Chapter 88: Chapter 87: Quite the Criminal, Now Engaging in Fraud? (Seeking First Subscriptions)

Riverside Cottage, is a small shop on the Anling River bank.

As dusk faded, several lanterns with a soft, pale yellow glow hung at the front door of the cabin. Upon entering, there was a path paved with pebbles, lined with various small flowers and grasses, creating a very charming atmosphere.

Xia Qingqing had arranged to meet Lin Chuan here.

Lin Chuan was still dressed casually, in a patterned white T-shirt, black straight-leg casual pants, and sneakers. It was a simple look, but it drew the sidelong glances of quite a few men inside the shop.

Cough, it wasn’t because of same-sex attraction or because of his confidence and sunny disposition.

Rather, it was because Xia Qingqing walked over the pebble path with him, laughing and talking, her face full of smiles and her eyes twinkling with stars.

Xia Qingqing was indeed very beautiful, with light makeup, picturesque eyebrows and eyes, a perky nose, and shoulder-length short hair. She brushed back the hair on her right side, revealing her earlobe and the perfect contour of her right face.

At the moment, she was wearing a black casual jacket over a pale blue T-shirt. Because she was on the slender side, the collarbone under her swan-like neck looked delicate and fair.

She appeared very lively and cheerful.

As Lin Chuan walked on the cobblestone path and noticed the gazes of the men around them, he smiled and said, “Officer Xia, walking with you puts a lot of pressure on me.”

Xia Qingqing pursed her lips and laughed, “Are they envious of you?”

“They must be,” Lin Chuan laughed.

“Envious of what about you?” Xia Qingqing blinked.

Lin Chuan pondered for a moment and confidently said, “Envious of how handsome I must be.”

Xia Qingqing turned her pretty face towards him, slightly lifted her chin, and with a suppressed smile said, “Writer Lin, you really are very handsome.”

“Officer Xia, you have good taste!” Lin Chuan raised his thumb.

They walked into the shop.

Xia Qingqing had reserved a corner spot in advance. Like Lin Chuan, she also preferred to keep a lower profile, not being a social butterfly.

In the corner of Riverside Cottage.

The two sat opposite each other, between them a small square table about 80cm by 80cm, with a floral arrangement on it.

The gentle breeze from the Anling River made a turn here, tossing Xia Qingqing’s short hair and brushing across Lin Chuan’s face.

Xia Qingqing rested her elbow on the table and propped her chin in her hand, leaning slightly forward, “Writer Lin, I want to discuss something with you.”

Lin Chuan held a pot of jasmine tea in his hand and poured some for Xia Qingqing as he asked, “What is it, Officer Xia?”

“Could you change the way you address me?” Xia Qingqing blinked.

“Change how I address you?”

“Yes.”

“Then… Uncle Cop?” Lin Chuan ventured.

Xia Qingqing snorted with laughter, “Writer Lin, the male protagonists in your books aren’t like you at all.”

Lin Chuan laughed sheepishly, “Writing it in words and saying it out loud are two entirely different things. Some authors write frequent sweet nothings from their main characters in their novels, winning the favor of several stunning women, but in real life, when they meet a girl they fancy, they get so nervous they can’t say a word.”

“I really like the scent of jasmine.” Xia Qingqing took the jasmine tea Lin Chuan offered and smiled, “Do you also get nervous when you meet a girl you like?”

“I guess… yes.”

Lin Chuan was reminded of his time in college.

Back then, he had a crush on a girl, and indeed, he was very nervous.

“What about now, are you nervous?” Xia Qingqing’s clear eyes looked at Lin Chuan.”

“Ah?”

Lin Chuan was taken aback.

“I mean, do you still get nervous when you see a girl you like now?” Xia Qingqing’s smile was brimming with mirth.

“Of course, I do.” Lin Chuan laughed heartily, sipped his jasmine tea, and then asked, “If I don’t call you Officer Xia, what should I call you?”

“Call me Qingqing,” Xia Qingqing responded with a smile, then added, “My friends call me that, calling me Officer Xia is too formal.”

“Okay, Officer Xia,” Lin Chuan nodded and said with a smile.

The atmosphere at the Riverside Cottage was great, and the food was served quickly.

Lin Chuan looked at the big table full of dishes and laughed, “I’ve mooched another dinner.”

Xia Qingqing smiled lightly, “Mooched? I’ve successfully chased after a star!”

“Chased after a star?”

Lin Chuan asked in surprise, “What chasing a star?”

Xia Qingqing blinked and laughed, “As a hacker, don’t you surf the internet?”

Lin Chuan frowned slightly, a bit puzzled.

Xia Qingqing took out her phone and opened up the news platform.

The hot search list was full of terms related to hackers.

“A single man guarding the national gate! Mysterious hacker strikes back at foreign hackers alone.”

“Blood boiling! The bright red flag reappears in the virtual world of the internet.”

“Fiery! Just ten minutes, the God of Hackers turns the tide.”

“The true hand of God, famous hacker Lin Na live streams the God of Hackers’ finishing move against AW.”

“Sailing Novel Chief Editor Interview | Resurgence of hacker literature imminent.”

“The wave of hackers comes again, hacker novels reach a new peak.”

“Who says only those standing in the light can be heroes!”

Lin Chuan looked at these hot searches and stroked his chin.

At noon, after he had finished his finishing move against AW, he had lunch with the Little Landlady, then returned to his rented room and slept soundly.

He figured this matter would cause a stir, but he didn’t expect that it had already spread all over the internet and dominated the hot search list.

The speed of the internet’s spread is indeed fast.

“Idol, now you see how much influence you have?” Xia Qingqing supported her chin and looked at Lin Chuan with sparkling eyes.

Lin Chuan smiled, “How did you know it was me?”

Xia Qingqing put away her phone and smiled radiantly, “When I saw those bright red flags on the screens at the AW base, I knew it was you!”

“I didn’t expect you to remember so clearly.”

Lin Chuan was somewhat surprised.

Indeed, his novel “Hacker Kingdom” had several instances where a bright red flag was placed on the opponent’s computer screen.

“Of course, I’m a true fan, and I’ve nearly finished reading all your books. Do you have a new one?”

Xia Qingqing asked with her face tilted up, a little proud of herself.

Lin Chuan showed a smiling face.

If Wang Zikai were here, Lin Chuan would definitely have bragged, ‘See, this is a true fan’

“A new book? Sure, I have one, but it hasn’t been released yet. If you want to see it, I can give you the opening to review first, help me check the quality,” Lin Chuan offered with a smile.

“I don’t know how to review novel openings, I just know how to read,” Xia Qingqing smiled gracefully.

Lin Chuan laughed, “You’re a reader; you have the right to speak up.”

Xia Qingqing ran her hand through her hair by her ear and didn’t play coy, “Then I’ll take an early look.”

“I’ll send it to you.”

Lin Chuan opened his phone and sent the opening 20,000 words of “All-In” to Xia Qingqing.

He thought, “All-In,” being themed around fraud and with Xia Qingqing being cyber police, fell right into her field of expertise.

Xia Qingqing was the precise target audience for “All-In.”

“All-In, is this also a hacker-themed novel?” Xia Qingqing asked curiously.

“No, it’s about fraud,” Lin Chuan answered.

Xia Qingqing immediately looked up at Lin Chuan, “Idol, you’re very ‘criminal,’ you even know about fraud?”

Lin Chuan’s mouth twitched as he declared seriously, “This novel is purely fictional and should not be taken as reality. Please do not associate it with the author personally.”