Literary Master 1978.

Chapter 390 Becoming a Celebrity
From Lin Chaoyang's perspective, the Bay Island in his eyes is indeed just a small broken island, not a bald eagle, and they do not have the strength to exercise long-arm jurisdiction.

But for most Hong Kong filmmakers, Taiwan, the largest voting base and financial sponsor, cannot be offended, which is why reporters were so shocked by his remarks.

Lin Chaoyang did not have those concerns. He was neither from Hong Kong nor a filmmaker.

In addition, he had always looked down on the Taiwan Island government and their ways, so he didn't feel anything was wrong when he said those words in front of the reporters.

But reporters, including Hong Kong filmmakers, don’t see it that way. Who is Lin Chaoyang?

Mainland writers!
Even if his remarks were just personal opinions, they were still newsworthy and would really make the headlines tomorrow.

The next morning, Lin Chaoyang was awakened by a knock on the door. The award ceremony ended at 10:30 last night, and after tossing and turning, he went to bed in the late night.

He opened the door and saw that it was Li Hanxiang.

"Why are you here?" Lin Chaoyang asked, yawning.

"I'm here to give you the 'trophy'. Take a look at the 'bomb' you threw last night." Li Hanxiang slapped a pile of newspapers on the coffee table.

Since the 1970s, Hong Kong has become one of the fastest growing economies in the world at that time. As the public had a huge demand for news, Hong Kong's news industry experienced a huge boom and Hong Kong became the second largest newspaper society in Asia after Japan.

Finance, social welfare, entertainment gossip... As long as the people need it, Hong Kong's businessmen will spare no effort to satisfy it.

Such a small city as Hong Kong now has 60 Chinese daily newspapers, more than 30 weekly newspapers and 5 English newspapers. The highly developed newspaper industry has made Hong Kong one of the regions with the fastest news dissemination in the world.

What Lin Chaoyang said in front of the media reporters last night was published in the newspaper this morning.

Moreover, more than one newspaper reported on it. There were not only Ming Pao Weekly and Oriental Daily News which were entertainment and gossip newspapers and weeklies, but also serious daily newspapers such as Sing Tao Daily, Chinese Daily News and The Sun.

Lin Chaoyang counted them and found that there were no less than seven or eight newspapers.

Lin Chaoyang was a little amused by the end, "You Hong Kong media have such a low standard!"

"Entertainment Weekly's consistent style is to do whatever it takes to attract attention. None of this is important. What's important is that there are too many newspapers reporting on your words. You are now famous, and you have stolen most of the limelight from the Academy Awards."

"It's not that exaggerated!"

Lin Chaoyang shook his head helplessly, but he didn't take it seriously. After all, he was not a politician.

After chatting with Li Hanxiang for a while, Lin Chaoyang asked, "You came here so early, didn't you just want me to read the newspaper?"

“There are several interviews in the morning, do you want to participate?
In addition, Dong Qiao from Ming Pao contacted me early this morning and asked for your contact information, which I gave him. "

The last time Dong Qiao wrote to me, he said that Mingbao Publishing House wanted to publish "Crossing the Guandong". Lin Chaoyang asked for a high price of 20% royalties, and then there was no movement.

Lin Chaoyang came to Hong Kong this time without informing Dong Qiao in advance. He asked Li Hanxiang for his contact information. He must have watched the Academy Awards ceremony last night and knew that he was in Hong Kong. He probably still wanted to talk about "Crossing the Guandong".

As soon as the two finished talking, the phone in Lin Chaoyang's room rang. He picked it up and saw that it was Dong Qiao.

After talking to Dong Qiao for a few words, Lin Chaoyang hung up the phone and said to Li Hanxiang: "I won't go to the interview. Dong Qiao asked me to go to Ming Pao Building to have a chat."

Li Hanxiang nodded and said, "Okay, then go ahead and get busy. Contact me if you need anything, and remember to tell me before you leave. I'll give you a farewell party."

After the two finished talking, Li Hanxiang left, and Lin Chaoyang also washed and packed up and came to the Ming Pao Building on King's Road in North Point.

This place was originally called Nankang Building. Ming Pao moved here in 1966. Then in 1976, Jin Yong bought the entire building and renamed it Ming Pao Building.

After getting off the taxi, I saw trams clanging back and forth on the street. The surrounding environment was a bit desolate, and the urban construction could be considered as a small town at best.

Lin Chaoyang raised his head and took a look at the exterior of the Ming Pao Building. The ten-story office building was not majestic. Its dark green exterior walls were mottled and looked a bit old and inconspicuous.

The main entrance of the Ming Pao Building is very narrow, only allowing one person to pass through. After entering, there is a two-meter square space, which cannot even be called a lobby. There is an elevator inside, and a four-foot-high counter opposite, with an old man in charge of receiving and sending sitting behind it.

Lin Chaoyang stepped forward and introduced himself. The old man pointed to the elevator, meaning that Lin Chaoyang could just go upstairs by himself.

Looking at the lax management, it is hard to believe that this is the office location of one of the media giants in Hong Kong's newspaper industry.

The old-fashioned elevator had a narrow space and creaked up to the sixth floor. Lin Chaoyang asked and knocked on Dong Qiao's office door.

Dong Qiao was a little surprised to see Lin Chaoyang, "Mr. Lin, long time no see! Why did you come up here by yourself?"

"The old man at the door told me to come up, so I came up." Lin Chaoyang said casually.

Dong Qiao shook his head helplessly, "This Uncle Cheng!"

