Chapter 44

"Yang, you don’t need to say anything more. I disagree. You don’t have to be in a difficult position; just push all the responsibility onto me. I don’t care!"

In recent days, the online criticism has been intense, and the mainstream media can no longer pretend to be blind. With the Kōdansha dismissing the involved overseas executives under alternative pretexts, Ai Man Culture is under great pressure.

During dinner, the CEOs of Ai Man Culture and several other manga companies contacted Yang Linfei, proposing a peaceful resolution to the matter.

Their reasons were very grand and noble. They said it was to prevent the Chinese manga from losing the public’s confidence and to avoid harming excellent Chinese manga authors. In short, for the future of Chinese manga, they suggested quickly calming this storm.

They hoped that Feiyang Publishing and Mai Zi would simultaneously issue a statement, declaring that this incident was a misunderstanding. Ai Man Culture would strictly manage its internal systems, promote "Hana Otoko" and "Naruto," and strive to make Mai Zi a representative figure of Chinese manga.

Mai Xiaoyu’s experience in the manga industry is not an isolated case; it’s also common in the screenwriting world, considered one of the unwritten rules. It’s just that he was too cunning, recording the conversation in advance; and his luck was good, with "Naruto" being valued by Shueisha, he was inadvertently drawn into the struggle between two major Japanese manga giants.

Otherwise, try to make a fuss and see what happens?

Crushed in a moment!

Now that his fame has been hyped up and "Hana Otoko" has become popular, it’s time to know when to stop, or he will become a public enemy of the Chinese manga industry.

Such a big hat was thrown at him, and Yang Linfei found it hard to resist, so he contacted Mai Xiaoyu to ask for his opinion.

Mai Xiaoyu’s response was very firm—absolutely not!

You want to take advantage of me, go ahead.

You say I plagiarized, so I did.

You say to cancel my eligibility, so it’s canceled.

You say to boycott, so it’s boycotted.

What did I say?

Now that the situation has reversed, you feel the pressure and want peace...

You want peace, and it’s peace?

You say it’s a misunderstanding, and it’s a misunderstanding?

Do you think you are who?

And you’re trying to lecture me, using high moral principles to pressure me...

Can you represent Chinese manga?

What were you doing when you were imposing these unwritten rules on me?

Now, do "Hana Otoko" and "Naruto" need your promotion?

Besides, I don’t want to be a representative figure of Chinese manga!

Clean up your own mess; I’m already being magnanimous by not continuing to beat a dead horse. You still expect me to issue a statement saying it was a misunderstanding?

Do you really think I’m a saint, offering my other cheek after being slapped on one?

After hanging up the phone, Mai Xiaoyu sighed lightly.

The old saying goes, "Pursue the enemy to the bitter end." This Yang Linfei is still a bit indecisive, but his daughter’s character is not like his.

Indeed, it’s a novel, how coincidental.

When leaving the internet cafe tonight, Mai Xiaoyu bumped into Yang Mi.

The little girl has a good memory, still remembering his deliberate bad-mouthing of "Hana Otoko" and "Naruto" in the bar. Recognizing him, she pulled him and wouldn’t let him go, incessantly criticizing and educating him, insisting that he apologize to Mai Zi online.

Yes, just like the demand that "everyone owes Mai Zi an apology."

Apologizing to myself... Mai Xiaoyu was both amused and exasperated.

To shut Yang Mi up, Mai Xiaoyu offered to treat her to a late-night snack.

Yang Mi’s eyes twinkled, and she readily agreed.

At the street stall, she ordered the most expensive dishes, regardless of whether they could finish them, clearly seeking revenge. Halfway through the meal, Mai Xiaoyu received a call from her father, Yang Linfei.

After the call, Mai Xiaoyu returned to the stall, lit a cigarette, and handed a napkin to Yang Mi, whose mouth was greasy.

Yang Mi took it casually and said, biting into a grilled chicken wing, "I thought you’d run away."

