1994: I Became a Literary Master in America

Chapter 69 What a coincidence! Please read on and add to your favorites.

Zhang Beihai must have written books.

And it's not just one.

In the 1980s, he mainly wrote essays, including "America: Eight Stories" and "People in New York".

However, Xu Shengjie has never seen an English version of this book in bookstores or used book stalls, only a Chinese version.

Traditional Chinese version.

The publisher is Taiwan Yuanliu Publishing House.

Yes, it's Yuanliu, which has acquired the publishing rights for Mr. Kim in Taiwan.

There are many people from Taiwan in the United States, and they wield considerable influence. According to Master Wu, there are several so-called Taiwan organizations operating openly in New York alone. It is said that these organizations are backed by American entities.

Master Wu told Xu Shengjie these things so that he could avoid conflicts with those organizations.

Yeah, we've gone off on a tangent!

Therefore, Zhang Beihai was not seeking fame or fortune.

However, his status as a writer largely stems from the endorsement of Taiwan.

He also has another work, which he probably hasn't finished yet, called "The Hidden Hero".

Most people may not be familiar with this book, but if we change its title to "Hidden Man Prevails," it might be more familiar.

That's right, it's Jiang Wen's movie "Hidden Man," adapted from Zhang Beihai's "The Hidden Hero."

Zhang Beihai became well-known in China as a result, and simplified Chinese versions of his works were subsequently published.

That's roughly the situation.

Baidu says he is a famous Chinese-American writer.

But this "famous" should probably be in quotes. It certainly doesn't refer to a writer of Lin Yutang's caliber.

Mr. Lin truly wrote in English, published in Europe and America, and gained recognition.

That's output!

Zhang Beihai's works are mostly exported and then re-imported domestically.

In any case, two months after Xu Shengjie's rebirth, he did not see any of his English works in any bookstore or used bookstore in New York.

……

What is Zhou Wenqiong's future?

Xu Shengjie wasn't particularly clear on the matter.

It seems she stayed in the United States, and may occasionally return to China, but without much fanfare.

Unlike some private art enthusiasts who, after harming countless people, can still brazenly return to their home country in their later years to hold art exhibitions.

Gong Xue and Zhou Wenqiong may have made occasional public appearances, but they keep a low profile.

Thinking about it, there seems to be no need to go out and show your face as a clown.

Gong Xue has a happy family; her husband is an elite professional with a substantial income. Zhou Wenqiong, on the other hand, has a stunningly beautiful niece and has no need to play the clown. But Xu Shengjie believes that these two women are a hundred times more charismatic than those who flaunt their talents.

So, in the entertainment industry, you have to be shameless to get ahead and make money.

However, these things have little to do with Xu Shengjie.

He had a good impression of Zhou Wenqiong because of her "celestial beauty" image; he had a good impression of Gong Xue because of "Aunt Bai" and the promotion from those future entertainment writers. At his age, how deep was his impression of Gong Xue? Not really.

Time slips away silently like this.

Wang Dajun has returned to China!

I looked a bit disheveled.

After being released by the finance company, he stayed at home and kept a very low profile.

According to Zhou Wenqiong, only Hu Jun and Chen Jiu went to the airport to see them off when they left; Cheng did not even show up.

When Wang Dajun was feeling smug, Cheng was practically glued to him.

It was only natural for Chen Jiu to see him off.

But Mr. Hu...

He is a man of loyalty and affection.

Given Wang Dajun's character, how could he still be willing to give him a gift?

Xu Shengjie didn't think the worst; he just felt that this person was quite righteous and had the kind of responsibility typical of men from Beijing.

Come to think of it, he really doesn't seem to have any scandals.

Aside from the scandal involving a female actress singing late at night during the filming of Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils, I've never heard of any other scandals involving Xu Shengjie.

However, Wang Dajun was tricked so badly this time.

Will Brothers Pictures ever reappear? Will it dominate the film industry again? Will it go public again?

This is the only thing Xu Shengjie is interested in!

The novel "Phone Booth" was completed in mid-July and, after revisions and proofreading, was handed over to Robert Gottlieb.

However, Robert was not in a hurry to promote it.

