hotmtlnovel Chapter 1599 Nothing to do today, listening to music in the brothel
Chapter 1599 Nothing to do today, listening to music in the brothel
After hanging up Lin Zhanqiao's call, He Han sighed and dialed Qin Hao's number again.
The phone rang four or five times before being answered. Qin Hao's voice came through the receiver, slightly languid, as if he had just woken up: "Hello?"
"Old Qin."
"Um."
Without any empty pleasantries, He Han went straight to the point: "'The Great Feng Night Watchman,' did you write that?"
There was a moment of silence on the other end of the phone.
Then Qin Hao laughed, a laugh that carried a "I knew you'd ask" tone: "Yes."
Upon receiving an affirmative answer, He Han slapped his thigh and jumped up from the sofa: "I knew it was you! The writing style is so similar!"
Qin Hao teased, "You suddenly called just to confirm this? Was it Lin Zhanqiao's idea?"
He Han, somewhat embarrassed, cleared his throat: "Old Qin, Lin Zhanqiao is just a bit short-tempered, she doesn't actually mean you any harm. You know her, she's all bark and no bite; she even remembers when you helped us out back then."
Qin Hao gave a noncommittal "Mmm": "I know."
"and you--"
"But please also tell Lin Zhanqiao," Qin Hao said calmly, but every word was clear: "I will not return to Zhixing."
He Han was about to continue trying to persuade him when Qin Hao added earnestly, "I have no problem with Lin Zhanqiao. She just wants to earn more money and have more freedom in her creative work."
He Han gave a wry smile: "Is there absolutely no room for maneuver?"
Qin Hao said half-jokingly, "We can talk about anything else, but not money."
Seeing Qin Hao's resolute attitude, He Han didn't press the matter further and sighed, "Alright, I'll invite you to dinner sometime."
Qin Hao laughed: "Forget about dinner, what good food can two grown men enjoy? Just don't forget about the nice things like foot baths and massages."
"You..."
He Han hung up the phone and shook his head helplessly. This guy, I thought he had changed his ways after writing a work like "The Night Watchman of Dafeng", but I didn't expect him to still be so cynical.
-
Just seconds after Qin Hao hung up the phone, Lin Zhanqiao called.
"How did it go?" Lin Zhanqiao's voice was urgent, like a machine gun: "What did Qin Hao say? Did he write 'The Great Feng Night Watchman'?"
He Han smiled wryly: "With so many questions, which one should I answer first?"
"The last one."
He Han said solemnly, "'The Great Feng Night Watchman' was indeed written by Old Qin."
There was a two-second silence on the other end of the phone, then Lin Zhanqiao's voice carried a strange emotion: "I knew it was most likely him! Writing style is the author's mark; no matter how much you imitate, it can't be this similar."
After she finished speaking, she pressed further, "Is he willing to go back to Zhixing?"
He Han fell silent.
This brief silence carried more weight than any answer. Lin Zhanqiao understood instantly—Qin Hao was unwilling.
“How about you arrange a meeting with Qin Hao for me?” Lin Zhanqiao’s tone softened. “I want to talk to him face-to-face.”
Upon hearing this, He Han immediately poured cold water on the idea: "Let's forget about it. Old Qin's attitude is very firm, and he also said that other things are negotiable, but money is out of the question."
Lin Zhanqiao frowned deeply: "Could it be that he deliberately forced me to terminate the contract because he disagreed with the commission rate?"
He Han shook his head and said, "I think it's not just a matter of the commission rate. Judging from his tone, even if you only take 10%, he won't agree."
Lin Zhanqiao rolled her eyes: "I can't even cover my costs with 10%..."
She leaned against the car window, gazing at the passing street scenes, her mind racing. Qin Hao didn't want to return to Zhengxing, and it wasn't just about money. What was it for? Creative freedom? Or simply not wanting to be controlled anymore?
"So, there's absolutely no room for maneuver." Lin Zhanqiao's tone carried a hint of resentment.
He Han didn't reply, but his silence itself was the answer.
-
Meanwhile, Dingqi.com was also busy.
