Rebirth 2004: A lone figure in the literary world

Chapter 365: Solemn Promise: Never use Zhang Chao first!
The members of the "Chinese Young Writers Delegation to Japan" came to their rooms in a daze, each carrying their luggage.

Ge Liang is the only representative from the Hong Kong literary world in this delegation - although he is from the mainland, he started his writing career in Hong Kong and is usually regarded as a Hong Kong writer.

This time he and Zhang Jiajia shared a room. They were of similar age and both from Jiangsu, so they had a lot in common. They became familiar with each other after a brief greeting.

However, the focus of their brief conversation in the room was still Zhang Chao.

Ge Liang sat on the sofa in the room and said to Zhang Jiajia, who was lying on the bed with the Chinese character "大" in his mouth, "What do you think of Zhang Chao?"

Zhang Jiajia was speechless for a long time. Just when Ge Liang thought he was asleep, he suddenly said, "Don't you feel sad?"

Ge Liang was slightly surprised: "Sad?"

Zhang Jiajia sighed and said, "Don't you think that with the emergence of Zhang Chao, a generation of Chinese writers - in fact, writers of our age - may have to live under his shadow?"

Ge Liang was surprised and asked, "Is it so serious?"

Zhang Jiajia sat up from the bed, his eyes dull, and after another silence, he said to Ge Liang: "You live in Hong Kong, so you don't feel it deeply.

We in mainland China are bombarded with news about Zhang Chao every day. If he hasn't been in the news for a month or two, he must be holding back something big.

I originally thought that Han Han and Xiao Si were already brave enough..."

Ge Liang still found it a little unbelievable. After all, he mainly lived in Hong Kong. Although Zhang Chao's two visits to Hong Kong caused quite a stir, they were quickly replaced by other news in the most media-developed region in the world.

Zhang Jiajia glanced at him and actually felt a little envious. He immediately thought of the situation when his first novel, "Almost a Hero," was published.

At that time, he was quite ambitious. After all, a first print run of 10 copies was a rare achievement for a newcomer in the literary world.

But it happened to coincide with the release of Zhang Chao's new book and a series of news, and as a result, there was no response.

This year he serialized "Young Couple Fighting Everyday" on xx Novel Website, which was well received. But Zhang Chao's few things attracted attention again.

In addition, a program I participated in planning for a TV station last year was defeated by Zhang Chao's "Sanjin Fengliu", so I couldn't help feeling depressed.

Although his works are not in the same field as Zhang Chao's, Zhang Chao's influence on the entire youth and juvenile reading market is too great, so he is just an innocent victim.

Zhang Jiajia counted his experiences over the years on his fingers and concluded: "If you want to survive in the domestic publishing market, you must avoid Zhang Chao's new book releases and the time periods when he is causing trouble, otherwise you will just be cannon fodder."

Ge Liang could only express his deep sympathy after hearing this. However, unlike Zhang Jiajia, his creations tend to be pure literature and are not too dependent on marketing, so he does not need to "avoid the sharp edge".

He still had ambitions for literature. The appearance of Zhang Chao further stimulated his desire to create, but also made him vaguely associate:

If Zhang Chao had accepted the olive branch extended by the Chinese Department of Lingnan University, would I be the one being overshadowed by him now?

Why didn’t Zhang Chao come to Lingnan University?

Ge Liang turned and looked out the window of the hotel room. It was already dark, but the bright lights of Tokyo made everything outside still appear to be clearly visible, more like a dream that people were unwilling to wake up from than the night view of Hong Kong.

He recalled that after graduating from the Chinese Department of Nanyang Technological University in 2000, he chose to study for a master's degree at the University of Hong Kong. At that time, he thought that if he stayed there, he might not be able to write the novel he wanted.

Now looking at Zhang Chao, was his original choice right or wrong? No matter what the answer is, there is no turning back.

Zhang Jiajia did not have Ge Liang's melancholy, and asked, "Do you want to go out for a walk?"

Ge Liang came back to his senses and said, "Didn't you say that dinner would be arranged uniformly?"

Zhang Jiajia said casually, "It's okay. The gathering time is seven o'clock. It's only a little after six now. Let's just walk around and come back in a while. This is Chiyoda District. There are many places of interest. Tokyo Train Station, Akihabara, and the Antique Book Street are all nearby."

Ge Liang hesitated for a moment, but couldn't resist Zhang Jiajia's urging, so he put on his coat and prepared to go downstairs.

In another room, the focus of discussion was still Zhang Chao.

"Hey, I heard that you have a good relationship with Zhang Chao? He had a falling out with Bai Ye two years ago just because you stood up for him?" Lu Min asked with a full heart.

