Chapter 248: Self-Growth

After hanging up the phone, Yu Xian crossed his legs, held a wine glass filled with bright red wine, and looked up at the bright moon in the sky, feeling very content.

Showing off in front of Fang Hong felt incredibly good; it felt even better than sleeping with a European or American star.

In the past, it was always Fang Hong showing off in front of him, but now it was finally his turn to show off in front of Fang Hong.

Who told this guy to snatch away the Fairy Sister!

In truth, he envied Fang Hong; that was the Fairy Sister, the white moonlight in the hearts of so many, the embodiment of beauty in the minds of so many.

Just thinking about it made him feel unsettled!

However, there was still work to be done, so that very night he contacted the author of *The Fault in Our Stars*, John Green.

The next day, he flew to Indianapolis in the United States, a city located in the middle of the East Coast of the United States, adjacent to Chicago.

Yu Xian met the author there, a refined white man wearing black-rimmed glasses.

After discussion and understanding, Yu Xian confirmed that there were people interested in purchasing the rights to this novel, but it hadn't been sold yet; one reason was the price wasn't right, and another was that the buyers were quite hesitant.

To put it bluntly, they were doubtful about the adaptation value of this novel, and some of the buyers had the intention of picking up a bargain.

After understanding the situation and engaging in some bargaining, Yu Xian purchased the film and television adaptation rights for a price of 2 million dollars.

A 7-figure sum was the standard asking price for best-selling novels in Europe and America.

For a novel's film and television adaptation to be priced in the tens of millions, it would have to be incredibly popular and possess extremely high adaptation value, capable of forming an IP.

Although *The Fault in Our Stars* was popular, it hadn't reached a value of ten million, and without being adapted into a film, it wouldn't reach that value either.

Because this novel only sold 1 million copies a year, far worse than *Fifty Shades of Grey*, which sold 20 million copies in three months.

The gap was not just a little bit large! It was only because the novel was published in many countries, as many as over 30, that it was propped up.

Honestly, it was only after the movie came out that this novel was endowed with high value.

And in his past life, it wasn't until 2013 that Twentieth Century Fox made a move and bought the adaptation rights to *The Fault in Our Stars*.

So it was only worth two million dollars!

The reason *Fifty Shades of Grey* was so cheap before was that it hadn't been published yet and hadn't proven its value when Fang Hong bought it.

Moreover, the author had asked for a sky-high price at the time, and Fang Hong agreed without bargaining.

In fact, if he had bargained at the time, he could have bought it for a few hundred thousand dollars, maybe even a few tens of thousands.

Now that author regretted it to death, feeling it was sold too cheaply; at its current value, it could have been sold for ten million dollars.

But regret was useless; it was already sold, and unless Fang Hong agreed to take it back, which was impossible.

The copyright of *The Fault in Our Stars* was brought under the umbrella of the China company.

Fang Hong's copyright safe had become a little thicker!

Sometimes Fang Hong even wanted to give up on Jade Rabbit and just focus on managing the United States company; it was mainly because overseas content copyrights were just so damn profitable.

But after thinking about it, he decided against it; a person needs to have some pursuits!

After all, the United States was like duckweed without roots; China was the foundation.

That afternoon, photos of Liu Tianxian dressed casually while shopping at Guomao were posted online by passersby, and the photos were quite clear.

Just because it was daytime! The photos showed Liu Tianxian and a middle-aged woman chatting and laughing in a jewelry store.

It looked like a very casual and down-to-earth conversation.

Usually, Liu Tianxian was very casual and down-to-earth, not as high and mighty as people imagined.

She didn't mind when others took photos and didn't stop them! These photos spread among fans, and a bunch of "lick-dogs" were licking their screens, saying Liu Tianxian was "so pretty" and "so beautiful"! As for the middle-aged woman next to her, it didn't matter who she was, as long as it wasn't a man.

When Fang Hong returned home after work in the afternoon, he saw that the house had taken on a new look, completely different from its previous monotonous and simple appearance, having become much more rich and colorful.

There was a doormat at the entrance, and the shoe rack had been replaced with one of those high-end storage types, filled with many new shoes.

Green plants were placed in the corners and on the countertops, including jade plants, sweet osmanthus, and others.

Between the living room and the dining room, there was a large, long fish tank with several goldfish, guppies, and koi swimming inside; the colors were bright and very ornamental.

