Chapter 32

According to Dave's account, his "A Song of Ice and Fire" would not have to worry about a decline in sales for a long time to come.

The credibility of the bestseller list is very high, so many readers who want to buy books also like to purchase novels listed on the chart to read at home.

In a way, it also serves as advertising for the authors.

Moreover, the conditions for making the list are extremely stringent, and the review process is very strict, so every novel on the list can guarantee the quality and excitement of its content and story, and readers do not have to worry about being misled.

Therefore, the influence of this list is very significant and has a high reputation, at least in the United States.

After Dave told Jin Xuntao about this matter, there was nothing else to discuss. Jin Xuntao then took his leave, left Dave's office, and went to Lola to pick up his daughter. After getting his car from the parking lot, Jin Xuntao drove away from the publishing house.

The little one, as usual, sat in her 'eggshell' infant car seat, curiously looking at the pedestrians and shops on the street through the car window, occasionally making "Wow! Wow!" sounds to express her amazement at the 'impressive' scenes she saw.

Jin Xuntao was in a good mood. He had handed over "William's Fairy Tales" and "The Lord of the Rings" to the publishing house, which would soon be published and sold, bringing him income. At the same time, "A Song of Ice and Fire," which was currently on sale, had made it to the bestseller list, ensuring good sales for a while.

So, how could Jin Xuntao not be happy?

More importantly, his royalty share had increased to 20%. As long as "The Lord of the Rings" and "William's Fairy Tales" sold as well as "A Song of Ice and Fire," the money he would earn would far exceed the income from "A Song of Ice and Fire."

Thinking about this, Jin Xuntao couldn't help but chuckle, which caught the little one's attention from the back seat.

Seeing his daughter's curious face in the rearview mirror, Jin Xuntao suppressed his laughter and turned on the car's CD player to play some classical music for her, diverting her attention.

It was already close to noon, and the traffic on the highway from Los Angeles to Monica was not heavy, unlike the morning rush.

So, Jin Xuntao drove very quickly, entering the city limits of Santa Monica after 20 minutes. He then drove off the highway and onto the road leading to the beach community.

On the way, Jin Xuntao stopped at the largest chain supermarket in the country, [Gel], to buy some food and items needed for Halloween before continuing his drive home.

With a car, Jin Xuntao could buy a lot of things at once, unlike before when he could only buy a little each time.

Of course, this was also due to the significant improvement in his financial situation.

At the supermarket, Jin Xuntao bought several high-end steaks, some seasonings, fruits and vegetables, skim milk, and other foods. He also bought items like jack-o'-lanterns, scarecrows, vampire masks, children's and adult Halloween costumes, and dozens of bags of candy.

Parking the car in front of his house, Jin Xuntao got out and lifted his daughter from the back seat. After opening the door and placing her in the living room, he began to move all the items from the trunk into the house.

The little one was very well-behaved, sitting quietly in her 'eggshell' car seat, watching her father busily moving in and out.

After everything was done, Jin Xuntao finally freed the little one from the car seat, allowing her to play on the floor.

The little one crawled to the wall, used her small hands to support herself, and slowly stood up. She then began to shuffle towards the backyard.

In the past two months, the little one had developed quickly, growing several teeth and starting to walk.

Though her steps were unsteady, she could walk with the help of some support.

Jin Xuntao noticed that his daughter wanted to go to the back garden.

After all, in the back garden, the little one could hold onto the small wooden gate and play with people passing by, which was her favorite activity.

She was not at all shy and liked to play with anyone, as if they were old friends.

Jin Xuntao put the food in the refrigerator, leaving a pack of pasta for children aged 1 to 2 and a steak for lunch for himself and his daughter. He then walked over to his daughter.

Jin Xuntao did not pick her up because he knew that at this stage, it was important to let her practice walking on her own. So, he simply opened the door to the back garden and left it at that.

There were no sharp edges, so he didn't have to worry about her getting hurt. Besides, although Jin Xuntao doted on his daughter, he didn't want to spoil her too much.

Seeing her father open the door, the little one was clearly very happy.

"Daddy good!"

Yes, that means "Daddy is good," and Jin Xuntao understood.

