Chapter 107: Interview, Retaliation

Chu Ge, who skipped a day of updates, went home to rush the draft. The first chapter of today’s update wouldn’t be out until noon.

But no one in the group really cared about his delay as long as he could update: “Brother Chu, are you feeling better? Take more rest today and don’t push yourself too hard.”

Chu Ge felt quite guilty and could only reply, “I’ll try my best today…”

Women indeed affected the speed of his writing. He even told his first lie as a writer and was delayed today because of something else—the interview with the writer’s assistant.

The questions asked were ones Chu Ge had already seen last night, all expecting some cliché answers. For example, “You update tens of thousands of words every day. It must be tough, right?”

Chu Ge played along, saying, “With no woman in my heart, words flow naturally.”

“Your first few books didn’t reach excellence. It was only after three books that you achieved your current success. Can you talk about how you persevered?”

Chu Ge looked at the question, his finger hovering in the air for a while before he slowly responded, “I can’t really claim to be persevering. I had a friend who struggled through two books with only double-digit readers, and it was only in the third book that he saw a glimmer of hope. He worked as a delivery driver while writing, and never missed a day. There are many people who persist in pursuing their dreams. When you see someone ‘failing miserably,’ I hope you won’t mock them but encourage them.”

The writer’s assistant cleverly didn’t ask who that friend was or whether he was still writing… This wasn’t a chat, and deviating from the established topics of the interview wouldn’t continue. As long as they didn’t mention the friend’s current situation, the writer’s assistant was generally satisfied with the overall response. That’s the kind of inspirational content they needed.

Chu Ge’s thoughts that he wanted to express ultimately didn’t continue. He sighed and continued to deal with the questions—perseverance, hard work, and you’ll always get rewards and so on…n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

“Many readers have given feedback that your female lead, Qiu Wuji, is particularly vivid. Many people suspect there is a real-life prototype. Is it true?”

No one ever gave such feedback, and even if they did, it was meant as a joke. Of course, it’s an interview, they’re not really asking if it’s true…

Chu Ge showed a faint smile and answered, “Of course.”

“Huh? Is she your girlfriend?”

“Not yet, I’m working hard!”

This statement directly contradicted his earlier “with no woman in my heart,” but the writer’s assistant didn’t care because no one would take that statement seriously. People loved the gossip about the author.

“So, is she as beautiful, proud, and powerful as Qiu Wuji in your book?”

“Not exactly the same. The biggest difference is that she’s even more adorable.”

…………

“Damn it, even watching an interview is now filled with dog food. I can’t live like this anymore.”

The interview was released the next day and was quickly shared in the book lovers’ group, causing an uproar.

“I came here to read fantasy novels, dammit! Why are they smearing dog food on my face on such a hot day? Unsubscribed!”

((TL: In Chinese slang, “dog food” refers to situations that evoke feelings of envy or jealousy among single people)).

“Can’t this world be any better? I, a single dog, walk down the street to watch a stupid author’s interview, and unexpectedly, I get my face splattered with dog food?”

“It’s not…” Chu Ge weakly explained, “It’s not official yet, so where’s the dog food coming from?”

“Oh, right, I wish you two siblings a good future, hahaha.”

Chu Ge: “…”

According to the household register, she really is my sister.

Someone immediately pointed out, “Are you stupid? Wouldn’t Brother Chu be even more excited about the ‘siblings’ comment?”

“Damn it, that makes sense. What should we do? They can’t be father and daughter at this age.”

Chu Ge: “…”

In terms of the meaning of life, she really is my daughter.

“Damn, so in the end, Brother Chu is just a beast, right?”

Chu Ge: “So I’m considered a heinous pervert just because I haven’t done anything and haven’t even successfully flirted?!”

“Spread the word, Brother Chu said he’s a heinous pervert.”

Chu Ge: “Damn it, can’t you focus on my picture? Am I handsome or not?”

“I didn’t even notice… This guy looks decent.”

“Brother Chu, I want to fence with you!”

“Forget it, I’m more handsome.”

“Average. Deep squatting.jpg”

Finally, the topic was diverted. You can fence all you want, just don’t dwell on the relationship issues, and certainly don’t ask if the other person is the female manager who cosplays Qiu Qiu in the group… Asking too much is unbearable.

Fortunately, those few people who always divert the topic to Qiu Wuji haven’t shown up today, so the conversation hasn’t veered in that direction. Chu Ge looked at the group chat and realized that there were fewer people today…

Right, Wan Zijun and Panda are missing.

They must have been discharged from the hospital and seeking revenge?

…………

In fact, the retaliation in the Dark Room had been going on for two days.

Wang’s hotel had been bombarded with crazy complaints from customers these past few days, with everyone cursing that the food served in the hotel was even unfit for dogs.

At first, the Wang family held the head chef accountable, but the chef was extremely aggrieved. He asked the Wang family members to taste the food that the customers had been complaining about, and there was no issue.

So the Wang family immediately concluded that this was a malicious smear campaign orchestrated by a rival company, and they forcefully ordered the security guards to expel the complainers.

However, within two days, the hotel was empty, and the Wang family couldn’t figure out why. We tasted our own food, and there’s clearly no problem!

