Back to 1997, I became the originator of online literature

Chapter 402 Simplified Chinese Version Sold

In a guest room at the Shangri-La Hotel.

Yan Qiansan put down his phone, walked slowly to the window, and gazed at the direction of Huizhou Teachers College under the night sky.

He had just received a call from Cui Xinyu.

Over the phone, she made a deal with him.

I'm selling him a piece of news about the simplified Chinese distribution rights to Cao Sheng's new book for 10,000 yuan.

She sold it for such a high price that he didn't dare not buy it.

He felt that if the news wasn't extremely important, she wouldn't dare ask for such a high price; it was likely crucial information concerning who would acquire the simplified Chinese distribution rights to Cao Sheng's new book.

So, after only a few seconds of hesitation, he readily agreed to her request and even asked her if she wanted him to wire her the money immediately, or if he would send someone to deliver cash to her.

To my surprise, she said, "The money isn't urgent. Just have someone deliver it tonight. I can let you know the news first."

This made him even more convinced of his earlier judgment—that this news was very important.

Sure enough, what she said next startled him.

—Huacheng actually sent a vice president, and that vice president has already fully agreed to the two conditions offered by Cao Sheng.

If Cui Xinyu hadn't sold him this information, Changjiang Literature & Art might have really missed out on the simplified Chinese distribution rights for Cao Sheng's new book.

Yangtze River Literature and Art Publishing House certainly doesn't lack the right to publish a book.

However, losing the distribution rights to Cao Sheng's new book would be an unbearable loss.

The five characters "Zhongyuan Yidian Hui" (meaning "a touch of gray in the Central Plains") have long been a symbol of the region.

That represents the top position in the mainland Chinese novel industry.

It currently ranks first in both popularity and reputation.

Tens of thousands of book lovers have come to notice the name Yangtze River Literature and Art Publishing House because of the works of Zhongyuan Yidianhui. With the continuous publication of several of Zhongyuan Yidianhui's works, Yangtze River Literature and Art Publishing House has been gaining a rising status in the mainland publishing industry in the past two years, attracting submissions from many traditional and emerging writers.

When they take a liking to someone's work and go to discuss a contract with the author, they can often easily persuade the other party by simply saying, "Zhongyuan Yidianhui's work is published by us."

This statement proves a lot.

For example: to demonstrate the strength of their publishing house.

For example, Yangtze River Literature and Art Publishing House is a very reputable publishing house.

and many more.

Therefore, missing out on Cao Sheng's new book would be an immeasurable loss for Yangtze River Literature and Art Publishing House.

window.

Yan Qiansan gazed in the direction of Huizhou Teachers College, sighed deeply, and said with a sigh, "Did you deliberately sell this information to me? Or is your assistant really betraying your information? Ten thousand yuan... If you really deliberately sold this information to me, then you're quite the businessman!"

……

Huizhou Teachers College.

In the teacher's dormitory that Cao Sheng rented.

Cui Xinyu, who had just sold the information to Yan Qiansan, put away her phone and went to Cao Sheng's side in front of the computer, reporting softly: "Boss! Mr. Yan's secretary will be bringing the money over in a little while. Should I bring this 10,000 yuan to you, or should I deposit it into your account tomorrow?"

Cao Sheng waved his hand, "This was your own idea, so the reward is yours."

Cui Xinyu was a little surprised, then smiled and said, "Thank you, boss! Shall I give you a shoulder massage?"

Suddenly having earned so much money made her feel uneasy, and she subconsciously wanted to do something for Cao Sheng.

Cao Sheng glanced at her and, seeing how happy she was, nodded slightly.

Cui Xinyu quickly came up behind him and began to massage his shoulders and back.

Cao Sheng, who had drunk quite a bit tonight, was already feeling drowsy.

With Cui Xinyu's care, his body became more and more relaxed, and before long, he fell asleep in the chair.

He had originally thought that since it was still early, even if he couldn't write the article tonight, he could browse the internet for information and learn about the news from the outside world.

I didn't expect to fall asleep so quickly.

Seeing that he was asleep, Cui Xinyu hesitated for a moment, then pushed his computer chair and walked towards his bedroom.

His computer chair had wheels, so she smoothly pushed it to the bedside in the bedroom. Then she gritted her teeth and used all her strength to slowly get him onto the bed, and then fetched a basin of warm water to wipe his face, hands, and feet.

After she finished doing all that, her phone rang, and she received a message from Yan Qiansan's secretary.

"Assistant Cui, I'm downstairs. Could you please come down for me? Thank you!"

After reading the message, Cui Xinyu smiled silently, got up, went out, and went downstairs to collect the money.

She felt at ease accepting the money; the feeling of being ordered to betray her boss's secret was actually quite good.

……

The next morning, Cao Sheng received a call from Yan Qiansan.

On the phone, Yan Qiansan's tone was very cheerful, "Mr. Cao! After careful consideration, I completely agree to your two conditions. Moreover, you requested that we select 5 novels to publish on Qidian.com every month. I can also increase that number to 6 per month. Is that acceptable to you?"

