This chapter is really about power — who has it, who doesn't, and what happens when someone figures out how the game is rigged. The central symbol is the Trending Chart itself. On the surface, it's just a ranking system. But Ying Shi discovers that the existing charts are completely manipulated. "Si Hua Nian" — the drama everyone treats as the undisputed hit of the year — is actually ranked fifth with a score of only 30. The text explains that a score of 50 means average, 70 means a hit, and 90 means a massive blockbuster. So this "flagship drama" that consistently ranks first on the three major charts is actually mediocre at best. The manipulation is described with devastating clarity. The top two dramas on the real charts are either completed series or period pieces that aired when there was no strong competition. The text says: "This created the illusion that the top two dramas were only popular because there was no strong competition. Once all the traffic-star dramas were released, these already-finished series would slowly fade from the charts." This is such a sharp critique of how the entertainment industry manufactures consensus. It's not about quality — it's about timing, resources, and who controls the narrative. Ying Shi's reaction to this discovery is telling. She doesn't just want to expose the truth — she wants to weaponize it. "System, can you add a line on the Trending Charts page that says 'Rankings are subjective and for reference only'?" Ying Shi was already smiling to herself." This line is everything. She's not trying to be fair — she's trying to be smart. She knows that if she releases an alternative chart, the industry will dismiss it as biased. So she pre-emptively disarms that criticism. The name she chooses is also symbolic: "Wanshi Entertainment" — which the text explains means "Stubborn Stone Entertainment." A stubborn stone. Something unmovable. Something that refuses to bend to industry pressure. This is Ying Shi's statement of intent — she's not here to play by the rules, she's here to break them. There's also a recurring motif of performance versus authenticity. Li Yinan performs gentleness on variety shows. His fans perform loyalty through violence. The streaming platforms perform competitiveness while secretly colluding. Meanwhile, Ying Shi is building something real — a platform where the data speaks for itself, even if the data is still manipulated in its own way. The deeper theme here is about who gets to define value in the entertainment industry. Is it the platforms? The fans? The bloggers? Or is it the actual content? Ying Shi's entire arc in this chapter is about taking that power away from the gatekeepers and putting it somewhere new — somewhere she controls.
The metaphor for Wu Junji in Chen Yu's memories is one of the most devastating images I've encountered in this novel. 'He withdrew completely, transforming into a spider spinning silk in a corner—the more silk he spun, the more emaciated he became.' Let that sink in. A spider, alone, producing something beautiful and intricate while slowly destroying itself. The Taiping Min Dian wasn't just a book—it was Wu Junji's life force, his aspiration to 'bring clarity to the world,' poured into fifty-seven hundred volumes. And Chen Yu burned it. All of it. In a single fire. The ashes didn't just destroy a literary masterpiece—they destroyed the bond between two disciples, the Crown Prince's purpose, his light. The metaphor continues: 'a shattered piece of colored glass: a single crack spread, deepening, multiplying, thickening, until—bang! Darkness.' This isn't just emotional damage. This is the complete annihilation of a person's identity. Then there's the dragon symbolism. 'The Grand Prince bears the sign of a nascent dragon encircling the palace.' The dragon imagery is everywhere in this text—Emperor Zhou watching the 'little dough ball' on the 'luxurious dragon bed,' the prophecy of heavenly destiny, the succession tradition itself rooted in the idea of the eldest son carrying the mandate. But the real question the text seems to be asking is: what is destiny versus what is human ambition? The Retired Emperor spent years consulting diviners, and the answer was always the same—only the eldest brings prosperity. Yet he still tried to manipulate the outcome. Human schemes versus heavenly will, and the text keeps tilting toward the idea that some things simply CANNOT be altered. The water imagery is also worth noting—Wu Junji's 'aquatic fragrance,' the fluidity of fate, the way everything flows and shifts like water around obstacles.
There's this recurring motif of sweets and candy that I can't stop thinking about. Ruan Zhizhi relies on sweets because of her weak constitution — macarons, fruit candy, mille-feuille. It's her comfort, her survival mechanism. And then Shi Yan, this cold brooding man who looks like he hasn't smiled in years, is carrying a pink-ribboned box of macarons. The man who ate the last box. The man who offers her a single piece of fruit candy when she's paling from low blood sugar. The candy scene is SO much deeper than it appears on the surface. He notices her condition before she even speaks. He has candy on him. He offers it without being asked. This man who everyone says is cold and impossible to handle — he's quietly taking care of someone without making a scene about it. The contrast between his reputation and his actions is the whole theme right there. Then there's the prologue's murdered mother, the seven-year-old boy who witnessed it all, and how that case is clearly connected to the present. The businessman who planned the murder "so seamlessly, so flawlessly" — perfection as a mask for something rotten. And Ruan Zhizhi, the reporter, digging into old cases, trying to find meaning in tragedy. She's also someone who's been quietly enduring her own kind of emotional violence — five years of loving someone who used her devotion as a safety net. The winter setting, the cold, the yellowed newspapers, the pink ribbons — everything is coded with meaning. This story is about people who look broken but aren't, and people who look perfect but are rotting inside.