Although she was considered the "elder" among this group of writers, she still couldn't resist her curiosity and started asking about Li Juan who lived with her.

Although Li Juan and Lu Min had "known each other", she still looked a little reserved. If Zhang Chao hadn't called her specifically, she wouldn't have been in this delegation.

Hearing Lu Min's question, Li Juan said frankly: "In fact, it's still a difference of opinion on how to write prose. I really didn't know it would become such a big deal later..."

As someone in the industry, Lu Min actually knew the whole story very well. This was just a topic. When Li Juan spoke, he immediately changed the subject and asked, "You have contact with Zhang Chao. What kind of person is he?

I have read a lot of books, but I cannot find another writer like him in the entire history of literature."

Li Juan looked thoughtful when she heard this, as if she was trying to recall every detail of her encounters and conversations with Zhang Chao. After a long while, she said, "He's a good man!"

Lu Min was stunned. What kind of answer was this?

Li Juan certainly thought Zhang Chao was a good person. Not only did he stand up for her at the prose conference, but he also let readers all over the country know about this writer. Once she read the article, she was surprised that it was really well written!

If there is a winner in the "Zhang Bai dispute", it must be Li Juan.

That year, the sales of her collection of essays exceeded 50 copies, boosted by Zhang Chao's endorsement. This was a complete miracle for a writer who was almost a "newcomer to the literary world" and whose only creative genre was essays.

Few people noticed that in the Forbes writer rankings the following year, Li Juan ranked last with royalty income of 280 million.

But what Lu Min obviously wanted was not the evaluation of "good person" - Zhang Chao's private personality, hobbies, chatting style...that was what she wanted to know.

Li Juan hesitated for a long time before finally saying, "He speaks...quite humorously, and likes to joke."

Then he apologized, "In fact, Zhang Chao and I have only chatted privately once or twice, and I don't know him much better than you do."

Lu Min knew that Li Juan was not lying, so he hugged the pillow and leaned his head on it, not knowing what he was thinking.

Seeing Lu Min like this, Li Juan felt a little "guilty" for some reason, and added: "By the way, Master Zhang Chao is... quite tall, about 1.8 meters, and very strong."

Lu Min burst out laughing and asked, "Strong? How did you know?" Li Juan blushed and told her experience of meeting Zhang Chao in front of the teaching building of Northwest University. When she talked about how she accidentally bumped into Zhang Chao and Zhang Chao had a nosebleed, Lu Min finally couldn't help it and laughed out loud.

She joked, "You are the first female writer who made Zhang Chaoliu bleed from the nose! This is more enviable than what book you wrote or how many copies you sold!"

Li Juan's face turned even redder, and she quickly denied it: "No, no, it's not because of me, it's because the weather in Xi'an is too dry, and he is from the south and can't adapt to it..."

Then he suddenly realized something and asked quietly, "Is Zhang Chao very popular?"

Lu Min glanced at her and said with a smile, "Talent, looks, wealth... Zhang Chao is a rare talent in the literary and art world. When we writers get together, we will talk about him eight out of ten times."

Li Juan showed a mischievous smile: "Then you..."

Lu Min smiled and said, "If I were ten years younger and grew up to be a celebrity, I would definitely pursue him. Even if it doesn't work out, it will be a good memory!"

Li Juan suddenly realized, "I thought most people in the industry disliked Zhang Chao for being a troublemaker!"

Lu Min showed a disdainful expression and said: "That's their man. His talent, appearance, character, wealth... were all crushed by Zhang Chao. Of course, he has nothing good to say.

I tell you, when men look at other men, they are biased; when women look at other men, they have true insight!"

Li Juan asked curiously, "So what do you think of Zhang Chao?"

Lu Min sat up from the bed with a chuckle, showing an expression that said, "If you want to talk about this, I won't be sleepy anymore," and said gossipingly, "Zhang Chao wasn't that popular before.

This year, there was a rumor in the Department of Chinese Language and Literature of Xiamen University that he wrote a book specifically for his childhood sweetheart to cheer her up, and that book was the one that was made into an animated film, “Your Name”… Tsk tsk…”

Just as I was about to continue, the phone in the room rang.

Li Juan, who was sitting next to the phone, picked up the call, listened for a while, and then hung up. She said to Lu Min, "President Zou asked us to gather in the lobby."

Lu Min looked at his watch and asked, "Isn't it only 6:? Why do we have to gather so soon?"

Li Juan shook her head and said, "I don't know what happened. Dean Zou just told me this and didn't say anything else."

Hearing this, Lu Min could only stand up and said, "Wait for me, just wash your face."

When Li Juan and Lu Min went down to the lobby, they found that almost the entire delegation was already waiting in the lobby. Even Ge Liang and Zhang Jiajia, who were about to go out for a walk, were stopped here.

