It was another Monday, and Zheng Bai Cheng, accompanied by Xiao Hua, arrived at Chen's General Store. Xiao Fen had grown accustomed to her young boss's routine inspections.
"Xiao Fen, you've been working hard. This month, your bonus will be doubled."
After reviewing the accounts, Zheng Bai Cheng was quite satisfied. Sales had increased by 10% compared to the previous week, and profits were up 15%. However, there had been more people coming in to buy cheap cigarettes this week. This was a nuisance. Although gangs no longer came to collect debts, these peddlers were still a headache. But oh well, they only bought cheap cigarettes, so it was a small price to pay for peace of mind.
"Thank you, Cheng Ge."
Xiao Fen was also happy. Zheng Bai Cheng was generous; he would always give a bigger bonus when performance was good, and even if sales didn't grow, he'd still give the same bonus as last week. She felt she'd made the right choice by working with Cheng Ge.
"They're yours. How are the two new ones doing?"
"They're both very hardworking and meticulous," Xiao Fen said. Her praise made the two new employees happy.
Zheng Bai Cheng said, "You two should learn from Xiao Fen Jie. When we open a branch, you'll be the managers…" Zheng Bai Cheng painted a bright future for them, making Xiao Fen and the other two feel that this pie tasted really good.
While Zheng Bai Cheng was chatting, Li Cheng Long from Shang Bao came over, this time bringing a contract and a cheque.
"A Cheng, I brought the contract. Take a look." Li Cheng Long felt a little pain in his heart, but he had come to take the plunge. The last time they had paid 60 Hong Kong dollars per thousand words. At the time, they felt that this newcomer was a bit expensive, but now they felt they had gotten a great deal. This time they were making up for their previous mistake.
"Thanks. Here's the manuscript. You can take a look too."
They each looked at their respective documents. Zheng Bai Cheng examined the contract. It was the same as the last one, except the title of the book was left blank, and the royalty fee was now 220 Hong Kong dollars. He had a good idea of what was going on. Seeing that Shang Bao had already signed the contract, he just needed to fill in the novel's title.
He thought to himself that Shang Bao was very sincere. He picked up his pen, wrote down the title, and then signed the contract. Seeing Li Cheng Long still lost in the novel, Zheng Bai Cheng coughed to bring him back to reality.
"Oh, sorry, A Cheng. This novel is amazing. What happens next?"
Seeing his expression, Zheng Bai Cheng wanted to say, "There's nothing next." But he could only think about it and said, "I've signed it. I've also brought the manuscript, which is ten thousand words, the rest of it."
They finished the handover process, each taking a copy of the contract. Li Cheng Long left in a hurry. Xiao Hua was chatting with Xiao Fen, and then A Jian came over and said, "Cheng Ge, you have a new novel out?"
Zheng Bai Cheng put away the contract and saw A Jian's eyes gleaming. He said, "Jiang Hu will be finished in two or three months. Shang Bao naturally needs a new novel to follow it. You'll have a new novel to read in two or three months."
"Cheng Ge, is the new novel traditional wuxia or xuanhuan wuxia?"
"Traditional wuxia has been written to death. Of course it's xuanhuan wuxia."
Zheng Bai Cheng was always good to his little fan. He answered any question he asked.
Just as they were chatting happily, someone from Cheng Shi Ri Bao came over.
"Zheng Sheng~"
…
Because the process was familiar, this time was quicker, and it was done in an hour. Just as he and Xiao Hua were about to leave, Xiao Fen suddenly remembered something and said, "Cheng Ge, someone from Taiwan came by. He wanted to get publishing rights from you."
She handed over a business card and the phone number of the Regal Hotel. Zheng Bai Cheng curiously asked, "Is it the Regal Hotel or the Regal Restaurant?"
"Haha… Cheng Ge, you asked the same question? I asked that too! Haha…"
The others laughed. Zheng Bai Cheng picked up the phone and called.
"Hello, this is the Regal Hotel."
Zheng Bai Cheng heard that it was the Regal Hotel. If the publisher had stayed at the Regal Restaurant, he wouldn't even consider talking. He said, "Hello, I'm looking for Liu Chang Sheng from Taiwan."
"Please hold. I'll put you through."
After talking to the other party on the phone, Zheng Bai Cheng hung up. The other party was on their way from the Regal Hotel. The other party had mentioned their terms over the phone.
There were two options: buyout or royalty sharing. Hong Kong and Taiwan, with a combined population of not many people. If he sold the copyright, it would naturally be a buyout. If he shared royalties, with the morals of those in Taiwan at the time—not the present, but then—it was unknown when he would receive the royalties. And even if he tried to sue, he wouldn't win.
As for the buyout, how should he buy it out? He began to think. The others didn't bother him. The customer who had come to see Zheng Bai Cheng thinking, saw him lost in thought. Xiao Fen quietly stopped him from greeting Zheng Bai Cheng.
Twenty minutes later, Liu Chang Sheng from Taiwan arrived. He was stunned when he saw the young Zheng Bai Cheng. So young!
"Zheng Sheng, I never thought you'd be so young. Truly, ambition knows no age. You young people are so sharp."
Zheng Bai Cheng smiled and said, "It's all thanks to everyone's support, the support of the people in the neighborhood. Don't laugh at me."
"Wow, Zheng Sheng, your Mandarin is excellent!" Liu Chang Sheng was surprised and very impressed.
Zheng Bai Cheng did not hide it and frankly admitted, "I'm from the mainland. My foster father saved me from the beach."
"Oh, oh, oh…" He was stunned for a moment, then stopped talking about it and changed the subject. "Zheng Sheng, how do you want to sign the contract?"
"Taiwan, five thousand per place. Hong Kong, five thousand. Southeast Asia, ten thousand altogether. This authorization is for five years."
Liu Chang Sheng was speechless. When he heard that the other party was from the mainland, he had been a bit dismissive. Now he didn't dare to underestimate him. He said, "Sharp, Zheng Sheng. A young genius. I need to discuss this with Taiwan. We haven't had a case like this before."
"Okay. I'll call you Wednesday at 2 PM. If it doesn't work out, I'll find another publisher."
"Zheng Sheng, your novels are really amazing. I'll get back to headquarters as soon as possible."
Originally, he thought five thousand Hong Kong dollars would be enough. Now, it seemed like he'd need twenty thousand Hong Kong dollars. But the other party's request was actually reasonable. If it were royalty income, they might not receive it until he starved to death.
They each left. On the way home, Zheng Bai Cheng thought that dividing the area to sell the copyright was a stroke of genius. He could sell it for more that way. Xiao Fen saw Zheng Bai Cheng smiling all the way and knew he had gotten a good deal. She was happy too.