Rebirth 08: Equipment God

Chapter 144 Money keeps coming in, there's no end to it, there's simply no end to it!
Wednesday marked two days since the release of the college entrance examination scores.

It was also the day that Utopia officially began its classes.

"Learn from the top scholar!"

"I'll pick you up again this afternoon. Focus on your studies."

The once quiet intersection has become lively because of parents dropping off their children.

Early in the morning, dozens of students arrived at Utopia with curiosity and excitement.

The first lesson was the "study habit correction lesson" that they had been longing for.

Most people have experienced it once, and after going back, they feel they can't stop, and some even secretly watch it on DVD, but they always feel that it's not something that can be done in a short time.

Just like the difference between playing games in an internet cafe and playing games at home, or the difference between washing feet on the third floor and washing feet on the second floor.

That uniquely decorated "correction room" truly seemed to possess a magical quality.

After another hour of correctional room experience, we started our classes according to our respective registered courses. Teachers were available from Maofang Middle School, No. 3 Middle School, and No. 1 Middle School. We arrived at No. 99 Luochuan Road according to the agreed schedule.

The two top scorers' lessons are a key feature, one teaching math and the other Chinese. Some parents even come specifically to pay extra tuition, hoping their children can take the top scorers' classes, and ideally, be taught by them continuously.

We'd pay more! We're willing to pay more!
Zhai Da said that this was unlikely, and that he could only try his best to ensure that everyone received the benefits.

In terms of teaching quality, he and Lu Wei are no better than the regular teachers; Utopia's core competitiveness lies in the equipment.

For example, the "old man's television" in the correction room, the "inextinguishable light bulb" hanging in the yard, the "young man's straight stick" in his hand, and the "little wooden fish" on Lu Wei's body.
Oh, and there's a new member too.

Although the initial intention is to send them to learn, it is undeniable that there will be some unruly students. Teachers cannot refuse to accept bad students, and we should not overestimate the self-control of teenagers.

Even in Zhai Da's class, where the top scorer was teaching, there were two boys in the back row who were laughing and joking, sometimes playing on their phones and sometimes chatting. They looked like energetic young men, and the students around them were angry but dared not speak out.

Even with the "Young Straight Stick" in his hand, which is supposed to enhance leadership and persuasiveness, Zhai Da is still so unruly, which shows how arrogant he is.

Then don't blame him for going overboard.

Zhai Da pulled out a megaphone directly from under the podium.

"You two in the back, yes, I'm talking to you! Are you Teletubbies who've lost your antennas? Can't find your way around?"

Zhai Da walked down directly with the [deterrent microphone] in hand, standing in front of the two men and delivering a direct attack:

"Your parents spent thousands of dollars just for you to perform Errenzhuan (a traditional Chinese folk art form) here? This is a stage for academic underachievers, come if you have a dream?"

"How many times have I seen you guys? Do you even know? Are you born to be cucumbers that need to be slapped, or walnuts that need to be hammered?"

"Is the 51st element on the periodic table referring to the two of you?"

"Do you think this is a restaurant, making such a racket? Don't you know you're disturbing the other students? Should I set up a pot for you and give your shamelessness a good scolding?"

The entire class trembled with fear as they watched this top scholar, who was about their age, erupt in anger.

Holy crap! Is its attack power that strong?!

The two unruly students stared in disbelief, one of them stammering, "How could you say that?"

Zhai Da shoved a megaphone into your ears: "If anything I said hurt you, tell me immediately! I can say it again!"

"Turn off your phone now and focus on your lesson! Immediately! Right now!"

"Did you understand?"

[Intimidation Microphone]: When speaking through this megaphone, the more offensive the insults, the more obedient the other party will be.

The effect was immediate; the two of them didn't use their phones all day. We don't know how much they actually learned, but at least they met the discipline standard.

After his own classes ended, Zhai Da transformed into the head of student affairs, wielding a "juvenile straight stick" in his left hand and a "deterrent microphone" in his right, roaming through the classrooms on the three-story building.

Upon seeing them whispering, [Young Straight Stick] pointed at them with a big melon, and they immediately became obedient.

It has to be said that the feeling of patrolling one's territory and having a say in everything is really great. No wonder the head of the teaching department likes to wander around when he has nothing to do.

Sometimes even a straight stick wouldn't work, so they'd just grab him, drag him to the back of the building, and shove a microphone right in his face.

The halo of being the top scorer, the real power of the "principal," and the amazing equipment. No matter how unruly you are, even the most spirited young men have to be subdued, and the most rebellious girls have to be obedient!

