Chapter 457: The Formation of the Fandom
Bai Ming’s office.
With a loud “bang,” Bai Ming, who was buried in work, jumped in surprise as Young Master Sang entered the room.
“What the heck! Can’t you knock?”
“And you dare ask me that?”
Sang Zhe brandished the communication device aggressively and questioned, “What is this thing?”
“This… didn’t you ask me to help you get famous?” Bai Ming looked away guiltily.
“I didn’t mean fame like this!”
Sang Zhe fumed, “I didn’t even know I had written this book! Do you think I have Alzheimer’s?”
“How can you have such a scandalous title… I’m serious, this is slander! My relationships with my wives are fully consensual, affectionate and sweet! Where’s the ‘how to pick up girls’ nonsense—”
“I know, I know,” Bai Ming begged, clasping his hands together. “Why care so much? It’s not real.”
“You know that titles need to be catchy to attract readers.”
“That doesn’t mean you can just make stuff up! Fiction is not lying, changing is not fabricating!” Sang Zhe scowled.
“But all the royalties from this book are going to your account.”
“Actually, I think the title isn’t catchy enough,” Sang Zhe said earnestly. “One hundred tips is too few; it could be changed to three thousand.”
“Do you think you’re writing ‘Blue Cat’s Mischief Three Thousand Questions’ or something?!”
Opening his account and seeing a sudden influx of numbers, Sang Zhe’s mood brightened, and he even asked Bai Ming casually, “So you’re not just planning to do this once and call it quits, right?”
“Of course not.”
Bai Ming smirked, crossing his legs, and nudged his gold-rimmed glasses. “You know, the first step to creating a fandom is what?”
“…Establishing an image.”
“You need to create a persona that’s compelling and admirable, so your fans will mythologize you in their hearts, make excuses for your behavior, and pay for your products.”
“And getting your book published is just the first step.”
“Look.” She pushed her tablet in front of Sang Zhe.
On the screen was the purchase interface and comment section for Sang Zhe’s “bestselling new book.”
There were scattered comments, most just trivial thoughts.
Some male readers worshipped him, realizing there was so much to learn about interacting with women.
Female readers praised his legendary life experiences—of course he could catch the eye of many fairies.
Naturally, there were also some dissenting voices.
“Isn’t the harem too much? This isn’t a love master; he’s just fickle!”
“A wishy-washy scumbag, not devoted in love, and so many people still support this idea? Truly hopeless.”
“And those women, vain as ever! The more scummy the man, the more they love him. I just don’t get it.”
Sang Zhe sighed, “…See, I knew this book would get flak.”
“Don’t rush,” Bai Ming smiled. “Keep reading.”
Sang Zhe continued scrolling.
Unexpectedly, beneath those comments, a thread of replies began popping up.
There were those standing up for him: “Having multiple wives is commonplace; what’s so scummy about it?”
Others defended Sang Zhe’s harem: “Author Sang Zhe’s legendary journey from a small employee of the Demon Cult to the Supreme Leader is awesome, right? Isn’t it normal for women to like excellent men?”
“Though for now, the comments are just normal and casual exchanges.”
Bai Ming whispered, “But you know, such exchanges often evolve into a different flavor of insults.”
Sure enough.
As replies kept flowing, the initial viewpoints quickly turned sour.
“This kind of man loves everyone he meets, and if women like him, they must be gold diggers, right?”
“If you don’t like rich, powerful men, do you prefer losers who just talk big online? You’re just jealous of the author!”
“Who the heck is this ‘Sang Xiaozi’? Stop washing the floor for your master.”
“Are the trolls brain-dead? No upbringing, and definitely no mother?”
As the comment section grew from three or four levels to over a hundred, Sang Zhe could only sigh.
“…It’s become a hat-throwing battle.”
“Yeah,” Bai Ming shrugged. “That’s the embryonic form of a fandom.”
“Maybe at first, they really just had different opinions. But in the virtual environment of the internet, they don’t bother clarifying facts anymore; instead, they just throw hats to crush the opposition for a sense of achievement.”
“Quickly, the two sides shout at each other in their own echo chambers, gradually forming clearly opposed camps.”
“Those who like you will glorify you more and more, unable to tolerate even the slightest criticism.”
“And those who dislike you will grow to hate you, even if you did nothing wrong.”
“The more noise you make, the hotter it gets, and the more people will pay attention to you, creating a cycle.”
“It won’t be long before even those who never use the communication device will have heard your name.”
Sang Zhe couldn’t help but chuckle bitterly, “I get the logic, but with all these trolls popping up, I feel like I’ve hit the jackpot.”
“Why care about them?”
Bai Ming shrugged. “They’re just seeking validation; what about you?”
“You’re in it for the money.”
“Pretty soon, those glorifying fans will become your best crops to harvest. The more famous you get, the more crops you have, and your money-making goals will be achieved!”
If possible.
Sang Zhe truly didn’t want to earn money this way.
But thinking carefully, it wasn’t really up to him.
…Internet fame is a minor issue.
But the arrival of gods and demons? Now that’s a world-changing event.
Time is running short. Before the arrival of gods and demons, he had to resort to all means to earn as much money as possible to quickly raise his cultivation level.
Compared to extortion and plunder, this harvesting approach seemed a bit gentler.
“Fine.”
Sang Zhe sighed. “I trust your guild knows enough about guiding public opinion.”
“Then it’s in your hands. Don’t mess it up.”
“Don’t worry,” Bai Ming patted his chest confidently.
“We’ve got hundreds, if not thousands, of popular influencers at our guild.”
“And for you, we’re pulling out all the stops to create the first all-popular idol of the Human Clan.”
“You just sit back, relax, and count your money until your hands hurt.”
Though Bai Ming was incredibly confident.
Sang Zhe still felt a bit uneasy.
…This guy, full of yellow nonsense.
Can he really be dependable?
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