Rebirth 2004: A lone figure in the literary world

Chapter 316 This is my closest friend!
Looking at the building in front of him with its all-black glossy reflective glass and unique jagged outline, Zhang Chao was still a little dazed. He never expected that one day he would have an intersection with him.

If it was any other charity auction it would be fine, but I really had to come and see this gentleman. After all, at this moment, except for myself, no one in the world would have thought that this flamboyant man would make the whole world tremble in less than 10 years.

Zhang Chao had also "witnessed" many historical events since his rebirth, but they were nothing compared to this, after all, this had an impact on the world situation. Moreover, before his rebirth, Zhang Chao didn't know whether he would win or lose in the end - it was said that if he lost, he would be thrown into prison.

All this prompted him to come and participate in this New York "upper society" gathering with full curiosity.

Susan beside her was wearing an evening gown, which was very different from her previous image of a capable female reporter or writer. However, she was very beautiful and was able to pull off the style of a low-back and big high heels.

Zhang Chao wore a black evening gown, simple, elegant and without too much decoration.

At this time, a red carpet has been laid in front of the building's entrance, and many reporters have gathered on both sides of the red carpet with their cameras. The brightness of the reporters' flash lights can easily tell which guest has more "star power" walking on the red carpet.

Zhang Chao and Susan walked to the red carpet and handed their invitation letters to the receptionist in a white tuxedo. The other party didn't even glance at it, but put one hand on his chest, bowed, and stepped aside.

Susan whispered, "This shows that the other party values ​​you very much."

Zhang Chao: “Oh, really?”

Susan explained: "This kind of event is more sophisticated. The appearance of the important guests is already remembered by these people, so there is no need for an invitation to confirm."

Zhang Chao nodded and stopped talking because the two of them had already entered the "range" of the reporters.

Apparently he had been recognized long ago. The flashing lights blinded Zhang Chao for a moment. At the same time, many reporters began to shout questions at the top of their lungs:
"Zhang, as a minority, why would you attend such a racist dinner?"

"Does your stance on racial equality influence your writing? Are you worried it might offend certain groups?"

"Will you be bidding on the collectibles tonight?"

"Zhang, is Ms. Susan next to you your lover in the United States?"

"As a writer, you should call on everyone to give up electricity and protect the environment!"

……

Judging from the level of liveliness, Zhang Chao was probably average, not as good as the best but better than the worst. For example, there was someone following behind him, but the reporters almost completely ignored him and didn't even bother to turn the camera.

Fortunately, Zhang Chao was experienced and knew that he only needed to smile and move forward at this moment, and didn't need to pay attention to any questions from reporters. Susan was a little nervous. In the past, she was the one who was responsible for shouting at the top of her lungs outside the venue, and this was her first time walking on the red carpet.

Fortunately, this was not an Oscars ceremony, so there was no need to stop or make an appearance. The red carpet was also very short, and the distance of several dozen meters could be walked quickly.

At the end of the red carpet was another "Alfred" wearing a black suit, bow tie and white gloves. When he saw Zhang Chao and Susan coming, he elegantly and promptly opened the glass door for them.

After entering the building, Zhang Chao found that even if he really installed 24K titanium alloy dog ​​eyes, he would still be blinded by the luxurious decoration style.

The first thing that catches your eye is the golden marble floor and the reflective golden aluminum wall, which creates a magnificent atmosphere. There is a 12-meter-high waterfall in the lobby with a golden wall as the background, showing luxury and style.

Even the elevator doors on both sides were painted in gleaming gold. Under the illumination of the huge crystal chandelier on top, this place was like a sweet dream of the most greedy dragon.

After Zhang Chao got used to the style of the place, he found that Trump elements were everywhere. This man not only named almost all businesses after himself, but also set up souvenir display windows in many places. In the windows were water cups with his name written in gold-plated fonts, wine flask covers with golden family emblems...

After seeing this, Susan pouted and whispered to Zhang Chao, "This is his aesthetic—it's vulgar to the extreme!"

Zhang Chao shrugged and said, "From this perspective, he is indeed a symbol of the United States!"

Susan said with disgust: "I don't want to be symbolized by him - how can you say that?"

