Rebirth 2004: A lone figure in the literary world

Chapter 291 The Flower Path Has Never Been Sweeped by Visitors (Last day, please give me a monthly ticket!)

Ma Boyong asked curiously, "Which American TV series is it?"

Zhang Chao said: "The series about a group of scientist geeks complaining about each other, watching TV series, picking up girls and other embarrassing things in their daily lives has not been broadcast yet. If your visa is OK, you should be able to catch up with the production and broadcast of their pilot episode.

Whether or not we can get a contract with Fox Broadcasting depends on the performance of the pilot episode."

Ma Boyong was surprised and asked, "Is it a new series? Will anyone watch this kind of otaku drama?"

Zhang Chao nodded and said, "Of course people will watch it, and I think it will be the most profitable series in the next ten years, not inferior to "Friends". The trend of young people around the world becoming otakus is already a trend.

The "home economy" will be the most important attribute of cultural products in the future - in fact, you and I both have the attribute of being homebodies. "

Ma Boyong scratched his head embarrassedly and asked again: "Have you read the script?"

Zhang Chao did not answer directly, but said: "They actually produced a pilot episode last year, but the results were not good after the internal test screening, so the original buyer, CBS, hesitated.

I had asked Huang Jiefu to pay attention to this production company before, and after hearing about this, I persuaded Fox to take over the project and re-create it. Oh, I contributed part of the money and some small ideas. "

Ma Bo was surprised and asked, "You are so confident? Didn't Fox buy it yet?"

Zhang Chao smiled confidently and said, "When have I ever made a mistake in this regard? If Fox doesn't buy it, I can just increase my investment proportion in the project and then sell it back to CBS."

Hearing Zhang Chao's words, Ma Boyong no longer had any doubts. History has proven that one should just listen to Zhang Chao in this regard.

What Zhang Chao was talking about was, of course, the American TV series "The Big Bang Theory", which has been popular for 12 years, but now it is just a few dozen pages of manuscript in the hands of screenwriters Chuck Lorre and Bill Brady.

Last year's pilot was watched by virtually no one except a handful of network executives.

Even the name of the series is still wavering between "Lenny, Penny and Kenny", "Sexy Scientists" and "The Big Bang".

Zhang Chao's greatest help to the series was that when Chuck Lorre was hesitating whether to give up, he joined Fox to make a strong investment and "persuaded" the other party to keep Johnny Galecki (playing Leonard) and Sheldon Cooper (playing Sheldon).

As for the creation, Zhang Chao did not intervene at all. After all, when it comes to creation, a slight change in ideas in the initial stage may lead to completely different final results.

The reason why Ma Boyong was asked to learn was, of course, because "The Big Bang Theory" is a drama that is completely based on "character setting". It is the best example of "character driving the plot", which can complement his thinking of "character serving the plot".

Although Zhang Chao will basically not participate in the operation of "Chaotide Culture" in the future, he will still be the actual controller and biggest image spokesperson of "Chaotide Culture". It is crucial to take advantage of this period of handover to improve the team's foundation.

Ma Boyong is the person Zhang Chao thinks is most suitable for the core position of "content director". On the one hand, the prince's own creative ability is there, and he can fill in if there is a shortage of content; on the other hand, the prince's relatively stable personality allows him to persevere.

After all, in the original time and space, even though he had published more than a dozen books, he still worked as a "Si Li Jian Bing Bi eunuch" (specially responsible for writing speeches) at Schneider Electric until 2015.

Shuang Xuetao is a little weak in this aspect. Zhang Chao even thinks that after he publishes a few more books, he might leave to become a full-time writer.

After agreeing on this matter, Zhang Chao and Ma Boyong said goodbye and went about their own business.

Before going to the United States, Zhang Chao had a lot of things to deal with in Yanjing. There were both "inventory" that had accumulated before and new contracts that were rumored to come to him after he returned to Beijing, which were difficult to refuse.

For example, this afternoon, Zhang Chao is going to One-Way Street.

One Way Street is not a street, but the name of a bookstore.

The One Way Street Bookstore is hidden deep in the Old Summer Palace - enter from the east gate, turn right, park your car in the parking lot, then walk in from the left side of the parking lot, pass a gravel road, and you will see a bamboo fence.

