1978 Synthetic Writers

Chapter 383 Time Magazine

It is inevitable that "Simulation Science Fiction and Reality" will arouse public outrage.

This is the same principle as playing Go.

You can make a basic move, a clever move, or a common move.

But you can't raise your hand.

Similarly, you can say that a novel is of low quality or poorly written, but you cannot deprive it of the honor and awards it deserves just because it discriminates against Asians.

There is no way to convince the people, so naturally they are outraged.

And at this critical juncture, the paperback edition of "The Hunger Games" published by HarperCollins Publisher was released.

Originally, HarperCollins Publishers planned to delay the release of "The Hunger Games" by at least one month.

But because of this incident, HarperCollins responded very quickly:

Publish now!

In the eyes of anyone with a discerning eye, this is a huge business opportunity.

You can't force those who oppose "Simulation Science Fiction and Reality" and support "The Hunger Games" to buy the magazine just to read the novel.

Isn't this a black-and-red thing? You can criticize as you please, but our magazine's sales are going up, and it's a sure-win business.

With the single volume of "The Hunger Games", this contradiction and entanglement was instantly resolved.

Moreover, it seems to be intended to completely overwhelm "Simulation Science Fiction and Reality".

After the release of the single volume of "The Hunger Games", HarperCollins Publishers launched "The Hunger Games 2: Girl on Fire".

Yes, the second part!

This is undoubtedly a bombshell.

The "Creator Award" event was already moving in a direction that was away from the novel.

The release of the second part instantly brought the focus of this matter back to the novel "The Hunger Games" itself.

Lucian from "Simulation of Science Fiction and Reality" has had his head exploded recently.

Ever since the scandal at the Creator Awards spread, he has been criticized by all sectors of society.

There are other science fiction magazines, science fiction writers, TV stations, those working on racial equality, and Chinese people fighting against anti-Chinese sentiment. There is even feminism!

God.

Lucien was numb.

Those women never read science fiction! To them, science fiction is a boring genre that makes them fall asleep after reading three lines. Why are they so enthusiastic about it now?

Shet!

In short, the scandal of discrimination against Chinese people in "Simulation Science Fiction and Reality" has aroused strong dissatisfaction among readers and even some employees of "Simulation Science Fiction and Reality".

Since it has caused public outrage, someone must naturally be held responsible.

One morning, Lucien submitted his resignation, announcing his resignation, and then came to the office with a box to pack his things.

"Hi, Lucien." Editor Creedon came over.

"Creeden." Lucien raised his head and greeted him.

Creedon's face was calm. "Don't get me wrong. I'm not here to say goodbye to you. In my opinion, you deserve this fate."

"Oh, come on." Lucien shrugged helplessly. "Man, it's too hurtful to speak so directly."

"I have something more hurtful to say."

Creedon took out a book from his arms and put it in Lucien's box.

Lucian glanced over.

The Hunger Games: Girl on Fire.

"Is this a parting gift?"

"I'm just telling you that The Hunger Games has topped the New York Times bestseller list again, the second installment."

Creedon pointed at Lucien and said, "You know what? Lucien, this novel was originally supposed to be published by us! But because of you, all this is because of you. Your vision is outdated, or it has never been right. You don't understand what a good science fiction novel is."

"."

Creedon left after he finished speaking. Lucien took the book in his hand, looked at the title page in silence for a while, and finally put it into the organized storage box and moved it away with his things.

After returning to his residence, Lucien first greeted the children, then hugged his wife, and finally sat down in the study alone, feeling lonely.

He idly arranged the things in the box in the study, and finally took out the book, "The Hunger Games: Girl on Fire".

Lucien flicked his fingers across the cover and opened the novel.

The title page reads:

"The Hunger Games will never end. The burning girl's arrows will ignite, and the sparks will spread like wildfire."

After the title comes the main text:

"The steam from the tea in the pot had already dissipated into the cold air, but I still held the pot tightly in my hands. My muscles were tense because of the cold. If a pack of wild dogs came to attack me, I would definitely not have time to climb up the tree and would be torn to pieces by them.

I should have stood up and stretched my stiff limbs, but I just sat there, motionless like a rock.

