Actor: Thank you.

He has a short flat head, black-framed glasses, a medium build, and a serious demeanor.

The number one god in the Chinese science fiction world is so ordinary that he couldn't be more ordinary.

"Mr. Liu, these people are looking for you."

After saying that, the worker did not leave, but stood by and watched naturally.

A big star comes to see Mr. Liu, so it must be some big deal!

"We want to talk to Mr. Liu alone." Zhang Yuan looked at that person.

"Oh, you guys chat, I won't disturb you." The worker replied casually, without moving.

I don’t know if he really didn’t understand or was pretending not to understand.

Zhang Yuan looked helpless, while Qin Li beside him smiled bitterly and shook her head.

Who made you look so ostentatious?

There was a wave of enthusiasm in our editorial department yesterday. After all, "Curse of the Golden Flower" had just finished airing and the role of the prince was very popular.

But these editors and intellectuals are really stuffy.

When I was chatting and saying hello, someone actually asked.

“Are those girls really that big?”

The white northern hemisphere is indeed tempting, but how do you want me to answer?

"Well, can you please ask my colleagues and leaders in the factory if there is anyone who wants to take a photo with me?"

"Oh, that's right!" The worker clapped his hands and said, "I'll go ask right away!"

After saying that, he ran away in a hurry.

Qin Li saw that he pulled out the "nail" with just one sentence, and thought that this young man had a quick mind and could easily grasp other people's thoughts.

Zhang Yuan quickly closed the door.

"Hello, Mr. Liu. I am a fan of your books."

"Hello, Mr. Liu. I am Qin Li, the editor-in-chief of Science Fiction World."

"Oh..." Liu finally reacted.

Zhang Yuan glanced around the office and saw many instruments and displays inside that he didn't recognize.

Liu Cixin is generally called Electrician Liu.

Because he worked at the Niangziguan Power Plant and was in a technical position.

The technical position in a power plant is just an electrician...that’s what everyone thinks.

In fact, he is more like a network administrator than an electrician.

Because his main job is the computer network management and software design of the power plant, and he also has to monitor the data of various equipment and network cables in the power plant.

In my spare time, I often help my colleagues repair computers.

Managing the network and repairing computers, what else could that be but a network administrator?
The editor-in-charge contacted him yesterday, so he knew that two people would come.

I just didn’t expect such heavyweights to come, an editor-in-chief and a star.

After a brief greeting, it turned out that Liu was indeed an introverted otaku who spoke very little.

Zhang Yuan used only common polite words.

But from the expression, he could feel that the other party was not very enthusiastic.

The Lord doesn't care.

He changed his strategy.

"I have read most of your works."

"The Mountain, Ball Lightning, Take Her Eyes, Rural Teacher, The Wandering Earth, Full-Band Blocking Interference..."

Zhang Yuan listed all of the other party's masterpieces in detail, intending to close the gap between them.

And I deliberately pulled him aside to talk about the book "Ball Lightning".

When talking about this book, Liu Cixin obviously had a lot more to say.

Because when Liu Cixin was writing "Ball Lightning", he suddenly felt a sharp pain under his right ribs one day.

This place happens to be the liver.

Because his hometown Yangquan and Pingding County where the power plant is located are both on the edge of Shanxi's Jinzhong region.

Jinzhong and the areas near Taiyuan are both famous for their robust drinking culture.

When you see someone drunk outside, you will ask, "How many dishes are there? Why are you so drunk?"

But in several places in Shanxi, people don't eat any food when drinking. At most, they have some peanuts. If there are no peanuts, they just drink it without food. They are extremely fierce.

Because of this strong drinking culture, several old masters in the Niangziguan Power Plant would suffer from liver cancer from time to time.

There are many people around him suffering from this disease. When Liu felt a severe pain in his liver, he was scared.

I feel like I'm going to cool down too!
So he gritted his teeth and wrote "Ball Lightning" as his last work, and he was determined to finish it.

This idea actually marked the beginning of his career as a science fiction writer. On a rainy summer night in 81, Liu witnessed the spectacle of ball lightning with his own eyes!

Of course, after I finished writing it, I went to the hospital for a check-up and found that it was just tissue hyperplasia, and I felt better now.

When talking about "posthumous works", of course he was interested.

Another thing is that he is currently working on the story outline of "The Dark Forest".

Among them, Taylor's quantum ghost fleet actually uses the technology in "Ball Lightning".

It can be said that these two novels share a common world view, and "Ball Lightning" can even be seen as a semi-prequel to "The Three-Body Problem".

Just when I was thinking about how to integrate the content of this book into my next work, someone talked to me about it, and of course he became even more interested.

Qin Li saw that this young man was so talkative that he could even persuade this wooden man to talk.

It turns out that being a star is not ordinary.

Only after the atmosphere became more lively did it become easier to start a new topic.

