Rebirth 08: Equipment God

Chapter 265 New Book Release and the Near Future
After burying his second senior brother in the deep pit, Zhai Da immediately checked the system information, but the progress of the unsealing task had not changed.
There's a slight unease; I wonder if it only counts if it's absorbed, or if it will be even more troublesome.

They need to be buried alive.

Zhai Da was actually quite curious: given the speed at which the roots of the "Execution of the Old Elm" grew, wouldn't it have already entangled the pig brother underground within a day? Or even had the roots burrowing directly inside?

Ugh, this is really weird. It's better not to watch it, or you'll easily lose SAN points.

Looking at his watch, Zhai Da decided to dig several large pits in advance so that he could bring in four "feeding animals" at once. He planned to find a way to get four adult rams, which should weigh over 50 kg.

Four huge pits, they worked on it until dark.
While Zhai Da was digging a hole alone in the yard, the Xinhua Bookstore on Jianshe Road in Dongyang County also closed its doors and went home for the day.

However, the internal inventory sorting was not yet finished. Boxes of books were brought in on trolleys and piled up in the most conspicuous place at the entrance.

A shop assistant squatted down and asked, "So many? How many copies did our store order?"

The man, who appeared to be a manager, said, "5000."

5000 copies? Will they sell out?

The manager took a book out of the box and said, "This is a new book that Dongyang is proud of. It's not hard to sell. You have to get a pair through connections to place an order!"

As the shop assistant picked up the warm-colored, cozy, and cute book, some unpleasant memories suddenly flashed through her mind.

The previous book, "The Long Road of Lü," made her cry until her eyes were swollen. It had a very strong aftereffect.

But people are always seeking thrills; after all the torture and hardship, they eventually come to enjoy it.

"Manager, I'd like to buy one."

The manager nodded: "Take it first, and log in to the system to purchase the tickets tomorrow. The sales start date is tomorrow."

Then someone delivered several boxes, which turned out to be roll-up banners.

It's one of those mobile advertising spaces supported by a metal frame on the back.

There are also some free gifts. Three types of mobile phone charms: a plastic "book" with the words "How Long Will I Love U" written on it, and two other designs featuring watercolor paintings of the male and female protagonists.

"This really is a huge investment."

Generally speaking, few physical book promotions can achieve this level of success because of the special rules of the publishing industry. Authors' royalties are fixed and only related to the selling price, which means that promotion costs are all borne by the publisher.

In 09, few publishers were willing to do this, as profit margins were diluted significantly. Publishers also lacked marketing expertise, and most of their investments went down the drain.

But Phoenix Media clearly doesn't think that way; they don't publish novels for profit. As a state-owned enterprise, as long as the profit is acceptable, that's fine.

What we want is industry influence, expansion, and the ability to impress leaders during their inspections: "We've consistently topped the list of best-selling novels nationwide, and our competitors are all trampled underfoot."

Therefore, in the second collaboration, they directly brought up "gift marketing," which was extremely rare in physical publishing in 09.

Bookstores of any moderate size typically include roll-up banners and free gifts, aiming for a lively and bustling atmosphere regardless of cost.

The manager looked at the exquisite phone charms. According to the rules, one charm would be given with every book, and 5000 books would correspond to 5000 charms, but in the end, there would definitely not be enough.

Because the people in the store will take it.

Thinking of this, the manager sighed inwardly, "Managing is not easy; you can't stop them."

Then I picked out a set of three pendants and put them in my pocket.

Finally, I opened the banner to see what it said.

When I opened it, I saw...

Hey!
On the 1.5-meter-tall display page, a full-body image of Zhai Da was displayed, showing someone receiving an award.

He was dressed very appropriately, looked very handsome, and was holding three trophies in his hands. The background was filled with countless words and award records, which was quite a sight.

But this height combined with the full-body shot gives one a certain impression.
This person looks only 1.5 meters tall.

Is our top scorer really that short? Doesn't that mean he's sitting at the same table as Guo Jinming?
Anyway, it's quite novel, especially for a bookstore in a county town: "We'll put this up at the entrance tomorrow."

"okay!"

------

February 7th, the first Saturday after the Spring Festival.

Emerging writer, one of the three rising stars of new generation literature, bestselling author of the year, and five-time winner of the title of "Most Charming Smile".
Zhai Da, who has received a series of honors, has finally released his second book nationwide.

A bookstore in Shuangcheng District, Harbin.

During his winter break, Shen Zixuan, a student at Harbin Institute of Technology, was attracted by the banner at the entrance when he passed by and went over to take a look.

Isn't this a classmate from my own class?

Zhai Dafa has a new book?

Staring at the banner covered with countless honors, Shen Zixuan sighed in admiration, "A big shot is a big shot indeed."
Even her smile is more charming than others.

His imposing presence was extraordinary. Ever since witnessing "Big Brother's demeanor" before the holiday, he had kept his respect to himself.

And I went back and watched the Godfather series three times in a row.

In any case, supporting Zhai Da is definitely the right thing to do. I bet this book will be added to the shopping lists of countless Harbin Institute of Technology students. If you haven't read it by the start of the semester, you won't be able to talk to anyone.

In a bookstore in Chaoyang District, northern Beijing, "The Time Traveler's Handbook" is also displayed in the most prominent position.

Gong Changzhang, who was shopping with his daughter, stared at the roll-up banner in a daze.

Xiao Zhai has published a book?
In fact, long-time fans who follow the book would have already found out the release date on Weibo and blogs. Today is the first day of release, and many people in the bookstore are holding the book and checking out.

Only the "Three Little Fresh Meat Writers of the New Generation" have this kind of appeal, making book fans wait until the first day to make a purchase.

