Writer 1978: I Need to Give the Literary World a Lesson

Chapter 413 Broadway Theater Seeks Cooperation

On the morning of July 30th, the women's volleyball team entered the stadium after receiving news of Xu Haifeng's victory. At 10:00 AM today, they will play their first match in the United States against the Brazilian women's volleyball team.

A total of eight countries participated in the volleyball competition, divided into Group A and Group B. Group A consisted of China, the United States, West Germany, and Brazil. Group B consisted of Japan, South Korea, Peru, and Canada.

After the group stage, two crossover matches will be held, followed by the semifinals and finals, with the top two teams advancing to the championship match.

Liu Yimin's seat was right behind the women's volleyball team's coaching bench, allowing him to clearly see and hear the coaches' tactical arrangements and the situation on the court.

Before the athletes even took to the field, the noise and music in the stadium were already mingling. Some people who had entered the stadium early, seeing Liu Yimin, smiled and extended their hands: "Comrade Yimin, welcome to watch the game. I'm from the Sports Commission."

"Hello, I look forward to seeing a great match," Liu Yimin said with a smile.

The other party whispered a few words to Liu Yimin: "The Brazilian women's volleyball team's skills and tactics are not good enough yet. They participated in the Olympics for the first time in 80, and this is their second time. With the strength of the Chinese women's volleyball team, there is no suspense in beating Brazil if they make no mistakes."

As the broadcast began, the scene gradually quieted down. The staff of the Sports Commission sat down in their seats, and Liu Yimin raised his camera.

The volleyball teams from both countries entered the court one by one. When Yuan Weimin walked to the coach's bench, he nodded slightly to Liu Yimin, and everything was understood without words.

The women's volleyball team members kept their eyes fixed straight ahead, their only focus on their opponents, the Brazilian team.

As the starting whistle blew, the audience's attention focused on the center of the court, where the players took their positions, and the referee tossed a coin to decide who would serve first.

"Great!" Liu Yimin shouted excitedly as the Chinese team took the first point.

Judging from the intensity of the match, although the Brazilian women's volleyball team is not as strong as the Chinese women's volleyball team, the score difference has never widened much.

Yuan Weimin kept giving the women's volleyball team tactical instructions from the sidelines. Seeing how closely the Brazilian women's volleyball team was keeping up, he couldn't help but feel anxious.

Fortunately, the first set ended with the women's volleyball team winning 15-13.

During the breaks when both sides were replenishing fluids and relaxing their muscles, Yuan Weimin made targeted tactical arrangements based on his observations of the Brazilian team in the previous game.

In the next two sets, the Brazilian team's stamina waned, and the score difference wasn't as wide. The second set was 15-10, and the third set was 15-11.

As the referee's whistle blew, the match ended, with the Chinese women's volleyball team defeating the Brazilian women's volleyball team 3-0.

Yuan Weimin wiped the sweat from his forehead, finally feeling relieved, and gave Liu Yimin behind him a thumbs-up.

Yuan Weimin invited Liu Yimin to the locker room to celebrate the first victory with everyone. Liu Yimin high-fived Lang Ping and the others, and said with a smile, "I wish you all the best in winning the next game decisively."

Lang Ping said, "I was a little nervous in the first game, but I'm sure I can play better next time."

"Comrades, it's not our fault today. The Brazilian women's volleyball team is indeed very strong. In the next match, everyone should give it their all and achieve good results again in the match against West Germany." Yuan Weimin kept encouraging the team.

The two then went outside, and the women's volleyball team members began to change their clothes. As the team members left the stadium, many reporters surrounded them for interviews.

In the afternoon, the United States played against West Germany. Except for the first game, which was somewhat suspenseful, the other two games were won decisively.

The West German women's volleyball team had not yet recovered from their defeat against the United States when they were thrashed by the Chinese women's volleyball team. Their total score of 14 points in the three sets was less than the score of a single set by the Chinese women's volleyball team.

Based on their strength, the West German women's volleyball team was undoubtedly at the bottom. However, surprisingly, in their match against Brazil, Brazil was defeated 3-0 by West Germany.

