Chapter 42

"Ah, our model aircraft can be shipped now?" Hu Wenhai nodded with a smile and said cheerfully, "No problem, as long as Mr. Scott gives the word, I can send the products over immediately."

The Freddie's Restaurant in New York is renowned, even the billionaires from the Upper East Side frequently visit. It is said that this was the favorite restaurant of Vice President Eastwood, a political evergreen in the United States, before he rose to fame, which added a legendary aura to its reputation.

The elegant environment and spacious, private dining spaces have won the favor of business people. The steaks prepared by the Michelin three-star chef Freddie, hired from France, are not easily reserved by just anyone.

However, today Scott was willing to spend a lot of money. He and Badala went to great lengths to reserve the special presidential steak set prepared by Freddie himself at Freddie's Restaurant.

Indeed, the purebred Australian ribeye steak, carefully prepared by the Michelin three-star chef, is an absolutely exquisite delicacy. It is not comparable to the "presidential set" that Bear Grylls would later create.

"That's great. With Mr. Hu's model aircraft, the Pentagon will soon approve it. I believe the film TOPGUN can start shooting this year. This is all thanks to you. Let's raise a glass to Mr. Hu Wenhai."

"Cheers!"

"Cheers!" Following Scott's toast, everyone at the table raised their glasses in unison, toasting to Hu Wenhai.

Hu Wenhai accepted Scott's flattery with a smile, but he did not show any signs of being overly pleased. As the saying goes, "There's no such thing as a free lunch." The deal for the model aircraft for TOPGUN was worth half a million dollars, which was a golden opportunity for Factory 501. As the buyer, Scott would normally not be so easy to deal with, let alone be so deliberately flattering.

From this meal, Hu Wenhai knew that the other party had ulterior motives, possibly related to the manuscripts.

The original manuscripts were always in his possession, so he was not worried about Scott's intentions. However, he was still unsure how much importance Scott, as a renowned director, would place on them.

"Let me introduce you. This is Douglas Edwards, the chairman and general manager of American Scholar Publishing. He is very interested in the work Mr. Hu has given me."

Hu Wenhai looked at the uninvited Douglas, who had a prominent nose typical of Europeans. However, due to years of overthinking, his hairline was quite receded, and his deep-set eyes gave him a look that fit the image of a "bald eagle."

"Let's get to the main point." Douglas put down his glass and said calmly, "To be honest, Scholar Publishing is a company that has been established for less than a year and is not well-funded. However, we are very sincere in inviting you to collaborate with us to bring these works to the American market. There is one small issue, though. Some parts of the novels may need to be modified, either by you or by us, if you authorize us."

Hu Wenhai was slightly surprised. Based on his understanding of Americans, they often looked down on Chinese people, especially those from mainland China, believing they were not well-versed in the world. In the early stages of reform and opening up, many Chinese people doing business with the United States or other developed countries often suffered losses due to being cheated.

Especially in 1984, with the relative improvement of China's economy, various regions were competing to use foreign exchange to import "advanced" production lines from abroad. These so-called advanced lines were often outdated technologies that other countries had phased out, euphemistically called "industrial relocation."

In this process, the inexperienced Chinese people suffered many losses and paid a high price. Sometimes, they spent huge sums of money on technology that turned out to be inferior to what they already had, or they made mistakes similar to those made by the Hanyang Ironworks in the early 20th century, importing equipment that was not suitable for their environment.

Hu Wenhai had been in the United States for some time, and in the eyes of Americans, mainland Chinese were not much different from "fools." Suddenly encountering someone who treated him sincerely upon first meeting, he was a bit taken aback.

However, from Douglas's perspective, this was a well-considered decision. It would be unrealistic to say that he was not influenced by the widespread American perception of Chinese people.

But after reading all of Hu Wenhai's manuscripts, Douglas keenly realized that this was not someone who could be judged by conventional standards.

As the saying goes, "Literature carries the way," and the way one writes often reflects their character and inner qualities. Although the stories in Hu Wenhai's manuscripts were from the future, they were still written by him. In the process, he could not simply copy everything word for word but had to retain the framework and characteristics of the stories, then reorganize them in his own words.

