He has a small crew cut, black-framed glasses, medium build, and a serious smile.
The greatest god in the Chinese science fiction world has this extremely ordinary appearance.
"Liu Gong, these guys are looking for you."
After that, the coworker didn't leave yet, he just stood by and watched naturally.
The big star comes to see Liu Gong, what's the big deal on time?
"We want to talk to Liu Gong alone." Zhang Yuan looked at that person.
"Oh, you guys can talk, I won't disturb you." The worker returned casually, motionless.
I don’t know if I really didn’t understand, or if I was deliberately pretending not to understand.
Zhang Yuan looked helpless, while Qin Li on the side smiled bitterly and shook her head.
Who makes you look so arrogant?
Yesterday, there was a wave of craze in our editorial office. After all, "The Golden Armor" has just been released, and the role of the prince is very popular.
But these editors and literati are really boring.
When I was saying hello to Chat Chat, someone actually asked.
"Are those girls really that big?"
The white-flowered Northern Hemisphere is indeed tempting, but how do you want me to answer?
"In this case, please help me ask my colleagues and leaders in the factory, do you want to take a photo with me?"
"Hey, that's right!" The worker clapped his hands and said, "I'll ask right away!"
After saying that, he ran away in a hurry.
Qin Li pulled out the "nail" when she saw what he said, thinking that this young man's mind was fast enough and he could easily grasp other people's thoughts.
Zhang Yuan quickly closed the door.
"Hello Gong Liu, I am a fan of your books."
"Hello, Gong Liu, I am Qin Li, the editor-in-chief of "Science Fiction World"."
"Oh..." Da Liu finally reacted.
Zhang Yuan glanced at the office. There were many instruments and monitors that he didn't recognize.
Liu Cixin is generally called Liu Diangong.
Because he works at Niangziguan Power Plant and is engaged in a technical position.
The technical positions in power plants are just electricians...that's what everyone thinks.
In fact, he should be more like a network manager than an electrician.
Because his job is the computer network management and software design of the power plant, and he also has to monitor the data of various equipment and network cables in the power plant.
In my spare time, I often help colleagues repair computers.
Managing the network and repairing computers, what else is it but a network administrator?
The editor contacted me yesterday, so he knew that two people would come.
I just didn’t expect him to be so important, an editor-in-chief, a star.
After a brief exchange of pleasantries, it turned out that Liu was really an introverted otaku who spoke very little.
Zhang Yuan used conventional polite words.
But through his expression, he could feel that the other party was not very enthusiastic.
The Lord doesn't care.
He changed his strategy.
"I have read most of your works."
""Mountain", "Ball Lightning", "Bring Her Eyes", "Country Teacher", "Wandering Earth", "Full Band Blocking Interference"..."
Zhang Yuan reported the opponent's masterpiece like a treasure trove, intending to close the distance.
And deliberately pulled him to talk about the book "Ball Lightning".
When he mentioned this book, Liu obviously talked a lot more.
Because while writing "Ball Lightning", Liu suddenly felt a sharp pain under his right rib one day.
This place happens to be the location of the liver.
Because his hometown of Yangquan and Pingding County, where the power plant is located, are both on the edge of the Jinzhong region of Shanxi.
Jinzhong and Taiyuan are both famous for their strong wine culture.
When I meet someone who drinks too much in other places, I will say, "How many dishes are there? How drunk are you like this?"
But there are several places in Shanxi where people drink without eating vegetables. At most, they have some peanuts. If there are no peanuts, they drink dry. It is very ferocious.
Because of this strong wine culture, several old masters in Niangziguan Power Plant suffer from liver cancer from time to time.
People around him often had this disease. When Liu felt a huge pain in his liver, he was frightened.
I feel like I’m getting cold too!
So he gritted his teeth and wrote "Ball Lightning" as a posthumous work. He insisted on finishing it.
Because this idea was actually the beginning of his career as a science fiction writer. On a rainy summer night in 1981, Liu witnessed the spectacle of ball lightning with his own eyes!
Of course, I persisted and went to the hospital for a checkup after I finished writing. I found out that it was just tissue hyperplasia and my health was getting better.
Of course he was interested in talking about "legacy works".
Another thing is that he is currently working on the story outline of "Dark Forest".
Among them, Taylor's Quantum Ghost Fleet actually uses the technology in "Ball Lightning".
It can be said that these two novels share a world view, and "Ball Lightning" can even be regarded as a semi-prequel to "The Three-Body Problem".
Just when I was thinking about how to integrate the content of this book into my next work, someone started chatting with me. Of course, he was more interested.
Qin Li saw that this little brother was so good at chatting with someone like this wooden master.
Sure enough, being a star is something special.
After a lot of chatting, it was easy to start the topic.
"I didn't expect that all these masterpieces were born in this ordinary office." Zhang Yuan sighed.
Liu pushed up his glasses and quickly denied it.
"You can't desert while working in the unit. I write in my spare time."
