1979: My fiancée is a goddess

Across the ocean, in Philadelphia, USA.

University of Pennsylvania.

The first golden rays of dawn, rising from the vast banks of the Tra River, carrying a touch of moisture, fell upon the elegantly designed, dark brown wooden window frames.

The glass windows, like those in a Catholic church, let in sunlight, refracting it into colorful fragments that are reflected on the ground.

"It's finally finished. I'll send a copy to Cheng in a bit, then I can submit it..."

Professor Ansel stood by the window, a cool, moist morning breeze carrying the pungent scent of pine and cypress blowing in his face, instantly invigorating him after a long night of working.

Yesterday afternoon, after receiving a reply from Cheng Kaiyan, who was far away in the Eastern world, Professor Ansel realized that it was time to finish this paper.

So he spent the whole night repeatedly checking and verifying the paper until six o'clock, when this monumental work of forty to fifty thousand words was finally completed.

This groundbreaking research will undoubtedly become an insurmountable milestone in the history of children's literature.

His and Cheng's names will surely be engraved in the history of children's literature and will live on forever.

This is an honor that any academic researcher would find irresistible.

"professor."

A gentle call came from behind.

The professor turned his head and saw his assistant, Ms. Mary.

Wearing a white apron and with her blonde hair piled up, Ms. Mary slowly walked up the stairs, carrying a steaming cup of black tea and a sandwich.

"Ryder just called and said he'll come over to see you in a bit to ask for your opinion on Cheng."

She walked up to him, frowned as she looked at the professor whose eyes were slightly dark and bloodshot, and said worriedly, "Professor, quickly eat some breakfast, drink something hot, and then rest for a while."

"Okay, I know."

The professor smiled nonchalantly, took the porcelain cup inlaid with gold thread patterns, lowered his head and took a sip. The mellow aroma of the black tea spread in his mouth and entered his stomach, making him feel comfortable.

"It seems Ryder isn't as stupid as we thought; he's already made enough this month."

A 15% royalty rate for paperback editions does exceed the industry average of 6% to 12%, but for Ryder's publisher, it's worth the price.

Professor Ansel laughed and said that he personally proposed the increase in royalties to Cheng Kaiyan in his letter.

6% is only at the level of new writers; for a writer of Cheng Kaiyan's caliber, it's an underestimation of his abilities.

Moreover, this person has now proven his worth, made a name for himself in American academia, and his novels have sold like hotcakes, breaking into the top ten of the US bestseller list!
Even though Professor Ansel is not a publishing professional, he knows that many publishers are already green with envy and would love to snatch "The Submarine and the Goatherd" away.

Meanwhile, his nephew Ryder arrogantly assumed that Cheng Kaiyan was far away in China, unfamiliar with American rules, and therefore unable to interfere in American affairs.

For more than a month, he neither transferred the royalties on time in early July, but instead planned to misappropriate the funds to continue printing and selling them for money.

He had no intention whatsoever of increasing Cheng Kaiyan's manuscript fees or royalties.

He even felt that he could do anything without any problem.

Professor Ansel didn't know what Ryder was thinking; he was probably just thinking about making a fortune off his book, "The Submarine and the Goatman."
But the consequences for him are self-evident.

The professor noticed this and therefore wrote a letter to Cheng Kaiyan himself.

"It's unbelievable! Last December, Cheng was just an unknown young man, and now he's a famous children's author. My little niece asks to hear his stories every night."

Ms. Mary smiled, not wanting to get involved in these matters, but simply admiring Cheng Kaiyan's achievements.

"So what if he's a famous author? In my opinion, he might be nominated for the National Book Award in November or December, but there are many uncertainties, so his chances of winning are slim."

But next January, there's the Newbery Medal, one of the highest awards in international children's literature, and I think Cheng has a pretty good chance of winning it.

Professor Ansel shook his head; this young man's potential was far beyond that of a mere master.

"National Book Award, Newbery Medal..."

Mrs. Mary opened her mouth, unable to believe it.

These are all major literary awards representing American literature, and even world literature.

Was it really that easy to obtain? And by a Chinese person at that?

What happened to this world?
"Hehe, just wait and see. From The Alchemist, it's clear that Cheng understands Americans and the American book market."

The professor smiled nonchalantly and sipped his black tea.

The two chatted briefly, then closed the window and sat back down on the sofa.

After breakfast, the professor closed his eyes and took a nap.

Around eight o'clock, the professor woke up rubbing his sore eyes.

And sitting right in front of him was his nephew, Ryder, a man in his thirties or forties, with a ruddy complexion and dressed in a suit and tie.

"You're here. Tell me, what are your thoughts?"

The professor casually remarked, then picked up the still-warm tea on the table and took a sip.

"Yes, uncle."

