1978 Synthetic Writers

Chapter 520, "Contemporary Era," has been restyled for you!
Haiyan's suspicions lasted for about half a day.

After reading "The Playboy," he felt relieved and was also convinced.

Although Hai Yan's representative work is "Plainclothes Policeman", and although he served in the army and worked in the public security, and looks like a tough guy, in reality, Hai Yan is not like that.

Wang Shuo once said that he was "a sheep in wolf's clothing".

Haiyan appears to be a tough, straight man, but deep down he is incredibly tender.

Look at what he wrote after "Plainclothes Policeman".
"Never Close Your Eyes" is a poignant and beautiful detective love story that is incredibly moving and unforgettable.

Then came "A Romantic Affair", "Your Life Is So Passionate", "What Can Save You, My Love", and "Jade Goddess of Mercy".
None of them are unrelated to love.

As for its literary merit, opinions will vary. In any case, his works are mainly film and television productions, and generally speaking, they are quite popular.

Therefore, it was impossible for Hai Yan, after reading "The Playboy," not to develop a fondness for this novel.

"Oh, it's you."

Before the manuscript could be returned to Hai Ma, it was intercepted by He Qizhi, the editor of Contemporary.

He Qizhi was also a renowned editor. In 73, he found Chen Zhongshi pushing a bicycle on a street corner in the suburbs of Xi'an and persuaded him to write a novel.

Later, in 92, Chen Zhongshi wrote him a letter saying that he had finished writing a novel, and that he had even died in that novel, which was "White Deer Plain".

"What are you busy with? Any good articles lately?"

"Old He, you've come at the right time."

As soon as Hai Yan saw He Qizhi, he couldn't help but recommend the novel "The Playboy" that he had just read.

"It's exceptionally good, exceptionally well-written, a rare gem of a manuscript, really, otherwise I wouldn't have recommended it to you."

Whose novel is it?

He Qizhi was somewhat tempted by what he said, shook off the snowflakes, put down his bag, and sat down.

"Jiang Xian".

"Cough cough cough."

He Qizhi quickly put down his water glass. "Where is it? Let me see it quickly."

"here."

He Qizhi took the manuscript, first looked at the title, and confirmed that the author was indeed Jiang Xian. Moreover, the handwriting of the manuscript was just as legendary, with free and unrestrained characters, slightly reminiscent of the "Slender Gold" style. Every stroke was meticulous, not only showing the charm of traditional calligraphy but also expressing a unique personal style.

After reading the names, He Qizhi looked at the manuscript and was quickly drawn to the words on the paper, becoming engrossed in them.

When he looked up again, it was nearly evening.

The setting sun poured down the sky like molten gold, dyeing the clouds a brilliant orange-red, and gradually sank below the horizon. A gentle afterglow shone through the window and onto He Qizhi's face, giving off a unique radiance.

Haiyan did nothing all afternoon but sit with He Qizhi and read the manuscript.

Seeing him raise his head, he quickly leaned over and asked:
"How do you feel?"

He Qizhi was momentarily dazed before he came to his senses. He sighed and held the manuscript of "The Playboy" in his hand. "The program has finished airing today. Wow, it's really well written. All those dramatic scenes in the beginning, and the ending is beautifully done. It's truly a work worthy of Jiang Xian."

He Qizhi's praise gave Hai Yan a sense of shared understanding and joy. "I wasn't wrong, was I? Jiang Xian's manuscript is exceptionally good!"

"Has he already commissioned this article?" He Qizhi quickly asked Haiyan.

"This"

Haiyan slapped his forehead.

How could I forget about this?

He's used to being a helpful person, and he'll recommend any good manuscript to various magazines. As a result, he has a wide network of connections in Beijing's literary circles, and everyone thinks he's a qualified and reliable elder brother.

Today, Haiyan forgot that the author of this novel was Jiang Xian, and instead, out of sheer curiosity, recommended it to He Qizhi.

For someone else, submitting a manuscript might be difficult; they would have to beg the magazine to get it accepted.

But if it were Jiang Xian, it would be the other way around, and the magazine would have to kneel down and call him grandpa.

Moreover, he is the editor-in-chief of People's Literature. Wouldn't he give good manuscripts to his own people first?
"I don't know. I didn't have time to ask when I got the manuscript."

"Then I have to go."

Where to go?

Haiyan glanced at his watch. "It's getting late. Let me treat you to dinner."

"I'm not eating. I won't go to the Kunlun Hotel even if it's just for dinner today."

While putting on gloves, He Qizhi kept shaking his head, "I need to find Jiang Xian as soon as possible and get this article published in our magazine, Contemporary."

"It's so late."

Haiyan glanced at the sky and said, "Why don't we go get something to eat first, and then we can go over tomorrow?"

"Too late! Too late!"

He Qizhi didn't stop moving at all. "If it were tomorrow, the line of people asking for articles outside his house would probably stretch from Tuanjiehu to Zhongshan Park."

