ICTEUWMN Chapter 24

No matter how chaotic the interview scene ended, the video of Kane’s response to reporters was immediately uploaded to the interstellar network from various angles and almost instantly, the view count skyrocketed.

At the same time, countless interstellar netizens heard Kane’s resounding reply in the video, and his dazzling blonde hair became even more dazzling!

Anyone unaware might have thought the live-action adaptation of “Contract Marriage” had already been filmed.

[Okay, okay, Kane, you brat! I thought you were a scumbag with a love brain, but it turns out you’re secretly into pure romance, huh?!]

[Even though I’m starting to suspect Xingqiong Entertainment is deliberately riding the wave of “Contract Marriage”’s popularity for marketing, I admit it—you’ve succeeded! After all, these two really look alike, my goodness!!]

[I’m dying of laughter. So, is “Contract Marriage” actually a realistic novel? Kane, why not just admit it? If it’s too much trouble, buy the rights and shoot your own adaptation, okay??]

As the playful banter and meme-filled buzz went on online, Kane, who had finally escaped the frenzy at the interview scene and returned to his company, was speechless after catching up on the latest updates on his light brain. The atmosphere in the office could only be described as extremely bizarre.

Even the secretary delivering water stole a cautious glance at her boss, who seemed to be questioning his life. For a moment, she didn’t know how to feel.

Sympathy? That didn’t seem quite right.

She even kind of wanted to laugh.

At least, as Kane’s direct secretary, she could confirm one thing: her boss’s personal life was as clean as a whistle.

Despite Xingqiong Entertainment’s countless gorgeous male and female stars, Kane’s strict upbringing had ensured he never got entangled in any gossip or scandals. His admiration was always pure, and his respect genuine.

Ironically, this made him eerily similar to Caesar, the domineering CEO from “Contract Marriage”.

Thinking about the hordes of netizens now clamoring for Kane to buy the rights and personally star in a live-action adaptation, the secretary couldn’t suppress a chuckle.

“Boss, perhaps we could look at this issue from a different perspective.”

Finally, another member of the publicity department adjusted his glasses and bravely broke the heavy silence.

“At the very least, as some comments suspecting us of deliberate marketing have pointed out, this incident has brought our official account a million new followers. And so far, the numbers are still climbing rapidly. It could be considered the marketing case of the year.”

“Moreover, this incident hasn’t really caused any negative impact on your personal image…”

Carefully analyzing the domino effect caused by the “interview incident”, the young manager’s expression became a bit complicated.

To be precise, this incident had no actual adverse effects. On the contrary, it strangely boosted Kane’s popularity, even though Kane himself might not have welcomed it.

At this very moment, Kane’s personal star-blog account was filled with “Contract Marriage” fans flocking to admire and explore.

Some fans, after taking one look, exclaimed, “Wow, he really looks just like him!” Many even declared their intent to settle there while waiting for the next update.

Some even urged Kane to share more personal updates or pictures of his luxurious mansion so that everyone can see the daily life of a rich and domineering CEO, completely treating it as an unofficial behind-the-scenes look at the live-action adaptation.

It seemed like they had completely turned Kane’s star-blog into a real-life RPG check-in spot.

“…Should I dye my hair?”

Kane clutched his head and suddenly felt an overwhelming urge to dye his blonde hair black. No matter how he looked at it, the golden hair in the video seemed silly and out of place.

It made him look like some hopeless love brain!

“Uh, you’d better not do that, Boss, because that would almost certainly trigger another wave of trending searches. However, there is still one final solution to this situation.”

The young manager quickly stopped Kane and began to analyze the situation.

“What is it?”

“You could lean into the joke and make fun of yourself. That would likely win you even more favor from the netizens. After all, Caesar’s domineering image in “Contract Marriage” is hugely popular…”

If this operation was really carried out, even rival companies might suspect Xingqiong Entertainment of orchestrating this entire saga as a stroke of marketing genius.

However, the young manager, who had grown increasingly excited due to his media studies background, soon fell silent under Kane’s deathly glare.

Instinctively, he knew that continuing to speak would be dangerous.

“…”

Kane buried his head in his hands again, feeling a love-hate relationship with the novel on his light brain.

Who exactly was this author? [Collapse.jpg]

Meanwhile, Yu Mian hadn’t yet noticed Kane’s failed public clarification. Instead, he was busy dealing with his editor, Shaxs, who was frantically messaging him.

In the latest chapter update, Caesar’s iconic line, “Money is not a problem,” had not only gone viral outside the novel’s usual audience but also sparked a new wave of heated discussions!