Zhang Chao pointed at the name signs everywhere and said to her, "I think only the United States can make such an unrestrained businessman successful. Have you ever thought that when he pushes 'vulgarity' to the extreme, it becomes a style, and even seems... um, particularly sincere?"

Susan rolled her eyes, saying that Zhang Chao's idea was incomprehensible.

Zhang Chao said to Susan again: "Don't look down on him. He may become president one day."

Susan sneered, "Zhang, this is the real world, not The Simpsons! Although you are an excellent writer, you don't understand Americans! Our public opinion will not allow such a person to lead the United States!"

Zhang Chao: “…”Okay, I hope you won’t cry bitterly, Susan.

At this time, a receptionist came over to lead Zhang Chao and the others into the main venue for today's charity auction and dinner, a large conference room.

At this moment, this place is also decorated magnificently. In front is a temporary main stage. In addition to the main podium, there are more than a dozen square pillars. Each pillar is covered with a glass cover, and inside should be today's auction items.

In addition, there were several rows of small round tables for guests to sit at, but not everyone was there at the moment, so they were all socializing in groups of three or four.

The butler led the two to their round table, which was located in the third row, closer to the middle. In addition to the name tags of Zhang Chao and Susan, there were two other name tags, one with "Junot Díaz" and the other with "Joshua Ferris".

But the seat was empty. I don’t know whether he didn’t come or was out socializing.

Susan had obviously done her homework beforehand, and said to Zhang Chao, "They are all new writers who have recently emerged in New York. Junot Díaz is Dominican, and he just published The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao - oh, it's the kind of 'immigration theme' that you don't like.

It tells the story of a Dominican youth in New Jersey, whose life is full of loneliness, frustration, ridicule and isolation. I only know that Joshua Ferris is very young, and I haven't seen his works yet. "There are mainly several types of people who participate in this kind of activity - one is the celebrities in the political and economic circles. The "revolving door" in the United States is an open "unwritten rule" that everyone from top to bottom thinks is normal, so they don't mind drinking and chatting in such occasions.

The other type is entertainment and sports stars, who have strong cash reserves and are often the main force in bidding. Spending tens to hundreds of thousands of dollars not only establishes a persona of caring about charity, but also builds relationships with political and economic bigwigs. Why not?
The last category is writers and artists like Zhang Chao and the other two writers at the table, especially the younger generation. Although they have no power and are not as rich as entertainment and sports stars, they can provide auction items for activities. At the same time, many political and economic leaders are also keen to support and fund young artists.

Zhang Chao pointed at Trump, who was constantly greeting visitors in front of the main stage, and said to Susan, "Shall we go say hello too?"

Susan took a deep breath, nodded, picked up a glass of champagne for herself and Zhang Chao, and walked towards Trump.

Hosts like Trump have a dedicated concierge to remind him which guests are "approaching." Following the instructions, he quickly saw Zhang Chao and Susan, and specifically asked the concierge to bring the two to him, so that they didn't have to "line up" like the others.

Seeing this person up close for the first time, Zhang Chao couldn't help but look at him carefully.

Overall, he was no different from Zhang Chao's impression. He was about 190 cm tall, nearly 10 cm taller than Zhang Chao, with a broad build, and he looked quite oppressive when standing in front of him. His signature golden hair covered his head like a layer of cloud, making it difficult to tell whether he was bald or not.

His skin was bronze, almost orange, but the area around his eyes was a sickly white. Zhang Chao remembered someone saying his skin was specially tanned, and it seemed to be true.

Seeing Zhang Chao, Trump said enthusiastically to others around him in his unique exaggerated tone: "Look who's here? This is our young hero! A writer from China!
Welcome, Zhang. Your speech in Chicago was great. America lacks young people like you who are brave enough to tell everyone what is true "justice" and what is true "fairness"! It's a pity that you are not American! "

Zhang Chao simply raised his champagne glass and said calmly, "Sir, you are too kind. I am just defending myself. As for how others will interpret it, it is really beyond my control."

The tall man opposite showed an "I understand all" expression, and then said: "I admire your attitude. Nowadays, young people in the United States are too cowardly. They only listen to those noisy black music all day long. Even white children have started to wear dreadlocks. If America continues like this, it will be finished..."

