A widower's entertainment

Chapter 379 [A World of Falsehood and Reality] (Please Subscribe)
Just as Lin Youcheng and Xie Shuhua had expected, due to the huge success and discussion surrounding "The Truman Show" overseas, many film and television companies, producers, and directors approached screenwriter Lin Youcheng to discuss collaborations. In addition to Hollywood companies that had previously worked with him, many other companies also contacted Lin Youcheng, the Eastern screenwriter, through their Hollywood connections.

The key issue isn't just film companies from the US, but also from Japan, Sino-foreign joint venture film companies in China, and Xu Feng, the producer currently producing Chen Aige's "Farewell My Concubine." This Xu Feng is the founder of Hong Kong's Wan Chen Film Company. Back in 1988, when Chen Aige attended the Cannes Film Festival with her film "King of the Children," Xu Feng specially came to see Chen Aige with Li Bihua's novel "Farewell My Concubine," and upon meeting her, said that only Chen Aige could make such a film.

It was only because of Xu Feng's insistence that Chen Aige agreed to direct and film the movie "Farewell My Concubine".

Domestic filmmakers haven't seen Lin Youcheng's "The Truman Show," but Xu Feng is different. She actually went abroad to see Lin Youcheng's "The Truman Show" and was truly amazed.

Although she had long admired the writer Lin Youcheng, whose novels were published in Hong Kong and were quite popular, she had never had the opportunity to meet him. Now, with Chen Aige acting as a go-between, Xu Feng naturally came to Xinghua Hutong through Chen Aige to meet the great writer and screenwriter Lin Youcheng.

In fact, this is also a network of connections. If it weren't for Chen Aige's matchmaking, Xu Feng and Lin Youcheng would hardly have any contact.

"Aige, you really have no idea just how amazing Youcheng's 'The Truman Show' is!"

Xu Feng looked at Lin Youcheng with admiration. She truly admired Lin Youcheng's imagination and talent. She had followed and loved all of Lin Youcheng's previous works. She said, "The most popular movie abroad right now is his book, 'The Truman Show.' It's incredibly crazy and unbelievable."

Chen Aige said with a smile, "I've also heard that this movie is quite extraordinary."

Xu Feng nodded repeatedly, then looked at Lin Youcheng and said, "Youcheng, I really hope to have the opportunity to cooperate with you."

Lin Youcheng smiled when he heard Xu Feng's words. He had heard these words many times before. He said, "I would naturally like to cooperate if there is an opportunity. I have seen movies from Hong Kong, and many of them are police and gangster films."

"It's not just crime films; there are other types of movies as well, such as romance films like 'An Autumn's Tale' and 'Rouge,' as well as last year's 'Days of Being Wild,' all of which won Hong Kong Film Awards."

Xu Feng naturally wanted to speak up for Hong Kong films. Knowing that writer Lin Youcheng was very good at writing love stories, he said, "Your love novels are very suitable for filming in Hong Kong. For example, I think your novel 'The Devotion of Suspect X' was very suitable for filming in Hong Kong. It's just that director Hou Xiaoxian filmed it and even won the Palme d'Or."

Lin Youcheng knew that Xu Feng was right and nodded. However, when it comes to Hong Kong movies, they still can't do without police and gangster films. After all, movies like "A Better Tomorrow" have influenced the entire Asian region.

"Of course, with the scripts you write, I think whatever they are, they will be wonderful, just like 'The Truman Show'."

Xu Feng's words came from the bottom of his heart. After all, the two scripts that Lin Youcheng wrote specifically for the Hollywood company, "Every Day" and "The Truman Show," were completely different stories, but both were equally brilliant. Otherwise, they wouldn't have caused such a big sensation in Hollywood.

Lin Youcheng smiled and said with a smile after being flattered by Xu Feng, "We will definitely cooperate if there is an opportunity."

In fact, quite a few people like Xu Feng have come to Lin Youcheng to discuss cooperation. Lin Youcheng wasn't just being polite to Xu Feng; he was also considering cooperating with film companies in Hong Kong. As for the environment in Hong Kong, he didn't plan to go there. The reason why police and gangster films were so outstanding was because the underworld there was really fierce. After all, not long ago, Liu Jialing was directly kidnapped.

