Chapter Forty-Nine: Someone Buys the Rights to a Novel

"I stand atop these colorful clouds, gazing down upon the multitude of lives below..." The second song the girl sang was quite pleasant as well.

Chen Qi listened for a while, and suddenly, for reasons unknown, a rather absurd idea flashed through his mind. "What would happen if I went up and sang a song myself?" He couldn't help but think that, even without the system in his hand, simply acting as a cultural ambassador from Earth might not be such a bad role.

He rose from the steps and walked straight through the dense crowd. Amidst surprised gazes from everyone, he took the microphone from the girl's hand. Everyone stared at him in bewilderment. The girl, interrupted mid-song, looked at him in confusion, seeming at a loss as to what to do. Was this the legendary scene-wrecker?

He smiled, ignoring the strange looks around him, and began to sing. As soon as he started, the onlookers immediately showed expressions of disgust. What kind of mess was this singing? Given his earlier air of calm confidence, they’d thought he was someone impressive!

After hearing the first line, even the beautiful girl beside him couldn’t help but knit her brows. Regardless of whether the song was good or not, his singing skills left much to be desired. How did he even dare to come out and embarrass himself like this?

However, half a minute later, when Chen Qi reached the chorus, she widened her eyes in disbelief, staring at him in shock. "Wow!"

The crowd, previously full of disdain and growing impatient, suddenly gaped in astonishment, their gazes now filled with delight. My goodness! What song is this? Why is it so beautiful? How come we’ve never heard it before? Quick, record it and share it online!

"Heh..." Imagining these exhilarating scenes, Chen Qi couldn’t help but laugh aloud. The thought of it truly set his heart racing.

Envisioning the stunned, incredulous expressions of the crowd as they listened to his song, he genuinely felt a surge of eagerness. But it was only a fantasy. His singing skills were mediocre at best; it was better not to make a fool of himself. He had enough self-awareness for that.

Meanwhile, the girl continued singing. Chen Qi sat quietly, listening as she paused and resumed her performance for nearly an hour. Not only did he listen, but shamelessly, he secretly recorded a song on his phone.

It wasn’t until nearly nine o’clock that the girl finally stopped, bowed to the crowd, and began quietly packing her things. The audience slowly dispersed. Some left a bit of change, some offered applause, but most simply turned away. A few shamelessly approached, seemingly wanting her phone number.

Chen Qi, holding a few books, sat nearby and watched it all unfold. Seeing the beautiful girl politely shake her head in refusal, he couldn’t help but smile. He realized those guys truly had no shame. If you’re going to flirt, at least tip her a few bucks after enjoying her performance. Not a cent, yet you expect her contact information?

Tsk tsk... That’s something he’d never do himself.

Fortunately, those men weren’t shameless enough to persist after being politely rebuffed; they left with some sense.

Seeing everyone gone, Chen Qi stood up from the steps and departed. As he passed the girl, he bent down and placed a hundred yuan in the box beside her. He wasn’t after her contact information or anything like that. He simply believed in paying for content, having enjoyed over an hour of music.

Of course, he also admired the girl a little. If it were him, singing in such a public place would require ten days or half a month of mental preparation. Yet admiration aside, he had no intention of recommending her to Xu Buyan or signing her himself. As Xu Buyan said, their newly founded company had neither background nor resources; only someone out of their mind would agree.

He was certain that if he dared ask for her contact information, he’d be politely refused just like those shameless men. So, he sensibly refrained from making a fool of himself.

Seeing the hundred-yuan note gently placed in her box, the girl packing her things paused, surprised, and looked up. She had sung on the street for some time now, transitioning from the initial nerves to calm composure, and had seen her share of the world. Many enjoyed listening, but few were willing to tip. Even five or ten yuan was generous; a hundred at once was rare. When it happened, it was often for ulterior motives.

Perhaps noticing the wariness in her eyes, Chen Qi gave a faint smile, offered a thumbs-up, and continued walking. "You sang beautifully. Keep it up!" he encouraged.

The girl was momentarily stunned, then smiled brightly. Her smile was full of happiness. "Thank you!" she called after his departing figure.

Chen Qi waved his hand without turning, exuding the effortless freedom of coming and going lightly, leaving not a cloud behind.

Perhaps it was her grateful thanks, or the pleasure of hearing good music, or the sense of accomplishment from his gesture, but his mood was buoyant.

Behind him, the girl watched his retreating figure, smiling, her exhaustion swept away in that moment. For her, the compliment was far more precious than the hundred yuan.

...

On his way home, Chen Qi opened his phone and saw a message from the website editor sent two hours earlier. After reading the content, Chen Qi was stunned.

Perhaps due to the recent surge in popularity of "Immortal World," someone wanted to buy its film adaptation rights. Since the website only signed the electronic rights, other rights would be handled by the site but required the author's consent and written authorization. The editor specifically asked if he was willing to sell, mentioning the offered price was quite high.

After a moment of surprise, Chen Qi couldn’t help but smile. He had to admit, these businessmen were remarkably astute.

After some thought, Chen Qi replied to the editor: Not selling for now.

Why sell? He wasn’t short on money, and even if he were to sell, it would be wiser to wait until the popularity peaked to get a better price. The novel hadn’t even reached a million words yet; its golden period was still far off.