At this moment, Huang Yifan didn't have time to ask his homeroom teacher for leave. There was only one thought in his mind: he had to finish writing 'How a Bad Guy Is Made'.
Whether or not the book involved gang themes or violence, since it was a novel he had brought from another world, he was determined to present it in its entirety to the readers.
One book, one world.
A book without an ending was like a shattered world.
At first, Huang Yifan thought simply, it was just a trial work; even if he didn't finish it, so what?
But only when he lost it did he realize how painful it was to watch a world fall apart.
If the author felt this way, how much worse must the readers feel?
Surely, the fans who had been following 'How a Bad Guy Is Made' would be devastated when they discovered the book was taken down or deleted. And when that happened, aside from cursing the people who censored it, what could they do? They could only watch helplessly as one world after another disappeared before their eyes.
"Wuyue, I have something to ask you."
Instead of going home, afraid that his mother would scold him for skipping class, Huang Yifan rushed straight from school to an internet café.
Logging into TT, he sent Wuyue a private message.
"What is it?"
Wuyue's avatar lit up quickly, replying to Huang Yifan.
"I want to ask: how long before 'How a Bad Guy Is Made' gets taken down or deleted?"
"Ten days."
Wuyue responded directly. "Ten days is the grace period for revisions. If there are no edits by then, it'll be taken down. After twenty days, if it's still not changed, it'll be permanently deleted. Sorry, this isn't a Lingdian rule."
"I know."
Huang Yifan didn't blame Lingdian. He understood that when it came to government orders, not just Lingdian, no company would dare disobey.
"So that means I can continue updating."
"In principle, yes, but…"
Wuyue stopped midway, suddenly realizing what Huang Yifan meant. Alarmed, he exclaimed, "The Number One White Under Heaven, don't go looking for trouble!"
It wasn't that simple to continue updating.
If it were a normal, non-controversial novel, sure, go ahead.
But 'How a Bad Guy Is Made' was already on the top 100 list of high-risk works under strict review.
If it kept updating, who knew what the consequences might be?
"Wuyue, I'm not trying to challenge the system. Isn't there still ten days left?"
"I'm telling you, don't be reckless. If the novel gets banned, then fine, let it be. Don't put yourself in danger. Lingdian can still protect you for now, but if you keep updating, I can't guarantee what kind of orders might come from above."
"Wuyue, I've already made up my mind."
"No, I won't agree to this. If you go through with it, I'll lock your backend immediately so you can't update."
"Wuyue, please don't stop me. If you do, I'll just post the updates in my personal space."
"Oh my god, that's even worse! If anything happens to you, your personal platform provider will instantly report your IP, location, and full profile to the authorities. You, you… fine. I won't lock your backend for now. I have something to deal with. You handle your stuff."
Frightened by Huang Yifan, Wuyue ran straight to the editor-in-chief's office. He needed to report what had just happened to the company immediately.
But Huang Yifan didn't care what Wuyue thought. He booked a computer and immediately began hammering away at the keyboard, typing out the remaining chapters of 'How a Bad Guy Is Made'.
Of course, this time, he wasn't writing from scratch.
There wasn't enough time, just ten days.
Huang Yifan did the math: 'How a Bad Guy Is Made' currently had 200,000 words. There were still over a million words to go before the end. If he had to think and write at the same time, he wouldn't finish in ten days, maybe not even in a hundred. But none of that mattered. He had brought 'How a Bad Guy Is Made' from his previous life, so he had to do it justice. This was a pit he'd dug, and he had to fill it himself.
He typed at lightning speed because he was copying; the entire plot was already stored in his mind. He could finish a whole chapter in just fifteen minutes.
Copying and pasting, Huang Yifan uploaded the newly written chapter to the backend.
At the end of the chapter, he added a special note:
Hello readers of 'How a Bad Guy Is Made', I'm The Number One White Under Heaven. When I received news that this book was going to be deleted, I was completely stunned. I didn't react. I didn't understand what it meant for me. It wasn't until the next morning, when I woke up, that I realized… my world had already collapsed.
The world I built with my own hands was about to be destroyed.
Some say authors are the gods of their novels.
God said, let there be light, and there was light.
God said, let there be earth, and there was earth.
God said…
God said this world shall exist, and so it did. Even if there's an apocalypse, there will still be a Noah's Ark.
Then, as the god of 'How a Bad Guy Is Made', I hereby issue my divine decree: this world shall live on.
From now on, I will race against the clock to write as much as I can. I don't know how much I can finish, or if I'll be "invited for tea" halfway through. But I'll write a chapter and post a chapter, using every last drop of divine energy to bring this world to life.
Alright, friends, I won't say more. God is off to create a world. Please don't disturb me.
…
"Wuyue, what did you say?"
"You're saying The Number One White Under Heaven is planning to keep updating 'How a Bad Guy Is Made'?"
"What the hell? Is that guy looking to get himself 'invited for tea'?"
Group 7's editor-in-chief, Call Me Captain, was practically going mad. He couldn't understand how someone could be so reckless as to keep updating a novel even at the risk of personal safety.
"Why didn't you stop him?"
"Right, lock The Number One White Under Heaven's backend access immediately."
"Captain, it's no use. He said if we lock it, he'll post it in his personal space. And if he does that, it'll be even worse for him. At least…"
Wuyue hesitated for a moment but still said, "At least, with Lingdian, we can take the hit for him."
"Take the hit? That's not your call to make. You… Wuyue, come with me to the editor-in-chief's office!"
He didn't know what to say to Wuyue anymore. Call Me Captain ordered him to come along to report to the editor-in-chief.
This kind of matter was beyond his authority. Only the editor-in-chief could decide.
"Editor-in-Chief…"
At that moment, in the editor-in-chief's office, 567 was reading the latest chapter of 'How a Bad Guy Is Made'.
"I know why you're here. Let me finish this last part."
Without looking up, 567 continued reading:
"From now on, I will race against the clock to write as much as I can. I'll write a chapter and post a chapter, using every last drop of divine energy to bring this world to life. Alright, friends, I won't say more. God is off to create a world. Please don't disturb me."
Finishing, 567 looked up.
He admitted it; he was moved by that final note from The Number One White Under Heaven.
A man should not be arrogant, but he must have pride.
It had been so many years since he'd seen an author with this much pride.
His eyes gleamed with a different kind of light. 567 murmured to himself, "The Number One White Under Heaven, I promise you. As long as Lingdian still stands, you will stand too."
Then he turned to Call Me Captain and Wuyue and said, "Captain, Wuyue, don't disturb The Number One White Under Heaven. He's creating a world."
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Glossary
"invited for tea" is a euphemism. Specifically, it refers to being summoned by government authorities, usually the police or a government regulatory body, for a warning, interrogation, or investigation, especially over content that may violate censorship laws or sensitive political/social regulations. It's a common term in Chinese internet culture and literature used to describe a soft but serious warning or disciplinary talk, typically with implied consequences.
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