Translator: Xiaoxi
————————————————————————————————————————————————–
[Monkey Invited Water Army: QAQ going to work is so hard, so angry.]
[Disappearing L Jun: Are you really angry? Same, I also just got angered by someone to the extent that I couldn’t breath properly…just encountered a peak career battle, you can only go down before you hit the bottom.]
[Monkey Invited Water Army: You actually have a career!]
[Disappearing L Jun: You are the type that has ‘Online Dating’ hanging from their lips, who knows what ancient tomb you crawled out from. Even you have a career, why can’t I have one?]
[Monkey Invited Water Army: Oh, language is so strong, looks like you must be really angry ah.]
[Disappearing L Jun: Of course, super angry. Forgive me for being blunt, I currently can even be angry with air.]
[Monkey Invited Water Army: ….]
She didn’t get the comforting that she wanted from L Jun, in fact she bullshitted two extra phrases which also angered him to the extent that he could be angry with air. She stood in front of the first floor of Yuan Yue Publishing, only then did she put her phone away, take a deep breath and lower her head to enter the office.
…She didn’t know why but she felt that something was wrong, Chu Li felt that when she walked into the office area, it got really quiet. When she raised her head and walked to her spot, Lao Miao who sat next to her suddenly chuckled: “You only left to go out station just before, why are you back already? A standard return speed.”
The people in the office were watching attentively while they did their jobs, in fact Chu Li could tell that they had perked their ears up to listen. Chu Li took out the contract from her bag, jokingly laughed at Lao Miao: “I didn’t even have the opportunity to have Zhou Chuan throw the contract at my face.”
Lao Miao’s laugh faltered: “Did he let out the dog to bite you?”
Chu Li glanced at Lao Miao, cautiously reminding him: “It’s an Alaskan not a Tibetan Mastiff.”
Lao Miao: “They look the same.”
Chu Li: “Not at all alike.”
Lao Miao: “What did Zhou Chuan say?”
Chu Li thought for a bit, before raising her lips mockingly to imitate the arrogant tone of the man behind the big metal gate: “45 thousand initial copies, who are you humiliating ah? Treating me as a beggar huh?”
Lao Miao turned his head haha’ing crazily, even the few other people in the office laughed with him, the new people in the editorial department didn’t dare laugh too loudly, they only laughed a little so that their little faces were red. Chu Li could not tell what the joke was, she only felt like crying. She placed the contract on the table before in a small voice: “Lao Miao, what you said makes me feel that I didn’t do a good job– Zhou Chuan Dashen’s gate wasn’t even opened, the dog that he owns is more affectionate than he is by ten thousand times.”
Lao Miao: “Was he very fierce?”
Chu Li: “Very Fierce.”
Afterall, [Long Yang 18 Moves].
Lao Miao turned around on his chair, playing with the marker in his hand: “Then you don’t know how to negotiate.”
Chu Li: “…”
Look at how amazing you make yourself sound, since you know how to do it then you go ah! Go back and meet that crazy! Face to face!
Chu Li silently endured her anger.
Lao Miao ignored Chu Li’s silence full of resisting emotions, and bounced up and down on the chair, raised his legs and said lazily: “You really don’t know much about the Publishing Industry, you also don’t know a thing about how to deal with these types of writers. I really want to know why boss (Yu Yao) recruited you? (Yu Yao: “Due to her passion.”) due to passion? Boss your words are making me puke, its not like she is a Japanese Main female lead that can only use her passion to win the reader’s hearts. Okay. Come over and have a seat here child. Today, on the basis that I am your senior I will give you some advice in negotiating–”
Chu Li: “….”
Chu Li told herself that this is the helplessness of the adult world, she could not lift the chair with the person who was not bearing his responsibility but still trying to educate her. This is because the person in question didn’t seem too reliable, he was also her superior, her senior, the person giving her advice… She could only sigh and sit down to listen to what Lao Miao had to say.
