Literary Master 1983

Chapter 266 Yu Zecheng survived! Yu Zecheng survived! (Revised)

Five people suddenly squeezed into the small dormitory room. One or two people might feel awkward, but with several people, it wasn't awkward at all.

Guzilinur said, “I grew up watching spy movies and hated enemy spies the most. In my opinion, our underground party members were like divine soldiers who would descend from the sky and defeat the enemy with overwhelming force; the enemy was like rats in the gutter, which would die as soon as they saw the light of day... I have never seen a work like yours before. I realized that underground work is such a long, oppressive and cruel thing.”

Gong Xue naturally liked the novel as well. She said, "In my opinion, Teacher Yu and Yu Zecheng are very similar, except that you are in a better position."

"Where is it any better?" her younger sister, Gong Ying, asked.

Gong Xue was too embarrassed to say it, but Gu Zilinuer said loudly, "Being more cultured, better looking, and more thoughtful... Zuo Lan can be Yu Zecheng's mentor, but Yu Qie is Zuo Lan's mentor!"

Upon hearing this, Zhang Shouren clapped his hands with delight and said, "No wonder the magazine loves to hire female editors. You all have such sweet tongues! Well said, well said!"

So this is how these people see themselves!

After the novel "Lurking" was written, because the protagonist used some of the experiences of his teacher Ma Shitu, and the character's name was exactly the same as Yu Qie's surname, many people believed that this was the story that Yu Qie imagined himself living in the war years and experiencing as an underground party member like his teacher.

Yu Qie is Yu Zecheng, and this reflects the inner thoughts of many people. This has become the creative background of "Lurking" today, and it will also be introduced in textbooks in the future.

Therefore, Yu Zecheng should not be sacrificed, otherwise it would be too sentimental.

I wrote that I died... That's so damn good.

Yu Zecheng is only in his early twenties; he shouldn't have written such a despairing ending. Young people across the country should find inspiration in Yu Zecheng's story.

Yu Qie promised everyone: "Yu Zecheng will live, he will definitely live."

Gong Ying stared intently at Yu Qie, while her sister Gong Xue laughed and said, "Good people should live!" Gu Zilinuer also laughed and said, "I can sleep tonight. In my dream, I saw Yu Zecheng and the people of the mainland reunited."

To allow Yu Qie to focus on his writing, the actors did the "comfort and support" work.

Yu Qie's daily meals and drinks were all prepared by the people from the Shanghai factory. They found ways to buy everything from the Cantonese porridge shop on Wuchang Road, Ye Dachang's Sanbei sesame candy, Yidinghao's mooncakes, Sixin's glutinous rice balls, and Yanji Western Restaurant's country-style thick soup.

The renowned writer Yu Qie temporarily stayed in the dormitory of the Shanghai Film Studio, and the news spread far and wide. Wang Weiping and Guo Kaimin, the leading actors of the Shanghai Film Studio, also came to visit him. Both were handsome men at the time. Guo Kaimin was especially famous for his role as "Zhou Yun" in "Romance on Lushan Mountain," which included a kissing scene that was known as "China's first kiss in film and television."

In recent years, the film market has been sluggish, which has also affected their careers. They didn't know if Teacher Yu could recommend them for a role, but since the Shanghai Film Studio had invited them and offered them subsidies, why not come? Visiting Teacher Yu suddenly became a popular activity for actors.

Later, the director also came to visit.

In the mainland Chinese film industry, there's a saying: "Xie Tieli in the North, Xie Jin in the South." These two directors, both surnamed Xie, were leading figures at the time. Xie Jin's earlier representative work was "Garland at the Foot of the Mountain," while Xie Tieli's was "The Bao Family."

Gong Ying had acted in "The Bao Family". As a native of Shanghai, she was able to act in a film produced by the Beijing Film Studio because Director Xie appreciated her and gave her the opportunity.

Xie Tieli came to visit the dormitory of the great writer Yu, but was surprised to see the young actresses Gong Ying and Gu Zilinuer.

Xie Tieli pulled Gong Ying to her side and whispered, "You should spend more time with Writer Yu and build a friendship with him. My career is already more than halfway done, but you're still like the sun."

Gong Ying respected Xie Tieli very much, and said with tears in her eyes, "I understand!"

Then, something even more abstract happened.

Zhang Tielin, who had previously pursued Gong Xue, also wanted to visit Teacher Yu. Upon hearing this, Gong Xue angrily berated Zhang Tielin: "You're just an opportunist! You don't read books, you're not a literary youth, what are you doing visiting Teacher Yu?"

"I...I'm also a member of the Isshin-kai! In my heart, there is only one sun!"

"Don't talk nonsense! When other people come to visit, at least they have good intentions. You must be hypocritical."

