Against the Current Hong Kong 1979

Lin Zhedong nodded, turned around and left.

Ni Kuang suddenly became a little anxious and said to Jin Yong, "Mr. Cha, I think this manuscript..."

"Well written!" Jin Yong put his glasses back on and interrupted Ni Kuang with a smile. "It's better than the first manuscript you submitted back then."

Ni Kuang was immediately speechless, because what Jin Yong said was true.

However, he was always arrogant and refused to admit that he was inferior to others, so he said, "This article does not seem to be the work of a newcomer, and it is not suitable for the current style of Ming Pao."

Jin Yong simply smiled and said, "Style can be adjusted. Ming Pao has never been fixed on publishing only one style of novel."

Ni Kuang was completely speechless now, and could only wonder who the author of "Shattered Void" really was.

Two minutes later, Lin Zhedong came up with a young man who looked to be around twenty years old.

Not only was Ni Kuang surprised, but Jin Yong also showed a rare look of astonishment.

The young man was tall and handsome, wearing an ordinary white shirt. The shirt was a bit loose, and the cuffs were rolled up twice, but he exuded a calm and elegant temperament that made people feel close to him.

"This is Zhang Shuai'an, the contributor," Lin Zhedong introduced, pointing to the young man, while preparing to introduce Jin Yong and Zhang Shuai'an.

Zhang Shuai'an preemptively greeted them: "Mr. Jin Yong, Mr. Ni Kuang."

In Hong Kong, it's not surprising to recognize Jin Yong's face, as he frequently makes newspaper headlines and many of his photos have circulated online.

Not many people recognize Ni Kuang. Although he became famous in the 1960s, he didn't like to show his face in public. It wasn't until the late 1980s, when he started appearing on television programs, that his appearance became widely known.

"You know me?" Ni Kuang was genuinely surprised. "Have we met before?"

Zhang Shuai'an shook his head: "I've never seen him before, but I think that to be able to be so casual in Mr. Jin's office, it must be either Gu Long or Ni Kuang. Gu Long is in Taiwan, so you can only be Ni Kuang."

"Hahahaha." Ni Kuang couldn't help but burst into laughter, then said, "But you're still wrong. Actually, I am Gu Long."

Zhang Shuai'an stared at Ni Kuang for a few seconds, then shook his head: "If you are Gu Long, then I'm very disappointed."

"Why is that?" Ni Kuang asked, a puzzled look on his face.

Zhang Shuai'an replied, "Because I heard that Gu Long was born with a head as big as a bucket, and your head is not big enough, nor does it look like a bucket."

"Hahahaha," Ni Kuang, who always loved to laugh, was now even more amused and couldn't stop laughing: "You're quite interesting, kid. I'll introduce you to Gu Long when I have time."

At this point, Jin Yong finally spoke up and asked, "Did you write the manuscript?"

Zhang Shuai'an nodded: "Yes!"

Jin Yong then asked, "How old are you this year?"

Zhang Shuai'an said, "Nineteen years old."

The office fell silent for a moment. Both Lin Zhedong and Jin Ni were somewhat surprised. They had expected Zhang Shuai'an to be in his early twenties, but they didn't expect him to be under twenty.

Ni Kuang was stunned for a couple of seconds: "Handsome, you're really nineteen? You're not kidding, are you?"

"No. It's genuine, I have an ID card," Zhang Shuai'an replied with a smile.

Jin Yong quickly accepted that there are actually quite a few people in this world who are exceptionally talented.

He then asked, "How long did it take you to write this novel?"

Zhang Shuai'an casually made up an answer: "I conceived it for three years, but wrote it in just half a month."

"You mean, you had this idea when you were fourteen?" Ni Kuang was even more astonished, finding it hard to believe.

Zhang Shuai'an lied without the slightest guilt, a skill he learned from picking up girls: "I used to read Jin Yong's novels, as well as those by Huanzhu Louzhu and Zhao Huan. When I was fourteen, I had a dream that depicted the ending of that book, and I kept trying to figure out how to achieve the 'breaking through the void' in my mind. I didn't have the means to write it down before, but recently I came to Hong Kong and wanted to earn some royalties, so I wrote it all in one go."

"Huh?" Ni Kuang caught the implication in Zhang Shuai'an's words: "You said you just arrived in Hong Kong? Did you swim here?"

Zhang Shuai'an nodded without hesitation: "Yes. I went to stay with relatives here and am currently living in Chungking Mansions."

"Hahaha, so you're in the same boat as me. I also came here illegally."

Ni Kuang laughed again. "However, my experience is more exciting and bizarre than yours."