Before this, the explosive popularity of “Contract Marriage” had certainly garnered significant fan support but inevitably provoked some controversies and debates.

[Although the plot is indeed interesting, the so-called marriage contract completely violates legal principles. Would federal interstellar law really recognize such a contract?]

[The problem is, with books like this, readers start fantasizing about meeting their own Caesar! This is pure romantic idealism!]

[Exactly. Tying love to money is a very dangerous trend.]

Among these were several extremely harsh criticisms:

[This novel is nothing but a meaningless daydream. Its success will only lead to more problems. The federation should ban such books outright!]

[After seeing so many recommendations, I read it myself. After finishing it, I felt it was nothing more than a vulgar romance story, completely devoid of value!]

After all, Yu Mian had deliberately designed “Contract Marriage” to fulfill a popularity task. In a way, it was a purely commercial work.

Upon calm reflection, many people could undoubtedly spot the overly dramatic and coincidental nature of its plot.

Still, the severity of the criticism seemed unnecessarily sharp.

The key issue was that Shaxs noticed something even more troubling—a coordinated smear campaign targeting “Contract Marriage”. Some extreme individuals continuously provoked fights in the comment section, trying to stir up discord among the readership.

Worried that the criticisms might affect the newbie author’s mindset and halt updates, Shaxs decided to wait until after the night’s release to gently bring it up.

Unexpectedly, the newly released chapter turned the tide entirely with Caesar’s now-classic line, redirecting the focus of the debate!

A new topic emerged:

#Is the unexpectedly popular “Contract Marriage” essentially a commentary on the philosophy of money, love and life?#

“Shaxs! That author of yours—his book was just reviewed by a researcher from the Federal Research Institute of Literature!”

The shout from a colleague in the editorial office instantly drew everyone’s attention to Shaxs. Their gazes carried a mixture of emotions.

The explosive success of “Contract Marriage” had undoubtedly elevated Shaxs’ status in the editorial department.

As a fresh graduate yet to be officially hired as a full-time employee, Shaxs now had a solid chance of outperforming the senior editors in this year’s end-of-year evaluations.

For a newcomer, such a complex workplace dynamic was becoming increasingly evident.

The exclamation at this moment made Shax’s heart inexplicably chilled.

Online debates were one thing—so long as Yu Mian, the author, could keep his composure, the impact would be minimal.

However, an opinion from a researcher at the Federal Research Institute of Literature was a completely different matter.

This was a group dedicated to literary studies.

In the interstellar era, the most orthodox and widely acknowledged literary styles bore no resemblance to the unorthodox “Contract Marriage”.

Now, with a formal review emerging, the likelihood of criticism far outweighed the chances of praise. If “Contract Marriage” were to be condemned, the consequences could be severe.

Shaxs hesitated, his hand hovering over the link on his screen.

But as the editor, he had no choice but to read the entire review first and immediately come up with a plan with the author.

With a sense of grim determination, Shacks finally opened the link. As he read, his previously tense expression shifted and his eyes gradually widened in disbelief.

Yu Mian, who had finally waited until no one was in the study room, logged into the light brain again, and instantly received 99+ messages from his editor, Crispy Shark.

The earlier messages were mostly updates on public opinion, discussions about whether the plot should be revised, and warnings for Yu Mian to avoid searching his pen name online.

“This editor is really thorough,” Yu Mian chuckled softly, feeling as though he was being treated like a rare seedling.

It was rare to see such dedicated care, considering editors often handled hundreds, if not thousands, of authors simultaneously.

However, the latest message seemed rather unusual.

[Crispy Shark: Oh My God, we’ve really hit it big! A researcher from the Federal Research Institute of Literature just published an article analyzing “Contract Marriage”!]

Yu Mian was equally astonished. How could such a commercially driven novel attract attention from the traditional interstellar academic circle?

[Fish: What? Were we criticized? QwQ]

His first instinct was that it had to be a critique.

Was this researcher planning to launch a broadside against online novels? After all, he was merely trying to earn some popularity points to survive.

[Crispy Shark: No, no, no—not a critique! Though there has been plenty of criticism across platforms after we went viral!]

[Crispy Shark: But this latest piece is entirely different!]

Yu Mian hadn’t expected the next response to be so surprising.

Intrigued, he followed the link sent by Shaxs and opened the article.

The more he read, the more shocked he became.

———

[A Review of the novel, “Contract Marriage” by “Interstellar Wanderer]

[To begin with, I must admit that my initial interest in “Contract Marriage” arose purely out of curiosity after hearing about it from a student.

Unexpectedly, I finished the entire book in one night. After noticing the intense discussions about the book online, I couldn’t resist writing this review.

