In fact, as the leading novel platform of the interstellar era, the Huanyu Reading Platform boasted an enormous daily traffic flow.
Even the pitifully placed New Stellar Rankings for newcomers that were tucked away in the bottom corner of the homepage managed to draw an unimaginable amount of attention.
Among them, the peculiar new book “Contract Marriage” burst onto the scene like a black hole, sucking in nearly 99% of the readers who clicked on the New Star Rankings that day.
Initially, most readers refreshing the rankings were simply intrigued by the unusual and eye-catching title. With a mix of curiosity, whether hoping for a sweet love story or something perplexing, they clicked into the main text.
However, the moment they read the opening, they were greeted by the grand wedding scene that exploded in their minds like a thunderclap.
The whirlwind pace of the plot, combined with a concise and fluid writing style, left no room for readers to pause and think. They were unconsciously swept up, hurtling along with the intense twists and turns of the story.
It could be said that most readers who opened “Contract Marriage” found themselves falling into a time vortex.
What started as a casual glance to see what kind of strange work it was ended with them looking up in shock and realizing they had read the entire book.
As a result, the novel achieved a miraculous 99.8% follow-through rate.
This astonishing retention rate was quickly picked up by the Huanyu Platform’s backend algorithms, which recognized it as a high-quality new release. The system continued to elevate its recommendation position, triggering a domino effect.
Thus, during the peak traffic period from after school and work until late at night before going to bed, “Contract Marriage” dominated the new book hourly popularity rankings with an unstoppable momentum and secured the top spot with ease.
The comment section was abuzz with activity, a rare flood of messages flowing continuously even in the early hours of the morning.
[Who understands this? I have an exam at eight tomorrow, but here I am, still hiding under my blanket, gritting my teeth and reading this novel. Our entire dorm is going crazy because of it!]
[This is the first time in my life I’ve read tens of thousands of words in one sitting, and yet I’m inexplicably anxious to the point of almost fainting. The misunderstanding between these two characters is wider than the Great Galactic Rift! Just imagining it makes my scalp tingle!]
[+1. I can only say it’s all because of this absurd marriage contract. This novel is so weird, but strangely, I can’t stop reading…]
After finishing this book, most interstellar readers experienced its addictive pull—
It could be said that the first thing most interstellar readers felt after reading this book was its addictive pull, the kind of allure that came from its relentless plot twists and emotional tug-of-war.
It was clearly just a story, but it seemed like their emotions were controlled by the words on the page the entire time, and even their expressions shifted wildly with the ups and downs of the plot.
There was not a single moment of relaxation.
Even if they managed to catch their breath one second, the very next second, the story would unleash a dramatic plot twist!
They read through tens of thousands of words under such intense tension, and it seemed like time had flown by in the blink of an eye.
This unique reading experience was deeply tied to the novel’s distinctive narrative style.
Most interstellar fiction literary works are more like extremely beautifully written narrative essays. Their plots were often fragmented or stream-of-consciousness, emphasizing emotional reflection and philosophical musings.
In contrast, “Contract Marriage” avoided any overly lyrical or time-wasting descriptions. Every sentence served the purpose of advancing the fast-paced, high-intensity plot.
At the same time, the richly emotional psychological depictions from the main perspective and the precisely detailed scenes significantly enhanced the readers’ immersion.
Moreover, the lightning-fast twists and turns typical of domineering romance novels had long proven their appeal.
Back then, the export of local domineering romance novels took the overseas market on Blue Star by storm. Whether in their translated English versions or adapted into short videos, they quickly captured the hearts of countless foreign audiences.
With many foreigners who were exposed to domineering president literature for the first time paying crazily to read and watch it, a certain website that was about to go bankrupt was brought back to life!
The power of domineering president literature was undeniable.
Of course, the explosive reaction in the comment section of “Contract Marriage”, a “chasing wife to the crematorium” version of domineering president literature, was largely fueled by the heated debates it sparked.
Of course, the reason why the comment section of “Contract Marriage”, a “fire pit” version of domineering president’s chasing wife to the crematorium literature, caused such a sensation was largely due to the strong smell of gunpowder after the controversy was ignited.
After all, the first few tens of thousands of words, brimming with contradictions and reversals, had effortlessly divided the readership into two distinct camps.
[First, let me be honest. I admit this strange novel is bizarrely addictive, but! The protagonist Caesar is so handsome and rich. If I were Gu Bai, I would have agreed on the spot!]
