Back to 1997, I became the originator of online literature

Chapter 558: $220 million and a house as a reward
Before we knew it, it was September.

It's possible that Cao Sheng's asking price was too high, which caused Wang Jing's negotiations with Warner to be delayed. Wang Jing reported the progress of the negotiations to Cao Sheng several times, hoping that Cao Sheng could lower the price appropriately, but Cao Sheng refused each time.

Cao Sheng was not in a hurry.

Because when he recently spoke with Huang Baiming on the phone, Huang Baiming told him that the first Twilight movie had been filmed and was currently in the post-production stage, and would likely be officially released early next year.

Cao Sheng also wrote the screenplay for Twilight.

Compared to the script for "Infernal Affairs," Cao Sheng actually had more confidence in "Twilight."

Because the original Twilight movie was a Hollywood film, it performed very well at the global box office upon its release.

The werewolf and vampire characters in the movie are loved by countless young people.

The facts have already proven that this film can win over the market.

According to Cao Sheng, when Fox was filming this movie, all the male and female leads were chosen to be handsome men and beautiful women.

As for how Cao Sheng found out?
A few days ago, after learning from Huang Baiming that the first Twilight movie had been filmed and was in post-production, Cao Sheng went online to check the latest news about Twilight.

Because this Hollywood-produced film hasn't reached its pre-release promotional period yet, there isn't much related news coverage in China.

But there's already a lot of news about this movie in Hollywood.

Cao Sheng searched for related news online and found a lot of results, all of which were messages shared online by netizens who were interested in the movie.

Netizens in this era generally have a spirit of sharing.

They not only share domestic content, but also share foreign content on the domestic internet.

Cao Sheng found the cast list and photos of the first Twilight movie online. Seeing that all the main actors were handsome men and beautiful women, Cao Sheng felt relieved.

Knowing that this version of "Twilight" should follow the same idol route as the original timeline.

In the original timeline, before the release of the movie "Twilight," all the vampire movies made around the world depicted vampires in a terrifying style.

Each one is scarier than the other.

The image of the werewolf is also in the horror style.

However, the Twilight series, which aired in the original timeline, completely subverted this premise.

The vampires and werewolves in the movie are all handsome men and beautiful women, and their costumes are all designed to be exquisite and elegant.

This movie made countless teenagers around the world overlook the horror of the vampires and werewolves. Not only were they not afraid, but many people also envied and longed for the appearance, abilities, and longevity of vampires and werewolves.

Cao Sheng clearly wrote these characteristics out when he wrote the script.

The information he recently found online shows that when Fox was making this movie, he completely adopted the physical descriptions of these characters from his script.

Therefore, Cao Sheng is very confident about the upcoming release of "Twilight".

Therefore, he is not worried about the remake rights of "Infernal Affairs" because the asking price is too high and the film cannot be sold immediately.

If Twilight becomes a global box office hit early next year, I believe someone will be willing to pay a high price for the remake rights to Infernal Affairs.

As for whether the buyer is Warner?
Cao Sheng didn't care.

……

"Honey, are you feeling alright?"

The evening of April 9.

In the second-floor hall of Cao Sheng's villa, Cao Sheng was lying on the sofa, and Tan Yu, whom he hadn't seen for a summer vacation, was massaging his back with her bare, fair and delicate feet.

After walking around for a while, she also asked for customer feedback.

Cao Sheng hummed in agreement, "Step on my shoulder! Don't keep stepping on my waist."

"Oh, okay!"

Tan Yu held onto the wall behind the sofa with one hand and obediently stepped on Cao Sheng's shoulder, making Cao Sheng close his eyes comfortably.

I've been typing a lot lately, with both hands on the keyboard every day. Not only are my fingers uncomfortable, but my shoulders are also getting increasingly uncomfortable.

Many people in Huizhou recognize his face, so he occasionally thinks about going out to find a masseuse for a massage, but he always gives up on that idea.

He was afraid of being falsely accused of going out to prostitutes.

In retrospect, throughout his many years before and after his rebirth, although he had changed many girlfriends, he had always kept his distance from prostitutes.

After being reborn, I dared not visit prostitutes, mainly because I was afraid of ruining my reputation.

Before my rebirth, I didn't dare to visit prostitutes, mainly because I couldn't get over the psychological barrier. I always felt that doing that kind of thing was a symbol of depravity.

