Literary Master: Starting with Refusing to Be a Child Star

Chapter 136 Going Abroad

The reception of "The Magpie Murder Case" after its domestic broadcast was quieter than Luo Jinnian had anticipated.

However, he also anticipated that the drama might not be in line with the realities of life in China, so this result is not hard to accept.

It opened with a score of 8.4 on Douban. Although the number of ratings did not reach the level of "The Silent Truth", the quality of the long reviews in the comment section was very high. Many people wrote about the analysis of the narrative structure, the pacing of the parallel storylines, and how to combine and coexist the Republican era storyline and the modern storyline.

The platform's popularity data is at a medium to high level. There has been no explosive growth, but the trend is stable, with a steady increase in viewers every week.

A week after the story ended, Luo Jinnian sent a message: "This book isn't for looting, it's for buying reputation." Zhang Li replied with two words: "Understood."

What truly propelled "The Magpie Murder Case" into its next phase was the reaction from overseas platforms.

The news came from China—the Asia-Pacific copyright acquisition manager of an international streaming platform contacted Early Spring Culture through an intermediary, expressing interest in the overseas distribution rights of "The Magpie Murder Case." Luo Jinnian was having dinner in his rented apartment in Zhanjiang when he saw the email. He put down his chopsticks, read the email twice, and then called Director Qin: "Someone overseas has inquired about 'The Magpie Murder Case.'"

Director Qin paused for a moment on the other end of the phone, as if he too could see the door slowly opening: "Do you want to sell it to them, or do you want to do it yourself?" Luo Jinnian thought for a moment: "Let's negotiate first and see what conditions they offer. If the conditions are right, we'll sell; if not, we'll set up our own." Director Qin didn't ask any further questions. "What do you need me to do?" Luo Jinnian said: "Help me contact a lawyer who understands overseas copyright law, the sooner the better."

A week later, Luo Jinnian flew to Beijing. The negotiations took place in the conference room of Early Spring Culture. They sent two people: a copyright director for the Asia-Pacific region and a consultant responsible for content evaluation. The price they offered was lower than Luo Jinnian had expected, but the additional conditions were more attractive: the platform was willing to give the series a top recommendation spot during its promotion period and provide multilingual subtitles and dubbing as basic support.

After hearing the offer, Luo Jinnian did not respond immediately. He asked two questions: First, were the overseas distribution rights exclusive or non-exclusive? Second, if Early Spring Culture had other works to follow, would the platform grant them priority purchasing rights under the same conditions?

The other party indicated that the issue of exclusivity and non-exclusivity could be discussed further, but their description of the right of first refusal was rather vague, only stating that it "depends on the quality of the work." Luo Jinnian noted down the flexibility in this wording—the platform was willing to open the door, but how wide the door could be opened depended on what he could offer next to hold that door open.

The negotiations lasted two days. The final terms were: non-exclusive overseas broadcasting rights, multilingual versions produced by the platform, homepage recommendation during the promotion period, and a revenue-sharing ratio within a range acceptable to both parties.

Luo Jinnian was quite excited when he signed the contract; it was a beginning.

After signing the contract, Luo Jinnian didn't leave Beijing immediately. He invited Meng Zhaoming and Jia Bei to dinner. The three sat down at a small restaurant, and Luo Jinnian said, "I want to start a company overseas." Meng Zhaoming's hand, which was picking up food, paused in mid-air. Jia Bei put down his chopsticks and looked at him: "What kind of company?" Luo Jinnian said, "Initially, it will be a distribution company, responsible for the overseas distribution and licensing of Early Spring Culture's works. If conditions are right later, it can become a production company, doing some localized projects in the local market."

Meng Zhaoming thought for a moment: "Setting up an overseas company requires a local legal entity, a bank account, and tax registration. If it's the United States, the laws are different in each state, so I suggest choosing a state that is relatively friendly to the film and television industry as the place of registration."

Additionally, we need a local manager, either someone from our own team stationed there permanently, or a reliable partner.

Jiabei added, "I know a Chinese man named Lin Yiming who has been doing copyright distribution in Los Angeles for over ten years. He used to be the vice president of an independent distribution company in Hollywood, but later he went out on his own and has some channel resources."