Okay so let me just say—this entire arc from the bookstore incident to the family visit is genuinely well-constructed. The author doesn't just throw drama at you for drama's sake. Every scene connects. Xiao Ziyi helps Lin Yiran in town, she brings jam to thank him, Zhuang Wenting loses her absolute mind, and suddenly everyone's forced to confront what they actually feel. That's not lazy writing, that's cause and effect. But the real plot twist here isn't any big reveal—it's the grandmother scene at the end. I literally gasped. Wang Fang has been this relentlessly nice daughter coming back to visit abusers, and the grandmother just goes off: "So you'd rather let your brother die?" Like, what? The uncle tried to borrow money and when they said no, he was apparently supposed to just... die? And the grandmother is acting like Wang Fang committed murder by not handing over cash. Meanwhile the cousin cousins are snatching gifts like raccoons. This family is a circus. What I love is how the author uses the jam as a plot device. Three jars. One to Grandma Guixiang, one to Auntie Yang, one to Xiao Ziyi. It's such a small thing but it moves the entire relationship forward. Lin Yiran gives him the jam, he looks at her like she hung the moon, Zhuang Wenting loses it, and then we get the public rejection scene that basically resets the entire romantic tension for the next arc. The plot is tightening like a drum. Also—Chen Tai as the accidental wingman? I'm not ready. He literally says "I like her too" and then has to backtrack so hard. The author is setting up a love triangle without even trying, and I am HERE for it.
每当我用中文写评论时，往往是出于我对祖国的热爱与自豪。然而今天，我用中文书写，是因为作者与我同样是中国人。看到一位同胞在这个平台上，感到非常欣慰！衷心祝愿你在写作之路上披荆斩棘，勇攀高峰，超越他人，创造属于自己的辉煌！！！
Only readed 3 chapters its already captivating... ? the story feels very natural.. Good work ?
Story is well written, and has quite a bit of future potential. Just remember this though, if you yourself, enjoy writing your stories, then that is the one thing that should matter the most more then anything else. Sometimes, it is not about any sort of money or payment, but should in fact, always be about enjoying sharing your work with your viewers and fans. And that, should always take priority, because if your fans and viewers enjoy reading your work, as well as potential future generations, then that is the one thing, that should matter more to you then anything else. For you see, people are more concerned in living in the here and now. While people me, we like to have a more, long game in mind. Now, don't take this as some sort of negative by any means, I am just saying, that if we want future generations to enjoy this world, then we have to be willing to protect what we love, in an effort to do our best to better our future.Your turn. And I look forward to your thoughts on my Going In Completely Blind fanfic.
As an obligatory part of the process, authors are apparently required to rate their own work 5 stars! (Just kidding… ?)First and foremost, thank you so much for reading my work—whether you loved it, hated it, or fell somewhere in between. If you’ve already read the novel, you’ll likely notice heavy inspiration from the iconic manga/anime Hunter x Hunter. And yes, that’s absolutely intentional! That series is one of the greatest stories I’ve ever encountered, and it’s the reason I started writing in the first place. To honor it, I’m building an entirely original world from scratch while adding my own unique twists. Fingers crossed I can pull this off and actually finish the series without burning out… If you haven’t experienced Hunter x Hunter yet, I highly recommend reading or watching it! It’ll give you a clearer idea of the vibe I’m aiming for—and trust me, it’s 100% worth your time.
It's peak, you should read it.It' about Cealith a 16 year old boy in a world of magic and gods. Everyone gets a chance to receive a blessing from the gods, but he gets abandoned by them.Then a great tragedy happens (i won't tell u what, cause it's a spoiler) and he is left alone to fight against the world.
A masterpiece❤. I can't wait for this to get popular
Well I don't know as of yet but as far as i have read it's is good compared to many trash nowadays so i would recommend to give it a try but this is a new novel the author is writing so far 12 chapter i think are uploaded in 2 days but i don't know if he will keep this up but yeah the story is quite good there are some points that need improvement but overall i would say it is a great one.
a very nice bookgive it a try it is very interesting to read