As Gong Changzhang stood there in a daze, his daughter Zhang Xiaoxiao tugged at his sleeve: "Dad, what's wrong?"

Someone snapped out of their reverie: "Wait a minute, I'm going to buy a book."

Whether you read it or not is one thing, but if someone you know publishes a book, it's only natural to buy a copy to join in the fun.

The bookstore was almost entirely filled with women, and they were mostly young; many of them bought three books at a time.

The "How Long Will I Love U" manual was piled up like a small mountain in the most conspicuous place right inside the entrance, but it was still shrinking rapidly.

Gong Changzhang picked up a book, thought the cover was quite nice, and turned around to pay.

Upon closer inspection of the book cover, I saw a recommendation from Mai Jia: "It depicts a detailed yet fantastical near future."

Gong Changzhang had an idea that popped into his head almost inexplicably.

Would Mr. Qian be interested in this book?

I had the privilege of meeting Professor Qian last year, a memory that Gong Changzhang is very proud of. Professor Qian was very fond of Xiao Zhai at the time, as he was both a skilled technician and a writer, and even gave him a personal gift.
Well, he didn't have much say in this matter, but Gong Changzhang still bought two more copies and then sent a message to Academician Yu Hongru.

With the Spring Festival over, JF-12 has entered a new phase, with more investment and a stronger team gradually joining in. Academician Yu is also extremely busy, and it's unknown whether he will be able to see it.

In another part of northern Beijing, inside a mansion, the bright afternoon sun shines down, and a slender figure, dressed only in a thin shirt, sits at the coffee table, gently turning the pages of a book.

As Gao Yuanyuan looked at it, she felt her nose getting wet again. She subconsciously took out a tissue to wipe it, but then felt a burning sensation on both sides of her nose and had to give up.

As a native of northern Beijing, Gao Yuanyuan has many friends and classmates in the area, including one of her high school classmates who works in a bookstore. So last night, she received "The Time-Traveling Cohabitation Handbook" in advance.

This national beauty, who is currently in an awkward phase of her career, has a lot of free time. However, she is not a fast reader, ultimately due to her poor cultural level. She read from last night until 3 a.m. and only finished half of the book.

Then, because of a breakout of acne on her face, the actress was forced to wake up from her self-discipline and go to sleep.

I woke up today, ate something quick, and then got back to working hard.

She was probably among the fastest-reading group in the country, so she was also among the first to finish reading the sweet outer shell and get to the bittersweet part.

"Sigh, just like Teacher Zhai's usual style: creating an infinitely beautiful story, and then personally shattering it bit by bit."

The first half, filled with humor and lighthearted cohabitation, captivated even Gao Yuanyuan, a woman in her late twenties, while the detailed descriptions of the "near future" sparked endless curiosity.

In the latter half, with the appearance of the "male lead of 24 years", the atmosphere gradually begins to develop towards "suspense", and many foreshadowings are revealed, gradually developing into a torturous love story of "making one's own love rival".

That feeling of being defeated by a more perfect version of oneself, and having one's cherished possessions discarded like trash by "oneself," is extremely rare for Gao Yuanyuan, given her limited reading experience, yet she writes about it with such rich emotion.

Gao Yuanyuan hadn't finished reading the last bit, but she was already starting to feel anxious.

However, as her thoughts wandered, actress Gao Yuanyuan suddenly had a sudden realization.

"How Long Will I Love U" is another book that is very suitable for adaptation.

Soft science fiction + romance + suspense.

This genius writer's talent seems to have no limits.

A brilliant story, if condensed, becomes a movie; if expanded, it can become a TV series.

The author seems to be someone who pays great attention to the "visual appeal of words," to the point that his works have strong potential for adaptation.

Unlike "The Long Road," which is naturally a contender for awards, "How Long Will I Love U" may not win awards, but it is well-suited for boosting ratings and box office.

Thinking of this, Gao Yuanyuan was troubled again. She had contacted Teacher Zhai many times after the online awards ceremony, but received very few responses. She was unable to impress him, and she had heard that many film and television companies were interested in contacting him.
Perhaps instead of constantly bothering Teacher Zhai with the same old ramblings, it would be better to take action.
------

Nighttime, in an old dormitory area in northern Beijing.

An aging giant is lying in a hospital bed, reading a newspaper while wearing reading glasses.

He dislikes television and can no longer hear the radio clearly, but he still maintains the habit of reading books and newspapers. A few years ago, when his health was still good, he would still insist on clipping articles from newspapers.

Just then, the bedroom door was pushed open, and an old woman walked in: "Xiao Yu had someone send over a book, saying it was written by that young man from last time."

Mr. Qian slowly turned his head and looked at the book that he considered to be of a "flashy" style.

He smiled and said, "Sure, I'll take a look when I have time."

The old man picked it up and looked closely at the cover. He wasn't interested in the string of honors listed in the book; he was just curious about what it was about.

But to look at it seriously is actually unlikely, and there's simply not the time or energy to do so.
He is 98 years old and only has a few hours of activity each day, spending most of the rest of his time sleeping, receiving treatment, and enduring aging.

The old woman didn't leave. Instead, she took out her phone and said, "Oh, by the way, Xiao Yu also sent a message saying he'd send it over because the book describes a 'near future,' which might interest you."

The old woman didn't quite understand the exact meaning, but she still read it aloud exactly as it was.

"Near future?"

After a long while, the giant finally gave in to his intense curiosity and put the newspaper aside.

"Then let me see...the near future through the eyes of young people."

Mr. Qian slowly tore open the plastic seal:

"Romance novels, huh? I haven't read one of those in ages."

That is, about seventy years ago
I don't know if I'll be able to get into it.
(End of this chapter)