"Your idol?"
His friends looked at him in confusion.
Wang He was considered one of the public's national husbands by Dragon Country netizens.
The reasons netizens paid attention to him, aside from his frequent online posts showcasing luxury goods rarely seen by ordinary people and his incredibly wealthy family background, also included another significant factor.
Prince Wang was outspoken and often vehemently criticized the chaos and exploitative practices within the entertainment industry.
For instance, if a celebrity posted online, subtly disparaging others while elevating themselves to promote a new role they had just landed.
Prince Wang would immediately comment, "Oh, isn't this the great celebrity Fan? Not helping the director with his software turning into hardware, and hardware into plugins today?"
In short, within the entire entertainment industry, no one with a scandal could escape Wang He's sharp tongue.
Now, when his friends heard that Prince Wang actually had an idol and was personally helping to promote a new book, it was like discovering a new continent.
They became immensely curious about the idol he mentioned.
At five minutes past midnight.
Wang He's social media account logged in and posted.
"My good friend's new book is officially launched. It's a must-read, a definite masterpiece!"
The caption was simple and direct, accompanied by a link to the novel.
The image below was the novel's cover: a lone figure, bisected by sunlight and shadow, set against a backdrop of a bustling street.
The title of the book was "The Double-Faced Man."
Wang He was a man who naturally brought traffic.
Within ten minutes of his post, it garnered over ten thousand likes and comments.
"My God, this is the first time in my life I've seen Prince Wang advertise online, and it's for a friend's new novel! Has the sun risen from the west today?"
"You've changed, Old Wang. You never used to casually advertise on social media. Who is this amazing friend who could get Prince Wang to do this for them!"
"If Prince Wang is personally advertising it, the novel must be good. You guys comment first, I'm going to read it!"
Wang He had invested in a novel website earlier that year, which was common knowledge among netizens.
However, even on the day the website launched, he hadn't made any public statements or advertised it.
It was only when enthusiastic netizens dug up the corporate legal representative that they discovered he was the boss.
Now, Wang He's unusual, first-time advertisement for a friend's new book immediately sparked significant curiosity among many netizens.
They immediately clicked the link to start reading the new novel he had promoted!
Heavenly Club, VIP room.
After seeing the post, Wang He's five friends felt the same curiosity as the netizens.
Who was this idol friend of Old Wang's?
But no matter how they inquired, Wang He wouldn't reveal his friend's real name.
This friend had almost been swamped by netizens for riding his own coattails; how could he casually reveal Gao Fei's name?
Seeing Wang He's reluctance to disclose the name, his friends stopped pressing and clicked on the link in the post to start reading the novel.
"The Double-Faced Man"
"I stand on the edge of light and darkness, I have faltered, I have been lost, and I have wanted to give up...
Within the world of the wicked, there are the good; within the world of the good, there are the wicked...
And I am a double-faced man, lingering between two worlds!"
The novel began with a preface, the most popular style in current online literature.
After the preface, the main text began.
"My name is Xu Long, and I am a social element in a border city in the southwest. My daily life is filled with neon lights, extravagance, and violence...
My job is to oversee security for bars. Out of the twenty-five bars on Guangla Street in the East District, ten are under my responsibility.
I have over twenty capable individuals working for me, and with an additional seventy to eighty street-level subordinates, I am the youngest and most powerful 'big brother' on the entire Guangla Street.
But above me, there is still the boss, Jin Dahai.
He is the owner of Qingmao Finance, a small loan company on the surface, but secretly, a loan shark.
Besides overseeing security, I am also responsible for collecting debts for him!"
After Wang He's friends finished reading the opening of the main text, each of them paused their finger scrolling down the page.
"Old Wang, is your friend's novel a crime novel?"
"Isn't this just a story about illicit dealings? I can already guess what happens next!"
"This novel is only 100,000 words, it'll probably end poorly or be forced to wrap up!"
The friends commented one after another.
Wang He, however, frowned and retorted, "Can you finish reading it before you speak? Or do you want the keyboard? You write it then!"
Hearing his scolding, everyone tactfully shut their mouths and continued reading.
After reading about how the protagonist Xu Long fought his way to the top in the previous chapters, the story took a turn.
"After I crippled Da Gou, the security manager of the Qingshui Bar, and took control of another bar's security, I became the sole power on East District's Guangla Street.
After four years of struggle, I finally rose through the ranks and earned the appreciation of my boss, Jin Dahai.
On the night of the celebration banquet, Jin Dahai discussed his current business with me over drinks.
He said that managing security was just petty profit, and collecting debts was only for sustenance. The fastest way to make money was through illegal drugs.
Jin Dahai only hinted at the illegal drug business and didn't elaborate further.
I understood he was still testing me. After all, selling illegal drugs carried a sentence of at least fifteen years, and potentially death, if caught!
After the celebration banquet, I went to a late-night diner. I was alone, without any subordinates.
There were very few customers in the diner, only a middle-aged man with a square face.
I ordered a bowl of sour soup noodles from the owner and sat at a table separated from the square-faced man.
As soon as I sat down, I looked at my phone and said that Jin Dahai was only selling illegal drugs; there must be someone above him, the real supplier.
After I finished speaking, the square-faced man wiped his mouth and quietly warned me, 'You are getting closer to the core now. Be careful, and whatever you do, don't expose your identity.'
The man left, leaving me alone to eat my noodles.
And my true identity, Xu Long, is an officer in the H City Anti-Drug Task Force, an undercover agent who has infiltrated the criminal organization for five years!"
Upon seeing the twist in identity, the five second-generation heirs in the club room stopped their idle commentary.
Instead, they became increasingly engrossed, even shooing away the girls who urged them to drink out of the room.
They did read novels, but the current online novels in Dragon Country were either about women chasing men, men chasing women, or various romance novels.
Suddenly, a new novel system emerged, depicting an undercover agent, immediately capturing the reading desire of these five second-generation heirs.
As the protagonist's identity was revealed, the five were so engrossed they had no mind for the girls beside them, leaning back on the sofa to continue reading.
Online, "The Double-Faced Man" received reviews following Wang He's strong recommendation.
A portion of Prince Wang's followers were seasoned internet surfers, proficient in watching videos, reading novels, and playing online games.
However, another portion were simply onlookers who liked to stir up trouble and comment blindly.
Furthermore, only the first three chapters of "The Double-Faced Man" were free to read; the rest required payment.
Therefore, netizens who disliked paying and preferred to "freeload" had already begun to comment on the novel.
"What a piece of trash novel, it's just about the life of a thug. It's truly damaging to contemporary youth!"
"Exactly, it's just an article about gang life. Why is Prince Wang promoting it? Was he bribed with a large sum of money?"
"I lost interest after the third chapter and didn't want to read further. Isn't it just about illicit dealings? I used to be in that line of work, and now I've made it clean. If you want to know, I'll tell you for free!"