Literary Master 1983

Chapter 317 How Heroes Are Created (Revised)
"Yu Qie, there's nothing else, I'm just waiting."

Yu Qie must now confront this problem.

On this Chinese National Day, Vargas Llosa's words echoed in his ears: "If you save a person and then ignore her, you are worse than Satan, because you have taken her from one hell to another."

Gong Xue is at least not my aunt or cousin...

But am I obligated to take responsibility for someone just because I pity them or saved them?
Yu Qie's feelings for Gong Xue were not love, or at least not entirely, as Gong Xue rarely saw him.

Writing "Lurking" in the dormitory of the Shanghai Film Studio was an experience. At that time, Gong Xue would bring a watermelon to visit Yu Qie and fill his fountain pen with ink. Yu Qie spent more time with Gong Xue's younger sister during that period, and they rarely entered each other's lives.

This is Gong Xue's biggest flaw: because she is beautiful, she likes to wait.

When she was filming "Under the Bridge," the director asked her about love. Gong Xue, who was no longer young, surprisingly didn't seem enthusiastic about her future marriage. Instead, she displayed a composure that seemed ahead of her time.

I can only choose what I like; otherwise, I'd rather have nothing than something bad.

This personality trait was evident when Gong Xue was pursued by a Chinese executive; she chose to run away rather than starve. It was also evident when she was pursued by Zhang Tielin; she immediately distanced herself from him. On the front lines of Laoshan, many young soldiers wrote letters of admiration to Gong Xue, but she still refused them.

Gong Xue encouraged the young soldiers on the one hand, and on the other hand, she repeatedly emphasized that "we are comrades-in-arms and should not let personal feelings get in the way," without saying a single polite word.

In other words, even if someone she doesn't like is about to risk their life for her, she will still keep her distance.

However, things were different when facing Yu Qie, and Gong Xue naturally did some things.

Gong Xue is a literary young woman, and Yu Qie is both her friend in real life and her soulmate.

The former brought Gong Xue closer to Yu Qie, while the latter made Gong Xue fall in love with Yu Qie.

Gong Xue had read the most of Yu Qie's novels, but she never mentioned it to Yu Qie; in this respect, she was even more reserved than Chen Xiaoxu. She organized a book club specifically for studying Yu Qie's novels, and as the president, Gong Xue never mentioned it.

However, when Yu Qie was in the dormitory of the Shanghai Film Studio, he always had watermelon to eat, always had a cool breeze, and his fountain pen always had ink in it, so he could write as soon as he picked it up.

All of this was done by Gong Xue without Yu Qie's knowledge.

Begging Yu Qie was her last resort; otherwise, she really would have let her life go on like this.

Yu Qie gleaned a lot from Gong Xue's words, "just waiting."

What are you waiting for?
What you're waiting for may never happen.

He said vaguely, "You already know my situation. If you think this is appropriate, I will take responsibility."

Gong Xue laughed and said, "You did nothing but help me, so what responsibility do you have to take? My distant cousin, in order to pursue me, tried to show off his qualities and implied to me that I couldn't do without him in America."

Yu Qie listened intently, and then Gong Xue said:
“I really can’t do that. I can’t be like Chen Cong, forming cliques, promoting myself everywhere, and starring in movies with no bottom line. I have some personal principles.”

“That’s a good thing,” Yu Qie commented. “Money isn’t everything.”

Gong Xue said, "It seems that's how it is in America; money is everything."

“Yu Qie, I told your name to that distant cousin, and he stared wide-eyed, didn’t say a word, and never bothered me again; this kind of thing has happened before, there was an actor named Zhang Tielin, and now he has fled to England... It can be seen that you can make a name for yourself quickly anywhere, but I am not like that.”

"I can only do one thing well right now."

He is actually a bit of a perfectionist. He broke his leg when he was a child and was ready to give up dancing. He was slandered and decided to give up his acting career. He felt that this person was worth admiring and decided not to get married and just wait.

This is precisely the part of Yu Qie's personality that makes things difficult for her; Yu Qie can't give her the kind of perfection she wants.

She herself realized this, so for the past two or three years, the two sides have maintained a distant relationship.

If this hadn't happened, we probably wouldn't be where we are today.

Among the Chinese actresses who went to the United States to develop their careers in those years, Gong Xue is a rare exception. She did not appear in any restricted films, nor did she ever criticize her motherland, even though she was genuinely hurt by rumors.

Yu Qie said, "What exactly do you want me to do? I can't be as perfect as you think."

He meant that his current situation did not allow him to have a major scandal. This might require Gong Xue to make sacrifices, which was unnecessary.

Qian Zhongshu has always criticized Lu Xun because he felt that Lu Xun did not do well in this regard; however, Qian Zhongshu himself did not do well either, as he was suspected of having an overly close relationship with one of his female students, who even argued with Qian Zhongshu's wife.