Brazil lost 2-3 to the United States.

Brazil's women's volleyball team has always had the strength, but they never achieved good results. It wasn't until the 08 Beijing Olympics that they finally defeated the United States to win the championship, while the Chinese women's volleyball team only won the bronze medal that year.

The Chinese women's volleyball team made great strides in the group stage, but lost to the United States in the last group match, casting a shadow over the championship battle for both fans and the team.

When the competition results came out, Liu Yimin was in his car on his way back to the hotel. He had just finished a book signing with Niki from China Book and Periodical Publishing House at the University of Southern California, and then went to the Chinese Literature Research Association at the University of Southern California to hold an academic conference with the professors from the association.

"Liu, do you think the American team or the Chinese team can win?" Nikki asked, looking at the exhausted Liu Yimin.

"The Chinese team will win the final victory."

Nikki shrugged noncommittally: "Personally, I hope Team America wins, but that's sports. What happens in the middle isn't important; the result is what matters most."

“Ms. Niki, the middle section is also important; it determines whether you can enter the finals,” Liu Yimin said with a smile.

“You’re right.” Niki didn’t say anything more, but gave Liu Yimin some time to rest.

Liu Yimin sat in the car with his eyes closed, resting, while the driver quietly turned off the radio.

At the hotel entrance, Nikki held Liu Yimin's hand and said, "Liu, tomorrow we're going on tour to the Black community. There are many Black communities in Los Angeles, and the Black people here are different from those in other communities. There are many artists here, and it's considered a relatively concentrated area for Black art activities. They are your largest audience."

"See you tomorrow," Liu Yimin said with a smile.

Back at the hotel, upon hearing the door open, Li Congren from next door immediately came out, smiling as he told him how exciting the match had been that day.

He went to watch a basketball game, and the intense physical contact on the court made Li Congren's whole body flushed.

Liu Yimin said with a smile, "You should go on the field and participate in the competition."

“If they want to choose me, I’ll definitely go,” Li Congren said shamelessly.

Later generations of public intellectuals said that Americans didn't value gold medals that much, and if they didn't value their athletes, why did they use various performance-enhancing drugs every day? They even used their influence in the Olympics to create their own whitelist of performance-enhancing drugs for their athletes.

Upon arriving at the hotel, Liu Yimin made a phone call to Coach Yuan Weimin, who laughed and said, "You're right, we should see who has the last laugh."

After hanging up the phone, before he could say more than a few words to Li Congren, Yu Jiajia called again, asking if Liu Yimin had any activities the next day, as she wanted to go with him.

"Reporter Yu, why aren't you covering the competition? Why are you coming to me?" Liu Yimin said.

Yu Jiajia laughed and said, "There aren't many interesting points in tomorrow's competition, so I don't think there will be much news to report. Besides, it's not like I'm the only one at China Youth Daily; it doesn't really matter if I'm not there."

"We're going on tour in the Black community tomorrow. If you want to come, we'll pick you up tomorrow."

"Okay." Yu Jiajia happily hung up the phone.

The next day, the convoy of the China Book and Periodical Press gathered downstairs. Liu Yimin told Niqi about Yu Jiajia, and Niqi instructed the driver to pick up Yu Jiajia from the Olympic Village first.

After getting on the bus, Yu Jiajia chatted familiarly with Niqi, asking her questions from time to time.

Nikki smiled and said, "Madam reporter, are you here to interview me?"

"Is that alright, Ms. Niki?" Yu Jiajia asked.

"Yes, you can ask me any questions."

Yu Jiajia asked about the sales and actual reviews of Liu Yimin's novels in the United States. Niki kept giving examples to tell Yu Jiajia how popular Liu Yimin was in the United States.

The gathering was held at the Tree of Life Baptist Church, a church in the Black community. On the street next door, Nikki showed Jiajia Yu and Yimin the tragic conditions the Black community had experienced more than a decade ago.

In 1965, a black riot broke out in Los Angeles. The National Guard's suppression resulted in more than 30 deaths and more than 1,000 injuries. The streets were scarred, and the horrors of that time can still be seen today.

