Chapter 4: The First Intimate Encounter

  Su Xingfeng looked at the manuscript in his hand, until he finished reading the last page reluctantly moved his gaze away from it, and put the manuscript aside. He closed his eyes, with a hint of moisture at the corners. Recalling the content of the manuscript, even as an adult, he couldn't help but feel some emotion!

  Su Xingfeng opened his eyes, turned his head and looked at Su Zhan who was staring at him, asking: "Is this really written by you?"

  Su Jin smiled slightly and said confidently: "Of course, have you seen it somewhere else?"

  Su Xingfeng looked at Su Jian's gaze with some surprise and delight, saying lightly: "You're actually quite talented in this area, why didn't you show it earlier? If you had done so earlier, you could have entered the special talent class at Number One Middle School!"

  "Heh heh, this thing is all about feeling, I didn't have the inspiration at that time, so I couldn't come up with it, but now that I've got the inspiration, it naturally came out!" Su said with a silly smile.

  Su Xingfeng raised an eyebrow and said: "You bring it here for me to see, what's the point? Speak up!"

  "What can I do? It's just that I wrote a book, so I brought it to Father for his review and guidance!"

  "Is that so? I've already appreciated it. You wrote quite well, no need for me to point out anything else. You can leave now!" Su Xingfeng said straightforwardly.

  "Hey, Dad, you're not really going to send me away just like that, are you?" Su Jin said with a bitter smile.

  "What else do you want? You didn't say anything when I asked you just now! Alright, if there's something on your mind, hurry up and say it. While I'm in a good mood, I might consider it. If you miss this chance, don't regret it later!" Su Xingfeng said with a smile.

  "Haha." Su Jinyan chuckled twice and hurriedly said, "Actually, I wanted to ask you for help contacting a publishing house. I want to get it published!"

  "Publisher? Are you serious?" Su Xingfeng looked at Su Zhan with some surprise and uncertainty.

  Although Su Xingfeng himself felt that the book was well-written and touching, he didn't think about publishing it for the time being. After all, for ordinary people, those who can publish books in a publishing house are generally high-level literary authors, while Su Zhan is not considered a high-level literary author no matter how you look at him. In Su Xingfeng's view, this book was more of a casual work by Su Zhan, or it was well-written but still far from being published!

  "Of course, why can't it be?" Su Jin said seriously.

  Su Jing had long thought of asking Su Xingfeng to help him contact a publisher. Firstly, Su Xingfeng was his own father, and although he didn't look at himself favorably now, it was only because he hated that he hadn't lived up to expectations, which was the usual mindset of most parents. If he really had something going on, he would definitely help him without hesitation! Secondly, Su Xingfeng's level wasn't high, but he had become the vice mayor of Gucheng, so he was fully capable of helping him contact a publisher! Thirdly, it was very difficult for Su Jing to contact a publisher himself. He knew that in the early days, online works were hard to get published on the mainland, and most were published by Taiwanese publishers. However, due to various reasons, Su Jing hoped to get published by a local Gucheng publisher, which would be beneficial for his next plan. Therefore, he went to show Su Xingfeng his book as soon as he finished writing it, just to get his support!

  Su Xingfeng looked at Su Jian, silently weighing the pros and cons in his mind: "Should I agree or not? Fundamentally speaking, it's indeed well-written. However, this type of book hasn't been published on the mainland before, so major publishers might be hesitant to publish it. Moreover, there's no guarantee that the market will accept this kind of book. On the other hand, if I reject it outright, wouldn't that be a blow to him? His condition has just started to improve slightly; if he suffers another setback and reverts to his previous state, what then? Ah well, I'll agree to it after all. It's his hard work, and who knows, maybe it will gain market recognition. If no one buys it, we can try to get the education system to include it in this year's extracurricular book procurement. That way, even if sales are poor, it'll still be a form of encouragement for him."

  Su Xingfeng made up his mind and smiled again, saying to Su Jian: "Okay, since you want it to be published so much, I'll give you a chance. However, if the market really doesn't recognize it later, I won't have any way to help!"

  Su Jin kept staring at Su Xingfeng's expression, and when he saw him smile, he knew that this matter was settled. As expected, Su Xingfeng's next words did not disappoint Su Jin. Su Jin excitedly shouted: "Great! Thank you, Dad! Don't worry, I believe this book will definitely be popular all over the country!"

  "Don't be too happy too early, facts can prove everything! So, I have a business card here, you go find him tomorrow to discuss the specifics, I'll make a call ahead of time." Su Xingfeng said with a smile.

  Su Xingfeng could have handled everything himself, but he thought it would be better to give Su Nian a chance to practice instead. Anyway, with him keeping an eye on things from the side, nothing should go wrong.

  ……

  Wang Hongwen is very fat, of course not to the extent of applying for a Guinness record, but at his age it's indeed rare to be as fat as he is.

  At least when Su Jin saw him, he felt very surprised by his fatness. So he directly called him Fat Brother.

  Wang Hongwen is the old president of the publishing house introduced by Su Xingfeng to Su Jin, Hongwen Publishing House, a very rustic naming method! However, this does not affect him from becoming a leader in the private publishing houses of the ancient city.