"Is it that exaggerated?"

He Qizhi put the hat on his forehead and straightened it. "You still don't understand the literary world. Otherwise, you would know that my statement is conservative."

There's a reason why He Qizhi is in such a hurry.

Their publications, along with "Contemporary," "Harvest," "Flower City," and "October," were known as the "Four Great Masters" of modern literary journals.

Jiang Xian's representative works were published in three publications: Harvest, Flower City, and October.

Harvest was probably the first among them to commission Jiang Xian's manuscripts. Jiang Xian's "The Browning Lychee" was published in this magazine, and later he also wrote "The Moon Shines on Copper Coin Street" and "Rock-a-bye, Rock-a-bye to Grandma's Bridge" and many other works.

"Huacheng" is the magazine in which they have collaborated most frequently with Jiang Xian recently. Jiang Xian's previous major novella, "Variations Without a Theme," was first published in this magazine.

Once published, the novel caused a sensation, like a boulder thrown into a lake, creating huge waves. Readers were extremely enthusiastic about reading it, and the discussions it sparked in the critical circles were also long-lasting.

Not long ago, He Qizhi had seen Su Chen, the editor-in-chief of "Huacheng" magazine, once. Because of the magazine's high sales, the old man's wrinkles had become much less.

As for "October," one book, "Wreath at the Foot of the Mountain," is worth a hundred novels!
Not only did it appear as a float representing the arts and culture sector at the National Day parade two years ago, but it also entered the public eye nationwide.

Not long ago, the Ministry of Education's newly revised sixth set of textbooks also included this novel.

A publication that can publish such a piece is a glorious achievement that can be kept as a treasure.

Looking at it this way, the four great Dan operas, "Harvest," "Flower City," and "October," all have intricate connections with Jiang Xian.

On the contrary, their magazine "Contemporary" should have had the opportunity to publish one or two of his articles long ago, given the relationship between Jiang Xian and the People's Literature Publishing House.

But for some unknown reason, they always seemed to miss out on Jiang Xian's project, "Contemporary".

Even now, despite having already established his position in the literary world, there is still no first publication by Jiang Xian in their magazine, "Contemporary."

This is too embarrassing!

A writer who has achieved his status, a writer who has been recognized by the entire Chinese literary world.

He has not published any works in your publications.

This is not a disgrace to him.

It is a disgrace to this publication.

It's not that he lacks ability.

Rather, it's that this publication lacks quality.

So there's a good reason why Ho Kai-chi is in such a hurry.

He first went back to the Humanities Press and found Li Jingfeng. He knew that Li Jingfeng and Jiang Xian had a good relationship, and he wanted Li Jingfeng to act as a middleman for him.

Li Jingfeng couldn't very well refuse.

After all, the People's Literature Publishing House and "Contemporary" are essentially the same company. "Contemporary" is their publication. If "Contemporary" wants to solicit articles, then the People's Literature Publishing House, as the elder brother, can't very well refuse to help.

“Okay, I’ll take you to his house, but do we have to go now?” Li Jingfeng asked.

He Qizhi nodded firmly, "It has to be now, not a moment's delay." The weather in the capital tonight wasn't good. Although the sunset was warm and inviting, it was just an illusion indoors.

The strong wind outside made it feel so cool.

Especially after sunset, the north wind whips up snow, slapping it against your face and making your hands feel like they're being pricked with needles. You can't even hold onto the bicycle handlebars properly, and you have to switch hands every now and then to blow on them.

Li Jingfeng was extremely frustrated.

But I also know that commissioning articles is a big deal.

He persisted, pedaling his "28" manganese steel bicycle all the way to Tuanjiehu with He Qizhi. He had previously come here to warm Jiang Xian's house and knew where they lived.

Take the elevator up.

He Qizhi glanced at Li Jingfeng and said first, "Let me knock on the door."

"Row."

"Dong dong dong."

The door was quickly pushed open, and the warmth that rushed in made Li Jingfeng and He Qizhi wonder if it was still winter.

"Comrade, who are you looking for?" The woman who opened the door was very beautiful. He Qizhi recognized her. She was Zhu Lin, a movie actress who had acted in "The Bustling City" and "Shaolin Temple".

But what impressed Ho Kai-chi the most was the Queen of the Women's Kingdom in the TV series "Journey to the West" which aired a few months ago.

Whoops.

There are many people who criticize "Journey to the West," some saying it was poorly made, others saying the director and screenwriter were incompetent.

Nobody has any criticism of the actors.

Zhu Lin, in particular, is like a fairy.

"Comrade Zhu Lin," Li Jingfeng greeted He Qizhi from behind.

"It's Jingfeng." Zhu Lin's face lit up with surprise. "And this is..."

"This one?"

"Hello, Comrade Zhu Lin. My name is He Qizhi, an editor at Contemporary." He Qizhi introduced himself.

"Hello, editor of *Contemporary*? I know, you're looking for my partner, right?"

