Novellv Chapter 1621 The Yangtze River's back waves push the front waves forward.
Chapter 1621 The Yangtze River's back waves push the front waves forward.
Sunlight streamed in through the floor-to-ceiling windows, covering the bed. The air conditioner was on full blast, but the blankets were warm and cozy; the two streams of air collided at the edge of the blankets, creating a cool sensation.
Zhou Mei lay on Qin Hao's chest, her hair falling over his shoulder.
She stirred, stretching an arm out from under the covers and draping it over the edge of the bed. Her fingertips touched her phone; the cold screen made her flinch, then she reached over and scooped the phone back under the covers.
Unlock and open WeChat.
A red dot popped up in her WeChat Moments, and she clicked on it casually—it was a post from He Han.
a photo.
In the photo, He Han is embracing a girl with her hair in a ponytail. She's smiling, her eyes crinkling, and her face is resting on his shoulder. He Han is also smiling, the corners of his mouth turned up, but there's something else hidden in his eyes.
The caption was just three words: My new girlfriend Mimi.
Zhou Mei stared at the photo for three seconds.
Then he glared fiercely at Qin Hao.
"Bastard, scum!" Zhou Mei propped herself up and sat up, the blanket slipping down to reveal her bare shoulders. She shoved her phone in front of Qin Hao's face: "Look at you men, aren't you all cold-blooded animals?"
Qin Hao squinted and leaned closer to the screen for a couple of glances.
He Han's WeChat Moments. His new girlfriend.
He got it.
"After dating for so many years, he just broke up and he's already seeing a younger girl, and he's making such a big fuss about it on social media." Zhou Mei's voice was filled with anger. "I used to think He Han was a decent person, but I never expected him to be such a scoundrel. Lin Zhanqiao was absolutely right to break up with him!"
Qin Hao looked completely innocent.
"Don't generalize and condemn everyone, okay? What does He Han having a new girlfriend have to do with me?"
Zhou Mei glared at him.
"You men are all the same. Today you say you love me to death, tomorrow you're taking pictures with your new girlfriend. For you, love is like a switch, you can turn it off faster than flipping through a book."
Qin Hao opened his mouth, then closed it again.
He knew that saying anything at this moment would only add fuel to the fire.
Zhou Mei looked down at the photo again and tapped the screen a few times with her finger.
"You really blocked me?" Qin Hao turned his head to look at her.
"What else? Keep him around for the New Year?" Zhou Mei threw her phone next to the pillow and puffed out her cheeks as she flopped onto the bed.
Qin Hao reached out to hug her.
Zhou Mei slapped his hand away.
The atmosphere was completely ruined.
Qin Hao lay flat, staring at the ceiling. A faint humming sound came from the air conditioner vent. A corner of the curtain was blown up by the wind, billowed, and then deflated.
About three minutes later, Zhou Mei sat up and started feeling for her clothes by the bedside.
"where are you going?"
"Go and bring warmth to Lin Zhanqiao." Zhou Mei fastened her bra and tugged at the shoulder strap.
Qin Hao propped his head up as he watched her put on the dress.
"Don't say anything out of line when you get there."
Do I look like that kind of person?
Qin Hao didn't respond.
Zhou Mei got dressed and went to the bathroom, where she ran her fingers through her hair in front of the mirror. When she came out, she had transformed back into the sophisticated and capable career woman she always was, a stark contrast to the woman who had been lying in his arms and yelling at him earlier.
"gone."
"Really gone?"
Zhou Mei glanced back at him, a slight smile playing on her lips: "I'll make you drool."
The door closed.
Qin Hao lay alone in the room for a while, then reached for his phone on the bedside table.
He made a video call request to He Han.
It rang three times, then I answered.
He Han's face appeared on the screen. The background was a hotel bedside table, dimly lit, with shadows of light and shadow on He Han's face. He looked alright, but there was a faint bluish tint under his eyes.
"Old Qin? Is something wrong?" He Han's voice sounded normal.
"Don't you think this is childish?" Qin Hao leaned against the headboard, holding his phone at an angle.
He Han paused for a second, then smiled.
"You noticed?"
Qin Hao said, "When I saw your post on WeChat Moments, I was so angry that I deleted you on the spot."
He Han did not answer this question.
He leaned against the headboard and remained silent for two seconds.
"Why couldn't Lin Zhanqiao see that?" he said, his voice softening. "If only she would give me a way out—"
"Do you think Lin Zhanqiao is the kind of person who would give others a way out?"
He Han pursed his lips.
"Yes, I've always been the one giving her a way out, and I even have to help her back down."
"But why can't she just lower her head even once? Just once."
Qin Hao did not answer immediately.
He changed his position and propped his phone up next to his pillow.
