Back to 1997, I became the originator of online literature

Chapter 559 Envy, Jealousy, and Hatred

Upon hearing this, Wang Jing paused, stopped what she was doing, and turned to look at Cao Sheng. "Huh? What? You're giving me a house? Really?"

This was a reward she had never expected.

Previously, Cao Sheng had given her his BMW to drive, which had already surprised and delighted her. Although the car was only for her to use temporarily, she still felt it was an incredible reward.

Unexpectedly, Cao Sheng just said he would give her a house.

Cao Sheng smiled, "As long as you nod, it's true."

Wang Jing smiled brightly, "Of course I'd say no! I'm not stupid. If you give me a house, why wouldn't I take it?"

Cao Sheng: "Then take some time to find a house yourself. If the total price is no more than 200,000, I will pay the full amount for you. If it is more than 200,000, I will help you pay the down payment of 200,000 so that you can have your own place in Huizhou."

To have a place of my own...

This is a temptation that no adult can resist.

Regardless of gender.

Especially for women like Wang Jing, who are approaching forty and still unmarried, their sense of insecurity grows with age.

Previously, Cao Sheng hadn't mentioned giving her a house, and she hadn't thought about buying one herself, even though she could easily afford it.

However, in 2002, the domestic real estate market had not yet become a topic of national discussion.

Because China only stopped allocating welfare housing in 1998, and issued a document announcing the need to accelerate the reform of the urban housing system.

In just a few years, buying a house has not become a thought for everyone.

But Cao Sheng suddenly said he would give her a house, which made Wang Jing realize that having her own house and a place of her own would be a really good thing.

She smiled and nodded, "Okay! Then I'll thank you, boss! I'll really go look for a place later."

Cao Sheng smiled and nodded, "It's decided then."

It was really enjoyable.

Wang Jing was very happy.

Cao Sheng was also quite happy.

However, it's a bit of a shame that housing prices are too low now. If a house in Huizhou could be worth one or two million, and he gave Wang Jing, the richest man, two hundred thousand, she would have to work hard for him to pay off the loan, and she wouldn't dare to think about quitting her job for half her life.

……

Less than half a month later.

Warner Bros. transferred $220 million, which was used to purchase the remake rights to "Infernal Affairs," to Cao Sheng's company account.

The news quickly appeared in American newspapers.

I wonder if Warner Music deliberately leaked this information.

Anyway, there have been some reports about this news in the United States.

Soon, someone translated and forwarded these news articles to the domestic internet.

"Warner Bros. has spent a fortune to buy the remake rights to 'Infernal Affairs'! Chinese-language films are finally being remade by Hollywood!"

"Infernal Affairs is awesome! Warner Bros. bought the remake rights for it for $220 million!"

"Zhongyuan Yidianhui truly lives up to his reputation as the highest-paid Chinese screenwriter; he's sold the remake rights to 'Infernal Affairs' to Hollywood!"

……

and many more.

Similar news headlines began circulating on the Chinese internet, attracting the attention of countless netizens.

These days, worshipping foreign things and fawning over foreigners is the prevailing social trend.

Movie worship and the idolization of Hollywood are widespread phenomena in China.

In recent years, Hollywood blockbusters have captivated too many domestic audiences.

Mainland Chinese films are no match for Hollywood blockbusters.

Japanese and Korean films are no match for Hollywood blockbusters.

Hong Kong films, which were once wildly popular in mainland China and Southeast Asia, have been almost powerless against Hollywood blockbusters in recent years.

In this context, any news from Hollywood that is related to China can attract the attention of countless people in China.

And recently...

Warner Bros., one of the six major Hollywood studios, actually bought the remake rights to "Infernal Affairs" and spent a hefty sum of $220 million.

When this news was first reported in the country, many people instinctively suspected it was fake news.

Will Hollywood buy the remake rights to a Chinese-language film?
But as more and more mainland media reported this news, people who didn't believe it gradually began to believe it.

However, I was still very surprised.

"Really? Is 'Infernal Affairs' really that good? Hollywood even bought the remake rights?"

"$220 million, that's more expensive than an original screenplay, right? Does Warner Bros. have that kind of money to burn?"

"Hong Kong film companies are really something else. Mainland film companies definitely don't have the ability to sell the remake rights of a movie to Hollywood..."

"Is the script by Zhongyuan Yidianhui really that amazing?"

……

and many more.

Similar comments were suddenly seen everywhere online.

Even in Cao Sheng's 12 fan groups, many people are discussing this topic.

That evening, Cao Sheng finished writing the last chapter of the day and saw that it was only 11:26 p.m., which was quite early for him.

