Chapter 175: Chapter 174: Legal Income
A few days later, Ji Ma instructed “Ms. Ji” to present the manuscript that had been prepared long ago. This was something Ji Ma had written over the course of half a month at a leisurely pace.
Of course, Ji Ma didn’t forget to play the victim.
She emotionally said, “The author himself is very sorry for allowing a ghostwriter to write haphazardly and harm the readers who usually trust him.”
“The white-haired one expressed his gratitude for the support of the readers, admitting that he bears some responsibility for this situation.” (Especially for the pain caused to the readers)
“He regrets being lazy and giving the ghostwriter an opportunity.” (Everything was according to plan)
“In order for the readers to see the ending as soon as possible, the real author, the white-haired one, wrote through the night for several days, and when he finished the last word, he coughed up blood due to exhaustion.”
At this point, Ji Ma’s eyes were red: “He literally worked himself to faint.”
What a responsible and conscientious author. Even the publishing staff, who usually despised commercial novels, couldn’t help but shed a tear upon hearing these words.
“He hopes that everyone won’t pity him, as there are many creators in this world who are worse off than he is.”
“Before he died, he fainted with a smile, thanking everyone for their love and support.”
“In the end, he was too ashamed to face everyone; although the bad ending was due to piracy, he nonetheless caused everyone pain.” (I just hope that the pirate readers suffer a bit more)
Ji Ma not only spoke but also extracted a few sentences from the short essay and hung them up on cars, books, and doors, nearly wanting to gather everyone in Adolf City to see.
With this short essay, Ji Ma successfully shaped the pitiful persona of the white-haired one in the public’s imagination.
In the public’s mind, the white-haired one was a descendant of a fallen noble, his mansion taken by relatives, forced to live in the sewers, suffering from tuberculosis, occasionally coughing up blood, and thin as a stick.
However, even in such a state, he did not complain; he tirelessly brought joy to everyone and was very grateful to them. Even towards the pirate readers, he remained gentle.
Moreover, the rumors grew more outrageous, with everyone eventually believing that the white-haired one literally worked himself to death, saying that he died right after writing the last word.
Only Owen Green did not believe it, insisting that the white-haired one was crafty and strong, and had four wives. Those who heard him frowned in disgust, accusing him of being overly jealous and a cold-hearted individual.
In the end, Owen Green closed his mouth and stopped speaking.
That said, with such a pitiful person dead, who could have the heart to buy pirated copies?
There surely couldn’t be any left?
As Ji Ma spread the rumors, she thought.
Upstairs at Xue Le Publishing House and in bookstores, several banners hung:
“‘JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure’ – The genuine book written with all effort by the true author is now on sale.”
“The true author apologizes to all readers.”
“‘JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure’ is a masterpiece by the white-haired one.”
Under each banner in front of the bookstore, there was a crowd full of people intent on making amends.
Reis was also squeezed in among the crowd. Every time he thought of the rumors about the white-haired one circulating among friends, his sense of guilt deepened.
People vividly described how the white-haired one wrote while coughing up blood and died from exhaustion at his desk, weighing only about sixty kilograms at the time of death, thin as a monkey.
Some said he had originally been talented and could have lived well. He had merely focused on writing for the poor, which angered the emperor, who then drove him away, leading to his current predicament.
As for those who doubted the white-haired one, they were merely the emperor’s lackeys spreading rumors. They attempted to tarnish the white-haired one’s reputation to prevent people from questioning the emperor’s illustrious achievements.
Though the connection between this matter and the emperor’s achievements was vague and far-fetched, everyone believed it, thinking there must be a vast secret organization behind the dissenters, thus becoming even more convinced.
Finally, it was Reis’s turn as he looked at the neatly stacked genuine books on the table.
When he remembered how many pirated copies he had bought before, indirectly contributing to the white-haired one’s demise, he couldn’t help but feel a pang in his nose, his thoughts heated. He took out this month’s living expenses and slammed them on the table, saying:
“Give me a hundred copies!”
The heavy bundles of books weighed far more than any redemption receipt.
Reis finally felt some of the guilt in his heart lessen as he turned to leave.
Behind him were countless people burdened with guilt, filling the small space that appeared after Reis departed.
…
…
Dream Palace
“Here, press a bit harder, yes, that’s more comfortable.”
The white-haired one, or rather Ji Ma, just finished a hearty meal and was reclining on a lounge chair, enjoying a massage from the maid Lianxi on her bare back.
Her lower abdomen felt pleasantly warm; Ji Ma picked a grape and popped it into her mouth, savoring it before glancing at the large bag of coins in front of her, filled with legal income.
Her mood improved further.
This is what life is all about.
The maid Lianxi said, “Master, that hypocrite George just bullied people too much.”
“You were eavesdropping again, weren’t you?”
“I’m sorry, Master—I—”
“Never mind.” Ji Ma smiled, her cheekbones rising. “I’ve grown accustomed to it.”
Recalling the master’s cries, Lianxi’s eyes moistened slightly as she said, “Master….”
“Don’t worry too much about me.” Ji Ma said, “I’ve already calculated it; as long as I can live happily and smile, it’s fine. Yes, press my temples now.”
Lianxi’s hand moved up, her fingers brushing over the hickey on Ji Ma’s neck as she pressed down on Ji Ma’s head.
