Chapter 309: Supermarket Scare!
Ding-ling-ling—
The mobile phone on the bedside table suddenly rang.
Jiang Tao groggily opened his eyes and reached for his phone, holding it up to his eyes to look.
Seeing the name on the caller ID, he instantly stopped feeling sleepy and swiped to answer the call.
“Hello, Mr. Jiang. I apologize for making you wait. Regarding the film and television copyright issue for ‘Eighteen-Year-Old Great-Grandmother’ that we discussed…”
The moment Jiang Tao answered the call, a female voice spoke from the other end.
During their previous discussion, the other party said they would provide a response within 2-4 business days.
Excluding Saturday and Sunday, today was the fourth day, so they were quite punctual.
“Mhm, please continue.”
The communication process was mainly led by the other party, with Jiang Tao occasionally interjecting to indicate he was listening.
“Mr. Jiang, after our Copyright Department’s final estimation,”
“the full film and television copyright for the novel ‘Eighteen-Year-Old Great-Grandmother’ is priced at 168,000. What do you think…”
The woman on the other end spoke for about ten minutes, finally stating an expected selling price.
Hearing the quoted price, Jiang Tao was somewhat speechless.
The original author of this novel, Gu Lina, was now an employee of Jiangshi Entertainment Co., Ltd., and his subordinate.
Gu Lina had no reason to hide any information about this novel and had told Jiang Tao everything.
The performance of this novel was a complete flop.
Gu Lina hadn’t even earned the full attendance bonus during its serialization.
Of course, it wasn’t due to her lack of diligence in typing, but because the novel’s performance was too poor to qualify for the bonus.
She herself had only earned a little over 2,000 yuan from this novel, less than 3,000 yuan!
Now, the copyright department of the platform that signed the novel was asking for 168,000!
They were trying to treat Jiang Tao like a sucker!
“Miss, isn’t this price a bit too high? Is there room for negotiation?”
Although Jiang Tao knew that this novel would become a hit after being adapted into a short play, he didn’t immediately accept the clearly inflated price.
“I apologize, Mr. Jiang. I am only responsible for contract signing and have no authority to intervene in pricing.”
“Furthermore, based on my long-term work experience, there is usually no room for bargaining with the Copyright Department.”
The girl on the other end’s tone was sincere, saying whatever was on her mind.
Although this was Jiang Tao’s first time dealing with a large company like this, he knew that such large companies had their own procedures.
Different departments were responsible for different matters, and cross-departmental communication was indeed difficult.
Besides, buying novel copyright wasn’t like buying vegetables at a market.
It was normal to have no room for bargaining.
After all, the company was large and prosperous; they wouldn’t be bothered by a mere hundred thousand yuan, nor by this one copyright.
“Alright! Then it’s this price. When can we sign the contract?”
Jiang Tao knew that the value of the “Eighteen-Year-Old Great-Grandmother” series far exceeded 168,000. After a brief contemplation, he decisively moved to acquire it.
In the near future, after the novel was successfully adapted into a script, filmed, and premiered.
168,000 might not even account for a fraction of the total revenue!
“We can do it now! I’ll send you an electronic contract first, and you can sign it directly on your mobile phone.”
“If you need a paper contract, you can print it yourself after signing.”
The girl on the other end was also surprised at how smoothly things were progressing, and her voice held a hint of joy.
“Okay, thank you. Please send the contract to my phone. How do you handle payments?”
“I’ll send you our company’s official account information, and you can make a direct company-to-company transfer.”
“Okay.”
After reaching an agreement, they chatted briefly before Jiang Tao casually hung up the phone.
Less than 5 minutes after ending the call, Jiang Tao received an electronic contract from the girl via WeChat.
After a quick glance, finding no issues, Jiang Tao signed it directly.
After signing the contract, Jiang Tao sent the company account information provided by the girl to Jiang Bing, who was in charge of Jiangshi Entertainment Co., Ltd.’s finance department, asking her to make the transfer.
168,000 yuan was not a large sum for Jiang Tao and Jiangshi Entertainment Co., Ltd., and Jiang Bing quickly transferred it to the other party.
Thus, the full copyright for the novel “Eighteen-Year-Old Great-Grandmother” was in Jiang Tao’s hands,
becoming the first film and television copyright for Jiangshi Entertainment Co., Ltd.
Jiang Tao then called Gu Lina to inquire about the progress of her script.
After a period of systematic training, Gu Lina had also preliminarily grasped the skills for adapting short plays.
Although she was not yet very proficient in scriptwriting.
