1978 Synthetic Writers

Chapter 536 The Great Writer Tells Stories to His Daughter
In 1992, Zheng Xiaolong directed a TV series called "A Beijing Native in New York," which included a famous line:
"If you love him, send him to New York, because it's heaven. If you hate him, send him to New York, because it's hell."

Just as Jiang Xian uttered those words, it was as if a thunderclap exploded in Lü Liping's ears.

"Go...go abroad?"

Despite the controversy, who wouldn't harbor a glimmer of hope when it comes to going abroad?

"Yes, I think an actress like you should break out of your current environment. With such a good image, look at the roles you're playing now? Rural women!"

Sigh, I don't mean to look down on rural women. I just think there are so many actresses in China who can portray rural women well. Do we need another one like you? No, we don't.

But how many actors in all of China have your international flair? So few, so very few. An actor as good as you shouldn't be buried in obscurity in China.”

"Oh my, this." Lu Liping was stunned by what Jiang Xian said. He had received such a large amount of information all at once and didn't know what to do.

"Of course, I also have my own selfish motives."

Jiang Xian smiled at this moment, "I won't hide it from you. My novels are doing very well overseas, but I'm still not satisfied. I hope to achieve even greater success in film and television adaptations and further enhance my international reputation. Because my novels are inseparable from Chinese elements, I hope that some 'powerful' Chinese actors can participate in the creation of these film and television works. This can be considered a mutual achievement between you and me."

"I understand, I understand."

Lu Liping quickly said, "I didn't know you had such thoughts. You think too highly of me."

"It's not that I think highly of you, it's that you deserve it."

Jiang Xian chattered on, "There are so few actresses like you, with such an excellent image, outstanding acting skills, and a willingness to work hard."

"I've always considered myself to be very ordinary."

"Alas, that's wrong."

Jiang Xian said with a serious expression, "You were able to give such a wonderful performance in 'Old Well,' which means you're not ordinary. By the way, do you know about Hollywood's Walk of Fame?"

"Walk of Fame?"

"You know Hollywood, right?"

"The place where Americans make movies."

"Yes, this place is in downtown Los Angeles, USA, where the world's film giants and the world's top entertainment industry are gathered."

It all started at the beginning of the century when small companies and independent producers, trying to escape the control of patent companies, gathered here, gradually forming a film center. Later, film masters like Griffith and Chaplin emerged from here, gaining worldwide fame. Wall Street conglomerates invested heavily, coinciding with the rapid development of the American economy at that time, thus creating Hollywood and producing one Oscar-winning actor after another.

"What about the Hollywood Walk of Fame?"

"The Hollywood Walk of Fame is actually just a sidewalk, a sidewalk that stretches along Hollywood Boulevard and Vine Street in the United States."

"sidewalk?"

"Yes, it's about two kilometers long, extending from Gower Street in the east to La Brea Avenue in the west, and then along Vine Street between Silvan Street and Sunset Boulevard from north to south, traversing more than a dozen blocks."

"Oh." Lu Liping found it strange, thinking there was nothing special about it.

Do you know why it's called the Avenue of Stars?

"why?"

"Because this Avenue of Stars is inlaid with thousands of star-shaped medals, each of which is carefully crafted, carved from terrazzo into a pink five-pointed star, inlaid with bronze lettering, and then embedded in a dark gray square."

Inside the pink star, the awardee's name is engraved in bronze, while below it is a ring symbolizing the specific field in which the awardee received the star.

Those who are featured here are all stars from the fields of film, television, radio, theater, and music.

Therefore, artists all over the world, including filmmakers, regard this avenue as a pilgrimage site.

"His."

As Jiang Xian recounted the story, images flashed before Lü Liping's eyes.

Thousands of terrazzo five-pointed stars are inlaid on the dark gray sidewalk, each star engraved with the name of a famous person in bronze.

Under the sunlight, the star emblem reflects a warm luster.

As night falls, streetlights and neon lights reflect each other, stars cascade like the Milky Way, and bronze names gleam in the glow.

Every time pedestrians walk through it, it's as if they are brushing past legendary souls.

Of course, fantasy is just fantasy.

Actually, this Walk of Fame is nothing special on a normal day.

If Lü Liping were to attend outside of the Oscars season, he would be extremely disappointed, as the reality there is quite chaotic.

