Chapter 10

Dinner ended in a pleasant atmosphere. Overexcited, Karl collapsed on Andy's sofa, refusing to leave. After seeing Nelson off, Andy saw Karl lying on the living room sofa like a dead pig and said to the nanny, Liu Yan, "Aunt Liu, give him that blanket and let him sleep on the sofa. You can go to rest too."

"Sure, sir," Liu Yan took a blanket from the guest room on the first floor, covered Karl, and turned off the main light in the living room to go to rest.

Andy walked into the bathroom, closed the door, took off his clothes, and stepped into the bathtub. He was increasingly fond of the feeling of soaking in the bath, especially as he watched his body become more muscular. This was a benefit of his穿越 (time travel); the large pores of Westerners had disappeared, and he no longer had the chest hair that made Easterners uncomfortable. His rough skin had become much smoother.

To get a good price, there was still a lot of work to be done. Nelson and Karl were in charge of the initial negotiations. Nelson didn't ask too many questions about Andy firing the previous accountant; he just told Andy that he would quickly find a new financial advisor with rich experience to join the negotiation team.

The comfortable hot bath thoroughly relaxed Andy. After drying off with a towel and putting on a bathrobe, he walked to the outer room, took a cigarette from the box on the bedroom desk, lit it, and looked out at the night sky, feeling very conflicted.

As his body grew stronger day by day, the restless heart of a party animal and the desire for a quiet, reclusive life were constantly clashing.

Suppressing that impulse, Andy stubbed out the cigarette, turned off the light, and went to bed.

The next morning, Karl left in a hurry, getting into his car and starting to make calls, almost contacting everyone he knew in the television industry.

After breakfast, Andy drove around Hollywood. He had been here for two months and hadn't really explored much, relying mostly on his memories.

Rodeo Drive is the most upscale and exquisite fashion commercial street in Los Angeles, featuring the works of world-renowned and popular international designers. Rodeo Drive boldly uses lavish decorations, fitting its status as the "world's most prosperous and expensive shopping avenue."

At both ends of Rodeo Drive are the Beverly Hills Hotel and the Beverly Wilshire Hotel, the two top hotels in Los Angeles. Between them are over 100 luxury brand stores and high-end custom fashion brands.

Adjacent to Rodeo Drive are Rodeo Drive Two and some European-style boutiques, as well as cobblestone streets, fountains, and small taverns.

Andy found everything fresh and curious. Except for women's clothing stores, he didn't miss any unique shops, finding many things he liked among the various items, constantly swiping his card, and ending up with eight or nine bags of miscellaneous items.

The feeling of being wealthy was indeed blissful. Not having to worry about the price when buying something he liked gave Andy a great sense of financial freedom.

Thinking about his past, the mortgage and car loan had almost suffocated him, and he had even been afraid to get married. Thinking about marriage made him think of his girlfriend.

Sighing lightly, Andy stopped dwelling on the past. Thinking about it now would only add to his troubles.

For a few days, Nelson and Karl led the team in preliminary communications and negotiations with several TV stations interested in buying the creative rights. In the end, NBC (National Broadcasting Company) and CBS (Columbia Broadcasting System) were the most sincere.

Andy finished reading the documents in his hand, casually threw them on the desk, looked at Nelson and Karl sitting opposite him, and lightly twirled the pen in his hand, frowning slightly.

"NBC is only willing to pay $8 million for the U.S. rights and refuses to share advertising revenue. CBS is only willing to pay $5 million and also refuses to share advertising revenue," Nelson explained, seeing Andy frown.

"Hmm." Andy sneered inwardly. They were taking advantage of his inability to produce the show, so they were trying to drive down the price.

"Karl, how is the contact with the British side going?" Andy asked Karl, who had been in a daze.

"The British Independent Television is willing to pay 30 million pounds, plus 10% of the advertising revenue, for the global rights!" Karl, still dazed from the call he had just received, repeated the information mechanically.

Nelson and Andy looked at each other in surprise and asked simultaneously, "What happened?"

"Ah? Ah! We're rich, Andy, we're rich..." Karl, snapping out of his daze, jumped up, his fat body jiggling, which was quite amusing.

"Alright, don't get too excited. Tell us what happened," Andy rolled his eyes and asked loudly, not in a good mood.