However, as the author of the novel herself, no one understood it better than her.
Therefore, she found the adaptation of the “Great-Grandmother” novel into a short play to be quite smooth.
By the time Jiang Tao called her, she had already written 10 episodes, which in the short play industry is called “one card.”
“One card” refers to paid gated content, typically the first 10 episodes, used to attract users to pay for viewing.
Jiang Tao was even more of a novice than Gu Lina when it came to short plays, knowing practically nothing about it.
So he simply inquired about her work progress without interfering.
At the end of the call, he offered a few words of encouragement and praise before hanging up.
Gu Lina said she expected to complete the entire scriptwriting process in about another month.
At that time, she could take the script to find suitable producers and directors for the next stage of filming.
Cut~
As soon as Jiang Tao hung up the phone with Gu Lina.
The bedroom door was gently pushed open a crack, and a graceful figure slipped into the room.
Jiang Tao turned his head and saw Yuan Mengqi entering the room with a sense of stealth, a smile appearing on his lips.
“Brother Tao, Uncle and Aunt are about to leave and asked me to come in and see if you were awake.”
Yuan Mengqi walked to the bedside and stood there, her eyes full of reluctance to leave him.
“We have guests at home tonight, so I can’t stay here with you.”
Jiang Tao smiled, pulled Yuan Mengqi to sit beside him, and his large hand smoothly slipped into her collar.
“Uncle and Aunt are all outside…”
Yuan Mengqi’s pretty face flushed, and after only a slight resistance, she completely let go of her defenses, allowing Jiang Tao to do as he pleased.
Twenty minutes later…
Yuan Mengqi, with lingering traces on her flushed face, walked out of the bedroom with Jiang Tao.
After Jiang Tao and his parents bid farewell to Yuan Mengqi’s family, they went downstairs together and left.
It was already past 5 PM when the group returned to Bai Ge Zhuang Residential Area.
Jiang Xue and Jiang An’an, the two little ones, were already home from school.
The two children had been taken by Jiang Yi to their after-school enrichment classes near the residential area.
Xu Li was already at home, ready to go.
Xu Li’s cousin Fang Qi and Zhang Chao were coming to their home as guests tonight.
Jiang Tao and Xu Li had arranged to go to the supermarket together that afternoon to buy ingredients.
Jia Guilin drove back to the residential area first to pick up Xu Li.
He then drove Jiang Tao and Xu Li together to the Supermarket Fa located outside the residential area.
Jiang Tao and Xu Li had previously won tens of thousands of yuan in shopping cards from a lucky draw at this supermarket, and they hadn’t finished spending them yet.
This supermarket had thus become their regular shopping destination.
The two pushed their small cart into the supermarket just as it was 6 PM.
This time of day was precisely the busiest period of the day for the supermarket.
After the supermarket’s recent intensive marketing campaign, business had improved significantly compared to before.
At this moment, the supermarket was densely packed with customers pushing shopping carts in every section.
After work, people, either alone or with their families, pushed shopping carts, chatting and laughing as they navigated between the shelves, selecting ingredients for dinner.
This scene was full of life and a sense of daily living.
Less than five minutes after entering, the shopping cart Jiang Tao was pushing already held several items.
Xu Li affectionately held his arm, glancing at the list in her hand as they walked.
“That guy Zhang Chao specifically asked for braised pork. What about Fang Qi? Does she have any dietary restrictions?”
Jiang Tao picked up a good quality piece of pork belly from the refrigerated counter and turned to ask Xu Li.
Xu Li smiled, “I saw a post on Qi Qi’s Moments. She seems to be on a diet recently.
Let’s buy more high-protein ingredients like beef and fresh shrimp. She’ll definitely break her diet out of temptation.
Oh, Husband, don’t forget to buy a bottle of cooking wine. We seem to be running low at home, and it might not be enough for tonight.”
“Got it, as per Wife’s orders.”
Jiang Tao smiled, put the pork belly into the shopping cart, and skillfully headed towards the condiment aisle.
“Any other instructions, Wife? Do we still have scallions, ginger, and garlic?”
“We’re low on scallions and garlic, but ginger… there’s a big piece right here~”
Xu Li smiled and pointed a slender, fair finger at Jiang Tao’s face, her smile bright and captivating.
Several men pushing shopping carts nearby stared blankly, drawing ridicule from their own wives.
“This ginger is only for you, no one else gets any.”
Jiang Tao also smiled and patted Xu Li’s head, emphasizing the word “eat” ambiguously.