On a whim, I logged into my QQ account.

I received many private messages from book fans and authors.

Some book fans discussed the characters and plot with him, while others asked him if the remake rights for "Infernal Affairs" had really been sold to Warner Bros.

The private messages from the authors were almost all inquiries about the sale of the remake rights to "Infernal Affairs".

After casually replying to these private messages, Cao Sheng opened his QQ group.

I saw that all 12 of my book fan groups had hundreds of chat records.

Out of curiosity, he first opened the Zhongyuan Yidianhui No. 1 group.

I saw some people chatting in the group:

Seven Stars: "Screenwriters, you still have to look to Ah Hui! Not only are Hollywood clamoring for his scripts, but even for those that have already been made into movies, Hollywood is scrambling for the remake rights. Tell me, who else can compare?"

Stardust for the Moon: "Upstairs, although you're right, you should tone down your boasting! We should all be humble!"

A brief discussion on the controversy surrounding the film "Infernal Affairs": "Is Ah Hui there? @Zhongyuan Yidianhui, is the news online true? Did Warner Bros. really buy the remake rights to 'Infernal Affairs'?"

Niu'er: "Hey! @Zhongyuan Yidianhui, how much of the $220 million Warner Bros. paid for 'Infernal Affairs' did you get? By the way, are the remake rights for 'Infernal Affairs' all held by the film companies? Did you get any of that money?"

I love Qiqi: "I estimate that Ah Hui won't get a single penny of this money. According to convention, the remake rights of a movie should belong to the movie investors."

Su Moying: "@Zhongyuan Yidianhui, boss, 220 million US dollars, you really won't get a single penny?"

……

When Cao Sheng opened the No. 1 fan group, this was the chat history he saw immediately. Everyone was still discussing it, and new chat history was constantly being refreshed in the group.

Cao Sheng laughed at this.

After a slight hesitation, he began to reply to the few fans who had just tagged him in the group.

Zhongyuan Yidianhui: "@Qianranwuli, what's said online is correct, Warner Bros. did indeed buy the remake rights to 'Infernal Affairs'."

Zhongyuan Yidianhui: "@Niuer@Su Moying, thank you both for your concern, but you're overthinking it. The film company won't get a single penny, because when I sold the script for 'Infernal Affairs,' I retained the overseas remake rights for the film. In other words, all the money goes to me."

The book fans in the group probably didn't expect Cao Sheng to suddenly pop up in the group.

After all, they often tagged Cao Sheng in the group chat and asked him questions, but Cao Sheng rarely showed up to answer.

Occasionally, someone would use Cao Sheng's account to answer questions in the group, replying in the tone of Cao Sheng's assistant. But what about now?

It seems that Cao Sheng replied personally?

Out of surprise, the group was silent for a few seconds after Cao Sheng spoke.

But soon, the number of people speaking in the group surged.

As if a pot had been boiled over, new chat logs kept popping up, quickly pushing Cao Sheng's previous statement out of the chat box.

Su Moying: "Holy crap! No way? The film company won't get a single penny? It's all yours? You're so happy!"

Niu'er: "Which film company is so unlucky? Haha..."

Kacanard: "Huh? I see a live Central Plains speck of gray?"

Yu Xin Jie: "Cunning! So cunning! When you sold the script for 'Infernal Affairs,' you actually retained the overseas remake rights? Ah Hui! You're so cunning, no wonder you're my favorite author! Hehe."

Qianranwuli: "Ah Hui, was that you speaking just now?"

Zhongyuan Yidianhui: "Yes, it's me @Qianranwuli".

Seven Stars: "You've reserved the overseas remake rights in advance, Ah Hui, are you absolutely certain this movie will sell the overseas remake rights? Awesome!!"

Stardust for the Moon: "220 million US dollars is more than 1500 million RMB?"

Whisperer A: "Is writing novels and screenplays really that lucrative? Is it too late for me to start writing now?"

Mingxin Sword Lord: "Hey upstairs, a lot of writers next door are starving to death!"

Sui Yuchuan: "If I were the owner of the film company that made 'Infernal Affairs' and saw that the $220 million remake rights had nothing to do with me, I would definitely want to die."

……

"Honey! What's wrong? Are you feeling unwell?"

Hong Kong.

It's midnight.

Huang Baiming tossed and turned in bed, unable to fall asleep. He kept turning over and sighing, which also kept his wife awake.

In the room, lit only by a nightlight, his wife inquired with concern.

Huang Baiming: "..."

After a moment of silence, Huang Baiming sighed again and said in a muffled voice, "I'm physically fine, it's just...it's just that I feel a tightness in my chest."

Wife: "Oh? What happened? Who made you angry?"

