civilwarnovels Chapter 1626 Evil Begets Evil
Chapter 1626 Evil Begets Evil
The news of the change of ownership of Zixing was like a pebble thrown into a pond in the online literature circle—the ripples were small and the waves quickly dissipated.
Those in the industry glance at the headline and think: "Oh, they've changed owners." Then they go back to writing or slacking off. In the online literature world, platforms changing hands is a regular occurrence; it's nothing new. What does this game of capital have to do with struggling writers?
But three days later, another piece of news broke.
It started when someone posted a thread on a writers' forum with a very short title: "He Han has returned to Zhixing." Within three minutes, more than two hundred replies appeared below.
That evening, He Han went live.
He doesn't usually do live streams. He used to do them only two or three times a year at most, usually for new book launches or events. This time it was a surprise. He was sitting in front of the camera, wearing a gray hoodie, his hair a little messy, like he had just woken up.
The live chat was flooded with comments.
"Holy crap, He Han, are you serious?"
"They've really gone back to Elm Star??"
"What kind of sleeping potion did Lin Zhanqiao give you?"
He Han glanced at the comments, picked up the green tea on the table, took a sip, and cleared his throat.
"Let's get down to business first."
The chat was silent for three seconds.
"I signed a new contract with Zhixing."
He paused.
"The new contract includes a clause stating that I personally own 25% of the shares in Zhixing Company."
The live stream chat seemed to have been paused. For a full five seconds, not a single comment appeared on the screen.
Then it exploded.
"Twenty-five percent?!"
"Holy crap, is this a case of the liberated serfs singing their praises?"
He Han glanced at the comments and a slight smile appeared on his lips.
"Furthermore, Zhixing's current policy is that authors with an annual income exceeding 500,000 will receive a certain percentage of stock options after signing a contract. After three years, these options can be converted into personal shares."
After saying that, he put the milk tea cup aside and leaned back.
"For specific details, please visit the Zhixing website. I am not responsible for interpreting the contract."
The comments section went completely crazy.
That night, the phone at Zixing kept ringing with inquiries.
When Lin Zhanqiao arrived at the company the next morning, the receptionist was on the phone. She held the receiver in one hand while scribbling something rapidly on a piece of paper with the other, a fine layer of sweat beading on her forehead. Seeing Lin Zhanqiao enter, she pointed to the phone, opened her mouth, and silently uttered three words—"Too many calls to finish."
All three landline phones were occupied.
It wasn't just the landlines. The online customer service on the official website of [Company Name] also crashed. Previously, they used a third-party customer service system, which handled a maximum of two thousand inquiries per month. However, last night, over eight thousand inquiries flooded in within an hour, causing the system to crash. Xiao Liu temporarily created a WeChat group, posted the QR code on Weibo, and it filled up with five hundred people in ten minutes. He created five groups in a row, and all of them were full.
Lin Zhanqiao stood at the office door, watching everyone at their workstations answering phones, replying to messages, and entering information into their computers, the sound of keyboards filling the air.
She was a little dazed.
A month ago, Zhixing was barely hanging on. After Guyan left, Lin Zhanqiao spent every day scrolling through the author list, trying to find someone who could take her place. She called more than a dozen authors who were doing well; the polite ones would say "I'll think about it," while the less polite ones would just hang up.
At that time, she felt like a junk collector. She went around knocking on doors with the contract for Zhixing, but when people opened the door, saw it was her, and slammed the door shut.
It's different now.
They all proactively called and came to our door.
Qin Hao walked to Lin Zhanqiao's office door and knocked on the doorframe. Lin Zhanqiao was facing the computer screen, her brows furrowed so deeply they could trap a fly.
"The data is out?" Qin Hao asked.
Lin Zhanqiao turned the screen around to show him. It was a table, densely listed with the names of authors who had called to inquire in the last three days. She drew a line down the middle of the screen with her finger.
"Those above this line all have an annual income exceeding one million."
Qin Hao glanced at them. There were at least a dozen names above the online level. He recognized a few of them; they were well-known figures in the industry.
Lin Zhanqiao leaned back in her chair, her expression a mix of happiness and worry.
"These people are all incredibly shrewd; they're all thinking of signing three-year contracts and getting shares in Zhixing."
Qin Hao smiled.
"That's great!"
"Good news?" Lin Zhanqiao looked up at him. "With so many people giving shares, are the remaining shares enough?"
Qin Hao sat down opposite her.
"If we don't have enough shares, we can bring in capital. As long as the money is there, why are they afraid they won't come?"
……
In just one month, Zhixing signed more than fifty authors.