“I have a feeling that something isn’t right,” Chef Jin hesitantly asked Zhong Yi, “The other chefs are innocent. Even if they are not affected now, their reputation will suffer. No one will want to hire them.”

Zhong Yi smiled and said, “They’ve already secretly switched jobs.”

“Huh? Where did they go?”

“To Miracle Nightclub. Manager Zhang has started a late-night food business there, and it’s relatively high-end. He needs hotel chefs.”

“Damn, this bastard Zhang is a bit cunning.”

Zhong Yi looked up at the sky and remained silent. It was his idea to Zhang Qiren… Who are you cursing…

But at most, he was a bit cunning, while Zhang Qiren was ruthless. He wasn’t merely aiming to strike at his opponents; he wanted the Wang family to perish.

“Seize the opportunity to take his life while he’s sick,” Zhang Qiren had said. “Wang’s various businesses heavily overlap with mine, and we have been old rivals for many years. This time, we have completely turned against each other… The most crucial point is that their involvement in the casino and drug trafficking is absolutely lethal. They don’t need our underhanded methods; the authorities will make sure they perish. They are already under pressure now, so how long can they endure? If we don’t give them another blow, should we wait for them to catch their breath?”

Zhong Yi fell silent.

So, Rong Fu was indeed hired by you, right? The Wang family is currently being investigated by Lin Wuyang, and they have no intention of seeking revenge from outside, do they?

The one being stabbed by Rong Fu isn’t just the Dark Room but also your own brother’s real estate company.

He truly is ruthless.

Zhong Yi couldn’t help but ask, “Apart from the competition, do you have a deep hatred for the Wang family?”

Zhang Qiren glanced at him, knowing what he was thinking, and smiled. “They have engaged in despicable and criminal activities. As a concerned citizen, shouldn’t I bring them down? Mr. Zhong, don’t tell me you sympathize with them?”

Zhong Yi shook his head. “I don’t sympathize with them. I’m just observing you.”

But then Zhang Qiren continued, “Competition is one thing… If you’re talking about deep hatred, there is actually some.”

His voice turned colder. “If it weren’t for the Wang family’s instigation, would my useless brother have dared to resort to assassinating me, something so taboo? If it weren’t for my good friend helping me out, I probably would have been lying down that time.”

Zhong Yi recalled the assassination attempt on Zhang Qiren… Since it seemed like nothing had happened because Chu Ge had intervened, most people didn’t pay much attention to it. But upon further consideration, it was a very serious matter.

It was an attempted murder… and brother turning against brother.

At least in Zhang Qiren’s own mind, it was extremely serious.

Zhang Qiren sneered, “The Wang family told him that no matter what, he is the only legitimate son and even if killing me displeased our father, he would still have to inherit the family fortune. But keeping me around is uncertain… That useless brother of mine actually had the audacity to listen, not realizing that the Wang family intentionally provoked discord within our family.”

Zhong Yi sighed, “So you devised a plan to make the Wang family and your brother turn against each other.”

“They deserve it, don’t they?” Zhang Qiren said indifferently. “The Wang family has committed so many criminal activities, and they have been under scrutiny from higher authorities for a long time, but they haven’t been able to find any evidence. As competitors, we happen to know where some of their evidence is. They try to pass off the illegal gambling and drug trafficking as the actions of their guests or shift the blame onto others… Haha, if their account books were to end up on Lin Wuyang’s desk, what do you think would happen?”

Zhong Yi and Zhang Qiren were working together for this purpose.

However, Zhong Yi had other considerations as well, such as wanting to know where Zhang Qiren’s own illegal evidence was. After the closure of the underground fighting arena, don’t you have any other business?

Unfortunately, in their previous interactions with Zhang Qiren, he had always presented himself as someone involved in illicit activities, with an apparent intention to monopolize the market and overthrow the Wang family. There were even clear indications of his desire to gain more power through the Dark Room, which he had mentioned several times before.

But this time, his attitude had changed. He consistently portrayed himself as a concerned citizen, assisting the police, and providing evidence to Lin Wuyang… As for gaining power, he never mentioned it again.

Has he grown… this quickly?

Zhang Qiren looked up at the sky, which had not yet completely darkened. “Let’s wait a little longer and act at night.”

After speaking, he took out his phone and started looking at it.

Zhong Yi pretended to casually glance at it and his expression became strange.

It was unexpectedly the interview page of a writer’s assistant. Even now, he hadn’t uninstalled this thing. Not only that, he hasn’t even disabled the notifications. Otherwise, how would he know about the interview…

It truly is the heart of a writer, no doubt about it.

The content on the page also brought a complex expression to Zhong Yi’s face. It was an interview with Chu Ge, and his familiar smiling face was on the page.

“I don’t consider myself someone who perseveres. I once had a friend who had only a few subscribers for his first two books, and it wasn’t until the third book that he had hopes of rising. He delivered food while writing, and he never missed a day. There are many people who persevere for their dreams…”

As Zhang Qiren looked at it, the gloomy expression on his face gradually disappeared, replaced by a happy smile.

The cold gleam beneath the glasses transformed into the elegance of a scholar as his smile blossomed.

Zhong Yi watched in a daze, shook his head lightly, and sighed.

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