On the other side.
Hou was dragging Brother Hao to the restroom, wiping the coffee stain on his jacket, "What’s going on with you, Brother Hao?"
Brother Hao had always been Hou’s boss.
He was also the backbone of Fries Novel and Mars Novels.
He should have been the epitome of leadership, yet now his demeanor lacked any such indication, which was somewhat startling to others.
Brother Hao took a deep breath, "I don’t know why, but when I saw that guy across from me, I felt uneasy."
Hou was perplexed, "That shouldn’t be the case. The young man opposite looks pretty and is somewhat handsome, which is pleasing to the eye and seems harmless. Why would that make you anxious, Brother Hao?"
Brother Hao shook his head, "It’s my intuition. My intuitions are usually very accurate!"
"That’s an illusion!"
Hou stated decisively, "It’s definitely not that Mr. Lin. I can guarantee it. If it were that Mr. Lin, who is still Zhang’s boyfriend, why wouldn’t Zhang post on Sailing Novel where Mr. Lin has so many resources?"
Sss!
Brother Hao inhaled sharply, his thoughts racing, "You make a good point."
"Don’t worry, let’s stick to our original plan. You need to show your aura, or else others will look down on us. How else are we going to buy out Zhang’s copyright for Nine Thousand Yuan?" Hou glanced around and whispered.
Brother Hao bent down slightly, scooped up a handful of water, and splashed it on his face.
The cold refreshment doused his face, and his mind quickly cleared. Mirroring his image, his expression transformed, he flicked off the water droplets, then straightened his slicked-back hair, looking the part of a domineering CEO.
"Right, that’s the spirit!" Hou’s eyes lit up and he immediately complimented.
"Let’s go. Let’s meet this Zhang and her boyfriend surnamed Lin!" Brother Hao told himself that not every Lin was Mr. Lin!
This Lin seemed so young, could he not handle him with ease?
Brother Hao reassured himself.
Soon, the two left the restroom, one after the other.
When they returned to their seats, the floor had been cleaned, and two cups of coffee were set on the table.
"I got a little distracted just now, my apologies. You must be Zhang’s boyfriend. I’ll call you Lin then, alright?" Despite still feeling apprehensive, Brother Hao struggled to maintain his composure.
He decided to test the waters with "Little Lin." The real Mr. Lin would never let others call him that!
—Brother Hao thought to himself.
Hou translated.
Lin Chuan smiled casually, indifferent to the moniker, "No problem."
For the first time, Brother Hao smiled, "I came all the way from Southeast Asia specifically because I see potential in Zhang’s talent, and I’d like to discuss the physical publication of ’I Am Not the Medicine God,’ as well as the copyright buyout."
Lin Chuan nodded.
The Little Landlady chuckled, "Brother Hao, are you planning to publish the Chinese edition first, or the Southeast Asian edition?"
Brother Hao pondered briefly and exchanged a glance with Hou, "Launching both versions at the same time would be a significant operational cost. We plan to launch the Chinese edition first to gauge the response."
"I have no problems with that," the Little Landlady nodded.
"Next, let’s talk about the buyout of the copyrights," Brother Hao said, glancing at Lin Chuan and seeing no reaction, he cut straight to the point.
These two were youngsters, likely recent university graduates, and thus should be easy to deceive.
"Copyright buyout..."
The Little Landlady was unprepared for this discussion, and she turned to Lin Chuan, who was her steadfast support.
Lin Chuan took over, "Brother Hao, regarding copyright buyout, if the price is appropriate, we’re not opposed to the idea."
Most novel authors would be overjoyed just to have a guaranteed base fee.
As for copyright buyouts, as long as the price was not outrageous and within the normal range, they were generally acceptable.
Moreover, this was the Little Landlady’s first book, and it was a great start!
Brother Hao picked up his coffee and pretended to savor a sip, "This coffee shop is really nice. They use Arabica beans from Santos, the taste is rich and smooth, with a healthy bitterness that lingers in the mouth, like savoring a chapter of life."
"Yes, yes, exactly!" Hou, ever the yes-man, immediately agreed and translated.
Actually, Brother Hao was bluffing!
But, he enjoyed using these impressive-sounding but incomprehensible phrases to elevate his status, and this approach was very effective in fooling young people.
