Observation Chapter 4
Previous Chapter|Index|Next Chapter
Chapter 4: The Moon is Red
“Due to the presence of an obsessively descriptive scene in chapter 205, the inclusion of sexually explicit material in chapter 206, and the presence of a particular section in chapter 207 featuring […], your work ‘
“Error 404! Violation detected! Novel delisted! Describing areas below the neck is prohibited!”
“Darn it… All these chapters… How can I adjust them?”
‘Maybe it’s better if I… just give up on this series!’
His brows slightly raised, Lin Qian waved his hand.
His series had been put on hold1!
As a result, it had been forced to stop in the middle of the story!
‘Oh well, I’ll just write a new series instead!’
This message of rule-violation had ultimately turned into the final straw that broke his back.
‘Should I create a alt account if I switch to writing lighthearted novels instead?’
His pen name, [That Blooming Prosperity], had almost become synonymous with grim and depraved novels. A mere glance at his pen name would discourage readers who sought a more lighthearted experience from checking out his novels.
If they couldn’t handle his work, their anger might even cause them to have a stroke or even a heart attack.
They would find themselves in need of a team of ‘dancing pallbearers’ after going through just a few chapters.
‘Am I really going to set up a new sock puppet account, complete with credentials and all, just to write?’
‘I refuse! I’ll make my comeback right from where I’ve fallen. I won’t change it!’
‘I’ll use this pen name!’
As this idea crossed his mind, Lin Qian messaged his book group to let them know that his novel had been prematurely terminated.
That Blooming Prosperity: ‘Fellow brothers, this novel is going to be taken down soon. It’s not that I’m quitting, but it seems like the forces of fate are against me!’
Song of Nine Lifetimes: ‘Blooming, you old cur! Your novel is getting prematurely axed again? I’ve lost track of how many times this has happened to your books! Damn it! Drop your address now!’
Mister: ‘Can you finish a series properly before starting a new one?’
Dancing Willow Maple Sea: ‘Seriously, it’s ending like that? Write the rest in the group then! Come on! ‘
Chen Moren: ‘Calm down everyone. What Blooming is getting at is that the book had a run-in with the rules, and that’s why it got delisted. It wasn’t a decision on Blooming’s end to end it voluntarily, but rather, he was forced to do so.’
Sakura Road: ‘Ahh! This is the first book I’ve ever spent money on! Can’t you finish it, please!’
Suddenly, the group felt like it was in the Three Kingdoms era, with eighteen Feudal Warlords popping up one after the other and dishing out waves of verbal criticism towards Lin Qian.
Luckily, this group only had around 180 members, with generally around ten of them actively participating in discussions.
If not, he would have been cursed to death.
Lin Qian remained composed as he calmly typed on his keyboard.
That Blooming Prosperity: ‘Don’t worry, folks. I’m starting a fresh series now. This time, I’m leaving the dark and twisted behind, and writing a lighthearted novel. Trust me, it’s going to feel heartwarming and utterly fantastic. Whether it’s about showing off or putting people in their place, you’ll find it all right there.’
Chen Moren: ‘Ol’ Blooming is done with gloomy and twisted tales. My youth is over.’
Song of Nine Lifetimes: ‘You can write whatever you want, as long as you won’t end it abruptly. If your series gets cut off early again, I’ll ensure your thing below experiences the same fate.’
Big Brother Arch Dam: ‘Will there be Netorare? If yes, I’ll check it out; if not, I’ll pass.’
Dancing Willow Maple Sea: ‘Screw you and your Netorare! Get that shit out of my sight!’
Glass Goblet of a Thousand Death: ‘Relax, everyone. How can a lighthearted novel have Netorare, right?’
That Blooming Prosperity: ‘I’ve got to make ends meet, and my options are pretty limited here. Light novels tend to bring in more subscribers, whereas dark and depraved ones get fewer bookmarks, let alone subscriptions. What can I do about that?’
Big Brother Arch Dam: ‘Netorare is all I’m after. If the new one delivers on that, I’ll reward you with an Imperial Chalice.’
That Blooming Prosperity: ‘Wow, Big Brother Arch Dam is quite the high roller. That’s a grand each. Get me 10 of those, and you can have all the Netorare you like.’
Song of Nine Lifetimes: ‘This is bad, Blooming is falling to the dark side! Weren’t you hard-headed before? Why are you so meek now?’
Mysterious Man: ‘Old Dog Blooming, if my girl could match your level of submissiveness in the bedroom, we’d still be together.’
That Blooming Prosperity: ‘You sly bunch. When I was headstrong, you all were saying, ‘If my boyfriend’s thing was as firm as your resolve, I wouldn’t be looking elsewhere.’ Now that I’m being more accommodating, you’re hitting me with ‘’If my girl could be as accommodating as you in bed, we’d still be a couple!‘ You guys sure are masters of comebacks and casual chat, I’ll give you that!’