It’s true that “Contract Marriage” has faced numerous critiques from various corners.

Today, I do not intend to deny the book’s flaws. Instead, I want to highlight how it offers a fresh perspective on money, love, and life.

Why do we feel compelled to reject a protagonist like Caesar, whose immense wealth defines him? Why must such a figure be seen as a dangerous anomaly?

In modern literature, great love is often tested through poverty or separation of life and death. But must these trials always be so formulaic?

In this story, Gu Bai’s love for his mother transcends material concerns, compelling him to pay exorbitant medical expenses. Caesar’s grandfather, despite reaching the apex of societal status, chooses to retreat into a reclusive and self-sufficient lifestyle. On the other hand, the villains value money above all else.

Each of these characters represents unique, vivid perspectives worthy of reflection.

In the latest update, Caesar even begins to question how his privileged background has shaped his growth. I think it is precisely these imperfections that make Caesar such a relatable and beloved character among interstellar readers.

The vastness of the universe raises an intriguing question: could someone like Gu Bai truly exist? And if so, how many talented young individuals remain trapped by the limitations of underdeveloped star systems?

These issues are essentially something we can discuss, pay attention to, and help. Perhaps this is more meaningful than criticizing whether the book is serious and orthodox enough.

Of course, I must admit, this is also a plea for faster updates. If the author could speed up the releases, that would be perfect. ^_^]

——–

Although this account with the ID “Interstellar  Wanderer” did not have a real name, his Star Blog was indeed certified as a researcher at the Federal Research Institute of Literature, and this book review could be said to have really shocked Yu Mian.

Even as the creator, Yu Mian couldn’t deny that “Contract Marriage” had been rushed in its conception. The plot’s structure and tropes were drawn from countless “chasing wife to the crematorium” novels he had read in his past life.

In some ways, the criticisms online were justified.

But Yu Mian never expected such an empathetic and insightful analysis from a reader.

“Interstellar Wanderer” acknowledged the book’s flaws while offering a tolerant and thoughtful perspective, even going so far as to analyze and interpret Caesar and other characters in a way that felt both warm and understanding.

He even noticed Caesar’s subtle reflection on class hidden within the plot of the latest chapter.

Furthermore, the character of Gu Bai was skillfully tied to real societal issues in the universe. This approach cleverly leveraged the popularity of “Contract Marriage”, redirecting attention to interstellar social security problems with remarkable finesse.

It was truly unexpected, yet when considered carefully, the sudden popularity of “Contract Marriage” seemed to carry a unique and significant real-world relevance.

After all, the immense love interstellar readers had for Gu Bai could easily translate into a beautiful, collective effort to eliminate the regrets present in the story from reality itself!

Without exaggeration, the review by “Interstellar Wanderer” caused an explosive shift in the discussions surrounding “Contract Marriage” on the star network, taking the discourse in an entirely new direction.

Some readers even began linking this phenomenon to the recent surge in citizens of central star participating in acts of kindness and public welfare.

For instance, there was suddenly a group of people volunteering in community gardens to help the elderly maintain their lawns, or others going out of their way to assist homeless individuals they encountered on the streets.

Could such behavior, inspired by the novel, be considered bad?

Of course not—it was a complete embodiment of truth, goodness, and beauty.

This only proved that while “Contract Marriage” might seem eccentric from its title to its plot, a closer examination of its plot and characters revealed it to be politically and morally correct.

Moreover, from another perspective, the protagonist Gu Bai subtly conveyed to readers through a series of face slapping moments that:

As long as one remains kind and steadfast, and performs good deeds, they will inevitably find a better and brighter future!

With such a profound analysis, even those who were initially dissatisfied with the sudden rise of “Contract Marriage” were left with no ground to criticize further.

“Interstellar Wanderer’s” review essentially settled the controversy with a decisive blow, making one wonder whether the reviewer had anticipated this latent crisis in public opinion and intentionally crafted such a review to resolve it.

—-

Looking at the review on his light brain, Yu Mian couldn’t help but fall into deep thought.

As an outsider, he had written the book purely to complete his task and secure his survival.

But upon seeing that his work could genuinely influence the interstellar world, sparking reflection and discussion, something inside him was stirred.

Perhaps his second book deserved more careful consideration in its subject matter.

System: [Are you planning to start drafting your second book? But isn’t the first one still unfinished? And the most exciting parts haven’t even happened yet!]

The system couldn’t help but voice its curiosity as it saw Yu Mian reorganizing his notes and outline.

“Yes, but it’s crucial to start brainstorming and solidifying ideas for the next book in advance.”

