1990: Starting from Baojia Street

"Never Let Me Go" does have a dystopian tone, which is normal. Science fiction novels tend to prefer dystopias, and many science fiction authors like to focus on dystopias.

Because this subject matter is easy to expand and sublimate.

"When will the truth be revealed in the novel?" Zhang Shouren asked again.

Zhou Yan thought for a moment and said, "Soon, if the manuscript is longer, you will be able to see it."

According to the progress, the book will soon put forward a theory, which is the theory of human cloning.

The students of Haier Xiangshe are all copied from another person, and they all have a "possible prototype" living outside.

However, these prototypes are not the existences they want to donate. On the contrary, their prototypes are most likely useless trash, the bottom of society, homeless people, drug addicts, and thieves.

The mentality of several protagonists changes step by step as the story develops, and their acceptance of "donation" also increases step by step.

Before, they had always been in a state of "knowing but not knowing", and the statement "knowing but not knowing" was told to them by one of their female teachers.

However, after the female teacher told them about this incident, she never showed up again.

And from beginning to end, they never thought of resisting.

The most they could do was to make a request to postpone the "donation".

They accepted their fate very humbly.

Zhang Shouren asked a lot of questions about the story behind the novel, and they were very detailed.

Zhou Yan originally thought that Zhang Shouren could only chat with him for a dozen minutes at most, but he never expected that by the time Zhang Shouren asked the last question related to the content of the novel, an hour and a half had passed.

Then he asked another question, "How soon can you finish this novel?"

Zhou Yan thought for a moment and said, "Twenty days."

Zhang Shouren nodded. He was very satisfied with the time.

Their bimonthly magazine "October" is published every odd month.

It is now mid-December, the January issue has long been decided and has already started printing, so it is impossible for this novel to cut in line.

If Zhou Yan can finish the entire novel within 20 days, it can be serialized in the March issue.

It doesn't matter if it takes a little time. There are alternative manuscripts for each issue anyway. As long as they can see the finished manuscript before the final layout is confirmed, there will be no problem.

Zhou Yan said twenty days, but it’s actually a bit conservative.

If he really worked at full capacity, he could finish the manuscript in two weeks.

If he wrote the manuscript on a computer instead of by hand, the speed would only be faster. It would be normal to write 20,000 to 30,000 words a day, and it could be finished in less than a week.

However, it was impossible for him to spend all his time on this manuscript every day. It would be good enough if he could spare a few hours every day to write the manuscript.

That's why he mentioned the number of twenty days to leave himself some room.

Zhang Shouren patted the manuscript and said very seriously, "Zhou Yan, I really want this manuscript. Are you willing to give it to us?"

Zhou Yan's thoughts now were different from those in the morning. When Zhang Shouren asked for the manuscript, Zhou Yan did not hesitate and nodded, "Okay, but I can't guarantee that the following manuscript will satisfy you."

Zhang Shouren smiled and waved his hand, "No."

He spent an hour and a half asking about the rest of the story, and it wasn't in vain.

He is very confident about the story that follows.

Moreover, when Zhou Yan said that he could finish the rest of the manuscript in 20 days, he did not doubt it at all, because when Zhou Yan talked about the later story, his ideas were so clear, as if the second half of the novel had already been written.

There was more than just an outline in Zhou Yan's mind. Zhang Shouren had just asked a lot of detailed questions, which could not be answered by an ordinary outline.

In this case, Zhou Yan will be able to complete the subsequent manuscripts very smoothly.

At this moment Zhou Yan raised his hand to look at his watch and said with a smile, "Mr. Zhang, it's getting late, let's go eat."

Zhang Shouren smiled and said, "I'm sorry to have delayed your meal. I guess Yu Hua and the others must be waiting anxiously."

"Good food is never too late. Let's not go out to eat. Let's just have a bite in the cafeteria."

"Okay, then I won't be polite."

……

Yu Hua and his friends had gone to the cafeteria's private room in advance and were already playing cards.

Zhang Shouren was quite surprised when he arrived at the box.

Zhou Yan said that when he was eating in the cafeteria, he thought it was just an ordinary working meal, but he didn't expect that this cafeteria had a different secret and even had private rooms.

Although the decoration of the private room is very ordinary and not grand, the layout is quite good, and the tables, chairs and benches are very exquisite, better than those in ordinary restaurants.

Seeing Zhou Yan and the others coming, Yu Hua smiled and said, "Mr. Zhang, don't be impatient. We'll have dinner after we finish this round."

Zhang Shouren smiled and said, "It's okay, you guys play."

As he spoke, he also moved over to the card table and watched them play cards.

Several people were playing throwing eggs. Zhang Shouren found it novel and couldn't help asking a few questions. Yu Hua and the others began to explain the rules to him.

Seeing that Zhang Shouren was interested, Yu Hua and his friends said they would play a few games with him after dinner, but Zhang Shouren said he didn't have time tonight and they would find another opportunity next time.