"Is she still Lin Zhanqiao when she lowers her head?"
He Han remained silent.
The face on the screen lowered, chin buried in shadow. Qin Hao could see his Adam's apple move, as if he were swallowing something. There was silence for about half a minute.
He Han was about to speak—
A hand reached out from the side and rested on He Han's shoulder. The fingers were painted with glittery pink nail polish.
"Honey, who are you video chatting with?"
A head popped up. It was tied in a ponytail, with no makeup, and very fair skin. When it got close to the camera, its eyes were wide open.
He Han's expression changed for a moment, but he quickly regained his composure.
“This is Mimi, my new girlfriend,” he said, then pointed to the screen: “Mimi, this is the manager.”
Before Qin Hao could speak, a scream came from the other end of the screen.
"Oh my god, are you really the manager?" Mimi's face was almost pressed against the camera: "So the manager is this handsome? I thought those old men picking their toes online were real!"
Qin Hao's lips twitched.
"Ahem—" He cleared his throat: "Um, I just remembered I haven't submitted today's manuscript yet, I'll hang up now, we'll talk later."
"Hey, Steward—"
Qin Hao had already hung up.
-
three days later.
Qin Hao received a message from He Han, who was still not giving up and had moved his studio to the opposite side of the planet.
The message included a location at the end. Qin Hao clicked on it and saw that it was right across the street from the building in Zhixing, on the third floor, with windows facing each other.
"Come and have a look around, and maybe give me some suggestions."
Zhou Mei was still at work, and Qin Hao, having nothing else to do, took a taxi over.
As soon as I got off the car and walked to the building entrance, I caught a glimpse of a figure walking out of the building next door.
Lin Zhanqiao.
She wore a white suit jacket and black wide-leg pants, her hair tied in a low ponytail. She looked a little thinner than the last time I saw her. She was carrying a bulging canvas bag with the Zhexing logo printed on it, as if it contained a lot of documents.
She saw him too.
"Old Qin? What brings you here?"
Qin Hao pointed to the building across the street.
"He Hanxin opened a studio and invited me over for a look, and to give me some advice," he said casually. "Want to come take a look together?"
Lin Zhanqiao's face instantly darkened.
"I don't have time to waste on boring people right now." Her voice was icy cold. "I have to go now."
"Okay, you go ahead and get busy, I'm going upstairs."
No sooner had Lin Zhanqiao left than Qin Hao's phone rang.
He Han's video call.
Qin Hao answered the call, and when he looked up, he saw He Han looking in their direction through binoculars behind the glass curtain wall on the third floor of the building across the street.
"How is it? Have you told Lin Zhanqiao that I opened a studio across from hers?" He Han's voice was a little hurried.
"I said so."
"What was her reaction?" He Han lowered his binoculars, brought his face close to the lens, and looked at him expectantly.
Qin Hao stepped into the elevator and pressed the button for the third floor.
"What other reaction could there be? Do you think everyone is as naive as you?"
"How am I childish—"
"What are you planning to do by moving your studio across from hers? Watch her go to and from get off work with binoculars every day? You might as well just go downstairs and wait for her, it'll save you the trouble." The elevator doors closed.
He Han remained silent for a few seconds.
"She really didn't react at all?"
"No."
The elevator reached the third floor.
The door opened, and the corridor was almost too clean—it looked like it had just been swept, with watermarks still damp on the floor. The door to the office at the end of the corridor was open, with a sign above it that read "Six States Culture".
A woman was standing at the door.
She looked to be in her early thirties, wearing a dark green dress, with her hair styled in large waves and draped over her shoulders. Her features weren't striking, but she had a pleasant appearance, and a professional, just-right smile played on her lips.
"Are you Mr. Qin Hao? My name is Dai Shan, and I'm He Han's current editor. It's nice to meet you."
Qin Hao's heart skipped a beat.
Dai Shan.
He knew the name. A renowned top editor in the industry, who had mentored several top authors. But she had an even more famous identity—Fan Shu's ex-wife. It was rumored that she received a considerable sum from Fan Shu during their divorce; the exact amount was unknown, but it was widely discussed in the industry. A woman who could take a bite out of the CEO of Dingqi.com was definitely not someone to be trifled with.
"Since you're He Han's editor, you're one of us. No need to be so polite, just call me by my name. I wouldn't dare call myself a teacher."
Dai Shan looked at him with a smile: "Teacher Qin Hao is too modest. You are the first mainland writer to win the Hugo Award. You truly deserve it."
"How long are you two going to dawdle at the door? Can't you come in and say what you have to say?"
He Han's voice came from inside the room.
Daisy smiled somewhat awkwardly and gestured for them to proceed.