The strange thing was, Lao Miao really released a lot of dry goods. He first chose to talk to Chu Li about the current Publishing circle’s situation.
Firstly, writers remuneration formula is: Initial copies multiplied by the price multiplied by royalty points (a few points is a percentage) this equals final remuneration.
Year 2013, the publishing circle’s current situation is generally focussed on romance novels, books about youth have the initial prints of 8 thousand to 50 thousand, we give writers about 6 to 8%, generally more than 20000 is done by romance novel gods, those small time writers have about 8000, sometimes these small writers might get bullied. There are publishing firms who spend 3000 to 5000 to buy the publishing rights but do not give remuneration.
A sales figure of over 20 000 is already considered a best seller.
Online, the typical initial copies 100 thousand to 300 thousand copies are also possible, these writer’s have a remuneration 15% at most, except the whole country only has a few of these types of writers.
In other words the initial copies for the monthly magazines that Chu Li thought was a few hundred thousand was such a grand occasion, she really had a mentality of when it was 1913 rather than the present time of 2013.
Lao Miao: “Zhou Chuan has only just touched the bottom of the pyramid of people, this recent two years of initial copies have always been 80 to 100 thousand with a nine percent cut.”
Fuck, 80 to 100 thousand!
That’s almost two to three times more than 320 thousand!
Chu Li puked: “Then from the earliest 32 thousand how do we keep on negotiating? No wonder he was angered to that extent, how did Zhou Chuan not set the Yuan Yue Publishing House on fire and watch it burn..? With Zhou Chuan’s personal phone number I should give him an apology: “Zhou Chuan Laoshi, my apology.”
Lao Miao: “Do you know what contrast creates beauty? This is the negotiation technique that I wanted to teach you– we are a new magazine, although the Publishing house is quite old. However, we are new to the publishing of Oriental Fantasy youth novels, we give most writers 8 thousand, if you like it then we’ll produce if not then scram. But we gave Zhou Chuan 32 thousand… then we added more to make it 45 thousand.”
Lao Miao: “Do you know what the consequences are? If we gave him 100 thousand with ten percent then he’s sitting pretty– if each book is sold for 35 yuan, we would give him 350 thousand in publishing remuneration! 350 thousand people! We also still have to bear about 22-25% of the cost for each book, you do the math yourself think of how much money that is. We are a publishing how, our boss is a businessman not a Lu Xun (name of a famous novelist). Business people want to profit, we are not a dream welfare agency, the boss pays you a salary which lets you eat, if you give all the money to provide for Zhou Chuan’s dream, what will you eat?”
Chu Li: “…..”
Lao Miao: “Isn’t it very meaningful?”
Chu Li: “…”
Bullshit.
Lao Miao: “Therefore, the initial prints are at 45 thousand, our company has a sincere heart, the sun and moon can bear witness.”
Lao Miao: “You should tell Zhou Chuan this, his treatment is already better than other writers by several times, in the face of money whose heart won’t be moved. You go and draw him a cake (feed him empty promises), tell him that our Publishing firm a new project, we will use all our efforts to help him sell this book well. When the good sales come wont adding more copies be the same? You see if you say this he will be moved and might change his decision…”
Chu Li’s face darkened with question marks.
Lao Miao: “Okay I’m done teaching, you can go try again tomorrow.”
With editor-in-chief Yu Yao taking the lead, the office suddenly burst into a thunderous applause, and only Chu Li continued the black question mark face.
She kept on feeling that Lao Miao couldn’t wait to see her getting thrashed by Zhou Chuan, before sending the contract via post.
…………………….she also did not know what the revenge between colleagues was either.
…
This did not stop Chu Li from standing in front of Zhou Chuan’s house door and pressing the doorbell.
It was her luck that it seemed that Zhou Chuan had woken up early and wasn’t still getting up. Therefore ten minutes later Chu Li smoothly entered his house to sit on his sofa. The unlucky thing was that after he opened the door he proceeded to make his coffee and drink his coffee before answering and reading his emails. Apart from personally rewarding her with the coffee made by Dashen (himself) he sat Chu Li with Er Gou (his dog) and treated her as air.