He came to the studio to read Zhou Yan's manuscript. It was indeed on his way. He had to go home tonight and go to work tomorrow morning.

So when he was drinking later, he didn't drink much, just two or three taels and that was it.

After dinner, Zhou Yan asked someone to send Zhang Shouren back. Of course, Zhang Shouren did not forget to take the manuscript of "Don't Let Me Go" away.

He can take the manuscript back now and arrange for someone to proofread it, so that the progress will not be delayed when Zhou Yan's subsequent manuscript comes out.

After Zhang Shouren left, Shi Tiesheng asked Zhou Yan, "Does October want your manuscript?"

While eating, Shi Tiesheng and the others had always wanted to ask this question, but since Zhang Shouren and Zhou Yan didn't take the initiative to ask, they didn't feel comfortable asking at the dinner table.

So Shi Tiesheng kept it to himself until now before asking.

As soon as he asked, everyone looked over, waiting for Zhou Yan's answer.

Zhou Yan nodded, "Well, Mr. Zhang wants me to finish the rest of the manuscript as soon as possible?"

"When will the serialization begin?" Yu Hua asked.

"If all goes well, we'll be able to see it in the March issue."

Shi Tiesheng smiled and nodded, "This means that we will be able to see the rest of the manuscript before March."

Zhou Yan smiled and said, "You will be able to see it next month."

"What about that song? When will it be written?" Shi Tiesheng asked about the song again.

"In a few days."

"Okay, then wait a few days."

……

The few of them didn't stay in the studio for too long. They sat and drank tea for a while, and then Liu Zhenyun and Mo Yan stood up and said goodbye.

Zhou Yan first asked the driver to take Mo Yan and Liu Zhenyun back to the hotel, and then sent Shi Tiesheng and Yu Hua home respectively.

When he returned to the courtyard, it was already half past ten in the evening.

Joey Wong had already taken a shower and was half-lying on the sofa in her pajamas, reading a book with a facial mask on her face.

Seeing Zhou Yan coming back, she asked, "How was the surrogate meeting? Was it fun?"

"It was just a meeting, but I met a lot of writers." Zhou Yan took off his coat and poured himself a glass of water. "We didn't attend the afternoon meeting either, so we came back early." Zhou Yan sat down next to Wang Zuxian. She came up to Zhou Yan, wrinkled her nose and sniffed, "Did you drink?"

"Yeah, I drank a little with Yu Hua and the others in the cafeteria."

"It seems that he didn't drink much, and he's in good condition."

"Editor-in-Chief Zhang, Mo Yan, Liu Zhenyun and the others had to go back, so no one drank much."

"I know Mo Yan. Is Red Sorghum his novel?"

Zhou Yan nodded, "Yes, it's his."

"Are you going tomorrow?"

"I'm not going tomorrow. Do you want to go out and play? I have time tomorrow."

"Let's not play anymore. Let's just stay at home tomorrow. We're so tired from shopping these past two days." Wang Zuxian put down the book in her hand, stretched, and then rested her head on Zhou Yan's legs. "Besides, I've already visited almost all the shopping malls in Yanjing."

"Okay, then we'll stay at home tomorrow and not go anywhere."

There aren’t many shopping malls to visit in Yanjing now, and the shopping malls here are definitely not as good as those in Hong Kong. As for tourist attractions, Joey Wong has visited all of them. The weather is not very good now, so it’s not very comfortable to go out for fun.

Zhou Yan gently stroked Wang Zuxian's hair. He liked Wang Zuxian's long hair very much, which was full of vitality.

Wang Zuxian suddenly frowned, got up, and said with disgust, "You stink."

Zhou Yan smelled himself and found that there was indeed a bad smell.

The main reason was that I had been with Yu Hua and the others, and had been exposed to smoke for a long time. I didn’t take a shower last night, so the smell couldn’t possibly be good.

"Go take a shower, and let it marinate quickly."

"How about we take a shower together?" Zhou Yan said with a wicked smile.

"I've already showered." Wang Zuxian shook her head and whispered in Zhou Yan's ear, "But I bought a nice pair of underwear yesterday. I'll change into it later. When you finish your shower, you can help me take it off."

"I'll go now!"

Zhou Yan immediately stood up and ran to the bathroom.

……

For the next two days, Zhou Yan and Joey Wong stayed there and didn't go anywhere.

During the day, Zhou Yan would take a few hours to write the sequel to Never Let Me Go, and spend the rest of the time watching TV with Joey Wong or playing video games with her.

This time when going shopping with Li Xiaoran and others, Joey Wong specially bought a game console.

In the evening, Zhou Yan would also work overtime and write until after nine o'clock.

It was not until the afternoon of the 20th that the two went out together.

They went to the studio first, and then from the studio to the Yenching Concert Hall.

The weather has been clear these days and there is little snow on the road. Only in some shady places can you see some residual snow.