At this moment, Cao Sheng was on his way to the classroom.

After listening, Cao Sheng smiled; Yan Qiansan's attitude was exactly what he expected.

He believed that since Yan Qiansan had personally come to Huizhou to find him, he must have the courage to do so. What surprised him was that Yan Qiansan had actually taken the initiative to increase the monthly subscription from 5 books to 6 books.

This was an unexpected surprise.

"Great! Mr. Yan is so generous! Thank you for your kind offer, Mr. Yan."

Before Cao Sheng could finish speaking, Yan Qiansan asked, "Then... can we officially sign the contract this morning?"

Cao Sheng didn't want to delay any longer.

Important figures from both Changjiang Literature & Art and Huacheng Media attended this event. Regardless of which company he signs with, the other will be disappointed, making it difficult to have the best of both worlds.

He had to make a choice as soon as possible so that the publishing house that had left empty-handed would be less resentful of him.

Otherwise, keeping the other party in Huizhou for several days and then letting them go back empty-handed would offend people.

"Sure! But I have class in the morning, how about we sign the contract at noon?"

Yan Qiansan: "Hehe, it's alright! I've always been curious about what kind of university could produce a genius writer like you. I've wanted to come and see for myself for a long time. It's fine! You go to your class, and I'll come to your school to find you. You can come out during the break between classes to sign a few words. It won't affect your normal classes. What do you think?"

Cao Sheng guessed that Yan Qiansan was afraid that there might be unexpected situations and wanted to eliminate all potential risks.

Cao Sheng chuckled, "Since you'd like to visit our school, of course you can! Welcome, Mr. Yan, to Huizhou Teachers College."

Yan Qiansan: "Haha, see you later?"

Cao Sheng: "See you in a bit!"

……

Tens of minutes later.

Cao Sheng had just finished his morning self-study session when Yan Qiansan, accompanied by his secretary and Cao Sheng's counselor, arrived at the classroom door.

Counselor Guan Jincheng called out to Cao Sheng, who looked over. Guan Jincheng then waved to Cao Sheng.

All eyes turned to them.

When Cao Sheng saw Yan Qiansan, he knew what it was about.

He smiled, got up, and walked out of the classroom.

A moment later, they arrived at the school's office building and, in Guan Jincheng's office, signed an agreement for the simplified Chinese distribution rights of Cao Sheng's new book, "The Romance of Chinese Martial Arts".

This was the first time Cao Sheng had signed a contract with a publishing house without having to send it out.

Because he and Yan Qiansan only needed to sign, put their fingerprints, and affix their seals on the spot.

After the contract was signed, Yan Qiansan invited Cao Sheng to lunch to celebrate.

Cao Sheng said he should treat everyone himself to show hospitality, but Yan Qiansan insisted on doing so. After some polite exchanges, Yan Qiansan finally relented and agreed that Cao Sheng would treat everyone today.

……

After seeing Yan Qiansan off, Cao Sheng dialed Cui Xinyu's number on his way back to the classroom.

"I've already given the new bookmark to President Yan. Could you please entertain President Ding from Huacheng for me? Treat her to lunch today and express my apologies."

Cui Xinyu: "Okay, boss!"

……

When Ding Baihe received a call from Cui Xinyu informing her that the simplified Chinese copyright of Cao Sheng's new book had been signed to Changjiang Literature & Art Publishing House, she could not hide her disappointment.

But on the phone, she generously said it was alright, that she understood, and asked Cui Xinyu to help convey her gratitude to Cao Sheng for his hospitality last night.

As for Cui Xinyu saying that she would treat Ding Baihe to lunch today to apologize in person, Ding Baihe agreed to have lunch together, but said that she should treat him instead.

……

noon.

Cao Sheng, who had another meal with Yan Qiansan, inevitably drank a few more glasses of wine.

His counselor, Guan Jincheng, was also present at the time.

Cao Sheng said he had class in the afternoon and couldn't drink, so Yan Qiansan immediately asked Guan Jincheng for leave on his behalf.

Guan Jincheng immediately smiled and said, "Cao Sheng! Drink less! I'll grant you leave for the two afternoon classes."

What else could Cao Sheng say?
All I could do was pick up my wine glass.

After dinner, he returned to his dormitory, thinking he would take a nap and wait for the effects of the alcohol to wear off so he could finish the chapter he hadn't written at noon.

But before going to bed, he made a phone call to Bao Jianfeng, the person in charge at Qidian.

Inform Bao Jianfeng that Yangtze River Literature and Art Publishing House will select six novels from Qidian.com for publication every month.

For Cao Sheng, this was a small tactic to help Qidian grow as quickly as possible.

He knew very well that although online writers of this era published their works online, every author harbored a dream of having their works printed and sold.

For every writer, this not only means earning royalties, but also represents a special honor and the greatest affirmation of the quality of their work.

Therefore, if Qidian can continue to provide such publishing opportunities for works on its platform, it will inevitably attract countless writers to join Qidian.

In the original timeline, several websites used this opportunity to continuously attract batches of talented authors.

(End of this chapter)