“Contract Marriage” was reaching a climactic point with Caesar uncovering the truth behind the million star coins. The plot was heading toward several major, impactful plot twists, including the universally beloved “wife chasing” arc.

Once those chapters were written, the book’s popularity would undoubtedly surge even further.

However, Yu Mian intended to use this opportunity as the plot approached its climax to carefully deliberate on the theme of his next book.

He also found himself growing curious about the researcher behind the review.

Not only had they resolved a massive potential crisis for him, but their final plea for faster updates also came across as particularly cute.

As Yu Mian pondered his new book’s subject, the online support for “Contract Marriage” was joined by an unexpected group of advocates.

——

[Holse V: Huh? Who said “Contract Marriage” isn’t worth reading and should be banned? I won’t stand for that! I’m following it along with my students! Old antiques need to learn from young people and keep an open mind if they want to stay youthful, instead of calling for bans whenever something new appears!]

Professor Holse was a nearly 60-year-old man and a widely known expert in the music field.

Apart from his somewhat mischievous personality, he was also known for his love of surfing the star network like the younger generation. At first glance, he seemed entirely unrelated to “Contract Marriage”.

Why would he speak up for the novel?

The two were completely unrelated!

Especially to those lurking in the comment sections fanning the flames and trying to sway public opinion. They couldn’t understand why a newly popular book like “Contract Marriage” suddenly garnered support from so many big shots.

However, upon closer examination, this was not surprising at all.

As soon as it came up, the novel had unexpectedly reignited interest in ancient Blue Star instruments like the piano, which had long been considered niche.

For a considerable period, in an interstellar era dominated by military and technological pursuits, art-related fields like ancient instruments had been regarded as obscure and impractical disciplines.

Many majors struggled to recruit even a single student, teetering on the brink of closure.

But the sudden surge in interest brought about by “Contract Marriage” had completely changed the narrative.

As a result, after the sudden popularity of “Contract Marriage” instantly increased the attention on the piano, not only did the number of applicants for interest classes on ancient musical instruments unexpectedly increase dramatically, but even the number of applicants for various consultations with the music department skyrocketed this year.

Thus, when calls to ban “Contract Marriage” emerged, these big shots in the field of music simply couldn’t stand by.

To ban the novel would be to sever the newfound attention their field had gained—something utterly intolerable.

With Professor Holse stepping in, the already lively debates on star network that were fueled by “Interstellar Wanderer’s” review, grew even more fervent.

[Wow! I can’t believe the author of my favorite novel has even caught the attention of professors! Is this real?!]

[It’s real! I’m one of the few students in this year’s ancient piano program, and “Contract Marriage” is all anyone talks about! It’s made our classes so much cooler—those music scenes are wild and thrilling!]

[Guess how Professor Holse found out about “Contract Marriage”? It’s the admissions season, and during an interview, someone was asked why they applied. That person actually said it was because they read the novel—hahaha!]

Amidst the heated discussions, the hashtag #ProfessorsAreReadingThisNovelToo# quickly became a hot search topic and soared to the top of the StarNet hot search rankings.

Shortly after Professor Holse spoke up, another friend of his also joined in and even tagged the author directly.

[Peng V: That guy isn’t just reading the novel—he’s been bragging to me nonstop about how full this year’s enrollment is. @ABowlOfFishSoupNoodles, I’d love to get in touch with the author. Could the next book maybe feature violins? After all, the violin is also a timeless and elegant ancient instrument! (Photos X9)]

It turned out that the professors from the Central Star Federation’s First Conservatory of Music, the real-life inspiration for the music academy in the novel where Gu Bai studied, had been paying close attention to this sudden resurgence of interest in classical instruments.

Somehow, young people across the interstellar were no longer focused solely on mecha battles but had also started showing interest in the arts and musical instruments.

Upon digging deeper, they discovered the trend stemmed from a popular novel among interstellar youth.

Naturally, the more open-minded and younger professors in these academic circles eagerly jumped on this wave of popularity. They took to the internet to introduce and promote other classical instruments, which had become somewhat neglected in the interstellar age.

They enthusiastically engaged with curious young people asking questions online, creating a lively and interactive atmosphere.

All of a sudden, this unexpected and highly entertaining promotional campaign captivated the entire star network.

After all, who would’ve thought that a big boss from a related industry would publicly reach out to an author, asking for their profession to be featured in a novel?

Could this lead to a whole series of musical instrument protagonists?

This was so fun!

Hurry up, and write more!

At that moment, it seemed like every reader and fan on star network was eagerly waiting to see how Yu Mian would respond to the professors’ unexpected and enthusiastic comments!