Chapter 351: Chapter 304: This Cup of Toast to You from Zhao
At this moment, two Resentful Eyes were placed in front of Yang Xiao. One was the Dead Man’s Skin snatched from Yanhe Tian’s hand, still bearing the tattoo of a solitary island. According to Tong Han, it was a Third-grade Resentment Level Magic Artifact. Comparing it to the Hanging Rope in Fu Qingzhu’s possession, which was ranked at the mid-level of the first grade, it was quite a decent treasure. Yang Xiao was also eager to find out how much the Peace Hotel would pay for such an item.
The other item was naturally the Staff Killing Elder’s Snake-head Cane. This treasure’s abilities were strange, and its side effects were extremely terrifying. Yang Xiao estimated that it might just qualify as a powerful magic artifact. Its value was thus significantly higher. Tong Han, being a cautious person, had completely wrapped the cane in special silver paper, which by itself was probably quite valuable.
As Yang Xiao collected more and more Resentful Eyes, the need to get rid of the Mirror Ghost in the Mirror World became increasingly urgent. Undeterred, he took the Ghost Lantern and made another round in the Mirror World, but still found no trace of the Mirror Ghost. It seemed that the creature only appeared when he was asleep.
After a simple meal, he set an alarm and went to rest. After such a long ordeal, he was exhausted.
When he woke up, it was 1 p.m. Yang Xiao gathered the necessary items and headed out, first to a high-end mall in the city center. He bought a sufficiently large, long backpack, big enough to fit the Snake-head Cane diagonally, and then bought himself a decent set of clothes. He didn’t want Zhao to think he had been having a tough time lately, as they were due to meet soon.
At 2 p.m. sharp, Yang Xiao arrived at the private room of a restaurant; pushing the door open, he found Zhao already inside. Seeing that it was Yang Xiao, Zhao couldn’t help but be taken aback, "Yang Xiao? It’s you?"
"Zhao, Brother Qingxuan is tied up with something." Yang Xiao was well-acquainted with Zhao, and after chatting for a few moments, Zhao’s guard was let down. Yang Xiao also confirmed through Zhao that Li Qingxuan had not lied to him – Li had a good relationship with Zhao, and the two had business dealings.
"Yang Xiao, Boss Li is a good man, very righteous. Years ago, when I got into some trouble because of business, it was Boss Li who stepped in to resolve the issues for me," Zhao said, his face flushing red as he drank. Then he lowered his voice, "Boss Li has strong social connections and many friends. It’d be good for you to get closer to him, understand?"
"Thanks, Zhao," Yang Xiao replied, his heart heavy with the knowledge that he kept to himself – Boss Li was still imprisoned in the Bright Moon Pavilion Hotel, his fate hinging on just a word from Yang Xiao.
Zhao sighed, reminiscing with a hint of sorrow, "A few days ago, Boss Li suddenly called me, told me to lay low and not to come back unless he called. I thought it was those previous troublemakers looking for me again. Ah, it’s difficult to do business these days."
Watching Zhao drink his way through the conversation, Yang Xiao keenly sensed that Zhao had troubles on his mind. Seizing the opportunity while pouring another round, he asked, "Did you encounter any problems with your business?"
"Let’s not talk about it anymore," Zhao waved his hand, managing to force a smile, "Yang Xiao, how about you? How’s the job hunt going? I have a friend in publishing. I mentioned you to him before, and he’s very interested. They could really use someone like you. If you’re willing to join them, you’d be doing me a favor," he said.
Yang Xiao was moved, knowing Zhao must have pleaded with his friend out of concern for him, yet Zhao framed it as Yang Xiao helping him, "I’m doing well recently; I found a great job. The boss thinks highly of me and even promoted me to a small leadership position."
"Really?" Zhao’s face lit up with a smile, lifting his glass to Yang Xiao, "Then congratulations! Here’s to you."
"If they promoted you, you must work hard for them, and you cannot let them down, you know?" Zhao advised in the tone of someone who’d been there.
"Don’t worry." Yang Xiao finally brought up the purpose of his visit, raising his glass, "Zhao, I came here today to ask for your cooperation to publish my own scripts. I’m preparing to release three for the first batch."
"Publish your scripts?" Zhao was taken aback, "And you’re releasing three at once?"
"Yes, I have already written the outlines for the three scripts, just need to flesh them out. They are Fengmen Ghost Shadows, Campus Mystery, and Apartment Murderer. Don’t worry, I’m paying for it myself, I have money." Concerned that Zhao might have reservations, Yang Xiao immediately displayed the ostentation of a nouveau riche. He felt he had the right to say such words.
Zhao’s face gradually became solemn, and he slightly shook his head, "Xiao Yang, I can tell you’ve made some money recently just by looking at your outfit, but this is not the way to spend money. Do you know how much it costs to produce a script? I won’t even talk about the review process. Let’s just say, for the sake of argument, your scripts are produced and brought directly to my shop for sale. Clothing and props cost money, staff training costs money, room redesign and setting cost money, publicity costs money. I won’t even count the venue rental for you. All these miscellaneous expenses add up to at least 150,000 for one script, 450,000 for three, and that’s not including the maintenance later on, you..."
Before Zhao could finish, he saw his phone on the table vibrate. He leaned over to take a look, and his slightly inebriated eyes instantly sharpened.
Yang Xiao shook his own phone, "I’ll transfer 1 million to you first; the extra part can be counted as the maintenance fee for the mid to late stages. If it’s not enough, you can ask me for more."
Zhao sobered up immediately, looking at Yang Xiao not with surprise but with shock, "Tell me the truth, have you gotten involved in something illegal?"
"No, no, I’m just helping my boss with his work, he’s very generous." Yang Xiao couldn’t expose his identity with the Patrol Defense Bureau; he had signed a confidentiality agreement.
A moment later, Yang Xiao laughed in a forced attempt to appear casual, "Zhao, you know me, I have always been especially honest since I was young. I wouldn’t dare to do anything illegal."
Zhao sized up Yang Xiao for a moment and seemed to realize something. His look towards Yang Xiao was filled with regret, "Xiao Yang, I think I know what you’re doing. But listen to me, the money from rich ladies is not that easy to take."
Yang Xiao: "??!!"
Before Yang Xiao could defend himself, he saw Zhao wave his hand, signaling for him to let him finish, "I know it’s not easy for you. You want to make your mark with these scripts. Zhao has been young and impetuous too, I understand. But to think you would go this far for your dream, that’s more than I expected."
Yang Xiao panicked, "Zhao, you might be misunderstanding. This money is all my own hard-earned cash, I really..."
"I understand, I get it all," Zhao sighed and once again looked at Yang Xiao, this time with a trace of admiration, "Indeed, it’s hard-earned money. Life is tough, Xiao Yang. I raise this glass to you."
