Chapter 47 of 100

Chapter 47

19 min read4,667 words

After a brief silence, Tang Nan replied, "Xingyue's side means that meeting the author is also part of the cooperation."

The implication of this statement was that if Gu Yongsheng insisted on not meeting them, this cooperation might very well be called off.

"If they think the cooperation can't continue without a meeting, then we won't cooperate!" Liu Jingtong replied coolly, his emotions unmasked.

It seemed that, whether in the previous world or the current one, content creators at the most fundamental level had never received enough respect.

"It's not that I'm deliberately making things difficult, but this threat is simply absurd to me. I believe you, Mr. Lu, understand my point." Liu Jingtong tried to be as tactful as possible.

After several exchanges and some information from Mi Hu, Tang Nan had a rough understanding of some of Liu Jingtong's personality traits. At least, he knew that if Liu Jingtong didn't want to do something, no amount of persuasion would change his mind.

Tang Nan had no choice but to reply, "We'll communicate with the other party again. I'll contact you if there's any news."

...

"What do you mean? What does 'busy with writing and no time' mean?" Gong Cheng'en looked at the young subordinate in front of him as if he were a monster.

"Qianhong responded like this. They said Gu Yongsheng is busy with serial writing and really has no time, so..."

"Get out of here! What do you mean by 'so'? What kind of brainless conclusion are you giving me? Do you know how many big-name authors want to meet me?"

The young subordinate nodded, indicating that he knew.

"You're nodding? Don't you realize I'm being sarcastic?"

The young subordinate was confused and didn't know how to respond, so he nodded again.

In fact, few employees of the Gong family's company feared the second young master. Although he exuded the air of a wealthy young man, he was a "demon's face, Buddha's heart" type, completely lacking the deep scheming typical of the children of wealthy families.

In contrast, the eldest young master of the Gong family fit this stereotype perfectly—handsome, cold, gloomy, and ruthless, the quintessential cold-hearted CEO.

Gong Cheng'en suddenly laughed, "You really seem like an idiot. Never mind, this isn't your fault. There are always a few self-righteous guys who will call Mr. Lu. I'll talk to him."

The young subordinate immediately took out his phone and called Lu Yichou.

"Mr. Huang, hello."

The young subordinate's name was Huang Bo, an officer in the company's external liaison department. He had been temporarily assigned to work for the second young master, and upon meeting him, he had signed a confidentiality agreement for no apparent reason.

When he saw the serious expression on the second young master's face, he thought he might be about to access the core secrets of the Gong family's company, and he was excitedly imagining a glorious future. But he was actually assigned to negotiate a TV adaptation project.

He couldn't understand why this kind of work he did every day needed to be kept confidential.

"Mr. Lu, hello. My boss wants to talk to you."

Huang Bo handed the phone to Gong Cheng'en and quietly stepped aside.

This was the first time the second young master had seriously discussed a cooperation, so he wasn't very familiar with the formalities. He got straight to the point and asked, "Why doesn't Gu Yongsheng want to meet us?"

The experienced Lu Yichou was taken aback by this question. Normally, shouldn't the other party first greet, introduce themselves, and then gradually lead the conversation to the main topic?

"Mr. Gu is really busy. He has several serials to write and receives constant manuscript requests, especially after this essay contest, the number of requests has increased significantly. I apologize for this."

Lu Yichou conveyed the prepared explanation in the most sincere tone, confident that it was foolproof.

"I can pay more. Or you can ask him for an appearance fee, guaranteed to be more than he earns from writing those manuscripts. Would that work?"

Lu Yichou was again taken aback, thinking, "Can't you follow the script?"

"Well, that might be a bit difficult. Our contract with the author doesn't include social engagements." Lu Yichou sensed the other party's naivety and handled the situation with increasing ease.

Gong Cheng'en had already boasted to Wang Qianqian. If he failed to get Gu Yongsheng to meet, he would be more upset than losing the TV series.

"Then we won't buy it. The cooperation is terminated." Gong Cheng'en had to play his trump card.

"May I ask which young master of the Gong family you are?" Lu Yichou didn't respond to the termination of cooperation but asked abruptly.

Gong Cheng'en blurted out, "The second young master." After saying it, he felt something was off; who would call themselves the second young master of a family?

"Mr. Second Young Master, we still hope you will reconsider. Even if the author doesn't meet, our cooperation can still be mutually beneficial. We respect and admire the strength of Ocean TV, oh, sorry, Star Moon TV, sorry. My wife and daughter are fans of your channel, so please think it over carefully."

Lu Yichou's words were sincere and shrewd, especially the "slip of the tongue" which was quite vicious. Indeed, when Gong Cheng'en heard "Ocean TV," his expression changed, and he suddenly recalled his grandfather's advice to his elder brother: "If negotiations reach an impasse, remember to propose stopping the talks."

Gong Cheng'en said into the phone, "I'll think about it," and immediately hung up.

"Second Young Master, in my opinion, we should just let it go. When have we ever cared about others' opinions?" Huang Bo suggested from the side.