A tall and thin man wearing glasses and with a shiny forehead was saying something respectfully to the team leader Zou Guangming.

Every time Zou Guangming said something, he nodded and bowed, behaving like a typical Japanese, very polite.

After a while, Zou Guangming turned around and said to everyone, "Are you all here? Tonight's dinner was originally going to be held in the hotel's buffet restaurant, but the local Chinese Chamber of Commerce heard that our delegation was coming and insisted on hosting a welcoming party for us.

I have reported this to my leader in China, and he said we should not reject their kindness, so I accepted the invitation on behalf of everyone. But everyone should pay attention to their image and don’t drink too much! ”

Everyone was happy when they heard this. The quality of the rooms in this hotel was average, so the buffet must not be that good either. Since the Chinese Chamber of Commerce was treating us, it must be a big meal.

It’s all about eating, so of course you’ll be happy if you eat better.

At this time, the man who was talking to Zou Guangming also said to everyone: "My name is Li Xiaomu. I have been in Japan for nearly 20 years. I will serve as your translator and guide tonight.

Our "Kabukicho Chinese Chamber of Commerce" will definitely make everyone feel at home! "

Upon hearing the name, some young writers in the delegation who were more familiar with Japan showed surprise, but seeing the calm look on the face of their leader Zou Guangming, they naturally did not say anything more. So they followed most of the people to the hotel entrance and boarded the tour bus that came to pick them up.

The bus drove through downtown Tokyo during rush hour for nearly an hour before arriving at its destination.

After getting off the bus, many young writers who had not seen the world were stunned by the endless signs and neon lights of Kabukicho Ichibangai, which were like colorful fire dragons.

Especially Li Juan. 48 hours ago, she was still on the desolate and vast grassland like the primitive world. She thought that Yanjing and Tokyo visible from the hotel window were prosperous enough, but she didn't expect there was such a place of decadence and luxury.

Zou Guangming was obviously a little surprised, but at this time he could only pretend to be calm and said: "Bringing you to a place like this is also to broaden your horizons. For writing, you have to see all the strange and wonderful places in the world, so that you can know how big the world is and how many ways people can live..."

The young writers obviously still love fun, and after a short period of adjustment they all became excited.

Li Xiaomu led the large group of nearly 40 people into "Kabukicho" and introduced the place - of course, it was a "purified version", mainly emphasizing the food, drink and entertainment here, not mentioning the sex industry.

Industry insiders in Kabukicho were impressed by the ability of this "free guide" to attract customers when they saw that Li Xiaomu led such a large team, which was mainly composed of young people.

Soon, everyone stood at the door of a restaurant called "Yin Yue". The restaurant was surrounded by a "dry landscape" courtyard, and the main building of the restaurant was mostly covered by a few clumps of bamboo, leaving only a corner of the Japanese-style eaves and a few lights.

Li Xiaomu introduced: "Gingetsu is a restaurant that specializes in 'Kaiseki cuisine'. 'Kaiseki cuisine' is a type of traditional Japanese cuisine that pays special attention to exquisite cooking and exquisite plating.

More importantly, most of the dishes in "Kaiseki cuisine" are cooked, and there are staple foods such as rice, which are more suitable for the Chinese stomach than sashimi and sushi.

This place has been reserved by the Chamber of Commerce tonight, and we are only hosting you!"

After that, a Japanese woman wearing a kimono, wooden clogs, white powder on her face, and a big bun on her head came over in small steps. After talking to Li Xiaomu for a few words, Li Xiaomu said, "This is the female general of Yin Yue. Let's go in."

More than 30 young writers from the "Chinese Young Writers Delegation" stepped into the courtyard with curiosity and excitement...

Just as Zou Guangming was taking the young people to enjoy hospitality in Japan, Tie Ning, who was in the office of the Yenching Writers Association, had just gotten away from a busy day of work.

Although she did not go to Japan with the team this time, she was involved in the decision-making of almost all matters, big and small, especially the many controversies caused by Zhang Chao in Japan. The Writers Association once wanted to cancel this delegation, or at least cancel the "Contemporary Chinese Literature in Japan" itinerary.

She managed to withstand all these pressures. Not only did the delegation arrive in Japan as scheduled, but the itinerary was also basically arranged according to the previous plan.

Just as she was about to pack up and leave the office, the phone on her desk rang. Seeing that it was an international number, Tie Ning picked it up immediately. After listening for a while, she said solemnly into the microphone:

"Okay, I can promise you on behalf of the China Writers Association that in any communication or interaction, especially when there is a disagreement, we will never use Zhang Chao first!"

(End of this chapter)