Chapter 1348: Chapter 1123: He’s So Furious
Morning.
Qin, Qi, Chu, Yan, Han, Zhao, Wei.
The entrances of countless bookstores were packed with people.
So of the larger bookstores were even more exaggerated.
Take the New Cathay Bookstore in Qin Continent, for example—there was already a line of over a hundred people forming at the entrance.
A massive crowd of custors completely clogged the doorway.
The queued-up crowd was chattering noisily:
“Hey!”
“Stop shoving!”
“What, trying to cop a feel?!”
“Anyone coming later, just get to the back of the line, damn it!”
“Hey, you up front! Cut in line one more ti, and see if the crowd doesn’t lose it. I’ve been here since seven!”
“Seven o’clock, so what?”
“I ca at six.”
“Why do you bother coming so early?”
“You think I want to? The thing is, if you’re late buying this old rascal’s books, they’re bound to sell out. Then you’ll have to wait days for restocking. It’s not like this hasn’t happened before.”
“Damn it.”
“There are way too many people!”
“Didn’t the promo say Chu Kuang’s new book isn’t even children’s literature? How many of these folks actually look like kids?”
“Who cares about the genre?!”
“The old rascal’s books—you can’t go wrong with buying them.”
Nearby.
So passersby, having overheard snippets, couldn’t help but stop and ask:
“Chu Kuang’s new book just dropped?”
“Of course. Look at the line.”
A girl in the queue answered, adding a small grumble:
“It’s even longer than the one I saw outside that new bubble tea shop last ti.”
Whoosh.
The passerby’s eyes lit up and they quickly ran to the back of the line—it was obvious they were among Chu Kuang’s die-hard fans.
…
Suddenly.
Clatter.
The bookstore doors swung open.
The crowd imdiately surged inside, their excitent akin to bargain-hunting grandmas at a discounted market.
“Where is it?”
“Chu Kuang’s new book!”
“I found it!”
“This one—checking out!”
“I want the old rascal’s new book too!”
“Give a copy of ‘Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone’!”
“I’ll take two!”
“You guys are all adults—are you really into children’s literature?”
“I’m buying it for my kid.”
“The old rascal’s books—whatever they are, I buy them no questions asked.”
“Since it’s children’s literature by the old rascal, it’s bound to be perfect for kids. I’m bringing one back for my son.”
…
Second floor of the bookstore.
The manager watched the crowd frenzy downstairs, grinning so widely his legs were practically doing a happy jig.
“Tsk, tsk, tsk!”
“Look at this, would you!”
“It has to be Chu Kuang, doesn’t it?”
“We’re relying on his ‘Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone’ to make this month’s quota. Today, every custor’s here because of him.”
“The readers are even more excited than I expected.”
“Well, of course! Chu Kuang’s ranked number thirteen on Blue Star’s author list, so his fans are even more passionate now. So folks are just following the buzz—it’s the classic herd ntality. When they see so many people buying it, they want in too.”
“I wonder how Zhong Continent is doing.”
“Over there? They should be into it as well.”
…
Zhong Continent.
Various bookstores.
So custors, seeing the promotional banners about Chu Kuang’s new book, said:
“Chu Kuang?”
“That author ranking number thirteen on Blue Star?”
“Let’s grab his new book and see what the buzz is about.”
“I haven’t read his novels yet.”
“Ti to figure out what makes him rank so high.”
“I’ll take a copy of ‘Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone.'”
“ too.”
“I’m with them.”
“A novel about magic, huh?”
“Happens to be my favorite genre. Seeing how highly ranked this author is, I’ll grab one for sure.”
“Haha. I ca here specifically for him.”
“Given Chu Kuang’s high ranking, his work must be worth looking forward to.”
Sales in Zhong Continent were fairly strong.
Though it didn’t quite match the blockbuster launch of Qin, Qi, Chu, Yan, Han, Zhao, Wei, it still saw plenty of custors coming in just for the new book.
After all, Chu Kuang’s place on Blue Star’s author rankings spoke for itself.
…
Still in Zhong Continent.
Outside a single-family villa.
A man carrying two books walked into the house.
Two kids ca running out.
It was still vacation ti, and school hadn’t started yet.
The man was their father. The older sibling—a boy—was fifteen.
And the younger sibling, a girl, was eleven.
“Dad!”
“What’s that in your hand?”
“Novels.”
“Your new book?”
“No, Dad hasn’t written anything new recently. These are novels by another author—I bought them just for you two.”
“Oh?”
“Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone?”
The brother spotted the title and instinctively read it aloud.
The sister was delighted: “Magic! I love magic!”
The man handed the books to the kids with a smile: “If you like them, take one each and have fun reading.”
“Thanks, Dad!”
Their gratitude was obedient and in unison, before they scurried off with their books clutched tightly.
In the bedroom.
Their mother spotted them holding the books and walked out, saying: “You bought Chu Kuang’s new book for the kids?”
The man: “Yep.”
The mother teased: “Watch out—that rival might overtake your ranking.”
The man chuckled: “Thinking one book can surpass ? Not that simple. Besides, this isn’t even just one book—it’s only the opening of a series.”
Ye Cong.
A native of Zhong Continent.
Ranked number twelve on Blue Star, well-known for his versatility in novel genres, with a particular prowess in science fiction.
Yes,
On Blue Star’s Author Power Rankings, Ye Cong was just one rank above Chu Kuang.
That’s why his wife joked about being cautious of getting overtaken.
“Looks like you’re pretty worked up about him.”
“He does make feel the pressure. I need to release my new book soon. If I drag it out too long and get overtaken a few months down the line—well, that’d be awkward. After all, his skills are solid. I’ve read his sci-fi books—they’re really distinctive. And let’s not forget, this ti he’s writing in his forte: children’s literature.”
“So you thought you’d let the kids check it out first?”
“When it cos to children’s literature, they’ve got sharper judgnt than . Because of our family setup, the two of them have been reading books since they were little. Their taste in kid-lit is pickier than Dad’s, that’s for sure.”
“Let’s ask their opinions at lunch then.”
The mother said with a smile.
…
Ti slipped by.
An hour.
Two hours.
Three hours.
Four hours later.
Ye Cong’s wife had prepared lunch and called from the dining table:
“Kids! Ti to eat!”
“Co on, little ones—co eat!”
Too lazy to even move, Ye Cong added one call of his own before simply staying seated:
“No one’s answering.”
His wife rolled her eyes: “Lazy as ever. Go call them properly.”
“Alright.”
Ye Cong dragged himself up, knocking on his son’s bedroom door:
“Lunch is ready!”
“I’m not hungry—go ahead without , Dad.”
The fifteen-year-old didn’t even glance up, his focus glued to the novel in his hands.
Ye Cong froze.
When his son noticed Ye Cong hadn’t left, he frowned slightly, though his gaze remained firmly on the book:
“Just go eat—I’ll join you later, don’t worry about .”
Ye Cong, finally snapping back to reality, turned and gently knocked on his daughter’s door.
The door, slightly ajar, opened imdiately.
Inside her pink room.
There was his eleven-year-old daughter, stretched out on her bed propped up by a pillow.
Her hands grasped her copy of ‘Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone,’ absorbed entirely in the story.
Indeed.
Utterly engrossed.
She hadn’t even noticed her father at the door, nor did she register the noise around her.
Just then.
His wife, sitting at the table with her phone, suddenly let out an inexplicable exclamation:
“He’s so famous now!”
Ye Cong’s heart skipped a beat.
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