The customer service representative asked routinely, “I’m very sorry. Although our servers are definitely not made of potatoes, could you provide the details of the novel? It’ll help us log your inquiry.”
The next second, a response came through:
“Of course, it’s the novel I’m following, “Contract Marriage!”
Damn it! As expected, it was that bizarre, unsigned, new novel again!
The tech department already investigated, and your author’s draft box is completely empty, okay? What does this have to do with our “potato” servers?! [Frustrated.jpg]
And amidst this frenzy, a sudden and unexpected “update notification” popped up on countless light brains, instantly plunging everything into a deathly silence.
‘An update notification?’
‘The author actually dared to reappear?’
So, the lively comment section and complaint hotline which were buzzing just a moment ago, suddenly went completely quiet.
Not a single person remained.
Meanwhile, the number of clicks on the latest update skyrocketed at an alarming speed.
The terrifying reader traffic that had been suppressed for five full days suddenly poured in almost instantly.
To no one’s disappointment, from the very first line of the update, interstellar readers felt a long-lost sense of familiarity.
A sensation where there was no need to struggle with vague, abstract streams of consciousness. The plot flowed effortlessly into their minds, filling every nerve with the pure joy of easy reading.
It was simply “refreshing”.
After waiting for five whole days, this was the feeling everyone had been longing for!
In the earlier chapters, after tens of thousands of words filled with misunderstandings, Gu Bai and Caesar finally signed a contract and held a wedding.
However, what should have been a sweet post-marriage life in the eyes of outsiders turned out to have an incredibly subtle atmosphere whenever the two were alone.
[[Caesar always subconsciously glanced at Gu Bai, who was dressed in a formal suit and looked so serene and radiant it was as if he was glowing. The more Caesar looked, the more conflicted he felt.
On one hand, logic repeatedly reminded him that this person he once had feelings for was, in essence, a vain and deceitful liar.
Yet emotionally, Caesar couldn’t accept or believe it.
Was it possible that Gu Bai’s acting skills were truly that good?
Thus, every time Gu Bai felt a gaze and turned around in confusion, Caesar would immediately jerk his head away, standing tall and avoiding eye contact!
As if the person who had just been staring at Gu Bai wasn’t him at all!
This always left Gu Bai staring at Caesar in bewilderment as the latter haughtily twisted his neck into a 90-degree angle.
Doesn’t this guy’s neck hurt?]]
Such small and awkward interactions were practically everywhere in this chapter’s latest update.
For those willing to dig in, there was an abundance of subtle moments where Caesar clearly cared about and doubted Gu Bai, while stubbornly refusing to admit it.
But this very aspect baffled interstellar readers the most.
Because while the author seemed to be writing about Caesar’s hatred and rejection of his partner Gu Bai, these details…
Somehow, they weren’t heartbreaking at all. On the contrary, the more they read, the sweeter it felt!
How could a fake marriage make readers grin like fools more than countless novels where the protagonists only got married after hundreds of chapters?
It was utterly illogical and incomprehensible!
And this sentiment was shared by Bai Lande, an anchor who had been staying up late chasing updates.
As a top-tier anchor in the entertainment section, Bai Lande’s live broadcast room boasted a massive following.
Given the word count and popularity of “Contract Marriage”, even though it was currently ranked #1 on the Huanyu Reading Newcomer List, there was no way Bai Lande would include it in his recommended book list.
Especially since this new author was so outrageous that he stopped updating for five whole days right after publishing the first chapters.
For a book recommendation segment, this type of flakey author was an absolute no-go.
So the reason Bai Lande live broadcast this book wasn’t for a recommendation.
Instead, it was part of the “Shocking! 100 Bizarre Books That’ll Leave You Speechless” series.
Of course, there was also a bit of personal bias involved.
Because while browsing for material, Bai Lande had fallen into the pit himself!
Even Bai Lande hadn’t expected that a book meant for teasing would actually suck him in.
Naturally, he assumed sharing the book with viewers and letting them fall into the same trap would guarantee an amazing live broadcast effect.
But to everyone’s surprise, during their 8 PM live broadcast last night, “Contract Marriage” unexpectedly resumed updates.
Bai Lande immediately posted the book’s link and, on a whim, read the latest chapter live with his viewers.
It was this impromptu decision that caused the live broadcast romm’s popularity to soar once again.
Because fans reading along with Bai Lande suddenly realized just how perfect this book was for a group reading experience.
Every single line, whether it was a subtle detail Bai Lande noticed or something they missed, was collectively dissected by the audience.
The chapter that everyone expected to be heart-wrenching turned out to be unexpectedly a mix of bittersweet hilarity.
[Anchor, I have to admit, this book is mind-blowing! Even without a single hand-holding scene, and with such huge misunderstandings between the protagonists, it made me more excited than the last book where the protagonist got married after more than 300 chapters! Why is this?!]
[Exactly! And Caesar, twisting his head 90 degrees just to avoid Gu Bai’s gaze, doesn’t that hurt? I’m laughing so hard I’m crying!]
[+1. I don’t even know if the author did this on purpose, but it’s so bizarrely effective!]
Interstellar netizens in the live broadcast were shocked by the book’s peculiar charm and couldn’t resist the allure of its oddly sweet and sour plot, whether they were regular readers or not.
Caesar, who clearly wanted to ignore Gu Bai, couldn’t help but rush over and intervene whenever an outsider approached him for a chat.