If the other party was even slightly materialistic, they were quickly ’captured.’
But Lin Chuan was not taken in.
Just one sip told Lin Chuan this was just ordinary coffee made from regular beans, slightly better than instant coffee powder.
He did not expose Brother Hao, "What kind of offer are you considering to buy out the rights to ’I Am Not the Medicine God’?"
Brother Hao stared at Lin Chuan for a long while before stretching out two fingers to make the gesture for the Arabic numeral ’7,’ and said magnanimously, "Seven thousand!"
Hou’s eyes popped, and he quickly grabbed Brother Hao’s hand to stop him, saying, "Brother Hao, this amount is too high, we’re going to lose money!"
Brother Hao brushed off Hou’s hand, "I have a good feeling about Zhang and Lin, what’s wrong with offering a bit more? Our collaboration is still ahead! Translate exactly what I said!"
Hou could only translate reluctantly, "My friends, Brother Hao’s offer is seven thousand."
"Seven thousand?"
Lin Chuan furrowed his brow.
He understood the Malay conversation between Brother Hao and Hou, and given Hou’s nervous look, if it was seventy million, that might be worth considering.
"If you feel this price is too low," Brother Hao continued generously, "I can increase it!"
"Brother Hao!"
Hou couldn’t help but exclaim.
Lin Chuan frowned again, "How much more can you add?"
"I won’t beat around the bush anymore, I’ll just give you my highest offer, plus this amount!" Brother Hao’s mouth twisted as he extended his index and middle fingers.
Lin Chuan was perplexed.
An increase of twenty million would make it ninety million!
Even a leading website like Sailing Novel wouldn’t just offer that kind of price for exclusive rights!
Mars Novels makes that much money?!
He looked at the Little Landlady by his side and whispered, "Xinxin, are your novel’s numbers really that good?"
Xinxin shook her head slightly, "I can only see the domestic data, and it seems not bad, but I’m not sure about Southeast Asia. I can’t access the overseas data."
"Ninety million isn’t a small sum," Lin Chuan warned, leaving the second half of his thought unspoken.
— Could this be a scam?
Before Brother Hao and Hou arrived, he had taken the time to check the headquarters of Mars Novels, which was in Southeast Asia, seemingly just over a hundred kilometers from the Morgan Group.
At that time, Lin Chuan had wondered if these two could be from the Morgan Group.
When he saw Brother Hao and Hou, that suspicion was dispelled; they just didn’t seem the type.
But now, with Brother Hao’s offer of ninety million, he couldn’t help but feel more suspicious.
"Chairman, I don’t understand much about this, you decide for me," the Little Landlady put her trust in Lin Chuan, leaving the decision to him.
Lin Chuan nodded.
Then, he looked at Brother Hao and Hou, "Gentlemen, ninety million is quite beyond my expectations."
Hou and Brother Hao exchanged a glance.
Brother Hao waved his hand, "Lin, you might have heard wrong, it’s nine thousand."
"Nine thousand?"
Lin Chuan was stunned and verified once again, "Just nine thousand, no millions?"
Brother Hao nodded slightly.
Pfft—
Lin Chuan managed to hold back, but the Little Landlady didn’t; she spat the mouthful of coffee she was drinking straight into the bin beside her, bursting into an uncontrollable fit of laughter.
Lin Chuan patted the Little Landlady’s back to prevent her from choking on her laughter and then asked, "This nine thousand, is it in US dollars?"
Brother Hao’s mouth twitched, "In yuan."
At that, Lin Chuan couldn’t hold back any longer, his eyes crinkling up with mirth.
Nine thousand yuan, wasn’t that outright daylight robbery?
No, it wasn’t even robbery anymore; it was pure abstraction!
After a good while.
Lin Chuan finally stopped laughing, "Gentlemen, I’m afraid there’s no way we can discuss this deal, sorry. The coffee’s on me."
"Lin, you’re not happy with this price?"
Brother Hao asked.
"Of course," Lin Chuan responded bluntly, "I’m a novelist too, and I’m somewhat familiar with the Southeast Asia market. I’ve never heard of exclusive rights being sold for nine thousand yuan."
Brother Hao suddenly looked stunned, "You write novels too?"
Lin Chuan nodded.
Brother Hao’s expression became somewhat unnatural, "Which novels have you written?"

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