Although his daughter could express herself simply, sometimes she spoke clearly, and sometimes she didn't.

So, Jin Xuntao had to work hard to understand her.

"Oh, opening the door means Daddy is good. What if I didn't open it?"

Jin Xuntao teased the little one.

The little one tilted her head, thought for a moment, and then responded to her father.

"Bad!" This word was very clear.

Well, what else could Jin Xuntao say?

Looking at the time, it was 11:05, and it was still a bit early to make lunch. So, Jin Xuntao took his laptop from the living room and went to the backyard with his daughter. The little one, as usual, went to the small wooden gate in the garden, holding onto it and looking outside, hoping to see someone to play with.

However, the little one chose the wrong time. There were few people on the beach at this hour, as most people were either at work or school, so she didn't see many people.

In the end, the little one had to give up on this hobby and interest and wobbled over to the other side of the garden to play with the toys there.

The entire backyard was filled with a large number of children's toys that Jin Xuntao had bought. He even placed a large plastic slide for his daughter to play with.

It had to be said that with money, Jin Xuntao was indeed very good to his daughter.

Jin Xuntao, holding his laptop, walked to the lounge chair under the porch and lay down, enjoying the warm sea breeze in the cool shade. It was a pleasant time.

Jin Xuntao turned on his computer and went online.

Connecting to the internet, he opened a webpage and typed in "U.S. Novel Sales Ranking," finding the page he needed.

Clicking and opening the link, he found the 2015 ranking and carefully looked it over. Jin Xuntao discovered that his novel was indeed ranked quite low.

This issue's list included 200 best-selling novels, and his "A Song of Ice and Fire" was ranked 198th, almost at the bottom.

However, thinking about what Dave had said, his novel had only been on sale for less than two months and had already made the list, which was a good achievement.

Indeed, Jin Xuntao had only received his first month's royalty, and the sales for this month would be settled at the end of the month, with the second month's royalty to be received afterward.

Even so, in less than two months, his "A Song of Ice and Fire" had entered the 2015 bestseller list. What more could he be dissatisfied with?

If this trend continued, his "A Song of Ice and Fire" would definitely rank higher next year.

Closing the webpage, Jin Xuntao opened a video website and watched a few funny videos to amuse himself.

Watching the bizarre and funny self-shot videos from Texas, Jin Xuntao couldn't help but smile, admiring the creativity of the Texas fat guys.

Now, Jin Xuntao's life had stabilized, and his financial situation had greatly improved. He and his daughter were on track.

As long as he didn't ruin it himself, this stable and peaceful life could continue indefinitely.

In contrast to Jin Xuntao's peaceful and prosperous life, a certain woman's days were becoming increasingly difficult.

---

Ugh!

In the luxurious bathroom, Annie's face was pale, and she was vomiting uncontrollably. These days, her life had been anything but easy.

The artificial insemination in July had been over three months, and she was now experiencing pregnancy symptoms.

The old butler Nord stood by, his face full of concern, while a maid bent down and gently patted Annie's back, hoping to ease her pain.

"Do all women have to go through such a painful period during pregnancy? I'm starting to regret it."

When the feeling of nausea subsided, Annie finally regained some energy. With the maid's help, she stood up and, with a bitter expression, expressed her feelings to the old butler Nord.

Nord, of course, knew that Annie's words couldn't be taken seriously.

Although she had been pregnant for over three months and could still have a solution if she regretted it, Annie showed no such intention, indicating that she was just speaking offhandedly and couldn't be taken seriously.

However, she was being severely affected by the pregnancy symptoms, which was why she said such things.

"Miss, your pregnancy symptoms are much more severe than average, but this is normal. Some women experience such conditions during pregnancy, while others have no symptoms at all."

Nord, the old bachelor, didn't know how to respond to Annie's words, but the maid who was supporting her came to his rescue.

The maid had given birth before and was more experienced in this area.

Annie looked at the maid and asked uncertainly, "Is that true? I envy those who don't have pregnancy symptoms."

The maid smiled and nodded, "Of course, I have three children, so I know a lot about this."

Wow!

A mother of three, her experience was far beyond Annie's.

"Then, were your pregnancy symptoms severe?" Annie asked curiously.