Following Uncle Fan's instructions, Editor-in-Chief Zhou personally contacted Qin Hao. He carefully considered his words, trying to make his tone sound both sincere and professional, and then dialed the contact information Qin Hao had left on the writer's assistant website.
After the call connected, Editor-in-Chief Zhou got straight to the point: "Mr. Qin Hao, this is Zhou Zhengyang, editor-in-chief of Dingqi.com. I'd like to discuss the contract upgrade for 'Da Feng Night Watchmen' with you."
"Editor-in-Chief Zhou," Qin Hao said in a nonchalant tone, "Xiao Cai mentioned it to me."
"Here's the thing, Dingqi.com has a very high opinion of 'Da Feng Dahunen' and hopes to sign a top-tier contract with you."
The term "top author contract" carries immense weight in the online literature world. Out of hundreds of thousands of authors on the platform, fewer than a hundred receive such contracts, each a veteran author with millions of words written and countless fans. For the vast majority of authors, a top author contract is an ultimate, unattainable goal.
However, Qin Hao's reaction was unexpected by Editor-in-Chief Zhou.
“Editor-in-Chief Zhou, ‘The Great Feng Night Watchman’ has only updated less than 100,000 words. Signing a top-tier author contract now might not be convincing,” Qin Hao said calmly. “Besides, even I’m not sure if I can maintain the current level of quality. If the later plot falls apart, it won’t be easy to explain to the platform.”
Editor-in-Chief Zhou was taken aback.
"Difficult to convince the public"? When has Qin Hao ever cared whether others are convinced or not? Seven books in two years have been banned, and each time he continued to write despite the criticism from the entire internet. This person has never been one to care about external opinions.
"Unsure if I can maintain my standards"? That's a lame excuse. With Qin Hao's writing skills, as long as he doesn't include any borderline content, maintaining his standards is not a problem at all.
Editor-in-Chief Zhou naturally realized that Qin Hao was just giving a perfunctory answer. So what was the real reason Qin Hao refused the offer from the top author?
His mind worked quickly. Could it be that Qin Hao had absolute confidence in the subsequent plot of "The Great Feng Night Watchman," believing that the book's value far exceeded that of a mere divine contract, and was therefore waiting for a higher price to sell it here?
If that's the case, then Qin Hao's ambitions are far too great.
Editor-in-Chief Zhou didn't dare to make the decision on his own, so he reported the situation to Uncle Fan truthfully.
Uncle Fan was quite surprised upon hearing this: "He doesn't even care about the big shot's invitation? What else does he want?"
Editor-in-Chief Zhou was also puzzled: "Yes, the 'Top Writer Contract' is already the highest-tier contract on our platform. Better treatment would just mean more promotional resources, nothing else... He wouldn't be after platform shares, would he?"
Uncle Fan was both amused and exasperated: "He wants shares? Who does he think he is? Even He Han wouldn't dare make such a request!"
He Han has been deeply involved with Dingqi.com for many years, achieving an average subscription rate exceeding 100,000, making him an undisputed pillar of the platform. Even He Han has never made such an outrageous demand as asking for platform shares. So why should Qin Hao, with a new book of less than 100,000 words, be entitled to this?
Editor-in-Chief Zhou reminded him, "President Fan, what if 'The Great Feng Night Watchman' could surpass He Han's subscription record?"
Uncle Fan's smile froze.
"Impossible, right?" he said instinctively. "He Han's book has already surpassed 100,000 average daily subscriptions. That's a record that's practically at the top in the entire online literature industry."
What does 100,000 average subscriptions mean? It means that on average, 100,000 readers are paying real money to subscribe to each chapter of a book. Based on Dingqi.com's subscription prices, He Han's monthly royalties would reach a staggering one million yuan. This figure is something that most online novelists can only dream of in their entire lives.
Editor-in-Chief Zhou said seriously, "President Fan, I'm not saying we can definitely surpass it, but what if? You've seen the current data for 'The Great Feng Night Watchman.' It broke into the top three of the new book chart without any promotion, and after being featured on the homepage, it soared to number one in a single day. This kind of growth rate is rare in the history of Dingqi.com. If the subsequent plot can maintain this level, even if it can't surpass He Han, it might be able to keep pace with him."
