Chapter 9

When Yan Shao typed the last word, seven hours had already passed since the press conference began. Although the long duration made many people uncomfortable, no one in the venue uttered a word of complaint.

"Phew, that was really tiring..."

Standing up from the typewriter, Yan Shao stretched his limbs.

Just a slight movement, and his bones made a series of cracking sounds.

If he had done such a somewhat impolite action under normal circumstances, there would have been murmurs, but at this moment, the entire venue was silent, and everyone looked at him as if he were an alien.

"Now, no one will doubt you anymore..." Talis walked up to Yan Shao with a look of surprise and uncertainty. "By the way, are you really human?"

It was no wonder he thought so; after all, Yan Shao's performance was truly extraordinary.

However, Yan Shao did not answer his question. Instead, he clasped his hands together and bowed to the sky.

This bow was not to God or any other deity, but to the writers, both born and unborn.

"Regardless, thank you..." Yan Shao said with a self-deprecating smile. "Even if, after knowing the truth, you might not want my gratitude..."

Having plagiarized so many works, Yan Shao naturally felt some burden.

However, he had already thought this through before the press conference began. Since he had come to this era, unless he planned to live out his life in a remote place, anything he did would affect future generations, the only difference being the extent. Since anything he did would have an impact, why not choose the easiest path for himself...

"Let's go..." Seeing that no one would doubt him anymore, Yan Shao turned to Eleonore and extended his right hand.

Looking at Yan Shao's outstretched hand, Eleonore hesitated for a moment before gently placing her hand on it.

"Okay..."

Holding each other's hands tightly, the two of them walked off the stage together...

Noticing their actions, Talis frowned slightly.

However, before he could say anything, the two of them were already surrounded by a large crowd.

Among these people were journalists and some local dignitaries. As for the "original authors," they had already slipped away quietly when no one was paying attention.

Looking at the two of them surrounded by the crowd, Talis sighed lightly. At this moment, even if he wanted to say something, he probably couldn't get through.

"Never mind, I'll wait for them outside..." Talis said and turned to leave the venue.

—

As people in the venue had expected, the events in Marseille quickly spread throughout Europe the next day, and Yan Shao became the most dazzling figure in Marseille.

After continuously creating several epic works, no one dared to doubt Yan Shao anymore. Instead, many more people came to visit him. Among them were even a few officials from the Qing government who had come from Paris. Yan Shao knew his own situation; plagiarizing was one thing, but passing off plagiarized works as his own was quite another. On the other hand, although he was dissatisfied with the current Qing government, he did not neglect these officials.

After all, Yan Shao would eventually return to China.

Of course, these were not major issues. At this time, the Chinese envoy to France was Sun Baoqi. Before the Xinhai Revolution, Qing officials stationed abroad were not called ambassadors or ministers but were referred to as imperial envoys.

Sun Baoqi, from 1901 (the 27th year of Emperor Guangxu's reign), served as a clerk in the embassies of Germany, Spain, Portugal, and France. In July 1902, he was promoted to the position of envoy to France, ranking as a fourth or fifth-grade official, with the title of third-grade minister. Incidentally, Sun Baoqi had one wife and four concubines, with 16 daughters and 8 sons, and it's unknown what he did in his youth...

Influenced by historical dramas, for Yan Shao, officials below the third grade had very little presence. Moreover, since Sun Baoqi did not come to Marseille personally, these officials did not pose much trouble. However, this was in France. If he returned to China, even a seventh-grade official could cause him significant trouble.

However, these were future concerns. For the current Yan Shao, the real trouble came from Talis.

Ever since he saw the works Yan Shao had plagiarized, Talis had been pestering Yan Shao to fill in the gaps as soon as possible. Talis almost visited Yan Shao's residence every day, which made Yan Shao extremely annoyed, but he couldn't afford to offend him, after all, he was Eleonore's uncle...

With no choice, under Eleonore's urging, Yan Shao had to work overtime to fill in the gaps.

—

Standing behind Yan Shao, Eleonore was carefully shaving his face with a straight razor.