“I didn’t expect that these masterpieces were created in this ordinary office,” Zhang Yuan exclaimed.

Liu pushed up his glasses and quickly denied it.

"I can't slack off when I'm working, so I write in my spare time."

Zhang Yuan pursed his lips, then slowly walked to his office computer.

Then quickly press ALT+TAB on the keyboard.

The power plant's management system interface immediately switched to a WORD document with an outline written on it.

Liu Cixin: …

The Lord was exposed and was panicked.

I heard the frantic typing of the keyboard when I walked in just now.

In this situation, the only options are slacking off at work or watching pornographic movies at work.

Of course, Zhang Yuan hopes it is the latter.

That would expose Liu's weak spot.

"Mr. Liu, actually everyone is the same." Zhang Yuan immediately continued.

"I also goof off and do other things when I'm on set."

"After all, doing a side job during work hours feels like getting a bargain."

He never actually did that.

But as soon as he said this, Liu's expression obviously eased a lot.

These words expressed his feelings!
It feels good to do some private work secretly during work.

I feel happy when I get a salary and earn some extra money.

Zhang Yuan remembered that Liu Cixin said in an interview later that he liked to use the very cheap LCD screens the most.

Because the viewing angle of this LCD screen is very small, the content on the screen cannot be seen clearly if it is slightly tilted, which makes it convenient for him to slack off at work.

As a result, he was criticized for this interview. People said that there were too many people like him who were not doing their jobs properly in state-owned enterprises, which led to overstaffing and the need for institutional reform.

In fact, Liu has already felt the career crisis.

Because the power plant was restructured into a company in 05, and because of the national policy of starting from small and building larger, the Niangziguan Power Plant is facing the issue of rebuilding its generating units.

To build larger and more advanced units.

Once it’s advanced, there won’t be a need for as many people as before.

This is also the reason why Liu Cixin's works turned from positive to pessimistic with 2010 as the dividing line.

He and many of his colleagues lost their stable jobs.

You destroy my job, and I will destroy my readers' worldview.

After they were almost done, Qin Li led them to the point.

Talking about copyright purchase.

"Do you really want to buy it?"

Liu still can't believe it until now.

Who buys the adaptation rights to science fiction novels these days?

"Well, Mr. Liu, let's have dinner together tonight and talk while we eat."

Zhang Yuan knew that he had to force him to drink!

"Okay...can I bring my family?" Da Liu said after hesitating for a moment.

"My daughter is a fan of yours."

"Of course, I'll treat you."

After saying that, he went out and was surrounded by people from the power plant.

The deputy factory director came over to take a photo with him. When the final photo was taken, more than 200 people gathered.

There are only about 2000 people in this factory, and Zhang Yuan is afraid that if they all leave, the equipment will have problems.

If the unit explodes soon, I can't take the responsibility.

In the evening, we went to the most upscale restaurant nearby.

Naturally, it cannot be compared with the big restaurants in the imperial capital and the magical capital.

But Liu's family still hasn't come.

The couple are both employees of the power plant.

His wife's income is average, but Liu's is a little higher, with a monthly salary of several thousand yuan, which is considered good among those with stable jobs.

His wife and children are much more lively than him. They just pull Zhang Yuan aside to chat and take photos with him.

After starting to eat, Zhang Yuan raised his glass repeatedly.

After drinking half a pound of Fenjiu, Liu's face turned red.

"Teacher Liu, I really like your work. I plan to buy it and then find someone to adapt and produce it, and try to make it into a TV series and a movie."

"Do you think I'm suitable to play Wang Miao?"

He used the same methods and tactics as before to deal with Tianxia Bachang and others.

But unexpectedly, the Lord was different.

"You are not suitable." Liu shook his head.

"Hey, what are you talking about!" His wife slapped him on the arm.

One can tell from his behavior that he is henpecked.

"Ah, no... I mean, Wang Miao is an applied physicist and a scientific researcher. You're too handsome to look like one."

Okay, you praise me.

"We have to respect the original author's opinion. If we start filming one day, you will be allowed to be our advisor during the casting process."

"Not only the casting, but also the filming, you have to personally supervise it and act as the producer."

"I can't...and I can't leave the factory." Liu gave an honest answer.

His wife slapped him again, twice in a row, turning his arm red.

"Don't worry. If you don't have time, I can bring someone to come to you in person." Zhang Yuan smoothed it over and gave his own conditions.

"Well, I'll be frank with you."

"Take a look at this copyright. How much do you want?"

Liu pushed his glasses up dully and said, "I don't really understand the market situation."

"Mr. Liu, I know this." Qin Li came in handy at this moment.

"The market for the copyright of our science fiction novels is not big."

"It's better abroad, but there are really few copies sold in China."

Liu Cixin has a close relationship with Science Fiction World, so he generally believed what the editor-in-chief said.

"Your work has become a minor hit in our magazine."

“But compared to those famous popular writers, it’s nothing.”

