Chapter 426: Don

Li Luo looked at the middle-aged man claiming to be a director, then lowered his gaze to the man's business card.

When he heard the man mention Ying Zhicheng's name, Li Luo felt slightly reassured and exchanged a few brief words with him.

This director, Wang Jun, had clearly been invited by Wenxue Group to attend the annual meeting, and happened to hear everyone in the conference hall talking about Chongran, so he came over to make an acquaintance.

After chatting for a few moments, watching Wang Jun's retreating back as he took his leave, Li Luo glanced again at the business card.

Another author nearby leaned over to take a look, and one of the senior writers said, "I know a bit about that Wang Jun—he's collaborated frequently with Penguin in recent years, and his films are pretty solid."

Another author glanced at Li Luo and added, "Didn't Ran Shen's 'Little Joys' just launch on the platform a month ago? Has the film and TV rights already caught someone's eye?"

"Maybe just preliminary interest," Li Luo replied vaguely, not committing firmly.

Even if Ying Zhicheng was optimistic and Wenxue Group was actively pushing it, Li Luo wouldn't pop the champagne before things were settled—he kept his words cautious.

"I should've joined this writing contest," sighed one author. "I'm so envious of you all—you've all sold your rights already."

"Try to secure as much as you can for the film and TV rights of 'Little Joys,'" advised a well-known platinum veteran, looking at Li Luo. "Price isn't the point—the key is to sell it."

"Once an author has sold film and TV rights before, it's like gaining an extra mark on their name."

"Future works will find it easier to sell rights compared to others', and Wenxue Group internally prefers promoting authors who've already had successful cases."

Probably because Li Luo was young and showed great potential, had seized the contest opportunity, and written a work with film and TV rights potential, even platinum veterans were eager to befriend him and even shared some industry insider details.

Li Luo listened obediently.

In his past life, he hadn't understood these intricacies—Xu Youyu eventually became a grandmaster, but on the one hand their contact gradually dwindled, and on the other hand, Xu Youyu, like him now, was a newly risen grandmaster.

And both had started with urban entertainment fiction.

Male-oriented urban fiction was one of the hardest categories to sell rights for.

The easier ones to sell were usually specific professional genres, like police dramas or medical dramas.

Entertainment-themed stories became harder to sell the more mature and formalized the industry became.

Chatting with these senior writers who'd also come for the annual meeting, Li Luo gained quite a bit.

During this time, Wenxue Group executives came by—including Li Luo's direct superior, Editor Hongdou, and Chief Editor Nanfeng—all of whom stopped to chat briefly with the authors.

Hongdou specifically pulled Li Luo aside to chat longer with Nanfeng.

The main topic was 'Little Joys'—Huayue Film and Television had already made an offer, and both sides were in preliminary negotiations.

As a newly risen grandmaster, Li Luo's rights contract was still negotiated externally by Wenxue Group, who controlled both the offer and content; Li Luo had only the power to accept or reject.

But if Li Luo requested it, they could arrange for a lawyer to observe, and Wenxue Group would consider any reasonable suggestions.

Honestly, if Huayue Film and Television were solely owned by Ying Zhicheng, Li Luo wouldn't have needed to upload 'Little Joys' to Qidian at all—he could've just privately shown the script to Ying Zhicheng.

But unfortunately.

Huayue Film and Television couldn't be decided by Ying Zhicheng alone.

Especially regarding film and TV investments, decisions always required board approval.

After all, the money came from these behind-the-scenes shareholder magnates.

If Ying Zhicheng simply brought Li Luo's 'Little Joys' to the board for proposal, even with Li Luo's Qidian grandmaster status, it would likely be rejected outright.

But if 'Little Joys' could be published on Qidian, win a contest award, and be strongly backed by Wenxue Group, the effect would be completely different.

In short, it needed a more authoritative institutional backing to endorse Li Luo's 'Little Joys'.

Otherwise, you can't expect the board shareholders to read through the entire original text.

And even if they did, they might not be able to tell whether it would actually become popular.

So selling rights often came down to hype.

For instance, if 'Little Joys' could win first prize in this year's realism-themed writing contest, they could then boast about it loudly.

Along with claims like "topped Qidian's monthly vote chart for realism fiction for X consecutive months."

The latest masterpiece from Qidian grandmaster Chongran.

Then hype up all the data, add some content spin, dazzle the investors, sell the rights, and done.

But Li Luo still had a small aspiration.

So when communicating with Chief Editor Nanfeng, he added his own condition, asking Wenxue Group to consider it during negotiations.

No other demands—he just wanted to be hired as one of the screenwriters if the rights were sold.

Of course, even if Wenxue Group couldn't arrange it, Ying Zhicheng could still assign him the role.

After all, even if 'Little Joys' was sold, once the script was rewritten by screenwriters and then filtered through the director's vision, who knew how much the plot would be altered beyond recognition?

