A widower's entertainment

Chapter 320 [Even More Ferocious Animals] (Please Subscribe)
The Asian Games are generating a lot of buzz, especially in Beijing and across the country. But beneath this Asian Games breeze, an even hotter trend is the nationwide rush to start businesses.

The times were in full swing, and the whole nation was enthusiastically going into business. By 1990, or even in the late 1980s, state-owned enterprises had begun to loosen their grip and gradually move towards a market economy model. New terms such as the contract system and the full-load work method were constantly emerging. While the people were still somewhat confused, planned allocations were decreasing, and the once-common benefits were diminishing. Disparities also emerged between state-owned enterprises, and some shrewd individuals began to have their own ideas.

Otherwise, after the announcement of opening up 14 coastal cities and Hainan Island and encouraging individual entrepreneurship, a massive influx of talent quickly formed overnight and rushed towards Qionghai. It was like a gathering of heroes, historically known as "100,000 talents going to Hainan," a truly spectacular sight.

The real estate market in Qionghai is becoming increasingly hot. This real estate boom on Hainan Island will only truly begin a few years later when some higher-ups issue their opinions. That will be a time of intense competition, bloodshed, and widespread death and injury.

Just as Beijing is rapidly constructing the Asian Games Village and various stadiums, its economy is also constantly developing. In Beijing, many people have been queuing for days and nights just to board a special train that will take them across the Mongolian grasslands, over Lake Baikal, and to the far-off city of Moscow. Meanwhile, Wulin Road in Hangzhou is bustling with activity, the lights on Huating Road in Shanghai never go out, and Chaotianmen in Chongqing is bustling with activity. A vast torrent of wealth is emerging like a ferocious animal, surging silently. Even though the number of people who have access to information is limited, the great wave is beginning to sweep over everyone.

Even the well-known actress Liu Xiaoqing is now busy with various business investments and has no plans to act anymore.

However, even when she's not acting, Liu Xiaoqing still works in the film and television industry and has been helping her boyfriend Jiang Wen get involved in making movies.

Since Jiang Wen didn't get the film adaptation rights to the novel "Atonement," he naturally turned his attention to other novels. This led him to consider adapting Wang Shuo's "Ferocious Animals" into a film. Things went relatively smoothly, and Wang Shuo handed over the film adaptation rights to "Ferocious Animals" to him.

Jiang Wen never expected that after Atonement, Lin Youcheng would write another book, The Reader.

After reading it, Jiang Wen was deeply shocked and only wanted to say two words—

Holy crap!
And then there's Lin Daiyu's line, "If I had known he was coming, I wouldn't have—"

Jiang Wen naturally knew very well what the story of "Ferocious Animals" was about. After all, the novel's title was "Ferocious Animals," but in reality, what was fierce was just the primal animal instinct.

The boy in the story became fierce because of that desire. In real life, all he had left was energy to vent everywhere, a thirst for thrills, self-righteous arrogance, and a drifting, aimless soul. In the novel, the Gao brothers are mountain bandits, Wang Ruohai is a traitor, Milan is... There is also the boy's heartfelt infatuation with the opposite sex, but this romantic feeling is ultimately swallowed up by his uncontrollable desires.

Jiang Wen had considered adapting the story, ideally using an ambiguous and unclear narrative style to soften the protagonist's youthful memories, reduce the impact of the tragic events, and serve as a way to commemorate that beautiful and unrestrained period of youth.

He had considered cutting some plots and making changes to the novel. He also felt that if the novel were to be adapted into a film, it would be best if every shot were filled with sunlight, whether it was the color of clothes, farmland, buildings, railways, or mountains, all bathed in a golden glow—the color of the sun. That would better reflect the vibrant energy of childhood and adolescence.

Ideally, the entire story should be enveloped in a golden, orange-yellow hue, giving the film a hazy, ethereal, and impressionistic beauty that aligns with the carefree and sunny atmosphere of youth. Of course, it's not just about sunshine; it also evokes a dreamlike style of bygone times. A fresh and clean visual language might be more impactful, highlighting the restlessness and unease of youth.

But even with all the adaptations, the core plot remains the same as the novel's title, "Ferocious Animals."