Zhang Tielin, not yet thick-skinned enough, was immediately frightened and ran away. Moreover, feeling he had seemingly offended Writer Yu and fearing he would have no place in the mainland film industry, he resigned from his position at the film studio and went to study in England. This was big news at the studio, and everyone was talking about it.

Gong Xue said, "Did we go too far by driving someone to the brink of despair with just a few words?"

Gong Ying said, "Not at all. He offended Yu Qie and deserves to die."

Gong Xue then worriedly asked, "What if I also become the target of rumors in the future?"

"Just do the opposite. Go find Yu Qie. He won't abandon you."

Gong Xue was the busiest and couldn't cook, so she had to ask her younger sister for help. Gong Ying spent her days traversing Shanghai as Yu Qie's personal assistant. Privately, she viewed her role as a meal-delivery assistant, feeling like a maid from an old-fashioned era, and was very dissatisfied with her situation.

"Yu Qie ate so well! It's so great to be able to write novels!"

“That’s only right,” Gong Xue said. “Because that editor-in-chief Zhang was going to translate the novel into Russian, I took some time to read some records of Soviet writers and learned that Yu Qie lived a very frugal life.”

Is this considered frugal?

Gong Ying thought her older sister was outrageous. "Sister, you should go up to him, raise your fist, and swear allegiance to him! You should give him your life! Yu Qie's daily wage is many times ours, and you actually say he's frugal? What exactly is he frugal about?"

Gong Xue patiently said, “I won’t talk about anything else, just the Soviet Union in the north. Soviet writers are treated very well. Famous writers—like Gorky—almost live in a palace, with a dozen or even dozens of people serving him! Of course, we can’t compare Yu Qie to us, that’s unrealistic. Instead, we should compare him to writers from other countries.”

Gong Ying was shocked. One person needed dozens of servants? Was this a writer or a master? She asked, "Really? Is such a thing even possible?"

"Really! Little sister, you shouldn't be so uneducated. You're next to Yu Qie, you should at least read some books!"

Read some books!
Gong Ying remembered it.

Among these people, Gong Ying had the least formal education. Her older sister was a proper performing arts soldier; although she never did any manual labor, she was presentable and could speak English. Guzilinuer was one of the few actresses selected from across Xinjiang to study in the capital. Only she was the most ordinary, and because of her ordinariness, she sometimes resented geniuses like Yu Qie and her sister, who were born with everything going for them.

The Shanghai Film Studio allocated a special allowance to them, enough to buy food for Yu Qie and books for them to read. It was quite bizarre, but it really happened. Gong Xue exchanged the allowance for several of Yu Qie's books and brought them back for her younger sister, Gong Ying.

"Little sister, you should definitely take a good look at these books. They will surely be helpful to you!"

It was indeed helpful. Gong Ying gradually grew to like the character Cui Ping in "Lurking".

Cuiping was agile and a sharpshooter. Although illiterate, she was a heroine with a chivalrous spirit. Gong Ying took on this role, but her only complaint was that Cuiping actually liked Yu Zecheng.

It's utterly baffling that she even had a child. An intellectual like Yu Zecheng should be matched with someone like Zuo Lan or Wanqiu. Cuiping has her own revolutionary partner, and he certainly doesn't mind that she's illiterate.

Why did Yu Qie have to write it this way?

Gong Ying told Yu Qie about this idea. Yu Qie laughed heartily and instead said, "I should apologize to you!"

"What are you apologizing for?"

“My teacher, Ma Shitu, also criticized me. He said that a real guerrilla leader like Cuiping would definitely be both literate and skilled in martial arts. How could someone who can’t read a single word lead a guerrilla force? The proletariat is a self-awareness, a stance, not something that means being completely illiterate and not creating any wealth. On the contrary, it means surpassing others in every aspect. By the way, do you like a character like Cuiping?” “I like her. Sometimes, I think I am her.”

“Then I apologize to Cuiping. Cuiping is a heroine, much better than that little Yu Zecheng! You are also better than me. I’ve been relying on you for my food and other necessities lately. My editor, Zhang Shouren, is too old. Even though he came to Shanghai, he can’t help me with errands. This novel’s popularity is also thanks to you.”

Yu Qie's candid self-criticism left a deep impression on Gong Ying. She suddenly understood why Wang Anyi, the Shanghai bourgeois writer, described his feelings as "I have fallen deeply in love with Yu Zecheng." Perhaps, what Wang Anyi liked was not "Yu Zecheng" himself, but rather the writer Yu Qie, who embodied the chivalrous spirit of a cautious intellectual.

Given that the public believes that "Yu Zecheng" is a projection of Yu Qie's writing in the book, in short, Wang Anyi's declaration of love is actually for Yu Qie.

