Chapter 17: In the Prime of Spring

Editor Chu He sent a message saying a small publisher in Fujian had taken a liking to his novel and wanted to buy the physical book rights.

Upon hearing there was such a good opportunity, Xu Heng hurriedly asked about their offer.

The publisher offered two options: one was to pay two million directly to buy the physical book rights, with the publisher bearing all profits or losses after publication.

The other was a 40/60 split, where the earnings would depend entirely on physical book sales.

Chu He suggested Xu Heng choose the split; from a long-term perspective, a split would undoubtedly earn more money.

San Tang's novels published in physical form in previous years had all earned more than this two-million figure.

The quality of Xu Heng's novel was much higher than that of San Tang and his ilk, so the split from a physical publication would only be higher than two million, not lower.

Xu Heng asked about the details, such as how long it would take to publish, and if he chose the split, roughly when he could receive the first payment.

Chu He didn't make any guarantees, only giving an estimated figure based on industry experience.

January of next year.

Hearing this, Xu Heng decisively gave up on the split and said he would take the two million.

Although he knew the split would yield higher profits than a buyout, he didn't have that much time to wait.

He was currently in urgent need of a larger ship to fish for gold in the stock market; with a big ship, he could catch more gold.

Once he got his hands on this two million, he could multiply it several times over in just two or three months.

In comparison, the small change from physical book royalties was mere drizzle; no one would care about it.

【Are you very short on money?】 Chu He asked on Penguin.

【Very short. How about you lend me a few million, Editor? I'll pay you back this November.】

Xu Heng's request for a few million scared Chu He; he hurriedly declined, stating bluntly that he was just a wage earner and didn't even have one hundred thousand in total to his name.

It was a pity; if he had a bit of guts, Xu Heng wouldn't mind letting him have a bite.

After settling on the plan, Chu He gave Xu Heng the publisher's contact number and told him to find time to meet with the publisher's people to discuss the specific terms in person, as two million was, after all, not a small amount.

Xu Heng spent the entire month of July busy negotiating the buyout fee for the physical books.

He had originally intended to clarify the relationship between the two with Little Sister Xu, but it ended up being left unsettled because he was too busy.

By August, the copyright matter was settled; the two-million buyout fee originally promised by the publisher was negotiated by Xu Heng up to two point five million plus a 20/80 split after publication.

This was also due to the fact that Xu Heng's novel's performance continued to explode in popularity.

*Peerless Male God*, *Peerless Young Master*, and *Peerless Manservant* had already become the three great "Peerless" web novels of 2007, all winning through their depictions of women; coupled with the success of the *Peerless Manservant* physical book, many obscure small publishers wanted a piece of the pie.

That was why Xu Heng later raised his requirements, and the small Fujian publisher gritted their teeth and agreed.

Two point five million arrived in his account!

Xu Heng's finances suddenly became comfortable; he kept five hundred thousand as capital and invested the remaining two million, plus his July royalties, into the stock market.

It is worth mentioning that by August, China Shipping was already surging, closing in on the 220-yuan mark.

This left many who had sold their China Shipping shares at the low level of 150 yuan feeling extremely regretful.

If they had kept their China Shipping stock back then instead of believing those "expert predictions," they could afford a little BMW now.

Of course, while they thought this in their hearts, they still wouldn't buy China Shipping.

Buy low, don't buy high; buy the dips, don't buy the rallies.

They didn't know when such a soaring stock might suddenly crash, so they preferred to choose more stable stocks for investment.

Contrary to these people was Xu Heng; he didn't care how high the individual share price of China Shipping was, he used all the money in his stock account to buy it.

Adding positions at 200, adding positions at 210, adding positions at 220—he was adding positions constantly; he had practically kicked the door of China Shipping's warehouse off its hinges.

At the same time, the total amount of his capital in the stock market, including principal and interest, soared along with it.

By mid-August, the figure had reached nearly 9.6 million; conservatively estimated, it would reach 20 million before October.

Having a base of capital really made a difference.

When his base capital was only around one hundred thousand, Xu Heng never dreamed he could earn ten million in assets in the stock market, but with a usable amount of over a million as a foundation, let alone ten million... twenty million was no longer a dream!

After getting the money, Xu Heng bought himself an N95 phone and bought one for both Father Xu and Mother Xu; as for Xu Ruoxi, she was too young now and easily distracted from her studies, so he would wait until she was in college.

When Mother Xu received it, she didn't know the price of this thing, only saying it looked quite nice and must have cost a lot, right?

"Eight thousand six hundred and sixty-six, a new Nokia model that just came out in June." Father Xu frowned, fiddling with the slider phone in his hand. "Where did you get so much money, kid?"

The old man had been a loyal Nokia enthusiast his whole life; he had been watching the N95 since it was first released, but he truly couldn't afford this price, so he could only look at it with envy without even being able to touch it.

"Didn't I tell you I was doing a part-time job? Actually, it wasn't a part-time job; I was writing a novel online and earned a little money."

Xu Heng didn't tell his parents about him using sacks to carry money from the stock market; the two elders had lived a stable life, and in their eyes, the stock market was a place for gambling. If they knew he was playing the stock market, they would definitely nag him.

"Writing a novel? You have that ability?" Father Xu was a bit skeptical.

Xu Heng said, "It's not the kind of classic literature; it's a web novel, only serialized online."

Father Xu and Mother Xu were both fifty years old and couldn't understand the concept of a "web novel," thinking it was a bit ridiculous that such a thing could earn money. In the end, Xu Heng had no choice but to show them the royalty income on his author dashboard.

Upon seeing that string of six-digit numbers, the two elders were completely shocked.

"Over three hundred thousand? Little Heng, are you sure the decimal point isn't in the wrong place?" Mother Xu widened her eyes, looking incredulous.

"It's more than three hundred thousand. The physical book rights for this novel were also sold for over two million. I went to Fujian last month to negotiate the contract with the publisher."

Two million!

Physical books!

Hearing these two pieces of news, the family only felt dizzy and lightheaded.

What was the concept of two million in a small city in 2007?

To put it simply, if Father Xu and Mother Xu worked together for twenty years and didn't spend a single cent, they would only just be able to save two million!

Xu Heng had earned the sum of their twenty years of wages in just over two months!

The hand Father Xu used to hold his Yellow Crane Tower cigarette trembled slightly; he took a deep drag and blew out white rings from his nostrils.

"Dad, your son will be able to earn even more money in the future. I'll buy you the biggest house and the best car later, so just rest easy," Xu Heng said softly, patting his shoulder.

"Good, good, good, little Heng has grown up." As he spoke, the old man's eyes actually grew a little moist.

What is it that one hopes for most when raising a child? It is nothing more than seeing the child achieve success and renown.

Although Xu Heng was not their own flesh and blood, the affection and hopes they poured into Xu Heng were no less than anyone else's.