[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-dreaming-back-to-1997-i-became-the-forefather-of":3,"chapter-dreaming-back-to-1997-i-became-the-forefather-of-dreaming-back-to-1997-i-became-the-forefather-of-chapter-58":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","Dreaming Back to 1997: I Became the Forefather of Web Novels",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},2348292,4589,"Chapter 58: The Impact of a Three-Day Update Break","dreaming-back-to-1997-i-became-the-forefather-of-chapter-58",58,"\u003Cp>August 29th.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A little past one in the afternoon.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Cao Sheng carried his luggage, walked off the train, exited Huizhou Railway Station, and got into a taxi.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Three days ago, he had returned to his hometown to check on the progress of the new house.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The main structure of the new house was finished, and the courtyard walls had been built as well.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>However, the interior and exterior plastering had not yet been done.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The progress was about what he had estimated.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Building the house this summer had made his parents' skin much darker, but the smiles on their faces had increased significantly, and their energy and spirits were much better than before.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His father’s voice was even louder than it used to be.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of the fifty thousand yuan he had given them last time he went back, only a little over ten thousand had been spent so far.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even so, his parents were always grumbling that building the house this way was too expensive.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Originally, according to their wishes, there was no need to build ground beams, no need for columns, and no need to pour the floor slabs on-site; they could have just used prefabricated slabs, and if they had covered the second-floor roof with tiles, they could have saved even more.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If the walls had been built as hollow walls, they could have saved more than half the bricks.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But following Cao Sheng’s requirements, the cost had multiplied several times over.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet, they were very satisfied with the quality of the completed house structure; they just kept grumbling that it was too expensive.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Cao Sheng summarized it in one sentence: aside from being expensive, there were no other flaws.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Before returning to school this time, he discussed it with his father—telling him not to go to the kiln factory to unload kilns anymore.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After considering it, his father agreed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the past, he had always worked at the kiln factory because of the pressure to provide for his son’s education; now that he didn't need to worry about his son’s tuition, and it looked like he wouldn't need to cover the costs of his son’s future marriage either, he wasn't a glutton for punishment who insisted on suffering at the kiln factory.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>……\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Returning to the small courtyard on Binjiang Road.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Cao Sheng cooked himself a bowl of egg noodles.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After eating his fill, taking a shower, and changing his clothes, he went to the study on the second floor, turned on the computer, and prepared to update *I Desire to Become an Immortal*.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He had been in his hometown for the past three days, where internet access was inconvenient, so he hadn't updated for three days.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He estimated that his readers were already like baby birds waiting to be fed, starving to the point of desperation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Therefore, he prepared to update two chapters today.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Consider it a make-up for everyone.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The result?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When he logged into the author backend on Rongshuxia, he was surprised to see that Rongshuxia had sent him two internal messages.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What was going on?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Did they arrange another recommendation slot for me? Did they arrange two for me this time?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With this question in mind, he clicked on the message box.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He saw the first internal message: \"Hello, Zhongyuan Yidianhui. Through our efforts, Changjiang Literature and Art Publishing House is interested in publishing your *I Desire to Become an Immortal*. However, like other publishers, they do not agree to give you a 14% royalty share directly. Nevertheless, they are willing to give you a 14% or even higher share once your work reaches a certain sales volume. For specific terms, please check your email; we have a dedicated person to contact you. —Rongshuxia\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The second internal message: \"Cao Sheng! What is going on with you? Not only did you not reply to my email these past three days, but you also stopped the serialization of *I Desire to Become an Immortal*? If you are dissatisfied with the terms from Changjiang Literature and Art Publishing House, just tell me! We can help you find other publishers; why did you stop the serialization? Please reply to my email as soon as you receive this, please! —Wang Jing\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In front of the computer.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When he finished reading the first internal message, Cao Sheng’s eyes still held a bit of confusion, wondering what \"a certain sales volume\" mentioned by Changjiang Literature and Art Publishing House roughly amounted to.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What were the specific terms?