Due to the publishing house’s lack of confidence Chu Li, Chu Li’s confidence also fell, she sat there with her head drooping on the sofa not daring to make a sound.
Until.
One hour later.
When Zhou Chuan finished drinking his coffee and reading his emails he turned around, spotting the little lady who sat on his sofa holding her head sitting side by side with the Alaskan whose appearance was exactly the same as hers. They both had the pitiful expression.
Zhou Chuan: “…”
After feeling the gaze of its owner, Er Gou raised his body and bumped the little lady beside it.
Chu Li: “…”
Zhou Chuan cleared his through in a not cold or warm voice: “Yesterday’s morning grumpiness… I didn’t scare you right?”
Chu Li: “…”
I’m scared, thank you.
Lao Zi can now see da da but you just want to go to the bathroom.
Chu Li denied her conscious and shook her head, she felt like this was Zhou Chuan voluntarily to start the conversation. It looked like there was a show so she moved her lips. After struggling for a while she felt that Lao Miao’s pie tricking technique would not work, she could only push the buns on the table in front of her. What she wanted to say quickly changed: “Laoshi, you should eat a bun, drinking coffee on an empty stomach in the morning is not good for the body. See now you have a cold.”
Zhou Chuan accepted one, looked at it and took a bite. The tea coloured eyes stared at Chu Li: “Not bad, thanks. But I still want to remind you that this bun is not worth hundreds of thousands of royalties.”
Chu Li: “….”
She lowered her head to look at initial contract in her hand, she slipped the contract to him hesitantly before sitting straight. She recounted Lao Miao’s story, as she spoke she felt more and more confident, she even started to believe it and without knowing it started drawing the pie: “Laoshi, you should just sign this book to us, give us an opportunity. We will definitely work really hard to publish this book, when it goes well don’t talk about 100 thousand copies, 200 thousand is also possible!”
Zhou Chuan grabbed the remaining buns and eat them. With a laugh: “….this big pie that you have painted… Do you think you are the god Ma Liang?” (name of a famous artist)
Chu Li: “…”
Da da with your current style if I take a photo and share it on Weibo it will be shared one million times it could crush Du Minjun from the stars, do you believe me? Bring up the topic #shocked! Make you popular! #Gentle and Warm as Jade Young Master Chuan’s real personality.
Unaware that he was being slandered, Zhou Chuan handed the remaining buns to Chu Li: “Eat.”
Chu Li looked at the buns in his hand, she felt that it was sprinkled with rat poison with wavy green hands: ” I have eaten already, I especially bought it for you, I can’t just come in empty handed.”
So she only brought two buns?
His eye brow raised, finally looking at the little lady sitting on the sofa properly: she is quite silly, but on the basis she brought the hot buns in his hands, why does she seem better than the old weirdo Lao Miao.
Especially the “especially bought for you” which sounded especially good to hear.
His attitude changed slightly to: “Little Lady, don’t waste time anymore, 45 thousand is too low, this isn’t the issue of money– if it came out I will become a laughing stock, Yuan Yue Publishing is a really big Publishing house, but if it was told to other people what would they say? They would only say that I Zhou Chuan did not want dignity and just want to clutch at this big thigh.”
It was hard enough to say something human, while the man spoke he constantly looked at the dog next to Chu Li. Er Gou jumped down from the sofa and came to sit next to his leg, he slowly fed the remaining bun that had gone cold into the big dogs mouth. The way that he treated his pet was extremely gently, and Chu Li stared at him….
Zhou Chuan’s words were carefully considered by Chu Li and there was something that wasn’t right… She noticed that the man that wasn’t sitting too far from her had a indifferent expression on his handsome face. It quickly changed to bewilderment as if she was grasping at his last life saving straw.
