ICTEUWMN Chapter 2

After all, Yu Mian had imagined every possible scenario—except for the fact that interstellar readers preferred serious literature when it came to novels.

Just as he was reeling from this unexpected revelation, a post in the scrolling discussion area at the bottom of the site’s leaderboard caught his attention.

[Rational Discussion: Does No. 1 on the Stellar List “By Lake Medra” Show Signs of Abnormal Data?]

Wasn’t this the book that had just topped the list?

When Yu Mian clicked into this bestselling book, he indeed discovered something unusual.

Starting from chapter 500, the next thirty chapters showed a sudden spike in popularity, and the number of clicks increased by one zero.

This was indeed very unusual.

As everyone knows, even the most classic, popular works inevitably experience a gradual decline in click volume over time. This was an objective trend resulting from reader attrition.

However, as Yu Mian quickly skimmed through this interstellar hit, he began to see a glimmer of hope.

In line with the platform’s overall style, “By Lake Medra” had a lofty and noble theme. But what really made this book stand out was a shift in plot around chapter 500. The author suddenly arranged for the protagonist Bailey to meet a mysterious blind man, kicking off a romantic subplot.

Under the author’s pen, the mysterious blind man turned out to have a complex identity—he was an imperial marshal who had retired home after achieving great military feats.

The kind-hearted protagonist Bailey often read poetry to him, when he found out he couldn’t see the autumn, he kindly helped him make a maple leaf specimen, and, as they grew closer, pushed his wheelchair so he could feel the morning breeze in the forest.

But just at a critical moment when they were about to hold hands and their relationship was about to change, this blind and macho marshal began to hesitate about revealing his true identity.

Because the tough marshal felt that although he had once been a general with great military achievements, he had lost both eyes in the war.

He felt that someone like him shouldn’t burden others and that he should leave quietly.

As a result, right when the plot reached this climax of the “macho marshal’s inferiority and hesitation”, the number of clicks on “By Lake Medra” soared to unprecedented levels.

The comment section below was equally lively.

[That hand-holding scene was so sweet—this is exactly the fairy love I dream of! Can I meet my own Mandell when I retire too? QAQ]

[+1 to the person above! But am I the only one dying to know when Bailey will figure out the marshal’s true identity? It’s driving me crazy!]

[Although I am also very anxious, I think the marshal should reveal his identity to Bailey himself! After all, our little angel Bailey won’t mind at all!]

While the interstellar readers were passionately discussing this, Yu Mian keenly discovered a problem.

Though the book seemed serious in genre, the author had unconsciously incorporated numerous elements of sweet, feel-good fiction.

For instance, the marshal’s hidden identity and the information gap between the two protagonists created an anticipation that kept readers hooked for each new chapter.

The character pairing was also classic: a handsome, powerful but tragic marshal paired with a kind, innocent “little sun”—the sweetness was simply too much.

But just when Yu Mian thought the author would soon dive into a series of jealousy arcs, identity reveals, and other fan-favorite tropes, he found himself in shock once again.

Because in the latest chapter, this macho marshal with a very high sense of morality decisively chose to let go and leave.

Wait, you’re the male protagonist and you’re just going to walk away like that?

And he even left a letter for the shou, expressing that their mutual respect for universal harmony and love transcended personal feelings.

“So, so, so… has the interstellar era really started embracing the stream-of-consciousness romance style?”

Yu Mian was deeply shocked.

Theoretically, shouldn’t this lead to the big reveal and a three-hundred-chapter push-and-pull with “My heart was moved, I was hesitant, but I couldn’t get the love I wanted, and old flames reignited”?

At the very least, couldn’t they have a proper romantic relationship?

What’s up with you macho marshal, are you really not capable?

Yu Mian subconsciously clicked on the comment section of this wildly popular chapter.

As expected, the comment section had exploded, but in a rather unique way.

[I was kicking my bed from the sweetness in the last chapter, but now I’m crying! Do you think our cute Bailey would mind that you can’t see?!]

[But don’t you all think the author’s approach makes the whole thing even more profound? He had been criticized for lacking logic before!]

[Yes, after all, only the Marshal who has the universe in his heart is logical!!! Though I also want to see the romance, wuu wuu wuu]

Yu Mian, who was observing the comment section, couldn’t help but think about something.

That is, in the creative atmosphere of the interstellar age, authors do tend to create high-end and serious literary works. But as readers, the interstellar netizens still had their own natural reading preferences.

After all, normal people go to school or work all day and come home. To relax, they lay down and read a novel. They just want some sweet, brainless love stories—is that so wrong!?

