I was acting crazy in North America, and all the crazy people there took it seriously.

Chapter 6 Chicago Shock

"Well, you're quite the photographer! I thought you were just making excuses to get girls into bed!"

Richard Anderson was full of praise when he saw the developed photos, which Annie had selected.

Logan, who was lounging in the newspaper office chair like Ge You, didn't want to say anything, only giving him a disdainful look.

"You've copied Ingres' famous painting 'The Grand Odalisque,' haven't you?" Richard said with certainty.

In the photo, Anne lies naked on the bed with her back to the camera. Her right hand is handcuffed to her right ankle and folded over her left leg, revealing half of her rounded breast; she turns her head to face the camera, where a blurry whip is visible, her eyes misty with tears, and her slightly parted red lips seem to be pleading for mercy…

Compared to the mysterious and elegant atmosphere of "The Grand Odalisque," Logan's photos exude a strong allure of being tamed; they don't reveal much more skin than "The Grand Odalisque," but they are more seductive and alluring.

This guy understands men.

This kind of partial exposure is a hundred times sexier than full exposure, and it's also more likely to arouse endless fantasies in men.

“I have an idea,” Richard said, his inspiration suddenly striking. “For the series of stills, we can imitate those famous European nude paintings. I have a collection of reproductions that you can use as a reference.”

"Now let's see who can criticize our Page 3 girls, they're all art!"

Logan didn't want to comment on his idea for the time being, but he was just curious about one thing—you old pervert, do you know how many nude paintings you have?

"Can you call an artist's collection 'colorful'?"

Richard dismissed Logan's curiosity, then winked and said, "Look at you, so exhausted. You must have overworked yourself after taking those photos. Young people need to take care of their health!"

"You're overthinking it," Logan said coldly.

"Hey, you're still not behaving yourself."

Logan didn't want to talk, because no one would believe him if he told the truth.

At first, he was thrilled by Annie calling him "Teacher Luo" repeatedly.

But Anne really knows everything about filming.

Language communication was completely ineffective; he had to personally guide Annie to strike various natural and charming poses.

Doesn't that sound amazing?
Logan just wanted to laugh.

This isn't a digital camera where you get instant feedback; with film, you don't know how well it turned out until it's developed.

To achieve satisfactory results, it's not uncommon to take a single shot dozens of times.

In the end, both the photographers and the photographers ended up doing manual labor—real manual labor.

Logan felt he had been ripped off!
If taking photos is like a side dish before a main meal, then he is Teacher Luo.

If taking photos is the main course of the meal, then he can only be called Foreman Luo.

The only difference between Teacher Luo and Foreman Luo is dedication.

It's all my fault for being too dedicated!

Logan didn't want to discuss this painful topic anymore, so he sat up straight. "Now that the first page of the newspaper can be laid out, how many copies do you plan to print at once?"

After several days of discussion, including Logan even transforming into "Han Solo" to haul two trips of Canadian whisky for Donald, the first page of the revamped The Sun was finally ready for publication.

At Logan's strong suggestion, The Sun changed to a smaller, multi-page newspaper, making it easy to read and carry at any time—this was the successful experience of predecessors, no, successors.

One of the reasons for the success of the British edition of The Sun is that it is a tabloid. Large-format newspapers are not part of modern life, while small-format newspapers can accompany crowded subways and buses.

After the Sun's publication number application was approved, Logan learned that there had been a Sun in New York, and he had almost infringed on its copyright.

The New York Sun, even America's first successful low-priced newspaper, was founded in 1833. It too was of low quality, resorting to deception to attract customers. After changing hands several times, it ceased publication completely last year.

Richard thought Logan changed his registration just to piggyback on the Pioneers' reputation, well, even though that reputation wasn't exactly flattering.

In short, the Chicago Sun is now a completely new newspaper.

"As a new newspaper, I think an initial print run of 4 copies is enough."

Getting down to business, Richard stopped teasing the younger generation and made an estimate before speaking.

This is based on the premise that the newspaper's sales channels do not need to be rebuilt from scratch.

But Logan wasn't satisfied. "4 copies is too conservative. We need to print at least that many!"

He held up five fingers.

"Printing 5 copies at once, isn't that a bit..."

Logan flipped his hand over. "No, I mean at least 10 copies need to be printed!"

"..."

Richard wanted to roll his eyes. "Are you crazy?"

Logan didn't think this was something unthinkable. "Chicago has nearly 300 million people. We're not even a daily newspaper. A print run of 10 copies is more than enough, right?"

