A widower's entertainment

Xinghua Hutong, Beijing.

Lin Zhaoxi's decision to continue her postgraduate studies was naturally a great joy for the Lin family. Even Lin Zhaoqing and Lin Zhaomei, who were still studying at university, were happy for their eldest sister when they heard the good news. Since they were both studying at universities in Beijing, they naturally returned to Xinghua Hutong to share this happy event.

Lin Zhaoqing also felt that if Lin Zhaoxi continued to pursue postgraduate studies, he would probably graduate and start working before Lin Zhaoxi, since Lin Zhaoqing had no intention of pursuing postgraduate studies.

"Sis, I'm going to graduate before you!"

Lin Zhaoqing will be a senior in college next fall, and then he will graduate and start working.

Hearing Lin Zhaoqing's words, Lin Zhaoxi couldn't help but laugh and said, "Yes, you'll graduate before me. What are your plans after graduation?"

"The only thing I can do is become a physical education teacher at a school."

Lin Zhaoqing was well aware that he went to a physical education teacher training college. Because he didn't pursue the path of becoming an athlete, he ended up becoming a teacher after graduation. In the past, some were assigned to work in sports bureaus, but now job assignments are gradually being stopped. He didn't know what he would do after graduation.

"pretty good."

When Lin Zhaoxi heard that Lin Zhaoqing was going to become a teacher, he thought it was a good thing. It was indeed a good thing that Lin Zhaoqing, who used to want to be a scientist, was going to teach physical education instead of math.

Lin Zhaomei ate an apple and said with a smile, "Second brother is really amazing. He used to win prizes in the school sports meet. He will be leading students to participate in the sports meet in the future."

Hearing Lin Zhaomei's words, Lin Zhaoqing couldn't help but chuckle and said, "I'm different from the two of you. I never thought about becoming a physical education teacher before. I only chose to study sports to get extra points because I was worried about not getting into university. It was not easy for me to get in."

"I know you said before that you wanted to be a scientist."

"..."

Upon hearing Lin Zhaomei's words, Lin Zhaoqing shook his head and said, "If I had my sister's grades, I would have become a scientist."

"Who wants to be a scientist?"

As soon as Lin Youcheng entered the room, he heard Lin Zhaoqing mention scientists and couldn't help but ask a question with a smile.

"No, I was just talking to my sister about how I might graduate and start working before her."

Lin Youcheng looked at the three children in the room. They were already talking about graduating and starting work. They had really grown up. It felt like only yesterday that thirteen years had passed.

Of course, as time flies, Lin Youcheng feels that he is getting old. He is already forty-five years old this year.

Of course, Lin Youcheng felt that he was still in good health. Although he was middle-aged, he still exercised regularly. Otherwise, he would have found it difficult to carry his youngest daughter, Lin Zhaoyuan.

Upon hearing Lin Zhaoqing's words, Lin Zhaomei stepped forward and hugged her father Lin Youcheng's arm, saying with a smile, "Second brother, I don't think you need to worry about your future job. At worst, you can go and be in charge of collecting rent for Dad. I think Dad is already too busy collecting rent from all those houses he owns in Beijing."

Lin Zhaomei has always been mature and knows how powerful her father, Lin Youcheng, is and how many properties he owns in Beijing. Although this was said in jest, it was actually the truth.

Lin Zhaoqing knew that his family was well-off. Although he didn't let them spend money extravagantly, he would definitely help them sell a lot of things. They also received a lot of pocket money. He smiled and said, "We're too busy collecting rent, but we still took you abroad to receive an award."

“I think Dad loves you the most. He didn’t go to so many invitations, but he made a special trip abroad just for you.”

"Dad loves me the most!"

Lin Zhaomei smiled and said matter-of-factly, "Who told me to be my most caring dad?"

Lin Youcheng listened to the siblings bickering and couldn't help but shake his head with a smile. He knew that the siblings were very close.

Lin Youcheng looked at Lin Zhaoxi and said with a smile, "Xi'er, you don't need to worry about whether you go on to graduate school or continue to pursue a doctorate. Just like Zhaoqing said, the family is not short of money. You can just tell your dad if you have any problems."

Hearing this, Lin Zhaoxi couldn't help but laugh. She knew that her father had said this on purpose, based on what Lin Zhaomei had said.

