I am a literary giant in Europe

Chapter 636 The Second Beauvoir

In December, temperatures plummeted in New York.

As a result, Liu Jin had to change into a thick winter coat when he went out.

The house is quite warm, with a fireplace, electric heater, and air conditioning providing triple protection. Most of the time, you only need a light shirt inside. It's expensive, but it's nothing compared to Liu Jin and Eva's wealth.

Mela brought Genevieve from France.

She will represent Liu Jin in New York to finalize the sale of the two copyrights.

The Da Vinci Code and V for Vendetta.

The Da Vinci Code will be adapted by Warner Bros., and Liu Jin will not be involved.

It's not that I don't want to, but I need to know when to stop.

Warner Bros. paid $1200 million to acquire the adaptation rights to "The Da Vinci Code".

This is absolutely a record-breaking adaptation fee.

It is twice as advanced as the original timeline.

This caused a sales frenzy to erupt again for the physical copy of "The Da Vinci Code," which had been experiencing stable sales.

Since 2005, the sales of The Da Vinci Code have exceeded 30 million copies.

Now, spurred by the record-breaking adaptation fee, it has sold 1.238 million copies in just one week.

It immediately took the top spot on the New York Times bestseller list.

Consequently, Assassin's Creed was dethroned by The Da Vinci Code shortly after it ascended to the top spot.

The worst performer was Twilight, which, due to the resurgence of The Da Vinci Code, actually fell out of the top three in sales.

I bet Ms. Mayer is cursing under her breath right now!
Another book, "V for Vendetta," was acquired by Columbia Pictures for four million dollars.

Liu Jin was not involved in the sale of this work at all.

After handing over "V for Vendetta" to Scarlett Johansson last year, he never inquired about the book again.

Scarlett did not disappoint him.

Through agent Brian Lord, after a year of screening and negotiations, Columbia Pictures was finally signed.

In addition to the four million dollar adaptation fee, Columbia Pictures also agreed to Liu Jin's suggestion that the Wachowski sisters direct the film. The Wachowski sisters even called Liu Jin specifically to express their gratitude for this.

They—no, they were women—loved this story to death.

They noticed Liu Jin's comic when it was first released in North America in 03.

The gothic, eerie atmosphere of the comic particularly captivated them… Unexpectedly, after many twists and turns, the comic ended up in their hands. They assured Liu Jin that they would do their utmost to complete the work.

"Amos, how long have you been in New York?"

"It'll probably be around April or May next year..."

"That's such a pity!"

Scarlett expressed her disappointment on the phone.

She is currently filming "The Nanny's Diary" and cannot leave.

After filming wraps up, she'll head straight to Barcelona, ​​where Woody Allen is ready to begin shooting "Midnight in Barcelona" next February. Scarlett, as one of the leading actresses, will naturally be there.

Then she will record a promotional video for her debut album.

As a result, she couldn't even come to New York to visit Liu Jin...

You'd better not come!
Liu Jin muttered to himself.

There are so many women in my house now, I'm almost at my breaking point.

……

Alizee returned to New York on December 10th.

The matter in Los Angeles has been settled, and she won't let Eva keep monopolizing Liu Jin like this.

But when she returned, she discovered that Mela had also moved in.

She didn't doubt Mela, but with another person present, plus Genevieve, she inevitably had some concerns.

At the very least, she couldn't openly fight against Eva!
Liu Jin was also very happy.

He really had a headache!

After all, he was torn between Alizee and Eva.

"Six jin? When I came over just now, I saw that number 78 next door was for sale?"

"Yes, they lost the case and have to pay me a lot of money in compensation, so they're planning to sell the house next door."

"How about I buy it?"

Eva immediately became furious. "Ali, what do you mean? Why do you want to buy a house next to mine?"

"Hmph, I'm willing!"

Liu Jin couldn't help laughing.

Robert Bennett must be mentioned here.

He truly deserves to be called one of New York's top lawyers.

For this lawsuit, this guy charged Liu Jin $150 million in court fees, practically going all out.

The New York District Court also responded remarkably quickly.

In Spike's words, "I've never seen a New York district court so efficient."

Yes, it's definitely efficient.