After a simple hour of rest, Ji Ma lazily got up and waved her hand, signaling for Lianxi to leave.
Lianxi bowed to bid farewell, and her figure disappeared in the air.
Ji Ma planted her feet on the ground, stretched lazily, touched her slightly warm abdomen, savored the aftertaste of the meal, then snapped her fingers. A bag filled with various coins floated up, following Ji Ma to the treasury.
Three thousand six hundred and forty-nine gold coins piled into a small mound on the pristine stone slab.
A money bag that was too large to hold in one hand spun in the air; its tied string automatically unraveled, and the assorted coins—gold, silver, and copper—tumbled to the ground.
“Clatter.”
The coins rolled and bounced on the ground. Under Ji Ma’s will, gold, silver, and copper gathered together, making it easier for her to count.
Ji Ma pointed at the pile of gold coins.
Gold coins floated up ten at a time, landing beside her.
“Ten, twenty, thirty…”
After counting, it was time for the silver coins.
“Ten, twenty, thirty…”
As the numbers increased, Ji Ma’s originally drooping tail began to wag happily like a dog’s tail that had just seen a bone.
“A total of five thousand one hundred and twenty-one gold coins!” This was more than double what she had made when she first started selling books!
Ji Ma swept her tail across the ground and knocked a silver coin away.
“So, my legal income now totals…” She did a mental calculation. “Eight thousand seven hundred seventy coins!”
Only one thousand two hundred and thirty coins away from the target; by waiting for a share from the casino, she would definitely exceed this figure.
“If it weren’t for the fact that there are only five days left, I wouldn’t need to rely on the casino’s dividends; I could have directly earned ten thousand gold coins.” Ji Ma sighed, “It seems writing books for money isn’t just about selling books.”
Ji Ma stepped onto the coins with her black and white silk-clad feet; the gold coins were separated from her soles by a thin layer of stockings. She rubbed her feet over them a few times, enjoying the ticklish sensation before feeling satisfied.
She felt great, not just because of the money; the power of pain continued to flow toward her with the spread of piracy.
Although she hadn’t leveled up yet, she felt it was coming; she was about to fully master the abilities of the pain succubus.
With her little feet pinching a coin, she tossed it away.
“It’s time to collect the money.”
I wonder what that guy George will look like.
Ji Ma recalled how George bit his lip and toiled hard at her meal earlier, hoping for a reward, and she couldn’t help but laugh even harder.
Ten minutes later.
“What? You can lose money in a casino?!”
Ji Ma slammed her hand on the table, yelling at Caslan, who sported a red beard and green eyes.
In front of the slender succubus, the lanky Caslan wore a smile, leaning against the side, saying:
“Unexpected things happen in everything. A casino isn’t always immensely profitable; running a casino requires money, and business can ebb and flow.”
“I haven’t heard that, I not only didn’t get dividends but had to pay out seven hundred gold coins!” Ji Ma angrily waved her small fists, “What the hell is going on?!”
“You are a shareholder, a collaborator; you differ from those who work for us, so the profits naturally go to you in large part.” Caslan carefully explained, “The profits are just negative.”
“My God, what on earth is going on?”
“There are competitors.” Caslan said, “Some even came specifically to vandalize the casino. I had to manage matters properly, and in the end, I even spent money repairing the casino and catching some cheats.”
Ji Ma’s golden eyes narrowed dangerously:
“So, there’s someone targeting our industry.”
“Of course.”
“How dare they target someone with a platinum-level daughter backing her and successfully aligning themselves with her.” Ji Ma’s eyes sparkled dangerously after her eyelashes: “This is no ordinary competitor.”
Caslan nodded with delight: “Yes, yes, their methods are indeed despicable.”
Ji Ma flicked her “straight branch” in her hand, which turned into an axe-spear. She waved it, the blade glowing red as it left a trail of blurred bloodlight in the air, along with a faint whiff of blood spreading.
“We must strike hard; I’m going to chop them down.”
Ji Ma marched decisively toward the living room exit.
Caslan, terrified, hurriedly chased after her, instinctively reaching for Ji Ma’s tail: “Please wait.”
As Caslan approached Ji Ma, a force caused him to lose his balance, and he stumbled slightly while Ji Ma’s tail deftly evaded his hand.
“What’s the matter?”
Ji Ma looked at the excitable middle-aged man.
“This, this.” Caslan stammered, “This isn’t how things are supposed to go.”
“So the other side is a normal competitor?”
“Uh… sort of.”
“So you’re saying you can’t handle them using ordinary methods, and you want me to step in, right?”
Caslan’s wrinkled face showed an embarrassed smile:
“Ah, there are challenges in doing business as well. You are also a good friend of my daughter, I just wanted to confide in you. Recently, the stock exchange took a nosedive, many are dropping, and the survivors don’t have money to gamble.”
Ji Ma realized he had been playing the pity card.
“Then sell my share.” Ji Ma said, “I urgently need money.”
“That’s not something that can be sold at a whim; we need to find a buyer.”
“How long will it take to sell?”
“At least a month.”
Ji Ma felt everyone was against her, angrily smashing the axe-spear onto the nearby table:
“Damn legal income!”
The blade sank into the table.
“By the way.” Ji Ma turned her head to look at Caslan, “You’re not trying to deceive me, are you? Did your daughter or George instruct you to say anything?”