  Looking at the manuscript in his hand, Wang Hongwen secretly sighed: "To be honest, this book is really well-written. The material is fresh and the plot is touching. Although there are some minor flaws in writing style, they don't affect the overall situation. However, no publishing house has published similar materials before, so it's hard to say about the market prospects."

  He lifted his head, and a smile like Maitreya Buddha appeared on his round chubby face, saying: "Little Su, is this book really written by you?"

  "Of course, what's wrong with that? Fatty!" Su Zhan said with a smile.

  "Haha, no, it's just that I feel this article is written with very sincere emotions, very touching. Is this your real experience?" Fat General continued to say with a smile.

  "It's not my personal experience, but I heard a similar story from a netizen, so it's based on real events. Su Jin had expected Wang Hongwen to ask this question, after all, when the original version was released, many people asked Cai if "The First Time" was adapted from real life, but Cai never gave a clear answer."

  Boss Pang looked up and down at Su Jian again, smiling: "Right, yesterday Mayor Su called me on the phone, specifically mentioning this matter. It seems that Mayor Su is very concerned about this book."

  "That's my father," Su Zhen said calmly, not hiding his relationship with Su Xingfeng. The ancient city was a big place, but for people in this circle, it was very small, and everyone knew each other's bottom line! He believed that even if he didn't say anything today, by tonight at the latest, Pang Zong would know about his relationship with Su Xingfeng. If so, it would be unnecessary to pretend to be a good person. Besides, this wasn't some kind of illicit affair.

  Boss Wang's eyes lit up, and he smiled even more brightly, his face beaming with delight. He chuckled and said: "Oh, I'm so sorry, I didn't know it was you, Young Master Su! I've heard Mayor Su talk about you before, saying you're a young man of excellent character and outstanding talent. I've always wanted to meet you, and now that I have, your reputation is truly well-deserved!"

  "Wherever, wherever, Uncle Fat has praised me. It's just that I usually only think about playing around and have less contact with all of you uncles." Su Jin felt a sense of flattery. In his heart, he was secretly thinking: "I'd believe it if Dad told you he had a son, but I wouldn't believe it even if you killed me that he would brag to you about my good behavior and excellent academic performance!"

  "Hey, don't call me Fat Uncle, just call me Fat Brother! Mayor Su and my dad are of the same generation, so I should be called Uncle too. Just call me Fat Brother!" Fat Boss waved his hands repeatedly.

  "Haha, okay, then I'll call you Fat Brother from now on!" Seeing that Fat General insisted, Su also went along with it.

  "Xiao Su, since we're brothers, I'll just say it straight out as the older brother!" Fatong said with a smile.

  "Fat brother, go ahead and say it!" Su Jin made a gesture of leaning in to listen carefully.

  "Ah, this book of yours, I've finished reading it. Personally, I still like it very much, the plot is touching and the subject matter is novel! But at the same time, I have to say that in the past, no publishing house has ever published a similar book, not just my own publishing house, but all publishing houses within the mainland! Of course, given our relationship, since little brother sent this book to me, big brother naturally can't return it! No matter what, I will publish it! But as for how well this book will do, I really can't say.

  Fat General spoke his mind honestly, he had already made up his mind, no matter what, even if it meant losing money, he would still publish the book! Just to give Su Hangfeng a bit of face!"

  Su Jin raised an eyebrow and said gratefully, "Alright, since Brother Pang has put it this way, I won't say anything else. I'll remember your kindness in my heart! To be honest, this book was written by me, although I wouldn't say it's a masterpiece, but I did try my best. Whether it's good or not, I don't make judgments, after all, everyone has different tastes! But I want to take a gamble, I believe this book can be a hit!"

  Boss Wang unexpectedly glanced at Su Jing, seemingly unable to believe that he had so much confidence in this book. However, his interest was piqued and he said: "I wonder how you want to bet, little brother?"

  "Under 10,000 copies, I don't want a single cent. Between 10,000 and 100,000 copies, I want 10%. Above 100,000 copies, I want 20%!" Su Zhan said calmly.

  "Okay." Fatong responded with a single word, not speaking out loud, but silently calculating in his mind: "Looks like this kid is quite confident, usually ordinary books sell around a few thousand copies per year. Now he's asking for 100,000 copies or less and wants 10% of the profits, which is already a high price. If the book sells over 1 million copies, it would be a national bestseller, and authors typically get 15% of the profits. Although the price is a bit high, it's not unacceptable, especially since this is a win-win contract. Who only takes advantage without taking risks? If this book really reaches that level, even if I'm blind to its potential, I won't regret it. Moreover, if it really gets to that point, just the reputation alone would be worth more than the economic benefits."

  Thinking of this, Boss Wan steeled himself and raised his head to smile at Su Nian: "Brother, you have a lot of confidence, since that's the case, I'll accompany you to the death as your elder brother. I agree to this contract, Little Li, bring over that contract!"

  "Haha, Brother Pang is so generous! I'll leave the publication of this book to you then." Su Jin said with a smile.