Seeing his mischievous expression, Xu Li instantly understood what he meant.
A few blushes crept up her fair face.
Although she now almost always had to expend a considerable amount of effort to “win over” Jiang Tao.
Given Xu Li’s traditional and reserved nature, she was still somewhat shy about such private marital matters.
Seeing Xu Li’s bashful expression, Jiang Tao’s heart fluttered slightly.
Tonight was bound to be another battle, so he’d need to eat more beef or something to replenish his energy.
“Ah—!!! Murder!!!”
Suddenly, a piercing scream abruptly rang out amidst the buzzing conversations.
Jiang Tao and Xu Li’s gazes instantly shot towards the kitchenware display area on their left, near the fresh food section!
The scream had come from that direction!
Boom!
The supermarket was at its peak hour for customer traffic. This sudden, piercing scream instantly triggered considerable panic.
“What’s wrong? What’s happening? What’s the situation!”
“Did something happen over by the kitchenware?”
“Run! Someone’s going crazy with a knife over there!”
“Oh my goodness, Husband, Nana, let’s go, let’s go!”
Panic quickly spread from the kitchenware area throughout the entire supermarket.
Although hundreds or thousands of customers had no idea what was happening.
The despair in that scream was enough to awaken the most primal fear in everyone’s heart.
People instinctively dropped their items and ran towards the supermarket exit at their fastest speeds.
“Mom, Mom!!”
“Wuwuwu, Dad, Dad…”
“Son, where are you? Come here, come here!”
Some unruly children who had strayed from their parents were now crying and wailing; they would surely learn a lesson after today.
The supermarket, orderly just a moment ago, instantly devolved into chaos.
Colorful shopping carts were knocked over and scattered.
Screams, cries, and the sound of chaotic footsteps instantly drowned out all other sounds, plunging the scene into pandemonium!
“Husband…”
Seeing the scene before her, Xu Li clutched Jiang Tao’s arm even tighter for a sense of security.
“Don’t panic, I’m here. Nothing will happen.”
Jiang Tao patted Xu Li’s shoulder to comfort her and frowned slightly as he looked in the direction of the sound.
His physique was now over 150 points, his physical condition far exceeding that of ordinary people.
His vision and hearing were also much keener than those of an average person.
Through the gaps in the fleeing crowd, Jiang Tao clearly saw a somewhat horrifying sight:
Beside the shelves displaying various knives and pots.
A burly man, over 1.9 meters tall, was wildly slashing at a woman wearing a supermarket employee uniform with a brand-new kitchen knife that still had its tag on!
The light blue work uniform on the woman’s back was already stained with a large patch of blood.
Her face was pale, etched with fear and pain. She was futilely trying to block with her hands, emitting desperate cries and pleas for help:
“Help! Save me! Don’t kill me!!”
The woman tried to escape, but her steps were unsteady due to her injuries and shock.
The man committing the assault, however, seemed possessed and incredibly strong, muttering indistinct curses as he chopped.
The man was powerfully built, his mental state appeared utterly deranged, and he still held the kitchen knife he had just used.
An ordinary person facing such a madman would only have one thought: run!
Run as fast as possible, as far away from the man as possible!
Ordinary people facing extreme danger think of escape first, their own lives are most important!
Clang!!!
The fleeing woman stumbled and knocked over a shelf of alcoholic drinks.
The alcoholic drinks on the shelf crashed to the floor, and she fell prone on the ground, her legs still kicking subconsciously, her will to survive at its peak.
“Help, save me, please don’t kill me, don’t kill me…”
The woman pleaded for help from bystanders and begged the knife-wielding strongman, her eyes filled with despair.
“Lili, step back! Move aside! Call 110 and 120!”
Jiang Tao spoke extremely rapidly, but exceptionally clearly and calmly, giving instructions to Xu Li beside him before preparing to step forward to stop the strongman’s violent act.
His physique of over 150 points granted him strength, speed, and reaction nerves far beyond ordinary people.
Coupled with his system-level free fighting skills, he possessed absolute confidence in facing such a chaotic scene.
When he had the ability and confidence.
He couldn’t bear to watch a life being brutally taken before his eyes.
Saving a life is more meritorious than building a seven-story pagoda.
“Husband… be careful.”
Xu Li knew her husband had learned a lot from his master, but seeing him about to confront a man with a knife, she couldn’t help but worry.
“Don’t worry, it’ll be fine.”
The situation was urgent, and Jiang Tao didn’t have time to say more to Xu Li. He turned and ran towards the strongman’s location.