This is quite interesting because Qian Zhongshu had a great fondness for visiting courtesans when he was young. Later, he denied it.

But these two women he met in middle age strangely did not speak ill of Qian Zhongshu, thus fulfilling Qian Zhongshu's moral fastidiousness.

Thus, Qian Zhongshu maintained his reputation in matters of the heart throughout his life, or at least that's how he felt.

Wang Meng and his wife had a very good relationship. They spent the years of being sent to the countryside together, treating each other with respect. It was a well-known story in the literary circle.

However, after his wife passed away, Wang Meng found a new partner in a very short time (reportedly after knowing each other for only fifteen days), and this person looked remarkably like his wife.

Some people believe that this would damage Wang Meng's reputation: Your wife treats you so well, if you don't say "three years of mourning", you should at least wait three months.

Wang Meng, in a fit of despair, said, "There's nothing I can do; I'm a person too."

This will definitely damage Wang Meng's image.

That's how absurd the literary world is; a person can be a saint one moment and turn into the opposite the next.

The reverse is also true.

Gong Xue understood Yu Qie's dilemma and said, "Then let me be your closest comrade-in-arms, your best fan, and a friend who has received your kindness."

Oh, so this is what it means to be a "confidante"?
This is something only artsy young women would say: if you can't be number one in the race of being a wife, then go to another race.

Yu Qie agreed for the time being.

But he hadn't truly accepted the relationship; he vaguely felt that it needed to be tested by more experiences.

Moreover, it's impossible for Zhang Li not to know.

If Zhang Li doesn't accept it and has to choose one of the two, the outcome is inevitable.

In the following days, Yu Qie unusually did not go out to attend the salon, nor did he discuss this topic with Gong Xue again. He stayed in his room reading.

Major newspapers and periodicals frequently publish press releases about book review association awards, discussing which authors are eligible to win. They rank authors based on factors such as their fame, literary merit, and sales, with media professionals holding voting rights making the final vote.

This is why this award can be manipulated: it is essentially a marketing-driven award.

Whoever has the larger page size is more likely to win an award.

Many media professionals don't read books; they just parrot what others say and vote for whoever is more famous.

It's not easy for Chinese people to get into the pages, but once they do, they can easily stand out.

The production team of "East Wind Prevails West Wind" had no idea that American awards were won in this way before. Yu Qie's efforts broadened their horizons, and they realized that Americans also value connections and personal connections.

"Damn it, all crows are black!" someone cursed.

Spaniard Carmen has become a frequent guest on this documentary recently because she speaks candidly about the truth of Western awards.

Carmen is a Spanish woman who rose from poverty, and her powerful public relations skills played a crucial role in the miracle of her Latin American literary contingent winning five Nobel Prizes (plus the future ones). "On the streets of Barcelona, ​​even selling a piece of fruit, you had to bribe the police and cultivate relationships with key figures; what I saw on the streets taught me how to conduct myself, and I still benefit greatly from it now that I have achieved my current status."

Carmen said that the Nobel Prize is the same; today we are just testing the waters for the next twenty years. "When Márquez won the Nobel Prize in Literature, I tried to bribe almost every Swede."

"Paying bribes doesn't guarantee you'll win the award, but it's absolutely impossible without doing so."

This documentary continues to reveal truths that were previously unknown to the Chinese people.

By now, Yu Qie has essentially secured the Book Critics Circle Award. This is because the investigation into Neruda's death in Chile has entered its second phase. In the first phase, medical researchers from multiple countries discovered that Neruda had indeed been injected with some kind of toxin before his death.

The news made it to major media outlets, and the name "Yu Qie" was frequently mentioned.

Aside from the awards, Gong Xue and he acted as if nothing had happened, greeting each other whenever they met.

But how could nothing have happened?

After discovering that Yu Qie was reading, Gong Xue found a way to buy Yu Qie several best-selling books on the market, and reported her reading progress to Yu Qie, coming over every day.

"To Kill a Mockingbird," "The Old Man and the Sea," "Gone with the Wind"...

These are all popular traditional American novels.

This wasn't unusual in the literary world; what was unusual was the attitude Gong Xue adopted. She asked Teacher Yu for advice like a student, and after several attempts, Yu Qie couldn't help but explain and guide her.

"To Kill a Mockingbird reflects the issue of racial inequality. The book's popularity in mainland China is not due to its content, but rather because of its catchy title..."

"The Old Man and the Sea is a masterpiece."

"The Great Gatsby? You buy that kind of book? You're not Daisy (pure vanity), reading this won't do you any good."

"Gone with the Wind? That book is not worth mentioning. It's just a woman's rant."

Yu Qie is like someone who has just entered the hall of literature, pointing and commenting on all the heroic spirits in the long river of time.

The film crew captured this scene.

