Rebirth: I have Monopoly System

Chapter 127: Chapter 127: The Acquisition of Film and TV Rights

Yangquan Railway Station, Shanxi. Two women, each pulling a small suitcase and wearing a crossbody bag, walked out of the station exit.

"Hey, pretty ladies! Need a taxi?"

"Hey, ladies! Need a room?"

...

Ignoring the noisy scene at the entrance, Qin Na pulled Li Xinxin along, following the signs.

"Sister Na, why aren’t we getting a cab? Are we going to take the bus? It’s not like the company won’t reimburse us," Li Xinxin asked, confused.

Qin Na was more than willing to mentor the new intern, Li Xinxin. After all, she remembered being at that same stage in her own career.

"Those guys shouting over there are all unlicensed cabs. You can haggle on the price, but they don’t give receipts, which makes getting reimbursed by accounting a huge hassle."

Qin Na said with a smile, "I learned that lesson the hard way. Without a receipt, who knows if you’re not padding your expenses to pocket the difference!"

"You’ll get it after a few more business trips. Since we can get reimbursed, we should always take a licensed taxi. That way, we get a receipt and can file our expenses quickly. So don’t worry about the cost."

Qin Na still looked young and beautiful, but she was actually over thirty and unmarried. In her eyes, marriage was just a constraint, nowhere near as liberating as being on her own—free to go on business trips whenever she wanted, free to date as she pleased.

That was why when President Wei left Huayi Brothers to start his own company, she had followed him to Modu without a second thought, eager to experience the culture of a different city.

Fortunately, President Wei valued their old professional relationship, and Qin Na was exceptionally competent in her own right. So, upon joining Phoenix Entertainment, she was immediately promoted, becoming the second-in-command of the marketing department, specifically in charge of film and television rights.

Normally, she wouldn’t have to handle an outbound negotiation for film rights herself, but this particular project had been assigned by President Wei personally. He said the chairman himself had specifically requested this acquisition.

Qin Na was confident in her abilities. After studying the author’s works, researching him, and conducting a preliminary phone interview, she was sure she could secure this project with ease.

The project wasn’t very difficult, and with a newcomer in the department, it was a perfect opportunity for some hands-on training. She had chosen Li Xinxin to accompany her on this business trip, as she had taken a liking to her.

Overall, Li Xinxin’s comprehensive skills were good; she just lacked experience. But that wasn’t a problem—experience could be gained.

THUD! THUD!

The two of them closed the taxi doors. As soon as they were settled, Li Xinxin said to the driver, "Sir, to the ** Street Residential Compound, please!"

They didn’t encounter a driver who tried to take the long way around just because they were from out of town. Yangquan wasn’t a big city anyway, and the drive from the railway station to their destination took only twenty minutes.

After getting out of the car, they didn’t go to visit Liu Cixin right away. Instead, they found a nice-looking boutique hotel nearby, dropped off their luggage, and only then did Qin Na call him.

"Hello! Teacher Liu, this is Qin Na from Phoenix Entertainment. We’ve just arrived in Yangquan. Where would be a good place for us to meet?"

Before the trip, Qin Na had already contacted Liu Cixin via phone and WeChat. To her disappointment, however, the film rights to *The Three-Body Problem* were not in Liu Cixin’s hands.

However, the two of them had another objective: to acquire the rights to *Wandering Earth*.

In the end, Qin Na decided to meet with Liu Cixin first to secure the rights for *Wandering Earth*, and then use him and her industry connections to get in touch with Zhang Fanfan.

At a coffee shop near Liu Cixin’s home, after Li Xinxin secured a booth, Qin Na called Liu Cixin and sent him the location and name of the café.

While answering some of Li Xinxin’s work-related questions, Qin Na kept an eye on the coffee shop’s entrance.

She spotted a middle-aged man with black-framed glasses and a plaid shirt walking in.

Qin Na immediately stood up. She led Li Xinxin over, extending her hand as she said, "Teacher Liu, hello. I’m Qin Na, and this is my assistant, Xiaoli."

After ordering coffee, Qin Na got down to business. "Teacher Liu, as you know, we’re here to acquire the film rights to your work. I was wondering what your thoughts are on the rights for *Wandering Earth*?"

Hearing Qin Na’s words, Liu Cixin fell into a thoughtful silence.

Qin Na wasn’t in a hurry. She knew that the first offer was usually either a lowball from someone who didn’t know the value, or an exorbitant demand.

A few seconds later, Liu Cixin stated a number.

"Two million!"

"Two million?!" Li Xinxin, sitting beside Qin Na, blurted out in surprise. Qin Na shot her a quick glance, and Li Xinxin immediately clapped a hand over her mouth, afraid she had interrupted.

Liu Cixin pushed the glasses up the bridge of his nose and said seriously, "Yes, two million. Otherwise, there’s nothing to discuss."

Qin Na’s smile was bewitching. She chuckled softly and said, "Teacher Liu, isn’t that price a bit unreasonable? After all, *Wandering Earth* is only a novella. After buying the rights, we’ll have to spend a great deal of effort adapting and expanding it for the screen. If this were for *The Three-Body Problem*, I could accept a two-million offer."

Qin Na’s comment was unfortunate. Her words reminded Liu Cixin of his own glorious past deed. Ai! Drinking really messes things up!

In 2009, Song Chunyu had happened to read *The Three-Body Problem*. At the time, the second book, *The Dark Forest*, had just been published. Song Chunyu, however, astutely recognized the book’s potential. She immediately had her husband, Zhang Fanfan, find Liu Cixin and buy the film rights.

Back then, Liu Cixin’s *The Three-Body Problem* was still a niche book. So, Zhang Fanfan easily sealed the deal for the rights over a dinner with drinks.

Later, after sobering up, Zhang Fanfan felt it was all too surreal. Worried that Liu Cixin might go back on his word, he quickly called him to confirm.

The funny thing was, at the time, Liu Cixin also thought the book would never take off. He wasn’t even planning to write a third installment for *The Three-Body Problem*. And now someone was knocking on his door, offering to pay for the rights.

It was a blessing that had fallen right into his lap, and he was actually worried that Zhang Fanfan would be the one to back out of the deal.

So when Zhang Fanfan called to ask if he was really selling the rights, he confirmed without hesitation and urged him to get the contract signed as soon as possible.

In the end, Zhang Fanfan easily acquired the rights to *The Three-Body Problem* for just 100,000 yuan.

As the books became bestsellers over the years and continued to win awards, Liu Cixin deeply regretted that drinking session. If anyone ever tried to talk business with him over drinks again, he’d damn well lose his temper with them!

"Manager Qin, I have confidence in my work. I’ve been consistently winning awards in recent years, and *The Three-Body Problem* has sold very well. The value of my other works has risen accordingly. What’s more, the English version of *The Three-Body Problem* is already being released overseas. If it wins the Hugo Award, it’ll be a surefire hit." Even as Liu Cixin said this, he felt it was a bit impossible. ’How could a work from a sci-fi desert win the Nobel Prize of the science fiction world!’

"Five hundred thousand. After all, it’s a novella, it doesn’t have a large audience, and it’s not *The Three-Body Problem*." Qin Na brought out her big bargaining axe.

Seeing Liu Cixin’s face twitch slightly, Li Xinxin wondered if Sister Na’s cut had been a bit too brutal.

After some intense haggling.

"One point two million!"

"Deal!"

"A pleasure doing business with you!"