Chapter 35 Traditional Chinese Publication

Zeyue’s first batch of publications consisted of fourteen books in all.

The most famous were the Rogue Trilogy by Bloodcloud, the number-one powerhouse of online fiction. The batch also included works by several authors Zhao Zejun had personally nurtured, such as Linglong’s A Step-by-Step Startling, the first volume of Zhu Xian, and others. The remaining books were by new authors who had risen through Zeyue, and several of their pen names looked extraordinarily familiar to Zhao Zejun.

Fourteen books were published simultaneously, at an average rate of ninety-five yuan per thousand words, setting several industry records.

The highest average price for a single publishing batch in the industry;

The largest number of books published in one batch;

The highest total value for a single publishing contract;

But the most dazzling record, and the one that delighted every online novelist, was the highest price ever paid per book per thousand words.

For several days, the headlines on Zeyue Chinese Network had been continuously broadcasting news of this massive publishing success.

“...More than a dozen authors, including the aforementioned writers, have achieved outstanding results. Thanks to the momentum generated by traditional-character editions, a total of nineteen writers earned more than ten thousand yuan this month, with an average income of 18,900 yuan!

“Among them, Bloodcloud’s Record of the Flowing Flower Sword has created a legend by reaching the industry’s highest publishing price: an astonishing two hundred yuan per thousand words! With the traditional-character rights to all three books in his Rogue series sold simultaneously, Bloodcloud himself has become our country’s first online writer to earn more than one hundred thousand yuan in a single month!”

All three of Bloodcloud’s books had already been completed. Having withstood the test of the market, they had consistently occupied the top positions on Zeyue’s charts. In fact, the top of Zeyue’s charts was also the top of the entire online-fiction world.

With their market success already proven, all three books in the Rogue Trilogy sold for “astronomical prices.”

I Am a Rogue sold its traditional-character rights for one hundred and twenty yuan per thousand words. The second volume, Storm Rises Again, reached one hundred and fifty yuan. The third volume, also the most mature of the three by all appearances, reached two hundred yuan per thousand words.

When the astonishing news became known, Bloodcloud’s book-review section erupted.

“Congratulations on becoming the number-one figure in online fiction! One alliance-leader reward coming your way!”

“I’ve witnessed your glory every step of the way! Ten thousand Zeyue coins!”

“Bloodcloud is mighty! The first regiment of the Blood Legion has come to offer its congratulations. Alliance-leader reward sent!”

...

Thus, Bloodcloud himself set another small record: the highest daily reward total.

In a single day, he received 753,800 Zeyue coins, which converted to nearly four thousand yuan.

“Keep pushing forward. Let’s strive for a spectacular start with your next book and break ten thousand yuan in daily rewards! When that happens, I’ll create a special medal just for you. We’ll call it ‘Gold by the Day.’”

Zhao Zejun patted Yu Zhe on the shoulder encouragingly.

For the past few days, Yu Zhe had felt as though he were floating, as if none of it were real.

The website claimed that he was the first divine-level writer to earn more than one hundred thousand yuan in a month, but that statement was not entirely accurate.

There were the publishing royalties, the rewards, and his share of the subscription fees for the month. Then there was the fame brought by his publication deal, which had made him the undisputed number-one figure in the industry. Many people who had never read his novels before had come specifically to Zeyue for the Rogue Trilogy, causing his subscriptions to surge once again...

After everything was calculated and taxes deducted, his total income for the month came to more than 179,000 yuan—almost 200,000.

Once, he had been the son of a government official whom everyone looked down upon. He spent his parents’ money and humbled himself to curry favor with his classmates, only to receive nothing but disdain in return. In loneliness, he secretly wrote novels that no one cared about.

Now, he was an industry miracle and legend—the foremost figure in his field, with tens of thousands of devoted readers and a monthly income approaching 200,000 yuan. The pen name Bloodcloud alone had even begun to carry brand value...

The transformation had come far too quickly. For a time, Yu Zhe found it all utterly unreal, as though he were living in a dream.

Especially that nearly 200,000 yuan in cold, hard cash!

Damn it, that was 200,000—not two hundred, two thousand, or twenty thousand. An ordinary white-collar worker would have to go several years without eating or drinking to save that much!

And this was money I had earned with my own hands—legitimate, lawful, earned openly and honorably!

“Boss, I feel like crying.”