This life saving straw wasn’t given by Lao Miao that old sophistry, but by Zhou Chuan personally.
Chu Li suddenly though of something, Zhou Chuan was like this because he though that the low number of copies was an insult, and felt humiliated which resulted in his explosive temper, it should be because he was a prideful person.
And for these types of people….
Chu Li sat up straight: “However if the print run of 45 thousand was all sold, then the contract can be doubled, Laoshi you used to batch prints of a 100 thousand, unless you don’t have the confidence that you can do it again?
Zhou Chuan froze.
He raised his head ot glance at her, he his white teeth were revealed when he smiled: “trying to excite me huh?”
Chu Li was secretly abashed, moved her butt backwards, with the plan in full swing she couldn’t help wish that she could swipe that dog in for a hug to suppress her excitement. “I remember that you said that [Book of Luohe] is your new peak.”
Zhou Chuan had said this.
At this time he wanted to say it wasn’t, but if he did wouldn’t it be slapping himself.
Chu Li carefully watched the changes in his facial expression.
Unfortunately his face did not show any expression which revealed his mood.
Ten minutes passed, Zhou Chuan stood up, condescendingly looking down on the girl sitting on the sofa: “Of course I have faith in myself, but this can’t do, Yuan Yue Publishing doesn’t have the charm for me to accompany you guys in this farce—thank you for your buns, although my coffee isn’t cheap, Er Gou send the guest out.”
Er Gou: “Woof!”
Chu Li: “…”
Today’s Zhou Chuan was so godly.
Making people feel that they are thousands of kilometres away.
Chu Li knew that if she said anything she would only be disdained. She initially didn’t have much confidence, she could only stand up and placed her business card on the table along with the bullshit along the lines of if you change your mind please contact me at any time. And in front of the man she lowered her head and walked out.
When she finally walked out of that hell hole, she suddenly caught the glimpse of a familiar thing, she slowed down, before frowning and crouching down to take a look. She couldn’t help but reach her hand into the pile of old things and pulled out something that looked like a book.
With a glance it was very familiar cover and Chu Li was shocked silly, who knew that she could see something like this at Zhou Chuan’s house: ……..it was actually Cocoon lady’s people drawing set, in fact it was the signature edition of the top limited edition with special codes.
Chu Li jumped up and down with L Jun for four five days just to get this, every night she couldn’t sleep very well, and finally managed to grab one while wailing with L Jun at night, she was so moved she doubted herself….Until this collection of paintings later became the identity certificate of “The Cocoon Lady” fans.
–This book of drawings, why does Zhou Chuan have it?
Taking the book and staring back at Zhou Chuan and with unconcealed surprise she said: “Laoshi, you also like Cocoon…”
She didn’t manage to finish.
She witnessed with her own eyes as Zhou Chuan changed once again–
She saw the man instantly change expression and he supported the sofa with one hand and flew up and jumped over the sofa at a height comparable to Liu Xiang, and then transformed into Bolt, sprinted in front of her with a knife like a hundred meters, and grabbed the book!
…Chu Li had never seen such an agile otaku.
And at this time, the otaku’s indifferent expression was right in front of her, he quickly bent over to stuff the book back into the bin. “My niece likes it, when it was the holidays she came to my house to play–who knew that she left the pictures here, ha, even if I used it to wash my feet it isn’t worthy.”
After he finished speaking he sneezed.
His nose went red.
Chu Li was still in shock and didn’t come back, she could only stare incredulously at Zhou Chuan’s indifferently arrogant and scornful handsome face—
[I used it to wash my feet it isn’t worthy.]
[I used it to wash my feet it isn’t worthy.]
[I used it to wash my feet it isn’t worthy.]
Chu Li: “….”
Wow.
This dada, the literature world will become a little sakura?
————————————————————————————————————————————————–
Hello, if you like my work please consider donating some Kofi to a coffee deprived lil foxy. I will be posting early access Chapter’s on Kofi for members~~