Wang Anyi is married, isn't this a public expression of affection for someone else?

Gong Ying then asked her older sister, "What do you think about this?"

Gong Xue said, "This Yu Qie is not that Yu Qie. Wang Anyi likes the writer Yu Qie who wrote 'Lurking,' not the real Yu Qie who gave her exam questions and graded her, the Yu Qie who lives next door to us."

Gong Ying pondered these words for a moment and said, "Sister, you're talking complete nonsense. These two people are the same person. Those are just excuses. If I were Wang Anyi's husband, once I understood this, I would slap her! I'd make sure this woman never has any more ideas!"

Gong Xue laughed so hard she was shaking: "I told you to read more books, but you just wouldn't! This is philosophy, this is critical thinking."

Gong Ying said, "What you're saying is all bullshit! If I were you, I'd be lying on Yu Qie's bed today, and no amount of talking would get rid of me. I guarantee things would be settled by tomorrow, unlike you who's spent two years pondering, doing philosophy, organizing book clubs, and in the end, you haven't accomplished anything."

Gong Xue immediately stopped laughing.

He worked for Yu Qie, and Gong Ying even received benefits in return.

Over the past two months, Gong Ying had gotten to know all the celebrities in Shanghai, and even some people in Beijing had come to know her as a minor actress. She learned that a TV series called "The Living Buddha Ji Gong" was about to be launched, and was recruiting actors. The director was Yang Jie, the female director who filmed "Journey to the West." As soon as "Journey to the West" finished, she would start filming this TV series.

The competition for this TV series was fierce; actors from all walks of life wanted to get on the show. Gong Ying wrote a letter of recommendation to Yang Jie, but it went unanswered.

She said, "I don't have a chance anymore. I'll never be like you, sister, who is beautiful, cultured, and loved by everyone." Gong Xue inquired everywhere about her sister's situation and accidentally learned that the director Yang Jie was a bit "clear-cut in her likes and dislikes," accepting those she liked without regard to principles and ignoring those she didn't like at all.

For example, director Yang Jie thought the actor who played the White Dragon Horse in "Journey to the West" was a handsome guy, so she paid him several thousand yuan in salary, but paid the Great Sage Sun Wukong only a few dozen yuan a month, which was almost the lowest in the entire crew. She tricked the Great Sage into acting hard, and the Great Sage couldn't get over it for many years.

Then, she remained a fan of Yu Qie's books.

Gong Xue encouraged Gong Ying: "Write another letter to Director Yang Jie. This time, you need to explain that you have a relationship with Yu Qie."

"What kind of relationship do I have with him? We're just errand boys..."

"Isn't this a relationship too? Just write it down. This year, there was a perfect score essay in the national college entrance examination, which was about 'My Brother Yuqie'... You should write it down too, it might be useful."

Gong Ying honestly wrote a letter, explaining that she had been running errands for the great writer Yu recently. Yang Jie replied incredibly quickly: "Once you've finished dealing with Teacher Yu, come to Beijing to report for duty. You'll definitely have a role in the TV series."

On the other hand, Yu Qie has already devised a plan to make Yu Zecheng "fake his death" and deceive everyone. This novel has now sparked a discussion about faith, with some pessimistically believing that "Yu Zecheng has already left us," but Yu Qie insists on making Yu Zecheng still alive in the story.

He often discussed the plot with Zhang Shouren.

Zhang Shouren asked, "How can Yu Zecheng escape? He needs someone to fully cooperate with him. You said that person is Station Chief Wu, but why would Station Chief Wu cooperate?"

Yu Qieze said, "Because Station Chief Wu knew from the beginning that Yu Zecheng was an underground party member."

Zhang Shouren wasn't surprised; the book contained many details illustrating this point. The reason Li Ya couldn't discover Yu Zecheng was a member of the underground Communist Party was because Li Ya, while efficient and decisive in his actions, wasn't particularly bright. Station Chief Wu, on the other hand, was a seasoned elite spy; he was perfectly capable of understanding this.

After all, after Li Ya's death, the intelligence station was deserted. If Yu Zecheng wasn't the underground party member "Deep Sea" (Yu Zecheng's later code name), was Station Chief Wu himself "Deep Sea"?

Zhang Shouren said, "If you want Station Chief Wu to help Yu Zecheng escape, then you need to add more scenes for Station Chief Wu and write out the arc of this character. And don't be afraid to write it too plainly, so that the reader can understand it clearly."

Yu Qie said, "That's exactly what I was thinking."

He wrote down some scenes from the original TV series *Lurking* that were never filmed. Whether Station Chief Wu knew Yu Zecheng was a spy in *Lurking* was a topic of debate among fans. There is some evidence to suggest that Station Chief Wu did know:

When Yu Zecheng was recorded by Li Ya and confronted Li Ya, mocking him for "not understanding the basic principles of recording," Station Chief Wu showed obvious bias, only wanting to pack his valuables and run away.