"Ha ha ha, apparently someone at their station recently proposed a talent show idea similar to ours, but it wasn't as complete or novel. After I sent them the fax, they didn't respond. Today, on the way here, they called to say they want to buy it!" Karl continued to laugh excitedly, looking quite smug.

Nelson and Andy looked at each other, both relieved that they had secured the rights early.

"Congratulations, boss, you're a millionaire, and you might soon be a young billionaire!" Nelson's eyes gleamed with envy as he stood up to congratulate Andy.

"Ha ha, thanks, it's all luck. Who would have thought that a byproduct of writing a novel would be so valuable! However, I won't sell the global rights. Tell them I'll only sell the rights for the UK region and can give up the advertising revenue share." Andy was overjoyed but didn't let it cloud his judgment. The global rights must remain in his hands.

"Nelson, I authorize you to negotiate with them. You and Karl are in charge."

"No problem, boss, you can count on me." Nelson was equally concerned about closing the deal, as he would also receive a substantial commission.

"Also, Karl, when will my book be published? The contract with Scholastic is signed, right?"

"I've already asked. They said it will be in the papers in a few days, and the initial publicity will be extensive." Karl was still flushed with excitement.

Andy nodded slightly, patted the table, stood up, and smiled at Karl. "I'll leave it to you. You're the manager here. I'm leaving, and I'll leave the rest to you."

Andy waved to Cole and Nelson, who were standing at the door, and walked out of the small building.

This three-story building was the office of "Mockingbird" Copyright Company, located in West Hollywood. The walls were a bit peeling, but the company's sign was already up, with a mockingbird emblem rising from flames, shining brightly in the sunlight.

Scholastic's actions were indeed swift. Within two days, over a dozen newspapers across the U.S. reported on Andy's new book.

Walking into the company, Andy noticed a few new faces today, especially the two receptionists, who were about 1.7 meters tall, with sexy figures and decent features, though their makeup was a bit heavy. Andy glanced at them a few times but quickly lost interest.

"Damn, Karl, the fatso, sure knows how to enjoy himself. They're not top-notch, but they're still pretty. Damn, not playing some under-the-table game, are they?" Andy complained inwardly.

"Hello, Mr. Smith, Manager Karl and Lawyer Nelson are waiting for you in the manager's office," one of the receptionists said with a bright smile.

Andy smiled and nodded, looking at the nearly bursting white blouse and couldn't help but think, "Damn, they're big!"

Pushing open the door, he saw Karl and Nelson dressed in suits, chatting idly.

"How's it going? Can we decide today? You've been working hard these past few days," Andy said, sitting on the sofa and looking at his two hardworking subordinates.

"Good heavens, Andy, you're finally here. We've been exhausted these past few days..." Karl complained with a face full of dissatisfaction.

"Hey, Karl, stop complaining. Now that I'm here, let's get moving," Andy interrupted Karl's rambling and looked at Nelson.

"Ha ha, it's about time. We can discuss some things on the way," Nelson picked up his briefcase and started talking about the progress of the negotiations as they walked.

When they arrived at the Four Seasons Hotel, Andy saw five or six people sitting on the sofas in the lounge. They quickly tidied up and walked over as Andy and the others entered the lobby.

Andy recognized a few of them; they were his negotiation team. After the two groups met, they headed for the elevator.

"Ding"

The elevator door opened, and Andy saw Steve Fry, the head of the distribution department for British Independent Television, waiting for them.

"Hello, Mr. Smith, it's nice to see you again," Steve Fry smiled and shook Andy's hand.

"Hello, Mr. Fry, I'm sorry to have kept you waiting," Andy smiled brightly.

"Please, this way. Our vice president in charge of variety shows has been waiting for you."

Andy glanced at Nelson, who nodded slightly, giving him a reassuring look, and he quickened his pace.

Pushing open the door to the meeting room, a man in his fifties with a balding head and a slightly plump build stood up from his seat, smiling, and walked over to Andy, surrounded by a group of people.

"This is our vice president, Mr. Ed Chiles. Mr. Chiles, this is Andy Smith," Steve Fry introduced them.

Chiles smiled and shook Andy's hand, saying, "It's a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Smith. You are so young."

Andy also smiled and shook his hand, saying, "It's an honor to meet you."

After they released hands, they exchanged a few pleasantries, and both sides sat down. However, Andy was no longer the leader. Nelson, Karl, and Andy's financial advisor formed the high-level negotiation team, while Andy knew he was just a mascot, watching them fight for his interests.