The young girl was somewhat at a loss. "How... how can I compensate?"
Jiang Xu almost burst into laughter.
What an innocently naive girl.
Coughing once, Jiang Xu said with a straight face, "This matter concerns my reputation.
As well as the important matter of my future wife, it absolutely shouldn't be treated carelessly.
So, you could just directly marry me, that would perfectly solve these problems."
An Nuonuo knew she had been teased by Jiang Xu.
She glared at him angrily.
However, her glares didn't have any deterrent effect.
Instead, it sparked an urge to tease her more.
It perfectly illustrated the phrase - Provoking me will result in absolutely nothing happening.
Finally, he couldn't help but pinch her cheek.
Chubby and soft, it felt great.
"You...are so annoying." The young girl stepped back, with rosy cheeks, her eyes full of shyness.
"Boss, I came in for work."
From outside, Wang Xiaoyuan's voice could be heard.
Jiang Xu's door wasn't closed, so Wang Xiaoyuan directly entered.
Immediately, both beauties were equally stunned.
"Sister Xiaoyuan, why are you here?"
"Nuonuo, are you two living together?"
Both girls spoke in unison, causing An Nuonuo to burst into laughter.
What does she mean they are living together? This jump in her thought process is a bit too wild.
After a few minutes, both girls had sorted out the situation.
Wang Xiaoyuan suddenly felt a headache.
Now, this is a tricky situation.
The two of them are seeing each other every day.
Even if they don't have feelings for each other now, they are bound to develop some.
Does her silly little brother still have any hope?
Not long after, Fu Yanjie also arrived.
When he saw Wang Xiaoyuan, his face suddenly turned red.
His speech even became stuttering. "This...sister...is..."
What?
Jiang Xu was quite surprised.
Was Fu Yanjie acting shy? This awkward demeanor was a first for him.
In contrast, Wang Xiaoyuan greeted him with ease, "Hello, I'm Wang Xiaoyuan, here to help out."
"Hello... Sister Xiaoyuan."
Fu Yanjie scratched his head, wanting to look at Wang Xiaoyuan but not daring to.
Jiang Xu gawked in astonishment.
He hadn't expected that the boy, Fu Yanjie, had this preference - he liked older women.
However, Wang Xiaoyuan was in the golden age for girls.
She was excellent in every way.
Attracting pure-hearted young men like Fu Yanjie did not seem surprising at all.
Jiang Xu saw through it but did not reveal it. "You guys get to work."
"Alright!" Suddenly, Fu Yanjie was full of energy.
He took on the role of a small leader and was actively participating in the preparation work.
He looked full of life, just like a peacock enticing a mate.
Jiang Xu went back to his room to continue writing.
He estimated the third novel to be around 300,000 words.
Even if he wrote 30,000 words a day, it would still take ten days.
Capital city, top floor of the Story Club headquarters.
"Boss, please agree! This author really has potential."
In the office of the Story Club boss, Lin Nan was almost out of breath from talking.
The boss of Story Club was a man almost fifty years old, named Gu Li.
He was somewhat indecisive, "I've read the works by this 'Sui Sui An Ping' you mentioned, and they are indeed impressive.
However, you're asking for a price of three hundred per thousand words right off the bat for him… That's too excessive."
"He's worth it," Lin Nan stated adamantly. "You've read his new book too, right?
With such writing and plot development, it's surely going to be a bestseller.
Three hundred per thousand words, for investing in a future eminent author, I think it's a worthy deal."
"No, no, this price is still too high," Gu Li disagreed.
"Besides, if other authors found out, they will definitely have objections.
Let's compromise. I can only offer up to two hundred per thousand words at most.
Moreover, we need to include a clause in the contract.
If the sales of this book falter later on, the rate per thousand words has to be reduced."
Lin Nan pondered over it and agreed that the proposal was reasonable.
But she wanted to fight for more benefits for Jiang Xu.
So she proposed, "Then let's add one more clause. If this book performs well,
the rate per thousand words needs to be adjusted according to the level of its success."
Most editors are very good to their authors.
They try to fight for as many benefits for them as possible.
"Fine, let's do it your way."
Gu Li recognized this book did have the potential to achieve impressive sales.
However, he did not think it would reach some outrageously high level.
What he wasn't aware of was that, before long, he would regret this decision deeply.
Jiang Xu's mobile phone vibrated as he was typing.
Taking a look, it was a message from Lin Nan.
"Hello, I managed to negotiate a rate of two hundred per thousand words for your 'Pure White Love,' is that okay?"
Jiang Xu was a bit surprised.
This price was much higher than what he had expected.
In this case, once he finished writing this book, he could earn a net income of over fifty thousand.
So he immediately replied that he accepted this price.
Lin Nan: Okay, I will send you the contract via express mail, so you should receive it by tomorrow afternoon.
Jiang Xu: Okay. Also, I've set up a studio. This book will be signed under the studio's name.
Lin Nan: Wow, you're amazing. Sure, no problem.
After finishing the chat, Jiang Xu stretched his wrists.
And continued typing.
This price indeed gave Jiang Xu a strong motivation.
If he continued at this pace,
he'd probably be able to earn at least two hundred thousand before his summer vacation ended.
By then, along with a few hundred thousand more from his parents, he could settle on a suitable office space.
Once Nuonuo and the others returned from grocery shopping, they began to prepare.
Wang Xiaoyuan hardly ever did housework before and therefore was clumsy.
But in order to gather information, she was determined to learn.
Fu Yanjie paced back and forth in front of her, acting very busy and hardworking.
He wanted to attract Wang Xiaoyuan's attention.
Unfortunately, she kept whispering and chatting with An Nuonuo.
She did not seem interested in digging up information about Jiang Xu.
Rather, she was indirectly asking casual questions to gather the information she needed.
This not only provided Wang Xiaoyuan with some useful information.
However, knowing this made her more dejected.
Like Jiang Xu being the top student in his grade.
He also was quite business-minded.
Before summer break, he had already made quite a lot of money with An Nuonuo and Fu Yanjie.
Plus, he had various talents.
Especially his outstanding basketball skills.
After hearing all this, Wang Xiaoyuan felt that her brother was too weak.
Someone like her brother dares to fancy the same girl as Brother Jiang?
By eleven-thirty, lunch was ready.
Fu Yanjie invited Wang Xiaoyuan to go out and sell lunch with him.
After some thought, she agreed.
Knowing more about Jiang Xu's start-up would give her more topics to discuss in the future.
Wang Xiaoyuan's family was quite wealthy, but she herself did not put on airs.
Once outside, she simply hopped on the back of the tricycle.
Then she took out the Story Club book and began reading it with keen interest.
Fu Yanjie: "Sister Xiaoyuan, you like the Story Club too, which book do you like best?"
Wang Xiaoyuan replied with a smile, "I like the author who goes by the pen-name 'Sui Sui An Ping.' His two books are really good.
It would be great to meet him in person one day."