Asked you to write a book, not to confess your criminal record!

Chapter 36: Officer Shen Suspects Everyone as the Culprit!

March 21st.

The gentle sunset pierced through the emerald leaves and spilled onto the bustling streets as an occasional spring breeze swept through the old town, casting shifting shadows that resembled a lifelike landscape painting.

Anling City, City East District.

Lin Chuan and Wang Zikai, both dressed in sportswear, strode out of the Hengli Gym and turned into a nearby restaurant.

“Old Lin, it’s only been a few days, but I feel like your strength has improved by more than just a notch!”

Wang Zikai sat down, squeezed Lin Chuan’s arm, and looked a bit surprised.

Lin Chuan, sitting opposite him, smiled and said, “You spend one-third of your time in the gym taking photos, and another third on the phone with your girlfriend. It would be weird if you saw any results.”

Since the 17th, Lin Chuan realized that having just fighting and combat skills and experience wasn’t enough; he needed strength, speed, and explosive power as well, so he decided to work out with Wang Zikai.

Wang Zikai happily agreed.

Once, he had tried to princess-carry Xue Qiqi and found he couldn’t lift her at all, leading to quite an embarrassing moment.

Old Wang grinned, flexed his arm, and showed off his biceps, “I’m combining rest and work, see? My muscles are starting to show, right?”

Lin Chuan glanced at him and teased, “Can you lift Xue Qiqi now?”

Realizing the jest, Old Wang pursed his lips, “If I can lift Qiqi, that leaves no one for you to lift, right?”

Lin Chuan: “…”

Seeing Lin Chuan fall silent, Old Wang asked, “Buddy, do you want a piece of exclusive info?”

Lin Chuan furrowed his brows, “What info?”

“It’s about Officer Shen. I got it from Qiqi. This could be a great opportunity for you to make an impression,” Old Wang said, winking.

Lin Chuan laughed, “I am law-abiding!”

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In the eyes of the police, being law-abiding is the best way to make an impression.

“You just wouldn’t listen to advice.”

Old Wang shook his head in a manner suggesting frustration and suddenly fixated his gaze on Lin Chuan for a while before asking, “Old Lin, are you straight?”

Lin Chuan’s mouth twitched, “I’m straighter than a ruler!”

“I feel like you’re not really interested in women,” Old Wang expressed his suspicion.

Lin Chuan laughed, “What’s the use of being interested? I’m a decent person. If you date, you’ve got to aim for marriage, right? But then you’ve got the house, car, gifts, wedding, and so on—each a major expense.”

“But you have money now!” Old Wang said with a smile.

“The royalty money won’t be in my account until next month, and you’re already thinking about how to spend it,” Lin Chuan replied with a wry smile.

The “Heroes Compete” event had just settled, and Lin Chuan topped the chart with a Popularity Value of 608,000.

Among the prizes was a cash reward of 50,000 Yuan.

Moreover, “Swindler” now had an average subscription of 5,163, and although the popularity has declined after peaking, reaching 6,000 average subscriptions and the status of a major hit by the end of the month seemed feasible, which should ensure around 120,000 Yuan in royalties.

Adding them up and after taxes, the take-home should be about 154,000 Yuan.

But the income of writers is notoriously unstable.

“Swindler” may be a hit, but there are no guarantees for “This Assassin Is Too Professional,” and with the assassin theme being quite sensitive, a slight misstep may lead to the book getting banned.

It’s living feast to famine.

Old Wang laughed, “You are the rising star of Sailing Novel now; your future is boundless. It’s time to start thinking about romance. Officer Shen isn’t too bad. I heard from Qiqi that she’s been swamped investigating two murder cases recently, dead tired; she could probably use some care right about now.”

Lin Chuan shook his head repeatedly, “You don’t understand Officer Shen well enough.”

Old Wang widened his eyes, a puzzled expression crossing his face.

“Right now, Officer Shen regards everyone as a potential assassin!” Lin Chuan chuckled, jokingly adding, “I certainly don’t want to be locked up in a little black room again.”

Knowing he couldn’t persuade Lin Chuan right away, Old Wang changed the subject, “Are we going to Hengli Gym for workout tomorrow?”

Lin Chuan pondered for a moment, “Not tomorrow. The ‘Heroes Compete’ event is over, and tonight I need to discuss the release of the new book with Youyou. I probably won’t have any spare time.”

…

As the night deepened.

Taking advantage of the dim light, Lin Chuan walked back to Happiness Community at an unhurried pace, stepping on the moss-covered floor tiles, winding his way around piles of clutter and haphazardly parked motorcycles, to return to his small rental room.

Lin Chuan looked at the narrow yet empty room, his thoughts slightly scattered.

Maybe, deep down, he was a bit lonely.

But why enter into a relationship?

For a soft, fragrant girlfriend, kisses as tender as jelly, or to open his eyes in the morning and see her exquisitely carved face up close, her clear eyes blinking, gazing at him?

Lin Chuan’s lips revealed an aunt’s smile.

But he quickly cast aside these sci-fi scenarios that even Liu Cixin couldn’t write. How could that be possible?

Lin Chuan only asked himself one question, “Lin Chuan, what makes you think you deserve it?”

Afterward.

Reason overcame emotion, and his consciousness quickly sobered back to reality.

It was time to release a new book!

“Youyou, my new book is ready,” Lin Chuan messaged the editor.

Youyou was very professional.

She replied immediately, “When do you plan to release it?”

“I checked the almanac, 9 p.m. tonight to release it, and signing the agreement tomorrow.”

Lin Chuan had specifically consulted the almanac.

21st day, Hai hour, avoid misfortune.

22nd day, all day, suitable for signing agreements.

“OK.jpg.”

Youyou replied with an emoji, and then sent another message, “For the ‘video platform book promotion to divert traffic,’ when do you plan to start?”

“Can I do it tomorrow night?” Lin Chuan thought.

Youyou replied, “That’s fine, I’ll file the request for you. By the way, the person promoting you is the blogger Su Qianqian with close to a million fans on Kuai Dou. She will live-stream promotions of your book for three days and will make three promotional videos to divert traffic. You can follow her.”

Lin Chuan’s lips curved up slightly, “Okay, thank you, Youyou.”

Nine o’clock at night, the auspicious hour had arrived.

Lin Chuan began uploading his new book.

Choosing an auspicious day and hour to release a new book was a common practice in the writers’ circle.

Some writers from certain sites believed that website recommendations were mystifying and arcane, so they simply picked an auspicious day and hour to publish and sign contracts.

Some even went to the extent of getting a divination done.

It seemed laughable but also a bit sad, and that was how Lin Chuan felt now.

Fortunately, the book release went smoothly.

…

The next day, it passed the security review safely and was scheduled to sign a contract.

That evening, the book promotion began.

As dusk fell, the distant lights twinkled like bright candles flickering in the night. The street lights under the old community cast a soft glow, and the occasional bark of a dog made the atmosphere gloomy and silent.

As the ‘King of the Night,’ the assassin Lin, cough, Lin Chuan, he opened the Kuai Dou app, full of anticipation, and searched for ‘Su Qianqian.’

[User: Su Qianqian.]

[Followers: 1.063 million.]

[Personal signature: Focused on immersive reading live streams, discovering more eye-catching works.]

[Status: Live streaming.]

Lin Chuan, with a smile, clicked to join the live stream and watch.