Against the Current Hong Kong 1979

Chapter 138 Before even going to America, I encountered the death knell (Please subscribe)

Jin Yong read the first chapter of "Ghost Blows Out the Light" several times before finally putting it down, still wanting more.

"Anzai, you're truly a prodigy."

Jin Yong savored the flavor, finding it increasingly delightful: "It's incredible that he could blend seemingly unrelated elements like educated youth, tomb raiding, folklore, archaeology, suspense, and the supernatural together to achieve such an unbelievable effect."

Lin Zhedong said, "Anzai is demanding a royalty that is one hundred dollars higher than Ni Kuang's."

Jin Yong frowned slightly, clearly feeling the pinch, but after considering it for half a minute, he gritted his teeth and said, "Give it to him."

Lin Zhedong looked up at Jin Yong in astonishment.

He had never seen his boss so agreeable since he joined Ming Pao.

Even with Ni Kuang, with whom they had a closer relationship, and Gu Long, whom they admired more, it took a long time of persistent pleading and cajoling for them to raise their royalties.

To my surprise, he agreed so readily today.

Lin Zhedong was originally thinking about how much he would have to use his words to persuade his boss.

"First, this novel is worth the price."

Meeting Lin Zhedong's gaze, Jin Yong smiled and explained, "Secondly, if we don't accept it, he'll definitely submit it to the Oriental Daily News. Boss Ma is a very decisive person."

The novel "Shanghai Bund" alone boosted the sales of the Oriental Daily by several thousand copies. If this novel were also serialized in the Oriental Daily, it would be a significant blow to our Ming Pao.

Hearing this, Lin Zhedong understood.

Jin Yong was actually considering the bigger picture; he preferred to spend more money to buy the novel rather than let it fall into the hands of his competitors.

Compared to royalties, Jin Yong clearly cared more about the survival of Ming Pao.

Jin Yong said, "Tomorrow, just put a 'GG' in the supplement and say that the 20 million big director will soon be serializing his epic novel in Ming Pao."

Lin Zhedong then said, "Should we also expose his royalties?"

Lin Zhedong nodded. He didn't say anything openly because he was afraid Ni Kuang would find out and start clamoring for a higher fee. He spread the word secretly so people would know that the novel was so good that even Jin Yong couldn't resist offering a high price.

After receiving instructions from Jin Yong, Lin Zhedong quickly called Zhang Shuai'an back.

Zhang Shuai'an was also somewhat surprised that Jin Yong actually agreed to the price he proposed, which was quite unexpected.

"We've decided to publish this book on the first of next month."

Lin Zhedong then asked, "Anzai, could you write a little more? We can keep some drafts on hand for future serializations."

"No problem." Zhang Shuai'an can now use his Star Points to redeem subsequent chapter content at any time, so he no longer needs to painstakingly copy them word by word.

"I'll be staying in the US for a while, but I'll make sure to give your company enough space for the serialization before I leave. Five chapters should be enough, right?"

Lin Zhedong said with a smile, "Five chapters are indeed enough, but you can never have too many manuscripts."

Zhang Shuai'an didn't respond to his comment. They chatted for a couple more minutes, agreed to sign the contract the next day, and then hung up.

Until noon.

Reminded by Yu Sijia, Zhang Shuai'an went out to attend Xu Dunle's luncheon.

"Can you drive?" Zhang Shuai'an turned to look at Yu Sijia.

Yu Sijia replied, "Yes, it's possible, but I haven't had it much."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Shuai'an abandoned his idea of ​​having her drive and instead called Ling Zhijian to drive them to the Southern Restaurant.

The reason for bringing Yu Sijia along was also to prepare for any unforeseen circumstances.

Upon arriving at the Southern Restaurant, he gave his name, Xu Dunle, and the restaurant manager personally appeared and led him to the VIP room upstairs.

Xu Dunle was already in the private room, and stood up with a smile to greet him: "Comrade Zhang Shuai'an, we meet again. You're very punctual."

Zhang Shuai'an also said, "Mr. Xu, it's an honor for me to personally call and invite me to dinner. Of course, I should give you face. Arriving on time is just basic courtesy."

Xu Dunle said with a smile, "This time it's not just you and me; I've also invited two friends over. They'll be here shortly."

"This is my personal secretary, Yu Sijia."

Zhang Shuai'an didn't ask who else was invited, but simply introduced Yu Sijia casually.

Xu Dunle simply smiled at Yu Sijia and politely said, "Nice to meet you."

Then, he sat down facing Zhang Shuai'an and Yu Sijia.

Yu Sijia naturally picked up the teapot and poured a cup of tea for each of them.

Xu Dunle picked up his teacup and said, "I'd like to explain something to you about the last time the theaters scheduled screenings."

Zhang Shi'an was indeed quite puzzled by this, so he looked up at him seriously.

"I originally planned to go in person to watch your directorial debut film."

Xu Dunle took a sip of tea, a helpless expression on his face: "Who knew that I would receive a call from an old boss the day before, asking me to return to Beijing immediately, so I missed it."

"We had meetings in Beijing for several days in a row, and there wasn't time to make any arrangements. So, following past practice and to avoid controversy, the deputy manager decided not to schedule the film."

After hearing the explanation, Zhang Shuai'an felt a little better and casually said, "That's not surprising, that's not surprising."

He then asked, "Old Xu invited me here today, surely not just to explain this matter?"

"Of course not." Xu Dunle didn't beat around the bush any longer and said directly, "When I was back in Beijing, I had someone check your family background, and we have some results now, which I was just about to tell you about."

Zhang Shuai'an raised an eyebrow, revealing a hint of displeasure.

"Don't be resistant; this is actually a good thing."

Xu Dunle gently comforted him, "You are, after all, a mainlander. When you achieve success and fame, you will eventually return home in glory. If you keep carrying that kind of stigma, you won't be able to get rid of the resentment in your heart."

He concluded by saying, "Besides, don't you want to know what kind of people your grandfather and father really were?"

Zhang Shuai'an had long ago discovered that his predecessor was not very clear about his own background.

All that is known is that the original owner's father was named Zhang Zhihui, a rural Chinese language teacher. Her mother was named Su Xuan, a native of Suzhou, and an actress in the local cultural troupe.

Zhang Shuai'an originally grew up in the countryside, raised by his grandmother alone, and never met his grandfather. His parents moved to Shanghai when he was seven or eight years old and never returned.

The next time I heard from them was when they fled abroad together. It was from that time that the original owner of this body was frequently bullied, which fostered a somewhat ruthless and impulsive personality.

Otherwise, he wouldn't have led a group of people to swim across the typhoon when it passed through.

Xu Dunle then began to talk about Zhang Shuai'an's family background: "Your grandfather's name was Zhang Bingfang. He used to be a liaison officer at the Huizhou Transportation Station. Later, he went to Shanghai to become a teacher at a vocational school. In 1948, he became a war correspondent and then sacrificed his life on the front lines."

"Your father, Zhang Zhihui, originally worked at the Shanghai Cultural Center, and later transferred to the Jiangsu Provincial Journal of Literature and Art as an editor."

However, he led an extremely chaotic lifestyle, indulging in pleasure, embezzling public funds, and having improper relationships with multiple women.

Two years ago, while on a group trip abroad, he left the group without permission and illegally stayed in the United States. However, news came from overseas Chinese communities there that he had been in a car accident earlier this year and died despite rescue efforts; his body was donated to a local hospital for medical research.

Zhang Shuai'an: "————"

What if someone dies in a car accident despite attempts to save them?

Could it be that it was killed by the kill threshold?