At four o'clock in the afternoon, many people had gathered in front of the Yenching Concert Hall.

Many movie fans knew that the premiere of "Time Travelers" would be held at the Yanjing Concert Hall today, so they came here specifically to see if they could catch the actors.

There were also many reporters who arrived at the scene early and were waiting.

Zhou Yan and Joey Wong arrived at the entrance of the concert hall in a car. The car stopped in front of the Qianmen Square, and then the two walked towards the gate hand in hand.

Seeing Zhou Yan and Wang Zuxian appear, fans and reporters surrounded them excitedly.

But everyone was very sensible and left a lot of space for the two of them.

There were a few girls crowded in the front, holding signs with messages of support for Zhou Yan and Joey Wong written on them.

"Come on, Zhou Yan."

"Xiaoxian, I love you!"

Faced with the enthusiasm of movie fans, Zhou Yan and Joey Wong also responded very positively.

Some people handed over photos, CDs or albums, and Zhou Yan and others cooperated very well and helped them sign.

It's not easy for them to come to the concert hall to cheer in such a cold weather, and they both want to give something back to them.

"Everyone, please don't crowd and be safe." Zhou Yan quickly signed autographs for the fans while shouting, "It's so cold, everyone should go home early."

A girl in front got an autograph and said excitedly, "We are not going home. We are going to the cinema to watch a movie later."

She even held up the movie ticket in her hand and showed it to Zhou Yan and the others.

In Yanjing, the screening schedule of "Time Traveler" is basically the same as the premiere ceremony, only half an hour later than the premiere ceremony.

"thanks for your support."

Although Zhou Yan and others were signing autographs for fans, it did not affect reporters' questions.

A reporter asked, "Director Zhou, what is your outlook on the box office of your new movie? Do you think it has a chance to surpass The Chorus?"

Zhou Yan signed autographs for fans and also answered questions.

"Box office is affected by many factors. I am a director and my only responsibility is to make good movies. As for predicting the box office, I'd rather leave it to professionals. Of course, as a director, I definitely hope that the box office will be as high as possible."

Reporter: "This should be your third time working with Ms. Wang Zuxian. Can you talk about your impression of her?"

"She is an excellent actress, and her beauty is just one of her many strengths. I am looking forward to having the opportunity to work with her again in the future."

Reporter: "Ms. Wang Zuxian, everyone knows that you haven't taken on a movie for a long time since "The Sixth Sense". Why did you accept Director Zhou's invitation to shoot "Time Traveler" this time?"

Joey Wong: "I'm not refusing to work with other directors, it's just that sometimes the script isn't suitable, and sometimes there are all kinds of problems that prevent me from working with other directors. This time Director Zhou is filming "Time Traveler", and I think the script is very good and very suitable for me, and I just happen to have the time."

Reporter: "What is the difference between working with Director Zhou and other directors? As we all know, directing is not Director Zhou's main job. He has more outstanding achievements in music, but he is a latecomer in the film industry. Compared with professional directors, what are the differences when he directs?"

Joey Wong laughed and said, "If you hadn't reminded me, I wouldn't have remembered that Director Zhou had changed his career lately. His professionalism is absolutely unimaginable. He hadn't even acted in a movie a few years ago. Whether as a director or an actor, he is very good. I don't think I need to praise him because the awards he has won can prove it."

……

Both of them are already veterans in dealing with reporters.

After signing autographs for the fans, the two of them greeted them with a smile and then walked into the concert hall.

When they arrived at the concert hall, Xu Feng and Han Sanping had already arrived and were chatting backstage.

Seeing Zhou Yan and Wang Zuxian coming, Xu Feng smiled and said, "Our hero and heroine are here."

Han Sanping also laughed and said, "I've watched too much "Time Traveler" recently. Now when I see you two, I always feel like I'm still in the play."

Xu Feng disagreed, "They are not as pretty in the play as they are in real life."

In the movie, both of them are dressed in ordinary styles, and the film frame itself makes people look wider, so Zhou Yan and Joey Wong look much better in real life than in the movie.

“Sometimes, beauty is all about the atmosphere. At least in the wedding scene, Xiaoxian was photographed very beautifully,” said Han Sanping.

The more times Han Sanping saw it, the more he felt that the wedding scene was so well shot.

He has seen many wedding scenes, but none of them could compare to the atmosphere of the wedding scene in "Time Traveler".

Every aspect of that scene was shot to perfection, and the degree of control was just right. Compared to ordinary love movies, the wedding in "Time Traveler" is not so exaggerated, but more down-to-earth, and it also has a bit of comedy atmosphere, which makes people feel warm and relaxed.

After the wedding, the speech of the male protagonist’s father was also very touching.

If Han Sanping were asked to name the most impressive scene in Time Traveler, it would naturally be the wedding.

I heard that the wedding was the most time-consuming and expensive scene in the entire movie. Han Sanping thought that the time and money were well spent. (End of this chapter)