Jiang Wen never expected that Lin Youcheng's latest novel also featured adolescent desires, or even just those of adolescence, but also those of maturity. That desire was even more stimulating and intense. A mature woman in her thirties is indeed a great temptation for a clueless boy in his adolescence, like the best teacher for a boy's sexual awakening. Because mature women are completely different from girls, they are familiar with the world of love in bed, know how to exude a woman's true charm, and can capture a man's heart with just one position.

In Jiang Wen's view, Yang Ju was just like that. She could make a fifteen-year-old boy fall at her feet with just the way she put on her socks, and he was willing to read to her for the rest of his life.

Jiang Wen even thought while watching that if the camera slowly moved upwards and started filming from Yang Ju's buttocks, the buttocks in the shot would definitely look very beautiful.

"I really didn't expect that after Atonement he would write a novel like The Reader. It's fucking amazing!"

Hearing Jiang Wen's words, Liu Xiaoqing smiled and said, "It's good that Lin Youcheng wrote the novel himself."

Liu Xiaoqing and Lin Youcheng had worked together on the movie "The Message," and Lin Youcheng had previously won the Golden Rooster Award for Best Actress for his role as Gu Xiaomeng in "The Message." As acquaintances, Liu Xiaoqing naturally knew how amazing Lin Youcheng, the writer and screenwriter, was.

"You'll definitely have more opportunities to work with him in the future."

Hearing this, Jiang Wen still harbored some resentment towards Lin Youcheng. It was fine that "The Dog" was given to director Wu Ziniu to film, since he had recommended Lin Youcheng for the role of Li Tiangou, which earned him the Golden Rooster Award for Best Actor. However, the subsequent film "Atonement" was not given to him but to Chen Aige, which made Jiang Wen somewhat unhappy.

At that time, in front of Lin Youcheng, he felt that there would definitely be opportunities for cooperation in the future, so he didn't say anything more.

Now it seems that what Liu Xiaoqing said is indeed true.

Lin Youcheng's works are truly outstanding; I would definitely like to collaborate with him if I have the opportunity.

"If I had known earlier that there would be a story like 'The Reader' behind it, I definitely would have made this film!"

Jiang Wen was well aware of the brilliance of the novel "The Reader." The most crucial element was that, in addition to the ferocious animalistic desires, the story also involved the struggle between humanity and dignity, as well as reflection and atonement. Thinking carefully about the plot of the novel made him unable to calm down.

The entire novel was like a ferocious beast, assaulting his heart.

What impressed Jiang Wen the most was that, despite being a romance novel filled with eroticism, it was imbued with seriousness and solemnity. Even the bedroom scenes were transformed into a process of adjustment and purification through the act of reading aloud. He admired Lin Youcheng from the bottom of his heart for every detail, from the story's entry point and the arrangement of language to the elaborate plot and the reflections it left behind.

Lin Youcheng's novel "The Reader" is so intense, yet it relies on only one thing—thought, the understanding of human nature and the reflection on society—to cleanse the soul.

"Even though it's a novel that starts with the body and perverse love, there's nothing dirty or evil about it. That's what makes Lin Youcheng so amazing!"

Jiang Wen was also well aware that both "Ferocious Animals" and "The Reader" were quite coincidental, as their initial stories both took place in the sweltering summer. However, Lin Youcheng's "The Reader" was more dramatic, with its story of reading and listening, speaking and silence, sin and forgetting, escape and confrontation, passion and sudden awakening, creating a story that left the reader feeling unsettled, bewildered, and powerless. The entire plot was truly breathtaking.

This is a desire, a desire that no one can avoid. It can even be summed up in one sentence: a man can never forget his first woman.

Liu Xiaoqing understood what Jiang Wen meant. She had also read Lin Youcheng's latest book, "The Reader," and was completely captivated by the story. The plot was intricate, the language natural, and the concept unique. After thinking for a moment, she asked, "Should I contact Lin Youcheng for you?"

"It's not certain that any director would want to film his book, 'The Reader,' now."

"If you're really going to make a movie called 'The Reader,' I'd like to play the role of Yang Ju."

Clearly, as an actress, Liu Xiaoqing is well aware that the role of Yang Ju offers a great deal of room for an actress to showcase her talent. This is both a challenge and an opportunity that she absolutely cannot miss.