Xiao Liu was in charge of compiling the list of signed contracts. He made a table listing each person's annual income, representative works, and influence in the industry. When it was printed out, the paper slid out of the printer one sheet at a time, filling six pages in total.
Thirty-seven people have an annual income exceeding 500,000. Eleven people have an annual income exceeding one million. Four people have an annual income exceeding three million.
"These four people—" Qin Hao circled them with his pen: "I'll arrange a private meeting with them. I'll treat them to dinner."
Xiao Liu wrote it down and added, "President Qin, the finance department has done some calculations."
"Based on the existing revenue of contracted authors, plus He Han's share, it's conservatively estimated that Zhixing's revenue this year will exceed one billion yuan."
Qin Hao didn't look up.
"And the profit?"
"The profit margin isn't high," Xiao Liu said. "The commission rate has dropped significantly compared to before. These people are all signing new contracts, and the company's commission is only 15%. After deducting operating costs and various expenses, the net profit is about 11%."
With a turnover of 1 billion, 11% is 120 million.
"Okay, I understand." Qin Hao's tone was extremely calm, as if it wasn't a hundred million, but a trivial amount of money.
Xiao Liu opened his mouth as if to say something, but then closed it again.
When Lin Zhanqiao was in charge, the biggest problem for Zhixing was money. To attract investment, Lin Zhanqiao visited seven or eight venture capital firms, but none were willing to invest. Now, Qin Hao has only been in charge for a month, and Zhixing can be self-sufficient without relying on investment.
As Xiao Liu walked out, he gave Qin Hao a deep look.
---
On the other hand, the news that Guyan had stopped updating "It Seems Like an Old Friend is Drunk" came out on Friday night.
Readers waited a week for an update and then flooded the book review section with complaints. On Saturday morning, the criticism spread to Weibo and forums. Some readers dug up the conflict between Guyan and Chengxing, saying that Guyan had fallen out with the platform and the book might be abandoned.
By Sunday night, the number of posts in the book review section had exceeded one thousand.
Gu Yan didn't respond with a single word.
He didn't say a word in the fan group until Tuesday.
"Zhixing tricked me."
Those four words alone caused an uproar in the fan group. He posted a screenshot—a blurred contract page, with the termination clause circled in red. Then he added a sentence.
"These are unfair terms. If I don't sign them, they'll withhold my royalties."
The fans in the group immediately erupted in anger. Some went to the official Weibo account of Zhixing to hurl insults, while others wrote three or four thousand words of analytical posts on the forum, with increasingly sensational titles—"Exposing the Capitalist Forces Behind Zhixing"—
Looking at these posts, Guyan breathed a sigh of relief.
To be honest, he felt a little uneasy after the hiatus.
It wasn't because there was any activity on the planet Zhixing. Quite the opposite, it was because there was absolutely no activity on Zhixing.
This is not normal.
Gu Yan's biggest fear wasn't Lin Zhanqiao, but Qin Hao. Lin Zhanqiao was, after all, just a woman, not ruthless enough, but Qin Hao was different. Judging from his demeanor that day, Qin Hao wasn't someone who spoke lightly.
Gu Yan thought for a moment and figured that Qin Hao was probably preoccupied with internal affairs at Zhixing. After all, he had just acquired the company and was overwhelmed with many things to deal with, so he probably didn't have time to deal with her.
"Perhaps Qin Hao is just bluffing; there's no need to scare yourself."
Zhao Lanxin spoke with absolute certainty.
"Think about it—if he were truly confident in suing you, he would have done so already. A month has passed with absolutely no movement; what does that mean? It means he has no leverage."
Gu Yan thought about it and felt that it made sense.
“Keep writing.” Zhao Lanxin flicked her cigarette ash into the ashtray on the table. “Continue using the pen name ‘Lone Smoke,’ and publish the new book on Dingqi.com. Don’t worry about anything else; once the new book is published, the fans will naturally follow. Then—”
She smiled.
"Even if Zhixing sues you, I will hire the best lawyers to defend you."
Only then did Gu Yan feel at ease.
A week later, on the day Guyan released her new book on Dingqi.com, she deliberately chose a good time—Friday night at 10 PM. The peak time for online novel traffic.
The book review section was even more lively than expected. Longtime fans flocked to the site, with every comment filled with "It's here!" and "Finally!" Some even wrote longer reviews, saying that Guyan's writing had become more engaging after leaving Zhixing.
Lonely Smoke stared at the comments section for two hours, smoking half a pack of cigarettes in the process.
Zhao Lanxin is right. Fans will follow him. As long as the new book is good enough, he can earn a lot of money in less than two months.
Over the next month, Guyan intensified his actions.
Every now and then, he would reveal in the fan group how Zhixing exploited him, how outrageous the commission rate was, and how harsh the terms of the agreement were.