Uncle Fan's eyes lit up.
He leaned back in his chair, his fingers tapping rhythmically on the armrest, lost in thought. Editor-in-Chief Zhou's words made him think of a possibility: if Dingqi.com could simultaneously possess two top authors with an average daily subscription exceeding 100,000, then in the competition among online literature platforms, Dingqi.com would completely leave all its competitors behind and become the undisputed industry leader.
“If the average subscription for the Great Feng Night Watchmen can truly break 100,000,” Uncle Fan said slowly, his tone now tinged with caution, “even giving him a small share of Dingqi.com would likely be considered by the board.”
Editor-in-Chief Zhou's heart skipped a beat, and he cautiously probed, "Then I'll recommend this one..."
Uncle Fan waved his hand dismissively, his tone bold: "Let's go with the expert's recommendation! I want to see if he can really reach He Han's level!"
-
In the following month, thanks to the vigorous promotion by Dingqi.com, the data for "Dafeng Night Watchman" increased rapidly.
Achieve 100,000 favorites with 100,000 words.
What does this speed mean? In the online literature industry, a 1:1 ratio of book favorites to word count is something even many top authors can't achieve, yet "Da Feng Da Geng Ren" accomplished it with just his new book, without any prior accumulation. The news sent shockwaves through the entire editorial department of Dingqi.com.
120,000 words, with over 200,000 favorites.
This data sent the entire editorial department into a frenzy. Xiao Cai was so excited she spun around three times at her desk, nearly knocking over her colleague. Editor-in-Chief Zhou, watching the constantly fluctuating numbers in the backend, had a smile that never left his lips all day.
The monthly votes surged to the top three of the monthly vote rankings, with only a little over 10,000 votes behind He Han and another veteran top voter.
This achievement made the veteran author restless. He wrote an extra chapter overnight to plead for monthly votes, his words earnest, and he even made the unprecedented promise of an extra chapter for every thousand monthly votes. This caused quite a stir in the literary circle—a veteran author who had been famous for many years was actually forced to this extent by a new book with less than 150,000 words.
However, compared to these achievements within the station, what truly delighted Uncle Fan was something else.
Xu Qi'an, the protagonist of "The Great Feng Night Watchman," has a catchphrase: "Nothing to do today, so I'll listen to music at the brothel."
It's unclear which reader first extracted this sentence and posted it on a short video platform, accompanied by melodious ancient-style music and a hand-drawn image of Xu Qi'an. The video garnered over a million views overnight, and the comment section was flooded with messages like "Nothing to do today, so I'm listening to music in a brothel."
Imitations immediately sprang up like mushrooms after rain. Some used the phrase in various funny videos, some turned it into memes, and some even imitated Xu Qi'an's tone when saying the phrase in live streams, causing the chat to explode.
The phrase "Nothing to do today, so I'm listening to music in a brothel" unexpectedly became a popular internet meme.
A large number of new users flocked to Dingqi.com because of this statement, and Dingqi.com's previously stagnant user growth data suddenly turned around, with daily active users increasing by 10% in just one week.
When Uncle Fan saw this data, he was so excited that he almost dropped his teacup.
"Increase promotional efforts!" He slammed his hand on the table and ordered Editor-in-Chief Zhou, "Not just in-site recommendations, I want 'Da Feng Night Watchman' to be seen on every channel! Short video platforms, social media, online literature forums—not one can be left out!"
Editor-in-Chief Zhou accepted the order and immediately coordinated with the marketing department to develop a comprehensive promotional plan. In the following days, numerous promotional videos about "Da Feng's Night Watchman" appeared on various short video platforms. There were plot explanations, character analyses, compilations of memorable quotes, and even a special parody video titled "Nothing to Do Today, Listening to Music in the Brothel," which garnered over 50 million views.
The "Da Feng Night Watchman" has become a huge hit.
