Chapter Thirty-Seven: The Writer

After the audio rights contract for "Ghost Blowing Lantern" was signed, word quickly spread throughout the station. Thus, during his commute, Liao Yuan was met with enthusiastic attention from colleagues in every department, and his popularity soared at an astonishing rate.

Soon, with intentional promotion from the Second Program Department, relevant leaks appeared on Weibo, and every night, the late-night slot on FM107.7 once again saw a surge of eager listeners. As the host of the late-night segment, Mi Maodian’s new show "Midnight Tales of the Strange" was gradually eclipsed by the overwhelming demand for "Ghost Blowing Lantern." Although it continued to bear the name "Midnight Tales of the Strange," when the broadcast time arrived, the show naturally transformed into "Midnight Ghost Blowing Lantern."

This was always the period when the ratings climbed fastest, and most positive feedback from listeners was related to "Ghost Blowing Lantern." Gradually, the ratings for "Midnight Tales of the Strange" soared within the Second Program Department's chain of nine major programs, breaking records repeatedly due to the rebroadcast of "Ghost Blowing Lantern."

But no one credited Mi Maodian for this success; after all, the station had invested 1.5 million to acquire the show. If it hadn’t produced results, it would have been a blatant insult to the leadership’s decision-making.

Three days later, Liao Yuan accompanied Lai Yibai to a hot spring resort on the outskirts of Donghai City.

"Changhong Publishing is a powerhouse in the industry, with its headquarters in the capital. They've published many bestselling novels and have significant influence in the domestic publishing scene. If it weren’t for this contract with the renowned author Pi Jianzhou, we might have had to travel to the capital," Lai Yibai said with a smile as he drove. "My college classmate is the chief editor at this publishing house, and he’s responsible for arranging the signing trip with Pi Jianzhou."

Liao Yuan listened quietly, then suddenly asked, "Is 'Ghost Blowing Lantern' being signed as an extra?"

Lai Yibai paused, then laughed. "That’s not quite accurate. 'Ghost Blowing Lantern' is currently very popular, and Changhong Publishing has heard of it. When I contacted my classmate, he expressed strong interest. However, unless you're a famous author like Pi Jianzhou, Changhong Publishing rarely takes the initiative."

After a moment’s thought, Lai Yibai continued, "Donghai and the capital are worlds apart. Though you’re well-known in the radio circles of Jiangsu, Zhejiang, and Shanghai, in the north, Donghai Radio isn’t people’s first choice. The capital has many stations with sky-high ratings, so it's understandable if our station lags behind there."

Liao Yuan nodded and said no more.

Ultimately, it came down to his lack of fame. In the era of fan economies, popularity is the only metric for measuring whether a public figure is truly in demand.

Popular authors can wait for publishers to come knocking, while ordinary writers must take the initiative and submit their manuscripts. Liao Yuan understood this; as long as the contract went smoothly, nothing else mattered.

Soon, after arriving at the hot spring resort where Pi Jianzhou was staying, Lai Yibai promptly called his old classmate. Moments later, a slightly plump man in his thirties appeared before them.

"Hou Jie, let me introduce you: this is Liao Yuan, author of 'Ghost Blowing Lantern.' He’s a star host at our station, and his Weibo followers are about to break a million," Lai Yibai said, then turned to Liao Yuan, "This is Hou Jie, the chief editor at Changhong Publishing. Before winning the Nobel Prize, all of Chang Wu’s works were signed by him."

Hou Jie seemed quite proud of having signed works for a Nobel laureate, but he feigned modesty. "Ah, all that’s ancient history. Nowadays I’m still hustling for new book contracts. It’s a hard life! But serving authors is an honor in our profession. Liao, it’s our first meeting—you’re much younger than I imagined."

"Nice to meet you, Chief Editor Hou," Liao Yuan replied, shaking hands briefly and saying little else.

Hou Jie was a bit surprised by Liao Yuan’s reticence, but didn’t think much of it. Writers tend to be solitary by nature, and though Liao Yuan was a radio host, he was fundamentally a writer, with all the professional quirks that entails.

"Many writers are straightforward and don’t fuss over contract terms; as long as the agreement meets their expectations, they don’t interfere. But Pi Jianzhou is different—his personality is anything but simple. He’s extremely shrewd and diplomatic. I always dread dealing with authors like him," Hou Jie said as he led them into the resort, sighing. "This signing isn’t going smoothly. Pi Jianzhou raised his price at the last minute, after we’d already agreed on the details. Now we’re scrambling to negotiate with headquarters..."

After explaining the situation to Liao Yuan and Lai Yibai, Hou Jie led them into a reception lounge.

As the door opened, several men and women sat together, deep in discussion.

By the expansive floor-to-ceiling windows, a man with a handlebar mustache stood with his back to the sunlight, engrossed in a book. Bathed in the backlight, he appeared almost saintly, and this subtle cunning immediately caught Liao Yuan’s attention.

Yet their arrival went largely unnoticed by the group.

A publishing assistant at the reception table quickly stood up and whispered to Hou Jie, "Chief Editor Hou, Pi Jianzhou has also arranged meetings with Tang Dynasty Publishing and Huaxia Book House. What should we do?"

Hou Jie was startled. "What happened? I thought we had an exclusive agreement."

The assistant smiled bitterly. "You know what Pi Jianzhou is like—driven by profit. If someone offers a better deal, he’ll tear up the agreement without a second thought."

Hou Jie waved her off, signaling not to discuss it further, then walked over to the middle-aged man sitting cross-legged on the tatami, frowning, "Mr. Pi, what’s the meaning of this? We already agreed on the contract details by phone. Now you’re raising your price and bringing other publishers into the mix?"

The man reading smiled, "It’s all about fairness, Chief Editor Hou! I don’t go out much, so I’m not familiar with current market rates. Your offer is certainly better than past years, but the other two publishers are also very interested in my new book, and they both have overseas distribution channels. Changhong Publishing is a venerable name, but when it comes to foreign markets… I needn’t say more, right?"

Hou Jie was momentarily speechless.

What Pi Jianzhou said was true. Although Changhong Publishing is a top player in the domestic market, one of the three leading publishers along with the other two, when you examine the details, both Tang Dynasty Publishing and Huaxia Book House have varying degrees of market expansion overseas—something the tradition-bound Changhong can’t match.

Moreover, Pi Jianzhou is a renowned author of detective novels, and his works have been adapted for film and television multiple times. This genre has a large international audience.

Comparatively, the benefits and popularity gained from signing with the other two publishers far outweigh what Changhong Publishing can offer.