The comments section went crazy.
Someone took a screenshot and posted it on Weibo, and the hashtag #ZhiXingCommission# rose to fourth place on the trending topics list that night.
Zhao Lanxin also provided him with a lot of resources through Dingqi. Homepage recommendations, editor's picks, and dominating the new author charts – he got it all. His new book broke into the top ten of the site's sales chart in its first month.
Looking at the data in the backend, Gu Yan's unease gradually subsided.
---
However, just when Guyan thought Qin Hao's threat was just empty talk, a summons was delivered to him.
Gu Yan stood at the top of the stairs, nearly dropping the file folder in his hand. He flipped through a couple of pages, his fingers beginning to tremble.
He didn't go upstairs; he went straight downstairs, sat down on a bench at the entrance of the complex, and read through the materials from beginning to end. The sun shone on the back of his neck, but he felt his back was covered in cold sweat.
He took a picture of the summons and sent it to Zhao Lanxin.
The call was answered instantly.
"What happened?" Zhao Lanxin's voice sounded calm, but she spoke much faster than usual.
"A summons. Zhixing has reported me." Gu Yan's voice was a little hoarse: "You... come over here right away."
When Zhao Lanxin arrived, Guyan was sitting on a bench, lost in thought. The bench beneath him was scorching hot from the sun, but he didn't move. The materials in his hands were wrinkled from being turned over so many times, and the edges of several pages were damp with sweat.
Zhao Lanxin took the materials and flipped through them page by page. She flipped through them very quickly, but her speed suddenly slowed down towards the last few pages.
"How many?"
Gu Yan's voice sounded like someone was choking him.
"One hundred million."
Zhao Lanxin looked up, her expression changing. She quickly flipped through the next few pages, then closed the document and took a deep breath.
“It’s okay,” she said.
"Nothing's wrong?" Gu Yan turned to look at her, her eyes bloodshot. "You're telling me nothing's wrong with a hundred million?"
“It’s just a summons.” Zhao Lanxin’s tone returned to its usual composure: “I’ll handle the case for you. I’ll pay the lawyer’s fees.”
She paused, looking into Guyan's eyes.
"I will definitely help you win the case."
Gu Yan looked at her.
Zhao Lanxin wore a white shirt, her hair was tied up, and her expression was firm. She reached out and patted Gu Yan on the shoulder.
"Believe me."
Gu Yan's shoulders relaxed a little. He leaned back on the bench and let out a long breath.
"Row."
Perhaps it was Zhao Lanxin's resolute attitude that convinced Guyan, leading him to directly reject the court's mediation.
"Since you're unwilling to mediate, then the court hearing will proceed as scheduled."
"Alright. Let's start the court hearing then."
Guyan hung up the phone and slammed it on the table.
Zhao Lanxin overheard this from the side.
“You did the right thing,” she said. “You can’t be weak. If you are, they’ll take you down.”
Lonely Smoke nodded.
On the day of the court hearing, Guyan wore a suit and tie. The lawyer Zhao Lanxin hired for him was said to be quite famous in the industry, specializing in contract disputes, and had a high success rate.
The lawyer had gone over the strategy with him beforehand: Guyan's core argument was that Zhixing's original contract contained unfair terms and an excessively high commission rate, which constituted manifest unfairness. According to relevant laws, manifestly unfair contract terms are invalid.
After listening, Guyan thought it made sense.
He walked into the courtroom with his back ramrod straight.
Then, Chixing's lawyer began to present evidence.
First item: Submit the original contract signed between Guyan and Zhixing, page by page, clause by clause.
"According to Article 18, Paragraph 3 of the contract, if Party B fundamentally breaches the contract, Party B shall compensate Party A for all direct and indirect losses, as well as damage to its brand reputation. After comprehensive calculation, we propose the following amount as compensation for breach of contract:"
He paused for a moment.
"One hundred million yuan."
Lonely Smoke's hands began to tremble.
He turned his head to look at Zhao Lanxin.
Lone Smoke's lawyer stood up to defend himself.
The debate mainly focused on two points: first, whether the commission rate in the contract by Zhixing constituted an unfair contract term; second, the claim for a penalty of 100 million yuan was baseless and should be rejected.
The lawyer for the star rebuttal was very concise.
"Regarding the first point—when Mr. Guyan signed the contract, Zhixing provided a detailed explanation of all the terms. The contract was signed at a notary office and is confirmed by the notary's signature. As a person with full civil capacity, Mr. Guyan voluntarily signed the contract after understanding its contents, and there is no situation of manifest unfairness."
As Attorney Zhixing listed the evidence one by one.
Gu Yan's face was as white as paper.
