Chapter 97

In the private room at Donglai Shun, the copper pot for hotpot was bubbling with steam, while the air conditioner on the wall was blowing cold air. Mai Xiaoyu was eating lamb slices alone, while Yang Linfei was engrossed in reading "Why Not Sing in Silence."

"This book..." Yang Linfei finished reading "Why Not" in one breath, looked up, and hesitated to speak.

Mai Xiaoyu asked, "How is it?"

"It's hard to say, it's different from the usual urban romance novels."

"Can it be published?"

Of course it can!

Feiyang Publishing mainly focuses on urban romance novels and has its own judgment in this genre. Due to its limited resources, it struggles to attract top authors, but its judgment on such novels is definitely professional.

In Yang Linfei's view, "Why Not" differs from the mainstream urban romance novels of the time. It's more like an adult version of a "Cinderella" fairy tale.

In the story of Cinderella and the prince, it bridges the gap between school and society, dreams and reality, love and marriage, resolving all conflicts perfectly at the end. The happy ending has a healing effect.

Yang Linfei had been so engrossed in reading "Why Not" that he only realized a couple of hours had passed, and his stomach was growling with hunger.

Without worrying about being impolite, he picked up a piece of lamb from the hotpot with his chopsticks, dipped it in some sauce, and chewed it quickly.

The fire had long since died out, and the lamb was a bit cold and tough, but Yang Linfei didn't care; a fire was burning in his heart!

Based on his years of experience, "Why Not" had the potential to cause a sensation among young people, especially girls. If his judgment was correct, Feiyang Publishing would welcome its third major hit this year!

"Should we publish it immediately?" Yang Linfei asked vaguely.

"No, we need to hype it first."

"Isn't the author Xiao Mai?"

"It is him."

"Then why do we need to hype it?"

In Yang Linfei's view, "Ghost Blows Out the Light" was a huge success because of an initial misjudgment of the market, leading to stockouts in many places. With the momentum from "Ghost Blows Out the Light," does Xiao Mai's new book "Why Not Sing in Silence" still need hype?

"I need this book to cause a sensation in the short term, and I want Xiao Mai's Weibo to gain over ten million followers like Mai Zi."

Yang Linfei: "..."

What's going on?

Yang Linfei thought for a moment, "This... might not be easy."

For Mai Zi's Weibo to gain over ten million followers in a short time, the popularity of "Flower Boy" and the strong promotion by Feiyang Publishing were only part of the reason.

The main reason was the sensational conflict between the Chinese and Japanese manga industries. Using the power of the internet, Mai Zi was shaped into a representative of Chinese manga against Japanese manga, elevating him to a god-like status. Even those who hadn't read "Flower Boy" might have heard of Mai Zi's name and deeds.

But Xiao Mai... lacks this prerequisite!

Even if he and Mai Zi's Weibo accounts were mutually followed, leveraging Mai Zi's popularity, it would be impossible for Xiao Mai's Weibo to gain ten million followers in a short time.

Mai Xiaoyu smiled and lowered his voice, "I have a plan, do you think it will work..."

A few minutes later, with Yang Linfei's eyes wide open in amazement, Mai Xiaoyu finished explaining his hype strategy, "What do you think of this hype method?"

What do I think?

You're a pro!

To come up with such a hype method, you must be incredibly talented!

If I had learned this hype method a few years ago, Feiyang Publishing wouldn't be in its current state!

An old hand in the publishing industry met a newcomer, only to find that this newcomer was even more experienced than the old hand.

Following Mai Xiaoyu's hype method, as long as the book's content wasn't terrible, any book could become popular. Using this method to hype "Why Not," it might be possible for Xiao Mai's Weibo to gain ten million followers in a short time after its creation.

Yang Linfei's face was marked with a big "服" (impressed), and he asked, "Mr. Mai, what exactly do you do?"

"Hehe, is it settled then?"

"It's settled. Let's meet at Bi Feng Tang tomorrow, and I'll bring the contract. The terms for 'Why Not Sing in Silence' will be the same as 'Ghost Blows Out the Light.' Is that okay?"

15% royalty, settled every three months!

Three months... Mai Xiaoyu couldn't wait that long, and the three-month royalty wouldn't reach two million.

"Mr. Yang, there's something I need your help with."

"Don't mention it, you're my benefactor. Just say what you need."

"Loan me two million."

Uh...

After investing one million in "My Sassy Girl," Mai Xiaoyu only had about ten thousand left. The royalties for the two manga would only be received next month, and most of it would be reserved for Aunt Song's medical expenses.

As for the company... the company's account rarely held much money; in the past, it was distributed as soon as it was received. After deciding to seriously enter the entertainment industry, the three of them put a bit more in, but that was only about two to three hundred thousand. Including the usual "Mengren" startup funds, the total was less than five hundred thousand.

Neither he personally nor the company could come up with the one and a half million needed for the film production.

"No problem, when do you need it, Mr. Mai?" Yang Linfei agreed readily.

Mai Xiaoyu was Feiyang Publishing's benefactor; "Flower Boy" was preparing for a single-volume release; the royalties for "Ghost Blows Out the Light" hadn't been settled yet, so Mai Xiaoyu's repayment ability was unquestionable.

Moreover, Yang Linfei believed that Mai Xiaoyu had brought the second volume of "Ghost Blows Out the Light" and the new work "Why Not" tonight to alleviate his concerns about the loan. Although it wasn't necessary, this approach was very considerate, and such a person was a man of principle.

"The sooner, the better, I have an urgent need."

"I can give it to you when we sign the contract tomorrow, is that okay?"

"Sure, thank you, Mr. Yang."

"I should be the one thanking you. Thanks to you, our publishing house has come this far..."

The next morning, the two met at Bi Feng Tang.

They signed the publishing contract for "Why Not Sing in Silence" and went to the bank together. Yang Linfei transferred two million to Mai Xiaoyu's account, and Mai Xiaoyu gave him a promissory note for two million, with his fingerprint, thus securing the film's startup funds!

With the funds in place, the script had also been created during the seclusion period, but it still needed some revisions.

"Old Boy," a micro-film in a dream, had a very low budget and was very popular online with high click rates, but it didn't meet the criteria for cinema screening. Whether in the dream or in reality, it didn't fit.

No cinema would be willing to screen a 42-minute film, so the script had to be revised.

Using the micro-film "Old Boy" as a framework, the script was renamed "I Believe," with the plot expanded to lengthen the film and unnecessary scenes cut. The differences between the dream world and reality also needed to be addressed.

For example, the global superstar Michael Jackson in the dream... doesn't exist in reality.

That afternoon, Mengren Film held its first full-staff meeting. Everyone except Xiao Xing and Liu Tao was present, and they all discussed the script for Mengren Film's first movie, "I Believe"!