Chapter 119: The Treatment Befitting a Heavenly King

It was another bright and sunny day. Late August in Yanjing had already ushered in autumn, and the sky at this time of year was the bluest of all—so clear and deep it resembled a pristine ocean, with a few white clouds drifting by like sails on the sea.

The apartment Zhang Chu had rented was quite pleasant. Outside the complex, a flock of white doves circled gracefully, their cooing filling the air and lending the place an unexpectedly charming atmosphere.

Situated near Yanjing University and the ruins of the Old Summer Palace, the area lacked towering skyscrapers scraping the clouds and the dense, ant-like throngs of cars. Though traffic was steady, the noise remained surprisingly low.

Zhang Chu had been too busy the day before to set up the internet. His laptop lay idle on the desk, usable only offline. Fortunately, his phone still had plenty of data, so he needn’t worry about losing touch with the outside world.

After the cleaning lady tidied up, the two-bedroom, one-living-room apartment felt much more comfortable. It included a bedroom and a study, and the complex even had a gym. For other physical activities, the gymnasium or stadium inside Yanjing University was clearly a better option.

After a night of fermenting excitement, Zhang Chu’s name had been seen and recognized by more people. His reputation value had already approached thirty million, though the growth rate had noticeably slowed.

Compared to the mixed reviews he received domestically, foreign netizens were far more understanding and supportive—especially avid Sherlock Holmes fans and related writers!

“Thank God, finally someone has stood up to resist.”

“Our collective novel, Sherlock Holmes and Me, had cleared the publishers, but the Estate Foundation blocked Amazon from selling it. In the end, the publisher refused to fulfill the contract. That foundation is a cancer!”

“Gotta say, well done!”

“This should’ve happened long ago. Why can’t we freely write stories about Sherlock Holmes?”

“The Holmes series spanned forty years from the first to the last publication. The earlier stories are public domain; the foundation shouldn’t be collecting royalties on those.”

“I’m British and love Holmes, but I dare not write any Holmes stories for fear of being targeted by the foundation. The copyright on Holmes has expired in the UK, yet they remain so arrogant. I hope this lawsuit ends well.”

“I’m almost in tears with joy. My friends and I love Holmes and have written many new stories about him. Publishers always reject them citing copyright issues. If this lawsuit wins, we can share these stories with more detective fiction fans!”

“What a brave young man. I’m curious—what’s the title of his book, and where can I find it?”

“Me too. Can anyone tell me why Amazon hasn’t listed Zhang’s novel?”

English and American netizens were the most eager, wanting to see Zhang Chu’s work, but the title mentioned in the news was nowhere to be found!

Because *Detective Sherlock* had not been officially translated into English, media such as The New York Times had simply rendered it as *Detective-Sherlock*, which was not the official title.

Searching by that name yielded no results for the Chinese edition. Fortunately, some quick thinkers reasoned that if the book couldn’t be found, searching the author’s name might work.

After considerable effort, they finally located Chu Zhang’s novel—but, unable to understand Chinese, even Google Translate only produced a fragmented understanding.

…

Dressed and ready, Zhang Chu arrived outside the complex at the appointed time to wait for Zhou Kang’s car. Together, they set off for the battlefield.

Today was the release day of *Psychological Crime*. Nanhai Publishing Company had specially secured an exhibition hall at the grand “Books and Culture China” book fair, hoping the novel would become an instant hit.

Zhou Kang wore a burgundy shirt, somewhat superstitious. “Are you ready? I heard from friends at the publishing house that many media outlets have already arrived. Last night, they even upgraded our small exhibition hall to a large one to accommodate the crowd.”

“I don’t really need to prepare anything,” Zhang Chu said with a slight ease, though inwardly he felt a touch nervous. His previous book, *Detective Sherlock*, had no launch event.

“All the fair’s reporters will be at your hall. Tsk tsk, that’s top-tier treatment!” Zhou Kang felt more confident in his choice. Being Zhang Chu’s literary agent meant he could delegate other authors to colleagues.

Though it was Saturday, the morning rush hour lingered, and Zhou Kang’s car crawled through traffic like a turtle. Had they not left an hour early, they surely would have been late.

Being late for the media could have branded them as prima donnas.

Familiar with the route, they found Gate 3 of the International Exhibition Center, where Gu Xinxue and several staff members were already waiting.

“Xiao Zhang, over fifty media outlets have arrived. Top reporters from CCTV and Xinhua are here, plus newspapers, TV stations, video sites, and news websites. There are even a few foreigners—I wonder if they understand what we’re saying,” Gu Xinxue said excitedly. Zhang Chu was his discovery, and with two bestselling books, Gu’s bonuses and standing at the publisher would rise accordingly.

That was real money, not something to be taken lightly.

…

Many office workers had the day off on Saturday, and parents brought their children to the book fair to soak in the literary and artistic atmosphere, buying books to read at home.

In parents’ eyes, reading was far more worthwhile than playing mobile games or visiting amusement parks, so they were willing to spend on books.

With the weekend’s arrival, the Books and Culture China fair grew noticeably busier. Each publishing house’s exhibition hall saw visitors, and the popular book-selling booths were packed.

Such a lively scene should have drawn many reporters taking photos or videos as material for daily news.

Yet not a single reporter was in sight. Occasionally, a journalist running late due to traffic hurried past carrying camera equipment toward Exhibition Hall 1.

“What’s going on over there? So many people.”

“The signs say there’s a book launch happening.”

*Psychological Crime*? Never heard of it. Why so many reporters?”

“The author’s name is Zhang Chu—wasn’t he that genius from yesterday’s news?”

“Who cares? Let’s go see!”

The herd mentality prevailed. Where there was excitement, people flocked. Initially, only reporters moved toward Hall 1, but curious attendees soon followed.

The hall, which could accommodate over three hundred, became packed to the point of no return. Security and staff had to manage the crowd and clear emergency aisles.

Many fair-goers cast curious glances toward the hall, their interest piqued.

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