Looking at this home, which used to be black and white—something he didn't notice after seeing it for so long—now that it had colors, he felt much more relaxed.

If it weren't for Heizi wagging its tail beside him, he would have thought he had entered the wrong door.

"A little to the left, yes!"

Xu Liyun directed, while Liu Tianxian stood on a stool, hanging a picture frame on the wall.

The frame contained a blooming lotus flower, very bright.

Fang Hong walked over and stood behind his mother.

Xu Liyun noticed and pointed at the painting: "Looks good, right, son!"

"Looks good." Fang Hong nodded.

After Liu Tianxian finished hanging it, she was about to jump down from the stool.

"You're going to miss your footing." Fang Hong stepped forward and made a gesture to catch her.

Liu Tianxian stood perfectly fine and looked down at him: "Do you hope I miss my footing, or do you not hope I miss my footing?"

"You can miss your footing." Fang Hong laughed.

"You think this is an idol drama." Liu Tianxian saw through his little thoughts at a glance.

In idol drama tropes, the heroine climbs up high, is about to miss her footing, then falls right into the hero's arms, followed by an accidental kiss or something.

"Whether you miss your footing or not, I'm going to hold you."

Fang Hong didn't wait for a response; he wrapped his arms around her two rounded thighs, lifting her off the stool, his face right against her stomach.

Liu Tianxian was wearing very little, just a white short-sleeved shirt with Mickey Mouse printed on it and tight jeans; her body was plump, and the sensation was very real.

Seeing the two of them being so affectionate, Xu Liyun wore an auntie's smile; as long as she could see that the two of them had a good relationship, she was relieved.

Liu Tianxian was lifted high and could only hold onto Fang Hong's head, a playful smile on her face, but with this man's mother nearby, she felt embarrassed to show it.

"Put me down quickly."

"How could I bear to!" Fang Hong carried her as he walked around the house, even rubbing against her stomach.

"Oh, stop it, put me down."

Liu Tianxian felt ticklish and looked down; this behavior was too intimate, and an elder was watching nearby. If it were just the two of them, it wouldn't be anything.

"Not putting you down," Fang Hong said.

"Hurry up and put her down." Xu Liyun patted her son on the shoulder; after all, she couldn't bear to see Liu Tianxian being bullied.

There was no help for it, so Fang Hong had to put Liu Tianxian down.

Liu Tianxian's feet touched the ground, and she straightened her clothes; her short-sleeved shirt had been pulled up just now, and her midriff had almost been exposed.

"Feifei, why don't you stay here for dinner!" Xu Liyun invited.

"Okay, Auntie." Liu Tianxian agreed.

"Then I'll go cook."

Xu Liyun looked at her son and patted his arm again as she passed by, signaling him not to bully Liu Tianxian.

Fang Hong looked at the indoor environment: "Did you decorate all of this?"

"Your mom and I did it together. How is it? Do you like it?" Liu Tianxian was proud, looking as if she had a great sense of accomplishment.

"It's alright!" Fang Hong said.

"I worked so hard, and that's the only insignificant evaluation I get from you!" Liu Tianxian pouted, displeased.

"As long as you think it's good, there's no need for me to evaluate it. My gaze of appreciation is entirely on you; I have no feelings for any other beautiful things." Fang Hong rattled off the sweet talk.

"Smooth talker!"

The two chatted and held hands, strolling around the front and back of the house.

After placing some green plants, paintings, and decorations, it was indeed much richer and more colorful than before, no longer appearing so monotonous.

It is truly good to have a woman in the house who understands life.

And Liu Tianxian was that person who understood life very well; she could be refined, and she could be simple; she could be warm, and she could be romantic.

She knew how to enjoy life, and she knew how to be simple; she had a passionate pursuit of life.

Living with such a person, you don't have to worry about anything at all; she will dress up your life to be colorful and keep you in a very relaxed state.

The meal was still eaten as usual, and after finishing, Liu Tianxian drove back by herself.

She had originally come by car.

In the evening, on both of their phone screens, there was still a call from "Fang Gouzi" and a call from "The Liu one."

Unless they were very busy, the two would talk on the phone every night. As for what they talked about, who knows? Time quickly stepped into August 15th.

