Chapter 274: Rich and Foolish

"I've never heard of such a contract. You cannot deprive authors of their rights—every work is an author's child, and you're stealing our children."

After Jonina signed the contract and left, the other three authors entered one by one to discuss the contract with Pei Wencong.

The second-place finisher from Europe, Gibuda, was extremely agitated, refusing to accept a contract that tied translation rights to publishing rights, insisting on full copyright over the translated work.

"Mr. Gibuda, please don't get worked up. If this were your original work, you could call it your child—but this is merely your translation, so using the term 'child' is inappropriate."

Pei Wencong looked at Gibuda and said politely, "Of course, if Mr. Gibuda disagrees with this contract, we can also discuss a pure translation license."

"How much would you be willing to pay for the translation rights to A Song of Ice and Fire?"

Gibuda: "."

Seeing Gibuda's expression, Pei Wencong chuckled and said, "Mr. Gibuda, you're not trying to get the translation rights for free, are you?"

"Of course not," Gibuda straightened his back and tilted his chin slightly. "The original A Song of Ice and Fire isn't particularly impressive, but after I translate and publish it, I can significantly raise your publishing house's profile—I have strong relationships with several well-known media outlets in Britain and the Lighthouse."

"I'm willing to pay one thousand U. . dollars for the translation rights to the next hundred thousand characters, and raise it to two thousand dollars after that, along with a priority publishing agreement."

Gibuda spoke as if it were self-evident, because the British in Hong Kong had told him that their status as the mother country granted them invisible privileges in Hong Kong.

Even though Pei Wencong was the boss, the differences in skin color and hair meant who stood above whom was already decided.

"Hehe~"

Pei Wencong and Li Ye both laughed.

One thousand U. . dollars was the prize Gibuda won for second place—he wasn't spending a single cent of his own money!

As for the priority publishing agreement, it was just a piece of paper—full of loopholes and tricks.

We went through all this trouble—running contests, test sales, casting a wide net—just to build up the hype, and now we need a tool to do the hard work for us, and you, Mr. Smart Guy, think you can turn the tables and become the master?

Go screw yourself! Your mom misses your dad!

"Very well, Mr. Gibuda. We've noted your opinion and will discuss it seriously."

"A Min, show Mr. Gibuda to the reception room and open a bottle of 1982 red wine."

Pei Wencong courteously ushered Gibuda out.

Gibuda sat frozen for several seconds before reluctantly standing up.

He found it unbelievable—wasn't negotiation supposed to involve back-and-forth bargaining? Why had they stopped talking after just a few sentences?

Gibuda wanted to say more, but A Min had already opened the door and gestured coldly for him to leave.

【You little brat think you're as powerful as the guy sitting on the sofa?】

A Min had accompanied Pei Wencong since his rise to power—he knew the Seven-Inch Blade's temperament too well. Once he set his terms, you'd better not utter a single "no."

Because if you did, you'd miss a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

Walk out that door, and you'll regret it.

The second entrant, Jeff from the Lighthouse, had readers who found his translation "mediocre," but his word choice was refined, rich in historical and atmospheric depth.

If Jonina's translation was a delicate, female-led literary work, Jeff's was an epic historical narrative.

Later, Pei Wencong learned Jeff was a history graduate, but now, in middle age, he worked as a car mechanic.

After reading the contract and confirming it was "guaranteed profit" with a fixed monthly salary, Jeff signed without hesitation—his ease surprised Li Ye and the others.

Don't Lighthouse people usually hire lawyers to scrutinize contracts three times over and pay thousands in legal fees before feeling secure?

How could Jeff be so careless?

But no sooner had Jeff signed than he asked Pei Wencong to send him to the airport—he came and went in a flash, all efficiency and speed.

Of course, he might just not want to pay for a taxi himself.

Yet Jeff had barely stepped out of the office when Gibuda blocked him.

"Mr. Jeff, have you signed too? This oppressive contract disrespects authors—we must hold all rights ourselves!"

Jeff looked at the anxious Gibuda and gave a bitter smile. "If you were the father of three children, you'd prefer this low-risk opportunity. Risk and reward go hand in hand—I can't afford to take risks."

"."

Jeff's words pierced Gibuda like a knife.

Didn't he, too, lack the ability to bear risk? A good work needs to partner with a publisher to monetize—but if he held full copyright, Gibuda could, like today's Tàlàng, auction his translation to the highest bidder.

But now Tàlàng's terms put authors in a passive position, making him feel cheated.

Yet seeing Jonina and Jeff sign and leave with astonishing speed, Gibuda finally lost patience.

He returned to Pei Wencong's office door and told A Min, "Hello, please tell your boss I need to speak with him."

But A Min shook his head coldly and pointed behind Gibuda.

A secretary had just brought Wu Jinyuan from Lijia Po.

Gibuda immediately said to A Min, "I accept your terms—I'll sign the publishing agreement."

Gibuda was desperate. Originally, four candidates, three selected—only a 25% rejection rate. He'd hoped to provoke Jonina, to make that clearly unstable woman lose control.

But now he saw his plan was sound, his tactics clumsy—he'd outsmarted himself.

A Min glanced at Gibuda, opened the office door, blocked him, and let Wu Jinyuan enter.

"I'll lower my sales share."

A Min looked at Gibuda with contempt and sneered.

Why wait until now? You had no leverage at all, yet you strutted around with false pride—don't you know Li Ye despises the arrogance of the British?

Wu Jinyuan from Lijia Po also glanced at Gibuda, then walked calmly into the office and shut the door behind her.

Gibuda's mind went blank for a moment, then he realized he'd made things worse.

After entering the office, Wu Jinyuan glanced at the contract Pei Wencong handed her, shook her head, set it down, and said calmly, "I want to buy the translation rights to A Song of Ice and Fire. How much?"

"We haven't considered selling translation rights separately. Our publishing agreement isn't harsh—in fact, our sales share is higher than industry norms."

Pei Wencong had already signed two translators; he felt no urgency and calmly declined Wu Jinyuan's request.

Wu Jinyuan thought for a moment and said softly, "One hundred thousand U. . dollars."

"."

Pei Wencong smiled and shook his head, glancing at Li Ye.

Wu Jinyuan immediately turned to look at Li Ye on the sofa, locking eyes with him for several seconds.

Then she raised her offer to Pei Wencong: "I'm willing to pay two hundred thousand U. . dollars. Is that acceptable?"

Li Ye silently muttered: "Is this woman just rich and stupid? Even if she's flush with cash, she doesn't throw it around this bluntly."

Two hundred thousand U. . dollars in 1983 was no small sum!

In mainland China, that kind of money would require a city-level big shot to personally receive and entertain.

Pei Wencong was stunned and glanced again at Li Ye—but Li Ye stopped him with an impassive expression.

Yet Pei Wencong's subtle reaction still alerted Wu Jinyuan.

She didn't turn her head, but her gaze flickered sideways, carefully studying the calm, handsome boy.

(End of Chapter)