The Kowloon Commercial Daily, a small newspaper distributed on the Kowloon Peninsula, barely survived on its sales. It wasn't a major newspaper, and the staff was always trying to increase its circulation.
Despite their efforts, sales never improved. They didn't have any good fiction authors, nor any sharp columnists. In fact, their content was quite low-end, unrelated to commerce, and filled with sensational gossip, which was the only way they could keep the newspaper afloat.
"Li Cheng Long, reporter for the Kowloon Commercial Daily? We'll go check it out when our business is good." Grocery Strong glanced at the business card, clearly taking it seriously.
"No problem, I'll wait for you. Can I use your phone?" Li Cheng Long pointed at the store's phone.
"One Hong Kong dollar."
"Okay, okay." Li Cheng Long thought to himself, "Forget it, never mind." This old man was truly powerful, greedy, and stingy… Although he complained internally, his hands moved swiftly as he picked up the phone and dialed. He made the call without any regard for others.
"Hey, Editor-in-Chief, come quickly to Chen's Convenience Store at *** Street, Yau Ma Tei. Big news! Come quick, you'll be getting a raise, I'm not lying to you, come quickly."
Li Cheng Long put down the phone and smiled awkwardly.
"Two Hong Kong dollars."
Li Cheng Long's smile froze on his face. With reluctance, he took out two Hong Kong dollars and placed them on the counter. Xiao Fen happily took the money.
Zheng Bai Cheng said, "Old man, I'm going to prepare lunch."
"Okay, come back soon."
"I know!"
Roast Meat Strong saw Zheng Bai Cheng enter and said, "Ah Cheng, I heard you're writing a novel, it's supposed to be very good. When it's published, you must let me know."
"Of course, although my writing isn't good, my prose is just average. As long as you like it, it will be a great honor for me."
"Ah Cheng, the usual?"
"The usual." Seeing Roast Meat Strong adding more, he said, "Strong哥, that's too much."
"It's fine, you'll bring me your novel's newspaper when it comes out, let me take a look."
"Thank you, Strong哥."
He left the roast meat shop and went to the char siu shop.
"Fa哥, the usual, give me one."
Fa哥 recognized the voice and told the assistant to cut the char siu. He said, "Ah Cheng, you're writing a novel. They say it's sharp. When it's published, you have to let me know."
"Don't mention it, you even know about this. They have big mouths, I feel embarrassed."
"Haha… Ah Cheng, you're not like a young man at all. Others would boast about it, afraid that the world wouldn't know, but you are so humble. A handsome guy is a handsome guy."
They chatted for a while, the char siu was cut and delivered.
"Fa哥, that's too much."
"It's fine, the extra is for you. When it's published, bring me a copy of the newspaper."
"Thank you, Fa哥."
On his way back, Zheng Bai Cheng saw a middle-aged man sitting outside chatting with Grocery Strong. When he saw Zheng Bai Cheng returning, he immediately stood up and was about to extend his hand for a handshake. But when he saw the things Zheng Bai Cheng was holding, he felt awkward. His hand was in mid-air, unsure what to do.
"Hello!"
"Hello, hello! I'm the Editor-in-Chief of the Kowloon Commercial Daily. I heard from Ah Long that you wrote a novel. Could I have the honor of reading it?"
"Please wait a moment!" Zheng Bai Cheng gestured towards the things in his hand. The other nodded.
He handed the two large bags of char siu and roast goose to Xiao Fen and Xiao Hua. Then he took out a thin booklet and handed it to the Editor-in-Chief.
"Thank you."
The other sat down and read it intently. The more he read, the more he felt that it was well written. However, it was only a little over 5,000 words, which left him wanting more. He smacked his lips and said, "Ah Cheng, how long do you plan to write this novel?"
"Editor-in-Chief, I plan to write a million words."
The Editor-in-Chief was silent after hearing a million words. He looked up and down at Zheng Bai Cheng. He thought, "A million words? This young man is…." But he decided to gamble. If someone else found out, he would lose his advantage. In a flash of a moment, he made a decision. Since the other was planning to write a million words, he would take him at his word.
"Ah Cheng, I don't know if you can write that much, but let's assume you can. I want to sign this novel. Thirty Hong Kong dollars per thousand words. What do you say?"
This time, it was Zheng Bai Cheng's turn to look him up and down. Was he serious about offering thirty Hong Kong dollars per thousand words? Grocery Strong started calculating: thirty Hong Kong dollars per thousand words, a million words would be thirty thousand Hong Kong dollars. Thirty thousand Hong Kong dollars? That's equivalent to his little shop's earnings for several months.
Just as he was about to agree on behalf of Zheng Bai Cheng, the latter said, "Editor-in-Chief, I…"
"Excuse me, here's my business card." He handed Zheng Bai Cheng his business card with both hands. It read, "Li Gong Ru, Editor-in-Chief, Kowloon Commercial Daily." They both had the surname Li. Although the surname Li was common in Hong Kong, from Li Cheng Long's tone of voice on the phone, it was clear that they were close.
"Editor-in-Chief Li, thirty Hong Kong dollars per thousand words is too low. It should be at least sixty Hong Kong dollars per thousand words."
Upon hearing sixty Hong Kong dollars per thousand words, Grocery Strong's eyes turned red. Sixty Hong Kong dollars per thousand words, that would be sixty thousand Hong Kong dollars! This… It seemed like his son was truly sharp. He had underestimated him.
"Mr. Zheng, you're a newcomer. Thirty Hong Kong dollars per thousand words is the highest standard for a newcomer. Well-known authors only earn eighty Hong Kong dollars per thousand words. Besides, can you guarantee that the quality of the subsequent chapters will remain consistent? Or…"
Editor-in-Chief Li's words made sense. His analysis was very logical. Grocery Strong also felt it was very reasonable. Even Zheng Bai Cheng found it persuasive.
But Zheng Bai Cheng said, "Sixty Hong Kong dollars per thousand words."
No matter what Editor-in-Chief Li said, he wouldn't budge from sixty Hong Kong dollars per thousand words. Even Grocery Strong thought Zheng Bai Cheng was being stubborn. Xiao Fen and Xiao Hua, who were preparing lunch, held back their laughter. They thought Cheng哥 was so impressive, he dared to talk to this big shot like that. It seemed like the other was about to concede.
It was soon noon, and more customers started coming in. They all knew Zheng Bai Cheng. Seeing him negotiating with someone like that, they found it amusing. They ate their food while watching the two of them haggle.
"Young man, you're too stubborn. Sixty is sixty. If the subsequent quality is not up to par, I won't pay you."
"Thank you, Editor-in-Chief Li."
The people around them also started laughing. They understood the situation. This became a topic of conversation for the next few days. Moreover, they were very impressed by Zheng Bai Cheng.