When Caesar mocked Gu Bai for not knowing how to appreciate wine, he naturally blocked him from every round of persuasion to drink, instead handing him a glass of juice.
So, do you like him or not?
The more they read, the sweeter it got!
Some fans in the live broadcast room even discovered for the first time how interesting reading novels could be.
[I always thought novels were those deep, incomprehensible things, but is this what’s trending on Huanyu Reading now? I need to download the platform immediately!]
[The sweetness of this couple’s awkward romance is downright addictive. I haven’t stopped smiling since I started reading!]
[Same here! I’ve been grinning like an idiot, and my mom thinks there’s something wrong with me.]
These types of comments with serious misunderstandings constantly floated across the barrage, leaving Bai Lande at a loss for words.
After all, weren’t these new viewers completely missing the core premise of Contract Marriage? Were they genuinely under the illusion that this was just a lighthearted sweet romance about a couple in their courting phase?
That’s the downside of live broadcasting.
Viewers pop in and out at random, making it hard for them to grasp the full picture.
And the first few paragraphs of the latest update so far happened to be all sweet and sour content.
After downloading the Huanyu Reading Platform under such mistaken impressions, wouldn’t these new readers end up sending him razor blades in the mail once they caught up?
Although he was vaguely aware that something was wrong, Bai Lande’s eyes were quickly attracted to the next plot twist.
After all, multitasking was never his strong suit.
Although this wave of plots made readers feel extremely sweet and sour, it was different from the perspective of the uninformed protagonist Gu Bai.
[[From Gu Bai’s perspective, these interactions and sarcasm were undeniably proof that Caesar wanted nothing to do with him.
As a result, Gu Bai had to gradually learn to use a smile to hide his depressed mood in front of others.
But was it wrong?
After all, someone who casually accepted a marriage contract for a million probably wasn’t worthy of respect or affection to begin with, right?
Late at night, Gu Bai stood alone in the vast, empty bedroom, gazing at the stars outside the window.
The contract was only for a year.
In a year, all of this would end.
In some sense, he should be grateful for Caesar’s appearance.
After all, without the marriage contract, his mother would likely have passed away already, and he wouldn’t have been able to afford the exorbitant medical expenses.
But any hope he might’ve had for mutual affection had been shattered the moment he agreed to the marriage for the sake of his mother’s hospital bills.
Someone like him shouldn’t have such unrealistic dreams, right?]]
This subtle psychological monologue left Bai Lande wanting to slam the table in frustration.
But he felt as though some invisible force was gripping his emotional peak.
So, Caesar’s feelings weren’t one-sided after all?
It turned out that Gu Bai, the little angel, had also felt a vague stirring in his heart!
And yet, under the cruel pen of this evil author, just as readers finally learned that Gu Bai had once felt something for Caesar, his thoughts took a completely wrong turn.
He even developed an inferiority complex in front of Caesar because he agreed to Caesar’s marriage proposal in order to pay for his mother’s medical expenses.
At that moment, Bai Lande wished he could jump into the novel, embrace Gu Bai tightly, and yell out the truth:
“Kid, that guy is head over heels for you! He’s just too stubborn and proud to admit it—how can you not see it!?”
The narrative then shifted to Caesar’s perspective.
[[Unbeknownst to Gu Bai, who was sighing in melancholy here, on the other side of the terrace, Caesar was also in his study, staring grimly at the same starry sky.
The more Caesar thought about it, the more he felt that Gu Bai had only agreed to the marriage because he desperately needed the money.
After all, no matter how Gu Bai tried to hide it, the relief on his face when he handed him the card before the wedding was something Caesar couldn’t ignore.
How could he?
Was marriage to him so intolerable without that money as a reward?
Was he really that undesirable?
For the first time in his life, Caesar, who had always been proud of himself, found himself questioning his own worth.]]
And Caesar’s twisted monologue successfully made the expressions of the interstellar readers distorted again.
[Ahh! I spent the past few days waiting for the next update and praying that Caesar would reflect on everything and realize Gu Bai isn’t that kind of person. And this is what his overthinking comes up with!?]
Bai Lande felt like he’d even lost his appetite for dinner.
Gu Bai’s relief was clearly because his mother’s medical expenses were covered! How did Caesar turn that into rejection!?
With a brain like that, no wonder he was single until now.
[Ugh! With this level of misunderstanding, how are they supposed to have a happy ending!? Are we really heading for a BE here!? QAQ]
[Also, when is Caesar going to realize that Gu Bai doesn’t like his money? He likes him! I’m so anxious I could scream!]
Just as the barrage boiled over with frustration, the plot took another critical turn.
Because, there wouldn’t be a BE of course. “Push and pull” dynamics always had to involve both pushing and pulling.
Yu Mian had already planted a hint early on: Caesar suffered from mental disorder.
And the only thing that could ease the pain of his condition was Gu Bai’s piano music.
Now, wouldn’t that little plot device come into play?
So the interstellar readers, who had been wailing in despair over the hopelessness for a HE just a second ago, instantly fell silent and widened their eyes in shock after reading the latest development.
It was a complete twist. Caesar, the prideful and stubborn tsundere, unexpectedly appeared at the bedroom door on their wedding night, which was something unprecedented.
Meanwhile, Gu Bai, who had already changed into his pajamas, stared blankly at Caesar standing at the doorway.
After all, private moments like this weren’t part of the contract at all!