This man's story is truly legendary. He was actually a fugitive; after joining the army, he was assigned to Inner Mongolia to oversee labor camp inmates. One day, the temperature plummeted to tens of degrees below zero, and their dormitory ran out of coal. He had a sudden inspiration and chopped down some trees nearby for firewood. Later, he was reported for damaging public property and was soon investigated. Knowing the seriousness of the situation, he forged an official seal, first heading north and then south, passing through Guangzhou to Macau, and finally smuggling himself into Hong Kong. In Hong Kong, he worked odd jobs. While reading a newspaper, he saw a novel and cursed, "What kind of rubbish is this? I could do that too!" So he started writing novels. And he actually made a fortune through writing.

Zhang Shuai'an had seen some videos online before, in which Ni Kuang recounted this experience with a rather smug expression.

Zhang Shuai'an didn't have any particular likes or dislikes towards Ni Kuang himself; he just thought the novels Ni Kuang wrote were not good.

Jin Yong's opinion of Zhang Shuai'an improved even further. Smuggling himself across the border is no easy feat, and his ability to adapt quickly, find his own way out, and demonstrate his considerable talent made him worthy of being mentored.

"I'll take the manuscript." Jin Yong considered for a few seconds, then said, "Although this manuscript is of very high quality, you are, after all, a newcomer, so the price I'm offering won't be too high. I can only give you forty yuan per thousand words."

Ni Kuang felt a pang of anxiety upon hearing this. When he was a newcomer, he only earned ten yuan per thousand words for writing articles for the Xinbao newspaper. Even after he became famous and was invited by Jin Yong to contribute to the Ming Pao newspaper, he initially only received eighty yuan per thousand words.

This newcomer, a true newcomer, received a staggering 40 yuan per thousand words from Jin Yong right off the bat—a rare occurrence and arguably the highest payment among all new writers.

"When can the follow-up manuscript be submitted?" Jin Yong asked.

Zhang Shuai'an replied, "This manuscript is a relatively short piece, with a total word count of only 150,000. The manuscript I submitted this time has more than 60,000 words, and I can finish the remaining words in the next week or two."

This figure was derived after careful consideration, leaving him with enough capacity to meet the needs of serialization.

Although Ming Pao is a daily newspaper, the short stories in its supplement are not serialized in a single story until the end; instead, three stories are serialized in rotation. These 60,000 words are enough to last for a month.

"Okay." Jin Yong picked up a pen, signed a few words on the manuscript paper, and handed it back to Lin Zhedong. "Arrange the layout, and start serialization next week."

Lin Zhedong took the manuscript: "Yes."

Jin Yong then looked at Zhang Shuai'an: "Write well. If the response is good, we can consider publishing it as a standalone book."

"Thank you, Mr. Cha." Zhang Shuai'an was not actually very satisfied with the price of forty per thousand words, but since money was not his main purpose, he naturally did not object.

Jin Yong, of course, noticed Zhang Shuai'an's dissatisfaction and said with a smile, "It's not uncommon for newcomers to be talented and arrogant, but they still need to be tested by the market. How about this, I'll personally write a recommendation for you, are you satisfied now?"

"Thank you for your high regard, Mr. Jin." Zhang Shuai'an was truly satisfied now. His primary goal in submitting articles to Ming Pao was to become famous as soon as possible; the payment for the articles was secondary.

Ni Kuang suddenly said, "I can also write a recommendation article for you, but I always charge for my writing."

Zhang Shuai'an replied, "Then I can only disappoint Mr. Ni's kindness."

Ni Kuang didn't mind and still laughed heartily.

Jin Yong glanced at Ni Kuang, shook his head slightly, and then said to Lin Zhedong, "Give this young hero Zhang an advance of 1000 yuan in royalties. Take it and use it first."

Zhang Shuai'an thanked him again, then turned and followed Lin Zhedong downstairs.

After the door closed, there was a moment of silence in the office.

Ni Kuang spoke first: "Mr. Cha, this young man... is not simple."

"It's not simple," Jin Yong said calmly, picking up the report again. "But it's a good thing for us. Newcomers bring vitality to the industry."

Ni Kuang pursed his lips, thinking: I've got the energy, but it'll probably be even harder for me to raise my royalties.

downstairs.

Zhang Shuai'an received a check for 1,000 yuan from Lin Zhedong, which was something he hadn't expected.

According to Lin Zhedong, payment for manuscripts is never paid in cash; it is always written by check, and the author has to collect it from the bank themselves.

Zhang Shuai'an left Ming Pao with the check.