Rebirth 2004: A lone figure in the literary world

Chapter 410 Damn it, he’s pretending again!
Xu Changchang saw that everyone was looking at her, and she blushed and lowered her head out of habit, but Wang Zhanjun comforted her, "Don't be afraid, don't be anxious, and speak slowly."

With the editor's encouragement, Xu Changchang took a deep breath, picked up his notebook, read over the key points of Zhang Chao's speech, sorted out his thoughts, and then slowly spoke:

"First of all, as a new editor, I had the honor to participate in the review and discussion of Painted Skin, and I was indeed inspired a lot. In my past reading experience, I generally tend to look for those eternal themes in the works that are condensed by language, such as human nature, love, hatred, regret... these deepest and strongest emotions.

And they also focus on those grander themes - it is undeniable that these contents have a natural and fascinating charm
But Painted Skin gave me a completely different feeling. In particular, coincidentally, the name of the heroine in the novel is the same as mine, which also gave me a special feeling for this character——

At first it was surprise, then disgust, then some appreciation, and finally acceptance, acceptance of the reality that the female anchor "Xu Changchang" was also surging in the body of editor Xu Changchang.

Flaubert once said, 'Madame Bovary is me!'

I can now also say, 'Xu Changchang is me! '"

Her words made everyone laugh. Yang Ying joked, "Oh, so you weren't Xu Changchang before?"

After everyone stopped laughing, Xu Changchang continued, "As for the specific content of the discussion, several teachers have already said a lot, so I won't make a fool of myself.

Here I will talk about some of my feelings -

The first conclusion I came to is that "spiritual crisis is not a stain on the times, but the birth pangs of progress."

The solution to hunger is not to refuse food, but to learn how to cook; the way to resist materialization is not to return to poverty, but to create richer material and spiritual products.

If today's young people were asked to give up computers, the Internet and urban life and return to the utopia of "picking chrysanthemums under the eastern fence", it would probably only lead to a greater disaster.

After all, Tao Yuanming doesn’t need to pay off his mortgage.”

This sentence made everyone laugh again, and the atmosphere in the meeting room became completely relaxed, no longer as solemn and stagnant as before.

Wang Zhanjun couldn't help but ask, "Xiao Xu, why didn't I realize you have such a sense of humor before?"

Xu Changchang smiled slightly and continued: "The second conclusion is, "Escaping from modernity is escaping the responsibility of literature."

When we sing praises of poverty, are we glorifying suffering? When we miss our hometown, are we avoiding the real contradictions in the process of urbanization?
If literature only looks backward, it will become blind to the times! "

This sentence is not humorous, but it is thought-provoking enough. The eyes of other editors of "October" when looking at Xu Changchang changed. Everyone keenly realized that this symposium lasted only an hour or so, but Xu Changchang's spirit seemed to have undergone a transformation.

Xu Changchang took a deep breath and said the last conclusion: "My third conclusion is, "Move forward and don't be afraid."

Many people like to quote the beginning of A Tale of Two Cities, but ignore its ending which is equally timeless - 'What I have done is better than anything I have ever done, and the rest I shall have is sweeter than anything I have ever known.'

The Xu Changchangs, Jiang Zhus, and Li Mos in "Painted Skin" may be living in misery, but they are still struggling, testing, and even reveling.

This kind of rough vitality is the best response to the crisis. What literature should do is not to put moral shackles on them, but to record their sweat, tears and laughter.

True literature is not only found in the smoke from cooking fires of the past, but also in today’s subway stations, chat rooms, and office buildings.

Go forward, don’t be afraid—because every stumble is a footprint of the times moving forward.”

When Xu Changchang finished speaking, the sunlight happened to shine into the conference room through the window, covering everyone with a layer of gold powder.

Zhang Chao stood up and said to everyone, "It is a great pleasure to meet you today. If we meet again in the future, we can have a drink together."

After saying that, he lightly tossed the ball bag, and without waiting for anyone to try to stop him, he walked out of the meeting room with his big eagle...ah, basketball.

Everyone: "..." Zhang Chao was so dirty, do you think this is the top of Mount Hua?

Wang Zhanjun was the first to react. He quickly stood up and chased after him, saying, "Hey... Hey... Don't be in a hurry to leave. Let's have lunch together at noon. We've booked a private room..."

However, he was old and his legs were slow. He only saw Zhang Chao's back flash by the door and then disappeared.

Wang Zhanjun turned around and glared at everyone, saying, "You young people don't know how to chase after me."

Liu Jie blushed and explained, "We were all a little confused by what Zhang Chao said before he left."

Wang Zhanjun had never read Jin Yong, so he was puzzled and asked, "Isn't it just a sentence in classical Chinese? Why are you so confused?"

