Living in the bubble economy of Tokyo, I became a literary giant through lotteries.

The next morning, Guan Gufeng was woken up by a cat's paw.

Little Flower had somehow learned to stomp on his face with her paws. Her soft, cool paw pads were just the right amount of force to pull him out of his sleep without making him angry.

"Alright, alright, I got it."

He yawned as he got up and walked to the cat food bowl. Sure enough, it was empty. Little White was squatting next to it, silently accusing its owner of negligence with its eyes.

Guan Gu Feng bent down to fill the two cats' food bowls and changed their water. He watched them munch away before turning to wash up.

I had just finished washing my face when the phone rang in the living room.

Not many people know this number, so the person calling at this inconvenient time is probably not asking for anything.

Guan Gufeng wiped the handle, walked to the coffee table, and picked up the receiver.

"Hello, this is Guan Gufeng."

"Good morning, Mr. Guan Gu." A strong voice came from the other end of the phone. "This is Hayao Miyazaki. I apologize for bothering you."

Guan Gufeng's hand holding the receiver froze.

Hayao Miyazaki.

The significance of this name in the history of Japanese and even world animation needs no embellishment.

Just last year, his film "My Neighbor Totoro" won twenty-four awards, including the Best Director Award at the 13th Hochi Film Awards.

That adorable gray creature became Japan's national pet almost overnight.

"Castle in the Sky" and "Spirited Away" are classics that he has watched countless times in his previous life.

This is a true animation master, a living legend.

"Mr. Guan Gu?" The voice on the other end of the phone sounded a little doubtful.

Guan Gu Feng snapped out of his daze and quickly replied, "Yes! Hello, Miyazaki-sensei, I'm Guan Gu Feng."

"Your call was such a surprise, I didn't react for a moment, I'm so sorry."

Hayao Miyazaki laughed heartily a few times, his tone amiable: "It's alright, it's alright, I was being presumptuous. It's like this, I've read your 'The Twelve Kingdoms' and I'm really interested in it."

"Especially your portrayal of the female protagonist, I saw many different things in you. I was wondering if you had some time to come over and sit down, and we could chat?"

Guan Gufeng held the receiver, a strange and indescribable feeling welling up inside him.

The fact that Miyazaki Hayao himself saw the book I wrote and even called to invite me to chat felt even more unreal than when I first learned I had won the award.

"Of course I have time; it would be my honor."

Miyazaki gave him an address and told him not to be shy, it was just a simple chat.

Guan Gufeng agreed to everything, and after hanging up the phone, he stood by the phone in a daze for a long time.

"Meow." Little Flower walked up to his feet at some point and tilted her head to look at him.

Guan Gu Feng squatted down and said earnestly to Xiao Hua, "Miyazaki-sensei invited me to his studio for a chat."

Xiaohua blinked.

"Never mind, all you need to know is that he's a true master." Guan Gufeng rubbed the cat's head and stood up.

He took a shower, shaved his beard, and changed into a pressed light blue Oxford shirt with a beige trench coat over it.

He looked at himself in the mirror, nodded in satisfaction, and before leaving, he gave the two cats plenty of cat food and two cans of food.

"Guard the house, I have something important to do today and can't take you guys with me."

After settling his family affairs, Guan Gufeng took the elevator downstairs and got into the black van that was already waiting in the parking lot.

"Uncle Kitamura, go to Kichijoji in Musashino City, Studio Ghibli."

Kitamura's eyes widened slightly for a moment, then returned to normal.

From Roppongi to Kichijoji, the scenery along the way transitions from high-rise buildings to low-rise houses, and the air becomes fresher.

This is a rare area in Tokyo that has retained some of its old-world charm, with tall beech trees lining both sides of the street.

The car eventually stopped in front of a white villa covered in ivy. The building was inconspicuous and blended into the quiet residential area around it.

Only the unassuming wooden sign at the entrance, bearing the words "Studio Ghibli," hints at its extraordinary status.

The Studio Ghibli will move to Koganei City in a few years, but for now, this studio that has nurtured countless animation classics still resides in the warm and gentle land of Kichijoji.

"Uncle Kitamura, find a place to rest. I'll contact you when I'm done."

Guan Gufeng walked along the path into the courtyard. Before he even reached the main gate, he saw two people sitting on a wooden bench in the front yard. One of them was holding a book called "The Wind's Thousand Miles, the Sky of Dawn".

One of them was Hayao Miyazaki.

He wore a light-colored work shirt with a brown work vest over it, his signature black-rimmed glasses perched on his nose, and his hair was somewhat gray.

This outfit makes him look like a character straight out of an animation, a wise and slightly stubborn old craftsman.

Sitting next to Miyazaki was an elderly woman with short, whiter hair than Miyazaki, wearing red-rimmed glasses, and a peaceful face.

Guan Gufeng looked at the old woman and felt that she looked very familiar, but he couldn't remember her name for a while.

He walked over quietly, hesitating whether to disturb him, when Miyazaki Hayao, as if sensing his presence, looked up from his book and pushed up his glasses.

Upon seeing Guan Gufeng, he broke into a warm smile and waved the book in his hand.

"Mr. Guan Gu, come and sit down. These coffee beans just arrived today, have a taste."

Guan Gufeng quickly walked a few steps and sat down on the rattan chair next to Miyazaki Hayao, taking the coffee cup handed to him with both hands.

"Thank you, Miyazaki-sensei." He took a sip of black coffee.

It's so bitter.

Hayao Miyazaki smiled and gestured to the elderly woman beside him, saying, "Let me introduce you, this is Ms. Eiko Kadono."

Guan Gufeng was slightly taken aback. He immediately compared the face in his mind with a familiar cover on the bookshelf and finally understood why it looked familiar.

Eiko Kadono, the original author of "Kiki's Delivery Service," is a leading figure in Japanese children's literature.

Kadono Eiko smiled gently at Guan Gufeng's slightly reserved manner as he bowed and greeted her, waving her hand to indicate that he didn't need to be so polite.

"Mr. Guan Gu is truly young and promising. Don't be nervous. I came here today simply because I couldn't get your new book at the bookstore, so I came here specifically to read it here."

She waved the copy of "Shadow of the Moon" in her hand, which had clearly been passed around by several people, with a hint of childlike pride in her voice.

Hayao Miyazaki put down the book in his hand, leaned back, and his eyes behind his glasses shone.

"Mr. Guan Gu, I really like your portrayal of Yoko." He got straight to the point, "You wrote a very solid story about how she grows from a timid, disciplined female student into a queen who dares to face thousands of enemies."

"So, I'm curious about something: what were your thoughts when you were creating this red-haired girl?"