Chu Ge glanced at the bestseller list and was surprised to find that even after so much time had passed since the previous minor viral hit, it was still in the top ten... no, it was eighth today.
Not only had it not declined, but it had actually risen, albeit a small one.
He opened the group chat and saw that everyone was sharing pictures.
The figures in the pictures looked familiar; it was Chu Ge and Qiu Wuji in ancient costumes from the Mid-Autumn Festival. The camera angle was incredibly ethereal, and a cloud effect had been added, making them look like an ancient couple emerging from a celestial mountain.
The two walked hand in hand, swords in hand, their eyes filled with tenderness; it was truly a heartwarming sight.
Even movie stills couldn't compare to this, and they were even more beautiful than many actors, especially the female lead—it was impossible to find a more beautiful actress, truly the most beautiful in the world.
Chu Ge: "..." He'd forgotten about this, so this was the reason for another team-building event?
Are people really this bored these days? Whether we're good-looking or not, whether our on-screen couples are sweet or not, what business is it of yours...?
Group members are saying:
"I've seriously considered it, Chu Da could totally debut..."
"She's already a social media influencer..."
"Seriously, if Chu Da or Qiu Qiu opened a Weibo account, I reckon she'd gain tens of thousands of active followers in a day or two. This place is on a completely different level of daily active users compared to this forum. Even here, a bunch of idiots come here for team building; you can imagine what it would be like on Weibo."
"Waaah, my Chu Chu, she could clearly make a living off her looks, but she insists on relying on her talent..."
Chu Ge: "..." That makes so much sense.
Someone else said, "No, don't you guys think this isn't very meaningful for the book? Those young girls are just here for laughs, they haven't even read it. This book isn't their type... Are you suggesting Chu Ge switch to Weibo and become a big influencer? That's a tough place to be..."
"At least there's some conversion rate, even if it's low... and there should be some distribution channels... Speaking of which, this kind of popularity seems very meaningful for adaptations, who knows, maybe some company will take a liking to it..."
"Hmm... that makes sense." Chu Ge stroked his chin, he also thought it made sense. At least now when Old Zhu went to people, he wasn't shamelessly pushing "Take a look, this book is good," but confidently recommending the IP, the difference in face was obvious.
With a mix of strange feelings, he asked Zhang Qiren, "You should be super busy right now, and doing something really prestigious, how do you still have time to pay attention to this?"
"I've told you so many times, I'm your reader! Even though I don't have time to follow the updates, I'll still read a bunch of chapters whenever I have a spare moment. I just happened to see this today and found it quite amusing. Brother Chu, this kind of breakout popularity is something many authors would kill for. Although yours is a bit unexpected, hahaha, it's not because of your books, it's because of your looks, it's hilarious..." Chu Ge was also at a loss for words, not knowing whether to put his hands on his hips or facepalm.
For an author, it's a good thing, but it's not exactly a pleasant feeling.
"Speaking of which, you really weren't as handsome as you are now. Your energy and spirit now, tsk tsk..." Zhang Qiren was a little unsure how to express himself, and after a long pause, he said, "Have you ever seen those memes, a very strong dog and a lazy dog? You used to be the latter, now you're the former."
"Is that all your metaphors are? Has your writing deteriorated to this extent?" Chu Ge lamented, "Aren't the Japanese teachers too exploitative?"
Zhang Qiren sent a crying emoji: "Really? I might never be able to write books again."
Chu Ge's fingers hovered over the keyboard, paused for a moment, and then slowly typed: "You're the CEO of a startup now, you don't need to think about this anymore. You'll have a female secretary when you write from now on..." "Don't bother yourself."
"This..." Zhang Qiren sent a funny face: "How about you be my secretary from now on? I just think you write well."
Chu Ge: "Get lost."
"We agreed to fail together, but you quietly became a god..."
"I'm just a nobody god, and today people were laughing at me for being an ordinary, lowly writer..."