In 48, during the Liaoshen Campaign, one of the three major campaigns, the Kuomintang suffered a crushing defeat, and the country was in turmoil. Station Chief Wu called Yu Zecheng into his office and said, "I really want to make a mistake now. To be honest, I want to make a mistake (betray)!"

Yu Zecheng was eventually taken to Taiwan. Station Chief Wu specifically confiscated Yu Zecheng's gun, which made it all too clear—I know you're a member of the underground party, and I'm afraid you'll betray me.

When talking about his life beliefs, Station Chief Wu said to Yu Zecheng: "If a man doesn't look out for himself, he'll be doomed."

Station Chief Wu was now a larger version of Xie Ruolin. To him, the Kuomintang and the Communist Party were like two indistinguishable gold bars; he no longer cared about factions. He even hoped that Yu Zecheng was an underground party member, so that he would have a way out. In any case, he would never kill Yu Zecheng.

Otherwise, how would he conduct himself after the regime changed hands? Station Chief Wu didn't have direct ties to the underground party, so he had a way out.

At that time, even the secret agents in Zhazidong dared not kill underground party members.

If none of this proves it, then before filming wrapped, the actor playing Station Chief Wu made this request to the director: "I request that Station Chief Wu's role be changed so that he becomes an underground party member. At the very least, it should be made clear that Station Chief Wu knows Yu Zecheng's identity. Otherwise, it's completely inexplicable why Station Chief Wu hasn't dealt with Yu Zecheng."

In other words, by the end, even the actor himself felt, "How could I not know you weren't the undercover agent?!" After all, you killed off everyone in my intelligence station. Even someone playing Werewolf would know who the undercover agent was.

If you're not, then am I?
Therefore, Yu Qie drastically changed the ending. In the new ending, Yu Zecheng faked his death with the help of Station Chief Wu and went to the port to become the general manager of a trading company.

Upon learning from the radio that Yu Zecheng had "sacrificed" himself on the other side, Cuiping burst into tears. She named Yu Zecheng's child, left behind on the mainland, Yu Shenhai, because Yu Zecheng "loved reading" and valued culture. Cuiping also worked hard to raise Yu Shenhai. After growing up, Yu Shenhai was admitted to Yenching University and was assigned to Hong Kong as a diplomat. With the help of several mysterious patriotic businessmen, Yu Shenhai's diplomatic career went quite smoothly, and he imported a lot of urgently needed supplies and equipment for the mainland.

In the late 1970s, China began its reform and opening up. By 1984, Sino-British negotiations had concluded, and Hong Kong's return to China was a foregone conclusion, an inevitable trend. Those who had previously been operating undercover in Hong Kong began to play their cards openly. Patriotic businessman Huo Yingdong sponsored mainland athletes at the Los Angeles Olympics, and businessman Li Ka-shing invested in and established schools on the mainland… A group of overseas Chinese businessmen returned to the mainland to trace their ancestral roots and pay respects to their ancestors. Neither the British nor anyone else could stop this from happening.

Yu Shenhai was tasked with receiving a remarkably mysterious Chinese businessman. The businessman wore glasses, had an exceptionally kind face, and possessed the air of a high school teacher, returning from Hong Kong to his ordinary village. The closer they got, the more restless the man became. The businessman requested to visit the Yu family home. Yu Shenhai suddenly had a premonition, sensing that something was about to happen. His mother, Cuiping, was at a meeting at the Women's Federation and hadn't returned yet. Only Yu Zecheng's memorial tablet and the ashes of burned incense remained in the house. Today was the wedding day of Yu Shenhai's father, Yu Zecheng, and Cuiping, and also the day he "died in a car accident" in Taiwan more than thirty years ago.

In the morning, Yu Shenhai and Cuiping offered incense together.

Yu Shenhai saw this person smile, pick up a wisp of incense ash, and sprinkle it in front of his door, then suddenly feel extremely melancholy. When Cuiping arrived home, she saw the long-lost incense ash, trembled all over, and cried out in surprise. Years of peaceful life on the mainland had made Cuiping lose her vigilance as an underground party member; she hadn't seen incense ash in front of her door for many years.

"Yu Zecheng?"

"I will succeed!"

As soon as the door opened, Cuiping jumped onto Yu Zecheng. Yu Zecheng stroked Cuiping's hand and laughed, "Where are the calluses on your hands? You've become a little woman."

Cuiping said, "I haven't used a gun for decades! Where have you been all these years?"

"I'm back," Yu Zecheng said with a smile. "I've always been here."

(End of this chapter)