If possible, Li Luo wanted to minimize this risk as much as possible.

After all, he still wanted to do a crossover with 'I Am Really Not a Star' in a TV drama.

If it turned out badly, his reputation would be ruined.

After chatting in the conference hall for over two hours, it was already half past five in the afternoon.

Everyone gradually dispersed, returning to their rooms to pack up before heading to the banquet.

Li Luo hurried back to Room 5008, swiped his card, and entered.

But as soon as he opened the door, what met his eyes was a sea of white.

"Ah!"

Xu Youyu, inside the room, saw Li Luo enter and let out a startled cry, quickly clutching the evening gown to cover herself, blushing furiously: "Y-you… don't stare!"

"Cough… sorry, sorry…" Li Luo quickly averted his gaze, shut the door, and stepped into the bathroom.

But his Memory Palace ability was too powerful—just one glance had already seared that scene into his mind.

Fortunately, the essentials were still covered.

But this was the first time in both his lives that Li Luo had seen Xu Youyu wearing only underwear.

Even last birthday, when the room was pitch-black from the lights being off, he hadn't seen clearly.

But this time, the lighting was bright, and everything was fully visible.

All I can say is that Senior's figure really is amazing… Even when dressed, it was obvious, but I never expected that without clothes, it would be even more spectacular.

"L-Li Luo."

Outside, Xu Youyu's voice came through.

"What's wrong?" Li Luo washed his face with cold water at the sink, then asked in confusion upon hearing the voice.

"Come out."

"Are you dressed?"

"Not yet," Xu Youyu frowned. "I can't reach the top of the zipper on my back. Come help me."

"Oh, okay, coming."

Li Luo dried his face and hands, stepped out of the bathroom, and saw Xu Youyu standing beside the bed, facing the balcony, her back to him.

She had already put on the pale blue evening gown Li Luo had bought her—a relatively modest cut that accentuated her youthful charm.

But right now, the zipper down her back was completely open, exposing most of her snow-white spine to Li Luo's gaze.

To judge a woman's figure, beginners look at her chest; those with a bit more experience look at her legs.

More refined observers look at her hips and waist.

But if her back's lines and contours are exquisitely beautiful, pleasing to the eye, then her figure is certainly not poor.

Xu Youyu's back clearly met this standard—even surpassed it—leaving Li Luo momentarily stunned.

Only when Xu Youyu turned her head and gave him a coquettish glare, urging him, did Li Luo snap out of it and hurry forward. He gripped the zipper with one hand and pulled the fabric behind her with the other, slowly zipping up the treasure before him.

"There."

"Let me see~" After confirming Li Luo had zipped her up, Xu Youyu rushed to the door.

The wardrobe here had a full-length mirror. Xu Youyu turned left and right, spun around, then looked at Li Luo and smiled. "How do I look?"

"Beautiful."

"How beautiful?"

"So beautiful, you can't help but want to kiss her."

"Hmph, you've got too many dirty thoughts," Xu Youyu said, though her face betrayed her suppressed smile. She walked over to the suitcase and pulled out the suit Li Luo had brought.

Li Luo had bought a gray suit, chosen by Xu Youyu herself.

Watching Li Luo put it on, Xu Youyu neatly adjusted his collar and hem, then personally tied his tie.

Li Luo looked at the earnest Xu Youyu before him and asked curiously, "You know how to tie a tie?"

"I didn't before. Learned it this afternoon," Xu Youyu smiled, glancing at him. After finishing the tie, she patted his chest. "There. Go check yourself in the mirror."

"No need," Li Luo hugged Xu Youyu and leaned down to kiss her.

But Xu Youyu reacted quickly, turning her head with a laugh, pushing him away, and pulling him toward the mirror.

"You're letting your true nature show," she scolded as she made him face the mirror from both sides. "You kissed me for ages by the beach today—my lips are already a little swollen. Kiss me again and everyone will notice."

Li Luo awkwardly rubbed his nose, but his gaze in the mirror didn't land on himself—it stayed fixed on Xu Youyu's alluring lips.

When you resist doing something, everything's fine.

But once you've tasted it, control becomes harder.

Li Luo was now in exactly this state, especially these past two days, constantly teased and provoked by Xu Youyu.

After finally kissing her, and remembering she was the Xu Youyu from his past life, Li Luo found himself barely able to hold back.

"Time's about up," Li Luo forced himself to suppress his subtle emotions, straightened his collar, and said, "Let's go down to the restaurant."

"Mm, let's go."

They picked up their phones, room cards, and other personal items. Li Luo was about to open the door when Xu Youyu grabbed his arm.

As he turned, Xu Youyu leaned in, rose on her toes, and pressed a light kiss to his lips—then immediately pulled away. "There. That's compensation. Now go."

Li Luo felt the lingering softness on his lips, took a deep breath, and pinned Xu Youyu against the wall.

"Hey! I already compensated you… Mm… Wait… Don't wrinkle my… Mm… dress…"

…

"It's all your fault!"