This kind of spontaneous reader preference had clearly contributed to the explosive popularity of those last thirty chapters.

Not to mention, judging by the comments, if the author dared to go all-in and write about the tragic marshal madly pursuing his wife, the subscription count would probably skyrocket!

[10:00:00]

At this moment, Yu Mian glanced at the countdown timer that showed another hour had gone by, and suddenly had a bold idea.

Anyway, he can’t earn 10,000 popularity points in time, and after ten hours, the mission will fail and he will die directly and end up with a BE.

So why not go out with a bang before the end?

Besides, as an outsider, he didn’t have to worry about public opinion.

And speaking of the emotional tropes, from ancient times to the present, whenever they appeared, they have always ignited the heat and stirred countless bloody storms…

Interstellar friends, do you know “chasing wife to the crematorium” literature?

*I usually see this as “wife chasing crematorium”, but then again some said that’s wrong and it’s supposed to be “chasing wife to the crematorium”. I’ll go with the second option for now. Someone more knowledgeable can let me know which is correct!

However, Yu Mian didn’t plan to write the old fashioned, bloody story of a scumbag chasing his wife to the crematorium.

What Yu Mian wanted to write was a new type of story featuring a self conquering, sand sculpture, love-brained domineering CEO who chased his wife to the crematorium.

*Sand sculpture means a character or situation that looks silly, clumsy or ridiculous. “Self-conquering” suggests that the character is unknowingly or clumsily falling in love with someone and pursuing them, often without fully realizing it

Ever since the birth of online novels, this melodramatic trope and its series of derivative themes have sustained countless generations of authors.

No matter how much time passes, if a well-executed new novel in this theme emerges, most readers can’t help but say:

“I’m a local dog—I love it!”

Even today, for new authors, the chasing wife to the crematorium trope remains an ideal choice.

Why?

Because it comes with a complete narrative logic and a steady stream of emotional climaxes!

But this trope also had one major pitfall.

If the execution is not done well, the author will easily be carried to the crematorium and burned along with the protagonist by the readers.

In short, it was a risky trope.

And so, it was at this time that the interesting transformation of the silly domineering CEO crematorium came into being!

Because the difference between a happy story and a sad story is often a crucial point: which side falls in love first.

Once the domineering CEO who shouldn’t be moved falls in love first, pursuing his beloved while remaining oblivious, denying his feelings despite his obvious actions, it easily creates a humorous, satisfying read.

This way, the story maintains the inherent rhythm of the chasing wife to the crematorium trope while also avoiding the overly depressing beginning.

It truly achieves the sweet and refreshing feeling from the first chapter.

Thinking about it, Yu Mian realized that for the current situation where he had to churn out a hit within ten hours, there was no better subject matter.

None at all!

The more he thought about it, the more it made sense, and Yu Mian quickly registered an author account.

Watching the countdown tick down, Yu Mian roughly estimated the time he’d need to write based on his typing speed.

If all went smoothly, he might be able to publish the first tens of thousands of words just in time for the peak network traffic period from 6 to 9 p.m, and land on the recommendation list of new works!

As for whether he could reach ten thousand popularity points…

He’d leave that to fate.

But if he was going to write a book on chasing wife to the crematorium, he needed a classic “domineering CEO” character.

It could even be said that this CEO character could make or break the entire novel.

Just like “By Lake Medra”, if the protagonist hadn’t encountered a reclusive grand marshal, creating a strong contrast in their identities, the story wouldn’t have been nearly as popular.

So, what kind of domineering CEO character was there in the interstellar era?

Moreover, this domineering CEO character must be classic enough, iconic even, someone who exudes credibility just by existing, making people think, “Yes, he is a domineering CEO” immediately.

As an outsider, Yu Mian was at a bit of a loss here.

As luck would have it, the protagonist appeared in a pop-up news alert the next second, and he really was a guy who fit the image of a domineering CEO very well.

#Xingqiong Entertainment’s newly signed mysterious artist goes missing on debut day?#

The company president that appeared in the news to be interviewed by reporters for the crisis PR happened to be a tall imposing figure with blonde hair, clad in a well tailored suit.

His eyes were deep and affectionate, and his thin lips also had a hint of a smile.

With calm and ease, he not only denied a series of unfavorable rumors but also redirected attention to the brilliant achievements made by new artists signed by Xingqiong in the past.

Yu Mian stared at the CEO’s news photo thoughtfully, then scrolled through the comment section.

[I’m just curious about how good looking this new artist Xingqiong signed is, for the company to go to such lengths to protect him despite his debut incident!]

