Dream of the Red Chamber: Starting with winning over Daiyu's favorability

Deng Zechen dodged to the side, raised his left hand and forcefully pushed with his elbow, knocking Scarface's wrist away. Taking advantage of the moment when the other party was careless and in pain, he grabbed the other party's arm joint and suddenly punched Scarface in the abdomen with his right hand.

Scarface curled up in pain, his whole body arching like a shrimp as he collapsed to the ground.

The other two clearly didn't expect Deng Zechen's counterattack to be so swift and fierce. Taking advantage of their momentary daze, Deng Zechen slipped through the gap in the middle and ran quite a distance in one breath.

"This is bad!"

"Chase them!"

Deng Zechen had already run some distance when he heard two slightly anxious voices behind him:

"Please wait a moment! We mean no harm!"

He heard it, but Deng Zechen had no intention of stopping. "Go and tell the officials what you have to say!"

Deng Zechen had just shaken off the two men and hadn't even reached the government office when he was stopped by a familiar-looking person—the leader.

Deng Zechen didn't stop; instead, he sped up, preparing to strike first before his opponent was ready.

But when Deng Zechen mustered his strength to kick the other person, he felt as if he had kicked a mud wall, which made his right leg go numb.

The leader merely glanced at the footprints on his chest, patted them casually twice, and then spoke:

"We meant no harm; my master invited us. You can't beat me. Consider this kick as an apology to my brother. Come with me, or I'll force you to hurt yourself."

Deng Zechen immediately stopped his aggressive actions and pretended to be obedient in answering:

"Okay, big brother."

The leader nodded in satisfaction and was about to lead Deng Zechen back to the bookstore.

As Deng Zechen watched the leader get closer and closer and the other man visibly relax, he struck again, disregarding all martial ethics.

In the blink of an eye, he threw two punches, one to the opponent's chest and the other to his most vulnerable abdomen. To no avail, Deng Zechen felt as if his fists were hitting the floor.

The leader's satisfied expression hadn't faded, and his face remained frozen. Deng Zechen was also somewhat embarrassed. He changed his fist into a palm and patted the spot where he had just hit someone, saying in a serious tone:

"I noticed there's some dust here that you haven't brushed off properly, so I'll brush it off for you, hehe."

A look of shock crossed the leader's face:

"Is this guy really a scholar? What a shameless young man!"

Perhaps sensing what the leader was thinking, Deng Zechen took the initiative and became the host.

"Let's go. Didn't you say your master wanted to see me? What are you still standing there for?"

The leader suppressed his thoughts, nodded and followed. This time, Deng Zechen was in front and he was behind, to prevent the kid from playing any more tricks.

The two walked silently back to the bookstore. Guo Wenmo was anxiously looking around at the door, and he breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that the two had returned unharmed.

As they entered the bookstore, Guo Wenmo grabbed Deng Zechen and whispered his instructions:

"That person has a powerful background, be careful!"

Deng Zechen nodded slightly. The leader who was following him noticed their little actions but didn't say anything. He led Deng Zechen into the inner room.

Deng Zechen had been to this room many times before, so it was not unfamiliar to him.

Inside the room.

There were three women inside. The woman sitting in the main seat had a noble bearing and a bright and dignified appearance, exuding an air of nobility that made people dare not look directly at her.

She was wearing a valuable piece of brocade with a dark pattern of mountains and seas. As Deng Zechen looked at it from different angles, he felt that the pattern presented different colors!

People who can afford such high-quality clothes must be someone important.

The woman was flanked by two maids with similar faces, dressed in identical uniforms.

Both were made of brocade with fine stitches and gold thread embellishments. At first glance, they did not appear luxurious, but Deng Zechen, who had visited the Rongguo Mansion and often interacted with Lin Daiyu, discovered that the fabrics of these two women's clothing were even better than those of the three young ladies in the Rongguo Mansion.

They wore similar hairpins on their heads. The hairpins were clear and warm to the touch. Deng Zechen had once heard an old man who knew about jade say that the more a jade resembles glass, the more valuable it is.

Even in modern times, this hairpin would be priceless. Just who is she, that even the things her attendants use are so precious?

The woman in the main seat lowered her eyes and watched her subordinates and Deng Zechen enter the inner room. Her fingers, which had been tapping the table lightly at her side, paused for a moment. After glancing at Deng Zechen, she continued tapping the table as if nothing had happened.

"Song He, you stay at the door and don't let anyone in."

Song He accepted the order and left, leaving only the "tap-tap" sound of her tapping the table in the inner room.

Deng Zechen looked straight ahead, staring directly at the woman with a very impressive background.

The woman seemed to have discovered something interesting: why was this man looking at her so openly? Her gaze lingered on Deng Zechen's face for a long time before she let out a soft laugh.

One of the maids, seeing that Deng Zechen was staring intently at his master without looking away, was displeased and sternly reprimanded him:

"presumptuous!"

Seeing this, the woman raised her hand to stop the maid who had spoken, and asked for the first time, "Aren't you afraid of me?"

Deng Zechen shook his head:

"Don't worry, this is under the emperor's nose. You can't just kill me in broad daylight."

Besides, being afraid is useless. Do you think you'll let me go if I'm afraid? Since you've brought me here, there must be something about me that you're interested in. If I can do what you need, then we can naturally sit down and have a proper talk.

At this point, Deng Zechen revealed a truly radiant smile:

"If someone as important as you really had any ill intentions towards me, there are plenty of ways to bring me to you without anyone noticing."

Since we haven't done that, it seems we already have the basic conditions for cooperation. Partnering with you is a win-win situation for me.

Upon hearing this, the woman laughed even more heartily, "Indeed, no wonder you are Mr. Ziyou, who wrote the wildly popular 'The Tale of the Demon Slayer' in the capital."

Deng Zechen did not deny it. As soon as he entered the room, he saw the second volume of "The Tale of the Demon Slayer" on the table and had some guesses about the purpose of the visitor.

My book has probably attracted even greater attention.

"I really like this story, which is why I came here. You, the owner, are quite generous. You didn't immediately agree to the benefits you promised, but said you would discuss it with me first and then give me an answer in a few days."

In this world, there are very few people who can refuse me without paying a price. Will you be one of them?

Sure enough, they came for "The Tale of the Demon Slayer." Deng Zechen remained calm and answered respectfully:

"That depends on what conditions you offer."

"Very well, I don't like all those roundabout ways either. From this moment on, your works will be sold in bookstores under my name, and I'll give you five percent of the profits."

You just focus on writing your book; don't worry about anything else. Nobody dares to go against me.

These conditions are slightly worse than those offered by Guo Wenmo, but judging from the tone, there's no need to worry about piracy. This confident tone suggests they might be from the imperial court.

"That's too little."

"Do you know that even if many people begged me on their knees for these conditions, I might not agree?"

"I don't know, that's none of my business, but the value of a good story is only known to the reader. I think you're a good reader yourself, so you should understand what I mean."

I think my story deserves a higher price, what do you think?

Perhaps it was the curiosity of an important person, or perhaps she genuinely liked the story; after a moment of contemplation, the woman finally compromised:

"Okay, I'll give you another 20% off, that's my bottom line. But you have to show me the latest content before you publish it."

Why did you agree so readily?

"I have one more condition."

She frowned slightly, her voice carrying a hint of coldness:

"You're pushing your luck."