There is a simple and crude sign on the bamboo fence - "One-way Street Library".

Walking along the bamboo fence and densely planted trees for a while, you can see a green sign with white characters hanging on the fence gate. Pushing open the door, there is a small square with gravel paved, filled with canvas fisherman chairs and simple backrest chairs.

There is a small open space in the middle of the cluster of chairs, with only two armchairs placed in it, which is still empty.

As for the library, it is located at the other end of the small square. It is a row of bungalows made of blue bricks. It is gray and looks quite old. Now it has been renovated and replaced with large glass doors and windows. It is simple and modern in aesthetic elements.

There is a white metal plate on the main entrance with the words "One Way Street·Book" written in large square letters.

Pushing open the glass door, there is a plain space inside - white bookshelves are placed against the wall, extending to the end of the row of bungalows on both sides, and against the wall on the other side is a row of white tables that also extend out.

The house was not spacious. With the two sides cut off by bookshelves and tables, the aisle in the middle was only wide enough for two people to sit side by side, or three people to sit sideways.

In the small cubicle behind the bookstore's cash register, Xu Zhiyuan nervously "previewed" today's interview in his mind.

The cultural salon here has been visited by Jia Zhangke, Liang Xiaosheng, Xi Chuan... But facing today's interviewee, Xu Zhiyuan always felt a vague sense of uneasiness.

Although this person was his junior at Yan University and he was invited through this relationship, his dominance during the interview was obvious to all. There was hardly a single interview in which he was not led by the nose.

Any interviewer who tries to control the direction of his speech with words or techniques will eventually become a tool for him to express his views.

Xu Zhiyuan didn't even dare to announce in advance that he would be interviewing him in the bookstore, for fear that his fans would turn this place into a star-chasing party.

Xu Zhiyuan also had a complicated attitude towards this junior fellow student.

On the one hand, he possesses all the qualities of an elite intellectual that Xu Zhiyuan agrees with, and he also has the literary skills of a magician. The books he wrote are among the best of two generations of Chinese writers.

On the other hand, he also had the worldliness and shrewdness that Xu Zhiyuan deeply regretted and bemoaned, wasting a lot of time and energy on commercial activities, popular writing and public opinion wars that Xu Zhiyuan believed were worthless.

Finally, Xu Zhiyuan remembered a saying of Mencius that was often quoted by Li Ao, a writer he admired: "Even if there are tens of thousands of people against me, I will go forward." Suddenly, his heart was filled with courage again.

What's more, he has a helper.

In the One Way Street Bookstore, a thin woman in her 20s was standing in front of the bookshelf, aimlessly scanning the words on the spines of the books, but she did not take out any to read.

There are no teaching aids or inspirational stories here, but instead a bunch of "classics" selected by the idealistic owner of the bookstore.

The shelves here are full of unpopular literature, philosophy and history books that are hard to find in other bookstores. So even though it is a remote place, every weekend, the bookstore will be visited by many "literary youths" from all corners of Yanjing.

Last month, she held a cultural salon with the theme of "My Writing" in the small square outside the One Way Street Bookstore.

This month, Xu Zhiyuan asked her if she was interested in attending another person's salon. This person was exactly the person she had been avoiding for several years.

Even if this person has a similar label to her.

After a while, her eyes rested on a dark blue spine of a book with three large white characters on it: Star Chaser.

This is that person's book. She reached out her hand and hesitated again and again. She wanted to take it out, but she didn't dare to. She knew that this book might be well written, but after all, she had endured for more than two years and didn't read his works.

Especially after she won the "2004 Chinese Media Literature Potential Newcomer Award", she became the target of media criticism, with some believing that her winning the award was a replacement for that person after he broke with the Southern faction.

It would have been fine if that person had remained silent from then on, but he was not only very active, but also produced one work after another that caused a huge response, making the "big prize" he received that year seem like a joke.

But I was just a girl in my early 20s at the time! How could I know the twists and turns behind it?

"Are you Zhang Yueran?" A voice sounded beside her. She turned around and saw a girl who looked like a college student. She looked at her in surprise: "Are you really Zhang Yueran?! I have liked you for a long time!"