He told Xu Shengjie, "You already have two works confirmed for publication, so don't rush to find a publisher for this novel. After 'Canal Street' and 'Buffy' are published next year, we can then consider publishing this book based on their performance... We'll get better terms, more resources, and promotional materials..."

Xu Shengjie thought about it and agreed with Robert's statement.

"Is your script finished?"

"It'll be done soon. In a week at most, it will all be finished."

"Any news from Danny Airo?"

"Spike told him that we would meet next Wednesday at Spike's '40 acres of land and a mule'."

"Hmm, looks like it went smoothly."

"Yes, it's alright."

Robert suddenly smiled and asked, "By the way, has the funding for your movie been secured?"

"I'll invest myself, and the funds should be in place next month."

"150 million US dollars is no small sum."

Robert's eyes darted around, and he asked, "Do you accept other investments?"

"what?"

"I really like your script, and I can invest two hundred thousand dollars in it."

Robert had read the script and storyboard and understood the concept of the story.

Although he is not a film professional, he has worked in the publishing industry for so many years that he can tell whether a story is good or not.

$20 is not bad.

It's not a burden for him; more importantly, he might be able to make a small profit.

In the mid-90s, the Red Bear fell, and the United States was established as the sole superpower, but the economic situation was not very good.

Otherwise, why would Robert bother to come out and work after he's already retired?

The economic pressures are there.

Xu Shengjie thought about it and decided it wasn't a bad idea.

"If you trust me, of course I won't refuse."

"If I didn't trust you, I wouldn't have told you about this."

Robert, holding the manuscript of "Telephone Booth" in his hands, answered with a smile.

……

Julie's stage play premiered on Friday.

While not particularly successful, her portrayal of a female sadist in the series was outstanding.

Xu Shengjie also went to see it, and his impression was... he was reminded of Angelina Jolie's role as an assassin in "Mr. & Mrs. Smith," playing a prostitute to kill her target. Apparently, Jolie's performance in the film had precedent.

This drama is not very outstanding.

But that's normal!

Before Jon stepped in to help Julie, she indeed had a hard time getting good scripts.

This stage play is already the best script the research institute could provide. The truly good resources have long been monopolized by stars or Broadway bigwigs, and there's no way they could fall into the hands of a newbie like Julie.

After the performance, she went to Los Angeles with Jon.

According to her, Jon was going to take her to meet someone, a screenwriter.

His name seems to be Raphael Moreau? Something like that… He's writing a script, and Jon is an old friend of his, so he plans to bring Julie along to try and get her a role. She doesn't know the specifics.

But you could tell she was very excited.

She started her modeling career at the age of fourteen, and she certainly took many detours along the way.

Now that she has gained Jon's approval, she can finally obtain resources from Jon!

"So, will you still act in 'Julie'?"

Julie replied without hesitation, "Of course, that's our role."

Jon said that Moreau's script is still being written, and even if I get selected, filming will not begin until next year.

"That makes things easier!"

Xu Shengjie breathed a sigh of relief.

He didn't know who Raphael Moreu was, nor did he know the name of the play he wrote.

The person Jon might take a liking to must be a seasoned veteran.

If Jolie is ultimately chosen, and their schedules clash, what will be the choice?

Should he choose a well-established screenwriter, and one whose work is likely to be produced by a major company? Or should he choose someone like him, an unknown nobody with no experience? And, moreover, someone of Chinese descent! To be honest, Xu Shengjie couldn't guarantee it.

Julie left with Jon on Saturday.

Xu Shengjie was looking forward to sleeping in, but he was woken up early in the morning by a phone call from Susanna.

"Jeffrey, are you up yet?"

"Aunt Susanna, it's only 8:30."

"Get up quickly, wash your face, eat some breakfast, and I'll be waiting for you downstairs in forty minutes."

"what?"

"I've arranged to meet JJ Harris at Vanessa's studio at 10 a.m."

"what?"

"Hurry up, I need to see you downstairs in forty minutes."

Susanna didn't give Xu Shengjie any time to think before hanging up the phone.

Xu Shengjie held the receiver, stood there blankly for a moment, and finally came to his senses. He couldn't help but let out a roar to the sky!

Why disturb my peaceful sleep so early in the morning?

Ah ah ah ah ah ah...