Liu Xiaoqing herself really wanted to take on the role of Yang Ju. As for Milan in "Ferocious Animals," she was too old for the role, but she felt that the mature woman Yang Ju in "The Reader" was very suitable for her.

Jiang Wen smiled, looked at Liu Xiaoqing, and said, "If you had known that I was filming 'The Reader,' you would definitely have been Yang Ju."

In Jiang Wen's opinion, even without Liu Xiaoqing and his romantic relationship, he would definitely have considered casting Liu Xiaoqing as Yang Ju.

In Jiang Xia's eyes, Yang Ju is beautiful in the novel. Her beauty is not entirely reflected in her figure, posture, or behavior, but rather in a sense of composure and weight. Those scenes are more like her withdrawing into her own body, letting it act on its own, moving with a peaceful and steady rhythm, undisturbed by any commands in her mind. She doesn't understand this world and has completely forgotten its troubles, like an elf outside of it, actively rather than passively capturing Jiang Xia's gaze and leaving behind this beautiful silhouette.

Just like Liu Xiaoqing right in front of me.

Jiang Wen paused for a moment, then added, "Even if I weren't the one directing this story, you would still have to play the role of Yang Ju."

Of course, it's fortunate that Liu Xiaoqing is not Yang Ju. Although he is younger than Liu Xiaoqing, he is not Jiang Xia, who is fifteen years old.

Liu Xiaoqing was naturally delighted to hear Jiang Wen's words. Although she was currently focusing more on business, she would be willing to play the role of Yang Ju.

The main reason is that the novel has a wonderful story, and the character Yang Ju is so charming.

Although Liu Xiaoqing did not agree with Yang Ju's final decision to commit suicide, as she felt that no matter what, suicide should not be chosen and nothing is more important than living, she also knew that it was Yang Ju's personal choice. Just as she remained silent during the trial and did not want others to know that she was illiterate, everything was to maintain her dignity.

In this respect, she admired Yang Ju quite a bit; even in the face of death and imprisonment, she still firmly kept her secret.

"So, do you think I should go find Lin Youcheng?"

Jiang Wen naturally understood that Liu Xiaoqing genuinely wanted to talk to Lin Youcheng about the film adaptation rights to the novel "The Reader" on his behalf, but after thinking for a moment, he said, "Forget it, I'm definitely going to make the movie 'Ferocious Animals' right now."

“I don’t think other directors will necessarily adapt this novel either. There were rumors from the beginning that even a movie might not be made.”

As Jiang Wen spoke, he was thinking to himself, "What's wrong with filming this? I don't think there's anything about his novel that can't be filmed."

Liu Xiaoqing said with a smile, "He's probably worried about those explicit scenes. This is the first time Lin Youcheng has described something so explicit, especially between a fifteen-year-old and a thirty-six-year-old woman."

Jiang Wen smiled and said, "When Gai Ming meets Lin Youcheng, he should ask him how he would write the script if he were to adapt this novel. Does he intend to cut out all the explicit scenes?"

"And you, how would you adapt and rewrite it?"

While asking this question, Liu Xiaoqing was thinking that no matter what Jiang Wen said, she could still mention the film adaptation of "The Reader" when she had the chance to meet Lin Youcheng later. After all, she could tell that Jiang Wen was genuinely interested in the story.

In her heart, she was also very clear that the plot and content of "The Reader" were far more exciting than "Ferocious Animals," which goes without saying and cannot be compared with "The Reader."

Jiang Wen raised an eyebrow and said with a smile, "Of course we'll follow the novel. Filming those scenes well won't be easy."

Clearly, Jiang Wen did not think that there was any plot in Lin Youcheng's novel "The Reader" that needed to be deleted or changed. After all, whether it was the study in bed at the beginning or the trial and prison at the end, the whole story was quite complete, with one scene after another, and the imagery was very vivid.

Jiang Wen looked at Liu Xiaoqing and said honestly, "Of course, I will definitely make a good film of 'Ferocious Animals' later. 'Ferocious Animals' is not bad."

As he said this, Jiang Wen added a thought from his heart—

"I just didn't expect that Lin Youcheng would be even more ferocious."

(End of this chapter)