Lin Dong Yuan, who had previously visited the Commercial Press, was scared away by Zheng Bai Cheng's offer of 50,000 Hong Kong dollars, and never appeared again. This was within his expectations, and the neighborhood was also shocked by his actions. They thought that such an authorization was worth about 5,000 Hong Kong dollars, but this 50,000 Hong Kong dollars was a bit outrageous, and they thought he was being greedy.
Za Huo Qiang knew about this, but he wasn't a good-tempered person to begin with, so he naturally didn't care about these neighbors. As for Zheng Bai Cheng being greedy, he didn't care either. "My son is talented, what's wrong with asking for more?"
Days passed slowly, and the Hong Kong reporters felt that this novel would be at most 300,000 to 500,000 words long. It was already over 400,000 words, and judging from the plot development, it was less than halfway done. They started to re-evaluate the young man's talent.
Currently, the only work that could compete with this young man's novel was Jin Yong's "Tian Long Ba Bu," with none others being able to compare. This alone had allowed the Commercial Press to rise rapidly and become the sixth-largest newspaper, surprising many. As a result, they started to prepare to recruit the young man.
"Editor-in-chief, we have investigated, and the manuscript of this novel has reached 500,000 words, and it will be finished in another 200,000 words."
"Did you know their contract terms back then?" This editor-in-chief naturally needed to know his enemy to prepare accordingly.
"We've inquired. 60 Hong Kong dollars per thousand words, that's what the neighbors said, it's true."
The editor-in-chief fell into deep thought. He wanted to know how much he should offer for the next novel. The young man earned a total of 66,000 Hong Kong dollars for his first novel.
Should he offer 100 Hong Kong dollars per thousand words for the second novel? Or 180 Hong Kong dollars? While short editorials can be paid this price, for a long novel, it would cost more than 200,000 Hong Kong dollars. If the subsequent novels are of the same quality, it's not impossible to consider.
While they were considering, some people had already taken action.
"Mr. Zheng, we'll offer 200 Hong Kong dollars per thousand words. This price won't insult your talent." This newspaper could be said to be gambling everything on this one shot. It wasn't that they were crazy, but that they were about to go bankrupt. If there wasn't a turnaround, they were going to be completely out of business.
This newspaper, called the "Hong Kong City Daily," was a name Zheng Bai Cheng had never heard of. Therefore, Zheng Bai Cheng hesitated. "You won't be unable to pay, right?"
"Oh, Mr. Zheng, you're joking. We will pay. If we can't pay, it's us breaking the contract, you can choose to serialize with another newspaper."
The other party agreed so readily, and seeing their somewhat urgent demeanor, he knew that they definitely needed him. Moreover, this 200 Hong Kong dollars was the highest price they could offer.
"Alright, but I need a deposit. And the novel I'm writing this time won't be traditional wuxia, but Xuanhuan Wuxia."
"What? You don't understand?" They're easy to fool, they don't understand, that makes it easier to... explain.
"Hmm~" Zheng Bai Cheng cleared his throat and said, "This Xuanhuan Wuxia transcends the scope of wuxia. It's something I created on my own. When I was nearing the end of writing "Jiang Hu," I already felt that there was nothing left to write in wuxia..."
All the listeners were shocked, feeling that this young man was too arrogant.
"...Since you're so sincere, then the honor of being the first to publish this Xuanhuan Wuxia belongs to you. You've gotten a great deal, you know?..."
The people from the City Daily left with trepidation, while Zheng Bai Cheng stood there, holding a check for 60,000 Hong Kong dollars, in a daze. He felt that these people were too desperate. Oh well, for their sincerity, he was going to be desperate too.
The novel he brought out was naturally the "Legend of the Condor Heroes," which had been overused by the predecessors of the time-travel genre. He had not only watched the TV series but also read the original novel, and he had a deep impression of it.
Xiao Hua, who was standing with him, said with some concern, "Cheng Ge, can you manage?"
"Yes! You'll have to work hard again."
Xiao Hua, who was still worried just now, now became a bit shy and said, "Cheng Ge, it's nothing for me to work hard."
"I'll give you a raise, let's work hard together."
Za Huo Qiang saw all this, but didn't interfere. Why would he interfere? This brat was even fiercer than him. He felt that appearances could be deceiving. This usually docile youngster was so ruthless when it came to money grabbing. 200 Hong Kong dollars per thousand words, this newspaper must be crazy.
However, this time they signed the contract in a private room, and Za Huo Qiang and Xiao Hua came with Zheng Bai Cheng. Xiao Fen was left at the shop to watch over the store.
When the second group of people came looking, they were told that the second novel had already been signed to someone else, leaving them frustrated and lamenting their misfortune. They acted as if they had missed out on a hundred million dollars.
"What? The young man already signed with someone else? Which newspaper is it?"
"We don't know yet, but it's within these few days. The other party is very urgent."
"Then we can only wait."
This situation also occurred in other newspapers. How could these newspapers not be anxious? This small place of Hong Kong, at its peak, had over a hundred newspapers, making competition extremely fierce. The rise of the Ming Pao newspaper in its early days was largely due to the founder Cha Liang Yong's novels, but not entirely. Of course, later on, it was through content, sharp commentary, and fair attitudes.
For newspapers like the Commercial Press, City Daily, and others, hoping to catch up to Ming Pao with just one novel was a risky gamble. It would only work if Zheng Bai Cheng could continuously produce high-quality novels.
But, was that possible?
Jin Yong only published a novel every one or two years, could this young man do the same?
This was the source of the inner conflict for many newspapers. Now that someone had gotten ahead, it was definitely the gambler's mentality of being desperate.
Sure enough, the next day, they published a news story on the front page.
"New Rising Star of Hong Kong, Mr. Zheng Bai Cheng, will be publishing his new work tomorrow. The new work will surpass his previous works and become the pioneer of new wuxia... Please look forward to it."
Newspapers are not afraid of exaggeration, only of being baseless. Now, the City Daily's hype has begun, and publishing the novel on the front page creates anticipation. In a few days, 20,000 words had been written and delivered to them.
The day after tomorrow will be the test of Zheng Bai Cheng's "Legend of the Condor Heroes." Speaking of which, Zheng Bai Cheng was a little excited. Copying for a while is refreshing, copying all the time is enjoyable!