Upon hearing Lin Youcheng's words, Lin Zhaoqing suddenly thought of something and couldn't help but ask, "Dad, can I buy a car?"

"Don't you have a car?"

Lin Youcheng still remembers Lin Zhaoqing's bicycle. He had wanted it since Lin Zhaoxi was in high school and had a bicycle. Later, Lin Youcheng also bought a bicycle for Lin Zhaoqing.

Lin Zhaoqing said with a smile, "I want to buy a motorcycle."

"You're still in school, why are you riding a motorcycle? Just ride your bicycle!"

Lin Youcheng refused without hesitation. He hadn't expected Lin Zhaoqing to want to ride a motorcycle, so naturally he wouldn't agree.

Upon hearing Lin Youcheng's words, Lin Zhaoqing immediately knew not to say anything more. He also knew that his idea was difficult to realize, and his father would never agree to him riding a motorcycle now.

Although Lin Zhaoqing felt that his desire to buy a motorcycle was difficult to realize, he thought that if his older sister Lin Zhaoxi had asked for the same thing, their father would probably have agreed without hesitation. Although he knew that his father tried to treat all of them equally, he would naturally support his older and younger sisters' affairs, just like when he gave Lin Zhaomei tens of thousands of dollars to make a short film.

Lin Zhaomei and Lin Zhaoxi couldn't help but laugh when they saw Lin Zhaoqing's disappointed look. However, they didn't think that Lin Zhaoqing, who was still in school, should be riding a motorcycle.

As Lin Youcheng was talking with his children, Xie Shuhua walked in and said, "Youcheng, Sidney Pollack from Columbia Company has come to visit you."

Sidney Pollack is the producer of Li An's previous film "Sense and Sensibility," and also one of the producers of this film "Strange Tales of the Human World." Li An had previously told Lin Youcheng that Sidney Pollack would also come to Yanjing Film Studio to discuss "Strange Tales of the Human World."

This film was originally intended to be shot and released domestically, so it naturally required cooperation with Yanjing Film Studio.

However, Lin Youcheng felt that Sidney Pollack's visit wasn't to discuss the film "Human Wonders," since the project was already finalized. He suspected the producer's visit, like other Hollywood companies, was to discuss script collaborations. Lin Zhaomei also guessed this was likely the case, as her father had purchased houses after each of the many foreign film producers who visited to discuss collaborations.

"Perhaps, Father will have more houses to collect rent from."

Watching Lin Youcheng go to meet the producer, Lin Zhaomei couldn't help but smile and say this.

Lin Zhaoxi naturally heard this as well, and she knew that this was why her father told her not to worry about money or rush into work.

……

Just as Lin Youcheng and his daughter Lin Zhaomei had thought, Sidney Pollack's trip to Beijing was ostensibly for "The Strange Tales of the Human World," but more importantly, he came to visit Lin Youcheng, hoping to continue discussing collaborations with him beyond "The Strange Tales of the Human World."

After all, although "Human Wonders" is also a collaboration, it is still primarily a Chinese-language film. Even though it will be released in the United States later, it is still largely considered a foreign-language film. Sidney Pollack naturally hopes to collaborate with Lin Youcheng on films like "The Truman Show" and "The Departed," or low-budget genre films like "Every Day" and "Coherence."

Lin Youcheng wasn't particularly surprised to hear Sidney Pollack's words, since Sidney Pollack had expressed a desire to collaborate with him at the Berlin Film Festival.

Now that we've started cooperating, we can naturally continue to cooperate.

Lin Youcheng said with a smile, "Sidney, I must say, I haven't written the script yet."

“I know, I just hope that if you have any scripts later, you can give priority to Columbia Pictures.”

Lin Youcheng had heard this more than once. Producers from other film companies had recently made international calls to ask him if he had any new script plans, naturally hoping to continue working with Lin Youcheng, this screenwriter from the East.

It's worth noting that Lin Youcheng, a screenwriter who has been nominated for an Oscar five times and has won two Oscars, is truly the first person in the United States to achieve this.

Sidney Pollack expressed his willingness to collaborate and naturally discussed the current progress of the film "Human Wonders" with Lin Youcheng. They also talked about other films, with him saying with a smile, "Personally, I really like your film 'The Sixth Sense,' the story is fantastic."