"Simply because a Black man was driving under the influence of alcohol, it sparked such a large-scale riot?" Yu Jiajia found it unbelievable.

Liu Yimin said, "The relationship between blacks and whites is already tense. White police officers discriminate against blacks, and American police have the maximum freedom to shoot, which is different from our country."

A Black person could easily be shot if they make a careless move.

"Liu is right, relations are very tense. Due to a dispute between law enforcement and police, riots broke out in the Black community. Los Angeles became a sea of ​​fire, the streets were taken over by the National Guard, and signs on the roads read 'Turn left or get shot'..." This kind of scenario plays out repeatedly in the United States. Accidental killings, riots, suppression, and then the cycle repeats itself every few years.

“It’s unbelievable,” Yu Jiajia said.

Liu Yimin thought to himself, "Black people are so disorganized; they can quell their anger with just burning and looting. If they had a clear action plan and overall goals, they could really give white Americans a run for their money."

Yu Jiajia kept taking photos in the car. When they arrived at the church, there was already a large crowd of people standing outside to welcome them. They were all dressed in black suits and looked like the upper class among the black people.

Nicky introduced everyone to Liu Yimin, and a peculiar black man caught his attention. He had red cotton stuck to his body. Before Nicky could introduce him, Liu Yimin reached out and hugged him.

“This is Michel Basquiat, a graffiti artist and a neo-expressionist artist who is very famous in the United States,” Nikki introduced.

Michel Basquiat was adept at using words and various symbols to express mystery, religion, and to represent specific things. He liked to use cotton, soap, milk, and other materials to depict the history of racial oppression, and he had an anti-racist stance.

Liu Yimin believed that people who expressed emotions through mystery and incomprehensible language might have underlying mental health issues. Niki whispered that this person indeed suffered from paranoia.

Upon entering the church, Liu Yimin expressed his gratitude to them.

Basquiat said, "Professor Liu, I really like the religious style in your work. I think we are the same kind of people."

“Of course we are the same kind of people, we are all fighting for racial equality.” Liu Yimin smiled slightly.

Standing on the stage, Liu Yimin delivered another speech. This time, the audience was entirely Black, making the speech even more powerful.

"The development of America is fueled by the burning flesh of Black people, and the chariots that race around are filled with gasoline made from our blood."

The Black people in the audience were horrified when they heard this, and Basquiat clutched the blood-stained cotton in his chest.

"There is only one type of cotton in the world that is red, and that is American cotton!"

As Yu Jiajia listened to Liu Yimin's speech, her hands trembled with excitement as she held up her camera to take pictures. She vowed to write an article about it when she returned to China.

In the latter part of his speech, Liu Yimin discussed the relationship between literature and various art forms, demonstrating that different modes of expression are interconnected. He also pointed out that the development of painting art influences literature, and the modes of expression in literature influence musical expression.

Next, the event moved into an interactive segment, featuring performances by Black musicians and singing by others.

The pastor walked up to Liu Yimin and said that Liu Yimin was spreading hatred. Liu Yimin said, "If I say what you said, I think you probably won't be able to be a pastor here."

Hatred doesn't arise from nothing, just as this church wasn't built in a day.

Before the pastor could say anything more, Basquiat came over and told Liu Yimin to be careful to prevent anyone from harming him.

Basquiat muttered incoherently, "I'm surrounded by countless CIA agents every day, trying every possible way to murder me..."

Liu Yimin was startled. Basquiat's paranoia couldn't be taken seriously, but Márquez's visit to the United States was a real surveillance operation, and it was hard to guarantee that the United States wouldn't monitor him as well.

Liu Yimin took Basquiat's hand and thanked him for the warning, while subtly informing him that Márquez's visit to the United States had been monitored by the CIA.

"I will be careful." Liu Yimin held Basquiat's hand tightly.

The Black audience members present didn't particularly like Liu Yimin's "Beloved," but rather his "Green Book." Most of the Black attendees were artists themselves, and they deeply empathized with the experiences of the Black artists depicted in the book.

After the exchange ended, the group left the church.

