Against the Current Hong Kong 1979

Chapter 137: The groundbreaking novel "Ghost Blows Out the Light" (3rd update, please subscribe)

With Zhilin present, Zhang Shuai'an and Zhong Chuhong couldn't act too intimately.

I was originally planning to find an opportunity during the day, even if it was just a fleeting moment, to give it a try.

Unfortunately, both Cherie Chung and Rosamund Kwan had filming during the day and went to the set early.

Zhang Shuai'an could only have some morning tea at a nearby shop. He thought to himself that he should find an opportunity to get his driver's license, or hire a full-time driver like Jackie Chan.

After having morning tea, Zhang Shuai'an returned to the company, where Yu Sijia, who had just been promoted to secretary the day before, had already prepared hot tea for him.

As she brought the tea over, she reported to the manager, "Boss, Mr. Xu Dunle just called."

Zhang Shuai'an couldn't help but wonder why Xu Dunle was calling at this time.

I invited him to watch the preview screening of "Chasing Girls" before, but he didn't come himself. Instead, a director from the left wing came instead.

In the end, the director didn't offer any insightful opinions after watching it.

Neither Shuangnan Cinema Line nor Zhang Shuai'an was given any film roles.

Now, his movie "Chasing Girls" has finished its theatrical run. He suddenly contacted me again; I really don't understand.

Suppressing his doubts, Zhang Shuai'an asked, "What did he say?"

Yu Sijia replied, "He said he wants to invite you to lunch today at the Southern Restaurant. If you agree, just reply to him before nine o'clock."

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"Then please reply for me."

After considering it for a moment, Zhang Shuai'an nodded and said, "Just tell them I will be there on time."

"Okay." Yu Sijia took out a small notebook and wrote down Zhang Shuai'an's words.

Yu Sijia continued, "Mr. Lin Zhedong, the editor-in-chief of Ming Pao, also called to inquire when you will start a new serialized novel?"

After a moment's thought, Zhang Shuai'an said, "Well, call Editor-in-Chief Lin later and then bring him into my office."

"Received." Yu Sijia wrote it down again.

Zhang Shuai'an looked at her, puzzled: "Do I have to write this down? Can't you remember it?"

"Of course not," Yu Sijia replied earnestly. "This is called keeping a record of my work. If you ever ask me what happened that day, I can give you a reasoned answer, instead of vague terms like 'probably,' 'maybe,' or 'perhaps'—to avoid misunderstandings."

"Is there anything else?" Zhang Shuai'an was quite satisfied with her various arrangements and responses.

"No more for now." Yu Sijia flipped through her notebook and shook her head.

"Okay, then that's all for you." Zhang Shuai'an waved his hand at her.

Yu Sijia smiled sweetly and bowed slightly to Zhang Shuai'an: "Boss, call me if you need anything."

Zhang Shuai'an glanced down at the white, shimmering waves and couldn't help but marvel at her undeniable advantage, which made him instinctively want to take a sip and see if it was real or not.

Fortunately, Zhang Shuai'an has a good sense of self-control and at least won't do anything like workplace sexual harassment.

Zhang Shuai'an returned to his office and had just finished processing some documents when the office phone rang.

He picked up the receiver casually, and the voice of Lin Zhedong, editor-in-chief of Ming Pao, immediately came through.

"Brother Zhang, you're really a busy man! I tried calling your office several times but couldn't get through!"

Lin Zhedong burst into laughter: "I called you first thing this morning, and I finally caught you."

Zhang Shuai'an asked, somewhat knowingly, "What's the matter that Editor-in-Chief Lin is in such a hurry to see me about?"

Lin Zhedong chuckled twice, then said with a hint of teasing, "Brother Zhang, please stop teasing me. I contacted you naturally to ask you for a manuscript. 'Shattered Void' has been finished for quite some time now; have you thought about your new book yet?"

Zhang Shuai'an immediately began to complain to himself, "I've been so busy lately. You know, 'Chasing Girls' was released in two theaters, and I had to keep an eye on each one. Then I started a company—all sorts of messy things. I'm so busy I'm dizzy. I haven't had much time to write novels!"

"The movie 'Chasing Girls' is indeed a hit, it has grossed over 20 million at the box office." Lin Zhedong's tone was not without envy. He then advised, "However, you can also make money by writing a lot of novels. Nobody would complain about making more money, right?"

Besides, you also opened a section in the Oriental Daily News, and it sold quite well.

"We've had a long-standing relationship, there's no reason not to write about it in Ming Pao."

This is the real reason why Lin Zhedong called personally.

Zhang Shuai'an understood Lin Zhedong's meaning, and he immediately asked, "However, Mr. Cha has always been stingy, and I'm afraid he won't accept the price I offer."

"Then you name a price first, and I'll talk to the boss." Lin Zhedong was clearly well-prepared.

"Alright, I won't ask for more."

Zhang Shuai'an considered it carefully for a moment, and then said, "How much is Ni Kuang's royalties? I'll just give him a hundred yuan more."

"This—" Lin Zhedong was stunned for a moment, not expecting Zhang Shuai'an to ask for such a high price.

