I am a Big Player
Chapter 151 - 150. Declaring War on the World (First Update)_1

Chapter 151: 150. Declaring War on the World (First Update)_1

"The Kite Runner" is the first novel by Afghan writer Khaled Hosseini, published in 2003. The story revolves around kites and two Afghan boys, a tale of a rich boy and his servant’s story about kites, about human betrayal and redemption.

How lucrative is this book? Why did Ren He choose to include it in the Qinghe Fund?

Since 2005, "The Kite Runner" has been a global bestseller, topping literary book sales charts in the United States, the United Kingdom, France, China, and many other countries. In China alone, sales had already exceeded 4 million copies, and that was during the time when pirated editions were rampant.

Moreover, there were profits to be gained from the film and television rights, making the earnings from "The Kite Runner" definitely far exceed those of the Three Character Classic.

After all, the Three Character Classic couldn’t be a bestseller abroad, as it had greater limitations, and classical literature did not have a large market in this era.

Ren He believed that such a work, introduced to the Qinghe Fund, should satisfy the charitable appetites of Zhou Wumeng and the others, at least for the time being. And Zhou Wumeng, to boost sales of "The Kite Runner," would surely make a great effort since intellectual property protection was much stricter in this world. Thus, it was foreseeable that the book’s economic benefits would surpass those of the original world.

After all, books about emotional healing are a rigid demand in this fast-paced era.

As for those who might question how Ren He could have written such a work, even Zhou Wumeng might question it, but Ren He had only one reply, "I didn’t write it, but the rights are in my hands."

Even the author’s pen name was anonymous, so shamelessly so. Ren He didn’t care about their doubts, for he had no intention of becoming famous through it. "You can’t even interview me, okay? I don’t give interviews. Making money is just making money," Ren He felt there was nothing to explain to them.

However, Zhou Wumeng was not aware of all this. He asked, "Can this book make money?"

"Yes!" Ren He couldn’t help but smile wryly. Elder Zhou had previously criticized him for always thinking only of money. Now that the proceeds were being directed towards charity, he himself had become the one most concerned with the book’s earnings. This change felt strange, yet endearing. But it made Ren He’s heart ache sharply. Such altruism was something he could not learn, but he would support them as much as he could.

Keep in mind that Elder Zhou, although the chairman of the Capital Journalism Group, was heading a state-owned enterprise, with his chairman position appointed by the government. He had no shares and received a fixed salary.

To still be passionate about charity work under these circumstances was no easy task. It must be said that there are heroes even in ordinary times, who may not be very powerful, cannot fly eaves and walk walls, or shoot a coin from 800 meters away. Yet, in these ordinary times, they still shine with the brilliance of humanity.

Ren He said, "Once you read this book, you’ll understand. It’s a work that embodies both literary quality and sales. If you manage it well, it will certainly provide great support for the Qinghe Fund."

Zhou Wumeng looked at Ren He doubtfully, but somehow chose to trust him, after all, the young man always created miracles. Last time he talked about saving the sales of martial arts fiction; as a result, Kunlun became a sensation across China. Now, it’s not just about making a series; they even have people wanting to adapt Kunlun into movies.

This was also the reason why Elder Zhou was so concerned about whether the rights to Kunlun could be incorporated into the Qinghe Fund...

"When will you give me the work?" Zhou Wumeng asked persistently.

"In two weeks," Ren He said after some thought. After all, he had to spend a week challenging others in the Capital, and then he’d have to write intensively upon returning. It would take at least a week to copy out "The Kite Runner." Fortunately, the word count of the book was not very high, far less than that of Kunlun.

"Two weeks is a bit long... By the way, how long will you stay in the Capital?" Zhou Wumeng suddenly asked. "The filming of Kunlun has stalled because of the work on the Qinghe Fund. Now that you’re here, you could complete the audition work first. Set a time, and we’ll participate together then."

"In 5 days."

...

Time officially entered the countdown. The next day, Ren He spent the whole day in the hotel conserving his energy. That evening, he quietly left the hotel, donned his black cap, and drove his large pickup truck into the congested traffic of the Capital.

It was like a battle, with the entertainment industry always being a battleground for fame and profit. A few more shares of the market for you might mean a few less for someone else.

Everything had to be seized: popularity, headlines, resources.

The timing of the new song release had to be carefully scheduled, ensuring that top stars didn’t clash, to prevent anyone from a fall from grace. Of course, there were those who deliberately sought battle, such as Jiang Siyao and Jiang Chen, who always released their new albums at the same time. Their relationship was one of love and rivalry, an intense competition.

It was as if both of them had strong personalities, always wanting to outdo each other. Ren He even speculated that the two had broken up because neither could stand being second to the other, and no one knew where their ultimate destiny would lead.

Vying for fame and profit was the main melody in the entertainment industry. What could Yang Xi, a newcomer, use to establish herself? Ren He felt that besides having good music, one also needed sufficient tactics.

Yang Xi was naive and clueless about this, but she had Ren He.

And tonight, Ren He was going to take Yang Xi and completely, utterly make a stand, declaring war on those entertainment magnates! He planned to make Yang Xi’s radiance undeniable within these five days, so that after this battle, she would be one of the most dazzling stars in the entertainment circle.

The two 16-year-old boys and girls were about to declare war on the entire entertainment world, and just thinking about it was thrilling!

Magnates, prepare for battle. Ren He couldn’t hide the smile on his face.

...

The nights in Capital were splendid.

Its prosperity and bloom only brought more weariness, more complaints from the people.

But tonight, there were those who chose to cover their ears, not listening to its tiredness, not hearing its complaints, ignoring its prosperity, tuning out its grievances.

And so the world finally became silent.

Xie Zexi sat at the window of her own bar, where the customers and the bustle had already started early, but she felt a touch of melancholy. The air conditioning was on in the bar, and Xie Zexi, wearing only a tight tank top, displayed her attractive twenty-something physique to great effect.

Ever since the grand music event at the beginning of the year, her business had taken off. Notable figures from the folk music scene were willing to perform in her bar, and more customers were eager to come for a drink, to listen to songs.

Yet, she felt something was missing...

Perhaps it was that sense of astonishment.

People often say not to encounter anyone too astonishing when you’re young, so that you won’t find life dull afterwards.

At this moment, Xie Zexi thought just like that, suddenly wondering whether those two young figures would appear in her life again—it was like a longing for passion and intensity amidst a calm life.

Sometimes she dreamed of seeing that boy with the baseball cap standing at the entrance of the bar, asking her with a hint of a smile in his tone, "Boss, may I sing?"

Every time she would answer yes, and then she would wake up.

But upon waking, all she saw was an empty room.

Business was better, she had no worries for sustenance, yet there was an emptiness in her spirit, an unpleasant feeling.

Suddenly, Xie Zexi’s gaze froze as she looked through the glass window—it was as if she had unknowingly pressed some mysterious button of the world and entered into a dream.

Outside the crystal-clear window stood a boy and a girl with baseball caps. Xie Zexi couldn’t see their faces, but she could make out the boy’s smile as his lips slightly parted. She understood the shape of his words, a scene repeated countless times in her dreams: Boss, may I sing?