In the elevator, Xu Youyu pulled out her phone, opened the selfie camera, and studied her lips. "It's really obvious."

"Where's it obvious? It just looks even better," Li Luo said boldly.

"Hmph," Xu Youyu gave him a glare. "I already compensated you before leaving. Why did you kiss me again?"

"I was holding back," Li Luo turned it around. "You suddenly kissed me—it was like lighting a fire on oil."

"So it's my fault?" Xu Youyu widened her eyes in disbelief.

"Yes," Li Luo nodded firmly. "It's all your fault."

"You're shameless!"

The elevator reached the second floor, and the two finally ended their "argument."

Xu Youyu affectionately linked arms with Li Luo and walked into the French restaurant on the second floor.

Tonight, this French restaurant had been fully booked by the Wenxue Group; only those invited to the annual meeting were allowed in.

Li Luo and Xu Youyu found the editor Qianzhou in the restaurant, and the three of them took a seat.

Authors who knew Li Luo greeted him when they saw him.

Many eyes couldn't help but land on Xu Youyu beside him.

Some authors remembered her as Gao Zhongsheng; others assumed Li Luo had brought a family member.

After all, the rules permitted authors to bring family to the annual meeting.

But then they remembered—Li Luo was still a Gao Zhongsheng. How had he brought a girlfriend?

Thinking of this, many long-single veteran authors felt a pang of envy.

Especially since Xu Youyu is so beautiful.

But soon, after Qianzhou sat down with them, he smiled and pulled out two name tags, handing them to Li Luo and Xu Youyu: "Put them on—your pen names are on them."

"Since many authors here are meeting for the first time, they might not know each other well."

"So everyone has prepared a name tag to wear on your chest, making it easier to get to know one another."

When those around saw Xu Youyu also receive a pen name tag, many were startled, realizing she too was an author.

At that moment, those who had previously met Xu Youyu at seminars or salons quietly introduced her to those beside them.

Many expressions turned strange.

"Why do we even have pen name tags like this?" Xu Youyu looked at the tag on her chest, suddenly feeling a bit embarrassed.

After all, since no one knew her pen name, even if they met in person, they wouldn't know what works she'd written.

But once they knew the pen name, they'd naturally know exactly what she wrote.

"Literary Era" is no longer unknown—it's at least a ten-thousand-subscription work.

Under current conditions where ten-thousand subscriptions are rare, many urban fiction authors have at least read this book.

Now that they learned "SleepEarlyGrowsTall" was a girl, and a beautiful, young one at that, many were stunned.

Seeing the affectionate relationship between Li Luo and Xu Youyu, everyone couldn't help but murmur in admiration, thinking they truly were a perfect match.

Not long after, it was six p. m., and the banquet officially began.

This evening, the French restaurant offered a semi-buffet format.

Each table had fixed dishes served, but there were also buffet-style dishes available to fetch from the side.

Li Luo and the others ate heartily at their table; halfway through the meal, people began rising and moving between tables.

Li Luo had no interest in this, so he pulled Xu Youyu aside to find other delicacies and brought them all back to the table.

If anyone came over to toast or greet him, he politely raised his glass of Coca-Cola in return.

Thanks to his minor status, no one dared make him drink alcohol.

But to be fair, the gray suit Xu Youyu picked for him was well chosen.

Though not a high-end custom design, Li Luo's tall, lean frame—shaped by long-term exercise—suited it perfectly.

Wearing the gray suit gave it a refined texture, making him look more mature overall, less youthful and student-like.

Combined with his naturally mature personality, he looked at first glance like a man in his early twenties.

As Li Luo and Xu Youyu sat enjoying the food, people kept coming over to toast and introduce themselves.

Eventually, even the CEO of Wenxue Group came by, stopping at their table for several minutes to discuss the TV adaptation rights for "Little Joy."

"Has Uncle Ying already started negotiating the rights to your book?" Xu Youyu asked curiously.

"Shh!" Li Luo saw the CEO had already walked away, but still covered Xu Youyu's mouth with his hand and whispered, "Don't mention my relationship with Uncle Ying in public."

After all, Wenxue Group clearly didn't know Li Luo and Ying Zhicheng were neighbors, nor that he was close to their daughter—the two families had been neighbors back home.

At this critical moment of selling rights, it was better not to let outsiders know these details.

"Oh oh." Xu Youyu immediately fell silent, nodding vigorously, then kissed Li Luo right in front of Qianzhou, "Is this a good apology?"

Good?

Good!

Good bullshit!

Qianzhou, watching this from across, didn't know what they were whispering, but seeing such an intimate moment made his face darken, suffering a ton of emotional blows.

Originally, Qianzhou had thought his business trip to Qianzhou was at least a paid vacation.

Now it seemed the mental damages alone would be substantial!

Will the company even reimburse this?!

I can't take it anymore!