"Yes."

"Please come in."

Zhu Lin turned around and greeted Jiang Xian, then invited He Qizhi into her home.

As soon as He Qizhi entered the room, most of the stiffness and coldness in his body dissipated. He felt as if he were enveloped in sunshine, and he couldn't feel a single cold breeze penetrating his body. It was very warm, just like the dormitory at Tsinghua University.

Tsinghua University's heating system is very famous in Beijing.

It is said that Tsinghua University's campus was designed by specialized designers from various countries. In addition, the campus is located in the western suburbs, where there are few people around, and most students live on campus. Therefore, Tsinghua's dormitories were equipped with heating very early on, and it is said that they are heated even more than hotels in Beijing, making them very comfortable in winter.

"Jingfeng?"

Jiang Xian quickly appeared in He Qizhi's sight, carrying her daughter. "Jingfeng, it's been a long time."

"Long time no see, long time no see."

Jiang Xian is now in charge of People's Literature, making him a leading figure in domestic literary journals. Li Jingfeng felt quite pressured when he saw him and quickly stood up, bowed, and shook hands.

Faced with this situation, Jiang Xian could only sigh.

"In the end, I called you Runtu, and you called me Master."

"What are you talking about?"

Li Jingfeng glanced at him and began to introduce it, "This is from *Contemporary* magazine."

"He Qizhi, I heard from my wife that you two came all this way so late at night. Is there something you need?" Jiang Xian gestured for the two of them to sit down and talk.

"Then I'll just say it directly."

Fearing that disturbing Jiang Xian for too long would annoy him, He Qizhi quickly said, "It was by chance that I saw one of your new manuscripts today, Comrade Jiang Xian."

"A new manuscript?"

Jiang Xian asked tentatively, "Is it 'The Troubleshooters'?"

"Correct."

Jiang Xian laughed, "You guys at Contemporary magazine have a really keen nose. I just finished writing this novel and was just showing it to a friend when you found out."

"Or perhaps it was just a coincidence."

He Qizhi smiled, then asked hurriedly, "You said you just finished writing it, so you haven't scheduled any assignments for this article yet, right?"

"Your *Contemporary* magazine wants an invitation?"

"Of course we'll take it! If no one else wants this article, then we at Contemporary Magazine have a deal!"

"Contemporary."

As Jiang Xian listened to this publication, the memory of Liu Yin stealing his manuscript years ago still lingered in his mind.

It's common for editors to compete for manuscripts.

Take Mo Yan writing "Red Sorghum" for example. His manuscript was snatched away by "October" magazine, which angered him so much that the editor of "People's Literature" magazine, which had arranged to publish the manuscript in advance, came to his door and finally got "Red Sorghum" back.

This is exactly the same thing that happened to him back then.

His manuscript, "Hibiscus Town," was intercepted by Liu Yin of "Contemporary Literature." In the end, Wang Fu of "People's Literature" led him to the editorial office of "Contemporary Literature" and forcefully retrieved the manuscript "Hibiscus Town" from "Contemporary Literature."

Because of this incident, Jiang Xian later developed a phobia of the magazine "Contemporary" and intentionally or unintentionally avoided submitting his manuscripts to the publication.

Of course, this is not to say that the magazine "Contemporary" is bad.

This publication itself is quite excellent.

It not only holds a place among the top literary journals in China, but is also a banner of Chinese literature.

"Comrade Jiang Xian, please feel free to make any requests you may have," He Qizhi said, adding more weight to his argument when he saw Jiang Xian hesitate.

He Qizhi felt he could agree to these demands on behalf of "Contemporary" magazine: full publication in one issue, top headline position, large font.

Even unreasonable demands like "not changing a single word of the text" were not unnecessarily difficult for He Qizhi to negotiate.

After all, this is Jiang Xian's novel!

However, if Lu Yao knew this, he would probably feel very uncomfortable.

When he submitted "Ordinary World" to Contemporary, he also made requests such as publishing the full text in one issue, placing it on the front page, and using a large font.

However, these requirements are more of a way for the magazine to reject the manuscript. In this way, even if the manuscript is rejected, it will save face for Lu Yao and avoid embarrassment for everyone.

"These demands can be set aside for now."

Jiang Xian interlaced his fingers and said, "It's just that the style of the novel 'The Playboy' doesn't seem to suit your 'Contemporary' magazine."

"Not suitable for our magazine, *Contemporary*?"

He Qizhi, who had mentally prepared himself to deal with Jiang Xian's unreasonable demands, almost burst out laughing.

"There's nothing that's unsuitable."

"If our magazine's style doesn't suit this novel."

"Then we at Contemporary will change our publishing style to suit it!"

Li Jingfeng, who was standing to the side, was dumbfounded.

He stared blankly at He Qizhi.

My confusion deepened.

Because Ho Kai-chi actually said such a particularly pathetic thing with his head held high and chest puffed out.

(End of this chapter)