Not giving much attention to his readers who had descended into anarchy, Lin Qian accessed SFACG, planning to observe and gather insights from other writers on creating light-hearted novels.
He had no other option; This was truly not a field he was proficient in.
He was a master at crafting dark and depraved novels, but when it came to writing light-hearted and affectionate tales…
He simply could not do it.
‘In that case, how should I write a feel–good novel?’
“Upon returning, the God of War discovers that his daughter is living in a kennel and issues a decree…?”
Despite dedicating roughly two hours to reading and yanking out a few strands of his hair, Lin Qian still could not get the hang of it.
‘Who cares!’
‘I’ll take things one step at a time!’
‘New Document!’
‘Name…’
‘The Observation Diary of the Abnormal Girls!’
Right after he had created a new document, Lin Qian suddenly noticed an incredibly peculiar message popping up in the group chat on the side.
Frantic Haku: ‘Hey folks, have you noticed? The moon is incredibly red tonight, more so than usual.’
Song of Nine Lifetimes: ‘I heard it’s rare for this fuchsia color to appear even in a decade.’
“…”
‘The moon? Red?’
‘How can the moon be red?’
Lin Qian’s complexion turned tense as he suddenly walked upwards and pulled the curtain open.
The moon was so red to the point of having a purplish hue.
That Blooming Prosperity: ‘Hold on. Wait a minute, how is it possible for the moon to be red?’
Song of Nine Lifetimes: ‘Old Dog Blooming, could the anger of getting delisted making you lose your mind? Isn’t it quite common for the moon to be red?’
“…”
Lin Qian rested his hand on his keyboard, yet he found himself unable to type anything.
He was naturally acquainted with the concept of a red moon.
The reason for this was that, in the settings of his novels, the moon was practically always depicted as red.
It could be said that the presence of a red moon was one of the distinctive characteristics of Lin Qian’s novels.
Apart from his debut work, every one of his novels featured a red moon.
Being an author, Lin Qian’s imagination was anything but lacking, which helped him connect the dots quickly.
‘Oh my goodness, I couldn’t have transmigrated, could I?’
Lin Qian glanced at the time displayed on his computer.
19/05/2020 00:17:43.
“…”
‘Something’s off… The time doesn’t add up…’
‘I seem to have traveled backwards in time…’
‘To be exact, 2 minutes and 32 seconds…’
That was the moment when he had created the document [The Observation Diary of the Abnormal Girls].
Despite behaving like a bald otaku, Lin Qian was far from stupid; In fact, he was remarkably astute.
He possessed a sharper intellect than most people.
After all, an ordinary person would not even attempt writing a book like [The Observation Diary of the Abnormal Girls]
Not to mention, the number of similar novels under his belt; Even he himself had difficulty recalling his discarded drafts, the novels which had abruptly come to an end, and the scattered fragments of stories here and there.
Their convoluted plots brimmed with eccentric elements, making the characters’ actions appear nonsensical and difficult to rationalize.
When Lin Qian penned his stories, he appeared to transcend into an unexplainable realm, with words pouring forth onto the screen as if guided by the devil himself. Even the expression ‘thoughts pour forth like a river’ fell short in describing his profound state of mind.
It felt as if every stroke of his pen had the power to bring forth life, and every word of his held sacred knowledge from the heavens.
“Seems like I’m really down on my luck.”
After a moment of hesitation, Lin Qian took out his phone to call his landlady.
He needed to figure out his situation somehow.
“Nggh~ Ah~ Hello, Lin Qian. Why are you calling me at this hour? And when are you going to pay the rent for last month?” The heavy breathing of a middle-aged woman could be heard through the phone.
He could also hear the voice of a young man in the background.
Lin Qian recognized its owner. His surname was Zhang and he lived in the apartment above his.
Not too long ago, the landlady had invited him over for a candlelit discussion due to his inability to pay his rent. When Lin Quan encountered him again after a week of absence, he noticed that he had lost more than 10 pounds.
As someone who was not overweight to begin with, he now appeared emaciated. Lin Qian was not sure how long he could hold on like that.
The landlady’s sizable physique might be a bit much for Zhang to handle by himself.
Stirring a large vat with a chopstick was no easy task, after all.
“I’ll send it in the next few days. By the way, Sister Zheng, are you working out this late tonight?”
“Huh? Oh! Y-Yes! I-! I’m currently out for a late run, yeah!”
“Running in the night? That’s a great way to keep your lower body in shape. You’re already pretty to begin with, and if you stick with it, you’ll maintain your youthful look even more. I can guarantee that within six months, you’ll have people swooning over you left and right.”
“H-Hear that, Lil’ Zhang? Looks like it’s still Lil’ Lin who has the gift of gab. You should learn a thing or two from him. Lil’ Lin, with your way with words, it would be a shame to not put that talent to good use. How about finding some time to come over to my place? We can have a nice chat. I’ve noticed you’re quite handsome.”