Not to mention Yu Hua and Mo Yan, even Han Han and Guo Xiaosi's sales can crush his.

But just like TV dramas and movies, ratings, box office and publication numbers cannot represent the quality of a work.

Now Liu is still in the early stages of development, but Zhang Yuan has already taken the lead.

"My reasonable estimate is between 8 and 15."

Qin Li's comments are quite fair, and she is often involved in copyright matters, so she is considered an expert in this area.

"So many!" Liu's wife widened her eyes.

With a monthly salary of one or two thousand, and negotiating a business worth hundreds of thousands, of course it seems like too much.

You can buy a three-bedroom, two-living-room apartment locally.

Alas... Zhang Yuan sighed. This family is just ordinary people and has no negotiation skills at all.

If you expose your reaction to prices in person, you will definitely suffer a great loss.

Zhang Yuan thought that in this situation, if he took up a big knife, it would probably cost 60,000 to 70,000 yuan to get it done.

"What do you think?" Zhang Yuan asked Liu.

"I think it's OK."

Obviously, this price exceeded his expectations.

"How about this, my trip won't be in vain." Zhang Yuan laid out the entire plan without even telling Qin Li.

"So, I will buy all the copyrights of your short, medium and long works in film, television, animation, games and other related industries."

He came here for Liu Cixin, not just for "The Three-Body Problem"!
If you want to eat it, eat it all!
Only children make choices.

I have to be all!

"This!" Qin Li was also shocked.

What a huge appetite.

"Editor-in-Chief Qin, please be my advisor."

"If it's all returned to Baodui, I'll give him 50. Is that reasonable?" Zhang Yuan raised his hand.

Liu Cixin has created about thirty works of various sizes so far, which is a huge number.

After Qin Li quickly calculated in her mind, she answered seriously, "Not much."

She was afraid that Liu would suffer a loss.

"Then I'll give you two solutions."

Zhang Yuan threw out the bait with a trap.

"The first one is still 50, but Mr. Liu can get 2% of the net profit of subsequent works."

"For the second one, I will give 80 yuan to buy it out in one go, without any subsequent profit sharing."

It’s easy to imagine what the other party will choose.

After discussing for a while, Liu's wife thought the same as he did and decisively chose the buyout price of 80!
After all, 80 versus 50, the advantage is on my side!

The profit share is only 2%.

How much can 2% be?

It must be cash!
With only 30 yuan left, I can buy a house in Taiyuan.

"It's a deal!" Zhang Yuan immediately agreed with the Liu couple.

Qin Li didn't say a word.

She saw the trap option given by Zhang Yuan.

If he thought about it this way, if he really made a TV series or a movie, Liu might lose millions of dollars.

But this price is already very good, it can be used as an important promotion for the magazine!
She doesn't want to mess things up.

In fact, Qin Li’s vision is still too small.

Based on the box office of the first part of "The Wandering Earth", the 2% profit share would be more than 3000 million for this movie alone.

That night, Liu was very happy after drinking.

The next day, the fat woman Yang Siwei was asked to draft a contract and come to the power plant.

A few days later, the contract and copyright were obtained, and the money arrived.

Seeing the happy expressions of Liu and his wife and children, Zhang Yuan thought that if there was a chance in the future, he should arrange a nominal position for Liu in the crew so that he could have some soup too.

He remembered that in his previous life, the copyright of "The Three-Body Problem" was sold for 10 yuan.

However, the copyright of "The Wandering Earth" was not sold until after winning the Hugo Award, and has reached 2000 million.

His net worth increased so quickly.

Therefore, he used 80 to copy Liu's old business, which was already a huge profit.

Even if you don't use it yourself, you can make hundreds of millions by holding on to it for more than ten years and then selling it.

Yang Siwei was still muttering to himself, saying that his boss would start spending money lavishly whenever he had some spare cash.

Little did he know that Zhang Yuan had brought a mountain of gold home.

“If there are sequels or new works in the future, please contact me.”

"I'm looking forward to working with you again." Zhang Yuan is still thinking about the next two films.

Liu was naturally happy.

With the money given by Zhang Yuan, his daughter Xiaojing will have enough tuition to study abroad in the future.

"Keep it safe and lock it in the safe when you return." Zhang Yuan told Yang Siwei on the plane.

"Our company is going to make a science fiction film?"

"We have to shoot it eventually. There's no rush in one or two years. The important thing is to lay a solid foundation." Zhang Yuan knows that the copyright era is not far away.

After returning to the imperial capital, he simply put down his luggage, locked the contract, and then took Yang Siwei and his assistant out the door.

"where to?"

"Tudou.com, do you know it?" Zhang Yuan asked with narrowed eyes.

"I know, it's a video website, it's quite popular." Yang Siwei replied immediately.

"What do you want with them?"

"Talk about business." Zhang Yuan crossed his legs in the car.

"Big business." (End of chapter)