Chapter 9: Scholastic's Roy

The first reply from a publisher had finally arrived.

It was a rejection letter from Harper Publishers.

Wang Jian couldn't say he wasn't disappointed, but it was also expected.

After all, the current trend in novels placed the greatest importance on literary and ideological substance.

And the English version of "I'm a Great Mage" was simply lacking in these areas.

He went to the restroom to wash his face and said to the mirror, "It's okay, there's still a chance, seven other publishers to go. Keep it up!"

Then, with his usual composure, he left his apartment, ready to set off.

The old man's illness had worsened; lately, he hadn't been going to community service.

Wang Jian had visited him at the hospital once, and the old man seemed very calm, as though he had already accepted the imminent end.

Therefore, Wang Jian had no choice but to work alone.

He arrived at the check-in spot, waiting for another round of community labor and counting the days.

Ten days of labor had passed, and in another 40, he would be free.

Even if all his submissions were rejected, Wang Jian could still go to Chinatown; at the very least, he could wait tables.

He counted the money in his pocket and his face showed his distress.

With expenses and no income, and meager savings, life was tough.

Listening to those around him discuss where to make a score, he started to feel restless.

At that moment, the check-in officer Lily slowly drove up to the spot.

When she stepped out of her car, a hush fell over the crowd.

Because today, she was different.

Gone was her usual blue check-in officer uniform, replaced by a white, tight-fitting shirt.

Her black pants had been swapped for a red pencil skirt, and black stockings made her legs appear even longer.

This attire made the Slavic beauty Lily even more stunning, and with her height of about 1.7 meters, no one would ever guess she was a nearly 30-year-old single mother; she looked more like a fashion model.

As she walked over to the check-in point in her thin high heels, everyone, including Wang Jian, watched her in stunned silence.

"Alright, let's start checking in," Lily coughed gently and said, "Everyone except Wang, proceed as usual."

"Wang, come here for a moment."

Under the lewd and envious gazes of everyone around, Wang Jian walked over, completely baffled.

He hadn't done anything wrong.

And as for making a score, it was just a passing thought.

What did she want him to do?

As Wang Jian approached her, a strong scent of perfume washed over him.

Lily lifted her head and looked at Wang Jian with her pale blue eyes, "You're 17 years old and were sentenced to community service for your first theft, right?"

"Yes," Wang Jian replied, looking down.

"So, if I gave you an opportunity to cut two days off your community service, would you be interested?"

"Well, depends on what it is," Wang Jian hesitated, not wanting any complications.

"It's simple. You come to my place tonight, work as a nanny for two hours, and I'll check you off for today and tomorrow's community service," she said, crossing her legs, which shifted tantalizingly beneath the nylon.

"Why me?" Wang Jian was puzzled.

"It's hard to find a temp nanny, and besides, you're under my supervision. Or," Lily pointed to the others performing community service, "do I ask them?"

Wang Jian turned his head to look.

Various habitual thieves, illegal arms bearers, and brawlers were lazily pushing garbage carts, casually passing time.

"Just two hours. My date will be over, and I'll be home," she continued to persuade, "You can leave now and don't need to come back tomorrow. All it takes is to meet me here at eight tonight."

With that, she handed Wang Jian a slip of paper with an address written on it.

Wang Jian hesitated for a moment, and considering that he still had to work under her for at least 40 days, he asked, "How old is your child? Is it a boy or a girl?"

He dared not take care of a girl himself.

"A boy, named Gene, he's 5 years old this year," Lily revealed with a smile. "Don't worry, he's a very good boy."

"Alright," Wang Jian agreed through gritted teeth.

"Very good," Lily smiled slightly, and then repeated, "Remember, before eight o'clock."

Wang Jian clutched the address in his hand and nodded as he left.

As for whether he was afraid of someone reporting that he wasn't working, Wang Jian expressed that it didn't matter at all.

In the United States, no one dares to offend a check-in officer.

Moreover, betraying others was very much despised.

Wang Jian pondered on his way how to arrange this sudden half-day's free time.

Sigh, best look for a job.

He casually bought a copy of the New York Daily and started reading it in his apartment.

While he was diligently searching for a job that didn't require qualifications or a certificate, the doorbell suddenly rang.

Had El forgotten his keys again?

Wang Jian opened the door full of irritation, ready to grumble a few words.

Suddenly, he found himself standing face-to-face with a young white man in a suit and leather shoes.

A white man?

In a suit?

The first word that popped into Wang Jian's head was actually "FBI."

"Hello, my name is Roy," the young man outside introduced himself: "An editor from Scholastic Publishers. Are you the author of 'I'm a Great Mage'?"

An editor?

Scholastic Publishers?

"I am, but how did you find this place? And how did you know I was the author of that book?" Wang Jian asked cautiously.

He had to be cautious, there were no shortage of con artists in the United States, and most of them looked decent.

"The submission address you provided was this one, and the author's name is Wang Jian, it should be an Asian." Roy read Wang Jian's name with an awkward accent, "And there are very, very few Asians in the Bronx."

Seeing him take out the submission, Wang Jian was almost sure the other party was not a scammer.

So he quickly invited him in and poured him a cup of coffee.

"Your manuscript," Roy said as he placed it on the table, choosing his words carefully.

"It's very novel, very rare. So after careful consideration, we've decided to accept it."

Wang Jian, upon hearing this, felt a surge of excitement.

But before he could finish feeling excited, he heard Roy say, "However, since there is no similar style of novel published, we can't give you a guaranteed royalty."

"And the royalty rate we can offer you is only 4%. Also, due to costs, we can only print 10,000 paperback copies, priced at 10 US dollars each. Whether to print more will depend on how it sells later on."

"Moreover, the rights to the physical version of the book will belong to our publishers. You may not authorize any other person or institution to publish this book."

Roy dropped a series of bombs that left Wang Jian, who had just been a bit excited, feeling dizzy and overwhelmed.

No guaranteed royalty meant that it wasn't certain whether he could make money from that book.

And the 4% royalty, as well as the print run of just 10,000 copies.

That meant even if all were sold, he would only make a profit of 4000 dollars.

And owning the rights to the physical book meant that he couldn't even submit stories for serialization in a newspaper.

This… the terms,

were a bit harsh.