The streets are lined with tourists head down, searching for their "stars," parking is difficult and traffic jams are frequent, there are vendors selling CDs and loud music playing. After walking around, you can't help but wonder, "Is this Hollywood?" "Is this the Walk of Fame?"

But precisely because he had never seen it before, when Lü Liping heard Jiang Xian say that, he immediately felt that it must be a holy land for movie actors.

"To date, no Chinese actor has ever left their name there. Oh, Anna May Wong got a star there, but she was of Chinese descent."

Jiang Xian patiently guided him, "You said you became an actor in our country, why? Is it to support your family? I'm sure it's not, right? I believe you have higher aspirations for your acting career, right? I can see that you have that ambition."

"..." Lu Liping was speechless.

Ambition?

She does indeed have it.

However, her ambitions were vague before. She only knew to find roles, to play leading roles, to act in blockbusters, to act in films by famous directors, and then to win the Golden Rooster and Hundred Flowers Awards. After that, she didn't know what to do.

But now, Jiang Xian has described to her a clear goal that she can strive for for the rest of her life.

—Being trampled underfoot.

Hmm. The star made from my own name was trampled underfoot.

To put it nicely, it's called "reaching for the stars".

Jiang Xian leisurely lit a cigarette. "You know, Chen Chong, although we all dislike her, sometimes when we think about it, she has found a higher goal to pursue in her acting career, right? You know, she became a Golden Rooster Award winner at such a young age, of course she wants to seek even greater breakthroughs."

“Yes, there are no more targets for her to pursue in China.” Lu Liping, true to his shrewdness and in cahoots with Chen Chong, immediately agreed with Jiang Xian’s words.

"In short, the reason I brought this up today is that I hope you will seriously consider this matter. To put it bluntly, there are so many actresses in China, when will you have your day? But it's different abroad. They need Asian faces, but there are so few Chinese actresses. Do you know what a red ocean and a blue ocean are?"

"do not know."

"This is an economic term. An existing, highly competitive market is called a red ocean, while a newly opened, less competitive field is called a blue ocean. Think about it yourself, is a blue ocean better or a red ocean?"

"Blue Ocean is definitely better."

Lü Liping reacted quickly.

The problem becomes clear at first glance. There are too many actresses at Shanghai Film Studio. She graduated from university in 84 and struggled for so many years at Shanghai Film Studio, fighting tooth and nail to finally get a role in Xi'an Film Studio's film "Old Well," and even that was as a supporting actress.

If I want to play the female lead, I can only look for TV series like "Stories from the Editorial Department".

If she had a choice, she wouldn't want to go through all that trouble.

Moreover, Lü Liping saw things very clearly.

Chen Chong from the Shanghai Film Studio starred in "Little Flower" at the age of 19, winning the Hundred Flowers Award for Best Actress and becoming incredibly popular in China.

Then I went abroad.

Then there's Zhang Yu from the Shanghai Film Studio. In her early twenties, she starred in films like "Bashan Night Rain," "Little Street," and "Romance on Lushan Mountain," becoming incredibly popular. In just one year, she swept the Golden Rooster Award, the Hundred Flowers Award, and the Government Award, achieving a grand slam at a young age. Then she went abroad.

and also
Too much too much.

This has led to a ridiculous phenomenon: whoever wins the Best Actress award at the Golden Rooster and Hundred Flowers Film Festival gets to go abroad—more effective than any overseas travel agency.

Xie Jin was furious about this, saying, "Don't give awards to young actresses. If they win big awards so early, they'll just go abroad."

Lü Liping saw things clearly.

Since everyone ends up going abroad anyway, wouldn't it be great if she could find a shortcut, skip the process, and go directly overseas?

So when Jiang Xian mentioned these things, Lü Liping was more excited than if he were looking at ten male models.

Unfortunately, reality is what it is:

“Comrade Jiang Xian, I understand what you're saying, but going abroad is a big deal. I'm not very familiar with the procedures, and besides, although I've saved some money over the years, it's definitely not enough for going abroad. Also, I have to give the factory an explanation.”

Ideals are beautiful, and reality is very skinny.

Of course, Lü Liping wanted to pursue the poetry and distant places described by Jiang Xian, but could she just give up these conditions?
Do you think you're some Golden Rooster and Hundred Flowers Film Queen? You can just leave whenever you want.

Can't leave.

You know you don't have the ability.

"You don't need to worry about that too much."

Jiang Xian coughed lightly, "I was the one who wanted to ask you to go out. From now on, you're one of us. Since we're one of us, there's no reason for me not to help you out."