The verdict in the first instance came quickly.
Three days later, the court announced the verdict.
The facts of Guyan's breach of contract are clear and the evidence is sufficient.
The court ruled against Guyan and ordered it to pay Zixing a penalty of 53.82 million yuan.
Gu Yan broke down in front of the courthouse.
He squatted on the steps, holding his head in his hands, tears streaming down his face.
"Fifty-three million eight hundred and twenty thousand..."
He buried his head in his knees, his shoulders shaking uncontrollably.
Zhao Lanxin stood next to him, a cigarette between her fingers, but she didn't light it.
"This is only the first trial." Her voice was a little dry. "There's still an appeal."
Gu Yan suddenly raised his head.
"What if we lose the second trial too?"
Zhao Lanxin remained silent.
Making her pay for the lawyer's fees is no problem.
But should we ask her to pay 53 million in compensation?
Don't even think about it.
Seeing that Zhao Lanxin remained silent, Guyan suddenly stood up. He took a step forward, his face almost touching Zhao Lanxin's.
"You broke your promise!"
His voice was so loud it echoed outside the courthouse.
"You told me it would be fine, that it was just a summons, and that you'd help me win—and now? Fifty-three million! Tell me what to do?"
Zhao Lanxin took half a step back.
"What I meant was—I will help you with your legal representation."
Her tone turned cold.
"I never said I would help you pay the penalty for breach of contract."
Lonely Smoke was stunned.
He looked at Zhao Lanxin's face, and saw an expression he had never seen before. It wasn't guilt, nor sympathy, but a cold, icy expression that seemed ready to turn on him at any moment.
"You tricked me."
Lonely Smoke's voice was so hoarse that its original tone was unrecognizable.
"A trap?" Zhao Lanxin took the unlit cigarette out of her mouth. "Who trapped you? You signed the contract yourself. Those smears about Zhixing also came from your mouth."
Gu Yan opened his mouth. He wanted to say something, but his throat was so constricted that he couldn't utter a single word.
"Alright, it's just a loss in the first instance. The second instance can be appealed. Go back and focus on updating your work. Besides, do you have any other options now?"
After saying this, Zhao Lanxin turned around and got into the car.
Lone Smoke stood still. The steps in front of the courthouse were hard and cold, and the sun overhead made one dizzy.
The car drove away.
He suddenly felt his legs go weak and sat back down on the steps.
The second trial is scheduled for two months from now.
Guyan has lost a lot of weight in the past two months. He's moved back to the illegal internet cafe he used to frequent. Dingqi's royalties haven't been settled yet—his income during the contract termination period was all withheld, and the legal process will have to wait for a judgment.
Zhao Lanxin did not attend the second trial.
Gu Yan scanned the audience seats several times but couldn't find her.
The trial proceedings were similar to the first instance. Zhixing's evidence remained the same, clearly organized, with each page appearing as if it had been prepared in advance. Guyan, on the other hand, had a different lawyer—much cheaper—who repeated the same sentence over and over from beginning to end.
The penalty for breach of contract is too high.
"We believe that the amount of liquidated damages does not reflect the actual losses."
The judge asked Guyan if he had anything to add.
Gu Yan stood up. His throat was dry, and he swallowed.
"I...I was wrong."
His voice was very soft in the courtroom.
"I know I was wrong. I shouldn't have broken the contract, and I shouldn't have smeared Zhixing. But I really can't come up with fifty million. That's all I earn in a year. Please—"
He couldn't continue.
His voice trailed off, like a thread being snapped.
The verdict of the second trial is in.
The original judgment was upheld, except that the penalty for breach of contract was adjusted from 53.82 million to 48 million.
The arbitrator explained that, considering Guyan's actual ability to repay, the original judgment amount was appropriately reduced. However, the fact of the breach of contract is clear, and the liability for compensation remains unchanged.
Forty-eight million.
Gu Yan cried like a child outside the courtroom.
His sobs were loud and unrestrained, as if he were pouring out all the fear, anger, and lingering dread of the past two months. Tears streamed down his face, and snot clung to his sleeves, but he didn't care. He just squatted on the ground, trembling with sobs.
By the time he wiped away his tears and stood up, it was already completely dark.
He took out his phone and scrolled to Zhao Lanxin's number. His fingers hovered over the screen, trembling violently.
The call was made.
busy tone.
I dialed again.
Still busy signal.
He opened WeChat, found Zhao Lanxin's profile picture, and sent the message.
A red exclamation mark.
Gu Yan stared at the red exclamation mark for a long time.
The light from the phone screen shone on his face. His eyes were dry, his lips were chapped, and he opened his mouth, but no sound came out. (End of Chapter)