It's nothing once or twice, because Yu Qie's room door is always open, and anyone can look for him.

Gong Xue has come far too often.

A young member of the crew of "The East Wind Prevails Over the West Wind" said, "Teacher Yu is facing a test. What should he do?"

Mu Qing criticized, "What did you see?"

“I saw that Gong Xue often came to see Teacher Yu, and they seemed to be quite close.”

“No, you’re talking nonsense,” Mu Qing said.

This person then changed his story: "I saw actress Gong Xue often coming to see Teacher Yu to discuss literary issues."

"That's still nonsense."

The man suddenly realized, "Oh, I see, I didn't see anything."

"That's right!" Mu Qing nodded at this point.

However, the rest of the crew understood and deliberately avoided filming when Gong Xue came to find Yu Qie, at which point Mu Qing flew into a rage: "Why aren't you filming?"

"Didn't you, boss, tell us not to film?"

“I’m just saying, you didn’t see anything, but it…” Mu Qing pointed to the camera, “it should have been recorded.”

The film crew suddenly felt they had performed a duty akin to "historians." If you watched their documentary, Yu Qie was undoubtedly a great hero; but if you looked at all their footage, you would find that Yu Qie had many shortcomings.
Stubborn; domineering; overly competitive... and now he's not perfect in relationships either.

Finally, Chinese photographer Liu Xiangcheng also noticed that although Yu Qie was very enthusiastic towards everyone, he genuinely smiled at Gong Xue.

How could you not be happy when a beautiful woman looks at you with adoration?

Liu Xiangcheng took some photos. Mu Qing came to negotiate with him: "You've become famous because of Yu Qie, you won't publish these photos in the newspaper, will you?"

“Yu Qie did nothing; this is something that inevitably happens to any writer,” Liu Xiangcheng said.

"What do you mean?"

"Hemingway had four marriages in his life, and he frequently had extramarital affairs, but it wasn't all driven by physical desires. He fundamentally craved the approval of others, to the point that he was almost pathological. Even if the whole world praised him, it wouldn't be enough! He tirelessly expressed his opinions on everything, always full of fighting spirit!"

"Hemingway even went so far as to spout nonsense to the president, praising communism extensively!"

Liu Xiangcheng added, "During Hemingway's lifetime, people were mindful of his reputation as a Nobel laureate in literature and deliberately ignored the details. After his death, these details were revealed."

Oh, so Americans sometimes can't see and sometimes can't see.

Mu Qing immediately realized the vulnerable side behind the "heroic" figures. This was the source of their fighting power, but also their weakness; it was two sides of the same coin.

Therefore, he developed a creative desire and thought of people like Yu Zecheng in "Lurking". Yu Zecheng was "soft-hearted but not tough" all his life, which made him the most popular red spy image in China.

Because people realized that this steel warrior had a human heart.

Isn't that exactly what Yu Qie is like?

Behind his legend, Yu Qie is becoming less and less like a living person. He is somewhat idealized and perfect. If we could film the side of Yu Qie as an ordinary person, would that further enhance his image?
In mid-October, the American Book Critics Circle Awards were announced: unsurprisingly, Yu Qie won the award.

Bookseller Harper held a grand celebration for Yuche, and Native American writer Momadi led his fellow Native Americans in taking off their hats to salute Yuche and presenting him with a gift—an eagle feather.

When Yuche placed the feather in his hair, he saw the old Native American man shed tears. The old man invited Yuche to jump into the Mississippi River in the Native American settlement.
This is a traditional Native American custom of showing respect to guests. Native Americans believe that inviting guests to bathe in the river is a sign of respect, and the more they bathe, the more respect they show to the guest.

This sounds a bit bizarre, but of course, if you refuse to jump into the river, the Native Americans will do the opposite of respect. They will turn against you.

The Mississippi River was too far; Massachusetts, where Boston University is located, has the Charles River. During a salon organized by Boston University, Harper deliberately stripped down to his underwear and then jumped into the river with Momadi, who was in his fifties, and an Indian.

"Kacha!"

Reporters on the shore were taking pictures, and the Native Americans were ecstatic.

Yu Qie is indeed our compatriot, a descendant of the legendary Yin-Shang dynasty. Could it be that thousands of years ago, we were truly one family?

Many Chinese people no longer do these things; they are very concerned about their influence. But Yuqie still carries the most primal blood of that land.

The CCTV production team has become numb: Yu Qie did everything they thought he shouldn't have done, and the results were excellent.

Yu's leap led to his book being accepted by Native Americans. According to bookseller Harper, "You get a lot of attention from Native Americans during your trip to Colombia. Because Colombians are of mixed Native American and white descent. There used to be tens of millions to a hundred million Native Americans on this continent...they were very influential."

"So how much is left now?" Yu Qie asked.

"Now there are only a few million left."

(End of this chapter)