The key is that he doesn't use any profanity; the injuries are all internal. Students who are bad at studying sometimes can't even tell if they're being scolded or praised.
The only classroom that didn't require Zhai Da's supervision was the "correction room," which was as quiet as if it were under a spell.

At four o'clock in the afternoon, Zhai Da sat in his "office" in a rare moment of leisure.

He took a sip of tea from the thermos, then spat out two mouthfuls of tea leaves, perfectly capturing the subtle nuances of the headmaster's manner.

Ding Rong, who was also resting in the office, found it amusing: "Why do you look like a little old man?"

Zhai Da smiled and said, "How can I keep these teenagers in check if I don't appear a bit older?"

There's also a "Special Seat for Underachievers" in the warehouse, but there aren't any top-tier items that need to be used for it right now.

As they were talking, Zhai Da's phone rang. He glanced at it and saw it was Editor-in-Chief Lou En.

"Congratulations, Teacher Zhai, on your new book's great success!"

"Oh? The sales figures are out?"

Although physical books are not quite the same as movie box office receipts, the sales receipts from the first day are still of great reference value.

The bookstore is only open during the day. Although it claims to be the first day's sales, the data was actually collected last night.

"Thanks to our thorough preparations, our distribution channels are very comprehensive. As of this morning, sales are expected to be between 1.9 and 2.1 units, which is quite strong. Moreover, many bookstores are experiencing stock shortages."

This number is not an average; some bookstores didn't sell them, and some bookstores are severely out of stock. Phoenix Media has already started organizing to restock, and of course, reprinting is the top priority.

"The quantity for the second batch has been confirmed; this time, we'll print an additional 20 copies!"

With the added bonus of being a top scorer, the positive word-of-mouth, and the registration for stockouts, the price was directly doubled after multiple considerations.

At this scale, it's no longer a matter of Lou En's face, but rather a matter of positive market expectations.

According to the agreement between the two parties, the royalties will be settled in advance without waiting for sales feedback. The first royalty payment of just over 9 yuan has already entered the payment process. The second batch of 20 additional copies will bring in approximately 60 yuan in royalties.

Although I used to say that writers don't make much money, it's actually quite lucrative.

It turns out that there is a golden house in books.

Another piece of good news is that he received his second blog reading revenue share from Xinglang yesterday, which was higher than the first time of more than 70,000 yuan, reaching 110,000 yuan. Of course, this also includes Lu Siwen's 20%.

This was just last month's data. This month is June, and with the serialization of "The Long Road of Lü" and the blessing of the top scholar, it will probably be even more terrifying.

Lu Siwen said that Xinglang Blog gave him an "advertisement space" in the most prominent position on the homepage, announcing to blog users across the country that their "peer" had won the provincial science champion in the college entrance examination.

Just tell me, are blog users any more sophisticated or not?
In order to capitalize on this wave of popularity, Xinglang also planned to reward Zhai Da with a sum of cash in the name of the company.
It won't be too much, but twenty or thirty thousand is something Xinglang can't afford to lose face over.

This doesn't even include the bonuses the county would give.

Sigh, in just a few days, Zhai Da actually felt like he was being chased by money.
A month ago, he had tens of thousands of yuan, which he almost lost after investing in Utopia.

Now, his personal savings will soon approach the million level.

Lou En continued, "Oh, right, there are two other small things. One is that Xinglang contacted us and proposed to do a joint promotion, which is to add their logo to the reprint of 'The Long Road of Lü'. In exchange, they will also promote the book on their various platforms. It's a kind of exposure exchange. I don't think there's anything wrong with it. I'd like to ask for your opinion."

This has nothing to do with the author; it's the publisher's right. If they wanted to, they could theoretically even collaborate with Lao Gan Ma.

Asking Zhai Da was purely out of concern.

"I'm fine with it too. Xinglang still has credibility."

Unlike later generations, when seeing that red label immediately evoked a sense of chaos and disorder on Weibo.
"The second one is a personal matter. I heard from President Lu that he invited you to his home tomorrow?"

Zhai Da nodded: "Yes, both for public and private reasons, we should go and visit President Lu."

Lou En laughed and said, "He called yesterday to inquire about Lü Tumanman's sales figures and even ordered 300 copies privately, saying he planned to give them to friends. When he mentioned this, I just joined in the fun. I'll go to Dongyang tomorrow to bother him too."

"I was planning to invite you to Jinling for a book signing, but it's better to do it earlier. After all, the book has already been released, and we haven't met yet. Let me also pay my respects to the honor of the top scholar."

Zhai Da: "No problem, I look forward to meeting you tomorrow."

(End of this chapter)