This is why Xu Feng said that "The Devotion of Suspect X" would be very suitable for filming in Hong Kong, where finding someone to play the role of a corpse would be a very simple matter.

Lin Youcheng thought about the film industry in Hong Kong and the Hollywood collaboration he was seeking. A movie suddenly popped into his mind, which not only won Best Film at the Hong Kong Film Awards but also at the Golden Horse Awards in Taiwan. Later, it was remade by Hollywood and won four Academy Awards: Best Picture, Best Director, Best Adapted Screenplay, and Best Editing.

Xu Feng also got to know Lin Youcheng, and after that, it was easier for them to interact and discuss cooperation.

As Lin Youcheng watched Chen Aige and Xu Feng leave, he was also thinking about the Hong Kong police and gangster story—"Infernal Affairs"!
In Hollywood, this movie was later remade as "The Departed," and it can be said that the overall plot remained almost unchanged. This movie was also produced by Warner Bros.

While "Infernal Affairs" is a crime thriller, it also explores the struggles and conflicts within human nature. After all, who would have imagined two such torn characters: an undercover police officer and a secret agent within the underworld? Each carries a special mission and, against a tense and complex backdrop, engages in a series of psychological and strategic battles.

It's safe to say that it's an absolutely fantastic story.

Lin Youcheng plans to write this movie script and sell it to both Hong Kong and Hollywood. After all, he holds the copyright to the script. If Xu Feng or George from Warner Bros. are unwilling, he can easily find other film companies to collaborate with. After all, it's impossible for no company to want to work with a script like this, especially since it was written by Lin Youcheng.

Lin Youcheng felt that if the script for "Infernal Affairs" were actually made into a movie by a Hong Kong film company, he, as the screenwriter, would probably win another award.

Xie Shuhua noticed Lin Youcheng sitting in front of the computer in the study, typing away, and couldn't help but ask curiously, "What story are you writing?"

"A world of reality and illusion."

Xie Shuhua was somewhat surprised to hear Lin Youcheng's words. The world of reality and illusion sounded like "The Truman Show," where people lived in a false world and eventually walked out of it to enter the real world. She was very curious.

Lin Youcheng smiled and said, "Chen Aige brought someone from a Hong Kong film company to discuss things. I have a special story in mind."

Hearing Lin Youcheng say it was special, Xie Shuhua was naturally very curious about what kind of special story it was, and whether it was a true or false story.

However, Xie Shuhua did not disturb Lin Youcheng, but let him write his manuscript in peace. As Lin Youcheng wrote, he was very clear in his mind that the two protagonists in the story of "Infernal Affairs" lived on the boundary between reality and falsehood. Unlike Truman's false world, these two protagonists lived in a world of real falsehood and false reality.

Ten years ago, 18-year-old triad member Lau Kin-ming, following the instructions of his boss Han Chen, entered the police academy to become an undercover agent. Meanwhile, another student at the academy, Chan Wing-yan, was ostensibly forced to withdraw from the academy by the police, but in reality, he was sent to infiltrate the triads. After graduating from the academy, Lau Kin-ming smoothly entered the police force and rose through the ranks, becoming a member of the Criminal Intelligence Bureau's Team A. During this time, he used various opportunities to provide Han Chen with a large amount of intelligence. Chan Wing-yan, on the other hand, had gained Han Chen's initial trust over the years, but because Han Chen's case remained unsolved, he was forever trapped in the triad world, with only Inspector Wong maintaining a one-way communication with him.

This is the story. Ten years later, one night, based on intelligence gathered by Chen Yongren's undercover work, a batch of drugs was about to be traded. The other party in the transaction was Han Chen. However, Liu Jianming timely passed the information to Han Chen, allowing him to escape successfully. This incident revealed that both sides had a mole within their ranks, leading to a fierce struggle. In the end, both moles recognized each other, but Liu Jianming acted first, deleting Chen Yongren's file in the police department. Before deleting it, he kept a backup, the password being his girlfriend Mary's birthday. After much thought, Liu Jianming decided to be a good person and begged Chen Yongren for another chance. Chen Yongren didn't believe him and handcuffed Liu Jianming. In the end, Chen Yongren died at the hands of another undercover police officer, another of Han Chen's. Liu Jianming also killed the undercover officer who fired the shot.

The whole story is quite thrilling, filled with a battle of wits and humanity.

