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墨書 Inktalez
The two sat down in the living room. Bai Yujing took out the Zhengshan Xiaozhong tea hidden in the cabinet along with the tea set, and began to brew tea on the table. Bai Yujing was not very knowledgeable about this, and could only say he was indulging in a bit of elegance.
Gao Yuan immediately handed a business card to Bai Yujing. "Hello, Mr. Bai, this is my business card."
Bai Yujing stood up and took it with both hands. After looking at it, he saw that it stated Gao Yuan was the General Manager of Rihsi Publishing House. Bai Yujing was aware of this publishing house; it was among the largest physical publishers in the country.
"I must thank Mr. Bai for your righteous assistance some time ago; otherwise, I wouldn't have been able to acquire those shares and become a personal shareholder of the publishing house. Currently, I am mainly responsible for the magazine and newspaper department," Gao Yuan said as soon as Bai Yujing finished reading.
Bai Yujing looked at him and asked, "This matter still seems to benefit me more. I am very satisfied with this house, and I appreciate Mr. Gao's transfer. I wonder what aspect of signing you mentioned this time?"
Gao Yuan nodded. "Then I'll get straight to the point. I've heard a bit about your affairs abroad, Mr. Bai. I've also seen your Weibo; from both photography and writing perspectives, you can be considered professional. Coupled with a series of events, your popularity and fan base in the country have established a certain foundation. Moreover, your appearance is quite good, so I would like to sign you as our Traveler and writer, turning you into a well-known Traveler under our publishing house."
Bai Yujing nodded, understanding Gao Yuan's intentions: "If I join your publishing house, what will my responsibilities be, and what obligations will I have?"
Mr. Gao replied, "There aren't any obligations per se; it's just about regularly publishing some travel-related articles in our travel magazine. We have a magazine called 'Travel the World,' which is a monthly publication with a circulation of 300,000 copies. It will also be distributed simultaneously on major travel sections of websites and various travel apps. Additionally, you may need to spend some time live streaming on our partnered platforms. I also have a personal suggestion: I hope you can write a novel based on your recent British trip for us to publish. I believe it will sell well due to its current popularity."
Bai Yujing did not expect Gao Yuan to present such a comprehensive plan; it seemed he was genuinely serious about this matter and had thoughtfully considered it rather than coming over hastily hoping for luck.
"I didn't expect you to think this through so thoroughly; after hearing what you said, I'm indeed quite tempted. Is there anything else besides this?" Bai Yujing said while sitting on the sofa, contemplating.
Gao Yuan smiled: "We are already in an era of internet IP expansion; as a source of IP and creativity, our publishing house must keep up with the times. Wouldn't you agree? What I've mentioned is mainly what matters; everything else is just details—your Weibo status needs to be changed to reflect that you are our signed Traveler and writer. We will arrange an editor for you who you can communicate with when posting on Weibo or writing articles."
"Additionally, there are some benefits: your travel expenses may be sponsored by certain sponsors—for example, staying at specific hotels or visiting certain attractions or restaurants while helping them promote their services. The clothing and shoes you wear may also be sponsored as long as you showcase them slightly in your Weibo posts."
Bai Yujing frowned: "If that's the case, won't my itinerary be dictated by you? That won't work; every time I travel, I have my own plans and purposes—I can't always follow your routes."
Gao Yuan breathed a sigh of relief; although he had made requests, it also indicated that Bai Yujing was willing to continue discussions with him. Requests are always part of negotiations; as long as they were willing to sit down and talk, it wasn't an issue.
Gao Yuan discovered this promising talent in Bai Yujing; from every angle, he was filled with potential for success. Not to mention that Bai Yujing's Weibo followers had rapidly grown from one million to nearly two million; he had already gained some recognition abroad and had a solid fan base—not exactly a newcomer. If they could bring him under their wing, he would undoubtedly become a valuable asset for them. Of course, this was also a mutually beneficial arrangement—Gao Yuan saw potential in Bai Yujing's future while Bai Yujing needed the promotion and sales channels provided by the publishing house.
After negotiating details with Gao Yuan regarding Bai Yujing's compensation, Su Yang took out the contract from his bag and explained it clearly: "The annual signing fee is 3.5 million yuan, with at least three trips each year and at least one book published annually. The article pricing will be based on first-tier standards from the publishing house; other revenue sharing details are outlined in the contract for Mr. Bai to review."