[Besides, what he says and what he does are completely different. Can anyone spot this BUG contradiction? Author, did you write this wrong? (frustrated.jpg)]
[But I think this “contradiction” is kind of cute. I’m even looking forward to his reaction when he learns the truth… Oh no, am I losing my mind from staying up late? I usually hate arrogant people like him!]
For many interstellar readers, this was their first time encountering a “tsundere domineering CEO” character like Caesar, whose actions contradict his words.
And the charm of such a character lay precisely in this contradiction.
Initially, the collective shock was overwhelming, but soon, some readers who were naturally drawn to this trope quickly grasped its appeal.
As a result, they eagerly—or nervously—discussed and analyzed it in the comment section.
In Yu Mian’s view, those who didn’t dislike Caesar really didn’t need to worry about losing their minds from staying up late…
Because so far, the plot hadn’t given readers any substantial reason to hate Caesar. This was a perfectly normal reaction.
After all, Yu Mian had barely scratched the surface of this “chasing wife to the crematorium”!
That said, since the main perspective of this “chasing wife to the crematorium” focused on Gu Bai, the majority of readers would undoubtedly side with him.
The earlier comments were like drops of oil in water when seen by other readers, instantly igniting an explosive reaction.
[You guys above, wake up! Even though Caesar contributes money and effort, he doesn’t respect personal dignity. This is an issue of interstellar human rights!]
[Exactly, and he even came up with this marriage contract thing. He’s the epitome of privilege! I need to see his dumbfounded face when they get divorced.]
[How dare he dislike our little angel Gu Bai? I’m crying! Gu Bai passed the Star Exam in one try—do you know how awesome that is? He’s only in this situation because of his family, giving this guy with just money and looks a chance!]
After all, although Gu Bai’s character might seem like a simple “ray of sunshine,” he was actually meticulously designed.
As a student from a remote star system, Gu Bai appeared far less glamorous compared to Caesar, the cool and domineering CEO.
Yet this made him an exceptionally endearing protagonist for readers.
Just one line in the novel—”he passed the Interstellar Federation’s professional advancement exam on his first try”—seemed simple but described something many couldn’t achieve in a lifetime!
Most novels didn’t bother to mention the hardships behind such feats.
As for the repeated descriptions of his appearance—clean, sunny, and pure—it was hard to articulate, but it was undeniably attractive.
But to produce this kind of effect in reality, one’s looks had to be extraordinary.
At first glance, everything about him seemed ordinary, but on closer inspection, nothing about him was ordinary at all.
However, the most sensational moment in the comment section was a single highlighted comment that stood out among the endless stream of messages, pinned firmly at the top of the page.
[[Reward: Airship x1] EN: May I politely ask the author, when will the misunderstanding be resolved, and when will the divorce happen???]
Although there were many highlighted comments interspersed with various rewards in the comment section, this particular message stood out as the most extravagant, instantly stunning the entire comment section.
It turned out that this tycoon with the nickname “EN” had casually dropped an “airship”, the highest-level reward gift on the Huanyu Reading platform!
As a result, hundreds of comments immediately piled up below, filled with phrases like “Rich boss, take me along!” and many readers seized the opportunity to join in on the fun and left comments saying, “Boss, are you out of your mind?”
It should be known that Yu Mian’s account was practically that of a no-name author with no reputation, no fans, and no guarantees. Sending such a lavish reward was highly likely to be money down the drain.
To make such a move at this moment was the mark of a true wealthy person who didn’t care about money at all.
Meanwhile, the reward sender, Kane, was staring solemnly at the rapidly passing night view outside the car window. The heavy atmosphere was so oppressive that even the driver and secretary in the front seat didn’t dare utter a word.
‘Could it be that the CEO was in a gloomy mood because of that newcomer author named Yu Mian?’
The secretary cautiously speculated in her mind.
In a way, the secretary’s guess wasn’t entirely wrong…
Though not in the way she imagined.
Because Kane was still looking over and over again at an unsent message of several hundred words on his light brain.
Yes, Kane had initially typed out an entire essay of several hundred words in an attempt to vent his emotions:
[Although I don’t understand the author’s intention in creating such a character, I feel that this… (several hundred words omitted here)… In short, does having wealth and power give someone the right to casually disregard others? Especially that yellow haired guy, no matter how good-looking his face is, I just can’t…]
However, as Kane wrote, he began to feel a little strange.
The feeling was… really weird.
Scratching the blonde hair he had always taken pride in, Kane glanced once more at his luxurious office on the top floor in the central business district.
He fell into a deep and inexplicable contemplation.