"Is that necessary? How much could it cost?"

The new 30-second advertisement for Ice Valley Orchard was completed on time and passed the inspection. Ice Valley Company had already negotiated the advertising slots with the target provincial TV stations, and the ground promotion plan was ready with personnel in place, waiting for the ad to air and start the large-scale promotion.

The one million yuan creative fee naturally came in, and according to the 80-20 distribution principle, Mai Xiaoyu received 800,000 yuan.

In addition, there were the substantial royalties from two manga series. According to the contract, he had to submit one volume of about 200 pages per month, earning over 400,000 yuan in monthly royalties. In an era when the average annual salary in Yanjing was around 40,000 yuan, Mai Xiaoyu had clearly joined the ranks of the wealthy and handsome.

The 250,000 US dollars arrived, and Aunt Song’s surgery was successful, with her condition stable. A few days ago, he had gathered another one million yuan and transferred it to Wu Guodong’s account, so Aunt Song’s medical expenses were no longer a concern.

In recent years, Mai Xiaoyu had never been as wealthy as he is now.

"Boss, five more skewers of squid!" After finishing the grilled chicken wing, Yang Mi put down the skewer and opened a bottle of beer, "Let’s drink to celebrate Mai Zi’s vindication and the booming sales of 'Hana Otoko'!"

In the previous call, Yang Linfei had already told Mai Xiaoyu about the sales of this issue of "Feiyang · Youth" — starting low but ending high, the sales were incredible.

In the first three days, only about 30,000 copies were sold, and some advertisers had already approached Feiyang Publishing to discuss terminating their contracts. In the last two days, the situation changed dramatically, with 500,000 copies sold out, setting a new sales record, and the latest sales figures were still increasing.

The price increase of two yuan was no big deal; even the 300,000 unsold copies from the previous issue were being snapped up, and the advertisers who wanted to terminate their contracts were regretting it bitterly.

Such a low start and high finish sales curve is unheard of in the publishing industry.

An anonymous industry expert analyzed that this wasn’t entirely due to Mai Zi and "Hana Otoko," but also because of the recent intense online hype. Once the hype cools down, the sales of "Feiyang · Youth" might plummet sharply.

Yes, just like the stock market.

Yang Linfei and his wife didn’t pay much attention to this analysis. They would deal with the future when it came; now was the best time to build the brand of "Feiyang · Youth"!

The couple hadn’t been home for several days. One was at the publishing house, answering calls from sales agents across the country; the other was at the printing factory, ensuring timely communication to ensure quality and speed in printing. That’s why Yang Mi had the chance to go online and support Mai Zi and "Hana Otoko" at the internet cafe with her classmates.

This little girl is probably my first loyal fan.

Having fans feels... pretty good.

Mai Xiaoyu smiled.

Because of his profession, he couldn’t tell Yang Mi the truth, so he picked up the beer and poured it for both of them: "Here’s to the booming sales of 'Hana Otoko.'"

"Uncle, you finally said something human. Cheers!"

They clinked glasses and drank.

Mai Xiaoyu finished his drink in one gulp, while Yang Mi only took a small sip.

Huh?

Mai Xiaoyu frowned.

Yang Mi had already taken the beer and refilled it for him, "Let’s do three more rounds!"

Clunk, clunk, clunk.

Mai Xiaoyu drank three rounds, while Yang Mi only took three small sips, less than a third.

When Yang Mi refilled his glass again, Mai Xiaoyu smiled and asked, "Little fox, you’re not trying to get me drunk, are you?"

"Ugh, you’re the fox!" Yang Mi wrinkled her nose, "Uncle, you’re my dad’s friend and my senior. How could I dare to get you drunk?"

"Really?"

"Of course, it’s true. Uncle, I’ll toast you again. You finish it, and I’ll drink as I please. I’m the junior and a girl, you can’t be so picky, right?"

Seeing Mai Xiaoyu drink it all down, a cunning light flashed in Yang Mi’s fox-like eyes.