I am a literary giant in Europe

Chapter 610 Tragedy!!

In his past life, Liu Jin once considered the French team as his favorite team.

But after being reborn, that attachment to his favorite team has basically faded.

When Zidane's almost identical mimicking flying volley appeared, Liu Jin knew that history had changed.

I reckon the Koreans are doomed in this match.

After that, I stopped paying attention to the game and started chatting with Nancy.

Unlike Europeans, Americans are not passionate about football.

The same applies to Senquluo.

Basel was very excited, pulling Mela and the others to watch the game, cheering and shouting from time to time.

Sophie, Monica, and Ozon are the same...

“Nancy, you didn’t come here just to see me, right?”

Nancy Miller nodded, sighed, and said, "There's a high chance of major personnel changes at the group level."

Last year's events greatly displeased the group. At the end of the year, the Moen family and the Bertelsmann Foundation joined forces to oust the Japanese director from the group's board of directors… Simultaneously, the Moen family expressed strong dissatisfaction with Mr. Middledlhoff's weakness. Coupled with Random House's less-than-stellar performance this year, the Moen family is highly likely to propose Mr. Middledlhoff's removal by the end of the year and prepare to restructure the Bertelsmann Group's management.

The Moen family is one of the most important shareholders of the Bertelsmann Group.

Together with the Bertelsmann Foundation, they control 76.9% of the Bertelsmann Group's shares and are the true owners of the Bertelsmann Group.

The Middleshofer Nancy mentioned is Thomas Middleshofer, who is also the current CEO of Bertelsmann.

Liu Jin did not respond immediately. Instead, he sat on the sofa, leaning against the armrest, his hand half-covering his mouth, and remained silent.

“Random House will also face tremendous upheaval once Mr. Middlehoff leaves his post.”

"why?"

"Mr. Middlehoff has been very supportive of Random House's operations over the past few years."

Olson's acquisition of publishers like Barlanden and Bantam was also made possible by Mr. Middlehoff's strong support.

"So, you are all Mr. Middlehoff's men?"

"That's it!"

Nancy Miller said, "When Random House acquired Barrandon Publishing, it was Mr. Middlehoff who insisted that I stay at Random House... Actually, as you know, Peter was a scapegoat this time."

On the surface, Bertelsmann Group expelled its Japanese shareholders.

However, within the Bertelsmann Foundation, the Little Days Group also wields considerable influence, though they merely maintain a facade.

Are you trying to fool me?

"That's pretty much what it means."

"I didn't expect I'd be worth so much."

Liu Jin couldn't help laughing.

In fact, he had made this speculation before.

Joan P. told him that Japanese directors only held three percent of the shares on the Bertelsmann Group's board of directors.

The real investment by Japanese capital is in the Bertelsmann Foundation, the major shareholder of the Bertelsmann Group.

They own at least 11 percent of the shares and have influence over the Bertelsmann Foundation's decisions...

Japanese conglomerates are everywhere!

"That's because they violated the principle of not interfering in specific matters, causing huge losses."

Nancy Miller smiled wryly, “While you were hospitalized last year, sales of your works under Random House increased significantly. But the more popular they were, the more the stock price dropped; many people believed that losing the partnership with you was a huge loss for Random House. And other publishers have also confirmed this point.”

"I see!"

Liu Jin thought for a moment and asked, "Nancy, I have no grudge against Langdon."

But you have to promise that if I create another work similar to *The Assassination of the Emperor* in the future, Random House won't reject me for some inexplicable reason. If that's the case, then I'm afraid I can't agree.

"of course not!"

Sengoku hurriedly said, "Actually, Peter and Nancy both thought that this book was worth publishing."

"Can you guarantee that?"

"I promise!"

Liu Jin smiled and nodded, saying, "Actually, I don't object to Carmen signing 'The Shadow of the Wind' to you."

Upon hearing this, Nancy felt a great sense of relief.

She and Carmen Balces are old friends.

For the English version of "The Shadow of the Wind," Balces even brought in the top translators from the University of Barcelona to translate it into English.

However, because Liu Jin and Random House have not truly reconciled, no contract has been signed.

It is absolutely unforgivable for a book to sell over ten million copies without an English version.

Nancy knew very well that this set of "The Shadow of the Wind" would at least ensure that her position at Random House would not be shaken for the time being.

In fact, in the original timeline, Random House suffered a major blow in 2007.

Furthermore, with the changes in Bertelsmann's management, Peter Olsen eventually resigned in disgrace, and Nancy Miller and Schenkello also left Random House afterward. In his place was Marcus Durum, a person who had never worked in the traditional publishing industry before... He remained as president of Random House for 22 years.

Liu Jin wasn't sure if Nancy could maintain her position at Random House.

After all, Middlesbrough, the company behind them, was also in a precarious situation.

The failure of the original Random House in 07 was largely due to the rapid development of the Internet and the widespread adoption of smartphones.

Just like in China, with the rapid advancement of the internet, the impact of e-books on the traditional publishing industry has caught many off guard.

"Damn Koreans!"

Chloe suddenly erupted in anger and cursed.

Liu Jin was chatting with Nancy when he heard her shout. He asked in confusion, "What's wrong?"

"A Korean just stabbed a French fan!"

"He's a Zidane fan, but not French, he's German!"

Upon hearing this, Liu Jin couldn't help but laugh.

"I reckon the Koreans are going to suffer in the second half!"

……

Middlehoff's competitors have emerged.