Of course, it's also considered dirty.

So, when Tan Yu came today, after having dinner with him, he told her to go take a shower.

Tan Yu excitedly took a shower, and when she came out wrapped in a bath towel, she wanted to go into his bedroom, but he called her to the living room sofa to give her a back massage.

Cao Sheng saw the look of astonishment on her face at that moment.

He just smiled and beckoned her over for a back massage.

"Honey, is this pressure okay? Is it too strong?"

Tan Yu asked again.

Cao Sheng grunted, "It's not heavy, it's fine! You can step on it, don't worry about hurting me."

She weighs at most a little over 100 pounds now. He would only think that she's too light, not too heavy.
After a while.

Tan Yu asked again, "Hey! You've been working way too hard this summer! I recently read your two serialized novels online, and you're updating 16,000 words a day for both books. You're not short of money, so why are you working so hard?"

Cao Sheng was a little surprised that she was paying attention to his work.

With his eyes closed, he casually said, "Do you think I want to be this tired? It's because when I invested in Tencent and Ali, I promised them I would write a novel to promote their products! Who knew that the bosses of those two companies had no martial ethics? My 'Romance of Chinese Martial Arts' is still far from finished! They kept urging me to write a new book. I was forced into it, so I had no choice! Since I've already started writing, I can only do my best."

Tan Yu paused for a moment, then asked, "You have high hopes for Tencent and Ali? I know Tencent, QQ is very popular, but Ali's e-commerce seems a bit out of touch with reality. Do you also think this company has a bright future?"

Upon hearing this, Cao Sheng chuckled slightly.

He knew that this was the general opinion of most people regarding Ahri.

E-commerce...

It sounds like it has nothing to do with ordinary people.

Online shopping?

Many people don't even know how to use the internet. Going to the bank to transfer money to Ali's website is too much trouble for most people, and they don't feel comfortable transferring money to a website. Also... there are currently no courier companies in China, so people basically only have the postal service as an option to send things.

And the efficiency of sending things via post...

The letters we send are often lost.

How many people are confident that the things they buy online will definitely be delivered to them?

In the original timeline, back in 2002, Cao Sheng didn't believe that e-commerce would have anything to do with ordinary people like him; at the time, he never thought he would buy things online.

but……

The world is changing too fast.

Back in 2002, most people in China didn't even have mobile phones!

In just a few years, mobile phones have become widespread in the country.

2008? Or 2009?
Apple's smartphones seemed to appear out of nowhere, stunning the world. After entering the Chinese market, they became so popular that they were hard to find.

Cao Sheng remembers that during that period, countless young people, and even middle-aged people, were proud to own an Apple smartphone.

Furthermore, news quickly spread in the media: a certain student sold his kidney to raise money to buy an iPhone, and the name "iPhone Kidney Phone" spread throughout the country.

With the rapid popularization of smartphones in China, Ali's online shopping platform has taken flight, and in just a few years, online shopping has become the first choice for countless people in China.

And then?
Around 2014, Ali went public in the United States. Jack Ma instantly became the richest man in China.

He is called "Dad" by countless young people.

So, when Tan Yu said that Ali's business was out of touch with reality and that he wasn't optimistic about Ali's future, Cao Sheng wanted to laugh.

"I think e-commerce will become the trend in the future."

Cao Sheng said it casually.

Tan Yu: "Really? How is that possible?"

Cao Sheng: "Don't worry about whether it's possible or not, just keep stepping on it! Don't keep stepping on the same spot!"

Tan Yu couldn't help but roll her eyes.

Anyway, Cao Sheng is lying down now, and she's on his back, so he can't see her rolling her eyes.

If he weren't a nobody in the Central Plains, she would definitely have stomped on him if he dared to nitpick like this.

Now?
"Oh well!"

She responded verbally, but her delicate feet were already slowly stepping down his spine.

……

late at night.

After venting his anger, Cao Sheng personally drove Tan Yu back to school.

As the car approached the school gate, he caught a glimpse of a few young people dressed in camouflage on the sidewalk.

Seeing these figures, Cao Sheng felt a pang of emotion.

Because he knew that another batch of freshmen had entered the campus.

This made him feel the fleeting nature of time.

The old campus of Huizhou College seems to have remained largely unchanged from a few years ago, with the same old school gate and the same guardhouse next to it.

