1994: I Became a Literary Master in America

Chapter 148 In-depth Discussion on Culture (1/5)

"Why did you suddenly decide to invest in my studio?"

Xu Shengjie glanced at Danny as he drove.

Danny Airo lit a cigarette and remained silent for a long time.

"Jeffrey, I'm 61 this year! Look at me, my hair is all white, I'm getting fatter and fatter, I have high blood sugar, heart disease, I'm riddled with illnesses—I started in this industry in '72, and I've been working in it for over 20 years, making a total of seventy or eighty films. You might think I'm doing well, but actually—I'm suffering inside!"

"Shut up and speak like a human being."

"Doing errands alone is too tiring, how about we team up?"

"How do we cooperate?"

"I'll invest in you—"

"Come on, I don't accept investments."

Xu Shengjie answered decisively, without the slightest hesitation.

Why?

"Do you know why I created this studio? Freedom! You get it now?"

I can write the stories I want to write, and make the movies I want to make—but if I accept investment from others, then I have to be responsible for them. Louis, I'm actually a very simple person; I don't want to live a life that's too tiring.

You don't want to live a tiring life, so you fucking wrote eight books in half a year?

Did they even make a movie?

However, this reason was respectable, at least preventing Dani Airo from feeling humiliated by being rejected.

"Then let's try another way, I'll work for you."

"what?"

"I don't need a salary. Just think of me when there are good projects."

"It's that simple?"

"It's that simple!"

Danny Airo said, letting out a long sigh.

"You are talented and amazing, so you don't need to worry about not having good works."

But I have to travel around a lot and can't get good resources. I may look glamorous, but it's only on the surface.

"Following you, at least I won't have to work too hard."

"You're 61, Louis. You're already 61. Why are you pushing yourself so hard?"

"What can I do if I don't fight? I have one wife, three mistresses, and six children."

To be honest, I've saved up a bit. But you know how it is in this society—one wrong step and you could be ruined. I need to earn more money to plan for my future.

"Hey, are you an Italian stallion?"

Xu Shengjie understood Danny's concerns about the cutoff line.

In fact, anyone living in the United States could potentially fall into the clutches of poverty.

Xu Shengjie didn't care about that; what he was more concerned about was how this guy managed to get along so well with one wife and three mistresses without any major problems.

This experience is very important; he never had it in his previous life.

"You don't know anything. As long as you have money, everything will be peaceful."

"Does it have no feelings?"

"Feelings? That stuff is worthless."

Dani Ayrault was feeling a bit down.

It's clear that he wasn't as happy as one might imagine.

Every mistress is a money pit, and you should never mess with your wife, or you'll end up bankrupt.

Moreover, it was clear from his tone that his relationship with the six children was rather lukewarm. If it weren't for a sense of responsibility, he might not even be paying child support.

This guy is a complete scumbag.

"Cooperation is no problem, but don't you already have a film called 'Two Days in the Valley'?"

"Boring, a terrible script." Danny lit another cigarette and said softly, "After filming Lola, I felt that the script was really boring."

"

"Then why did you introduce her to Sally?"

"Fuck you, how am I supposed to know you have an endless stream of inspiration?"

"hey-hey!"

Xu Shengjie lit a cigarette as well. "So you're not planning to take on 'Two Days in the Valley'?"

"Of course I'll take it! I've already signed the contract, and I'm the lead! The pay is pretty good, 300,000 yuan."

"Isn't this supposed to be a terrible movie? How come it has such a big budget?"

"The investment wasn't large, but the production company needed me to assemble a team."

"So your movie won't be—"

"Shh!"

Danny Airo chuckled.

Okay, I get it. This "Two Days in the Valley" project was just a money laundering scheme. I reckon the Dani family is involved—if Charlize Theron hadn't been so outstanding in her past life, this movie probably wouldn't have even made a splash.

But one thing must be admitted: Danny's connections are indeed very impressive.

He practically single-handedly recruited the entire cast and crew of "Lola".

Of course, Xu Shengjie relied on his professionalism to control the entire team, but without Danny's preliminary work, he wouldn't have had the opportunity to demonstrate that professionalism. The team that guy assembled was impeccable in terms of professionalism.

"Then it's settled. I'll ask you to be the producer for the next movie."

"deal?"

"Deal!"

Next, regarding the collaboration with Miramax, Danny will liaise with Jessica to complete the signing process.

But it won't be too soon, after all, Christmas is just around the corner.

Even if a contract is signed, it will most likely be completed after the New Year.

Meanwhile, Danny was preparing to submit "Lola" to the Cannes Film Festival and then wait for the selection notification.

But it has little to do with Xu Shengjie; his focus is still on the upcoming Tomb Raider project.

Tuesday the 20th.

Xu Shengjie successfully typed "END" on the manuscript.

He then printed out the manuscript, organized it, and put it away along with the illustrations before driving to Robert's office.

He and Robert had arranged to meet today.

Perhaps because Christmas is approaching, Robert looked very relaxed, as if he had already entered holiday mode.

He took Xu Shengjie's manuscript, flipped through two pages, and then put it aside.

"I'll appreciate it slowly when the holiday comes."

Is this novel also part of a series?

"Yes!"

"OK, to be honest, I'm not particularly sensitive to the judgment of these kinds of big books."

However, I will let my daughter read it; she is now an editor at Knoff and has a very professional eye for fiction.

"So, you've got someone to carry on the family line?"

"That's not true—Angela's love of books is far less than mine. Of course, this is related to the development of the times. When I was young, there were very few ways to entertain myself; besides books, there were only books."

But now————

Television, radio, all sorts of newspapers and magazines, and games —

There are too many choices! Angela would be a good editor, but she would definitely not be a good reader.

This is a change determined by the times, and no one can resist it.

Xu Shengjie wholeheartedly agreed.

"Alright, let's not talk about that anymore. I've inquired about the matter you mentioned."

That's WABC's flagship program. I'm quite familiar with George, so I called to ask, and he said 23.

This episode features many guests. John, Nai, and you are just three-twelfths of the guests. They also invited Danielle Steele, whom you should be familiar with; John Updike is a contributing writer for The New Yorker and an old friend of mine. He won't make things difficult for you and will even help you out with some problems.

And then there's Philip Roth, one of the leading figures in Jewish literature in recent years.

Susan Sangeta is a highly qualified book critic and a respected figure in the book review world; Don DeLillo is best known for his book "White Noise".

There was also a Broadway playwright, David Henry Hwang, and an actress from China.

Another one is Kristof and his wife, I think her name is Shery, who received the Pulitzer Prize in 90.

These two are freaks, but don't worry, you're American, they probably won't target you!

Robert rattled off a string of names.

After hearing this, Xu Shengjie frowned slightly.