Just like people can get carried away while playing games, their focus narrowing until the physical world disappears, creators can also enter a similar state of feverish intensity. When that happens, the result either becomes a timeless classic that defines a generation or the entire work collapses into a chaotic mess under its own weight.
Under normal circumstances, this is exactly why an editor should stand nearby to supervise, acting as the voice of reason.
However, Su Li's editor, Wei Suo, hardly interfered with the plot at all. Instead, he praised Su Li's intimate scenes endlessly, his eyes gleaming with delight as he flipped through the latest pages. He strongly supported the direction she was taking. In his eyes, the male lead's transformation from a timid herbivore type into a relentless bulldozer was absolutely brilliant. It had completely overturned the standard, tired formula of harem manga, replacing it with something raw and unpredictable.
As for the beautiful yuri storyline between Yang Qianqian and Xu Jing, he believed it was the greatest highlight of the entire manga. It not only enriched the emotional intensity of the story but also elevated it to an artistic level that transcended the genre. Readers found it heartbreaking to watch the two girls navigate their complicated bond. At the same time, it greatly deepened Xu Jing as a character. On the surface, she seemed to have obtained Yang Qianqian in that dim love hotel room, but in terms of love she remained tragic and pitiful. The person Yang Qianqian loved most in her heart was still her older brother, a shadow that Xu Jing could never fully cast out.
No matter how one looked at it, the current plot development might make the final conclusion very difficult to handle. But Wei Suo didn't care about such problems. All he knew was that with Xu Jing's descent into darkness and Yang Ming's transformation into a scumbag, the overall entertainment value of Pure Love had skyrocketed.
Its popularity had exploded.
According to the latest reader survey feedback, Pure Love had already become the undisputed number one series in Wind Manga. On Qidian Manga's website, its rankings in clicks, recommendation votes, and monthly votes were all rising rapidly, the numbers ticking upward every second. It almost looked like it was marching toward conquering the throne. More and more readers were jumping into the series, their faces illuminated by the glow of their screens as they anxiously waited for each new update.
This kind of spectacle once again shocked countless people in the industry.
After all, Pure Love had originally been nothing more than a typical harem manga. Its main selling point early on had simply been borderline fanservice and suggestive poses. Logically speaking, a work like that should never have been considered prestigious. Yet somehow, because of the character Xu Jing, the later plot kept becoming more and more interesting. The story even broke free from its original constraints and gradually turned into something astonishing.
Similar examples could also be found in the world of web novels.
For instance, Fo Ben Shi Dao by Meng Ru Shen Ji initially looked like an ordinary cultivation novel. Aside from the protagonist's decisive personality, the early story and character writing had very few highlights to distinguish it from the crowd. If the novel had continued that way, it would probably have remained just another average beginner-oriented story that would eventually be replaced by countless similar works.
But when the protagonist finally entered the Earth Immortal Realm, the scale and plot suddenly transformed. The story became incredible, its popularity kept rising, and it eventually reached the famous level where people joked: "Once Fo Ben Shi Dao appears, no other books remain." It even created the entire "Primordial Mythology" genre and made Meng Ru Shen Ji a legendary figure in the community.
Perhaps there were unknown secrets behind that as well.
After all, Fo Ben Shi Dao also had a very tragic character: the dragon girl Ao Luan. She followed the protagonist Zhou Qing with unwavering devotion from beginning to end, yet in the final moments she drew her sword and took her own life right in front of him. She ascended to the Investiture of the Gods list, leaving behind only the cold glint of her blade.
The final sentence of that entire novel had left a hollow ache in the hearts of millions: "Zhou Qing knew he would never again see the spirited young girl who once carried a divine sword. Even if they were to meet again, it would only be fifty-six billion years later."
Although Ao Luan's ending was heartbreaking, she remained one of the most unforgettable female characters in that hugely popular web novel. Whenever people mentioned Fo Ben Shi Dao, they inevitably thought of that tragic dragon girl and the weight of her sacrifice. Ironically, the novel itself wasn't famous for its character writing but for its powerful worldbuilding and grand, sweeping structure.
In the same way that Fo Ben Shi Dao couldn't exist without the early buildup before the Earth Immortal Realm arc, Pure Love also needed its early conventional harem setup. Without that foundation, the later shocking twists would never feel so subversive or impactful.
It was precisely because Yang Ming had originally been portrayed as the perfect standard harem protagonist. He was practically the embodiment of every harem manga male lead. Now that he had begun following his desires and thinking with the instincts of his lower half like an ordinary man, readers found it incredibly satisfying.
When they looked at other harem manga protagonists afterward, those characters suddenly felt fake and lifeless. Suggestive teasing simply couldn't compare with the genuine, messy passion Su Li was now depicting.
In a certain sense, the later developments of Pure Love had placed many conventional harem manga in an extremely awkward position. It was practically smashing their rice bowls and making their tropes look obsolete.
But none of those other series had a character like Xu Jing.
As Pure Love continued climbing in popularity, the magazine and the website—both focused entirely on sales—had no reason to interfere with Su Li's work. After all, nothing truly inappropriate appeared in the manga. As long as there was no explicit nudity, it was still considered a normal publication.
Under these circumstances, nothing could stop Su Li once she had entered that creative high. She sat at her desk for hours, the scent of ink and the scratch of her pen filling the room.
Readers? What did they matter to her now? "I'm your dad!" she thought with a smirk.
"Just wait for the updates like good kids. You think you can give your author dad suggestions?"
"Keep dreaming. If you have the ability, change my plot inside your dreams."
That was exactly how inflated Su Li had become. Just like the male lead in her own manga who followed his desires without restraint, she now followed her own instincts completely. All those earlier promises she had made about a safe, happy ending had long been thrown out of her mind. To her, they were meaningless shackles that restricted her art.
She was going to create a legendary masterpiece, no matter the cost.
Yet in order to pull even more readers into the series, she constantly brainwashed fans in chat groups and on Weibo.
"Everyone, don't worry. The ending of this work will definitely be satisfying. Honestly, it won't be that different from a happy ending. Would a super manga artist like me trick my readers? I'm your dad! There have always been unfilial sons who trick their fathers, never fathers who trick their sons!"
Not only that, as Pure Love made her famous, she began appearing on various programs. Her identity as the beautiful, goddess-like manga artist was finally revealed to the public. During those shows, she confidently sat beneath the bright studio lights, patted her chest, and promised again and again that the ending would satisfy everyone.
All of these factors pushed Pure Love's popularity to heights ordinary manga artists could hardly imagine. The buzz was inescapable.
And under these circumstances, Su Li finally reached the most crucial part of the entire story. The truth about the male lead being a complete scumbag was finally about to be exposed to the characters. Yang Ming was about to crash and burn.