Qin Hao didn't stand on ceremony and went straight in.
The office wasn't large, probably only fifty or sixty square meters. Floor-to-ceiling windows faced the street, providing good natural light. Next to the window was a large desk with two monitors side-by-side and a mechanical keyboard next to it, the keycaps printed with colorful patterns.
Next to the desk was a set of dark gray leather sofas, and in front of the sofas was a glass coffee table with several bottles of drinks on it.
Qin Hao glanced at it, took the iced tea He Han handed him, unscrewed the cap, and took a sip.
Why is your studio decorated like a hotel?
The walls are covered in light gray wallpaper, the floors are tiled with wood-look tiles, and warm-toned spotlights hang from the ceiling. A row of open shelves along the wall displays several books and decorative items. It certainly doesn't look like a studio; it's more like a nicely furnished apartment.
He Han smiled and said, "I'm used to staying in hotels, so I'll decorate it like that."
Qin Hao didn't respond to that.
He walked to the floor-to-ceiling window and glanced across the street. Zhi Xing's office was directly opposite, across a narrow road; he could even see the shadows of people moving around in the opposite window. Lin Zhanqiao's workstation was on the third floor, near the window; the curtains were half-drawn, so he couldn't see if anyone was inside.
"I just saw you posted a leave request." Qin Hao turned around and leaned against the windowsill. "A month's hiatus. Is it really to support your little girlfriend, or to make way for Lin Zhanqiao?"
He Han was opening another drink when he paused for a moment.
"Old Qin understands me best." He unscrewed the bottle cap and took a sip: "If only Lin Zhanqiao could see my good intentions."
"Aren't you afraid that Lin Zhanqiao will promote another author and replace you?"
He Han chuckled, a hint of disdain in his voice.
"Impossible. Apart from you, I've never admired anyone else in the world of online novels." He put the bottle on the table and rested his hands on the edge of the table: "As long as it's not you, it's no use for Lin Zhanqiao to flatter anyone. In the end, he'll still have to obediently come to me."
Qin Hao looked at him with a half-smile.
"Don't be too confident. The new generation will surpass the old; be careful not to get swept away by the next wave and left stranded on the beach."
He Han was stunned for a moment.
The smile faded slightly from his face.
"Did you hear something from Lin Zhanqiao?"
"Lin Zhanqiao didn't say anything." Qin Hao placed the iced tea on the coffee table. "But don't forget, all your works were outlined by Lin Zhanqiao."
He Han remained silent.
He looked at Qin Hao and waited for him to finish speaking.
"In other words, half the credit for what you're writing now goes to her." Qin Hao patted He Han on the shoulder: "If she can help you with the outline, she can help others. You don't think there's not a single person out of the billions of people in the country who can compare to you, do you?"
He Han frowned for a moment, then quickly relaxed.
"That depends on the person. She set the story framework, but I'm the one filling in the details. If she finds someone else, that person might not be able to—"
"you sure?"
He Han opened his mouth, then closed it again.
He didn't say anything more.
Qin Hao glanced at the time; it was about time.
"Alright, I should go now. Think it over carefully."
"You're leaving already?" He Han followed. "Sit a little longer, let's have dinner together tonight."
"Let's do it another day." Qin Hao nodded to Dai Shan and walked towards the door.
Dai Shan caught up with him: "Teacher Qin Hao, let me see you off."
"No need to be so polite. You should try to persuade He Han."
-
One day later, the final weekly rankings were released.
The entire industry was in an uproar.
Hong Qigong, on whom Zhao Lanxin had placed high hopes, failed to reach the top of the list.
A new author named Guyan unexpectedly took the top spot on the charts.
In terms of collections, follow-up reading, and tipping, it completely outclasses others in all three metrics.
The comments section is full of posts asking "Who is Guyan?"
Some people are guessing which popular streamer created this alternate account, some are digging into Guyan's past works, and others are betting on how long Guyan's popularity will last.
When He Han saw the data, he dropped his pen.
He looked at the name over and over, his mind blank.
A lone plume of smoke.
He had never heard of this name before.
But he had read the other person's book—30,000 words, with an excellent opening pace, skillfully crafted suspense, and well-developed characters. Most importantly, the sheer skill in writing was something a newcomer couldn't possess.
He Han placed his phone face down on the table and leaned back in his chair.
He suddenly remembered what Qin Hao had said yesterday.
"Aren't you afraid that Lin Zhanqiao will promote another author and replace you?"
His fingers tapped lightly twice on the table.
Then he knocked twice more.
Daisy came in with a cup of coffee, saw his expression, and asked, "What's wrong?"
"Nothing." He Han took the coffee, took a sip, and the bitterness melted on his tongue: "I was just thinking about something."