Zhang Yueran smiled shyly. Although it was not common for her to be recognized by readers, it did happen occasionally, so she was already very experienced - she put her finger on her lips and gently made a "hush" gesture, indicating that the other party should not disturb other readers.

The girl understood what she meant. Although she jumped twice in excitement, she still lowered her voice and asked, "Sister Yue Ran, why are you here?"

Zhang Yueran said softly: "I have an event here in the afternoon, so I came early."

The girl asked expectantly, "Is this your salon? I missed the one last month because of something, but I finally made it this time! What are you going to talk about?"

Zhang Yueran smiled and shook his head, saying: "I'm not the speaker, I'm just a guest."

The girl asked curiously, "Why are you allowed to be a guest? Who is that? Why was there no announcement?"

Zhang Yueran hesitated for a moment and did not answer directly. Instead, he pointed his finger at the novel that he had just wanted to read but was reluctant to do so.

The girl followed the direction of her finger and saw "Star Chaser" and the name of the author "Zhang Chao".

The girl's expression instantly changed from "surprise" to "enthusiasm". She finally suppressed the urge to scream. After a long while, she patted her chest to calm her excitement, and then confirmed with Zhang Yueran in an unbelievable tone: "Is it true?"

Zhang Yueran looked at the girl's expression. Although he was prepared, he couldn't help but feel a little jealous. However, his expression remained calm and he replied, "It's true."

The girl covered her mouth first, trying to control herself from screaming. After a while, she said, "Oh my God, you two are actually going to have a conversation on the same stage? Am I dreaming?"

Now it was Zhang Yueran's turn to be confused, and he asked, "Do you like both of our books?"

The girl nodded repeatedly like a chick pecking at rice and said, "Of course! Your novel is sad and romantic, the language is incredibly beautiful, and the portrayal of the characters' inner thoughts is really delicate.

His style varies, but he always has a cool and majestic temperament, and he can portray social reality in depth in his narration. However, this book "Star Chaser" is different, it becomes warm and sad.

Anyway, I like both of you! Many of my classmates feel the same way! " Zhang Yueran was confused at first when he heard the girl's words, but soon regained his composure - it turned out that many of the hostility and confrontation were just imaginations created by the media in his mind. At the reader level, he didn't think that much.

Readers will buy into whoever writes well! In their minds, writers and works are not divided into high and low classes. They are just pieces of text that accompany them through lonely times.

Isn’t this the essence of why humans love reading?

Looking back at my childhood when I was immersed in piles of books, did I ever classify books and writers into different levels? At most, I only differentiated between "like", "dislike" and "very much".

Thinking of this, Zhang Yueran burst out laughing, which made the girl in front of him a little confused.

Zhang Yueran said, "I'll read a book first, we'll talk later." Then he took out the book "Star Chaser" from the bookshelf and turned to the title page, where he saw a few big words written on it:

I would like to dedicate this book to Shilei Village, to Wei Enze, Wei Miaomiao, Liang Ximei, Wei Zidu, Liang Youqiao, Liang Duanfang...

Seeing that Zhang Yueran's eyes were already sunk into the book and he couldn't pull them out, the girl tactfully walked to another bookshelf to read.

When Zhang Chao walked into the One Way Street Bookstore, it was already 2: in the afternoon. The sun was shining, the weather was warm, and there was a lazy atmosphere in the air, making people and books melt into the dust leisurely.

Zhang Chao walked through the attentive crowd and went straight to the cashier. He whispered to the sleepy clerk, "I'm Zhang Chao. Is Xu Zhiyuan here?"

The clerk suddenly woke up, looked at the young man in front of him, remembered Xu Zhiyuan's instructions in the morning, nodded repeatedly, and took him to the small compartment at the back.

Xu Zhiyuan was a little surprised to see Zhang Chao come in, but he quickly stood up to greet him. Zhang Chao took the initiative to step forward, shook his hand and said, "Senior Brother Xu, I've heard a lot about you." He was very polite, not as arrogant as he had imagined.

Xu Zhiyuan asked Zhang Chao to sit down, and then told the clerk, "You can hang up the poster now."