"If it weren't for the limitations of distribution channels, I think we could have started with at least 20 copies."

Previously, the newspaper mainly sold its products through newsboys in crowded places such as streets, stations, and squares, as well as through cooperation with some fixed sales points such as newsstands and grocery stores.

For major newspapers, in addition to the two sales models mentioned above, there is also subscription.

Yes, The Sun will eventually have to open up subscription channels.

But Richard had to pour cold water on the idea, saying, "You young people are too optimistic."

He doesn't think that simply redesigning the product and adding a third-edition girl would instantly double the original sales.

"Moreover, while ensuring printing quality, the printing cost has exceeded 1 cent due to the addition of images, and the selling price has to be adjusted from 1 cent per copy to 2 cents per copy, doubling the price. Sales may actually decrease by half."

The newspaper industry in the United States is very developed. Small newspapers like Logan's don't need to own their own printing presses; they have professional printing plants that can help with printing.

Consequently, costs become more difficult to control.

Logan had considered this, but he only asked one question: "Does the newspaper have enough funds to print 10 copies?"

"It's enough, but you can't just go all in at once. That's not how newspapers are run. If you don't have enough, you can print more, but if you can't sell them, you can't return them to the printing plant."

Richard patiently persuaded him, "Listen to me, print 4 copies first, and then print more once it becomes popular."

“Well, I don’t think 4 copies will last until you need to reprint them,” Logan chuckled. “Listen to me, we can give the newsboys some extra subsidies so they can do it this way…”

After hearing Logan's plan, Richard felt that he didn't know the kid well enough.

"So, you wanted me to write the opening in the first person just for this purpose?"

Logan shrugged.

"We'll be cursed to death later!"

Logan uttered a profound truth that would be remembered for generations: "Black and red are still red!"

What else could Richard say?

"Disgusting! Their hearts are truly disgusting!" Hey, that's called believing in the wisdom of the descendants of Americans!
……

"Breaking News! Breaking News! The darling of a millionaire has vanished without a trace!"

May 1st is not Labor Day in the United States.

Early in the morning, the newsboys' youthful yet loud voices pierced the fog at the street corner—

"Read the newspaper! Read the newspaper! Young tycoon's mysteriously missing girlfriend! Exclusive photos published—on page three!"

"Breaking news! Breaking news! Beautiful woman escapes captivity, tycoon offers huge reward for her return!"

Some clever newsboys squeezed into the center of the crowd, held up their newspapers, and deliberately flashed the large photo on page three in front of everyone's eyes:

"Look! Look! You can't find these glamorous beauties in high society, but you can see them for just two cents! Read the newspaper!"

The desperate shouts were like a boulder thrown into the water, instantly creating ripples.

Passersby on the street stopped to watch, captivated by this strange tale filled with the secrets of the wealthy and ambiguous implications, and pulled out coins one after another.

At the Englewood elevated subway station, Stanley Houston, bombarded by newsboys' "missing person" slogans, casually bought a copy of The Sun, hurriedly stepped onto the rattling tram, and found a hard wooden seat in the middle.

Stanley Houston only opened the newspaper after the elevated subway line started running.

"The Sun? Wasn't it dead? Or has it come back to life?"

Stanley Houston was also a newspaper editor and had a keen understanding of the national newspaper industry.

He wasn't in a hurry to flip to the third edition that the newsboy had been teasing him so much; he casually started reading from the first edition.

Bold headline: "Defend Our Free Life!"

"...Those sanctimonious censors are reaching out their cold hands, attempting to strangle our freedom printed on paper! Sexual freedom, this sacred and inviolable natural right, is the cornerstone of our democratic life!"

"...Today we tolerate the moral guardians suppressing a tabloid, but tomorrow they will break into every one of our bedrooms!"

"...We, The Sun, as the vanguard of American freedom, will do everything in our power to defend the awakening of American citizens and to defend America's pursuit of the most authentic joys of life!"

Stanley pushed up his gold-rimmed glasses, thinking, "I've never seen such a shameless person!"

After reading the whole thing, isn't your goal just to create erotic content? How did you manage to package it as "freedom pioneers"?
Isn't it just about satisfying the vulgar desires of the American people? How is it being glorified as "civic awakening"?
Yes, it's the shamelessness of media people, but yours is a bit too strong.

Stanley, while complaining about his peers, flipped to the second page, which again featured a bold, black headline: "Missing Person Notice."

Here it is, is this the so-called "exclusive big news"?
The article reads like a young tycoon's autobiography. He takes a fancy to Anna, a naive college student, and signs a relationship contract with her. Then... whips and ropes fly together, handcuffs and candles are everywhere.