In this process, he inevitably infused his own style and characteristics. It was through these words that Douglas, with nearly three decades of experience as an editor, gained a deeper understanding of Hu Wenhai.

This was a person with a grand vision, someone who had a broad perspective and was not petty. He had a deep understanding of American culture and even the American spirit—more than just being influenced by it, he had thoroughly studied and analyzed it. From a high vantage point, he had woven stories that appealed to American tastes.

This person was not some country bumpkin. On the contrary, his thinking was sharp and his ideas profound. In front of him, sincerity and authenticity were more effective than any cunning.

With this clear understanding, Douglas decided to present a sincere face from the beginning.

It should be said that as a future famous director, Scott, and as a renowned cultural figure and producer, Badala, the fact that they chose Douglas over other major publishers already spoke volumes about his capabilities.

Although Hu Wenhai did not know what Douglas was thinking, he genuinely appreciated his sincerity. Moreover, these manuscripts were not essential to him, so he had no interest in playing games.

He smiled and nodded, saying casually, "Sure, if Mr. Douglas is willing to publish these manuscripts for me, I have no reason to refuse. As for the right to make modifications, you can handle it as you see fit. So, what conditions can Scholar Publishing offer?"

Douglas crossed his legs and paused for a moment before slowly saying, "Regarding the compensation for publication, we are also willing to hear your opinion, Mr. Hu."

"Even my opinion?" Hu Wenhai was genuinely surprised. He had never published a book and had no reputation, so there was no reason for him to receive such favorable terms!

Under normal circumstances, a new author would be lucky to get a standard publishing contract, and at most, negotiate the royalty rate with the publisher. No matter how good a new author's work was, they were still a new author, and the industry rules were clear—no one would give up so much control in a business negotiation like Douglas.

However, Hu Wenhai simply did not understand the value of the works he had written. To put it in perspective, The Da Vinci Code alone sold 7.5 million copies in the United States and was one of the top ten best-selling novels. It was not an exaggeration to say that it would leave its mark on American cultural history. In Chinese terms, it would definitely be included in the curriculum.

Hu Wenhai's reading level in literature was certainly not low. "American Gods" is a famous Hugo Award-winning work, "The Matrix" is a masterpiece that is almost incomprehensible, and "A Song of Ice and Fire"...

Well, the latter was more of a filler, as he only wrote some fragmented parts of the story that he could still remember. At the time, he had already given up on being a writer.

As for the other short stories and scripts, they were certainly not small potatoes.

According to industry norms, the price for a new author's first work has an upper limit because they have yet to prove themselves. No one knows how long this state will last. However, Hu Wenhai had presented so many works at once, proving his sustained output and creativity, giving him the leverage to negotiate.

"Yes, I believe Scholar Publishing can listen to Mr. Hu's opinion," Douglas was determined to maintain a low profile.

"Ah, in that case..." Hu Wenhai was genuinely moved by this attitude. If someone tried to outsmart him, he would not hesitate to play hardball. But if the other party was so sincere from the start, he found it hard to take advantage.

"Then let's go with the standard 10% royalty, no special treatment for me," Hu Wenhai waved his hand and smiled. "But I must say in advance..."

At this point, a flash of inspiration struck him, and he froze.

"Mr. Hu, Mr. Hu?" Douglas waited for a long time but saw no sign of Hu Wenhai continuing, so he called out.

Only then did Hu Wenhai snap back to reality. His eyes sparkled as he said enthusiastically, "I'm sorry, Mr. Douglas, but I do have a favor to ask."

"Oh, go ahead, I will do my best."

"Yes, it's like this. I plan to write a new book. If you think it has no publication value, I can self-publish it at my own expense, but I would like Mr. Douglas to help with the promotion."

"Oh, that's no problem. What kind of book do you plan to write? What genre?"

"Hmm." Hu Wenhai pondered for a moment and said firmly, "The title will be 'Zeta's Alias,' telling the story of a Soviet agent named Zeta who rises to the pinnacle of power..."

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