Readers flocked to download the Palm Novel app.
Lin Xuan had six pseudonyms, each catering to different reader preferences.
One of his accounts specialized in writing "yandere"-style novels, and his pen name was also "Xuan."
Readers were ecstatic: "!!!"
This is exactly what we wanted!
This Xuan is truly the ultimate protagonist of wish-fulfillment novels!
Look, you banned my novels, and now I’m starting my own novel platform!
Lin Xuan’s fans spontaneously began promoting the Palm Novel app across various platforms.
Using the tagline "The ultimate wish-fulfillment protagonist brought to life," they attracted many newcomers to download the app.
Every novel on the platform was a gem, and readers devoured them with delight.
As they enjoyed the stories, they began recommending the app to their friends.
The momentum snowballed.
Dog Tail, staring at the data, was stunned. "In just two days, the download count has reached 3.5 million, with a daily active user count of 3 million."
The most astonishing part was that Lin Xuan hadn’t spent a single penny on promotion!
This was unbelievable.
Lin Xuan smirked, "It’s not enough yet."
"Boss, what’s your next move?" Dog Tail asked, intrigued. Based on Lin Xuan’s recent actions, he knew his boss was a cunning strategist. He couldn’t wait to see what Lin Xuan would do next.
"Building a persona," Lin Xuan replied, glancing at Dog Tail.
"Huh? What kind of persona?" Dog Tail was confused.
Lin Xuan explained, "A ‘beautiful, strong, and tragic’ persona."
"I’ll post in my novel’s comment section, telling readers why my book was banned and why I left Leap Novel."
A glint of mischief flashed in Lin Xuan’s eyes.
Since Leap Novel handed him the knife, he might as well use it to his advantage.
Dog Tail was speechless. "…"
This guy is shameless.
It was his plan all along to leave, deliberately provoking Leap Novel to ban his book and force him out.
But damn, his boss’s move was satisfying as hell!
Lin Xuan’s post caused an uproar in the novel community.
It even trended on Weibo under the hashtag #BestsellingAuthorForcedOut.
Leap Novel’s PR department wasn’t worried at all.
Palm Novel was just a small platform started by an author with no significant backing. Crushing it would be as easy as squashing an ant.
They calmly contacted Weibo’s management, offering a sum of money to have the trending topic removed.
Weibo’s response was prompt: "Director Liu, I’ll arrange to have the trending topic removed immediately."
In Weibo’s tech department…
"Something’s wrong," Liu Hui frowned.
"What’s the matter?" another technician, Wang Hai, asked curiously.
"I tried to remove the trending topic for Palm Novel, but for some reason, I can’t. I’ve checked the computer and the system, but everything seems fine."
This was the first time they’d encountered such a bizarre issue—unable to manipulate a trending topic despite no system crashes or errors.
"That’s impossible. Let me try," Wang Hai offered, attempting the same operation.
But the result was the same—the trending topic couldn’t be removed!
Now Wang Hai was equally shocked. It was true; they could manipulate other trending topics, but this one was untouchable.
A bold idea popped into Wang Hai’s head.
"Old Liu, do you think our site’s been hacked…?"
Liu Hui immediately dismissed the idea. "No way! Our site’s security was designed by some of the world’s top hackers. It’s been impenetrable for over a decade!"
"Besides, if the system had been breached, we’d have received some kind of alert!"
Wang Hai frowned. "We should report this to the manager immediately!"
The tech department manager listened to their report, his brow furrowed. He immediately ordered all technicians to inspect the system.
Yet, no issues were found anywhere!
The conclusion was unavoidable: they had likely been hacked, and the intruder had infiltrated their system without a trace, even altering their backend!
This realization sent Weibo into a panic. If the hacker decided to crash their system, it would be a devastating blow to any internet platform.
Weibo scrambled to hire top-tier cybersecurity experts to reinforce their defenses while simultaneously reaching out to Lin Xuan.
[We’ve noticed that the trending topic related to you cannot be manipulated. Was this your doing?]
Lin Xuan sat leisurely in front of his computer, legs crossed.
Would he admit to something illegal?
His fingers flew across the keyboard.
He played dumb, [I’m just a novelist and a student running a small platform. How could I possibly have the skills you’re suggesting?]
Then he turned the tables.
[By the way, so you’re the ones manipulating trending topics? Was it you who removed the hashtag when my readers defended me last time?]
[I’m a very vindictive person. If I really had the ability you’re implying, I might just crash your entire site.]
Though Lin Xuan denied involvement, his message was a thinly veiled threat.
Weibo was almost certain Lin Xuan was behind the backend intrusion.
But they couldn’t do anything about it—they had no evidence to involve the police.
If they pushed him too hard, he might actually crash their site!
Weibo had no choice but to swallow their frustration and wait until their security was strengthened before dealing with him.
With Weibo unable to remove the trending topic, Leap Novel could only watch helplessly as Palm Novel’s popularity soared.
The general manager of Leap Novel downloaded Palm Novel and, upon seeing the quality of the works, panicked.
"What’s going on? Where did Lin Xuan get so many high-quality novels? Many of these are perfect for adaptations into dramas and anime!"
The general manager rushed to the CEO’s office.
He barged in without knocking.
"Manager Lin!" a secretary tried to stop him, but it was too late.
The door swung open, revealing Morning Glory sitting on Meng Bo’s lap, the two locked in a passionate kiss.