Chapter Thirty-Two: Urgency

As the smear campaign against "Those Affairs of the Ming Dynasty" intensified, Wei Lian and Zhou Changxing had already completed the promotion of the NC County Internet Café Management System.

In just two days, aside from the initial five computer rooms that had tried out the system, the remaining seven or eight computer rooms all installed Zhou Xuan’s Internet café management system. As a result, Zhou Xuan received more than forty thousand yuan, and after allocating fifteen thousand yuan to Wei Lian for promotional expenses, he deposited the remaining funds, together with his previous savings—amounting to a total of one hundred thousand yuan—into a separate bank account.

This bank account was intended for registering a company in the provincial capital, and it would later become the corporate account.

Wei Lian and Zhou Changxing set out early on the sixth, enduring five or six hours of bumpy travel before finally arriving in the provincial capital at four in the afternoon. The two first checked into a hotel to rest. The next day, Third Uncle Zhou Changxing began to survey the computer rooms in Rong City, while Wei Lian took charge of recruiting business promoters and registering the company.

According to Zhou Xuan’s plan, it was time to establish Universal Technology Co., Ltd. Having a company would make business negotiations smoother and prevent others from looking down on them. It would also reassure both business and finance staff.

On the seventh, Wei Xiyue and the president implemented the strategy they had discussed. Leveraging various connections and resources through the publishing house, they were determined to curb the negative trend.

First, Xiling Publishing House reached out to friendly newspapers such as "South China Evening News," "New City Express," and "Sanjiang Daily," offering compensation and favors to have these papers publish positive reports about "Those Affairs of the Ming Dynasty." They also arranged for reporters to visit major bookstores and interview readers, highlighting their appreciation and praise for the book.

This way, the wave of criticism stirred up by Northern Publishing House was somewhat suppressed. People who had not read the book saw both positive and negative opinions, leaving them uncertain whom to believe.

Yet, as more and more people read the book and word spread, its reputation and sales actually began to rise amid the heated debate. At the same time, other top domestic publishing houses secretly exerted influence, stirring the waters further. The controversy became so lively that it turned into a nationwide discussion, and the pen name Zhou Zixuan became widely known across China.

Although Xiling Publishing House didn’t have as many resources as Northern Publishing House, and other leading publishers were subtly suppressing them, their momentum couldn’t match the North’s.

Still, the public’s rebellious attitude and the book’s reputation filled the gap. The two sides went back and forth, evenly matched, which was exactly what Zhou Xuan and Xiling Publishing House wanted to see.

In the southwest and southern provinces, "Those Affairs of the Ming Dynasty" experienced another sales frenzy. On February 6th, due to Northern Publishing House’s sudden attack, sales were only sixty-five thousand copies. But on the seventh, thanks to the ongoing controversy, sales broke the one hundred thousand mark. It was safe to say the book had firmly secured its place as a super bestseller, certain to rank among the top three for the year.

On the afternoon of the seventh, Zhou Xuan was helping out at the clothing store when he received a call from Zhongzhou Publishing House. To his surprise, their chief editor Yan Ling had already arrived in Rongzhou and would reach NC County in an hour.

Zhou Xuan was puzzled by Zhongzhou Publishing House’s sudden visit. Even if they wanted to discuss the publication of "The Love of Hawthorn Tree" and "Ten Miles of Spring Wind Not as Good as You," it shouldn’t be so urgent.

At three in the afternoon, Zhou Xuan met Chief Editor Yan Ling at a riverside teahouse.

Yan Ling was about forty, dressed smartly, with the air of a powerful businesswoman. When she saw Zhou Xuan, a flash of surprise crossed her eyes, quickly replaced by a smile. “I didn’t expect the historian we admire to be so young—what a shock. Hello, I’m Yan Ling, chief editor of Zhongzhou Publishing House.”

Zhou Xuan had grown immune to others’ surprise at his youth, but he still felt curious about Zhongzhou’s eagerness to acquire the rights to "The Love of Hawthorn Tree."

“Chief Editor Yan, you flatter me. I’m equally astonished that you traveled so far to Rongzhou today.”

Yan Ling laughed. “With ‘Those Affairs of the Ming Dynasty’ taking the stage, who can compete? If we don’t move quickly, and another publisher snags the rights to ‘The Love of Hawthorn Tree,’ we’ll regret it forever.” She was full of admiration for both "Those Affairs of the Ming Dynasty" and "The Love of Hawthorn Tree."

Zhou Xuan nodded, delighted by Yan Ling and her publishing house’s optimism about "The Love of Hawthorn Tree." Yet he remained deeply suspicious of her urgency. He sensed there were hidden factors at play.

He gazed meaningfully at Yan Ling, as if trying to glean something from her eyes. But he failed; for all his insight, he was still too inexperienced to outmaneuver a seasoned veteran like her.

“So, what are your publishing house’s terms for ‘The Love of Hawthorn Tree’? You should know, no fewer than ten publishers have approached me about it in recent days.” Since he couldn’t figure it out, he decided to hear Zhongzhou’s offer.

Yan Ling, brimming with confidence, took a simple letter of intent from her bag. “Zhou Xuan, our publishing house is very optimistic about ‘The Love of Hawthorn Tree.’ With the publication of ‘Those Affairs of the Ming Dynasty,’ your reputation is soaring, and our monthly novel magazine’s sales are rising too. I want to thank you! I believe ‘The Love of Hawthorn Tree’ will sell just as well. Furthermore, the company unanimously believes the story is perfect for adaptation into film. After publishing, we’ll use our connections to speed up the process.”

Looking at the letter of intent and listening to Yan Ling’s words, Zhou Xuan finally understood what she wanted. Zhongzhou was offering a very high royalty rate—twenty percent—but insisted on acquiring the film and television rights.

In other words, they wanted ten-year exclusive publishing and adaptation rights for "The Love of Hawthorn Tree" in exchange for a twenty percent royalty.

For most writers, such a high royalty would be cause for celebration. After all, film and television rights are hard to sell; out of countless works each year, few are adapted.

But Zhou Xuan knew for certain that Zhang Yimou would make a film adaptation, and after its release, it would rake in 160 million at the box office, breaking the record for art films.

How could Zhou Xuan possibly sell the film rights to "The Love of Hawthorn Tree" to someone else?

“I’m sorry, and thank you for your interest. But I absolutely cannot let go of the film and television rights to ‘The Love of Hawthorn Tree.’”

Yan Ling was astounded, disbelief written on her face. “Zhou Xuan, you’re unwilling?”

“Yes, you can publish the book, but the film and television rights are not for sale.”

Yan Ling pressed urgently, “You must realize, a twenty percent royalty is unheard of except for the top few writers in China. And the film rights are only a possibility—there’s no guarantee any director will take an interest or that any company will invest. If the publisher is to manage the adaptation, then the rights must be transferred.”

“Oh? Is that so?” Zhou Xuan looked at Yan Ling with a half-smile.