Seeing his uncle's indifferent expression, Ryder smiled bitterly to himself, his face, which had been beaming with pride due to the recent outstanding performance of the publishing house, also stiffened a bit.

Yesterday, my uncle called him and specifically mentioned that Cheng Kaiyan, who is far away in China, had sent a letter that mentioned royalties and manuscript fees, asking him to come over to explain the situation and give a reply.

Upon hearing this, even Ryder, whose mind was clouded by money, could understand that this must have been his uncle's suggestion and advice to Cheng Kaiyan.

They were also close friends despite their age difference, and academic partners.

If Uncle could just stand by and watch Cheng Kaiyan's interests be harmed, that would be inconsistent with his character and integrity!

From Ryder's own perspective, it's impossible to say that Professor Ansel was a mole or a traitor.

After all, Cheng Kaiyan's work was recommended to him by his uncle, and he didn't want to agree at first. He only agreed because of his uncle's sake, and he didn't really treat Cheng Kaiyan as an equal collaborator.

"My idea is... to just keep it this way."

Ryder tentatively began, but seeing his uncle's unfriendly expression, he quickly explained with a wry smile, "You may not know, but those shameless publishers called my office directly."

They all wanted to get Mr. Cheng Kaiyan's contact information and address from me; some publishers even threatened me...

Even publishing giants are very interested in Mr. Cheng Kaiyan, a writer from China…

After Ryder's explanation, the professor finally understood part of the situation.

Unexpectedly, publishing giants like Random House and Golden Books are interested in Cheng Kaiyan.

Golden Books, in particular, is a publishing giant in the American children's literature industry.

It covers 90% of primary and secondary schools and more than half of supermarkets and hypermarkets across the United States.

Compared to these publishing giants, Ryder's Aurumbra Press is simply insignificant.

If "Submarine and the Goatherd" had been published by them, it might have sold over a million copies!

Moreover, these publishing giants are incredibly skilled at poaching talent!
If Cheng Kaiyan weren't Chinese, and few people knew her contact information and address, these people would have already flown to China.

However, the contact information couldn't be kept secret anytime sooner or later. No matter how hard Ryder tried to block the news, there were many people and eyes at the publishing house, and it was bound to get out eventually.

"Hey……"

The professor sighed, finally understanding why his nephew hadn't reacted at all; Ryder's publishing house simply couldn't retain Cheng Kaiyan.

Even "The Submarine and the Goatherd" might not be able to be kept, because the penalty for breach of contract stipulated in the original contract was a drop in the ocean, only five thousand US dollars.

Cheng Kaiyan can afford it herself.

In this situation, would you ask him to raise the manuscript fee and royalty standard?

Ryder might as well take this opportunity to make a killing.

The professor could understand, but he did not agree with this idea. "Have you ever thought that it is precisely your approach that will cause Cheng to switch to another publishing house?"

A 6% royalty rate is really low; you're actually getting a good deal. Without him, the publishing house wouldn't have achieved its current success or have the money it has now. Everything is thanks to Cheng.

"Of course I know...but..."

Ryder's expression was somewhat unnatural. "In situations like this, it's even more important to show our sincerity. I haven't had much contact with Cheng, but he's definitely not a profit-driven person. Besides, you're publishing a paperback edition; other publishers could easily publish a hardcover edition..."

Professor Ansel stopped there, offering no further advice, and instead handed over an envelope: "As Cheng wishes, transfer the royalties to these two bank cards respectively. Think it over carefully."

"I understand. I'll go to the bank in a bit and transfer all the royalties."

Ryder frowned, took the letter, and said in a deep voice.

"Go."

The professor waved him away impatiently.

"..."

Seeing his uncle's tired and impatient face, Ryder finally sighed, turned and left in silence.

I closed the wooden door of the children's literature center and walked towards my own Chevrolet Citation, with its sharp lines and red and white exterior.

He originally planned to buy a Cadillac luxury car this year, but now it seems...

"Hehe... I'll just transfer the royalties to Mr. Cheng."

I started the engine, stepped on the gas, and the red and white boxy sedan headed toward the Bank of America on Market Street.

Bank of America, Citibank, and JPMorgan Chase are the only three banks in the United States with the ability to remit funds to the Bank of China.

This is because Bank of America provided the Bank of China with a global clearing system and training this year to facilitate remittances between American companies in China.

Citibank established a representative office in Beijing as early as 79, and this year it received special approval from China to conduct corporate foreign exchange settlement business.

As for JPMorgan Chase, that's specifically for settling payments for CNOOC's offshore drilling platform projects.

This is all information that Ryder obtained from his friends at the bank.

Not only are there few banks that can make remittances, but the remittance process is also extremely complicated, requiring several bank transfers.

