Chapter 1: The Author Messaged Me

[Discussion: Is Yu Huaizhi Ju a Man or a Woman?]

1st Floor: Definitely a woman!

2nd Floor: Yu Huaizhi’s writing is super delicate, my guess is a girl.

3rd Floor: No way, the author should be a man. I think I heard another author mention it.

4th Floor: Nonsense from the 3rd floor. Which author mentioned that?

5th Floor: Agree with the 4th floor.

…

61st Floor: Yu Huaizhi Ju has never appeared in public or used voice messages, must be a woman, doesn’t want to be exposed!

62nd Floor: Not really, the autographed book signatures are quite bold, a girl wouldn’t have that style.

63rd Floor: Speaking of autographs, Yu Huaizhi Ju always includes a maple leaf bookmark at the end of the physical books, so thoughtful! The author must be a beautiful girl!

64th Floor: No matter what, Yu Huaizhi Ju is a handsome guy! Unshakeable!

65th Floor: Yu Huaizhi Ju writes yaoi; if he were a man, wouldn’t he have turned gay long ago? Don’t spread rumors, the author must be a lady!

…

260th Floor: Yu Huaizhi Ju is forever our favorite. Gender doesn’t matter, we love writing!

261st Floor: Honest person above, drag them out!

262nd Floor: Exactly, drag them out!

263rd Floor: By the way, didn’t the author post a picture of their hand on Weibo? It looks like a guy’s hand.

264th Floor: …You can tell the gender from just a fingertip?

…

Reading up to this point, Ling Geng expressionlessly typed a reply: Has anyone noticed how awkward and unrealistic Yu Huaizhi Ju’s high-energy scenes are? Definitely not written by a man!

His reply sparked an eerie consensus starting from the 266th floor.

266th Floor: Agreed!

267th Floor: Agreed!

268th Floor: Agreed!

269th Floor: Agreed!

…

Satisfied, Ling Geng closed the webpage.

Recently, he had been following a novel that was nearing its end. The author, Yu Huaizhi Ju, was a renowned gold medal author.

The same author of his first ever BL novel.

Yu Huaizhi Ju had it all: top-notch writing, gripping plots, well-developed characters, and great romance. 

But for Ling Geng, there was one tiny flaw—some action scenes fell flat. They often felt vague, abrupt, unrealistic, and lacked authenticity.

Like they were written by either a clueless straight guy or an overly imaginative girl.

Ling Geng leaned towards the latter.

So, he posted his thoughts on a forum, sparking a wave of similar opinions from fellow readers.

Yu Huaizhi Ju must be a soft girl, a soft girl!

Excited, Ling Geng opened the app to catch up on the latest chapter.

He read the update word by word, then lay on his bed, curled up.

Suddenly, his phone buzzed. It was a message from his dear sister, Ling Jun, who was on 

holiday.

**Ling Jun:** [Hey bro, did you read the new novel I recommended?]

She meant the one he just finished.

Ling Jun had recommended it two days ago, and he binge-read it overnight to catch up.

His sister was relentless. She loved BL and insisted on sharing her favorites with him.

Initially, Ling Geng resisted, but Ling Jun’s persistence won out, and he started his first BL novel.

From then on, he was hooked.

A year later, Ling Geng found himself…

Gay.

It was quite the unexpected twist.

Ling Geng grumbled as he typed his reply, but before he could send the message, the forum app notified him of a private message.

The notification displayed the sender’s information.

**Yu Huaizhi Ju:** Hello.

Huh?

Ling Geng’s eyes widened in disbelief. He bolted upright, almost jumping out of bed. He wasn’t seeing things, right? The author had sent him a private message? The real author?!

He trembled as he opened the message and repeatedly checked the sender’s profile to confirm.

It was really Yu Huaizhi Ju!

Ling Geng was overwhelmed with excitement but tried to reply calmly.

**Ling Geng:** Hello.

The author responded quickly.

**Yu Huaizhi Ju:** Nice avatar. Did you draw it yourself?

Ling Geng nodded earnestly to the empty room, as if meeting the author face-to-face.

**Ling Geng:** Yes, I studied art before college and still draw occasionally.

The response came swiftly.

**Yu Huaizhi Ju:** Is it Hong Li?

Hong Li was one of the protagonists in Yu Huaizhi Ju’s recent novel. Ling Geng was so satisfied with the character design that not only was it his avatar, but his phone wallpaper too. The author hadn’t released an official character design, so Ling Geng had drawn it based on his own understanding. He was surprised the author recognized it but kept his reply simple.

**Ling Geng:** Yes.

There was a five-minute pause before the next message.

**Yu Huaizhi Ju:** It’s well done. I’d like to use your avatar as Hong Li’s official character design and as the cover art for the book. You can name your price. Is that okay?

More than okay! Being recognized and asked by his favorite author, the illustrious Yu Huaizhi Ju, was an immense honor!

Ling Geng even considered giving it away for free.

However, he reconsidered at the last moment.

**Ling Geng:** Sure, my Q/Q is XXXXXXXX.

A commercial deal meant gaining Yu Huaizhi Ju’s Q/Q contact as well. Totally worth it!

He’d just quote the lowest possible price.

Ling Geng lay back down, curling into a ball of excitement. As he lay there, a question floated through his mind. How did a legend like Yu Huaizhi Ju notice someone as insignificant as him? And why send a private message?

---

Shao Huaizhi woke up from hunger.

He had stayed up late writing, finishing at 5 AM. Exhausted, he scheduled the latest chapter for release and went straight to sleep.

When he woke up, too tired to cook, he ordered takeout. After eating, he browsed the forums out of habit and stumbled upon a popular thread.

**Discussion: Is Yu Huaizhi Ju a Man or a Woman?**

Shao Huaizhi: …

Throughout his writing career, there had always been speculations about his profession, identity, and even his appearance. Many were curious about his gender. But no one had ever openly posted about it.

Intrigued, he wondered who dared to start such a thread under his nose. He clicked on it, seeing it had nearly 300 replies.

The later replies formed a peculiar pattern, almost like a ritual. He scrolled back to the source.

A user named [101 Days of Heart Attack] had posted the reply.

**265th Floor:** Has anyone noticed how awkward and unrealistic Yu Huaizhi Ju’s high-energy scenes are? Definitely not written by a man!

Shao Huaizhi was taken aback: ?

Awkward and unrealistic? And definitely not written by a man…

Where did this conclusion come from?!

He felt exasperated. Initially intending to ignore it, he found himself clicking on [101 Days of Heart Attack]’s profile.

Forum replies didn’t show avatars, but profile pages did. And they were large.

Seeing the hand-drawn avatar, Shao Huaizhi immediately thought it resembled Hong Li—the Hong Li in his mind.

Since he started writing this novel, several collaborators have submitted character designs. None satisfied him, especially for Hong Li.

Unexpectedly, a casual forum visit led him to the perfect design.

He sent a private message right away.

Things progressed smoothly. In less than 15 minutes, he got what he wanted. And the price was surprisingly low.

Industry’s lowest rates couldn’t be this cheap.

Because of Hong Li’s design, the earlier annoyance at [101 Days of Heart Attack]’s audacious forum post dissipated completely.