Chapter 55: The Army Urging for Updates

Inside the Four Seas as One restaurant, Zhang Chu was locked in a struggle with a lobster, while the chubby Wei Wenlin had thrown caution to the wind and was indulging in Brazilian barbecue. All six of them ate until they were stuffed round.

“This buffet is really good. I doubt I’ll need to eat again tonight,” Fu Deyu said, wrapping a slice of Peking duck in a thin pancake and taking a bite with obvious delight.

Zhang Chu took a sip of his drink and smiled, “You all better step up your game today, or how else will we get our money’s worth for these hundred-plus yuan?”

Feng Tianrui, sitting nearby, burped contentedly, raised his glass, and said, “Let’s all pause a moment and toast Zhang Chu together. We haven’t even congratulated you yet for being the top scorer on the college entrance exam. Our class is now the envy of the whole school.”

“Can you not be so dramatic?” Zhang Chu retorted, sounding particularly unimpressed. “How many top scorers actually go on to do well these days? Most end up just like everyone else.”

The others ignored him, raising their glasses—a mismatched mix of beer and wine that looked rather odd.

“To Zhang Chu—may you continue to conquer all after entering Yanjing University!”

“Then I’ll wish for your future literary career to flourish, and may you win the Nobel Prize soon!”

“I don’t know what else to say. Just get famous and rake in the cash, that’s enough.”

The group clinked their glasses in mid-air and downed their drinks in one go.

…

By the afternoon, Zhang Chu had no desire to continue partying. His stomach was about to burst, and all he wanted was to sprawl lifelessly on the sofa.

He opened his Weibo, and his somewhat outdated phone immediately started pinging non-stop!

New followers flooded in, likes, comments, and repost notifications piling up endlessly—Zhang Chu was experiencing popularity for the first time.

The comments were a colorful array, but most came from the relentless “update soon” brigade.

“Author, where’s the rest of ‘Detective Sherlock’?”

“When will you update? I can’t wait to see Holmes and Watson’s daily lives.”

“Following for more! These two are too adorable, can’t wait for the next chapter!”

“Already bought the July issue of ‘Chronicles of Mystery’ to support you. Please don’t abandon this story!”

“I have a strong feeling Zhang Chu is busy with a victory tour after the college entrance exam and has no time to write.”

“It’s been ages since I’ve read such a good novel. My first time with a detective story, and it’s fantastic.”

For now, the update demands were still fairly gentle. Most people understood they couldn’t force a soon-to-be college student to write constantly; compared to quantity, quality prevailed.

Zhang Chu looked at his over fifty thousand followers and felt quite satisfied. After all, not every netizen is into detective fiction—it’s a bit of a niche genre.

He’d already decided that for his next book, he’d pick a more mainstream genre and boost his reputation further.

Seeing everyone so eager for more of “Detective Sherlock,” Zhang Chu’s eyes flashed with mischief, and he posted a new message on Weibo:

“Keep urging me all you want—if I post another chapter, I lose.”

Such an arrogant tone instantly infuriated the update-hungry fans. An author like this ought to be locked up and forced to write every day!

He even attached a meme with a cheeky expression that practically begged for a beating.

“This is the first time I’ve seen an author so cocky. Don’t forget your address was leaked on the news!”

“Any friends in Jiangcheng? Go urge him in person!”

“We’re crowdfunding razor blades—by now we could circle the globe twice with the ones sent in.”

“Zhang Chu, I’m telling you, if you don’t update, I… I… I just can’t read anymore!”

“At this point, I silently pick up my watermelon knife and buy a ticket to Jiangcheng. Rain or shine, I’ll be waiting for you at the bookstore!”

“No money for a ticket, but I can provide tools for the big shots.”

“Damn, I already bought my ticket to Jiangcheng, but because of security checks, I can’t bring a knife. Can someone mail me one?”

“The update-urging service has started. Readers are cracking whips in the air as they approach Zhang Chu. One more step and he’ll be at the end of the alley, but he still holds his head high, stubbornly declaring, ‘No updates, only my life!’ Without another word, the readers tie him up and draw out their little knives, aiming at…”

Some users even created a series of memes in the comments—Roaring Horse’s “Why no update?” versus the fierce kitten’s “Hurry up and update!”

Seeing all this enthusiasm, Zhang Chu felt utterly content. At least his work wasn’t going unread—he had plenty of readers!

Even though “Detective Sherlock” had garnered over a million votes, compared to the billions of internet users, it was but a drop in the ocean; there were still many who’d never heard of the book.

Now, thanks to the creative pressure from the update campaign, even more netizens were drawn in and fell into the pit.

…

“Our July issue is really selling well—the e-book has already sold 110,000 copies! We’re on track to break records!” Wan Yuan said excitedly. It was only early July, and with numbers like these, they were bound to hit 150,000 or even 180,000 by the end of the month.

And that’s just for the digital edition—the print sales hadn’t even been counted yet!

In the past, when the big names in mystery fiction published new works, at most only diehard fans took notice. It never reached a broader audience.

Now, thanks to various activities, media coverage, and dramatic events, “Chronicles of Mystery” had managed to attract a fresh wave of readers.

Liu Qiao had been with the magazine for years, and in her memory, they’d never had such high sales—she hadn’t even dared to imagine it. “Before, we thought if e-books and print together reached seventy or eighty thousand, it would be a victory. Who could have predicted this?”

“It’s a shame our August issue won’t be out for almost a month. By then, the hype will have died down.”

Online trends change at lightning speed—today everyone might be clamoring for more “Detective Sherlock,” but tomorrow some new event could steal the spotlight.

“By the way, I have another update. Zhang Chu has officially signed a publishing contract with South Sea Press. I don’t know the exact royalty split, but the publisher said they might start printing the later chapters ahead of time.”

“Tsk, tsk, South Sea Press really knows how to seize the moment—they have guts, too. No wonder they keep getting better.”

“Since South Sea Press is publishing it, and they’re known for hyping things up, there’s sure to be a lot of attention. We can use the chance to sell more magazines. If we could keep up these sales numbers, we’d never have to worry about shutting down!”

*************

Here, the author humbly asks everyone to urge updates rationally. Please, don’t send me razor blades, and don’t lock me in a dark room.

Caring for your author—everyone’s responsibility!