"Even though they have an HSBC card, they still insist on transferring half of their money to their Bank of China account..."

The money was deposited directly into his HSBC bank account. The process was quick and simple. Ryder didn't know what Cheng Kaiyan was thinking, but he just did as she said.

A short while later, Ryder arrived at the bank and began to conduct his business.

With sales of 550,000, the actual royalties were 495,000, but considering the previously unsettled royalties, it's roughly 500,000.

It took Ryder an entire morning to successfully transfer the $500,000.

The funds will be transferred from the Bank of America's Philadelphia branch to its New York headquarters, then to the Bank of China's New York branch, and finally to its headquarters in Beijing.

"Approximately how long will it take to arrive?"

"Uh... We also have international students who handle remittances to China like yours, and it usually takes about a week."

Having received a reply regarding the time, Ryder nodded and turned to leave.

I went to a nearby coffee shop and ordered a hand-drip coffee.

The coffee shop's retro decor, the rich aroma of coffee, and the melodious and elegant piano music all soothed Ryder's nerves.

He began to seriously consider and think about everything concerning Cheng Kaiyan.

From age, educational background, creative ability, academic ability...

While sipping coffee, I pondered these thoughts and even asked the shop owner for paper and pen to write them down.

After some time, a light drizzle began to fall outside the window.

"Uncle is right. Since we are destined to befriend such an outstanding person, in Chinese terms, it is best to see it through to the end... and maintain our friendship with him."

Since the executives at Golden Bookstore want to contact Mr. Cheng Kaiyan, why not give them a push...? Maybe Mr. Cheng won't take back the paperback copyright..."

Ryder held the pen, staring intently at the handwriting. His azure eyes grew brighter and brighter as he finally made his decision!
Not only did they follow the instructions in the letter, but they even planned to act as matchmakers for Cheng Kaiyan.

He immediately returned to the city and went back to write a letter.

……

……

Seven days later, on July 27th.

Beijing, the headquarters of the Bank of China.

Wu Xiaoxiao, a bank teller specializing in foreign exchange transactions, sat on a wooden stool, expressionlessly flipping through the remittance slips, each one representing an absolute fortune in terms of her salary.

One hundred US dollars, two thousand US dollars, five hundred US dollars... ten thousand yen... one hundred thousand yen...

She quickly flipped through a pile of wire transfer slips, stamped them, and found that none of them exceeded the personal remittance limit, so they only needed to be stamped and approved.

Immediately afterwards, an unremarkable, even slightly wrinkled, wire transfer slip appeared before her eyes.

"One, two, three zeros... five zeros? Twenty-five dollars!!"

Suddenly, a long string of numbers appeared before Wu Xiaoxiao's eyes, causing her to freeze in shock.

"What's wrong, Xiaoxiao?"

Hearing the sudden exclamation, the colleague next to him quickly turned around to look.

“I saw a remittance slip... two, two hundred and fifty thousand US dollars, and it was sent to an individual.”

Wu Xiaoxiao took a deep breath and stammered, her face still showing a look of astonishment.

"let me see!!"

These words immediately excited the colleague. He picked up the remittance slip, glanced at it, and gasped in shock: "Two hundred and fifty thousand US dollars... How much is that in RMB? It's probably worth over a million yuan overseas! My God! I've never seen so much money in my life!"

"Forget about the money, hurry up and tell the director! This payment must come from the State Administration of Foreign Exchange!"

Wu Xiaoxiao calmed down after a while and quickly said...

The two quickly got up, grabbed the form, and hurried off to find the director.

"What? Two hundred and fifty thousand US dollars?! Who is it for?"

The director asked hurriedly.

"Um...yes, it's a comrade named Cheng Kaiyan."

Wu Xiaoxiao looked down and examined it carefully.

"Cheng Kaiyan?!"

The moment the name was uttered, everyone in the office gasped in surprise.

They looked at each other in bewilderment.

"Isn't this our famous writer and talented scholar from Beijing? His story was just published in the People's Daily last month!"

"Haha! No wonder he's a great writer! Comrade Cheng Kaiyan's works have truly conquered America!"

"Look, hasn't that huge sum of royalties been sent back?"

"Wow! Two hundred and fifty thousand US dollars! We couldn't earn that much even if we didn't eat or drink for a thousand years!"

People started discussing it animatedly.

It was quite a lively scene.

Half an hour later, people from the State Administration of Foreign Exchange arrived.

When they heard it was Cheng Kaiyan, they weren't surprised.

But $250,000 is just too much! Nobody dares to make the decision.

"Seal it for now, don't touch it. We'll go find Teacher Cheng Kaiyan to verify it immediately!"

The head of the State Administration of Foreign Exchange, the same woman who had previously interacted with Cheng Kaiyan, issued a stern warning. (End of Chapter)