-
However, the continued popularity of "Da Feng's Night Watchman" is not good news for Zhixing.
To be precise, it's not good news for Lin Zhanqiao.
During the study session on Zhixing, Zhao Lanxin mentioned more than once that the company could have had two top-notch experts.
Every word was like a fine needle, precisely piercing Lin Zhanqiao's prestige.
Although Zhao Lanxin's attempts to contact Qin Hao privately were directly rejected, this didn't stop her from using Qin Hao to undermine Lin Zhanqiao's position. After all, it was Lin Zhanqiao who took the initiative to terminate her contract with Qin Hao, thus causing Chengxing to lose a top-tier god who could have rivaled He Han in the future.
The editors' attitudes are also subtly changing. Previously, whatever Lin Zhanqiao said was law, and no one dared to contradict her. But now, occasionally someone will raise a different opinion in meetings. Although the wording remains respectful, the tacit understanding that "whatever President Lin says is right" has begun to crack.
At today's study session, Zhao Lanxin brought up the old issue again.
"Latest data: 'The Great Feng Night Watchman' has surpassed 200,000 favorites, ranking in the top three of the monthly ticket chart." Zhao Lanxin flipped through the report in her hand, her tone as calm as if she were reporting a weather forecast: "If this book were under our Zhixing banner, Teacher He Han wouldn't have to fight alone."
Several editors' eyes quietly drifted toward Lin Zhanqiao.
Lin Zhanqiao sat expressionlessly in the main seat, her fingers lightly tapping the table. She knew what Zhao Lanxin was doing—this wasn't the first time, and it wouldn't be the last. Zhao Lanxin was using Qin Hao's success to undermine her authority on Zhixing, and it was working quite well.
But Lin Zhanqiao is not the type to admit defeat in public.
"The current data doesn't tell the whole story," Lin Zhanqiao said, his tone calm but firm. "Dingqi.com has seen many works with phenomenal initial data, but their subscription numbers plummeted once the content was released. High collection counts don't necessarily mean a strong willingness to pay, and many monthly tickets don't guarantee long-term subscriptions."
She paused, her gaze sweeping over everyone present: "For Qin Hao to reach the same level as He Han, 'The Great Feng Night Watchman' needs at least 30,000 initial subscriptions to have any hope."
First subscription – the highest subscription rate for a single chapter within the first 24 hours of a book's release. This is the most crucial indicator for measuring a novel's commercial value, bar none.
Generally speaking, after a period of time following their release on Dingqi.com, as long as the subsequent plot doesn't fall apart, the average daily subscriptions will surpass the initial subscriptions. However, how much the average daily subscriptions will ultimately exceed the initial subscriptions depends on the quality of the novel. Overall, for a novel to break the 100,000 average daily subscription mark, the initial subscriptions must be at least over 30,000.
Thirty thousand initial subscriptions may not sound like much, but in the entire online literature industry, authors who can reach this standard are extremely rare. When He Han broke 30,000 initial subscriptions, the entire industry was shaken, and that was after he had already accumulated a large following. As for Qin Hao—an author who changed his pseudonym eight times and had seven books banned in two years—breaking 10,000 initial subscriptions would be considered quite good.
After listening, Zhao Lanxin's lips curled slightly, and she looked directly at Lin Zhanqiao: "What if the initial subscription for 'The Great Feng Night Watchman' exceeds 30,000?"
Lin Zhanqiao's heart skipped a beat.
She knew very well that, given the current popularity of "The Great Feng Night Watchman," as long as the subsequent plot didn't fall apart, there was a high chance that the first-day subscription would exceed 30,000. Two hundred thousand favorites, ranking in the top three on the monthly ticket chart, and a viral internet buzzword—these figures were there for all to see, making the first-day subscription exceeding 30,000 not a pipe dream.
But she couldn't show weakness under the watchful eyes of everyone.
Lin Zhanqiao met Zhao Lanxin's gaze and said, word by word, "Then it means I really misjudged you."
She regretted it as soon as the words left her mouth. But what's said is said, and can't be taken back.
