Chapter 211 Royalties
Gu Xiao massaged for a while, then his large hands began to wander upwards, and Nan Zhiyi hurriedly pulled her feet back, but he grabbed her ankle tightly.
"Why run away..." A mocking smile played on his lips. "I just talked about loyalty... it all needs to be put into practice."
"Brother..." she pleaded softly, tapping the desk with her fingertip, "Go adjust the watch strap first, we're going to see a movie this afternoon."
Seeing that he still wouldn't let go, and blushing, she said, "Tonight..."
Gu Xiao then let go, walked to the desk, held the watch strap up to the light and examined it for a while, then bent down to adjust the strap with the included tools, his profile showing particular focus in the sunlight.
Nan Zhiyi leaned over the edge of the bed to look at him, and whispered, "Normally... we can't wear it, right?"
"I'll definitely have to take off the ring on missions." He turned the clasp, the metal making a soft clicking sound. "A watch is fine, but it's prone to bumps and knocks during training."
Finally adjusting the length, he put the watch back on his wrist and shook it, then turned to look at her, his eyes burning with desire. "On my day off at home... I wear everything you give me."
These words made Nan Zhiyi feel sweet inside. She was smiling foolishly when she heard Xiaoman calling "Dad, Mom" from downstairs. He was holding onto the handrail to come upstairs.
Nan Zhiyi buttoned up her pajamas: "Go check on our son, make sure he doesn't fall down the stairs."
Gu Xiao could only hurry out, secretly sighing that his son was such a spoilsport.
The morning was spent playing ball with Xiaoman.
Gu Xiao's military trousers were covered in dust at the knees, but he patiently accompanied his son as he crawled all over the floor.
Nan Zhiyi would occasionally glance over and always catch his smiling gaze.
After putting Xiaoman to sleep in the afternoon, Gu Xiao drove her to the Capital Cinema. While waiting at a red light, he would always hold her hand with his right hand, which was adorned with a ring.
The metal ring pressed against my skin, its coolness seeping into my heart.
Nan Zhiyi glanced at Gu Xiao's wrist; the Rolex was hidden under his sleeve, only occasionally flashing a faint light when he turned the steering wheel.
Today, the movie theater is showing a rerun of "Wildfire and Spring Breeze Fight the Ancient City." Nan Zhiyi is watching it attentively, but Gu Xiao's gaze is not on the screen at all; he is only focused on playing with her fingers.
In the darkness, he suddenly leaned close to her ear and said, "My wife is much prettier than any movie actress." His warm breath made her ears burn.
Nan Zhiyi glared at him, and as the screen light swept across, his eyes were tender and gentle.
After watching the movie, the two went to the Xinqiao Hotel for dinner.
Gu Xiao skillfully ordered cold pickled fish, butter chicken rolls, and Kiev chicken rolls, and finally also ordered kvass.
When the food was served, he carefully cut the chicken rolls for her and picked out the fennel from the borscht, which she never liked.
Nan Zhiyi tapped the back of his hand with her fingertip, "Minister Gu's service is truly thoughtful."
"Hmm." He added honey to her kvass glass. "Special service for Mrs. Gu."
This meal took a full two hours.
When the waiter came to collect the bill, Nan Zhiyi rushed to take out her wallet.
The meal cost 14.82 yuan, plus a pound of grain coupons.
As she walked out of the revolving door, she took Gu Xiao's arm and muttered softly, "It's over... all the royalties are gone, I need to hurry up and write a new book."
Gu Xiao hugged her waist tighter: "Don't worry about things unnecessarily... Your man's salary is enough to support the family. In a couple of days, the operations department will be giving out bonuses, which will replenish your little stash."
A night breeze swept across Chang'an Avenue, and the streetlights stretched the shadows of the two people embracing.
She looked up at him: "Is it really a bonus? It's not your secret stash of money, is it?"
