This was Zhu Hui's first impression of a novelist who wrote youth fantasy literature. Before this, she had thought that Chu Kuang was also the kind of kitsch author who wrote about mindless harems.
But it didn't seem that way now.
This "Artificial Beauty" was written so incredibly well. In just two or three thousand words, it could captivate you entirely. From this, it was evident that Chu Kuang possessed a very high level of writing!
Opening the comments section, Zhu Hui found that she wasn't the only one surprised; many comments expressed similar sentiments:
"The story is so intriguing!"
"Did Chu Kuang really write this?"
"Isn't Chu Kuang a youth fantasy writer?"
"I came here expecting an update on 'Net King', but I got hooked on this short story by Chu Kuang instead. It's not youth fantasy, but it's thrilling."
"I love this style!"
"The author doesn't inject personal emotions into the text much; it's a simple narrative, yet the ending left me stunned."
"The twist at the end was unexpected."
"Could it be that this story satirizes social phenomena? I recall recent news about lifelike robots. It's chilling to think about it in light of this story."
"I was disappointed it wasn't 'The King of Nets', but this short story had me hooked! Haha."
"You're not alone, upstairs."
"Shoo, you're not alone."
""
In addition to the comments, many people shared and reposted the article, appreciating it.
The Tribe had an appreciation function.
Readers could appreciate articles they liked in the novel section, with the author receiving half of the proceeds.
As more people shared, even passers-by who hadn't heard of Chu Kuang noticed the article "Artificial Beauty".
The four-word title "Artificial Beauty" was quite catchy.
When readers heard it, they made certain associations. Perhaps they thought the author was satirizing society's obsession with cosmetic surgery.
Especially the word "beauty", is inherently appealing, especially to male netizens!
Thus, more people took advantage of the trend to finish reading this novel.
"The advantage of brevity was evident."
Though it wasn't what many had expected, it didn't seem to affect the judgment of many readers. Even some bloggers who specialized in tweeting about books noticed the short story "Artificial Beauty" and casually forwarded it.
"Shocking!"
One blogger had clearly mastered the art of baiting clicks: "Who would believe this is a short story written by Chu Kuang, the author of 'Net King'?"
It was a shameless but effective tactic.
Chu Kuang already had a popularity boost from being the author of "Net King".
With readers' publicity, the short article "Artificial Beauty" gained significant popularity.
Finally, even the person in charge of the Tribe's novel section took notice.
"Boss, this short story is gaining traction quickly."
Listening to the report from the staff member, the person in charge of the Tribe's novel section raised an eyebrow: "Chu Kuang seems to be quite popular recently as a youth fantasy novel writer, the author of 'Net King'?"
"Yes."
The person in charge nodded, took a moment to finish reading "Artificial Beauty", and then smiled: "The story is exceptionally well-written. Let's promote it in the popular category of the novel section."
After Lin Yuan finished eating, he took a walk downstairs with his family. When he logged back into his Tribe account later, it was already the next day.
It was the day of the Spring Festival.
Every household was bustling with activity.
Lin Yuan's home was no exception, but after a while outside, Lin Yuan returned to his room to turn on the computer.
"What's this?"
Lin Yuan was surprised to find thousands of notifications in his Tribe inbox after just one night.
Almost all of these notifications were related to "Artificial Beauty".
And the "Artificial Beauty" he had released the day before had garnered over 4,000 comments and more than 1,000 reposts!
Moreover, Chu Kuang's fan count had increased from ten thousand to twenty thousand.
At that moment, Lin Yuan's phone rang.
Seeing an unfamiliar number, Lin Yuan ignored it.
After a while, the phone rang again.
Lin Yuan ignored it once more.
The third time it rang, it was still the same number, and Lin Yuan had no choice but to answer it.
"Happy New Year," he said with a smile.
Lin Yuan replied, "It's not the New Year yet."
After a lengthy conversation, he finally changed his tone: "Hello, Teacher Chu Kuang."
It turned out to be Chu Kuang.
If it wasn't an advertisement, Lin Yuan always made sure to confirm whether the caller was looking for Xianyu, Chu Kuang, or Lin Yuan first. It was a necessary process.
Lin Yuan asked, "What's up?"
The voice on the other end smiled, "Allow me to introduce myself, You Rong, editor-in-chief of 'Enjoyable Read' magazine at Yinlan Library. I'm calling today to discuss a potential collaboration with you."
Lin Yuan inquired, "What kind of collaboration?"
The other party replied earnestly, "I found the novel you published on the Tribe yesterday quite intriguing. We'd like to feature it in our 'Enjoyable Read' magazine for serialization. Our magazine mainly focuses on short stories and doesn't restrict genres. The sales are quite substantial, and the Tribe doesn't pay for publishing, but Yinlan Library is willing to offer compensation!"
"How much?"
Lin Yuan was all ears.
He quickly deduced that "Artificial Beauty" had accumulated several thousand in rewards from its serialization on the Tribe, with high timeliness, immediate reader feedback, and accruing prestige value.
"How about three thousand words?"
The other party proposed, "One thousand words for three thousand yuan. We can proceed at this rate. Of course, your work must pass our review first."
Lin Yuan frowned, "That seems too little."
He had already figured it out. "Artificial Beauty" had been serialized on the Tribe, garnering thousands of rewards. Its high timeliness allowed for immediate reader feedback and the accrual of prestige value.
"What's your offer then?"
The ball was back in their court.
Lin Yuan dreaded these kinds of negotiations, but he could continue to dance around the issue, "I'll send you a novel first, and then you can provide a quote. If I find the price unsatisfactory, we can forget about it."
"Okay, my email address is..."
"I've already sent it."
"Huh? But you don't know my email address..."
"Aren't you from Yinlan Library? I sent it directly to Yang Feng's email. You're colleagues. Just ask him for the manuscript."
"But... I haven't..."
The other party was taken aback, clearly flustered.
Lin Yuan said, "I'll hang up now, goodbye."
And he did just that.
The main reason was that the Spring Festival was in full swing. Today's feast was more sumptuous than the previous days'. What if he missed out on the meal while on the phone?
At the same time, Editor Yang Feng received a manuscript from Chu Kuang, a short story titled "Maggie's Gift".
What was going on?
Yang Feng was filled with questions.