Chapter 250

"Why don't we compete fairly and let Teacher Natsume make his own choice? That's the fairest, isn't it?"

Gongcheng Heyu snorted from his nose:

"Compete fairly? The author was originally mine; where do you get the face to say 'fair'?!"

"Editor Xin Yuan, hurry up!"

Apprentice Editor Xin Yuan Xiangzhi heard this, nodded immediately, turned around, and walked out quickly.

Huang Mu Jie saw this, knowing he had to make a quick decision, immediately turned to Natsume Chikage, his face full of twelve points of sincerity:

"I'm very sorry, Teacher Natsume, for letting you see the disharmonious side of the company. It's also my fault for not explaining it clearly to you beforehand, leading to the current misunderstanding."

"I will confess to you now: Editor Gao Qiaochun, who contacted you before, belongs to the company's second editorial group. And I am the leader of the first editorial group."

"Although we are colleagues, there is indeed a competitive relationship between groups. Precisely because your novel quality is very excellent, our first group is extremely eager to win you over!"

"Having me sign for you personally means I can use the group leader's authority to fight for the best split conditions and the highest quality resources for you."

"Even in all subsequent matters, our group will also send the most excellent editor—Yu Tian Caihua, to dock with you throughout the process, ensuring your work is successfully published, promoted, and hit the shelves."

Yu Tian Caihua heard this, knowing it was time to perform.

She immediately walked over and sat gracefully in the chair beside Natsume Chikage.

She was quite confident in her sweet smile and proud figure, thinking that taking down a little high school student was as easy as pie.

"Natsume-kun..."

Her voice was so gentle it could drip water.

"Any confusion you encounter in writing from now on, needing to collect material, find inspiration, or even wanting to go out for a stroll and chat... as long as you speak up, I can arrange it properly for you immediately."

"So, please rest assured and become an author of our first group. We will definitely give you meticulous care."

As she spoke, she "naturally" reached out and gently held Natsume Chikage's hand on the table, her expression extremely sincere.

At the same time, she leaned forward slightly, and her well-tailored professional attire inadvertently outlined a more astonishingly beautiful curve.

This scene made Gongcheng Heyu stunned first, then furious—actually using a beauty trap on a high school student?

Is this still shameless!

It's really too despicable!

Which hot-blooded boy would this trick not work on?

But this Yu Tian Caihua, she wouldn't usually use such means, why did she suddenly...

And just at this time,

Gongcheng Heyu noticed Natsume Chikage's appearance and was instantly amazed.

He thought no wonder Yu Tian Caihua was willing to take the initiative to use a beauty trap.

He thought she was just taking advantage of the situation, simply taking a fancy to this kid!

Really convinced, the people in this group are more outrageous than the last!

Just as he was about to speak to stop it, fearing that Natsume Chikage would really fall for it, he was stunned to see Natsume Chikage gently but firmly pull his hand out of Yu Tian Caihua's hand.

"I can feel your group's sincerity."

Natsume Chikage's voice was calm and waveless, with no emotion heard.

"But for me, at the current stage, what is most important is probably not these."

Yu Tian Caihua was stunned.

Ah?

I've done this... this boy, actually has no reaction at all?!

Gongcheng Heyu saw this and almost laughed out loud, his gaze toward Natsume Chikage full of appreciation:

"Teacher Natsume, everything the first group can promise, our second group can do, and we will only do it better!"

"So, you don't need to waste time here at all."

"I have already prepared a contract with more favorable conditions for you in our conference room over there."

"Please get up and come over with me."

However, Natsume Chikage still didn't move.

He just raised his eyes and looked at Gongcheng Heyu:

"If I'm not mistaken, you are the leader of the second editorial group, Mr. Gongcheng Heyu, right?"

Gongcheng Heyu was stunned for a moment and nodded:

"Exactly."

Natsume Chikage made a "please" gesture, his tone steady but carrying an unquestionable meaning:

"Two group leaders, please sit down first. I have some things I want to talk to you about together."

Huang Mu Jie was stunned first, then his heart "thumped," thinking of some bad situation.

He immediately scolded Gongcheng Heyu in his heart for not coming at the right time.

Now it's good, the situation is completely out of control, turning into an open bidding!

Gongcheng Heyu also keenly sensed the change in atmosphere, although full of reluctance, he could only sit down with a dark face.

When sitting down, he didn't forget to glare fiercely at Huang Mu Jie.

After the two sat down, Natsume Chikage spoke slowly:

"Actually, for me, it's not that I must choose which specific editorial group to join."

As soon as this was said, the one who reacted most intensely was Gao Qiaochun, who had been silent since entering the door.

His face turned pale, and cold sweat instantly broke out on his forehead:

"Tea, Teacher Natsume... what do you... mean by this?"

Gongcheng Heyu's face also became very ugly.

And Yu Tian Caihua and Huang Mu Jie of the first group looked at each other and were secretly happy.

They weren't afraid of no opportunity, just afraid of Natsume Chikage refusing outright.

Now these words are equivalent to opening the door for them.

But Gongcheng Heyu was an old hand after all; he suppressed the anxiety in his heart and asked in a deep voice:

"Teacher Natsume saying this, there should be prerequisites, right?"

Natsume Chikage nodded and said frankly:

"Yes."

"Although saying this might seem a bit arrogant, before submitting, I had already done a lot of reading and research on mystery novels."

"So I am very clear about the market value and potential of this work of mine."

Gongcheng Heyu and Gao Qiaochun, who had personally read "The Devotion of Suspect X," had no doubt about Natsume Chikage's words, instead feeling it was a matter of course.

And the two editors of the first group, although they hadn't read the manuscript, saw the serious, earnest, and even slightly awe-filled expressions of the two in the second group, and immediately understood—Natsume Chikage's work was probably much more excellent than they had expected.

Huang Mu Jie reacted very quickly, immediately associating it with the request Natsume Chikage made when interrupting the signing, and asked tentatively:

"So, Teacher Natsume wants to... discuss the royalty split ratio in detail with our two groups?"

Natsume Chikage met his gaze neither humbly nor arrogantly:

"Exactly."

Gao Qiaochun and Yu Tian Caihua both closed their mouths.

They knew that this kind of split negotiation involving core interests was not something editors at their level could decide.

The authority of ordinary editors can give a newcomer a split of about 15% at most.

Going higher requires the group leader to make the final decision.

Gongcheng Heyu was not in a hurry now, hugging his arms comfortably, his gaze cast toward Huang Mu Jie, as if saying: You make the first move, I'm waiting.

Huang Mu Jie scolded Gongcheng Heyu countless times in his heart, but still maintained his demeanor on the surface, and spoke:

"Since that's the case, Teacher Natsume, considering the excellence of your work... our first group can make an exception and offer a 25% royalty split for a new author like you."

"What do you think?"

Natsume Chikage remembered very clearly that not long ago, the split that Editor Huang Mu called "the highest for newcomers" was 15%.

Later, it rose to 18% during negotiations.

Now that the two editorial groups met, it jumped directly to 25%.

The gap before and after this nakedly revealed the traps of information asymmetry in the industry.

One can imagine how a new author who doesn't understand negotiation would be "duped."

But this also just proves that the excellence of "The Devotion of Suspect X" is worth letting senior editors break the rules to fight for.

And this is precisely the bargaining chip Natsume Chikage needs most right now.