What to do?
How to respond?
What should she say now!
Chen Ru stared at the contract, as if she could conjure a flower from it.
She came full of anger to hold someone accountable, only to find the contract flawless and Zou Weijun’s attitude so warm that Chen Ru’s fury had nowhere to go—Chen Ru was strong-willed, not an unreasonable brute!
Zou Weijun, seemingly unaware of Chen Ru’s awkwardness, continued explaining gently, “On the contract, I had to secure the best terms for Wen Ying. Talking money in literature isn’t crass. Without rewards, writers would starve, who’d create then? What’s Wen Ying’s is hers. On the signing process, I owe you an apology…”
The signing was rushed, not just because Zou Weijun believed Wen Ying’s claims, but also due to Han Qin’s involvement, pushing Wen Ying and Zou Weijun to sign quickly.
Zou Weijun felt she needed to clarify this to Chen Ru.
Gentleness was a power, like a soft stream touching the heart, making people want to listen.
Seeing Chen Ru stay silent, Zou Weijun introduced Xiao Ni, “This is Ni Sisi, an editor who worked at Aige. She handled Wen Ying’s manuscripts from her first story in the magazine. After Wen Ying signed with us, Ni jumped to Chengdu Publishing Group. The group plans to launch a youth magazine like Aige. Once it’s established, Ni will join it. Wen Ying’s future novels won’t lack a promotional platform. Personal feelings aside, we value Wen Ying as an author!”
Xiao Ni smiled sweetly.
This girl, with principles inside and a soft, cute exterior, made Chen Ru feel that even raising her voice would seem like bullying…
In truth, Xiao Ni left Aige due to differences with Han Qin, but Zou Weijun’s words made it sound like she followed Wen Ying to Chengdu.
Chen Ru processed Zou Weijun’s information:
First, the contract was fine, open to scrutiny.
Second, the signing process had flaws, for which they apologised.
Third, Chengdu Publishing Group not only valued Wen Ying’s present but her future, investing heavily to promote her.
Fourth, and most crucially, whether it was the new magazine or the publisher, there’d be “allies” in key roles to ensure the third point was fulfilled!
Other publishers might offer some of these conditions, but not all. Zou Weijun was showing Chen Ru utmost sincerity.
Zou Weijun never badmouthed Aige or Han Qin, nor compared Han Qin’s publishing terms to her own. Chen Ru, as an adult, could investigate and compare.
Chen Ru’s intent to confront was crumbling… not because she was swayed too easily, but because the “enemy” offered too much!
The thought made Manager Chen’s resolve collapse like a landslide, with a sliver of rationality still struggling, “What about the lawsuit—”
“The lawsuit’s been in the media a lot, but I can explain from the start… Oh, Lawyer Zheng is here, he’ll explain better.”
Zheng Zhihe arrived!
Compared to Du Li, Zheng Zhihe lacked some elite flair but was more approachable.
Zheng Zhihe didn’t disparage Du Li despite their rivalry, instead highlighting Du Li’s strength.
“The first-instance verdict is coming soon. They switched to Du Li, likely on someone’s advice.”
This made Chen Ru nervous, “With Du Li, will they win?”
Zheng Zhihe smiled confidently, “No, they’ll just lose less embarrassingly. If you refuse to settle, we’ll definitely win the first instance!”
Lawyer Xiong wasn’t incompetent, nor did he lose due to unfamiliar territory. Wen Ying had more evidence than Han Qin’s side. If Du Li could truly turn things around, he wouldn’t have urged Wen Dongrong and Chen Ru to settle.
“We absolutely won’t settle.”
Fight the lawsuit to the end, the court’s compensation might be far less than 300,000, but in terms of long-term impact, it was worth far more than that!
For one, Wen Ying was already earning over 500,000 in royalties from Teen Idol. The book’s profits would likely hit seven figures. Settling for 300,000 would be a loss!
This was Chen Ru’s practical reasoning. Emotionally, someone bullied her daughter and tried to buy her off… Thinking of Wen Ying crying her eyes out, Chen Ru’s anger flared.
With no grounds to lash out at Zou Weijun or Zheng Zhihe, her fury naturally aimed at the magazine and Han Qin!
If Han Qin stood before Chen Ru now, Manager Chen would show her the fiery spirit of a Chengdu woman.
The angrier Chen Ru got, the more she stressed, “Settlement is impossible. We’ll fight this lawsuit to the end!”
Zheng Zhihe nodded with a smile, “Wen Ying said the same, that you’d never agree to settle. Kids really know their parents best… Of course, her initial secrecy was very wrong. Regardless of age, lawsuits are time-consuming and draining, usually needing family support.”
Zou Weijun won Chen Ru over with warmth and sincerity, Zheng Zhihe with professionalism and confidence.
Like Zou Weijun, Zheng Zhihe didn’t badmouth opponents, and their character stood out in contrast.
Zou Weijun passed!
Xiao Ni passed!
Zheng Zhihe passed!
Chen Ru mentally stamped them as qualified.
Those who failed were Aige, Han Qin, and Du Li.
While Wen Ying anxiously awaited the outcome, Jiang Youjia shared news with Xie Qian, “They found a good one. Du Li is impressive! And he loves clashing with Zheng Zhihe’s faction. He’d help Aige even without payment.”
Xie Qian paused, silent. Jiang Youjia urged, “You think there’s something fishy? No way, probably just a coincidence. Du Li’s stance is no secret, anyone could track him down with a little digging.”
Xie Qian disagreed with Jiang Youjia’s optimism, “Ordinary people wouldn’t find him. It takes an insider. Do you think Han Qin’s lawyer would admit incompetence and recommend a new one? Someone bridged the gap, and in a short time, Han Qin found the perfect lawyer. That middleman has connections in Chengdu.”
Was it Han Qin’s own network?
No.
If Han Qin had such connections, she wouldn’t have brought a lawyer from Shandong. Xie Qian meant someone in Chengdu helped Han Qin.
“You mean Zhao Dong?”
No way, what would Zhao gain from such a harmful act?
“Whether it’s him or not, I’ll assume it is.”
Xie Qian, you know that’s a bit unreasonable, right?!