As if realizing that he had "slipped his tongue" again, he quickly shut up and pointed to a tall young blonde girl next to him and said, "This is my dearest daughter, Ivanka! She is about the same age as you. You should have a good exchange!"

Ivanka inherited her father's height genes and is 180 cm tall. With her long legs, slender figure and high heels, she appears to be taller than Zhang Chao who is of the same height.

After Zhang Chao and Ivanka exchanged pleasantries, he introduced Susan next to him. However, it was obvious that both Trump and his daughter were quite aware of Susan's identity and did not pay too much attention to her. They just chatted perfunctorily for a few words, and the focus was still on Zhang Chao.

Ivanka said: "I read your novel "Gone Girl" - my God, you wrote about marriage so horribly! I even began to fear marriage."

Zhang Chao smiled and said, "It's just a novel. If you have chosen marriage, then there is nothing in the world to be afraid of!"

Ivanka patted her chest, and Zhang Chao's eyes suddenly became turbulent... He only heard the blonde beauty say: "You are a few years younger than me? Why are you so pessimistic about marriage?"

Zhang Chao said: "Maybe it's because I have seen too many 'truths' about marriage in literary works. Marriage is like a mirror, reflecting the most complex and true side of human nature.

Sometimes, it is beautiful; but sometimes, it is cruel. It is like the two pills that Morpheus handed to Neo in The Matrix. No matter which one you choose, red or blue, it is not perfect. "

The blue pill in "The Matrix" represents escaping reality, while the red pill represents facing the truth.

Using it to describe marriage is obviously novel and interesting. Ivanka's eyes sparkled with curiosity. She looked at the young man from China and remembered her father's advice to her:
"Zhang is a very special person. He is not only a writer, but also has a first-class business mind. If we can invest a little in his recent Weibo..."

Ivanka knew that her father had always wanted to move from old industries such as real estate, which were dominated by traditional capital, to emerging industries such as the Internet and computers. After decades of hard work in real estate, he only had assets worth a few billion US dollars and almost went bankrupt a few years ago.

It is impossible not to feel jealous when seeing those "upstarts" in the Internet and computer industries have assets worth tens of billions of US dollars.

The invisible barriers to domestic capital in the United States are very strict. Her father worked hard for many years, but various good projects and unicorn companies in Silicon Valley never came to him, and they even refused active investment.

It just so happens that Zhang Chao is a complete "outsider", so it doesn't hurt to give it a try.

Ivanka said: "That's very interesting. You said that the blue pill symbolizes choosing to ignore the problems in the marriage and maintain superficial harmony, while the red pill symbolizes facing the problems in the marriage bravely, even if it means going through pain and challenges.

Either way, the marriage may fall apart - or it may lead to a new life. So you say neither choice is perfect."

Zhang Chao did not comment, but smiled and said, "Everyone has his own interpretation, and yours is very interesting. Oh, there is still a 'perfect marriage' in this world, maybe you can meet it."

Ivanka's eyes dimmed, and she looked at her father who had walked to the main stage and was about to speak, and said, "Really? Thank you for your blessing. 'Perfect marriage'? Who knows what pill they secretly took?"

At this time, a man suddenly walked up from behind Ivanka, looked at Zhang Chao warily, and asked, "Who is this?"

Ivanka quickly said, "This is Mr. Zhang Chao, a writer from China. You should have seen his show. - Zhang Chao, this is Jared, the owner of The New York Observer."

Zhang Chao didn't take it seriously and greeted him with a smile.

At this time, the lights on the scene dimmed, and Trump's unique slightly exaggerated voice sounded on the main stage: "Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for coming to my charity gala..."

After talking for a while, he suddenly pointed to the person beside him. The spotlight followed his direction and was directed to the person next to him. It was a short, capable old lady with short hair. He said:

"I am especially honored to have my closest friend, Hillary, here with us!"

Zhang Chao asked Susan in confusion, "Isn't he a Republican?"

Susan's eyes widened. "Who said that? He's a Democrat now, so he's very determined! Hillary is now a senator from New York State, so she'll naturally come to support him."

Zhang Chao once again felt what it meant to be "unpredictable"...

(End of this chapter)