Only Xu Changchang's heart was beating fast: "Big brother... No, I'm older than him... Teacher Zhang Chao..."

However, after this incident, October magazine finally unified its thoughts, deepened its understanding, and reached a consensus to publish Painted Skin as an editorial recommendation in the September issue of October, as well as a record of the discussion at the symposium.

(October was originally a bimonthly magazine, published in single months; later, six special issues of long articles were added each year.)
Wang Zhanjun firmly believes that this "combination punch" will create a new wave of enthusiasm in the literary world.

Think about the "involution" of "The Last Lesson" and the "selling of kidneys" of "A Letter from an Unknown Woman" - the "live broadcast" of "Painted Skin" will probably also make everyone fall into the magic of Zhang Chao's novels that is both real and illusory...

For the following period of time, Zhang Chao did not continue writing novels, but instead devoted himself to watching the Olympic Games.

The most tickets Zhang Chao bought were for basketball games, especially those between the Chinese team and the American team, followed by Argentina and Lithuania... As long as there was no conflict in schedule, he would almost never miss a game.

Although he already knew the results of these games by heart, the feeling of watching the games live was completely different from watching the live broadcast on TV, especially sitting in the best seat in the front row.

What's more, that year I had just graduated and was looking for a job, so this time I can watch the stars' dodging and dunking up close.

When Kobe scored the winning "3+1" against the tight defense of the Spanish team amid the cheers of nearly spectators, Zhang Chao stood up and left the venue amid the surprised eyes of people around him, without staying to cheer or watch the award ceremony.

At that moment, Zhang Chao truly felt that he had finally entered the era he was familiar with. Perhaps he was the only one who had this clear feeling: it was from this Olympic Games that China and the Chinese people began to become completely different from before.

History is a strange thing. When you are in it, it is difficult to feel which moments are the key nodes that determine the fate of hundreds of millions of people. It is like a person who is in a rapids, drifting with the waves, and has no idea which wave can push you to the shore and which one will push you into the water.

Perhaps Zhang Chao is the only exception - his body is in the water, but his heart is on the shore.

To some extent, his novels have become a few inconspicuous waves in the torrent, which may change the fate of some people and even form new tributaries.

Who knows?
After the Olympics, time seemed to be accelerated and started running just like the athletes in the competition.

September is here in the blink of an eye, and on Teacher's Day, "October" magazine released its September issue on time!
It has been anticipated by literature lovers across the country for a whole month!

As early as the beginning of August, everyone knew that Zhang Chao's new novel had been submitted to October, and it caused great controversy among the editors of October, and they even wanted to invite the author Zhang Chao to give a lecture.

This gossip, coupled with the huge influence of the previous two novels, has whetted the appetite of all readers who follow Zhang Chao to the sky!
Even many writers and editors in the industry were curious and asked the editors of October what Zhang Chao had written that could have caused such old hands to argue.

However, the editor-in-chief Wang Zhanjun issued a strict order prohibiting the disclosure of any information about "Painted Skin", and even the title was not allowed to be revealed to outsiders - not to mention it, not even a hint was allowed.

Except for Xu Changchang, the manuscripts in the hands of the editors would be taken back after reading and discussing them, and they were not allowed to be taken out of the office.

This way the suspense was barely maintained until the last moment.

Therefore, as soon as this month's "October" magazine was put on the shelves of bookstores and newsstands, it was almost sold out in less than 10 minutes by readers who were eager to get a sneak peek.

Fortunately, Wang Zhanjun learned from the experiences and lessons of "Harvest" and "Contemporary" and directly prepared 50 copies, so that most readers did not return home disappointed.

You should know that "Painted Skin" is just a short story in "October". Magazines are the type of books with the highest circulation rate, and 50 copies are enough to cover a readership of more than 200 million.

How hot is this?
Wang Zhanjun's smiling face has not fallen since 9 o'clock in the morning on September 10. The sales figures updated every half an hour make him feel the happiness of Cheng Yongxin and others.

However, it must be said that a lot of thought was put into the cover design of this issue of "October".

On the huge cover, there is only a vague female silhouette, whose true face cannot be seen clearly, as if shrouded by a veil; and behind the female silhouette are two male shadows, one with piercing eyes, and the other squatting on the ground with his head in his hands in pain...

Apart from the magazine title "October", the text on the cover only consists of the four big characters "Painted Skin" and "Zhang Chao". While being minimalist, it also leaves the greatest temptation to all readers.

"The one with Painted Skin from Strange Stories from a Chinese Studio?" This is the first reaction of many people after getting the magazine.

