Chapter 96

When a clown suddenly turns serious and starts giving a long, heartfelt speech, there must be a deep-seated reason.

Zhang Xiaoquan, a seasoned veteran, understood the myriad difficulties involved in the process from filming to the release of a movie.

He didn’t want Mai Xiaoyu to lose money, and he was also afraid that the greater the hope, the greater the disappointment.

"Brother Cha, we’ve been partners for over two years. Do you think I’m the kind of person who acts impulsively without considering the consequences?"

After experiencing that strange dream, Mai Xiaoyu had a thorough understanding of how a movie operates and was well aware of the importance of promotion and theater scheduling. He had already thought of a solution the previous morning, which is why he dared to propose making a movie to break Qintian’s boycott!

"Yuer, what’s your plan? Do you have connections in promotion and theater scheduling?"

"Don’t ask so many questions. I said I would help you achieve your dream of being a cinematographer."

"I remember. When you first said that to me, all my savings went into your and Lao Guang’s pockets..."

"Do you want to take another bet? Even if you get cheated this time, you won’t lose anything."

Feeling Mai Xiaoyu’s strong confidence and recalling his various methods over the past two years, Zhang Xiaoquan pondered for a long time before slapping his thigh, "Let’s bet! I’ll gather the team right now. Damn it, isn’t it just about forming a crew? Watch me send out the call, and a thousand troops will come to my aid!"

Zhang Xiaoquan, who had been silent, went out to make phone calls, contacting the assistants and apprentices from various departments of the crew he had met before, all of whom were unfulfilled and frustrated.

He used to be a photography assistant, so his network was limited to that level.

Mai Xiaoyu once again entered a frenzied seclusion mode, activating the human photocopying machine to start a large-scale copying operation. He stayed at the company for five consecutive days, rarely leaving the office and not allowing anyone to disturb him.

Five days later, Mai Xiaoyu emerged from seclusion.

He greeted the company employees, picked up his thick briefcase, and left the company, driving home.

On the way, he stopped at a bookstore and asked the owner, "Do you have 'Ghost Blows Out the Light'?"

The owner pointed to a young girl nearby, "Sorry, the last copy was just bought by that lady."

The young girl held up her copy of 'Ghost Blows Out the Light' and smiled triumphantly, "I ran to several bookstores to get this one. Can’t your store stock more copies?"

The owner smiled with a mix of pride and regret, "Our store stocks more than most in this area. If you hadn’t come, you might still be able to buy it here. I should have stocked more. When I heard about it on the radio, I felt this novel was special."

As they were talking, a fat man pushed the door open and shouted, "Boss, is the second volume of 'Ghost Blows Out the Light' in stock?"

The owner’s forehead was covered in black lines, "Fatso, how many times have I told you? You need to ask the publisher, not me. You come here eight times a day, and I’m still waiting for the second volume!"

"Isn’t it a habit? Do you think I haven’t called the publisher?"

The owner and the girl both became interested, "Oh, what did the publisher say?"

"The publisher said..."

Mai Xiaoyu didn’t want to disturb them and quietly left, heading to another bookstore to buy 'Ghost Blows Out the Light'.

The girl was right; 'Ghost Blows Out the Light' was out of stock in many bookstores.

At a large bookstore, which probably had a relationship with Feiyang Publishing, they told Mai Xiaoyu that the publisher was reprinting and the new stock would arrive no later than the day after tomorrow. They suggested he pay in advance to reserve a copy to avoid missing out.

Ha, no need to reserve, I’m actually here to investigate.

Sales are good, and market feedback is positive. It’s time to set up a Weibo account for Xiao Mai.

After taking a shower at home, Mai Xiaoyu called Liu Tao.

Liu Tao didn’t know the company was under a boycott; she only knew from Li Xue that the company had signed a new talent and that Mai Xiaoyu was in seclusion.

She was worried about Mai Xiaoyu’s health and had called him several times, but he didn’t answer. He replied by text that he was preparing to launch the company’s flag and was very busy, asking her to focus on her acting and not worry about him.

They both reminded each other to take care of themselves on the phone. Later, the assistant director came to inform Liu Tao that it was time to shoot her scenes, and she reluctantly hung up.

Then Mai Xiaoyu contacted Yang Linfei, "Mr. Yang, are you free tonight? Let’s have dinner together."

"Sure, sure, I’ve been very busy lately... Anyway, let’s meet at Donglai Shun tonight. I’ll treat you, and you can’t fight me on this!" Yang Linfei sounded very happy and even sounded younger.

The sales of 'Ghost Blows Out the Light' were booming, creating a new genre of tomb-raiding novels, which surprised many people.

Initially, some people, unable to enjoy the grapes, criticized 'Ghost Blows Out the Light' for being a fabricated and meaningless work, only good for hype. But as it became a hit everywhere, these voices disappeared, and they started to follow the trend.

After the call, Yang Linfei asked his secretary to reserve a private room at Donglai Shun. He arrived early and waited for Mai Xiaoyu outside.

Seeing Mai Xiaoyu get out of the car, he walked over quickly, holding Mai Xiaoyu’s hand affectionately, which made Mai Xiaoyu feel very uncomfortable.

Yang Linfei laughed, "What’s the problem? You’re my benefactor!"

Mai Zhi’s 'Flower Boy' saved the nearly defunct 'Feiyang Youth' and revived Feiyang Publishing. Now, Xiao Mai’s 'Ghost Blows Out the Light' had rejuvenated Feiyang Publishing in the book publishing sector.

"Mr. Mai, can you guess the current sales of 'Ghost Blows Out the Light'?"

While eating hotpot and enjoying the air conditioning, Yang Linfei excitedly asked Mai Xiaoyu, acting a bit like a child.

Mai Xiaoyu shook his head, "I can’t guess."

"This number!" Yang Linfei held up three fingers.

"Thirty thousand?"

"Three hundred thousand!"

"Only three hundred thousand?"

"It’s over three hundred thousand! That’s the statistic from yesterday. I estimate that in two more days, the sales will definitely exceed four hundred thousand!"

"That’s not much."

Yang Linfei was speechless and explained, "Mr. Mai, you don’t understand the book publishing industry. 'Ghost Blows Out the Light' has only been on the market for a short time, and this performance is already very good. Although it hasn’t broken any sales records, at this rate, breaking the million mark is just a matter of time."

"To be honest, I don’t want to make you laugh, but among all the young romance books our publishing house has published over the years, the best-selling one is a supernatural book, which is your 'Ghost Blows Out the Light'."

"When do you plan to release the second volume? My wife is a big fan of your books, especially 'Ghost Blows Out the Light'. She keeps asking me and even jokes that I should adjust our publishing direction and focus on supernatural books in the future..."

Mai Xiaoyu took out a stack of printouts from his briefcase and pushed them to Yang Linfei.

'Ghost Blows Out the Light 2: Dragon Ridge Maze'!

Yang Linfei’s eyes lit up, and he picked up the printouts as if they were a treasure, "The second volume? Planning to release it early?"

"There’s no rush. We’ll still follow the previously agreed schedule of one volume per season. Take a look at this first." As he spoke, Mai Xiaoyu took out another stack of manuscripts.

"'What If I Stay'? This is... an urban romance novel?"

As the page turned, the AD began.

As the page turned, the AD ended.