It was already dawn, and the surrounding trees were already faintly visible. I couldn't fight the sun, I could only watch it drag me into the day little by little, and the coming day was what I had been dreading for several months.

Lucian quickly became absorbed in the story.

The second part follows the first part. The 74th Hunger Games has ended, and Katniss and her "lover" Peeta unexpectedly survived.

However, the nightmare had just begun.

Dark waves are surging in the twelve districts, and Katniss has become a symbol of rebellion.

At this critical juncture, in order to stabilize his comrades, the President launched the 75th Hunger Games "Century Extreme Games".

Unlike in the past, the contestants this time are the winners of previous Hunger Games.

As one of only three winners from District 12, Katniss had to return to the competition.

".Sweetheart, dinner is ready."

"Just come."

In response to his wife's call, Lucien put down the novel with mixed feelings.

He read the novel in its entirety in one breath.

After reading it, Lucien seemed to see the author Jiang Xian’s true cry between the words on the paper:

End injustice and tyranny!
Honestly speaking, Lucien had a hint of malice in his heart at first, hoping that Jiang Xian's "Burning Girl" would ruin the reputation of the first part and then be criticized by readers, so that he could also taste what he had been experiencing these days.

However, after reading the whole thing, Lucien couldn't help but sigh that this novel was in no way inferior to the first one.

"Is there no end to Jiang Xian's imagination?" Lucien was surprised.

In the eyes of many people, the first part is the pinnacle of imagination.

But the second part not only connects seamlessly with the previous one, but also makes breakthroughs on this basis.

Even Lucien couldn't help but praise the design of the Time Roulette Arena as brilliant.

The arena is divided into 12 areas, corresponding to 12 time zones. There is a hidden logic: every hour, different areas will produce their own specific threats, such as poisonous fog, mutant monkeys, blood rain, and floods.
more importantly.

The story level of the second part is further improved.

The protagonist Katniss begins to think about her own life values ​​and beliefs, and grows into a charismatic and leadership figure. At the end of the novel, Jiang Xian throws out the concept of a "hidden District 13".

This seems to mean that there is still a sequel to this novel.
The first two films have already created such brilliant results.

Lucien couldn't even imagine how excited readers across America would be when the third volume of the novel was released.

Then he felt deep pain again.

Because as long as the novel "The Hunger Games" is glorious, he will be nailed to the pillar of shame and face endless attacks and criticisms.

Jiang Xian counted his savings.

The royalties that HarperCollins paid him in advance, and the two scripts from MGM, all added up to a huge sum of more than 600,000 US dollars in his account.

Agent Marshall told him excitedly, "In less than half a year, Jiang, you will be among the ranks of millionaires."

Jiang Xian was also looking forward to this scene, but unfortunately he was about to return to China and would not be able to witness it with his own eyes.

Jiang Xian has no plans to bring this savings back to China for the time being.

It would be terrible if I brought it back home.

If all of them were exchanged for overseas remittance coupons, including food coupons, rice coupons, and oil coupons, even if Jiang Xian's family ate to their heart's content, they probably wouldn't be able to finish them even in three or four lifetimes.

What's more, in about ten years, these tickets will be nothing more than waste paper.

However, it is a bit difficult to open an account in the United States with his identity. It is feasible, but the procedures are cumbersome.

Jiang Xian thought about it and decided to temporarily deposit his savings in the name of a prestigious and close friend of his before returning home.

——Ms. Nie Hualing.

A world-renowned Chinese female writer, translator, and candidate for the Nobel Peace Prize.

No matter how he thought about it, Jiang Xian felt very relieved to let Nie Hualing help keep the money.

And Nie Hualing’s husband, Angel, is also very capable.

You know, Nie Hualing and her husband Ingres almost pay out of their own pockets to invite so many writers from all over the world to participate in the "Writing Plan" every year.

The International Writing Program is a huge expense of hundreds of thousands of dollars each year and has been held for so many years.

It is conceivable that this couple certainly did not come from a poor family.

Jiang Xian temporarily gave the money to Nie Hualing, and after a while he asked Marshall to find a way to open an account for him and deposit the money in his own name.