"Lucy 1" had already been showing for a month, and the box office for this film had basically reached its end.

The box office results for each region had also come out: Malaysia 4.51 million; Singapore 3.05 million; Philippines 2.48 million; Thailand 2.22 million; Indonesia 2.33 million. Adding in the domestic Baodao 11.39 million; Hong Kong 2.53 million.

The total box office amounted to 31.41 million dollars, which converts to about 219 million, just shy of 220 million.

The box office could only reach this point; now many places had already pulled it from theaters, as no one was watching it anymore. The market environment wasn't big to begin with, so pulling it from theaters was normal.

Moreover, pirated versions had long since appeared in Southeast Asia and were rampant; there was no way to combat this.

Piracy affects the production company's income, but it can expand a star's popularity, which is beneficial to the star.

So Liu Tianxian made a killing this time; the most famous fashion magazine, "VOGUE," featured Liu Tianxian on the cover of its August issue.

This was her first time appearing on "VOGUE"! Her image on the cover was charming and atmospheric, and the English text accompanying it was: Self-growth!

Previously, only European and American film stars or fashion models could appear on this fashion magazine, and people mostly saw European and American faces.

Among Chinese, only top-tier big names like Gong Huang, Guoji Zhang, Wang Fei, and Man Shen could appear. In February, Yan Zi appeared on a cover, but it was the China edition.

And this time, Liu Tianxian appeared on the Asia edition!

It could be considered the result of her hard work over these three years!

From 2010's "Those Years," to 2011's "Bad Genius," to 2012's "Lucy 1."

Every year, one step at a time! "VOGUE" fashion magazine is hailed as the "Global Fashion Bible"! It is one of the world's most important magazine brands, recognized as the world's leading fashion magazine, marketed in over 20 countries.

However, the content published in each region is different, and the covers are also different.

Liu Tianxian being able to appear on the "VOGUE" Asia edition with a Chinese face sparked an enthusiastic reaction from fans, triggering a wave of fan revelry. Fans even shouted the slogan: "Must appear on the cover again!" It also aroused the envy, jealousy, and hatred of other female stars and their fans! But there was no help for it; she had the Principal behind her. They could only talk trash, but talking trash couldn't build momentum; at most, it would only affect Liu Tianxian's mood.

Unless there were big companies or big shots stepping in.

But now those company big shots were all very quiet, as if there were a sense of calm before the storm.

It was unknown whether they were brewing a big move or had given up! Stars generally don't get paid for appearing in fashion magazines; if they do, it's paid by the brand, because this can increase their value—the brand's value and the star's value can both be improved.

Additionally, it also serves a promotional function for the star.

Low-level stars who want to appear on the covers of good fashion magazines even have to spend money or trade away some resources.

So if you aren't qualified, you can't get on! Now Liu Tianxian is starting to slowly discard low-end endorsements, such as those for games, and is moving toward high-end fashion.

Just because Fang Hong suggested to her that she must have class!

He hadn't said this before because Jade Rabbit hadn't developed to that stage yet. Since they were going to shoot high-investment films, Liu Tianxian also had to raise her own class.

Still the same saying, it had to match the temperament of Jade Rabbit! Being able to appear on the Asia edition was only because the total box office for "Lucy 1" in South Korea had also come out: 24.34 million dollars!

According to statistics from the Korean Film Council, the total number of viewers for this film exceeded 3 million.

It was much less than the previous "The Big Shot."

It also couldn't compare to "The Thieves," which was released not long ago; that one truly had a gathering of Korean big names and simply couldn't be compared with!

The results for "Lucy 1" were already very good. How big is the South Korean market? There are only so many people. Plus streaming media, television, and other mediums, multiplying the popularity by ten wouldn't be an exaggeration; it was a huge hit.

But the North American box office was not ideal. People said it would be 50 million, but it was only 41.65 million dollars. In such a big market, this little amount was truly not very good-looking.

But a crowd of domestic film and television companies were incredibly envious.

Since "The Forbidden Kingdom," no other film had been able to take tens of millions in box office in North America.

Even if you let Fang Long come again, he wouldn't be able to do it! Now Liu Tianxian can be said to be the one with the most hope of representing the Chinese and going out to become an international female star.

Of course, everyone knows that Liu Tianxian relies on Jade Rabbit! And the Principal!

(End of chapter)