[Friends who often chase stars know that Xingqiong Entertainment is always obsessed with beauty! It feels like they’ve signed all the beauties in the universe!]

[Alright, but for the president himself to be so handsome is outrageous. Is he planning to debut as well?]

After reading the comments and brushing up on common knowledge about this CEO, Yu Mian realized that this guy named Kane was indeed impressive.

In this book world, it seemed that Kane was a rich third-generation. But instead of inheriting the family business when he became an adult, he entered the entertainment industry and quickly made waves.

The key reason he didn’t face any backlash from industry natives was that he never stole resources from others.

Instead, if he wanted something, he simply poured money into creating a completely new project.

As a result, the people in the industry went from being wary of him to regarding him as a god of wealth.

Looking at it from a creator’s perspective, Yu Mian became more and more satisfied the more he read.

With this exaggerated and arrogant setting, doesn’t this make him a natural born domineering CEO in the entertainment industry?

Though why did the name of this CEO feel familiar, like he’d seen it somewhere before…

Could it be that the book transmigration system had forgotten to transfer relevant background memories before it disappeared?

But if he couldn’t even complete the first task, he’d just end up dying directly, so there was no point in worrying about memory?

So at this moment, Yu Mian didn’t have time to dwell on who the missing newcomer might be and instead started typing furiously.

Rows of words instantly appeared on the previously empty light screen, as if racing against the countdown.

“Ah-choo!”

Meanwhile, in Xingqiong Entertainment’s company building in the Central Star System’s CBD, a certain “blonde CEO”, Kane, who was looking at a contract with the two big characters “Yu Mian”, suddenly sneezed.

Strange, why was he sneezing so much today?

Could it be that his busy work schedule after returning from vacation had led to fewer gym visits, which resulted in a drop in his physical condition?

Maybe he should book a session with his personal trainer after work tonight.

Just as he was still deep in thought, the office door opened, and he immediately looked at the managers coming in with full alertness.

After nodding in greeting, the division manager began reporting on the situation regarding the contract they handed him.

“You’re saying this newcomer who signed our top-level contract this year and bailed right before his debut, is still missing?”

Kane frowned slightly as he looked at the contract in his hands.

And the name on the contract and the profile sheet was clearly written in large characters: “Yu Mian”!

The photo of the young man on the form had such stunning features that it was almost impossible to look away.

Especially his amber-colored eyes, they were a rarity in the interstellar era and carried an inexplicable allure.

In Kane’s view, this face was a gift from heaven for someone in the entertainment field.

“Yes, the company just checked his place and confirmed no one’s there. He’s even three months behind on rent.”

“We’re still keeping people on standby there, but nothing’s happened, and the living conditions are… hard to describe!” The division manager looked at Kane and answered hesitantly.

“Could he have panicked after causing trouble and… committed suicide?” Another manager boldly speculated.

After all, the company’s penalty fee wasn’t a small amount.

After a moment’s silence, Kane looked at the ID photo on the data sheet and sighed.

Where could this person have run off to, and what was he doing?

Theoretically, with such a face, anything he did should easily attract attention and buzz, right?

Even if he set up a kebab stall on the street and someone posted a photo on StarNet, it would likely become a trending topic.

As the day’s work wound down, the clock neared evening.

When his secretary closed the door after delivering some files and left him alone in the office, Kane finally took out a backup light brain he kept in his drawer and skillfully opened a familiar interface.

“Huanyu Reading Platform”

In a bad mood?

Wasn’t that a perfect time to read a novel?!

Oh, no, conduct some market script research.

Yes, as the CEO of Xingqiong Entertainment, Kane was a secret novel enthusiast.

He’d always been a lurker, occasionally dropping rewards and tips but never leaving comments.

But lately, Kane had been in a prolonged reading slump.

“Should I reread “By Lake Medra” again?”

After opening the Huanyu Reading Platform, Kane got a little distracted looking at the ranking list.

Since reading “By Lake Medra”, other books just didn’t seem to capture what he was looking for.

And while “By Lake Medra” was always thrilling, he’d read it almost twenty times now and would soon have it memorized.

Subconsciously glancing at the profile sheet with “Yu Mian” written on it, Kane, who was still feeling melancholic over the missing artist, felt a pang of wistfulness.

Maybe he should check the rankings to see if there were any new books worth reading.

In fact, when Kane opened the updated list and saw “Contract Marriage” that stood out among titles like “Interstellar Adventures”, “Chronicles of War”, and “Heroic Kodamon” on the homepage’s new releases…

It certainly made an impression that was hard to ignore.