Since learning that Gillette had invented the safety razor, Yan Shao had been considering whether to ask someone to bring some from America. After all, using a straight razor was always somewhat inconvenient. However, seeing the careful Eleonore, Yan Shao suddenly felt that it was better to delay this matter.

However, at this time, Gillette's safety razors were still in their early stages and might not be as convenient as the ones in the future. Since that was the case, it was better to choose this dangerous but rewarding method...

"Done!"

After shaving off the last of the stubble, Eleonore sighed in relief and wiped Yan Shao's face with a towel.

"Finally, it's clean."

Touching his now smooth chin, Yan Shao looked at Eleonore in the mirror. "To have such a beautiful person shave for me, I am truly fortunate..."

Tapping Yan Shao's head, Eleonore smiled lightly. "I'm glad you know..."

As their relationship grew closer over time, Eleonore, who was initially just an assistant, began to take on more responsibilities.

For example, Yan Shao's daily life...

And his facial hair...

For someone like Yan Shao, who was used to electric and safety razors, using a straight razor was always somewhat inconvenient. Even for people of this era, it was easy to cut oneself. The occasional scars on Yan Shao's face were mostly due to this.

Finally, unable to bear it, Eleonore decided to shave Yan Shao herself.

Of course, Eleonore herself had little experience, as few women had the experience of shaving, let alone shaving others. However, her meticulousness was evident, and although she was initially somewhat clumsy, she never cut Yan Shao, which significantly reduced the number of scars on his face.

"By the way, you've made quite a bit of money recently, haven't you?"

After putting away the razor and other tools, Eleonore asked softly.

"Hmm, I guess so..."

Touching his chin again, Yan Shao nodded.

The sales of "The Lord of the Rings," an epic fantasy work, were already very strong. With the recent events at the press conference, the number of people buying the books had increased tenfold or even twentyfold, and this number was still growing. According to Talis, some people even came from Germany and Italy to buy the books...

Earlier, Talis paid Yan Shao a basic fee plus a royalty, as Yan Shao was not very well-known at the time. This time, for "The Lord of the Rings" trilogy, he used a royalty system. Additionally, a U.S. publisher had recently bought the English-language rights from Yan Shao and agreed to pay royalties...

Including the money earned from "Tarzan," Yan Shao's wealth was now close to 100,000 francs, or about 3,000 to 4,000 pounds. Even in Marseille, this was a considerable fortune, considering that a 500-ton gunboat of the same period cost only about 10,000 pounds.

Due to certain thoughts, Yan Shao did not hide this from Eleonore. Moreover, since Talis, the main source of his royalties, was her uncle, Eleonore was well aware of Yan Shao's income. Her question was just a way to start a conversation.

"Since that's the case, why not buy a house nearby? The environment here isn't very good..."

As she spoke, Eleonore looked around the room.

Initially, Yan Shao had chosen this place because it was close to the university where Eleonore studied. The environment of this rented house was only passable. Although it had become much cleaner after Eleonore's efforts, the relatively small space still gave a sense of oppression.

In Eleonore's view, if they were to live here long-term, buying a house would be more convenient—after all, they wouldn't have to pay rent anymore.

Moreover, if it was their own house, Eleonore could decorate it as she wished.

"Buy a house?"

Hearing Eleonore's suggestion, Yan Shao was taken aback but then shook his head.

"Let's not... When I chose to write novels, it was out of necessity. Now that I have considerable wealth, I plan to return to China when the time is right. Buying a house here would be meaningless then..."

"Return to China?"

Eleonore looked surprised.

"Yes..." Yan Shao nodded. "After all, I am Chinese, and I will eventually return..."

As he said, he now had considerable wealth and was well-known in Europe. Once the time was right, he could return to China. At that time, he could choose to start his own business or support the revolutionaries.

"Then..."

Hearing Yan Shao's words, Eleonore became somewhat at a loss.

However, just as Eleonore was at a loss, Yan Shao suddenly turned and looked at her seriously.

"When the time comes, would you be willing to return to China with me?"

—

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