Chapter Fourteen: An Insider, The Deal Continues

You are a struggling writer. One day, you suddenly receive a friend request from a reader. How do you respond?

A. Doxing, huh? Reported.
B. Accept the request and indulge in fantasies about the stories that must be told between me and a female reader.
C. Ignore it for now and see what they want.
D. Decline.

Is there even a need to hesitate? Obviously, decline... Yu Wei hesitated for a moment, then, after some thought, went ahead and accepted it.

Ever since he started writing *Celebrity Ratings*, he hadn't had any direct communication with his readers; taking this opportunity to chat wouldn't be a bad idea.

In all fairness, he had been quite open to suggestions since he started writing. Whenever readers pointed out issues, he would either explain or revise them, which could be considered a humble acceptance of public opinion.

However, a "ten-thousand-subscription" big shot had once told him that writing should prioritize self-expression; if one blindly caters to readers, the story ends up becoming a mess of contradictions. Yu Wei had limited ability, and as a struggling author, he didn't have the confidence to insist on his own vision, so he could only try to balance the two as best as he could.

Perhaps it was precisely because he was always looking over his shoulder, trying to have it both ways, that he remained a struggling writer...

"Did you listen to the song?"

Yu Wei took the initiative to greet them. This sentence effectively revealed his identity—he was the author himself, and he was the one who sang the song.

He had no intention of hiding his identity. It was just writing a novel—he wasn't stealing, robbing, or breaking any laws. Because he wasn't writing well, Yu Wei didn't go around shouting it from the rooftops, but that didn't mean he wouldn't admit to it.

It would be discovered sooner or later anyway, so there was no need to cover anything up.

The current situation reminded him of a common trope in entertainment-themed web novels: the "secret identity" trope, where the protagonist releases works under a fake identity, only to have their identity revealed and shock everyone...

The first time he read this genre, he thought it was quite good, but after seeing it too many times, he developed aesthetic fatigue.

The slow-paced ones involve the characters jumping back and forth between suspicion, denial, and more suspicion, dragging things out until the reader’s patience is completely worn thin and the sense of satisfaction is lost.

The more toxic ones include a "self-proving" segment where the impostor has to reveal their identity, which just makes the reader’s blood pressure rise...

In any case, Yu Wei felt there was nothing to hide. He hadn't done anything shameful, so he might as well admit it openly and be straightforward.

Qi Luo'an had just watched the segment in the novel where the song *Heart Wall* was sung. Beyond the song title and lyrics, even the narrative intent behind the song matched perfectly. This couldn't be a coincidence.

That song was rumored to be Yu Wei's original work, so this entertainment-themed rating novel must have something to do with him.

She had never been able to stand Qi Yuan. Ever since they were kids, she hadn't yielded to her big brother many times, nor had she ever asked him for help.

This time, however, was an exception...

"I listened. It was very good."

Qi Luo'an hadn't expected Yu Wei to be so frank. He jumped straight into talking about the song, skipping the novel-related topic from the friend request entirely, which was effectively an admission.

What on earth was a celebrity doing writing an entertainment novel?

Would a wealthy second-generation heir write a "God-tier Tycoon" novel? Would a top-tier chef write a gourmet novel? Would a scientist write an academic prodigy novel?

Generally, no. Because once you reach that level, you lose interest in such things. Wouldn't it be easier to just start a social media account than to write a book?

Especially for someone like her, who frequently read entertainment novels, she felt this deeply. Entertainment novels were actually more like an outsider’s imagination of the entertainment industry, often far removed from reality.

Qi Luo'an couldn't fathom it. It was one thing for a real celebrity to write a novel, but to actually write his unreleased new song into the plot...

No matter how she looked at it, this operation was absurd.

What was even more absurd was that it was actually true.

"How did you get my contact information?"

This was the point Yu Wei was most curious about. Although the reality of online doxing existed, this reader didn't seem like the type.

"I have my ways."

The other party was clearly joking, but Yu Wei understood—it seemed she had gotten his contact info from someone.

Not many people had his contact information. It seemed there was a mole in his circle...