For the Gong family, this was a trivial matter, but for Gong Cheng'en, it was an opportunity to prove himself to the family, to his parents, to his elder brother, and most importantly, to Wang Qianqian. He wouldn't let it go.

After a moment of silence, Gong Cheng'en redialed Lu Yichou. This time, he didn't give the other party a chance to speak, saying directly, "Mr. Lu, I know you and my elder brother are both skilled in negotiation techniques, which I lack and dislike. Since the contract has been signed, the cooperation will continue. I just hope you can pass a message to Gu Yongsheng, saying—"

Gong Cheng'en hesitated, then continued, "I promised a girl I like to talk to him. I hope he can accommodate me. That's all."

...

When Liu Jingtong received Lu Yichou's message, he found it absurdly comical. He didn't think it was a story of a fan chasing a star; it was purely a matter of normal curiosity. It was like when he had accidentally read Yu Xuanji's poem "Gift to the Neighbor Girl" and became extremely curious about what kind of woman could write lines like "Easy to get priceless treasures, hard to find a true-hearted man."

Liu Jingtong finally made a concession, allowing Lu Yichou to give his WC number to the other party. Since they wanted to talk, it wouldn't be necessary to meet in person.

...

With less than half a month before reporting to Yuehe No. 1 High School, Liu Jingtong went with his mother to town to buy a large suitcase and expensive new clothes for his parents.

So far, the serial royalties from "Shuke and Beta" had been enough to cover all his high school expenses. As for the money from Lu Yichou, it was quietly stored in his father's long-abandoned bank card.

The royalties from "Children's Literature" were managed by his mother. Although she was reluctant to spend so much on clothes, she finally agreed, moved by her son's insistence.

On the way back from town, Lu Yichou sent a text message saying that the other party had accepted the arrangement and had added him as a friend.

Back home, Liu Jingtong immediately turned on his computer and logged into WC. Sure enough, he saw a friend request, with the reason "Recommended by Lu Yichou." Liu Jingtong accepted it.

The account information showed the gender as female, with the ID "Virtual Blade Flower" and the signature "A girl who tells stories."

"Uncle Gu Yongsheng?"

As soon as the friendship was established, the other party enthusiastically started a conversation.

Liu Jingtong replied with a bitter smile, "Still a boy, no need for 'uncle.'"

"Ha, so you're a weird uncle who likes to pretend to be a boy."

Liu Jingtong didn't want to dwell on this issue and replied, "Mr. Lu said you want to talk about the novel. Is the script already in progress?"

"Strange, can't you tell who I am?"

Liu Jingtong replied with a question mark.

"Shouldn't the information show? I'm a girl, and don't uncles like to tease girls?"

Liu Jingtong was speechless, looking at the words in the chat box, and replied, "Seems like a mistake. I thought you were a Star Moon TV scriptwriter. Delete me within thirty seconds, or I'll delete you. Good luck."

This time, the other party replied very quickly, "Sorry, Uncle Gu, I am indeed a Star Moon TV scriptwriter. My mom told me there are a lot of bad people online, so I was just testing you to see if you were a pervert."

Liu Jingtong didn't reply, waiting for the other party to speak.

"The script is already in preparation, but there are two questions I can't figure out and want to ask you."

"Ask."

"Does the white ape like Aqing?"

"A bit."

"I knew it. Does Fan Li ever like Aqing?"

"No."

"He's a real bastard. Thanks, Uncle."

Liu Jingtong, seeing the other party become serious, asked casually, "Where do you plan to start, given the story is so short?"

"Isn't a short story easier to adapt than a long one?"

Liu Jingtong hadn't systematically thought about this. Hearing the question, he carefully considered it and realized it was indeed true.

"The story has a clear historical background, so I plan to start with a war."

"Which war?"

"The war with Wu. This part is recorded in history and can be used directly. Yue first defeated Wu, then lost to Wu, and King Goujian of Yue became a slave in Wu. To survive, he had to eat feces. Later, Goujian lay on firewood and tasted gall, and finally defeated Wu, killing Fu Chai."

Liu Jingtong found it hard to imagine that the person chatting with him was a girl, as no girl would speak like that. Soon, Liu Jingtong realized this wasn't even the limit of the other party.

"Also, I want to ask Uncle, when Goujian was a slave in Wu, would it be more engaging to add a scene where his wife is raped in front of Fu Chai? And what about Xi Shi, if we show her bed scenes with Fu Chai, would it offend the audience?"

Liu Jingtong was both amused and exasperated. He was almost certain the other party was a deeply perverted male scriptwriter in his twenties or thirties. The questions, though distasteful, were elements that would make the TV series a hit.

"First, you need to make sure such changes can pass the review. Also, the copyright has been sold to you, so I can't really interfere with your creative process. Do you have any other questions?"

"One more question, um—how should Xi Shi be when she's intimate with Fu Chai?"

Liu Jingtong was finally pushed to the edge by this perverted man and typed forcefully, "Are you asking if Xi Shi felt pleasure when Fu Chai was having sex with her?"

"You're straightforward, that's what I meant."

"Go ask Xi Shi!"

---