九九影院

At the Anling Riverbank, a small shop glowed under the night sky, its few yellow, gentle lights casting halos on the stone-paved entrance path, complementing the twinkling stars above.

A gentle breeze fluttered the corner of the shop’s curtain, also tossing Shen Qianqian’s smooth hair into disarray.

Inside the shop, Lin Chuan and Shen Qianqian were sitting by the window.

At that moment, Shen Qianqian had changed out of her uniform and into casual clothes, a white chiffon blouse with jeans below, and white canvas shoes on her feet. Her face, tired from days of overtime, was now revitalized, fair and delicate, exquisitely sweet.

Indeed, not working overtime could rejuvenate a person.

Shen Qianqian adjusted the little curl on her forehead and said with a light smile, “Lin Chuan, Qiqi said that Wang Zikai has a fever, so they can’t come.”

Lin Chuan took a sip of jasmine tea and smiled awkwardly, “Uh, Wang Zikai told me too.”

Two minutes ago.

Wang Zikai sent a message: Brother, seize the opportunity well!

Lin Chuan only replied with an ellipsis.

Old Wang really never forgot to consider his brother’s lifetime matters, getting a fever at crucial times, leaving Lin Chuan and Shen Qianqian alone together.

It’s the thought that counts!

However, the atmosphere between the two was somewhat awkward.

Because Lin Chuan had only wanted to freeload a meal and had not anticipated that Wang Zikai and Xue Qiqi would stand them up.

He didn’t know what topics to talk about with Shen Qianqian.

With others around, he could chat away, but alone, it was as if his mouth had been sewn shut, and he couldn’t squeeze out a sentence for the life of him.

That was, perhaps, the predicament boys face when alone with a girl.

Fortunately, Shen Qianqian took the initiative to speak, “Lin Chuan, where did you learn those investigative techniques from?”

Lin Chuan was taken aback, “Officer Shen, why do you ask that?”

Shen Qianqian pursed her lips, her clear eyes staring earnestly at Lin Chuan as she said sincerely, “I think you have a lot of criminal potential.”

Cough!

Lin Chuan choked on the jasmine tea, coughing harshly, “Officer Shen, you can’t talk recklessly like that!”

Shen Qianqian burst into laughter, revealing shallow dimples, “Isn’t that the case?”

“That’s a dangerous thought!” Lin Chuan said with a wry smile, “And here I was, thinking you were a true fan today, only to find out you’re an anti-fan.”

Number one anti-fan!

Day in and day out wanting to drag me away and subject me to severe interrogation!

The professional habit of a detective was such, to want to check if anyone had a case on them and then bring them back to the police station to boost their performance.

Shen Qianqian chuckled, “You still haven’t answered my question.”

Lin Chuan looked into Shen Qianqian’s sincere eyes and thought for a moment, “If you’ve forged a thousand crime scenes, then investigating a scene would be as simple as drinking water to you.”

In terms of investigating cases or conducting interrogations, Lin Chuan wasn’t an expert.

But when it came to examining crime scenes, he was second to none.

Because he had indeed forged countless crime scenes!

Shen Qianqian’s eyes widened, “Who could have forged so many scenes?”

“That’s why it depends on talent,” Lin Chuan replied with a smile.

“So, you’re saying you’re a Criminal Investigation Genius?” Shen Qianqian’s eyes twinkled, and she began to smile.

“Thanks for the compliment,” Lin Chuan grinned.

Shen Qianqian smiled as well.

By the riverside cafe, the evening breeze gently blew, and the atmosphere between the two eased considerably.

Lin Chuan took a light sniff of the breeze.

The Anling River was well-maintained; there was no stench, and the night breeze carried the fresh scent of riverside herbs, refreshing the spirit.

This feeling was somewhat peculiar.

Although Lin Chuan was a professional web novel writer, even he couldn’t accurately describe it.

Perhaps, it was the prospect of a bright tomorrow beckoning him.

…

9:06 PM, still not too late.

After mooching a meal off Shen Qianqian, Lin Chuan returned to his rented house feeling refreshed and then eagerly checked the Popularity Value.

[Work: This Assassin Is Too Professional.]

[Status: Available now.]

[Popularity Value: 2005/3000.]

Lin Chuan frowned slightly and mumbled to himself, “Su Qianqian should still be live streaming to promote the book, right? The conversion effect is much worse than yesterday.”

After yesterday’s live stream, the Average Subscription had spiked by the thousands, but now the surge was much less impressive.

When something is abnormal, there’s bound to be a reason.

Lin Chuan’s brows were knitted together; he opened the Quick Shake live streaming platform and entered Su Qianqian’s live stream room.

Inside the live stream room.

Su Qianqian sat quietly in a small floral dress, her delicate oval face featuring a high-bridged nose and her soft hair lazily tied behind her head. Her lips were lightly pressed together, her eyebrows slightly furrowed, giving her a somewhat pitiable look.

It seemed her state was rather off.

On the right side of the screen was the content of Lin Chuan’s novel “This Assassin Is Too Professional.”

Lin Chuan’s eyes sharpened, his gaze falling on the barrage of comments streaming past.

These comments were not as harmonious as they were during yesterday’s live stream; on the contrary, they were full of aggression.

[Qianqian, this book is written so realistically, it doesn’t seem fictitious at all. Do you still want to promote it and drive traffic to him?]

[It’s clear this is a novel inciting crime; why would you recommend it?]

[I have read this novel, it’s all the author’s own criminal facts!]

[Qianqian, don’t be foolish, stop promoting his book right away!]

[Too criminal, wouldn’t reading this book get you a ten-plus year sentence?]

[Guys, this live stream promotes crime novels, let’s report it!]

[…]

The glaring text caught Lin Chuan’s eye.

He immediately understood the situation.

No wonder the rise in the Average Subscription wasn’t significant, and Su Qianqian’s live stream seemed off; it was the anti-fans at work.

Where did these anti-fans come from?

Lin Chuan could more or less guess.

Wherever there are people, there is a Martial World.

The web novel circle is the same, it’s not a sanctuary; on the contrary, even if the writers are minding their own business, typing away in front of their computers, there are still those who choose to wage war through the internet.

Jealousy and tangled interests often lead to major spat battles.

For Lin Chuan, it was a case of “sitting at home, and trouble comes knocking.”

The people in the live stream room were most likely not Lin Chuan’s anti-fans, but rather paid trolls hired by someone.

“Could it be because of the ‘Heroes Compete’ event last time, where I gained too much attention and attracted jealousy, or did it touch somebody’s interests?”

Lin Chuan thought to himself.

The biggest suspects were two authors: Handon and Hongmei.

Because Lin Chuan had claimed the top spot in Heroes Compete, which was like snatching food from the tiger’s mouth, touching their interests.

Lin Chuan thought for a moment, then sent a message to Captain Hu Daqiang, the head of the criminal investigation team: “Captain Hu, you gave an interview today, did you help me promote my novel?”

Shortly after.

Hu Daqiang replied with a voice message: “Comrade Lin, I wouldn’t dare forget what I promised you. In front of the reporters, I very accurately described your performance in solving cases, and I made a point of saying you are a web novel writer, including your novel. They should have published it by now, right?”

“Thanks, Captain Hu.”

A smile appeared on Lin Chuan’s face.

As expected!

The Anling news had already posted a related video on the Quick Shake live streaming app.

Without hesitation, Lin Chuan forwarded it to Su Qianqian’s live stream room.