Chapter 57

Chapter 13: The Translation of Arrogance and Disregard

Su Aijun didn't know that when Fang Mingyuan learned that "Shounen Monthly" had sent someone to negotiate the copyright, he had already decided to cooperate with "Shounen Monthly." It wasn't entirely because he knew that "Shounen Monthly" was also a top publisher in the Japanese manga industry in the future, but because he valued the big boss behind "Shounen Monthly," Enix Corporation. This was a behemoth in the Japanese gaming industry. With the cooperation with "Shounen Monthly," it would be easier for him to establish a connection with Enix Corporation in the future. After all, Fang Mingyuan not only had numerous manga resources but also a wealth of game resources. Although he couldn't create the games himself, the scripts and basic settings were not a problem. He could also handle the character designs for some classic games.

In other words, Enix Corporation was the stepping stone and a constant source of income in Fang Mingyuan's plan to enter the Japanese gaming industry. From this perspective, the cooperation with "Shounen Monthly" was more like a stepping stone and couldn't be considered purely in terms of economic benefits. Of course, there was also a bit of Fang Mingyuan's confidence in the quality of "Yu Yu Hakusho." As the saying goes, good wine doesn't fear a deep alley. A truly good manga can still achieve substantial returns even if it's published by a newly established magazine, as long as it's done with dedication.

Fang Mingyuan looked out the window and sighed inwardly. Although he would rather leave these manga and games to Chinese companies, the current policies in China made it impossible. Even in the future, the animation and game industries were lukewarm in China, and government departments would occasionally intervene to restrict these companies. As a mere reborn individual, neither a high-ranking official nor the descendant of a red capitalist, he had no power or money. How could he easily change all of this? Borrowing chickens to lay eggs was still his best choice.

Su Aijun drove very fast, and an hour later, they arrived at Fengyuan Airport. In 1988, Fengyuan Airport, whether in terms of runway length or terminal building, was far from capable of accommodating 747 aircraft. It was hard to imagine that this would become the eighth-largest airport in China, capable of handling A380 superjumbo jets in the future.

Su Aijun was well-prepared. He took a sign from the car, which read "Weekly Shounen" in large characters, and handed it to Fang Bin.

"Brother Su, can these Japs read Chinese?" Fang Bin muttered.

"This one doesn't seem to, but I heard from my sister-in-law that he found a translator in Beijing," Su Aijun pushed him, "Be careful when you speak. It's fine to call them Japs in private, but in public, you need to maintain your composure. Don't forget, they're here to give us money." Hearing this, Fang Bin immediately smiled and held the sign at the airport exit.

They didn't have to wait long. Two people walked out of the exit. Su Aijun and the others immediately spotted them, mainly because these two stood out from the others. They were dressed in neat black suits, carrying suitcases, and walking with their heads held high, almost as if their noses were pointing to the sky. The other passengers who came out with them whispered and tried to stay as far away from them as possible.

When they saw the sign in Fang Bin's hand, the taller of the two, a young man around twenty-four or twenty-five, shouted arrogantly, "Hey, why don't you come over and help us with our luggage!"

Su Aijun couldn't help but frown. This must be the translator, and the other man, who looked to be in his late twenties, was the editor from "Weekly Shounen." Fang Bin put down the sign and went to take the translator's suitcase. The young man called out again, "Heh, how can you be so impolite? Mr. Kozuka is a foreign friend who has traveled a long way to China. You should serve Mr. Kozuka first! You really lack discernment; people from small places are just a bunch of hicks."

He looked at Su Aijun and Fang Mingyuan, and Fang Ya had already gone home to prepare dinner for everyone. He pointed at Su Aijun and said, "Hey, you big guy, why don't you have any discernment? You didn't even come to help me with my luggage! Bringing a kid who hasn't even grown hair to pick someone up, really."

Su Aijun's anger flared up, but he had never experienced such humiliation. However, thinking about the importance of Fang Mingyuan's manga being published in Japan, he suppressed his anger. He patted Fang Mingyuan's shoulder, who was about to speak, and whispered, "Let's see how this plays out, and we'll settle accounts with him later."

The young man continued to speak only in Japanese to the Japanese man, who also looked arrogant and spoke in a commanding tone. The young man would occasionally laugh along.

He also complained about how they could use such a破车 (broken car) to welcome foreign guests, how poor the roads in Fengyuan were, and how they compared unfavorably to Japan. Fang Mingyuan and the others were seething with anger.

However, Fang Mingyuan understood that the editor from "Weekly Shounen" was named Kozuka Keiji, and the young man was named Sun Lan, who had studied in Japan for three years and worked part-time at "Weekly Shounen." This time, Kozuka Keiji came to China because his Chinese was not good, so he found Sun Lan to serve as a translator for a few days.

When Su Aijun and the others took them to the预定的酒店 (预定的酒店 means "pre-booked hotel"), it was already close to 7 PM.

"You two can stay here for the night. We will discuss the copyright matters with you tomorrow," Su Aijun said coldly. He was already quite disgusted with these two and would have left if it weren't for Fang Mingyuan. He naturally didn't offer to take them out for dinner.

"Why wait until tomorrow? This is such a simple matter. Here is the contract Mr. Kozuka brought. I've already translated it. You can take a look and bring the signed contract back tomorrow morning! Mr. Kozuka is very busy and will be returning to Beijing tomorrow," Sun Lan took a file from the suitcase and threw it at Su Aijun.

"Do we not need to discuss the terms and details in the contract?" Su Aijun asked in surprise.

"What's there to discuss? This is a standard contract, and all the terms are clearly stated. If you agree, sign it; if not, forget it. But let me tell you, 'Weekly Shounen' is a major publisher in Japan. All manga artists in Japan are proud to have their works published in 'Weekly Shounen.' It's your luck that they are interested in your manga! Cherish this rare opportunity!" Sun Lan said arrogantly.

Su Aijun was extremely disgusted with him, picked up the contract, and slammed the door as he left.