It was Hartmut Ostrowski, a Slavic Jew, recommended by the Moen family.

The Moen family is also a Jewish family.

The Bertelsmann Foundation also has close ties with Jewish capital.

In the original timeline, Middlehoff lost the competition. However, he had a dignified ending, unlike Peter Olson, who left in disgrace and completely withdrew from the publishing industry.

“I feel that Mr. Middlehoff is no match for Hartmu.”

Nancy asked in confusion, "Why? Mr. Middlehoff is very experienced."

"Just the experience of the traditional publishing industry."

Liu Jin smiled and lit a cigarette.

Meanwhile, the second half of the match between the French and South Korean teams had already begun.

"We live in an era of constant and dramatic change, and the development of technology will have a huge impact on traditional industries."

Many past experiences, in the era of rapid technological advancement, will not only fail to be helpful but may even become obstacles. Mr. Middlehoff is a good man, but he may not be able to keep up with the times.

"So what do you think the publishing industry will look like in the future?"

"It's hard to say, but there will definitely be big changes."

For example, in publicity... I'll take Hollywood as an example. Hollywood's publicity efforts are increasingly emphasizing the effectiveness of the internet.

The publishing industry, too, will have an inseparable relationship with the internet.

Nancy, let me be frank, if you don't understand and master the internet, you may very well face elimination. Even Sengoku Luo, for example, may no longer prioritize content in his work.

"If we don't focus on content, then what should we focus on?"

"Traffic, fan effect, etc..."

"Sorry, I don't quite understand."

Senqu Luo and Nancy exchanged a glance, both seeing a hint of worry in each other's eyes.

"Yes, yes!"

Mela suddenly jumped up and cheered.

The French people in the room were almost all cheering and jumping for joy.

Zidane scored his second goal in the 49th minute of the second half.

5: 0!

Twelve minutes later, Ribery, who had only been on the field as a substitute for two minutes, scored another goal.

6:0.
In the 77th minute, Henry scored with a header, making it 7-0.
Liu Jin couldn't bother chatting with Nancy anymore and ran over to stand in front of the screen.

He had a premonition that the Koreans might be slaughtered by France in this match... The French team's form had broken out earlier than in the original timeline!
Even people like Nancy and Sengoku, who weren't interested in football, came over.

……

On the field, the song of the thief has stopped.

At this point, there is no need to humiliate them any further.

The score on the field is the greatest humiliation!

The South Korean players were also surprised by the French team's unexpected outburst in the second half.

Zidane, in particular, displayed an unprecedented level of dominance, exuding a menacing aura.

The stabbing of his fans also provoked Zidane.

With the score at 4-0 in the first half, he had already decided to let his teammates relax and save some energy for the second half so as not to make things too embarrassing.

but……

It's already 7-0, and Zidane is still tirelessly running around on the field.

French fans began singing the "Zidane Song," dancing and reveling with joy.

But Zidane wasn't satisfied. Having already scored twice, he added another goal in the 87th minute. Still not content, he rushed to the stands where the South Korean fans were, and took off his jersey. Underneath, on the inner shirt, was a graphic of his classic hand gesture.

He held his head high, completely unfazed by the fans' shouts and curses.

Park Ji-sung rushed over and shoved Zidane.

Zidane rushed forward like a madman and headbutted Park Ji-sung in the face, sending Park Ji-sung crashing to the ground.

Chaos immediately erupted on the field.

The South Korean players, already devastated by their loss, were in high spirits. Meanwhile, the French players, who harbored resentment due to repeated provocations from South Korean fans, got into a brawl.

The South Korean fans in the stands went crazy!

They rushed down the slope like madmen.

But riot police, who were prepared, rushed over, holding riot shields, blocking the fans who wanted to cause trouble while brutally beating them.

A dozen or so fans jumped down from the stands.

But as soon as he landed, he was pinned to the ground by stadium security personnel.

Leipzig police were very well prepared, and the riot by the South Korean fans lasted only a few minutes before it was completely suppressed.

Nearly a hundred fans, their faces covered in blood, were dragged away by riot police.

This also included the dozen or so fans who jumped off the stands.

The entire stadium was now in complete chaos.

The referee rushed over and first gave Zidane a red card, then gave Park Ji-sung a red card for shoving Zidane.

Lee Ho, a player from the Korean national team who committed the act, was sent off with a red card.

After that, the French team received three yellow cards and the South Korean team received one yellow card, which finally calmed both teams down...

……

Liu Jin was dumbfounded in the private room.

Did Zidane's header come prematurely?
Moreover, after this red card, I believe he will become more composed afterwards.

Most importantly, although Zidane will be unavailable for the next match, France is practically guaranteed a win against Togo thanks to today's resounding victory. Even a draw would give France five points. Meanwhile, in the other match, Switzerland vs. South Korea… including the previous game, South Korea has six players who received red cards, five of whom are unavailable.

They are almost a depleted team, and they are likely to win by a large margin.

The match between Switzerland and Togo has ended, with a score of 2-0.
Switzerland will get seven points...

France vs. Togo: Nobody thinks Togo can beat a French team that's already in top form.

Therefore, Switzerland and France are already guaranteed to advance from Group F... unless Togo defeats France in the next match.

So, the Korean team was eliminated in the group stage?
Liu Jinji wasn't quite sure whether the Korean team would qualify for this World Cup.

He had a gut feeling that the French team was definitely going to advance...

But will that earth-shattering peak still appear?
He's a little unsure now!

……

(End of this chapter)