Afterward, the two chatted briefly about the book. It had to be said that "This Is An Shi" was indeed a seasoned reader of the genre; many of her thoughts coincided with his.

"So, will you come back to keep reading?"

This was vital to Yu Wei. He had gone through all the trouble of chatting for so long just to lure a reader back; he’d take every one he could get.

"Depends on your performance."

That was what Qi Luo'an said, but she had actually already pinned the book to the top of her list. A celebrity writing an entertainment novel? She certainly had to check it out.

She wanted to see what other tricks Yu Wei could pull.

In truth, many things remained unsaid between the two. Their discussion was kept within limits; after all, it was their first day knowing each other, and they had a sense of propriety, knowing what should and shouldn't be said.

The simple author-reader exchange ended there. Yu Wei slept until broad daylight, only to wake up and find that the news about his book had already spread through the chat groups.

Only two readers had heard the song last night, but now it had finally been discovered by the masses...

Finally.

Yu Wei was overjoyed. He had been looking forward to the day "fiction meets reality." It was good that it was spreading; only when it spread would people read his book.

He casually clicked on the forwarded chat records, which contained screenshots and content from his book, ending with a recording of the concert.

"This book is god-tier. It wrote about last night's new song six days ago."

"A prophet has appeared?"

"It could also be written by someone on the inside who heard the song and just put it in."

"Just another hype-monger. Clearly a cheap publicity stunt by an entertainment company."

"Conspiracy theories are getting out of hand. The author has been updating daily for so long. I went to check—it’s just a standard 'copy-paste' entertainment novel. Who would hype it up like this?"

"You don't understand."

Yu Wei couldn't be bothered to read the rest of the "know-it-all" debates. In the end, no one could convince anyone else, and every discussion eventually devolved into nonsense.

However, the person who discovered this "big scoop" wasn't one of his readers, but rather a fellow author who had been lurking in the group...

Initially, he had just wanted to see if the book—the one that had been sending out red envelopes to beg for reads—had flopped, but after a quick scan, he discovered the song *Heart Wall*.

He was shocked when he saw the publication date from last Sunday. After being posted in the group and forwarded repeatedly, it finally caused a small-scale sensation.

There was no such thing as an overnight explosion across the entire internet; gossip and fresh news in the group were usually only discussed by the few circles that frequented it.

A small-scale explosion was exactly the result Yu Wei wanted. Interested people would go check it out, and it wouldn't attract all sorts of weirdos from outside the circle...

At the very least, his book had definitely become a hit in the web novel community. Many readers came out of curiosity, and some fellow authors even started advertising his book in their own reader groups.

*Why Is the Celebrity So Obsessed with Ratings?* also jumped to third place on the trending works list, briefly surpassing the masterpieces of several platinum-level gods.

Of course, this didn't mean much. The trending list was just real-time traffic; once the stir died down, his book would likely return to being a roadside weed.

Authors generally assumed he was an insider at an entertainment company, and that he had simply happened to know about the song in advance and written it into his book.

This speculation was currently the most reasonable and acceptable possibility.

"Strike while the iron is hot."

Yu Wei wanted to hurry up and write more to retain the readers who were there for the drama, but when he glanced at his private messages, his temporary chat sessions had already exploded.

"Hehe, shamelessly asking for a chapter recommendation."

"So you really are an insider? It's not easy for staff to write novels too. I'm a part-time writer as well, can you give me a shout-out..."

"Chapter recommendation."

Seeing his book take off, there were quite a few fellow authors coming to ask for shout-outs. Some made small talk to build rapport before asking, while others didn't even bother with the act—they were direct and blunt.

Back when Yu Wei was a struggling author, he had been quite happy to give shout-outs to his peers. Mutual support among small authors was normal—a little "py" trade (mutual promotion) was just a favor.

But there were simply too many people asking him this time; even if he wanted to help, he couldn't keep up...

One author was even more aggressive:

"Give me a chapter shout-out, or I'm going to your company to report you for being a mole and leaking secrets."

A mole, huh? Time to continue the "py" trade.

Using his own song—could that even be called leaking secrets?