Chapter 722 Boos at the Annual Meeting Meanwhile, the online live broadcast room had already exploded. Just like at the scene, readers and fans and Zhao Shuo's female fans were engaged in a fierce war of words.
Unlike on-site staff who could intervene, there was no one to mediate in the live stream room, and the mute function could not be enabled. Both sides completely let loose, exchanging insults about each other's families through the screen. The sarcastic remarks and vulgar language were intertwined, and the barrage scrolled so fast that the complete words could not be seen.
Fortunately, the platform's anti-ban function took effect in time, and a large number of obscene comments were marked with an asterisk, which barely prevented the situation from getting completely out of control. However, the remaining offensive comments were still densely packed, exuding a strong sense of hostility.
Just as the live stream was in an uproar, the camera slowly switched to focus on the private entrance on the other side of the auditorium.
A long red carpet had already been set up, with a huge signature wall at the end. The backdrop prominently displayed the words "Endpoint Novel 2026 Annual Meeting," and under the spotlight, the atmosphere was incredibly ceremonial.
At this annual meeting, the platform specially invited the top 30 authors to walk the red carpet and sign autographs, both to promote the authors and to present highlights to the viewers in the live broadcast room.
The authors, dressed in respectable formal attire, walked slowly from backstage to the red carpet one by one, waving to the cameras before signing their pen names in front of the autograph wall.
However, as Zhao Shuo's female fans complained, most of the authors walking the red carpet were middle-aged men, each with a conspicuous beer belly. Due to years of sitting and neglecting their appearance, coupled with the collapse of their facial features caused by weight gain, even with beauty filters on the camera, they could not hide their haggard and bloated appearance, a state of appearance that "even beauty filters cannot save."
Of course, there are young authors, but they are extremely rare among the top 30 authors on the platform.
This makes sense, as the online literature industry needs time to mature. These middle-aged authors have been working in the field for many years, and their experience, writing skills, and reader base far surpass those of younger authors. Their ability to occupy the top spots on the list is a testament to their strength.
Beside the red carpet, the female host, dressed in a fitted gown and with impeccable makeup, would greet each author with a smile, clearly introducing their pen name, representative works, and industry achievements.
At first, the live stream and the live audience were quite harmonious. Readers and fans flooded the chat with familiar quotes from the book or excitedly praised the female protagonist's character. Male readers in the audience would also applaud from time to time, and the atmosphere was quite pleasant.
But this harmony didn't last long. Zhao Shuo's female fans gradually couldn't contain themselves and started stirring things up in the live stream. A glaring comment immediately flooded the screen—
See? I told you so! They're all a bunch of middle-aged fat nerds with pig heads and big ears; they're disgusting to look at...
Immediately afterwards, a flood of agreeing comments appeared—
[That's normal, sis. Aren't all online novelists like this? Staying home and not exercising, how good can their looks be?]
[Hilarious! In terms of looks, all these fat otaku combined can't compare to one of my Shuo Shuo's toes!]
[...]
This completely ignited the anger of the readers and fans, and the verbal abuse in the live stream escalated to an even more intense level than before.
The female fans at the scene went even further. Led by the group that had caused trouble earlier, they deliberately made shrieking noises whenever an author walked onto the red carpet and waved. The noises were sharp and piercing.
Booed in public, the authors walking on the red carpet looked embarrassed, their hands and feet became awkward, their originally composed steps became stiff, and their waving gestures were somewhat forced. Many even quickened their pace, wanting to finish walking the red carpet as soon as possible and escape this embarrassment.
Several reserved authors blushed deeply, their eyes filled with embarrassment and dissatisfaction.
Seeing that the scene was about to get out of control and turn into a major live broadcast accident, the editor-in-chief of Sun, who was standing on the side of the red carpet coordinating the operation, turned ashen-faced and his temples throbbed with anger.
He knew long ago that Zhao Shuo's female fans were mostly mindless and brainless, who loved to stir up trouble online, but he never expected them to be so arrogant as to dare to publicly humiliate the author at the annual meeting.
If this isn't handled properly, it will not only offend all these top authors, making it difficult for the platform to maintain cooperation in the future, but also make Endpoint Novels a laughing stock in the entire industry, becoming the biggest joke of the year.
Sure enough, before the sun could come up with a solution, a staff member rushed over and reported anxiously:
"Editor-in-chief, something terrible has happened! Several authors behind us are complaining, saying they've lost face by being humiliated by fans and don't want to walk the red carpet anymore!"
Upon hearing this, the editor-in-chief of Sun rubbed his throbbing temples in frustration, pressing his fingertips against his temples as he quickly pondered—forcibly suppressing female fans would only escalate the conflict, and persuading the author would hardly appease their dissatisfaction. He had to find a way to shift the focus while giving both sides a way out.
A moment later, his eyes lit up as he thought of a way to break the deadlock, and he immediately instructed the staff:
"Okay, go and make the arrangements quickly. First, let Zhao Shuo go on stage to intimidate his fans, and then arrange for Gu Luo to go on stage."
Upon hearing this, the assistant immediately understood the editor-in-chief's intention—Zhao Shuo, as the idol of the female fans, could appease the troublemaking fans by stepping forward.
Gu Luo is young, handsome, and incredibly popular. He can attract attention and shift the focus, as well as break the prejudice of female fans that "authors are all fat otaku," thus giving the author community face.
Of course, the most important thing is still comparison.
He nodded quickly in response:
"Yes, editor-in-chief, I'll arrange it right away!"
He turned around and quickly ran backstage, afraid of missing the opportunity and causing the situation to worsen again.
Following the editor-in-chief Taiyang's urgent arrangements, the backstage area quickly made the necessary arrangements, and Zhao Shuo, dressed in a tailor-made fitted suit, slowly walked onto the red carpet under the guidance of the staff.
The well-tailored suit perfectly accentuated his tall and straight figure, making his broad shoulders and narrow waist appear even more striking. He wore his signature kind smile, and his gentle gaze swept across the room. Every gesture exuded the composure and poise of a star.
Almost the instant Zhao Shuo appeared, the female fans who had been booing at the scene erupted in cheers!
The previous provocation and hostility vanished, replaced by extreme fervor and excitement.
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