After Zhang Yuan pursed his lips, he walked slowly and came to his office computer.
Then quickly press ALT+TAB on the keyboard.
The power plant's management system interface immediately switched to a WORD document with an outline.
Liu Cixin:……
The Lord was exposed and panicked.
When I entered the door just now, I heard the frantic typing on the keyboard.
In this situation, in addition to fishing at work, I just watch porn movies at work.
Of course, Zhang Yuan prefers the latter.
In that case, Da Liu's weakness would be exploited.
"Liu Gong, actually everyone is the same." Zhang Yuan immediately continued.
"I would also be lazy and do some other work when I was on set."
“After all, doing a side job during working hours feels like you’re getting something cheap.”
He actually never did.
But as soon as the words came out, Da Liu's expression softened significantly.
These words spoke volumes about his feelings!
It's fun to do private work secretly while you're at work.
Taking a salary and making extra money makes me feel happy.
Zhang Yuan remembered that Liu said in later interviews that he liked to use the cheap LCD screen the most.
Because the viewing angle of this kind of LCD screen is very small, the content on the screen cannot be clearly seen if it is slightly tilted, which is convenient for him to fish at work.
As a result, he was scolded for this interview, saying that state-owned enterprises were overstaffed because there were too many people like him who were not doing their jobs properly, and that they needed to be reformed.
In fact, Liu has already felt a career crisis.
Because the power plant was restructured into a company in 2005, and the national policy is to reduce the size of the power plant to small construction and large-scale construction, Niangziguan Power Plant is facing the issue of rebuilding its generating units.
To build larger and more advanced units.
Once we advance, there won’t be as many people as there used to be.
This is also the reason why Liu’s works use 2010 as the dividing line and turn from positive to pessimistic.
He and many of his colleagues lost their jobs.
You destroy my job, and I destroy the readers’ outlook.
After they were almost done, Qin Li guided them into the main topic.
Talking about copyright purchase.
"Do you really want to buy it?"
Da Liu still can’t believe it until now.
Who buys the rights to adapt science fiction novels these days?
"Liu Gong, let's have dinner together in the evening and talk while eating."
Zhang Yuan knew that he had to convince him!
"Okay...can I bring my family?" Da Liu hesitated for a moment before saying.
"My daughter is your fan."
"Of course, I'll be the host."
After that, when he went out, he was surrounded by people from the power plant.
The deputy director came to take photos with him. During the final group photo, more than two hundred people gathered.
There are only 2,000 people in this factory, and Zhang Yuan is afraid that if they all leave, there will be problems with the equipment.
After a while, the unit exploded, and I couldn't bear the responsibility.
In the evening we went to one of the most upscale restaurants nearby.
Naturally, it cannot be compared with the big restaurants in the imperial capital and the magical capital.
But Liu’s family still hasn’t come.
The couple are both employees of a power plant.
His wife's income is average, but Liu's is a little higher. His monthly salary is a few thousand, which is pretty good in an iron rice bowl.
His wife and children were much livelier than him, and they held Zhang Yuan for a chat and photos.
After the meal started, Zhang Yuan raised his glass repeatedly.
After drinking half a pound of Fenjiu, Da Liu's face turned red.
Check out the 16-9 book bar and see the correct version!
"Teacher Liu, I really like your work. I plan to buy it, find someone to adapt it, produce it, and try to make it into a TV series and movie."
"Do you think I'm suitable for playing Wang Miao?"
He used the same methods and routines as he used to deal with Tian Xia Ba Chang and others.
But I didn’t expect that the Lord was different.
"You are not suitable." Da Liu shook his head.
"Hey, what are you talking about!" His wife slapped him on the arm.
One look at this attitude shows that he is a strict wife.
"Ah, no... I mean, Wang Miao is an applied physicist and a scientific researcher. You are too handsome to be like him."
Okay, you can praise me.
"We must respect the opinions of the original author. If filming starts one day, I will let you be the consultant when it comes to casting."
"Not only during the casting, but also during the filming, you have to watch and supervise in person."
"I can't... I can't leave the factory." Da Liu gave an honest answer.
His wife slapped him again, two slaps in a row, which made his arms turn red.
"Don't worry, you don't have time, I can bring someone to come to you in person." After Zhang Yuanyuan finished, he gave his conditions.
"In this case, I will tell you directly."
"Take a look at how much you plan to ask for this copyright."
Da Liu pushed up his glasses dully: "I don't understand the market very well."
"Liu Gong, I know this." Qin Li came in handy at this moment.
"The market for the copyright of our science fiction novels is not big."
"It's better abroad, but not many of them have been sold in China."
Liu had a close relationship with "Science Fiction World", and when the editor-in-chief said it, he generally believed it.
"This work of yours is considered a small hit in our magazine."
"But compared with those well-known popular writers, they pale into insignificance."
Not to mention Yu Hua, Mo Yan, even Han Han and Guo Xiaosi can crush him in sales.