Huang Baiming sighed again, "It's Cao Sheng!"

His wife's tone was tinged with surprise, "That novelist from mainland China? The movie 'Infernal Affairs' that he wrote for you, didn't it do very well at the box office and with the reviews? Aren't you happy about that?"

Huang Baiming remained silent for a few seconds, then sighed, "Yes! I should be happy, but Warner Bros. recently bought the remake rights to this movie for $220 million..."

His wife was even more surprised. "Really? This is great news, isn't it? Why aren't you happy?"

Huang Baiming stared blankly at the ceiling, a bitter smile on his face. "Because of all that money, I won't get a single penny; it all goes to Cao Sheng."

"what?"

Upon hearing that all the money belonged to Cao Sheng and her husband wouldn't get a single penny, his wife immediately sat up. "How could this be? You invested far more money in this movie than him, didn't you? How come it all belongs to him? Why don't you get a share?"

Huang Baiming looked at her, his bitter smile deepening. "Because when the script was sold to me, the agreement clearly stated that the remake rights to this film belonged to him."

"This...this...how could you agree to such conditions?"

His wife couldn't understand.

Huang Baiming: "..."

After a moment of silence, Huang Baiming said, "Most movie remake rights go unsold. Besides, he wrote the script. Given his fame at the time, I was the one begging him to buy the script. There were plenty of people who wanted to buy his script! He asked for the remake rights to this movie. Could I refuse?"

Wife: "..."

The room was quiet for a while before his wife slowly lay back down on the bed, sighed, and said, "Sigh! You also started out writing screenplays. Back then, I thought that as a screenwriter, you were already one of the top screenwriters in the industry. I never expected... It's true that new talents replace the old! This young man from the mainland not only gets a stake in this movie but also retains the remake rights. Doesn't he bring honor to you screenwriters?"

Huang Baiming: "..."

……

A group of top authors on Qidian.com.

He is a mid-level author on Qidian, and he just started his own platform last month.

The author's pen name is Jiang Shangke.

He recruited hundreds of popular authors from Qidian to join the group.

As for why he created this group of authors?

To put it simply, based on his own criteria for joining the group, he himself is not qualified to join this group of experts.

However, since he created the group, he is the group owner.

I've become friends with many experts in the group.

Not long after he started his new book, he successfully obtained chapter recommendations for his work from more than a dozen popular authors in the group.

More than a dozen popular works either recommended his new book at the end of the latest chapter or dedicated a separate chapter to recommending it.

And tonight, at this very moment, it is already past midnight.

However, in the popular online literature community on Qidian, which is mostly populated by night owls, some popular authors are discussing the sale of the remake rights to "Infernal Affairs".

Jin Hezai: "Cao Sheng just replied to my private message, the news is true! Warner Bros. really bought the remake rights to 'Infernal Affairs' for $220 million."

Gray Keyboard: "Holy crap! 220 million US dollars...that's outrageous!"

Bloodstained Swordsman: "Hollywood is really rich! Cao Sheng has been outmaneuvered again."

Guo Xiaosi: "There is a lot of money, but shouldn't this money go to the copyright holder of 'Infernal Affairs'? I estimate that Cao Sheng won't get a single penny."

The general who loves writing books said, "Yes! The remake rights should belong to the copyright holder."

Broken Blade: "So, Ah Hui won't get a single penny of this money?"

Airplane: "Poor Ash!"

Third Young Master: "Poor Ah Hui +1"

Annie Baby: "Poor Ah-Hui +2"

Xing Yusen: "Poor Ah Hui +3"

……

The group admin, Jiang Shangke, also chimed in with a comment: "Poor Ah Hui +9".

Immediately, many people in the group expressed their sympathy for Cao Sheng.

Strangely, while they were sympathizing with Cao Sheng, a cheerful atmosphere seemed to permeate the group chat.

This can be seen from the fact that everyone speaks very quickly.

until……

Jin Hezai suddenly spoke up again: "I just asked Cao Sheng about this issue. He said that the remake rights to 'Infernal Affairs' are in his hands. This $220 million is all his. Apart from the tax bureau, no one can take a penny!"

As soon as these words were spoken, the group fell into an eerie silence.

It took a while before someone answered.

"Congratulations, Ah Hui! Congratulations, Ah Hui!"

After that, one by one, more people lined up to speak, saying things like, "Congratulations to Ash +1", "Congratulations to Ash +2", and so on.

However, this time everyone lined up to speak much more slowly.

The cheerful atmosphere vanished without a trace.

Although everyone was congratulating Cao Sheng, it gave the impression that they were not being sincere.

(End of this chapter)