The trees on campus haven't changed much either.

But as the seasons changed, batches of students came and went.

Before the car entered the campus, when it was still more than 100 meters from the school gate, Cao Sheng slowly parked the car on the side of the road and said to Tan Yu in the passenger seat, "Let's get off here! Go back and get some rest."

Tan Yu nodded, then hesitated before saying, "Then... goodbye?"

Cao Sheng smiled and nodded.

She reluctantly opened the door and got out of the car.

After she got out of the car, Cao Sheng watched her for a moment before turning the car around and heading back.

Actually, this is the first time he's driven this Land Rover himself since he got it.

On the way back, he was the only one in the car.

In the overly quiet car, looking out at everything might make him think of something.

For example, when he sees a building on the side of the road, he will think of when he first entered university, this place was still a row of bungalows.

For example, when he sees a young couple arguing on the side of the road, he will think of Chen Shuyun, the girl he dated during his first love in college in the original timeline. They had also argued about something on the street at midnight.

For example, when he sees pedestrians staring at his car, he might recall the time when he had little money and also admired passing "luxury cars," imagining that if he ever became rich, he would buy one too.

Now, he drives a Land Rover, and he seems to have become the envy of passersby.

This reversal of identities gave him a unique feeling.

He subconsciously wanted to remember this feeling.

I believe this will be helpful for my future writing and character development.

……

9 month 16 day.

noon.

When Cao Sheng went downstairs for dinner, he saw Wang Jing sitting at the dining table.

Hearing his footsteps coming downstairs, Wang Jing turned around and saw him. She instinctively stood up and smiled, "Boss! Guess what good news I have for you?"

Cao Sheng raised an eyebrow slightly. "Have you reached an agreement with Warner?"

Wang Jing pouted, "Oh! Couldn't you have deliberately guessed wrong twice? You guessed right the first time, and I don't feel accomplished at all!"

Cao Sheng chuckled.

I walked over and sat down next to her.

What price did you negotiate?

Wang Jing: "220 million US dollars! How about it? Are you satisfied?"

2.2 million US dollars, which is more than 10 million yuan.

This is $200 higher than the $20 million bottom line that Cao Sheng had previously set, so Cao Sheng was naturally satisfied.

"Great! Once this money arrives in your account, I'll send you a big red envelope!"

Before Cao Sheng could finish speaking, Wang Jing stood up in surprise. She had just sat down, but now she got up again and went to the wine rack next to her, pulling out a bottle of red wine. "Let's have a couple of drinks! To celebrate, and also to express my gratitude, hehe."

Cao Sheng usually doesn't drink alcohol at noon.

Because I drank alcohol at noon, I couldn't write in the afternoon.

However, considering that the remake rights to "Infernal Affairs" sold for $220 million, he felt he could make an exception.

"Okay! Let's have a couple of drinks then."

After a pause, Cao Sheng asked again, "By the way, did you tell Warner Bros. about the clause I asked you to add? The condition that the remake rights would be revoked after five years."

Wang Jing nodded as she opened the wine bottle. "Yes, I told you, don't worry! Everything was negotiated according to your wishes. Now all that's left is to sign the contract. The other party sent me the electronic contract, and I've already had it printed out. You just need to sign it and put your fingerprint on it, and then you can just wait to count the money!"

Cao Sheng smiled and nodded.

Watching her open the wine bottle, take out the decanter and wine glasses, Cao Sheng couldn't help but recall the first time he saw her when she came to Huizhou Teachers College to find him.

At the time, she looked like a mature and sophisticated woman.

She has short hair that reaches her ears.

She looked to be in her early thirties at the time.

Now, several years have passed.

She is already approaching forty.

But I've never heard of her dating, let alone getting married.

In retrospect, she is a true career woman.

Over the years, she has been with him and he has given her a lot of money, but since she is not yet married, she does not have a house in Huizhou.

Cao Sheng suddenly said, "Sister Jing, if you help me negotiate this contract this time, I won't give you the bonus. How about I give you a house instead? Do you want it?"

Giving her money, but giving too little, would be inappropriate.

If you give her too much, and she feels that she has earned enough in the past few years, she might want to quit her job and go home at any time.

But if we give her a house in Huizhou, it won't be easy for her to leave.

Cao Sheng acknowledged her work ability and hoped that she could continue to work for him with peace of mind.

(End of this chapter)