Liu Jin paid a fee of $300,000.

The Antonios were found guilty of violating privacy and are required to pay two million dollars in damages.

This was a devastating blow to the Antonio couple, whose net worth was only a few million dollars. They were already burdened with a mortgage, and the prospect of paying two million dollars in damages would put them under immense pressure. So, after much deliberation, they decided to sell their property. Their townhouse is now valued at between $1400 million and $1800 million.

If the property is sold, part of the proceeds will be used to repay the bank loan, and the rest will be used to compensate Liu Jin.

In this way, they can still have four or five million US dollars in their hands...

It's hard to find a house in Xicun, but you can buy a nice large apartment in Xiadongcheng.

The size is definitely not comparable to the house on Parry Street, but considering that it's just the two of them living in a big house of six or seven hundred square meters, the weekly cleaning fees alone are a considerable expense.

Moreover, the children are gradually becoming more independent!
I don't go home very often.

Therefore, selling the house is the best option.

The Antonios were longtime New Yorkers, well-versed in the rules of survival in the city.

Never go against someone who is stronger than you!
Millionaires are nothing compared to billionaires.

Therefore, they obediently admitted defeat and expressed their willingness to abide by the court's judgment.

only……

There are many wealthy people in New York, but very few can readily produce tens of millions of dollars in cash.

Those who make a living on Wall Street are poor at midnight and rich at dawn.

Not to mention the American people's so-called advanced consumption mentality, which makes it really difficult for them to save much money... Finding a suitable buyer is not something that can be done in a short time. Therefore, the Antonios are also having a headache.

"You really want to buy it?"

"Of course!"

Alizee said matter-of-factly, "I'll be spending a lot of time in America from now on, and I can't keep staying here every time I come."

"Don't you have a house in Santa Monica?"

"Work is work, and life is life."

Moreover, there are many talented songwriters and musicians in New York, so I can have more opportunities to network and exchange ideas here.

As Alizee spoke, she glanced at Eva.

"Besides, is there a problem with me buying a house with my own money?"

"you……"

Eva is so upset by all the criticism she's received that she's developing breast hyperplasia.

My breasts hurt!

Her net worth is indeed not as high as Alizee's.

Alizée has released five albums since her debut, all of which have been very successful. Last year's small tour, although just an experiment, earned Alizée a small amount of money.

If she wants to buy a house, she's definitely more confident than her.

Liu Jin thought for a moment and said, "Let's buy it under my studio's name."

"No need, I have enough money."

"I can get a tax deduction!"

Liu Jin rolled his eyes and looked at Alizee, saying, "I just completed a few transactions and earned $1600 million."

If I don't spend this money, I still have to pay taxes.

You should know that as a Chinese person, I have no obligation to contribute to America's cause.

After I buy it, I'll consider it an asset of my studio. Next year when I return to Toulouse, I'll sell the house to you as well, for the same price as Eva's house, 750 million. That will coincide with tax season, so you'll have to pay another tax bill..."

Mela, holding Eva the Tanuki, sat on the sofa and nodded, saying, "That's a good idea."

She laughed and said, "Killing three birds with one stone."

Liu can pay less tax, Ali can pay less tax, and then you get a townhouse too.

Back and forth they went, and only the situation where America was injured was achieved.

Of course, the actual operation process is definitely not as simple as Liu Jin and the others described.

But it doesn't matter, Mela has already assembled a complete financial and accounting team for Liu Jin in America, which can easily handle this matter.

Alizee thought about it and thought it was great.

Like Eva Green, she currently holds dual US and French citizenship.

Why waste money if you can save it?
Liu Jin turned to look at Mela.

Mela said, "Elliott is the most suitable person to handle this matter."

Elliott is the head of the studio that Mela set up for Liu Jin in America; he's a very honest guy.

Liu Jin thought about it and agreed.

"Mera, what do you think of my book, 'Halo'?"

He changed the subject and started discussing Halo with Mela.

Eva and Alizee stopped bothering them and went upstairs, laughing and joking, to swim in the rooftop pool.

The pool water is definitely heated this season.

It was around 34 or 35 degrees Celsius, and the air was thick with moisture.

In America, don't even think about energy conservation and environmental protection.