But just like TV series and movies, the box office ratings and the number of publications cannot represent the quality of a work.
Now Da Liu is still in the state of Xiaohe showing his sharp horns, so Zhang Yuan stood up early.
"My reasonable judgment is that it is between 80,000 and 150,000."
Qin Li is quite to the point, and she often comes into contact with copyright matters, so she is considered an expert in this field.
"So many!" Da Liu's wife's eyes widened.
With a monthly salary of one to two thousand, it certainly feels like too much to negotiate a business worth hundreds of thousands at once.
You can buy a three-bedroom apartment with two living rooms locally.
Sigh... Zhang Yuan sighed, this family is just ordinary people, they have no negotiation skills at all.
If you reveal your reaction to the price in person, you will definitely suffer a big loss.
Zhang Yuan thought about this situation. If he raised his sword, he would probably be able to get it done for 60,000 to 70,000 yuan.
"What do you think?" Zhang Yuan asked Xiang Da Liu.
"I think it's okay."
Obviously the price exceeded his expectations.
"Let's do this. Don't come here in vain." Zhang Yuan revealed the entire plan that Qin Li didn't even tell.
"Simply, I will buy all the film, television, animation, game and other extended industry copyrights of all your short, medium and long-form works."
He came here for Da Liu, not just for "The Three-Body Problem"!
If you want to eat, eat it all!
Only children make choices.
I want them all!
"This!" Qin Li was also shocked.
What a huge appetite.
"Editor Qin, you can serve as a consultant."
"I'll give you 500,000 yuan if you return Bao Dui. Is that reasonable?" Zhang Yuan gestured with a hand.
Da Liu has so far produced about thirty works, large and small, which is a huge number.
After Qin Li quickly calculated in her mind, she replied seriously: "Not much."
She was afraid that Da Liu would suffer.
"In that case, I will give you two options."
Zhang Yuan threw out the bait with a trap.
"The first one is still 500,000, but Liu Gong can get 2% of the net profit from subsequent works."
"For the second one, I will give you 800,000 yuan, buy it all out at once, without any subsequent profit sharing."
I wonder what the other party will choose.
After discussing for a while, Da Liu’s wife decided just like him and decided to buy out the deal for 800,000 yuan!
After all, 800,000 vs. 500,000, the advantage is mine!
The profit share is only 2%.
How much can 2% have?
It must be real cash!
The difference is only 300,000, and you can buy a house in Taiyuan.
"It's a deal!" Zhang Yuan made an agreement with the Liu family and his wife.
Qin Li remained silent.
She saw the trap options given by Zhang Yuan.
Thinking that if he does this, if he really makes a TV series or movie, Liu may make millions less.
But the price is already very good, and it can be used as an important promotion for a magazine!
It's not easy for her to disrupt things.
In fact, Qin Li's situation is still small.
Calculating based on the box office of the first part of "The Wandering Earth", a 2% profit share would probably be more than 30 million for this movie alone.
That night I gave Liu a drink and was happy.
The next day, fat girl Yang Siwei was asked to draw up a contract and went to the power plant.
A few days later, the contract and copyright were obtained, and the money was received.
Seeing Liu Gong happily drinking his wife and children, Zhang Yuan thought that if there was a chance in the future, he might as well arrange a part-time job for Liu Gong on the crew and let him drink some soup.
He remembers that in his previous life, the copyright to "The Three-Body Problem" was sold for 100,000 yuan.
But the copyright of "The Wandering Earth" was sold after the Hugo Award, and it has already reached 20 million.
The price goes up so fast.
So he used 800,000 yuan to steal Liu's money, which was already a very profitable business.
Even if you don't use it, if you keep it for more than ten years and then sell it, you can still make hundreds of millions.
Yang Siwei also muttered that his boss would start spending money as soon as he had spare money.
Little did they know that Zhang Yuan had moved a mountain of gold back home.
"If there are any sequels or new works in the future, please contact me."
"I'm looking forward to working with you again." Zhang Yuan is still thinking about the last two films.
Liu was naturally happy.
With the money given by Zhang Yuan, his daughter Xiaojing will be able to pay for her tuition if she wants to study abroad in the future.
"Put it away and go back and lock it in the safe." Zhang Yuan told Yang Siwei on the plane.
"Our company wants to make a science fiction film?"
"We have to shoot. There is no rush in the next year or two. The most important thing is to lay a good foundation." Zhang Yuan knows that the copyright era is not far away.
After returning to the Imperial Capital, he just put down his luggage, locked the contract, and then took Yang Siwei and his assistant out the door.
"Where to go?"
"Tudou.com, do you know?" Zhang Yuan asked with narrowed eyes.
"I know, the video website is quite popular." Yang Siwei immediately replied.
"What are you doing with them?"
"Talk about business." Zhang Yuan crossed his legs in the car.
"Big business." (End of chapter)