking, but neither of us are the ones making the rules. We’re the weak. What we can do is simply to change ourselves to accept all the unfairness and get used to all these unfairness.”
“Hm,” Xiang Wan replied coldly.
Throughout their conversation, she never asked who was the mastermind behind this incident.
Well, Fang Yuanyuan would not be able to give an answer anyway.
…
The night was deep, and everything was quiet.
In the study, there was a lamp as well as a shadow.
In the lonely sky, there was no end to the darkness whilst the stars blinked with all their might, wanting to see through everything clearly…
When the new day began, the stars had left, but the lamp inside the study had been left switched on the whole night.
…
Xiang Wan did not know when Fang Yuanyuan had left for work.
She was so focused that she did not even hear the door’s closing sounds.
When she came out to the bathroom, she found breakfast on the dining table.
It was not bought from outside but made by Fang Yuanyuan herself.
There were two fried eggs lying piteously on a plate. They didn’t look too good, but it was the first time Xiang Wan ever saw Fang Yuanyuan’s culinary skills.
Xiang Wan gave a yawn and laughed.
This girl! My dearest cousin… No, my dearest younger sister!
While she was having breakfast, Xiang Wan was checking her mobile phone.
There were no updates from “The White List”, as usual.
Well, this is our Second Young Master Mu , thought Xiang Wan.
He likes to do things his way, no matter what happens. If he doesn’t feel like updating, he won’t update and never bothered to give any explanation!
Nonetheless, there were news of Second Young Master Mu’s novel in the internet.
In the day’s list of top searched news, she saw the news of Ye Lun where fans rallied to support him acting as the antagonist, which was also the third male leading character in “The Grey List”.
Ever since the announcement of the list of celebrities who would be casted in the “The Grey List”, the internet had mixed responses for Ye Lun to be starred in the drama. No matter if they were in favor or not, it was a huge boost to his popularity. It could be said that the current popularity made him at the height of his acting career.
“Frankly, although Qin Shu is the bad guy in the story, he is the second male lead in my heart. He’s so bad that it makes people feel pity for him. My little Qin Shu! I don’t want Ye Lun to cast as him…”
“Hehehehe, hear my awkward but polite laughter? Bring your digital Qin Shou 1 away from here, as far as you can. Our Lunzi doesn’t give a bleep about such roles…”
“… It’s Qin Shu, not Qin Shou. Do you have brains? It’s not that we look down on Ye Lun. I’ll just ask a question—does he have acting skills?”
“Of course. This is answered by the mighty condor from the ‘Legend of the Condor Heroes’.”
“Is it fun to criticize Ye Lun like this? Did no one realize that Ye Lun himself is really suited to the character, Qin Shu, in the story? Look at his appearance, somewhat devilish and bad boy…”
“Well, taking drugs; goes whoring; having a sugar mama… Tch, tch, it’s totally stress free for him to act as the ‘beast’ in the drama. It’s exactly him, alright?”
“…”
All these netizens were chatting and arguing with each other intensely.
Sentence after sentence of amazing reb.u.t.tals kept appearing like n.o.body’s business. It made people feel that “experts” hide in the internet.
They’re really fantastic!
As Xiang Wan stayed up all night, she was overwhelmed by all these comments in no time…
Nevertheless, there was one point that she concurred with the netizens.
In her opinion, Ye Lun was suited for the role of Qin Shu, the antagonist in the story. At the very least, she found him very suitable in terms of appearance…
Suddenly, in her head, she thought of that night when she saw him at “The Palace”.
Tsk! He’s indeed a young and dashing celebrity. A hot young stud!
She was also curious if he and Sun Shangli’s relationship were really as what most people rumored to be…
Xiang Wan yawned again and finished the fried eggs before her. Next, she sent a message to Bai Muchuan and asked him that question.
Now, she was much at ease and found it easier to talk to Bai Muchuan. She totally did not feel that she would interrupt him at work.
However, it seemed as if Bai Muchuan was still in a poor mood. Every word in his reply seemed to have explosives hidden in them.
“Teacher Xiang, I’m not interested in matters like who’s on the bed of these hot, young celebrities. If you really want to know, you should change your profession to being a paparazzi!”
“…” This sharp-tongued guy!
Xiang Wan was so angry that she almost fell dead to the ground.
He’s crazy!
She did not reply to Bai Muchuan but thought of how she should explain about Huang He’s problem to Fang Yuanyuan, on account of her fried eggs…
It’s such a headache. Is keeping a secret so much more tougher than being pregnant?
As she thought about that, half a day had gone.
When Fang Yuanyuan got back from work, she still had not found a solution and had fallen asleep instead.
“Xiang, Wan!”
Fang Yuanyuan barged into her bedroom furiously. Her face was black as thunder, and her eyes were red. She seemed as if she was going to eat her up out of anger.
“Get up now and make things clear to me!”
…