The clerk took the order and went out, leaving only Zhang Chao and Xu Zhiyuan in the small cubicle.

Zhang Chao looked at Xu Zhiyuan in front of him. He was wearing a white shirt and jeans. His hair was longer and greasier than in his memory in his previous life. He wore black-framed glasses and was tall and thin. There was curiosity, uneasiness, and uneasiness in his eyes, which had not changed.

Seeing that Xu Zhiyuan seemed to have no idea what to say after finishing his pleasantries, Zhang Chao took the initiative to bring up the topic and asked, "Which class of Yan University did you attend, Senior Brother Xu?"

Xu Zhiyuan said, "Oh, I entered in 95 and graduated in 2000. I failed a grade in between. But I studied computer microelectronics, not your Chinese department."

Zhang Chao asked curiously, "He was held back a grade?"

After hearing this, Xu Zhiyuan not only did not feel embarrassed, but was even a little proud, saying: "At that time we published a magazine that criticized education, the system, and the school. The criticism was so severe that the school ordered us to stop publishing after only four issues.

Then I was asked to go home and reflect for a year.”

Zhang Chao praised: "Your generation of college students have a critical spirit that we cannot compare with now. But what I admire most is that you studied microelectronics - microelectronics is so difficult! But you spent so much time on literature and writing, and finally graduated successfully. You are so smart."

Xu Zhiyuan didn't expect that Zhang Chao would transform into the "Kuakua Cult" as soon as he arrived. Although it was a bit unexpected, it did bring the two closer together.

After chatting for a while, they heard a commotion outside. Apparently someone had seen the new posters and knew that Zhang Chao was going to give a lecture at a cultural salon.

Xu Zhiyuan smiled and said, "We dare not promote it too early, for fear that your readers will be too enthusiastic and there won't be enough seats here. We don't have enough staff, and it would be bad if something unexpected happened!"

Zhang Chao said: "This is a good place. It's hard for other bookstores to have such a small square to organize activities."

Xu Zhiyuan said: "This was originally an abandoned courtyard, but the rent is not too expensive. It's a little off the beaten track, but if it wasn't, we wouldn't have been able to rent it! Actually, we are a dozen friends who want a quiet place to read and write.

On weekdays, it’s just me and the staff, but there are more people on weekends.”

Zhang Chao smiled and said, "Opening a bookstore for myself... This hobby is a bit extravagant. It will cost a lot of money every year, right?"

Xu Zhiyuan frowned and said helplessly: "It's true that we can't sell many books. We have to pay more than 1 yuan per person per year."

Zhang Chao said: "If you don't want to lose money, why don't you add some snacks, coffee, and milk tea retail here?"

Xu Zhiyuan said, "I have thought about it. But adding these things would also require more manpower, and the layout of the bookstore would have to be redone, which would be very troublesome. After discussing it, we decided to just keep it this way."

Zhang Chao said: "That's because I still don't want to make money. How can I find it troublesome if I want to make money?"

Xu Zhiyuan smiled self-deprecatingly and did not answer Zhang Chao.

Zhang Chao seemed to see through his thoughts and asked directly: "Do you think what I said is very mercenary? You resist commercialization in your bones."

Xu Zhiyuan was silent for a while before he said, "You are a successful businessman, so you can tell at a glance that this bookstore is running out of money. But you are not a philistine, because you can ask this question very frankly.

I don’t know how you balance the two thoughts of business and art in yourself. But I don’t think I can do it. Commercialization will destroy ideals. At least for now, I don’t want to get rid of this free and pure state.

It costs tens of thousands of yuan a year, but I can still support it now, so I'll just leave the bookstore like this for now."

Zhang Chao suddenly smiled mysteriously and asked, "If one day someone told you that your bookstore is extremely valuable and is willing to invest tens of millions of dollars in you to commercialize the 'One Way Street Bookstore' brand, would you accept it?"

Xu Zhiyuan was stunned and asked, "Is there such a fool?"

"Personal bookstores" were still a relatively new concept in 2007, and most of them were in a loss-making state. Not to mention raising tens of millions of dollars in financing, even if the sales of books worth an extra thousand yuan a week could make the boss happy for a day.