You should know that Ni Kuang is currently the highest-paid author in Hong Kong, bar none.

Even though Ming Pao had been holding back Ni Keng's royalties and hadn't raised them much, Ni Keng would make a fuss every year, and then Jin Yong would give him a small raise. Now, Ni Keng's royalties had increased to over 600 yuan per thousand words.

Ni Kuang's short stories in the Oriental Daily and other newspapers even reached 1,000 yuan per thousand words. His novels also approached 800 yuan per thousand words.

Zhang Shuai'an has only written one article so far, titled "Shattered Void".

Those in the industry can guess what the story of the novel "Shanghai Bund" in the Oriental Daily is about.

However, Zhang Shuai'an's current fame far surpasses that of Ni Kuang.

Even though his fame is due to his movies, many viewers will still buy his books out of habit.

This is actually quite similar to the fan economy of later generations.

Those celebrities clearly have incredibly high salaries, often earning millions or tens of millions per film, yet they also run online stores, sell merchandise, and publish autobiographies.

Essentially, it comes down to this: for some celebrities, it's a loss if they don't try every means to monetize their fame.

"I can talk to the boss about it, but I need to see the manuscript of your new book first," Lin Zhedong also made a request.

Zhang Shuai'an nodded and said, "That's fine. I just finished writing a chapter for my new book recently, I'll have you send it to the newspaper!"

"Well, you've been prepared all along. You're waiting for the right offer."

Lin Zhedong chuckled and teased, "You're clearly waiting for me to speak first."

Zhang Shuai'an said directly, "The editor-in-chief of Oriental Daily News, Mr. Xu, is also very sincere. If it weren't for the previous favors from Ming Pao, I would have given the manuscript to them long ago."

After hanging up the phone, Zhang Shuai'an casually called Yu Sijia over and instructed her, "Have someone send this manuscript directly to Ming Pao and give it to Editor-in-Chief Lin Zhedong."

"Okay." Yu Sijia took the manuscript and left quickly.

She took a file folder, bound the manuscript, and put it inside. Then, she called over an employee and asked him to drive the manuscript to Editor-in-Chief Lin of Ming Pao.

In less than an hour, the manuscript was delivered to the editorial department of Ming Pao.

Lin Zhedong personally accepted the manuscript and hurriedly returned to his office.

I opened the file bag and took out the manuscript inside.

Upon seeing the title, he was immediately stunned: "Ghost Blows Out the Light"?

Then he saw: "Volume One [Dragon Ridge Caves], Prologue————"

The very first paragraph stunned him: "Tomb raiding is not sightseeing, not composing poems, not painting or embroidering; it cannot be so elegant, so leisurely, so sentimental, so focused on heaven, earth, ruler, parents, and teachers. Tomb raiding is a skill, a skill of destruction—"

He read the prologue and the first chapter in one go, and was completely stunned.

What the hell is this novel?

"fear?"

"Suspense?"

"The supernatural?"

"adventure?"

"reasoning?"

"archeology?"

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'

It seems to have a little bit of everything, yet it also seems to be none of them.

Lin Zhedong has been working as an editor for many years and has read all sorts of strange and unusual novels.

This novel, "Ghost Blows Out the Light," completely stunned him. At first glance, it seemed similar to Ni Kuang's "Wesley" series.

But after reading the first chapter, he was certain that this novel was far superior to Wesley.

In particular, the old-fashioned storyteller's tone in the writing, and the subtle folk atmosphere, are incomparable to Ni Kuang's style of constantly talking about aliens.

Lin Zhedong's intuition, honed by years of editing experience, instantly kicked in; he believed this novel would definitely set a trend.

At the same time, he also vaguely sensed that publishing this novel would pose some risks.

After much deliberation, he still couldn't make up his mind, so he went upstairs to ask Jin Yong for advice.

"Cha Sheng, you asked me to urge Zhang Shuai'an to finish his manuscript. He sent over a draft today."

Lin Zhedong knocked on Jin Yong's office door and said directly, "However, after reading it, I really can't make up my mind, so I would appreciate your guidance."

"What new stuff has Anzai written that you find difficult to handle?" Jin Yong, wearing his reading glasses, raised his head slightly: "Bring it here, let me take a look."

Lin Zhedong immediately handed over the manuscript.

Upon seeing the title, Jin Yong frowned, thinking it was a ghost story in the style of "Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio".

Then, after reading the introduction, he felt something was off and couldn't figure out what Zhang Shuai'an's story meant. Was it really about tomb raiders?

But when he read the main text, he was stunned again.

Is it a story about educated youth sent to the countryside?

I've heard that there's a literary trend like this in mainland China recently, called something like "Scar Literature".

Besides popular literature, Ming Pao also collected traditional literature, but Jin Yong couldn't imagine what Zhang Shuai'an's traditional literature would look like!

After reading the first chapter, Jin Yong realized he had worried too much; Zhang Shi'an certainly wouldn't write the kind of conventional, traditional literature.

However, this book, "Ghost Blows Out the Light," is indeed somewhat difficult to evaluate.

"Anzai has such big ambitions," Jin Yong murmured as he gently closed the manuscript. "He clearly wants to create a new genre of novels."

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