Chapter Thirty: There Are No Eternal Enemies

Every epoch-making advance is regarded by most people as inconceivable at the outset of reform, and is often resisted as though it were a scourge. Consider Newton’s three laws, the adoption of breech-loading rifles by armies, or the reform and opening-up path under socialism with Chinese characteristics. In the twentieth century, even children knew that the earth was round, yet several centuries earlier, people stubbornly believed that the heavens were round and the earth square—and would burn anyone who dared deny it.

Reformers have always been equated with madmen, because they possess a vision far beyond that of ordinary people. What they seek to do is change the way everyone is accustomed to living.

In later generations, the practice of charging for VIP chapters would become Qidian’s most important policy in its domination of the online-novel world, as well as the only sure path for bringing the entire industry toward standardization and professionalism.

Yet in 2003 and before, whether within the industry or among the so-called experts in the broader field of the online economy, the idea of forcing readers to pay for online novels was regarded as nothing short of a joke.

Quite apart from whether readers would be willing to spend money on novels, the piracy problem alone was enough to reduce any charging system to a pipe dream.

Books could be found everywhere. Why pay to read the legitimate version on your website?

Yes, there were clear laws protecting copyright. But enforcing one’s rights in reality was far too difficult. Society as a whole had never developed an awareness of copyright. Readers, authors, and even business operators had all grown accustomed to piracy.

Even if a small minority were willing to pay, the overwhelming majority would leave the site because of the charging system and go elsewhere to read pirated copies, causing the site’s traffic to plummet and its value to shrink.

“Mr. Kong, I understand your concern. The reason Qidian has yet to introduce a charging system is precisely because we share the same concern. But now, I believe we have an opportunity.”

Mr. Wu understood online novels far more deeply than Kong Decheng did. At the very least, he had already realized that for online novels to develop, they had to create value—in plain terms, they had to turn traffic into tangible money.

If Qidian currently held the position Wanjian had once enjoyed, standing alone at the top, it would have introduced charging long ago, because readers would have had no other site to choose from.

But the situation was different now. Three companies stood at the forefront.

That made the timing of the charging system crucial. Change the order of events, and the result could be worlds apart.

Wanjian and Zeyue were watching like predators waiting to pounce. If Qidian alone began charging while the other two sites offered more books to choose from, it was easy to predict that most readers would flee to those other sites.

By the time Qidian managed to cultivate a stable readership accustomed to paying, its readers would already have disappeared. Wanjian and Zeyue would then seize the initiative, introducing charges after acquiring a large readership and achieving twice the result with half the effort.

But if Wanjian and Qidian joined forces, they would have sufficient confidence: a vast library and an enormous readership.

Readers who wanted to read would, in most cases, have no choice but to pay at Wanjian or Zeyue.

Of course, piracy would remain a problem, but it was not something that could be solved, so for the time being it did not need to be taken into consideration.

Mr. Wu had even prepared himself mentally for the possibility that half their readers might be lost. Even that price would be acceptable.

Contracts and VIP charges were two links in the same chain. Without a contract, the site could not obtain the copyright and therefore had no legal right to charge readers or share the proceeds with authors. Once contracts were in place, however, failing to charge meant there was no way to fundamentally improve authors’ income and待遇; the industry as a whole would remain trapped, unable to break through its current limits.

“Mr. Kong, Zeyue has already taken care of the contracting issue. Looked at another way, they have tested the waters for us. This is exactly the right time to introduce VIP charges.” Mr. Wu paused, then added, “I even have a feeling that Zeyue’s next step will very likely be to introduce VIP charges as well.”

Kong Decheng frowned and paced back and forth across the office for a full four or five minutes, smoking three cigarettes. In the end, he neither agreed nor refused. He merely said that he would think it over and give them an answer later.

“Very well, Mr. Kong. Let’s leave it there for now. Once you’ve made your decision, we’ll be in touch.”

After bidding Kong Decheng farewell, Mr. Wu immediately summoned Qidian’s founding team and held a secret meeting.

Although Kong Decheng had given no answer, Mr. Wu had already seen the outcome in his reaction.

Kong Decheng was a well-known investor in the industry. The senior executives at both Wanjian and Qidian knew that his ultimate goal was simply to build traffic and, once it had grown large enough, sell Wanjian for a profit of a million or so.

For him, sacrificing traffic would violate his fundamental interests.

Qidian was different. From the very beginning, its founding team had recognized the prospects of the online-novel industry. Even if they were eventually going to sell, they first had to expand the industry, bring it into the mainstream, and then sell it at a good price.

VIP charges were Qidian’s core policy.

“Everyone, I’ve shown Kong Decheng our hand, but it seems he has no intention of joining us in playing it. We’ve reached the stage where the bayonets are out. We can’t delay any longer. Zeyue is growing larger by the day. At this rate, it won’t be long before it perhaps replaces the Wanjian of old and becomes the industry leader. By then, Qidian introducing charges would be tantamount to suicide.”

The founders exchanged glances. After a brief silence, the founder whose online name was Left Hand suddenly smiled.

“If we’re holding good cards, why worry that we won’t find someone willing to play alongside us? What do you think?”

“My view is that I would rather not be the industry leader than be cast out of the industry,” another founder said with a nod. “As long as we establish ourselves, we’ll always have a chance to challenge for first place in the future.”

“Those who follow different paths cannot make plans together. You’re all too reserved to say it outright, so I’ll say it for you. Since Wanjian and Qidian aren’t even on the same track, why not change partners? An alliance between Qidian and Wanjian would control seventy or eighty percent of the domestic market. But an alliance between Qidian and Zeyue would likewise command more than half the market!” said the most forthright of the founders.

Mr. Wu’s gaze swept across the room. Slowly, he said, “Good. Since everyone agrees, then we’ll change partners.”

“But what if—just hypothetically—Zeyue also refuses to introduce VIP charges?” someone asked suddenly.

Mr. Wu thought for a moment, then burst out laughing.

“Then it would prove that, for all the vastness of the world, there are no heroes in it. What do we have to worry about?”

…

“Mr. Wu, I’ve heard so much about you!”

As he looked at the man before him, Zhao Zejun felt an almost unreal sensation, as though he had crossed through time.

In his previous life, he had not been a writer, but he had read many online novels and knew something about the major upheavals in the online-novel world.

The birth of Qidian, the introduction of charging, Shengda’s acquisition, the founding team’s emergence of the Great Demon King Penguin, their betrayal and assistance in helping the Great Demon King Penguin reacquire Qidian, and their return to Qidian once more…

Over the course of more than a decade, this Mr. Wu had played an important role in almost every major transformation in the online-novel world.

In this life, if Zhao Zejun had not appeared out of nowhere, then this Mr. Wu would probably have been the true and undisputed godfather of online novels.