"This thriller is truly unique!"

In Lin Youcheng's view, it's not surprising that film producers like Sidney Pollack appreciate and like movies like "The Sixth Sense," after all, this film is a typical example of a low-budget, high-grossing film, achieving both box office success and critical acclaim, and even earning him an Oscar.

Lin Youcheng smiled. While he was talking to Sidney Pollack about the movie "The Sixth Sense," he couldn't help but think of another movie, or rather, another series of thrillers.

“Sidney, I don’t have a script written here, but I had an idea that I think would be perfect to make into a movie.”

"what idea?"

There is no doubt that Sidney Pollack was very curious.

Lin Youcheng thought of the story of "Final Destination," a story that didn't involve ghosts but was related to death, making it a truly unique thriller.

It's very simple: a boy foresees the plane crash and saves seven people before the accident happens. However, the death list is predetermined. The boy refuses to sit idly by and tries to break the pattern of death and save himself and others.

The story is simple yet gripping. Death is shown in how water, electricity, driving, crossing the street, boiling water, pouring wine, and even the way rags are placed... Any oversight in these everyday details can be fatal.

This story was later made into a series of movies. It can be said that it is about the King of Hell wanting people to die at midnight, and who dares to live past dawn. It is very simple. The main killer is the mysterious and evil Grim Reaper himself. A group of young people are tormented by the Grim Reaper. The biggest difference between this story and ordinary horror movies is that the one who plays with people's lives is an invisible hand, not a tough butcher with a sharp knife and a mask, or a vengeful woman with flowing black hair and white clothes.

The elusive Grim Reaper, once he sets a trap, can trigger a massive bloodbath with anything from a steamed bun to a single hair. This is a truly unique and terrifying concept. In this story, every object and event that serves as a premonition doesn't hint at whether the characters will die, but rather at how they will die or how to delay their demise. Death is not a suspenseful event in the film, because the protagonists are doomed and certain to die. The film's horror and excitement lie in the journey to death, not in the outcome.

When New Line Cinema bought the story, it could be said that there was no script at all; they only bought the story outline.

That's right, it was just a story outline that was sold!
Even though it was just a story outline, this low-budget film, which was a happy accident, grossed over $50 million at the box office and even broke $100 million worldwide. It received a very high return for its unique creativity and was subsequently made into several films.

"I think if this idea works well, it could be made into a series."

Lin Youcheng said with a smile, "Sidney, have you ever thought about what you would think if you were on an airplane and suddenly saw the plane explode?"

Is this a premonition?

Lin Youcheng smiled and said, "It's not just that."

Lin Youcheng discussed his idea for the story with Sidney Pollack, whose eyes lit up. He really hadn't expected Lin Youcheng to share such a brilliant idea with him; it was truly incredible.

"Oh God, Lin, your idea is brilliant!"

Is this why you don't like flying abroad?

Sidney Pollack clearly understood what Lin Youcheng meant by "Final Destination." Undoubtedly, such a simple idea would be very exciting if it were made into a movie. So, Sidney Pollack immediately invited Lin Youcheng to be the screenwriter and write the script.

However, it is clear that Lin Youcheng has no intention of writing the script for "Final Destination". He only intends to sell the story outline, or rather, just the idea, because this thriller story is a very simple commercial film, which is just setting up different ways of dying. Otherwise, he would not have made six such series of films in a row.

Sidney Pollack understood what Lin Youcheng meant and naturally agreed. After all, Lin Youcheng's idea was a low-budget film, and as Lin Youcheng said, if the box office was good, it could indeed be made into a series.

As for taking the idea and making it out without spending any money, Sidney Pollack still didn't have that idea. After all, Lin Youcheng, the screenwriter from the East, was no ordinary person. If it were any other unknown screenwriter, they might have taken it and made it out from scratch, but Lin Youcheng was different.

Of course, it costs money. Sidney Pollack also sincerely admires screenwriter Lin Youcheng. He is really amazing. He can come up with such a brilliant idea with just a casual idea.

Clearly, as Lin Zhaomei had expected, but also to her surprise, her father, Lin Youcheng, was not discussing a script, but rather a story outline, or rather, an idea. A single idea or concept is quite valuable.

A truly brilliant idea! (End of Chapter)