As Yu Zhe spoke, his eyes truly began to redden.

All the years of being unrecognized, all the grievances, all the sneers and ridicule, passed through his mind scene by scene, like a film.

Every bit of persistence and effort had finally brought him the results he enjoyed today. The long nights spent sitting motionless before his computer, his eyes burning red from exhaustion, the countless agonizing struggles over how to develop his plots—every sacrifice had become a beautiful memory in that moment, scenery along the road of his striving. It had all been worth it.

There was no greater spiritual comfort than having one’s efforts and ideals affirmed.

On this day, Yu Zhe had harvested both material and spiritual rewards.

Once his eyes reddened, he could no longer hold himself back. He threw his arms around Zhao Zejun and burst into loud sobs like a child.

“All right, all right. It’s fine, it’s fine.”

Zhao Zejun was both amused and exasperated by the spectacle. He patted Yu Zhe on the back.

Yu Jin and his wife were there as well.

When they learned that Yu Zhe had earned 200,000 yuan from writing novels, their first reaction was disbelief.

They knew their son’s literary ability better than anyone. At most, he was good for spinning tall tales. To say that he could write something profound or literary was pure fantasy.

Even the most celebrated masters in the country’s literary world might not earn 200,000 yuan in a month.

Their second reaction was to wonder whether Yu Zhe had written something indecent—whether he had been writing some kind of filthy material. They immediately hurried to Jianwu City.

When they saw the 200,000 yuan in the bank with their own eyes, along with several formal contracts protected and regulated by law, the couple remained dumbfounded, but at last they believed and accepted the truth: their son could make money now, and he was making quite a lot of it...

Even to Yu Jin, 200,000 yuan was no small sum.

“All right, stop crying!”

Yu Zhe had sobbed for so long that Zhao Zejun’s shoulder was damp. Unable to endure it any longer, Zhao Zejun pushed him aside, pulled out a tissue, and thrust it into his hands.

Yu Jin and his wife exchanged a glance, deeply grateful for the decision they had made back then. In the beginning, even Yu Jin had suspected that Zhao Zejun had approached Yu Zhe for practical reasons. Still, he had thought there was nothing wrong with that. Zhao Zejun was capable, and having one more friend meant having one more path forward.

Who could have imagined that this path would prove so perfectly chosen? A seemingly insignificant move had today become the broad road leading to Yu Zhe’s future.

“Little Zhao, your uncle and aunt must properly thank you for everything Yu Zhe has achieved today.”

Yu Jin took the initiative to raise a glass to Zhao Zejun.

“He writes for your website. You’re not only his senior brother, but also his leader. Your aunt and I aren’t by Yu Zhe’s side, so from now on, we’ll have to trouble you to guide him and help him advance.”

Zhao Zejun drank his tea and smiled.

“You’re too kind. This time, he published three books at once, which is why he made 200,000 yuan in a single month. It won’t be possible for him to earn that much every month from now on.”

He glanced at Yu Zhe before continuing.

“But as long as he works hard and puts his heart into it, I don’t think earning more than ten thousand yuan a month—or even thirty to fifty thousand—will be a problem. As online fiction continues to develop, it isn’t impossible for his annual income to exceed one million yuan someday!”

Yu Zhe’s current position in the online-fiction world was comparable to Xue Hong’s in his day. It was during the second or third year after Qidian introduced paid subscriptions that Xue Hong became the first online novelist in the country to earn more than one million yuan annually.

If they had heard those words a year ago, Yu Jin and his wife would have dismissed them as a child’s joke. But now, within the online-fiction industry, a statement from Zhao Zejun was almost an unquestionable truth.

“Then we’ll leave Yu Zhe in your hands, Little Zhao.”

Yu Jin spoke without changing expression.

“The Bureau of Industry and Commerce is planning to build housing for its employees’ families. Perhaps your Z建 Construction company could participate in the bidding.”

“All right, all right. I’ll tell Jiang Xuan as soon as I get back.”

Zhao Zejun looked at Yu Zhe once again.

“Yu Zhe, I’m thinking of creating a special online space for you—a headquarters for Bloodcloud on the internet, where we can publicize your achievements and build your legend even further.”

“What kind of online headquarters?” Yu Zhe asked, puzzled.

“Something like a forum, more or less, though not exactly the same. I’ll have them develop it first. You’ll know what I mean once it’s ready.”