When Wo Zuiqiang saw so many fans leaving his reader group, his mood instantly crashed. It felt as if the floor had dropped out from under him. What hit him hardest was that among those who quit were several Rudder Masters who had tipped at least a hundred yuan—his most loyal supporters. He sat on the edge of his bed, the springs creaking under his weight, and scrolled back through the previous chat logs.
"Seeing Zuiqiang-dada suddenly grind out six chapters made me overjoyed. I thought I could finally binge properly, but what is there left to read?"
"Exactly. Zuiqiang-dada probably couldn't figure out where to go next, so he just messed around and trashed the ending of the book…"
"Sigh, mentally exhausted. Feels like I got played by a trash author. I'm leaving to preserve my brain cells."
"I'm leaving too. Never reading this author's stuff again."
"Leaving the group as well. By the way, there isn't even a single girl in this group. No idea how I stayed this long."
"Leaving leaving leaving leaving leaving!"
Wo Zuiqiang really felt like crying without tears. He rubbed his face with his palms, feeling the stubble on his chin. What barely comforted him was that the ones shouting the loudest about leaving actually didn't leave. Instead, some of the silent lurkers quietly exited the group, their names vanishing from the member list without a word.
Thinking about it, that made sense. Reader groups rarely seriously discussed the book itself. The active members had already gotten to know other netizens through the chat. They were used to the daily rhythm of joking around and flooding the screen with messages. If they really left, they would probably feel like something was missing from their routine.
Besides, not all readers were that narrow minded. Just because an author ruined one book didn't mean they would completely abandon him. They might curse you as a "Poison King," but their actions often told a different story. If the author opened a new book and the premise looked decent, they would still follow it.
Wo Zuiqiang's thumbs flew across his phone screen as he explained himself.
"I'm really sorry, everyone. I honestly drank too much yesterday. Even I find what I wrote eye-hurting. I will delete those chapters right away and rewrite them. @everyone"
The moment his message appeared, the active members who hadn't left immediately started teasing him.
"I think Zuiqiang-dada is genuinely talented. I can usually guess the next development in those cliché newbie novels, but this time, I completely miscalculated."
"No need to rewrite it at all. Didn't a rich spender see this plot and tip you a League Leader? Just keep writing Super Female Extra conquers the world—an invincible flow."
"So Zuiqiang-dada really did drink fake booze…"
After apologizing, Wo Zuiqiang immediately opened the author backend on his laptop. The bright glow of the screen reflected in his tired eyes. Before preparing to heavily revise the work, he also sent an internal message to his first ever League Leader, Youyue. He hoped she could join his reader group or even add him on QQ. If she had any suggestions about the work, she could tell him directly.
He then checked the backend subscription numbers again. As expected, subscriptions for the latest update had taken a massive dive, the graph plummeting toward the bottom. That made him even more depressed. For an author, getting a League Leader tip was certainly exciting, but subscriptions were the steady, long-term income that paid the bills. A League Leader was often just a one-time windfall.
Wo Zuiqiang started revising like crazy. His fingers tapped a frantic rhythm on the keyboard, but even he didn't believe in the words he was typing. He felt that what he was rewriting now was dry and lifeless, as if the story had lost its soul. Meanwhile, what he had written while drunk yesterday had felt incredibly exhilarating and satisfying. Sadly, that had only been an illusion of the alcohol. Once sober, he realized just how absurd that content actually was.
He had no idea that he had written those chapters entirely because a certain background character had been stirring up trouble from within the story itself.
Zhao Youyue soon noticed the private message Wo Zuiqiang had sent her. Even though she had tipped him a League Leader, she still felt a lingering guilt. She proactively added his QQ and applied to join his reader group, her fingers tapping the screen of her smartphone with focused intent.
Because Wo Zuiqiang was still frantically revising, he didn't approve her friend request right away. However, her application to join the reader group was quickly approved by one of the administrators—those readers who spent the most time flooding the chat.
Zhao Youyue's QQ nickname was also Youyue. Her profile listed her gender as female and her age as fifteen. Technically, counting by traditional age, she should have been sixteen. Her avatar was still the system default coffee image, and since she hadn't been using the app for long, her account level was very low. To be honest, this kind of account looked exactly like a small alt. It was the sort of profile information that didn't look reliable at all to a seasoned netizen.
As soon as Zhao Youyue entered the group, the screen began to scroll rapidly with new messages.
"Welcome, newcomer."
"Welcome to the skirt.jpg." The image was a classic meme of a cute girl lifting her hem.
"Newcomer, hurry up and post a photo and a voice clip."
"The newcomer is actually a girl?"
"No way. Just registering a small alt and changing the QQ profile to female makes you a girl? Besides, how could a book like this even have female readers?"
"Stop pretending, newcomer. You are definitely a foot-scratching macho guy who read Zuiqiang-dada's new chapter and rushed into the group in rage to hunt him down, right?"
"That possibility is really huge. (side-eye laugh)"
"The newcomer's ID feels strangely familiar…"
"Holy shit, the newcomer would not be the League Leader who tipped Zuiqiang-dada, right?"
"Seems like it really is. There's no way it's just a coincidence that they are both called 'Youyue.'"
"Newcomer, say something!"
Seeing how lively the group was, Zhao Youyue felt a little surprised. She had never joined a reader group before; her only experience was with classmate groups that were usually dead silent. On the rare occasion someone spoke in those, it was usually because their account had been hacked.
Meanwhile, the typing speed in this group was insanely fast. She wanted to send a message, but while she was still typing on her phone, dozens of new messages had already flooded the screen and pushed the conversation forward. When she saw people urging her to speak, it felt like a teacher calling roll in the middle of a crowded room. Without thinking, she typed a single word.
"Here!"
That response immediately delighted the group members.
"The newcomer's reaction is so interesting. Super cute."
"Cute newbie, get into my bowl."
"Alright, I'm convinced the newcomer is a girl. Whether or not she is actually a girl in real life doesn't matter. If you can act cute online, you are a girl."
"That's right. Big JJ cute girls are supreme."
"You guys, stop teasing the newbie."
"Don't look at him as a newbie now. Look at this picture of mine." The meme showed a husky that started off looking cute and ended with a seasoned driver's knowing grin.
"So is the newcomer really the rich League Leader?"
Seeing everyone's reactions, Zhao Youyue softly let out a small "Mm." A faint blush appeared on her face, and her cheeks felt warm. If anyone actually saw her right now, tucked away in her seat, they would truly think she was cute.
Next, she straightforwardly answered the question everyone cared about most, confirming that she was indeed the League Leader. The group immediately got even livelier, the chat window flickering with a constant stream of emojis and exclamations.
After marveling at her status as a rich spender, everyone unanimously asked the same question. Why had she tipped a League Leader in the first place? Could it be that she didn't even know the author has already written the story into a mess?
===
Zuiqiang-dada = 最强大大
In this context, 大大 (dàdà) is an internet honorific, not a family term. It is commonly used in Chinese online communities to address someone with admiration or deference. The nuance is respectful, slightly playful, and fandom coded rather than formal.