"What are these people doing?"

That morning, Jiang Xian went to buy a plane ticket back home. On the way back, he saw people and cars driving in the same direction, and the pedestrians were all wearing yellow and black clothes.

Yellow and black are the colors of both the Iowa City emblem and the University of Iowa emblem.

As we went further, the closer we got to the stadium, the more cars and pedestrians there were, almost forming a river.

"Why are there so many cars in the United States?" Zhu Lin exclaimed.

The traffic jam was still very shocking to those people from China.

"Each of their families has one or two cars, of course it's too many," said Jiang Xian.

At the corner leading to the playground, there were several students standing, holding up a banner with a few words written on it.

Zhu Lin was a little curious, "Jiang Xian, what's written there?"

"I think the general meaning is to ask the passing cars to honk their horns when passing by here to show their solidarity and support for the team."

"It seemed like the whole city went to watch the game."

"Football is a part of American life," Jiang Xian said.

“It’s rare to see Americans playing soccer.”

"The football I'm talking about is not the football that you kick, but the American football that you hold, which is called rugby in China."

It is said that only 3% of people in the United States like football, which has turned the United States into a football desert. Americans would rather go fishing than bother to grab a football to play with.

In the evening, Jiang Xian and Zhu Lin went to see a movie together.

"Jiang Xian, why don't you not go? I'm worried about the child." Zhu Lin was full of worries.

Jiang Xian patted her on the shoulder and consoled her, "It's okay, our mom is with Xiao Niannian."

Having said that, Jiang Xian couldn't help but worry about his daughter.

With a baby, a couple’s world of two is gone forever.

The two people sat in the cinema, both of them were a little absent-minded, but when the pictures appeared on the screen, their attention was gradually drawn there.

The movie is called "Singin' in the Rain", one of America's national treasures.

This is also a classic movie produced by MGM, starring Gene Kelly.

You all know Jim Carrey, the famous dancer, not the Jim Carrey in "The Truman Show".

"Singin' in the Rain" is a movie he directed and starred in.

In the screening room, every time Gene Kelly's name appeared on the screen and after each of his dances, the audience couldn't help but applaud him.

"This man dances really well." Even Zhu Lin couldn't help but admire him.

In "Singin' in the Rain", Gene Kelly is young, handsome, nimble and full of energy.

He is very popular among Americans, and the applause at this moment is the best proof of this.

"It seems that Americans are not all so utilitarian and heartless, only remembering the present and forgetting the past." Zhu Lin sighed.

Jiang Xian did not object. "They will also use a lot of emotions to remember a person, but the problem is that this person must have a good reason to exist in other people's memories."

Zhu Lin listened to his words, smiled and nodded.

“What writers say is profound.”

"."

Jiang Xian smiled and looked at the screen. Gene Kelly was enjoying dancing in the rain alone. Even though he was soaked all over, he was still enjoying the relaxing Broadway dance feeling.

It is said that this scene took 7 days to shoot. The crew used hundreds of gallons of water to maintain six hours of artificial rainfall every day. When Jim Kelly was shooting this scene of dancing in the rain, he had a high fever of nearly 40 degrees.

This is the old artist.

The attitude towards art always inspires respect.

No wonder people miss him.

I heard that on the day Gene Kelly died, American TV stations broadcast the obituary during prime time.

There was not a single word in the obituary that summarized his life or reviewed his achievements.

The TV station simply played the entire segment of Gene Kelly singing and dancing alone in "Singin' in the Rain" and then put up the subtitles "Gene Kelly died today."

After watching the movie, the couple walked home together, snuggling up to each other.

I thought it would be a romantic journey, but Jiang Xian always felt strange along the way, as if passers-by were always looking at him intentionally or unintentionally.

Thinking it was because of the special Oriental face, Jiang Xian didn't take it too seriously.

It was not until he returned home and Wang Anyi handed him a copy of Time magazine that Jiang Xian understood what was going on.

The cover shows him holding up three fingers at the Creators Awards, with the caption:

"Shameless rules will be pierced by sharp arrows!"

(End of this chapter)