After all, if a bookstore does not sell teaching aids, chicken soup and children's books, it would be difficult to support the operation of a bookstore relying solely on the scattered literary and artistic young people in the city, even in a cultural center like Yanjing.

Zhang Chao said: "I said, what if, what if there is?"

Xu Zhiyuan fell silent again. He was not in financial difficulty, as he was a contributor to many newspapers and magazines and had published several books. But his best hope for "One Way Street Bookstore" was to "break even", and he didn't even dare to think about making money one day.

"Tens of millions of dollars in financing" was completely beyond his imagination. But Zhang Chao looked serious, and it was obvious that he was not joking; since someone asked seriously, Xu Zhiyuan would not give a perfunctory answer based on his personality.

But before he could give an answer, the door of the cubicle was pushed open, and the clerk poked his head in and said, "Boss, it's time."

Xu Zhiyuan looked at the wall clock and saw it was already 3 o'clock, so he said to Zhang Chao, "Let's go out first."

Zhang Chao nodded, stood up and followed Xu Zhiyuan out of the cubicle.

There was only one girl in the bookstore still flipping through the spines of books. The other readers had all run to the small square. More and more people were pushing the door open through the fence. The hundreds of chairs were almost full.

Xu Zhiyuan said: "Your appeal is so great. I have never seen so many readers come here at such a short notice." - Oh, let me introduce you. This is today's guest, Zhang Yueran.

You should know each other, right? "

Zhang Yueran then put down the book. His eyes were confused for a while before he refocused on the two men in front of him.

Zhang Chao took the initiative to extend his hand to her and said, "Hello, I'm Zhang Chao, first meeting you."

Zhang Yueran hurriedly extended his hand and shook his, saying, "Sorry, I was so absorbed in reading a novel. Hello, I'm Zhang Yueran."

Seeing Zhang Chao and Xu Zhiyuan's eyes on the cover of the novel in her hand, Zhang Yueran felt a little shy for a moment, but then she said frankly: "It's your "Star Chaser", it's so well written!"

Zhang Chao smiled and said, "Thank you."

Xu Zhiyuan said: "Let's go out together, everyone is waiting anxiously."

After the poster was posted, the news that Zhang Chao was going to give a lecture quickly spread through text messages and QQ groups to the entire circle of literature lovers in Yenching. Readers who lived near the Old Summer Palace and had nothing to do rushed to attend.

When Xu Zhiyuan led Zhang Chao and Zhang Yueran to appear in the small square, the crowd burst into low cheers.

It’s not that there haven’t been great directors, poets, and writers here before, but Zhang Chao is different after all, not only because he is about the same age as everyone else, but more importantly, he has been regarded as a role model for the future of Chinese literature.

The number of chairs on the open space increased from two to three, and the three of them sat down quickly.

After Xu Zhiyuan made a brief opening speech, he said somewhat self-deprecatingly: "Because Zhang Chao is coming today, we even asked the store staff to clean up the gravel road outside. Other writers who came here before did not receive this treatment.

I don't know why, but I was particularly nervous today, so I asked the clerk to do something that seemed meaningless. Maybe it was just like Du Fu's poem: 'The flower path has never been swept for guests, and the door is now open for you.'

But now it has been proven that this was the right thing to do. So many unexpected customers came today, and sweeping the streets will also give everyone a better impression of our bookstore."

There was a burst of good-natured, understanding laughter in the small square.

Xu Zhiyuan then said to Zhang Chao: "I have a feeling that the Zhang Chao in front of me now is not such a real Zhang Chao. The more real Zhang Chao should be in his novels."

Zhang Chao looked at Xu Zhiyuan with some surprise - aren't you afraid of choking with such a blunt approach?
But this is also Xu Zhiyuan's consistent style. He has been trying to drag the interviewees into his preset literary and idealized context, trying to explore the humanistic side of the other party.

Of course, this was not hostility at least, but Xu Zhiyuan was too eager to find an elite intellectual who was on the same wavelength as him.

Zhang Chao replied calmly: "That only shows that you have misunderstood me. The Zhang Chao sitting in front of you is the real Zhang Chao. The Zhang Chao you saw in the novel is exactly the fake face I created."

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(End of this chapter)