“Ms. Amanda, there’s a party in our neighborhood tonight. We’d like to invite you,” the neighbor said.
Amanda was already bored in the room. Hearing about the party, she immediately became happy, but then said, “But Mr. Jason doesn’t drink. He needs to keep a clear mind for his writing.”
“Oh, that’s alright. We’ll be careful. We love his books. I love his book, The Butterfly’s Wings. The Amazon butterfly flaps its wings, and a tsunami will be generated across the ocean. I really love this quote.”
It seemed that this neighbor was a fan of Zheng Baicheng’s books, specifically quoting one of his lines to show his love for… his fan nature.
“I’ll tell him. He’s currently writing. He should attend tonight.”
“Thank you, Amanda.”
Hans, who was sunbathing nearby, had seen this kind of thing before. He was also familiar with the people here, and they knew he was a bodyguard. Hearing that he could attend a party tonight, he was naturally very happy, anticipating different delicacies.
Although Amanda’s cooking was edible, it was only edible. He didn’t know how the food at the party would be. He had a complaint against his boss. Why let that woman Amanda cook? Her food was truly terrible. It was a good thing no one had died from eating it, otherwise, he would have had to file a work injury claim.
That evening, Zheng Baicheng attended the neighborhood party. He brought two books for the host, one was The Butterfly’s Wings for the host, and the other was My Alien Friend for the host’s son.
Of course, he also blended in with the locals and brought a bottle of local wine.
“Today, we’re honored to have the best-selling novelist, Mr. Jason from Hong Kong, and his beautiful fiancée, Ms. Alice. His novels include The War Between Planets, The Butterfly’s Wings… My favorite is The Butterfly’s Wings. He brought me a signed copy of The Butterfly’s Wings today. I’m so happy. I’m going to treasure this book. Thank you, Jason.”
Zheng Baicheng could only give a shy smile. What could he say? This was the first time he had been praised in public like this.
After the host’s speech, the neighborhood party started. Many people who were curious about him surrounded him, asking him about his creative stories. They were so enthusiastic. As he drank his beverage, he started to explain his creative journey, saying, “All this is thanks to my fiancée, Alice. She’s given me a lot of help.”
The people around him all smiled. They liked this kind of sentiment. As for their personal affairs, affairs, casual hookups, etc., as long as they were not discovered, they were still faithful to their families.
Then someone said, “I watched a movie called Persistence. The screenwriter was Jason, and the producer was also Jason. This movie is very interesting…”
This neighbor started to explain, telling the plot of the movie. Finally, he said, “Many people argue about what the screenwriter wants to express. Is it that one would go to any lengths for the career they love? Or is it that love for one’s career should come after morality and law?”
Zheng Baicheng smiled. He didn’t know how to answer. Should he say, “I just want to make some money. I haven’t thought about anything else.” Amanda, who was standing beside him, looked at Zheng Baicheng with a strange expression. Under the dim lighting, it was hard to tell what she was thinking.
“I watched this movie too. I didn’t understand it at the time, but I just felt like it was an interesting movie.”
“Hearing you say this, I feel like the director is quite profound.”
“This movie was produced by Jason Entertainment and distributed by Warner Bros. Maybe Warner Bros. also saw the unique appeal of the movie.”
“Jason, what do you think of this movie?”
Zheng Baicheng was at a loss. How could he think about it? With his eyes? That would be a flop! However, he still said, “The screenwriter’s purpose in this movie is to let everyone experience how crazy a person can get for the career they love. I actually feel like the screenwriter didn’t think that much about it. But screenwriters are just individuals, they don’t think as deeply as you do.”
“Haha…”
Zheng Baicheng’s answer made the others laugh. They felt that Zheng Baicheng was very interesting to talk to, and they started chatting about the movie. The others didn’t see the strange expressions on Amanda, Hans, and Lin Xiaohua, otherwise, they would have discovered something.
That evening, everyone had a good time. Facing a writer, the people in this high-end community were still respectful, and they found that this Chinese man was even more casual and relaxed than they were. This was the confidence and ease brought by habits and insights that were ahead of their time several decades later.
After that night, his image became more real. Everyone said, “This young man is very easygoing and very humble. He’s not arrogant and cocky like those who became famous at a young age.”
On Monday, July 10th, the four of them went to the publishing house together. The editor-in-chief greeted them.
“Jason, seeing you makes me feel like a lot of money is about to leave me.” President Rodriguez’s expression was a mixture of pain and joy. Sometimes, whenever he thought back to this expression, Zheng Baicheng would be amazed at how he managed to combine the two expressions together?
“Hi, Rod, what does your expression mean? Are you trying to renege on the deal? Let’s see our bill. The first edition was just my rookie royalty, only 8%. Oh, my God, Rod, you’re practically a vampire. I actually believed your bullshit back then. Of course, I forgive you. It was only 3,000 copies, haha…”
“For the second edition, I’ll get 9%. Wow, let me think. This time you’ve learned to be smarter. You printed… 10,000 copies? You’re crazy.”
“Oh, this is the third edition. Hmm! 12%. This is such a nice number. I like it. Maybe you didn’t expect it to be so popular? Rod, you’re making a lot of money. I have so many novels… um… this time you printed… 100,000 copies? You’re so smart. You actually sold all of them. You double-calculated wrong.”
“Look, look. It’s the fourth edition. The maximum is 15%. You printed, my God, 200,000 copies. Rod, you’ve gone all out. Now let’s see, you’ve double-won the bet… Congratulations, Rod, you’re rich?”
Rod looked at Zheng Baicheng’s beaming smile and was furious. He shouted, “You’re the one who’s rich, kid. You’re very rich.”