Lin Youcheng was very clear about the weight of this film script; otherwise, it wouldn't have won the Oscar for Best Picture after being adapted and remade.

Of course, none of that matters right now; what's important is writing the article...

In the courtyard of Xinghua Hutong, Lin Youcheng's world had not changed much. When Lin Youcheng was about to rest at night, he saw that the light was still on in Lin Zhaoxi's room, so he naturally went over to check.

Because Lin Zhaoxi is going to take the college entrance examination this year, it can be said that this is the most important thing in the entire courtyard. Fortunately, Lin Zhaoxi's academic performance at Yenching University Affiliated High School has always been very good, so his father, Lin Youcheng, doesn't need to worry too much. He has always been studying hard.

"Xi'er, get some rest."

Lin Youcheng, as a father, naturally cared about his child. Seeing that the light was still on in Lin Zhaoxi's room in the east wing, he came over to take a look. He saw that Lin Zhaoxi was still reading and doing exercises at his desk. Although he was very pleased, he also had to consider Lin Zhaoxi's health.

Hearing Lin Youcheng's voice, Lin Zhaoxi turned around and saw Lin Youcheng standing at the door. He smiled and said, "Dad, I'll go back to sleep after I finish this test paper."

Seeing that Lin Zhaoxi seemed to be in good spirits, Lin Youcheng rarely disturbed Lin Zhaoxi's studies, because he really didn't need to worry about him. Perhaps the only exception was before the high school entrance exam, when he hired Xie Shuhua to tutor Lin Zhaoxi in English for a period of time. This was because Lin Zhaoxi's English in Dezhou was not as good as his English in Beijing, and it was somewhat weak. However, in Lin Youcheng's opinion, even without tutoring in English, Lin Zhaoxi would still be able to get into Yenching University Affiliated High School.

Seeing Lin Zhaoxi's seriousness, Lin Youcheng naturally wouldn't disturb him. He gave him a word of advice and then left without saying anything more. He glanced at the other rooms, where the lights had long been off and the children were asleep. The courtyard was very quiet, with only the bright moon hanging high in the black night sky.

The moon was so round in the 1990s!

Lin Youcheng glanced at the moon and walked towards his main room.

When Xie Shuhua saw Lin Youcheng return, she couldn't help but ask, "Is Xi'er still studying?"

Lin Youcheng nodded and said, "Yes, I told her to get some rest, and she understands."

Hearing Lin Youcheng's words, Xie Shuhua nodded, agreeing that Lin Zhaoxi had always been very sensible and didn't need them to worry about her at all. She smiled and said, "Once Zhaoxi finishes her college entrance exam and gets into university, she can finally have a good rest."

"She will study hard after she gets into university."

Lin Youcheng knows his daughter very well, saying, "She has always known her goals and worked very hard."

Xie Shuhua had also heard from Lin Youcheng that Lin Zhaoxi planned to study at medical school and wanted to become a doctor. She naturally supported Lin Zhaoxi's ideal and said with a smile, "It's good that the others have an older sister like Xi'er as a role model."

Lin Youcheng smiled and said, "Yes, he is indeed their role model."

In Lin Youcheng's view, Lin Zhaoxi has always acted like an older sister, taking good care of her younger siblings. Back when they lived in Chunfeng Lane in Decheng, she even helped him take care of his newborn son, Lin Zhaole. At that time, he had to go out to sweep the streets early in the morning.

"Looking back now, time really flies. In the blink of an eye, Xi'er is about to take the college entrance examination."

This was Lin Youcheng's heartfelt sentiment. In the blink of an eye, it was 1992. It's true that you don't realize how much time has passed unless you think about it carefully. Almost nine years have gone by.

Xie Shuhua was unaware of Lin Youcheng's remark, and simply smiled and said, "Time flies by so quickly. In the blink of an eye, they'll probably all be settling down and starting families."

Lin Youcheng was somewhat dazed when he heard Xie Shuhua's words. Looking at Xie Shuhua lying next to him, still beautiful and charming, this was the real world he, Lin Youcheng, lived in.

Without saying a word, Lin Youcheng threw off the covers and said with a smile, "They're all almost grown up, so let's hurry up and give them another little brother or sister."

Xie Shuhua didn't expect Lin Youcheng to say this so suddenly. Before she could react, Lin Youcheng had already kissed her.

(End of this chapter)