"This...this isn't appropriate, is it?" Lu Liping was flattered.

I only met Jiang Xian by chance, but he was willing to help me so much with my trip abroad.

She was terrified.

Could this be some kind of scam?!

But upon further reflection, Jiang Xian was such a big shot, and she didn't have any deep-seated hatred for him.

Why would anyone scheme against her?
What is the picture?
Wealth? Lü Liping had none.

色？
His wife is so beautiful.

Although Lü Liping felt that she was just as good-looking as Zhu Lin, she didn't think that she was something that Jiang Xian could scheme against.

Moreover, given Jiang Xian's conditions...

It's still uncertain who will benefit.

After weighing the options, Lü Liping felt that even giving him a chance wouldn't be a problem.

If Jiang Xian really liked her, Lü Liping would think it was an opportunity for her.

Just look at how well Zhu Lin is doing now, which of these actresses wouldn't be jealous?
In short, Lü Liping found it hard to believe that there would be someone willing to train and help her in this way.

But she couldn't find any reason to be suspicious.

After all, the person in front of him was Jiang Xian, and he really had no reason to deceive her.

Of course, she had no idea that the sins she committed with Jiang Xian would lead to a series of self-destructive actions in the future.

"Could it be that I've really met a benefactor?" Lu Liping wondered to himself.

"Comrade Liping, going abroad is a big deal. Don't rush to make a decision. Think about it carefully these days and discuss it with your family."

Jiang Xian said with a friendly expression, "Of course, I have to remind you that if you want to go abroad, you have to resign from Shanghai Film Studio and sign a contract with me to become an actress in our company, otherwise we will have wasted our time training you."

Jiang Xian's words were very opportunistic, making no attempt to hide his exploitation of Lü Liping, but Lü Liping's worries were somewhat alleviated by these words.

See, this isn't a scam. They're grooming her into a confidante, turning her into their own actress, and getting her to switch careers from the Shanghai Film Studio to become a "Jiang Girl."

After explaining these things, Jiang Xian chatted with Lü Liping for a few more minutes before sending her back to her residence, leaving Lü Liping to ponder the situation alone.

After finishing his business, he rushed home. When he opened the door, Zhu Lin looked at him with a helpless expression.

"what happened?"

"Your daughter is so naughty. She refuses to sleep no matter what and insists on being coaxed by her father. Sigh, they say that daughters are their fathers' sweethearts from a past life, and I think that's really true. She's just as close to you as you are."

Why are you still jealous of your daughter?

"Who's jealous?"

"The sour smell is wafting into my nose."

"oops."

Jiang Xian smiled and pulled Zhu Lin into his arms. Ignoring Her Majesty's resistance, he forcibly kissed Her Majesty's gentle cheek. "You think our daughter is only close to me? I think our daughter is only close to you. When you're not home, she cries and wants her mother every day."

Zhu Lin felt a wave of warmth wash over her as she lay in Jiang Xian's arms after his kiss. Listening to his words, she felt a surge of tenderness coursing through her heart.

With a burst of strength, she pushed Jiang Xian away, her face flushed.

"Alright, go and comfort your daughter. It's so late, why aren't you asleep yet?"

"What? You can't wait?"

"What are you saying?!"

"Go wash up first, then wait for me in bed," Jiang Xian said softly.

After saying that, he patted Zhu Lin, turned around and went into his daughter's room, where his mother, Rao Yuemei, was coaxing the little emperor:

"My little darling, your father is back too. Hurry up and go to sleep with Grandma."

"mom."

Jiang Xian smiled and said, "You should go and rest."

"Row."

Rao Yuemei got up and left.

Jiang Xian sat down on the edge of the bed, held the little emperor's toes and tickled them, "Whose child is so disobedient, still not asleep so late?"

"Cuckoo~"

The little emperor was tickled so much that he rolled around on the bed, and finally Jiang Xian held him in his arms, kissing his velvety face.

"Alright, go to sleep now. You're about to go to kindergarten, and you're still so disobedient."

"Ugh." The little emperor's face immediately went from sunny to cloudy. Standing on the bed, he leaned on Jiang Xian's shoulder and scratched at his back, clearly not wanting him to leave.

Jiang Xian's heart almost melted when his daughter grabbed him.

"Okay, Dad will tell you another bedtime story, but you have to go to sleep obediently after it's over."

(End of this chapter)