The following day, an American media outlet broke a bombshell: when Gabriel García Márquez, author of "One Hundred Years of Solitude" and Nobel laureate in literature, visited the United States in 1962, he was subjected to 24-hour surveillance by the FBI, who also complained that Márquez's English was terrible.

The news quickly spread, and due to Márquez's influence, it began to be reported all over the world. When Márquez, who was engrossed in writing in Latin America, heard the news, his mind immediately exploded, and he immediately protested to the US government through the newspaper.

Marquez knew it was true the moment he saw the news, because his relationship with Cuba was well-known; he had even worked as a journalist for the Cuban news agency. And the relationship between the United States and Cuba was even more widely known.

While the FBI quickly denied the news, they also began investigating who had leaked it. The news report led them to investigate those who had access to the documents submitted by the agents.

During the Olympics, the United States was embarrassed by a scandal that left the US government extremely embarrassed. Fortunately, they were thick-skinned and continued drinking and dancing after the embarrassment subsided.

Liu Yimin took a break on August 4th and did not go out to participate in tours or autograph sessions. He had already visited many places in Los Angeles.

While resting, he wrote articles in the room, mainly promoting the return of cultural relics, introducing Chinese culture, and investment opportunities.

Nikki knocked on Liu Yimin's door and told him that Bond, the manager of the Broadway Opera House, and Miller, the playwright, were coming to see Liu Yimin.

"What are they doing here?" Liu Yimin wondered.

“They might have taken a liking to your script,” Nikki analyzed, and then explained to Liu Yimin the operating mechanism of Broadway, which is mainly run by the Broadway League, along with other Broadway-related associations, to manage the upstream and downstream of the theater.

"Bond was one of the managers. Miller, as a playwright, had a close working relationship with Broadway. His 'Death of a Salesman' was once a mainstay on Broadway."

"Then let them come!"

Nikki went out to make a phone call, and Bond and Miller came up together. Miller saw Liu Yimin, smiled, shook his head, and extended his arms to hug him: "Liu, welcome to America."

"Mr. Miller, I've heard you've been talking badly about me behind my back," Liu Yimin said with a forced smile.

Miller said hypocritically, "That's the media misinterpreting me. This is Bond, we're here to do you a cultural business deal."

Invite them to sit in the hotel's coffee shop, and Bond immediately explained his purpose: "Liu, we want to bring your script to the United States. I heard that 'Green Book' has already been shown in China, and I think it can be successful in the United States as well. As for 'The Favourite,' I wonder if you could adapt it and hand over the script to us for operation."

"The script for 'The Favourite' has already started rehearsals in China."

Miller couldn't help but ask when this happened, and Liu Yimin replied, "Before I came to the United States."

Who is the director?

"Lan Tianye and Gu Wei."

Miller was very impressed with Gu Wei and praised him, saying, "Gu is a good actor."

“That would be even better, Professor Liu. I believe both stories will be a great success, even a huge success, in the United States,” Bond said happily.

Miller said, "It could even win a Tony Award."

The Tony Awards are the highest honors in American theater and music, and the scope of the awards is strictly limited to plays performed on Broadway.

Broadway holds a special place in the American and even world cultural scene. It is a cultural icon of the United States, representing the highest level of American drama and musicals, and is even known as the "center of the universe of musicals".

“After we buy the rights to the play, we can act as your agent and operate your play across the United States, and we can share the profits,” Bond said.

Liu Yimin wasn't very familiar with Broadway, so Niki, who was standing next to him, helped him with the negotiations.

The first meeting didn't go smoothly, and Liu Yimin hadn't expected it to go so well either. He needed to do some research, otherwise he might suffer a great loss if he signed the agreement without fully understanding the situation.

After Bond and Miller left, Liu Yimin and Li Congren returned from watching the game, and the two began to look up relevant profit-sharing information.

“You can choose full profit sharing, or a copyright guarantee plus profit sharing.” Li Congren then contacted a lawyer friend, who explained it to him in detail.

As for which method is more favorable to Liu Yimin, we need to calculate it carefully.

(End of this chapter)