Daisy didn't press the matter.
She stood by the window, looking at the street scene outside, and remained silent for a while before speaking: "Hong Qigong failed the exam."
He Han looked up at her.
"Has the investigation into that Lone Smoke been completed thoroughly?"
“No.” Daisy shook her head. “We can’t find anything. All the contract information is kept confidential; even the editors don’t know who they are.”
"Even the editor doesn't know?"
“Hmm.” Daisy turned to look at him. “What does that mean?”
He Han remained silent for a few seconds.
"This means he didn't sign directly with Dingqi.com."
-
Hong Qigong was more anxious than anyone else at this moment.
He called Zhao Lanxin three times. No one answered the first two times, but she finally answered the third time.
"Mr. Zhao, who exactly is this Guyan?" His tone was clearly anxious. "Is he one of your people?"
Zhao Lanxin was driving when she heard Hong Qigong's voice through her Bluetooth headset. She paused for two seconds before replying, "No."
"No." Hong Qigong's voice rose eight octaves. "Where did this Guyan come from? Three days! He's already at the top of the charts in just three days! My new book, which I've been preparing for two months, has been trampled underfoot by some newcomer who just appeared out of nowhere?"
"Calm down," Zhao Lanxin said calmly. "The data is only temporary—"
"What do you mean, 'temporary'!" Hong Qigong interrupted her. "Do you know what my readers are saying? They're saying I'm washed up! They're saying I'm not even as good as a newcomer!"
Zhao Lanxin didn't say anything. She hung up the phone and parked her car on the side of the road.
She took off her Bluetooth earphones, leaned back in her seat, and closed her eyes.
A lone plume of smoke.
She silently repeated the name twice in her mind.
Then she opened her eyes, picked up her phone, and sent a message to an acquaintance on Dingqi.com:
"Please check Guyan's contract information for me. The sooner the better."
After sending those eight characters, she typed another line in the chat box, deleted it, and then typed it all out again.
"If possible, please arrange a meeting with Guyan. I'd like to meet him."
However, her response was only three words: "Cannot be found."
-
At the same time, Ling Yikai was also on the phone.
"Hey."
"Mr. Ling, we've found it."
Ling Yikai leaned back in his chair and tapped his fingers lightly twice on the table.
"explain."
"Gu Yan's contract information was kept confidential by Dingqi.com, but I found some things through technical means."
"what?"
"Gu Yan's contract with Dingqi.com was signed by Zhi Xing."
Ling Yikai's fingers stopped.
"Che Xing? Lin Zhanqiao?"
There was a few seconds of silence on the other end of the phone.
"Is there anything else?"
"Yes. The contract was signed four days ago—the day after He Han terminated his contract."
Ling Yikai narrowed his eyes.
"you sure?"
"determine."
Ling Yikai didn't say anything.
He hung up the phone and stared at a certain point on the computer screen for a long time.
Then he picked up his phone and sent a message to Zhao Lanxin:
"We're starting to see some progress. Shall we meet up?"
Less than ten seconds after the message was sent, Zhao Lanxin replied with two words:
"Place."
-
It was 7 p.m. in a private room of a private restaurant.
When Ling Yikai arrived, Zhao Lanxin was already there. A pot of tea sat before her, the teacup half empty, indicating she had been waiting for some time.
"You're here?" Zhao Lanxin raised her eyelids slightly but didn't stand up.
Ling Yikai sat down opposite her and poured himself a cup of tea.
"What did you find out?" Zhao Lanxin asked impatiently.
“Gu Yan should have been signed by Lin Zhanqiao.” Ling Yikai took a sip of tea. “The timing is quite coincidental, it was the day after He Han terminated his contract.”
Zhao Lanxin frowned slightly.
"So, Lin Zhanqiao was holding back something from us?"
“I’m not sure.” Ling Yikai put down his teacup. “But think about it, He Han just left, and a newcomer suddenly appears and rushes to the top of the list—what a coincidence that is!”
Zhao Lanxin picked up her teacup but didn't drink it.
"If that's the case, then we're in trouble. We've staked everything on this solo venture. If we fail, all our efforts over the years will be wasted," Ling Yikai said, somewhat agitated.
Zhao Lanxin frowned: "It's not that bad. The main thing now is to find out who Guyan really is."
"Even if they find out, so what? This time, Lin Zhanqiao will definitely learn from her previous mistakes and tighten the contract terms..."
“As long as you swing the hoe well, there’s no corner you can’t dig down. He Han and Lin Zhanqiao had such a good relationship, but they still broke up in the end, didn’t they?” Zhao Lanxin smiled.
Ling Yikai realized he had lost his composure and calmed down again: "That's for the best." (End of Chapter)