The editor-in-chief had no choice but to report the matter to Meng Bo.
Meng Bo, who was known for his uncompromising nature, was infuriated. This was the first time a novel author had dared to defy him.
"Tell him that if he doesn't agree to work under Labahua, his novel will be taken down, and Feiyue Website will never accept his works again!"
He refused to believe that Lin Xuan would still resist after being pushed to this point.
The editor-in-chief relayed Meng Bo's words to Lin Xuan.
Lin Xuan: ["Whatever."]
Those two words again!
The editor-in-chief was frustrated. He truly admired Lin Xuan's talent and didn’t want to see his novel banned. But with such a response, what could he do?
Helpless, the editor-in-chief reported, "President, Lin Xuan said... 'Whatever.'"
"Good, very good," Meng Bo sneered, clearly angered. "If that's the case, take his novel down!"
The editor-in-chief frowned. "But, President, his talent is exceptional. Banning him would be a significant loss for our website. Shouldn’t we reconsider?"
"Ridiculous!" Meng Bo scoffed. "So what if he writes well? Feiyue Website is the largest platform in the country. We have authors earning millions, even tens of millions, every month. We don’t need him!"
With no other option, the editor-in-chief took down Lin Xuan's novel.
Over 200,000 readers, engrossed in the story, were abruptly kicked out.
Huh?
What’s going on?
Where’s the novel?
They searched for it, but the novel was gone. Even the author’s name had vanished, as if Lin Xuan and his work had never existed.
Many rushed to Weibo to vent their frustration.
["What the hell? Why is 'Pampered by the Yandere Tycoon' gone? Why was it taken down?!"]
["What’s going on? My mental sustenance is gone!"]
["Why was Lin Xuan's novel banned? @FeiyueNovel"]
Feiyue Novel's official Weibo account was flooded with comments. The platform eventually responded: ["The novel was taken down due to inappropriate content and incorrect values."]
They even deployed paid commenters to steer the narrative, suggesting that despite the novel's popularity and profitability, the platform had no choice but to remove it.
Lin Xuan's fans were furious.
Inappropriate content? Incorrect values?
They weren’t about to take this lying down. Soon, they dug up several other popular novels on Feiyue with far more explicit content and began tagging Feiyue Novel, demanding those be taken down as well.
["Here’s a list for you. Go ahead and ban these too @FeiyueNovel."]
["Don’t play dead. Respond @FeiyueNovel."]
["Oh, come on! You’re only banning one novel for 'inappropriate content'? These other novels are way worse! @FeiyueNovel."]
Feiyue Novel's official account went silent.
They hadn’t anticipated the scale of Lin Xuan's influence. A major influencer even bought the top trending spot on Weibo, and Lin Xuan's fans proved to be incredibly tenacious.
The PR department reported the situation to Meng Bo.
"We’ve removed the trending topic, but the backlash is still intense. President, this situation might be difficult to handle."
Meng Bo’s brows furrowed tightly. "Ignore them. They’ll calm down eventually."
Wang Dahe had finished reading Lin Xuan's novel early on and only learned about its removal through a group chat.
"Lin Xuan, your novel was taken down?" Wang Dahe asked, shocked.
"Yeah," Lin Xuan replied calmly.
"Damn it! How dare they take down your novel?" Wang Dahe couldn’t hold back his anger.
Lin Xuan shrugged. "It’s fine. I’m planning to start my own novel platform. You should check it out when it’s ready."
"Your own platform? Seriously, Lin Xuan, are you really going to do that?" Wang Dahe was astonished.
"Yeah."
Lin Xuan had already developed the platform a few days ago. He planned to apply for the necessary licenses soon and upload his novels.
This time, he intended to position himself as the underdog, making it seem like he was forced out. He wanted people to see him as a resilient figure, someone who, after being unfairly banned, turned around and created his own platform. It was the perfect setup for a classic underdog story.
By leveraging this narrative, he wouldn’t need to spend a fortune on marketing. The publicity alone would draw in a large audience.
Su Hua also discovered Lin Xuan's novel on the day it was taken down. She had stumbled upon his author account on his phone and had been reading the novel in her spare time.
While a senior executive was reporting to Su Hua, he caught a glimpse of the novel on her phone.
Huh?
A novel?
And not just any novel—a romance and wish-fulfillment story! The CEO actually reads this kind of stuff?
The executive was stunned. He never expected the composed and formidable Su Hua to indulge in such light reading.
Later that afternoon, when Su Hua tried to open the novel again, she found it had disappeared. Her brows knitted tightly in frustration.
She picked up the phone and called, "Come in."
Shao Xingfan entered. "You asked for me, CEO?"
"I need you to investigate something," Su Hua said, her lips pressed into a thin line, her expression dark.
"What is it?" Shao Xingfan grew concerned. Su Hua was always composed, so her current demeanor suggested something serious had happened.
"Find out why Feiyue Novel took down a novel by an author named Lin Xuan," Su Hua demanded, her tone icy.
Shao Xingfan blinked. "Huh?" Investigate a novel takedown?
This didn’t seem like the kind of task befitting a CEO.
"Any problems?" Su Hua shot him a sharp look.
"N-no, none at all," Shao Xingfan stammered, shaking his head vigorously. "I’ll get right on it."
Shao Xingfan left Su Hua’s office, still reeling from the bizarre request.
Jiang Qing noticed his dazed expression and asked, "What’s wrong? You look like you’ve been struck by lightning."
"Do you know what task the CEO just gave me?" Shao Xingfan asked, still in disbelief.
"What task?"
"She told me to investigate why a male-oriented novel called 'Pampered by the Yandere Tycoon' was taken down from Feiyue Novel."
"Who’s the author?" Jiang Qing pressed.
"Lin Xuan," Shao Xingfan replied.
Jiang Qing nodded knowingly. So, it was Lin Xuan who had started writing novels.
"Well, if it’s him, then it’s not surprising," Jiang Qing said with a smile.
Shao Xingfan frowned. Him?
"Assistant Shao, the CEO would do anything for the man she loves. Honestly, she’s a bit of a romantic at heart. As long as Lin Xuan doesn’t betray her or oppose her, she’s completely devoted to him. Otherwise, she can be quite... intense."
"Secretary Jiang, are you talking about that Lin Xuan who came as a firefighter that one time?"
"Yes, him," Jiang Qing confirmed.
Shao Xingfan fell silent. No matter how he looked at it, he couldn’t see how they matched. The man worthy of Su Hua should be incredibly powerful, not some... pretty boy.