I had heard that Zhang Chao wanted to parody famous short stories from ancient and modern times, both at home and abroad, but I didn't expect that in the third article he would extend his claws to Chinese classical novels - you know, "Strange Stories from a Chinese Studio" represents the pinnacle of classical short stories, and it is a first-class work even in the history of world literature.

"Painted Skin" is the most well-known one among them. If there are any mistakes in Zhang Chao's writing, it will be very easy for people to find out.

The bizarre "live broadcast ecology" and the shocking "character skin" in "Painted Skin" directly hit most readers hard, especially after seeing the "witch" "Xu Changchang" escape sanctions and eventually become a big anchor through plastic surgery, their three views were completely destroyed.

They simply couldn't believe that this was a novel written by Zhang Chao and that these were the values ​​that Zhang Chao wanted to promote.

You have to know that even if Zhang Chao's previous works were more complex, the boundaries between good and evil, beauty and ugliness were still relatively clear. In his two most recent novels, "The Last Lesson" wrote about the complexity of "Zhang Chao's" growth and character, but in the end it still hinted at his destruction;

"Letter from an Unknown Woman" undoubtedly nailed the evil "black middlemen" to the pillar of shame, and even triggered a chain reaction, directly causing severe damage to the domestic organ trading black industry.

But the "Xu Changchang" in "Painted Skin" actually "gets rewarded for being a bad guy", which is really breaking the bottom line of human nature. However, since the author is Zhang Chao, there are still people who are willing to defend him in a positive way.
So the first wave of feedback for the novel gathered on the Weibo platform like a tide, forming a huge wave -

[This novel goes too far in deconstructing serious literature! Forcibly grafting the classic IP of "Liao Zhai" with the live broadcast economy is like putting Lin Daiyu in a miniskirt and doing hip-hop.

These three "painted skin people" in Zhang Chao's works - a fake detective who unclogs toilets, a fake rich man who embezzles public funds, and a virtual anchor with excessive beautification, are essentially cultural freaks born out of consumerism. 】 - From a freshman in the Chinese Department of Yan University.

[Today, I confiscated the copy of October that was circulated in the students' desks. When I opened it, I saw the description of "the anchor turned off the beauty filter". These children are in the period of forming their values. How can they be exposed to such works that promote "appearance anxiety"?

Just last week, a girl used her mother's money to buy high-end cosmetics, and the reason was "Studying is not as useful as being good-looking." It is recommended that the cultural department establish a literary work classification system, and such content involving materialism and soft pornography must be marked as "teenagers need to be accompanied by their parents to read." 】——This is from a high school teacher.

[That's you. I burst into tears when I saw Xu Changchang turn off the beauty filter! If there is really an opportunity to make money by dancing and singing in front of the phone, I will definitely not miss it! What if I don't want to be an anchor? Will I be welding parts on the assembly line for the rest of my life? Zhang Chao really cares about the grassroots and shows us a clear way forward] - This one is from Longhua, Shenzhen.

[The character of Jiang Ye is so realistic! Last year, I sent more than 200 flower baskets to a crosstalk performer in a small theater, just to hear her shout "Thank you, my brother Zhao" every day. Later, I found out that she was hanging around seven or eight "big brothers" at the same time, and I was so angry that I almost smashed my phone.

Zhang Chao better teach everyone how to see through these women's rhetoric. I'll pay for the publication of the book, and it will definitely be more popular than the novel! 】——A message from a big brother.

……

Wang Zhanjun is not worried at all, because this is just a stress reaction after reading the novel for the first time, and it is still at a shallow level. When the discussion really enters the "deep water zone", the value of "Painted Skin" will be truly highlighted.

Especially now that most people have not paid attention to the transcript of the symposium that follows, I believe that those who read and understand this will have a completely different understanding of "Painted Skin".

Zhang Chao was also not worried. Facing the interview requests from reporters, he rejected them all, leaving only one sentence: "Literature is about speaking freely! As a writer, once the work is finished, it is handed over to the readers."

After taking a break for half a month, he appeared in public again, but this time he was not interviewed or attending events as a "young writer", and it had nothing to do with literature.

Just when everyone was arguing about whether his "Painted Skin" was promoting material desires or warning the world, when we turned on the TV, we saw him in a suit and tie, sitting on a sofa in an interactive venue, holding a microphone and talking freely. There were several big guys around him, two of whom were named Ma.

Zhang Chao's identity has also changed to "World Internet Youth Leader". Next to him is the host Xiao Sa, and behind him is Jack Ma. He said with a serious face: "Actually, I am not interested in money!"

When seeing this scene, everyone had only one feeling: Damn, he’s fooled us again!
(End of this chapter)