Gu Xiao lowered his head and bit the tip of her nose: "Mrs. Gu checking up on me? Back home..." He whispered, biting her earlobe, "I'll calculate it for you, and the practical verification isn't over yet..."
Since finishing the exam, Nan Zhiyi has been much more relaxed. It was freezing outside, but warm inside. Although she was thinking about her exam results, she wasn't anxious.
While spending time with her son, she also took the time to write a simple story outline.
After learning about this, Editor Lin made a special trip to visit him after New Year's Day.
A heavy snowfall has just fallen in the capital.
Nan Zhiyi was helping Xiaoman build with blocks. The little girl clumsily placed the triangular blocks on the top of the tower, which wobbled and finally collapsed with a crash.
Just then, the doorbell rang, and Nan Zhiyi wondered who had come to visit.
A moment later, Sister Zhang led Lin Yuan in, carrying a paper bag with the words "People's Literature" printed on it.
She quickly stood up. "Editor Lin, please come in."
"A New Year's gift for the authors." Lin Yuan smiled as he took out a can of Longjing tea, Shanghai White Rabbit milk candy, a calendar, and a notebook...
"Wow, so much! You've gone to so much trouble."
Nan Zhiyi welcomed him into the living room.
Lin Yuan took off his coat, his glasses fogged up.
He wiped his glasses and asked directly, "I heard you have a new idea?"
Nan Zhiyi brought over hot tea and placed it on the coffee table. "I did write two outlines, and I was thinking of discussing them with you after they were all finished. You even made a special trip."
Lin Yuan couldn't wait to see it and urged Nan Zhiyi with his eyes.
She went upstairs to the study and brought down two stacks of manuscript paper.
The thicker one is about everyday life in the city, telling the story of three generations in a hutong (traditional alleyway); the other, thinner one is a sequel to interstellar colonization, with a spaceship drawn on the title page.
Lin Yuanxian picked up the outline of the realistic theme, looked at it carefully for a moment, and said tactfully, "This theme is certainly good... but realistic themes can wait until you have established yourself in the literary world before trying it."
He then opened the outline of interstellar colonization, and when he saw the section on "spacetime folds during wormhole jumps," his eyes lit up noticeably: "Do you know how many science fiction readers across the country are waiting for a sequel to 'The Star Whisperer'?"
He took out letters from readers from his briefcase. "I receive dozens of them every day, all urging me to update the story."
Nan Zhiyi hesitated for a moment: "I'm afraid everyone's getting tired of science fiction..."
"How could this be!"
Lin Yuan excitedly pushed up his glasses. He knew that Comrade Nan Zhiyi was a new author and did not know the market situation, so he earnestly explained it to her.
"There are too few science fiction works on the market now. Did you know that the first print run of 'Star Whisperer' was 30,000 copies and sold out in just one month? Later, another 50,000 copies were printed, and now it has been printed twice more. The total sales are about to break 150,000 copies!"
This number stunned Nan Zhiyi; she had assumed they were still selling the original 30,000 copies.
“You were preparing for the college entrance examination at the time, so I didn’t bother you too much. I thought I would definitely come and tell you the good news after you finished the exam.”
Lin Yuan took out two new books from his briefcase: "The second volume will also be officially released on New Year's Day, and the first print run is 80,000 copies."
On the deep blue cover, the silver nebula vortex is even more exquisite than in the first volume.
He then retrieved the royalty statement: "This is the royalty statement up to last month."
Nan Zhiyi took the thin piece of paper, her fingers trembling slightly.
The numbers clearly state: Total sales: 147,600 copies; royalties due: 11,808 yuan.
She counted the digits before the decimal point three times, stammering, "This...so many?"
“There are so few good works these days, and you’ve caught a good time.” Lin Yuan laughed. “The publishing house has discussed it and suggested that you continue writing science fiction. First, readers appreciate it, and second, the country is currently advocating ‘marching towards science,’ so this kind of subject matter is very timely.”
Nan Zhiyi stopped hesitating and nodded in agreement to continue writing.
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