If you're interested, I can help you get in touch with him.

Luo Jinnian said "okay." Jia Bei made a note on her phone.

After finishing his meal, Luo Jinnian stood at the restaurant entrance waiting for his car. The night breeze was a bit cooler than when he had first arrived in Beijing. In the distance, the office buildings shone brightly in the night, forming a staggered band of light, a blend of realism and futurism.

Although no income has been deposited into the account of that overseas company that is still in the planning stage, its outline is already in Luo Jinnian's mind.

Lin Yiming scheduled a video call for Saturday morning.

Luo Jinnian sat down at his desk ten minutes early, turned to a blank page in his notebook, and placed his pen beside him. On the screen appeared a man in his early forties, wearing thin-rimmed glasses and a dark blue shirt. The background was the off-white wall typical of Los Angeles, and the light streaming in from the window was almost dazzling.

His first words were devoid of pleasantries, cutting straight to the point with a question that made Luo Jinnian sit up slightly: "How many works of the caliber of 'The Magpie Murder Case' do you have left?"

Luo Jinnian thought for a moment and said, "I have some films on hand, but I'm not sure which ones are suitable for the overseas market." Lin Yiming nodded and did not ask for a specific list of films: "Then we can test the waters with 'The Magpie Murder Case' first, see the reaction in the North American and European markets, and then decide on the subsequent pace." He spoke slowly and deliberately, as if he was used to using time to verify his judgment. He seemed to be a rigorous and serious person.

The ensuing call lasted about forty minutes, during which the two finalized several framework points: Lin Yiming would serve as an advisor for Early Spring Culture's overseas business, responsible for its implementation in North America; the distribution channels for copyrights would be shared; and Lin Yiming would participate as a co-producer should any local production projects be undertaken in the future. After hanging up, Luo Jinnian wrote a few key points in his notebook.

The overseas release of "The Magpie Murder Case" was scheduled for two months later. The platform offered a less popular release date—not the summer holidays, not the end of the year, but a lull in the spring. This period had little competition and low buzz, but Lin Yiming, after discussions, commented, "A less popular release date is more suitable for this film than a popular one. It doesn't need to steal the spotlight; it just needs to be seen quietly." Luo Jinnian thought about this assessment for a while and agreed.

The first week's data wasn't particularly impressive; viewership remained stable, neither soaring nor declining significantly. The second week saw some changes—someone posted a recommendation on social media, saying, "This show has two stories, one in the book and one outside the book, and the way they converge reminded me of certain classic narrative structures." While the post didn't generate a huge buzz, such comments gradually resonated with a small group of overseas viewers.

In the third week, *The Magpie Murders* was featured in a long review on a professional drama review website. The review's title, roughly translated, meant: "A drama about storytelling, proving the same thing across two eras"—

Good stories don't need to happen in the same time and space; they just need to resonate on the same frequency. When Luo Jinnian saw that comment, he saved it to a folder called "Overseas Feedback." There were already several similar short comments and screenshots in it; not many, but each one was weighty.

In the fourth week, Lin Yiming sent a message: "The current data is rising. It's not a blockbuster, but it proves that the narrative structure can transcend cultural boundaries." Luo Jinnian looked at the message, turned to the page in his notebook that said "overseas company," and added a line below: "We can set up a distribution company first."

7

The subsequent preparation of legal documents and the advancement of procedures took about two months. The final place of registration was chosen in California, the company type was limited liability, and the name was "EarlySpring International." Luo Jinnian was doing homework in the school library when he received the confirmation email confirming the registration. His phone screen lit up, he saw the subject line, put down his pen, opened the email, read it, then put his phone down and continued copying chemical equations from the blackboard.

That evening, after returning to his rented room, he opened a new document and typed the following line in the header: "Early Spring"

"International, the first localization project." He left a large blank space below that line, as if waiting for some unformed but already moving shadow to walk in and sit in the very center of that blank space.

The distant lights outside the window flickered, and like the subtitles translated into different languages, they were slowly being placed in their respective positions.