After finishing speaking, he took out a contract: "This is the agreement for the book you are going to publish that we just discussed. The royalty rate you agreed upon is ten percent. Mr. Bai, you can keep it to review. If there are no issues, just sign it and give me a call."
Bai Yujing nodded, took the contract, and planned to consult a professional later. If everything was fine, he would sign it. The conditions offered by Gao Yuan were already the best for Bai Yujing. Although Bai Yujing had some fame and potential, the future development was uncertain, and Gao Yuan had made a significant investment.
As Gao Yuan was about to leave, he enthusiastically said to Bai Yujing, "Think it over; the conditions I offered are already the best. Also, regarding the book you are working on, I hope we can finalize it soon. While the current momentum is still strong, if we operate it well, it will definitely sell well and boost your reputation."
"I understand. Thank you for your appreciation, Mr. Gao. I will carefully consider this matter," Bai Yujing said as he escorted Gao Yuan and Su Yang to the entrance of the community. The fact that they traveled such a long distance made Bai Yujing feel valued, which touched him.
Sitting in the living room, Bai Yujing flipped through several copies of the contract and felt that he had indeed been quite lucky lately. With good fortune coming his way, he was searching for Exotic Creatures while using Traveler as a guise to Travel the World, publishing books and posting on Weibo. In just one year, he would have enough money for his expenses—life couldn't be better.
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Bai Yujing immediately made a phone call to his uncle. His uncle was a lawyer, and Bai Yujing decided to ask him to take a look at the contract. If there were no issues, he would go ahead and sign it!
"Bai Yujing, what's up? Why did you suddenly think of me? You haven't come to see me lately. How's your mom? Is she doing well?" His uncle's strong accent on the TV gave Bai Yujing a warm feeling of familiarity.
"I called my mom a couple of days ago; she's doing fine. She's quite relaxed at home running a lighting shop and spends her days playing mahjong. When I called her, she didn't even have time to talk to me," Bai Yujing said with some helplessness.
His uncle laughed heartily: "That's good! Your mom isn't young anymore; it's nice that she can live happily and steadily for a long time. When do you have time to call me?"
"Oh, Uncle, I need to sign a contract with a publishing house and want you to help me review it for any issues."
"Sure! Bring the documents over when you can; it's been so long since you've visited me. You can sit down here for a bit; your cousin and I miss you."
"Okay, okay! I'll come over tomorrow."
After hanging up the phone, another call came in immediately. Bai Yujing picked it up and saw it was an unfamiliar number. "Hello? Who is this?"
"Bai Yujing? This is Li Hao. Is what you said earlier about knowing where my ankle mark comes from true?" Li Hao's voice on the other end became somewhat tense and shaky.
Bai Yujing sensed something was off: "Li Hao, what's wrong? Is there an issue?"
"Do you really know where this damn mark comes from?" Li Hao's voice was somewhat agitated.
Bai Yujing immediately nodded and said, "If you trust me, tell me in detail about your current situation and how the mark on your ankle came to be. I believe I can help you."
"I don't even know what this thing is. Recently, I've been hearing a strange woman singing in my dreams, and since yesterday, even when I'm awake, I occasionally hear her voice. I can't even dare to sleep now; it's just too bizarre. Do you think I'm possessed by a ghost?" Li Hao exclaimed loudly.
Bai Yujing quickly reassured him, "Don't think too much. When did the mark and that strange woman's voice start appearing?"
"The woman's voice was the first time I heard it on the plane coming back from Edinburgh. I only noticed the mark on my ankle after I returned."
Bai Yujing pressed further, "Did you bring anything special back from Edinburgh? For example, some ancient artifacts?"
"I've already checked. I suspected that I might have brought something unclean back, but I've gone through everything, and they are all new items. I'm planning to burn them all today," Li Hao said, clearly agitated. It seemed that the eerie woman's song that kept appearing in his ears had truly frightened him.
Bai Yujing immediately stopped him, "Calm down. Leave the items here; I'll take a look later. You might discover something. If you act rashly and something goes wrong, don't blame me."
"Huh? What kind of problems?"
"Who knows what issues could arise from things related to the mysterious? I'm planning to visit you in a couple of days. Don't worry; I'll help you figure this out," Bai Yujing said after considering for a moment, deciding to handle her urgent matters before going to see Li Hao.
But Li Hao couldn't sit still. "Wait two days? By then, I might really go crazy. What's your address? Send it to me; I'll come over right now."
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