The train sped across the plains of northern Jiangsu.
The telephone poles outside the window receded rapidly like the strings of a musical instrument.
The carriage was originally quiet and peaceful, but then the pop-up notification from the Hongguo Reading app...
This tranquility was instantly shattered as if by an invisible bomb.
Shen Qingqiu's fingers tightened unconsciously around her phone, the screen's glow reflecting in her pupils.
Those eight blood-stained characters were particularly glaring.
If you ignore the author's name and only look at the book title,
They might just think it's a common subject matter involving fantasy or the supernatural.
The problem is that it was written by "the dream weaver of hell".
Just a few days ago, that mysterious writer named "Jian Shen"...
Having just swept the literary world with his book "The Ferryman",
The word "ferry" has been given a sacred, healing, and love-and-redemption-related definition.
Now, the dream weaver who writes horror novels has a new book called "Soul Ferry".
This is like setting up a stall selling stinky tofu in front of a Michelin three-star restaurant.
The signboard even reads "Michelin-starred restaurant".
Shen Qingqiu clicked into the comments section.
This was less than ten minutes after the trailer was released.
The number of comments has exceeded 10,000, and the server is visibly lagging.
[Jian Shen's Little Fan Girl]: ?! I'm going to throw up! I've seen people try to ride the wave of popularity, but I've never seen anyone do it this disgustingly!
Our teacher Jian Shen's "The Ferryman" just made it to the bestseller list, and you come up with "The Ferryman of Souls"?
What, are you going to write a horror version of Tristan eating Dylan?
[Justice Passerby]: Is this the quality of writing online novels?
Although that editor surnamed Fang was rude, he was right about one thing:
Some online writers are so shameless in their pursuit of traffic that they'll stop at nothing.
[Dream Weaver's Personal Henchman]: Watch your mouth, you upstairs!
The books haven't even been sent out yet, what's the rush? Did your family learn the word "ferry" so well?
Only he can write it, but our dream weaver can't?
[Rational and Objective]: To be honest, I am a fan of both books.
Although I quite like Dream Weaver's "Human World is Like Prison", this time it's a bit... well, you know.
The timing is too coincidental, and the title is too similar, making it hard not to suspect that it is a copycat work.
[Rational Analyst]: Don't rush to criticize.
Although the titles share the same keywords, the themes are definitely different.
However... this trick by the dream weaver is indeed not very elegant.
The movie "The Ferryman" is currently very popular, so choosing a name like this at this time makes it hard not to suspect that it's an attempt to attract viewers.
[Level 5 Dream Weaver]: Haha, does our boss need to ride the wave of popularity to attract traffic?
This is purely coincidental. As for who's riding the coattails of whom, it's hard to say!
[Passerby A]: The fans upstairs, stop defending us.
Why release it earlier or later, but only when "The Ferryman" is at its peak of popularity?
If this is just a coincidence, I'll eat my keyboard on live stream.
This time, I've seen the full force of the situation.
Horror novels should focus on being scary; trying to emulate literary merit is just a poor imitation.
...
Shen Qingqiu's brows were furrowed at this moment.
Although she admired Lin Que's wildly developing talent, she also tacitly acknowledged that he might have been deeply influenced by the "Dream Weaver."
But regarding the dream architect's almost provocative business practices,
As a traditional Chinese language teacher, she instinctively felt uncomfortable.
"Lin Que".
Shen Qingqiu turned her head and tilted her phone screen to face the other person.
Lin Que was scrolling through his phone, secretly smiling as he read the online comments.
He turned around after being called by Shen Qingqiu, revealing a pair of clear eyes:
"Have we arrived?"
"Don't play dumb."
Shen Qingqiu pointed to the screen.
"Your idol, the Dream Weaver of Hell, has released a new book trailer. What do you think about this?"
Lin Que's gaze lingered on Shen Qingqiu's phone screen for two seconds.
Then he nodded thoughtfully, his tone carrying a hint of pure appreciation:
"The Ferryman...tsk, that's a name, quite sophisticated."
"level?"
Zhao Zichen, who was standing next to him, suddenly exploded.
This academic high-achiever, who always maintained a cool and aloof demeanor, was now holding his phone, his face trembling with anger.
"This is absolutely shameless!"
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