The people in this country simply lack this awareness. Although they talk about green and energy-saving practices, it's just a formality.

Rich people never care about energy conservation and environmental protection.

Poor people... don't have the ability to conserve energy and protect the environment.

In short, it's just a slogan!

……

"I think it's okay."

Mela watched the first half of "Halo Remnants" during her visit.

"It's very different from your previous style. The writing techniques are simple, nothing to boast about. But it's highly readable... It tells a story in the most straightforward way. And the subtle foreshadowing is very captivating."

But how did you suddenly come up with the idea of ​​writing science fiction?

"Next year, Rowling and I will have a showdown."

"Um, using this story would be easier than using Assassin's Creed."

The uncertainty surrounding the new book is too high.

"I know, but I want to try."

"Whatever you want, but personally I think three million copies is the minimum."

Upon hearing this, Liu Jin couldn't help but burst into laughter.

I do not believe!
On November 25, 2001, the first book in the Halo series, Reach Fall, was published, selling 12 million copies.

Liu Jin does not believe that "The Relics" is worse than "The Fall of the Star".

In some ways, the writing method of his book represents the future trend of online novels—it is more straightforward, more story-driven, and more engaging.

Furthermore, Americans enjoy science fiction.

In fact, science fiction has a much larger audience in America than in other regions.

This is probably also related to the fact that America's history is too short, and they really don't have much history to reminisce about.

"By the way, Arnold told me that on January 19th next year, all language versions of Les Misérables will be released globally."

How many languages ​​are there in total?

31 languages.

Upon hearing this, Liu Jin sighed inwardly.

The power of large corporations is truly incomparable to that of small publishing houses.

Singer did an excellent job, but to be honest, it's still far from being a giant publishing company like Hachette.

We assembled the best translators to complete the translation in the shortest possible time.

Then it was released globally simultaneously...

In this respect alone, Singer is simply incapable of accomplishing it.

Not only Singer, but even top-tier publishing companies like Midnight Press couldn't achieve this.

The power of capital!
Liu Jin sighed inwardly.

How are Les Misérables selling in France right now?

"The word-of-mouth continues to grow, and Mr. Pompidou of Reading magazine will include Les Misérables in the first issue of next year's Ideal Books Recommendation... Moreover, various universities are also recommending this work one after another, without any obstacles."

However, the commentary community…

What's wrong with the commentary community?

Have you heard of Lisabeth Badinter?

"That sounds familiar!"

Liu Jin thought for a moment, then suddenly realized something.

"You mean that female fighter? The Elizabeth Danbad who calls herself a writer, historian, and philosopher, and is known as the second Simone de Beauvoir? I remember she was a major shareholder of Publicis Groupe, right?"

"It's her!"

Mela's expression was serious.

This person is a very hypocritical person.

He was named one of the most influential intellectuals in France by the French magazine "News Magazine".

She rose to fame with her book, The Conflict: How Modern Motherhood Undermines the Status of Women.

She will also write a book called "The Decline of the Male," and is the most representative feminist since Simone de Beauvoir.

Well, compared to Danbad's article, those so-called "economic analysis of the impact of reproductive behavior on domestic violence in China and India" are nothing. He directly addresses the fundamental issue of human reproduction by focusing on women's reproductive rights.

Liu Jin vaguely remembered that Danbad was ranked the richest writer on Forbes' list in 2025.

Assets exceed $17 billion.

Yes, someone even more impressive than J.K. Rowling.

However, her status as the richest woman is largely unfounded. Her writing income accounts for less than one percent of her total assets.

She is the daughter of the founder of Publicis Groupe and inherited her father's wealth; a typical second-generation rich kid.

In the newly released list of France's richest people in 06, Danbad ranked 61st.

This is a very hypocritical woman. She goes around condemning "murderous political ySLism" as a writer and philosopher, then turns around and licks the boots of those princes in St. Petersburg, and makes a fortune through ZD Investment, signing a huge public relations contract to improve ySL's image in Europe...

Otherwise, how could she have turned 6 million euros into 17 billion US dollars twenty years later?
Liu Jin curled his lip, a look of disdain on his face.

……

(End of this chapter)