Zhao Lanxin got the answer she wanted.
She gave a perfectly timed look of regret, then feigned concern, saying, "It's nothing really, everyone makes mistakes. Don't you all agree?"
She glanced around, her gaze lingering on each editor's face for a second.
The subtext of this statement is quite obvious—Lam Chin Kiu is not a god; she can make mistakes, so there's no need to elevate her to such a high position.
The atmosphere in the meeting room became subtle.
-
three days later.
Amidst much anticipation, "The Great Feng Night Watchman" has finally completed its last free chapter.
That day, Dingqi.com's servers were nearly overwhelmed. Countless readers opened the Dingqi.com app, refreshing the page and waiting for the latest chapter to be updated. The comments section was growing at a rate of hundreds per minute, all discussing the performance of "The Great Feng Night Watchman" since its release.
Then, Qin Hao posted his thoughts on the product launch.
There was no sentimentality, no playing the victim, no groveling by the author begging for first subscriptions, and no moral blackmail like "not subscribing is inhuman."
The entire launch message consisted of only one sentence—
"A minimum of 100,000 words is guaranteed on the day of release. If the first subscription reaches 10,000, an additional 50,000 words will be added; if it reaches 20,000, an additional 100,000 words will be added; if it reaches 30,000, an additional 200,000 words will be added, and so on."
A simple, understated sentence, without any unnecessary embellishment.
But it was this sentence that instantly caused an uproar in the book review section of "Da Feng Da Jing Ren".
"Holy crap! Over 30,000 first-day subscriptions, an extra 200,000 words?! Is this going to make me die from overwriting?!"
"Awesome! That's the confidence of a true master!"
"An extra 50,000 chapters for every 10,000 reads, an extra 100,000 for every 20,000 reads, an extra 200,000 for every 30,000 reads—that's exponential growth! Can he really write that much?"
"Whether I can write it or not doesn't matter, just go for it! My first subscription has to be arranged!"
"Nothing to do today, just listening to music at the brothel—no, something's up today, I need to place a first order!"
"Brothers, let's show Teacher Qin Hao what the power of readers really is! Let's break 30,000 first-day subscriptions, charge!"
The comments section was refreshing at a visible rate, exceeding five thousand within just ten minutes. The readers' enthusiasm was like a powder keg that had been ignited, spiraling out of control.
At the same time, this announcement was quickly screenshotted and spread to various online literature forums and social media platforms.
The topic "The Night Watchman's Thoughts on Launching in Da Feng" quickly rose to the top of the trending search list within just one hour.
"If the first subscription exceeds 30,000, I'll add another 200,000 words"—everyone in the industry understands the weight of this promise. This means that Qin Hao has absolute confidence in his work, and it also shows that he has prepared at least 200,000 words of drafts.
-
The news also reached Zixing.
When Zhao Lanxin saw the announcement about the book's release, the corners of her mouth curved into a wider smile. She picked up her phone and sent a message to Ling Yikai:
"With initial orders exceeding 30,000, Lin Zhanqiao said she misjudged the market."
Ling Yikai replied quickly: "I remember."
Zhao Lanxin put down her phone, leaned back in her chair, and looked out the window.
This is the day she's been waiting for.
-
In the editorial department of Dingqi.com, Editor-in-Chief Zhou stared at the constantly fluctuating data on the screen, a slight smile playing on his lips. He picked up the phone and dialed Uncle Fan's office: "Mr. Fan, the launch announcement has been sent."
"I saw it." Uncle Fan's voice carried a barely suppressed laugh: "This Qin Hao is quite interesting."
"Do you think the initial orders can break 30,000?"
Uncle Fan paused for two seconds, then slowly said, "Whether or not he can break 30,000, he has already succeeded, hasn't he?"
He paused, then added, "Notify the tech department to prepare for server capacity expansion on the day of launch. I don't want the initial order data to be affected by a server crash."
"clear."
After hanging up the phone, Uncle Fan leaned back in his chair, gazing at the city skyline outside the window, a meaningful smile playing on his lips. (End of Chapter)