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But when he finished reading the second internal message, he couldn't help but chuckle.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He hadn't expected that just by going back to his hometown and not updating for three days, he would make Wang Jing so nervous.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Interesting.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Since Wang Jing was so nervous, he wouldn't be in a hurry to reply to her email.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In any case, he wasn't the one who was nervous.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He first followed his own plan, pulled up two chapters of saved drafts, and updated *I Desire to Become an Immortal*.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then, he read the posts in the book review section for a while.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just as he expected, having not updated for three days, the review section was indeed full of resentment.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Ahhh... it’s been three days! Why hasn't there been an update after three days? Author, where did you die? You didn't even come out to say anything about not updating?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Still no update? What’s going on?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Is the author stuck on a plot point? Out of inspiration?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"As everyone knows, this book has already been published up to volume 8 in Wanwan, so this break in updates is definitely not because the author can't write it; it’s a matter of character! He clearly has a ton of drafts on hand, he just won't update! This thousand-knife-slashed guy!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I used to think the worst people in the world were the villains who killed and set fires; now I know it’s Zhongyuan Yidianhui, who has drafts but won't update!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"The author is a man, right? Does he have those few days every month too? Otherwise, why hasn't he updated yet?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Zhongyuan Yidianhui! Do you dare to leak your address? I’m just asking if you dare!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>……\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Cao Sheng laughed dumbly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He thought to himself: This can't be blamed on me; if Rongshuxia had a scheduled update function, would I have broken my update streak? Or if laptops weren't so expensive right now, I would have brought a laptop when I went home, and the updates wouldn't have been broken. You all are blaming the wrong person.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Although he shifted the blame in his heart, he still posted a single chapter explaining that he had returned to his hometown for a few days and apologized to everyone.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He knew he had been negligent this time.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Before going home, he should have updated two more chapters or told everyone in advance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After doing all this, he logged into his email.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There were already three emails from Wang Jing in his inbox.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The first one:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Cao Sheng, good news! We recently contacted over a dozen publishers and finally found one that didn't completely reject your terms.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This publisher said that if you want a 14% royalty share, that’s fine, and even higher is possible.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But there are a few prerequisites.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If sales are below 100,000 copies, they will give you a 9% share.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For the portion exceeding 100,000 copies, they will give you a 10% share.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For the portion exceeding 200,000 copies, they will give you an 11% share.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For the portion exceeding 300,000 copies, they will give you a 12% share.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And so on; for the portion exceeding 400,000 copies, they will give you 13%.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Above 500,000 copies, 14%.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Capped at a maximum of 15%.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In other words, they can give you a maximum royalty share of 15%. I don't know what you think of these terms?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I think if you have confidence in the quality of this book, you can sign such a contract. Also, to be honest, it is really difficult to find a publisher in the country right now that is willing to give you a 12% or 14% royalty share directly. The terms offered by Changjiang Literature and Art Publishing House are already the best we have been able to find in all these days. I hope you will consider it carefully and reply to me as soon as possible. —Wang Jing\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The second email:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Huh? It’s been two days, why haven't you replied to me yet? Haven't you considered it yet? —Wang Jing\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The third email:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Cao Sheng, what is going on? It’s been three days; not only have you not replied to my email, but why did you stop the serialization of *I Desire to Become an Immortal*? Don't do that! If you are not satisfied with this publisher’s terms, we can help you find other publishers; perhaps in a while, we will be able to find a publisher that meets your requirements. How could you stop the serialization? Look at the book review section! So many readers want to see the subsequent content; do you have the heart to let so many readers down? Please, can you reply to me? I beg you! —Wang Jing.\"\u003C\u002Fp>",1533,"2026-06-21T01:55:54.452Z",1,"Gemini 3.1 Flash Lite","680ac0f8769aa5db833648e30c9e42b82fa2f770bd93bc46b19ab0282867b847","dreaming-back-to-1997-i-became-the-forefather-of-chapter-59","dreaming-back-to-1997-i-became-the-forefather-of-chapter-57",338,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fdreaming-back-to-1997-i-became-the-forefather-of-cover.jpg"]