"Haha..." Zhang Qiren didn't care about that at all, and instead said: "Seriously, Brother Chu, Nanjiang is just a corner, the vision is too small. You should go out more often when you have time, you'll see a wider world." It felt like Zhang Qiren was starting to rise to prominence over there, this tone... Not only is Nanjiang just a corner, but online novels are also just a corner, his vision has long since expanded beyond that.
Chu Ge sighed, "Okay."
This is supposed to be a draft preparation, right? How can I go out without drafts? Waaaaah…
Qiu Wuji ran over at that moment, "Chu Ge, Chu Ge~"
Chu Ge turned around, "Huh?"
"There are so many strange people in the book review section!"
Chu Ge chuckled, "So the female assistant has something to do…"
"Delete posts?" Qiu Wuji asked curiously, "I think they're cute, you don't need to delete them, right?"
"No, I'm opening a Weibo account, you can help manage it from now on."
"How do you manage this?" Qiu Wuji had never used one before, "Is it very time-consuming?"
"It doesn't require much effort, just post selfies from time to time, feed them some PDA, oh right, post some of the food you cook." "That's good enough." Chu Ge said, "I don't do it because these things are completely unsuitable for me. I'm too lazy to even take a single photo all year round. You could try it out, maybe it'll suit you." Qiu Wuji thought for a moment, "Like Mengmeng's WeChat Moments?"
"Yes, yes, it's the same. Just think of it as showing off to friends, except you'll be interacting with more friends." Chu Ge laughed, "Before, posting on WeChat Moments was pointless because there was no one there. Now it's great..."
Qiu Wuji suddenly felt interested, feeling like he had suddenly gained so many friends! But he still couldn't understand it: "Why would anyone like to watch what others eat, watch how sweet others are? These people are so strange." Chu Ge: "...You're going to offend someone again, Qiu Qiu."
Remembering Zhang Qiren's warning, he quickly added, "Never express your opinion on anything, especially someone like you. You never know which word you might say that will offend someone..."
Qiu Wuji: "Do you think I look like an idiot..."
"Yes." Qiu Wuji glared at him angrily, wondering if it had been too long since he'd punched him, and he'd become so arrogant.
Chu Ge found Chu Ge's puffed-up cheeks amusing and poked them twice more. "And also... just post your own stuff, whatever you do, don't browse other people's."
"Why?"
"If my Qiu Qiu starts calling me 'Guo Nan,' I'm afraid I won't be able to survive."
"What nonsense." Qiu Wuji slapped away Chu Ge's poking hand, opened his phone, downloaded the app, and asked, "What ID should I use? Chu Ge? After all, it's a Weibo account under the author's name, right?"
"Hmm." Chu Ge thought for a moment, then suddenly chuckled, "Although I think there's a high probability it'll become a food selfie blogger."
Qiu Wuji didn't care about that. He registered the Chu Ge ID, seriously wrote the author's bio, and said with a smile, "You really want me to be in charge of this account? All those girls rushing to say 'Chu Da, Chu Da, I love you,' aren't you interested in flirting with them yourself?"
A death trap! Sensing the menacing glint in her eyes, Chu Ge quickly puffed out his chest and declared, "So, I've given you control of the account, which proves my heart is pure and upright!"
Yes, pure and upright, so pure that he's even started grinding medicine.
Grinding medicine ten times?
Qiu Wuji lowered her head, editing the information, her face unconsciously flushing slightly. She felt that the words she'd spoken so defiantly before now seemed like a joke to herself.
Chu Ge suddenly said, "Actually, Qiu Qiu, some people might ship us based on looks, but overall, what people like isn't you or me, it's our CP... This account doesn't represent Chu Ge, it represents the love of early autumn. Everyone who follows it hopes we'll be together forever." Qiu Wuji paused, looking up at his smile.
So, our being together isn't just our wish, it's the wish of the whole world, the wish of the entire nation, is that right?
She suddenly felt this feeling was so beautiful; the account in her hand had become incredibly meaningful.
Chu Ge cupped her face and rubbed it gently: "Go study Weibo, I'll continue writing and practicing. For a long time to come, this will be our little life."