The details were so rich that Stanley felt a slight stiffness.

At the end of the article, Anna mysteriously disappears, and the wealthy man claims that his heart has also been ripped out. He wants to find Anna and offers a large reward for anyone who can provide clues.

As Stanley looked at it, he began to have doubts. This looked a bit like…

I flipped it over casually, and wow!
The third edition features a large photograph of a nude woman!

Stanley gasped, his breath hardening slightly.

So bold!

To be honest, it's not uncommon for newspapers to publish nude photos of women in the past, some even in color, but those were all hand-drawn, poorly made, and even so distorted as to be offensive.

But this one is absolutely genuine!

This is just too much...

"This girl is gorgeous!" a voice came from above.

Stanley looked up and exclaimed, "Wow!"

Before he knew it, a human wall had silently formed around him.

On the left, a burly man in overalls stretched his neck like a crowing rooster, his Adam's apple bobbing up and down, his murky eyes fixed on the woman in the photo, and there was even a suspicious, glistening trace of water at the corner of his mouth.

A fat man in a cheap suit on the right licked his lips and sneered in a knowing tone, "Tsk tsk tsk, these rich people really know how to have fun. This canary probably can't stand this kind of treatment and has flown away!"

A bearded man next to him grinned, revealing teeth stained yellow from tobacco: "Why would someone who isn't a perverted rich man take such perverted photos and then release them for us to feast our eyes on?"

"Hey hey hey..."

A greedy gaze, heavy breathing, tsk-tsk sighs, and slightly hard bulges surrounded Stanley, making him feel as if he were on some strange film set.

He flipped the newspaper back to the previous page with a swish, his face expressionless: "That's all, that's all. If you want to read, buy a copy yourself. I'm getting off the bus."

A chorus of complaints and grumbling filled the air as the crowd dispersed, but sticky laughter and earnest whispers of conspiracy theories continued to linger unchecked in the carriage.

Stanley fanned the murky air, his doubts lingering. Suddenly, he brought the newspaper to his glasses.

At the very bottom of the second edition, he saw a line of tiny print: "This story is purely fictional. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental."

Looking closer at the top, there's another line of tiny print above the left corner of the "Missing Person Notice": "Chapter One".

Stanley's lips twitched involuntarily; the suspicion in his heart had finally materialized.

With the front-page article and the Page 3 Girls, what else is unclear?
This is nothing but a lewd tabloid!

But he also had to admit that the guy behind it all was an extremely clever bastard!

— It precisely exploits the human tendency to peek into carnal desires and be fascinated by the secrets of the wealthy, coupled with blatantly suggestive photos, combining all three to create a pot of irresistible marketing hype.

This bastard is even prepared to shirk all responsibility!
Such a small line of text, who would notice it immediately unless they looked at it with a magnifying glass?

Who is this bastard? When did Chicago produce such a cunning media personality?
Stanley suddenly felt a strong urge to meet this colleague.

……

In fact, there aren't many people like Stanley who can recognize marketing tactics almost immediately, but there are quite a few.

Experienced newsstand owners would naturally figure out what was going on, but would they step forward and speak out?

Not only would they not say it, these bosses would also deliberately place the Page 3 girl of The Sun in the most conspicuous position, and then place a thick stack of The Sun in the prime outer position.

Sure enough, her smooth, bare back, slender and sexy waist, and long, snow-white legs attracted the attention of passersby like a magnet.

Some customers cursed, some stared in disbelief, while many others quietly bought another newspaper, then casually stuffed The Sun at the bottom and hurriedly left.

By noon, almost every newsstand on the street corner seemed to have been bewitched, all imitating the owners in front of them, boldly displaying the third page of The Sun in the most conspicuous place.

As if by magic, a crowd quickly gathered in front of the newsstand, loudly condemning The Sun for its indecent behavior while quietly showing through their actions that "I like this kind of thing."

The unspeakable story between the young tycoon and the female college student spread wider and wider amid concern for "poor child...may God protect her."

When a New York reporter came to Chicago to follow a story, he was shocked to see photos of nude women hanging on newsstands all over the streets.

No, you Chicagoans are even more wild than us New Yorkers!
That day, he wrote in his stenography notebook, "The Chicago shock truly brought me into the bizarre and wonderful 1920s."

The Sun's first visual bombshell was known as the "Chicago Shock"!
……

　I'm begging for your support in adding this to your favorites, for your continued reading, and for all your love and encouragement!
　　
　
(End of this chapter)