Then he said to Lin Chaoyang: "Excuse me, I should go downstairs to greet you."

"It's not the first time we meet." Dong Qiao poured Lin Chaoyang a cup of coffee and said jokingly, "You became the headline of our Hong Kong newspaper this morning."

"I didn't expect that. I just said a few true words. I don't know why your Hong Kong newspapers are so excited."

Lin Chaoyang almost said directly that your Hong Kong newspapers have never seen the world.

"Newspapers in Hong Kong focus on entertainment. Except for a few media outlets that focus on finance, economics and current affairs, most newspapers and magazines prioritize attracting readers' attention."

Dong Qiao's summary was very accurate. He chatted with Lin Chaoyang for a few more words about the details of last night. After satisfying his inner desire for gossip, he took Lin Chaoyang to meet his boss Jin Yong.

Jin Yong's office is on the seventh floor of the Ming Pao Building. It is divided into two rooms, one for office and one for study. The walls are painted in brilliant red and gold colors, and the chairs are also carved and gold-painted armchairs.

This is not the first time that Lin Chaoyang and Jin Yong have met. They met last year when a delegation of mainland writers visited. At that time, Jin Yong also gave Lin Chaoyang a set of signed books.

Lin Chaoyang first expressed his gratitude to Jin Yong for the book he had given him last time, and Jin Yong also congratulated Lin Chaoyang on winning the award.

"It's rare to write a script for a historical epic like "Beyond the Palace", and it's even rarer to film it and film it so well.

The environment in Hong Kong is very cramped, and the sets of the martial arts movies and TV series I filmed were so fake that I was too lazy to even look at them. "

Jin Yong is from Zhejiang. When he speaks Cantonese in Hong Kong, there is a Jiangsu and Zhejiang accent, and when he speaks Mandarin, there is still a Jiangsu and Zhejiang accent.

Listening to his complaints, Lin Chaoyang smiled and said, "Location shooting is indeed a shortcoming of Hong Kong's film and television industry, but the film and television industry here is more developed than our mainland. Both have their own shortcomings and strengths. The best combination is the best. This is why there have been co-productions in the past two years."

Jin Yong nodded slightly, "Mr. Lin's words are insightful, and that's exactly what should be done."

Over the past year or so, as negotiations between the Chinese and British governments became increasingly clear, Hong Kong's return to Britain was almost a foregone conclusion.

The atmosphere in the city of Hong Kong is also undergoing subtle changes. The ties with the mainland, which had been almost severed by the British since 67, are becoming increasingly close.

"I heard from Dong Qiao that Mr. Lin has a novel specifically about Go, which was recently made into a movie and will be released in Hong Kong?"

"That's true. The movie is a co-production and should be released in Hong Kong in a few months."

Jin Yong smiled and said, "I'll have to go and see it when the time comes."

Jin Yong has a hobby of Go, but his level is average.

Putting aside his identities as a businessman and a writer, Jin Yong is a very good person to communicate with. He has a calm personality and speaks slowly, and it seems that every sentence he speaks is carefully thought out, so his words are naturally appropriate and comfortable.

However, this is all Lin Chaoyang's impression of him. People like Jin Yong can always be polite and considerate, but it is difficult for others to have any influence on him.

After chatting with Jin Yong for a while, Lin Chaoyang took the initiative to say goodbye, and neither of them mentioned the publication of "Crossing the Guandong" throughout the conversation.

It was not until they returned to Dong Qiao's office that the two began to talk about "Crossing the Guandong".

The only issue that both parties were concerned about was the royalty rate. Lin Chaoyang insisted on a 20% royalty rate and refused to give in. After Dong Qiao had some discussion with him, he agreed to his request.

"If I agree to your condition, I'm afraid I'll get a cold face when I go to my boss's office tomorrow." Dong Qiao said with a wry smile.

"If you say bad things about the boss behind his back, be careful or I will tell on you." Lin Chaoyang joked.

Ming Pao's manuscript fees and royalties have always been known for their low prices in Hong Kong. Even when famous writers come, they have to cut their prices. However, Lin Chaoyang is no longer a nobody in Hong Kong.

"The Death of Van Gogh" has been published by Ming Pao Publishing for more than a year. If the previous version published by the Chinese University of Hong Kong Press is included, the novel has accumulated sales of more than 4 copies in more than two years.

This is definitely a bestseller in Hong Kong's serious literary market. It should be said that Lin Chaoyang has already gained a certain degree of popularity among Hong Kong's elite readers and has his own group of fans.

Another important reason that prompted Dong Qiao to agree to Lin Chaoyang's conditions was the reports on Lin Chaoyang in major newspapers in Hong Kong this morning.

Dong Qiao didn't care how shocking Lin Chaoyang's remarks were. He only knew that given the nature of the Hong Kong media, they would not give up unless they made Lin Chaoyang's remarks into hot news for a few days.

Li Hanxiang said that Lin Chaoyang stole most of the limelight from the Academy Awards. Although this is an exaggeration, it is not without reason.

After this wave of news, regardless of whether Lin Chaoyang’s reputation in Hong Kong is good or bad, his fame has definitely spread.

There is a saying in the entertainment circle in later generations: black and red are also red. To put it bluntly, it is still the eyeball economy.

It is precisely because of this fame that Dong Qiao is willing to make concessions on the issue of royalties.

With the previous accumulation and the recent news popularity, Dong Qiao has begun to look forward to the future release and launch of "Crossing the Guandong".

(End of this chapter)