Chapter 520: One thing in front of others and another behind their backs
The next day after Hong Zicheng received the call, Cheng Xuyuan met with Zuo Chengyilang, the editor of Yihe Publishing House.
Saseichiro is in his forties, not tall and a little stocky. He wears a black suit and gives off a polite vibe.
When he saw Cheng Xuyuan, he bowed to him solemnly and said, "Mr. Cheng, I have long heard of your great name."
“I read your cultural journey and I admire you very much.”
“It’s a great honor to meet you this year.”
This time, Cheng Xuyuan was accompanied by Hong Zicheng. Although he was not a teacher in the history department, everyone thought he was quite suitable for this matter.
Besides a young assistant, there was also a middle-aged man with a serious face beside Saseichiro.
Cheng Xuyuan already knew the man's identity, so he just smiled at the middle-aged man who was working and said nothing.
In response to Saseichiro's politeness, Hong Zicheng and others all smiled.
They all felt that since the editor of Yihe Publishing House was so polite, the next matter should be very easy to discuss.
However, Cheng Xuyuan was not blindly confident. He smiled and said, "Mr. Zuo Chengyilang, I am also very happy to meet you."
“I hope we will have more opportunities to get to know each other in the future.”
Zuo Chengyilang's smile became even brighter, and he said with a smile: "Mr. Cheng, I think we have this opportunity."
"I have read your cultural tour several times, and there are a few questions that I have not figured out. I would like to ask you now. I wonder if it is convenient for you."
Seeing Saseichiro asking for advice, Cheng Xuyuan not only did not relax his vigilance, but also increased his vigilance a lot.
But he knew that there were some negotiation tactics that involved showing weakness to the enemy.
By showing weakness in this way, the opponent will be led by the nose without realizing it.
Although he didn't know whether the person in front of him had this idea, Cheng Xuyuan did not dare to take this matter lightly.
However, with Hong Zicheng and others present, Cheng Xuyuan could not directly reject Zuo Chengyilang, so he smiled and said, "Mr. Zuo Cheng, if you have any questions, please feel free to ask. We will study it carefully."
"Mr. Cheng, when I read this passage about Mogao Grottoes, I..."
The editor, Saseichiro, is not just a name. From his questions, one can tell that he has read Cheng Xuyuan's articles carefully.
Cheng Xuyuan was also not flustered by these questions.
First of all, he had actually already thoroughly understood the articles on Cultural Journey.
In addition, there have been many discussions on these articles in later generations, so in Cheng Xuyuan's opinion, Saseichiro's problem is easy to solve.
As Cheng Xuyuan answered each question, the atmosphere on the scene became much better.
Even during the conversation, laughter could be heard from time to time.
This gives people the feeling that a thousand cups of wine are not enough when meeting a close friend.
"Mr. Cheng, your cultural journey is not only beautifully written, but also profound in meaning."
"When I saw your book, I thought that I must let more people read it."
"So, I first recommended your book to our president, and then I tried my best to convince other colleagues, and only then was this matter finalized."
Zuo Chengyilang said here with a solemn look on his face: "Now, after countless efforts, I finally met Mr. Cheng, and I am finally going to accomplish this matter."
“I’m really happy.”
"I have brought the agreement. Mr. Cheng, take a look. If there is no problem, let's sign it."
Looking at Saseichiro, who was full of love for the cultural tour, Cheng Xuyuan raised the corner of his mouth slightly.
Although Saseichiro's performance seemed very natural, Cheng Xuyuan had a feeling that he was deliberately fishing for him.
He took the contract handed over by Zuo Chengyilang, glanced at it and said, "Mr. Zuo Cheng, shouldn't this contract be in two languages?"
"Why does your contract only have your words?"
Hearing Cheng Xuyuan's question, Zuo Chengyilang said very sincerely: "Mr. Cheng, I'm really sorry, we didn't consider the problem properly."
"But don't worry, when we work together in the future, we will definitely prepare contracts in both languages."
Saseichiro's words give people a feeling of being polite, warm and thoughtful.
His action, on the contrary, made Cheng Xuyuan seem a little picky.
Hong Zicheng, who was standing aside, was about to secretly remind Cheng Xuyuan, but he heard Cheng Xuyuan say with a smile: "Mr. Zuo Chengyilang, what I just said is just a routine."
"After all, we use different words. In order to avoid unnecessary misunderstandings, the contract is written in this way."
"Mr. Zuo Cheng forgot, so forget it."
At this point, Cheng Xuyuan glanced at the contract for a few seconds, and then said calmly: "Mr. Zuo Chengyilang, I don't think there are any major problems with the rest of the contract."
"But as for the manuscript fee, you give me 7 yuan per thousand words. What's going on?"
Zuo Chengyilang was stunned! He didn't expect that Cheng Xuyuan could recognize their characters.
Originally, he wanted to conceal the fact and finalize this matter by signing this contract, but he didn't expect that Cheng Xuyuan would point this out.
However, Saseichiro was well prepared, so he was not panicked.
"Mr. Cheng, as far as I know, the highest price you charge for manuscripts is 7 yuan per thousand words."
“The version that Culture Trip is releasing now is given to you according to this standard.”
"We will naturally give you this according to the highest standard."
Hearing this, it was definitely all for Cheng Xuyuan, but Cheng Xuyuan knew exactly what Zuo Chengichiro's purpose was.
He said calmly: "Mr. Sasuke Ichiro, my works have always been about adapting to local customs."
"When it is published in Hong Kong, the royalties will be charged according to Hong Kong standards."
"In the United States, the royalties are charged according to American standards."
"Now that it is published in your country, it is natural that I will ask for royalties according to your standards."
"So that I won't be accused of favoritism."
A trace of solemnity arose in Saseichiro's heart.
Only then did he realize that he was facing a tough opponent.
It's completely different from what I thought before.
He looked at Cheng Xuyuan, smiled and said, "Mr. Cheng, we are very sincere about this cooperation, so I think we should follow our agreement."
Cheng Xuyuan would not do such a thing that would obviously put him at a disadvantage. He smiled and said, "Mr. Zuo Cheng, if you can't make the decision, let's talk about this matter later."
"Although I don't like to take advantage of others, I don't want to suffer losses either."
"By the way, tell Mr. Zuo Cheng that I hope to cooperate with more publishers than just yours."
(End of this chapter)
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