Literary Master 1983

Chapter 367 The Last Literary Giant

He was dressed in fine clothes, like the most gentlemanly Westerner, strolling leisurely, hardly looking at his manuscript, which surprised many people present.

It's been so long since I've seen someone like this...

However, he spoke in Chinese!

Yu Qie speaks fluent Spanish, but he did not choose to use Spanish this time.

“Last year, I returned to the United States from Columbia University and spent more than a month writing Metro, which achieved incredible sales results... It quickly sold 100,000, 200,000, and 300,000 copies... The book is still on the bestseller list of famous books in the United States, and it may climb a few more places after today.”

Everyone was puzzled as to why he was so popular.

Yu Qie recalled, "My partner was HarperCollins. It's a large, global publishing group that spans multiple media sectors. They conducted several in-depth market studies on my popularity among Americans..."

"Ultimately, they concluded that I live in a special era. The next twenty years will see the birth of the last great writer in the world, a person more famous than anyone before, because he will be the first to experience globalized media. But those who come after him will be in trouble; the media will be so developed that reading will no longer be a worthwhile pastime..."

"The kind of spectacle where prostitutes congratulate Márquez on winning the Nobel Prize will never happen again! Prostitutes will no longer read books."

The camera pans to Márquez below. His expression is extremely serious.

King Carlos?
Carlos, who had been smiling, suddenly shut his mouth and looked visibly bewildered—the Cervantes Prize has only been around for a few years, is it all going to be for nothing?
Shao Qi was stunned: Professor Yu encouraged the development of literature in China, but launched a heavy attack on literature in Spain.

Yu Qie then said, “In a mountainous area of ​​Ning County in Northwest China, I was fortunate enough to help a child again. Over the years, I have always made time to do similar things… The staff who went to the scene told me that although Americans recognize the ‘ancient script’ in my novels, the children I helped do not know me.”

“He was particularly disappointed, saying that they would never know who Yu Qie was. It was at this moment that I received two letters.”

Yu Qie's tone rose, and he was clearly very happy.

“One letter came from Hong Kong, China, because an old story had been proven true, and the professors at the Chinese University of Hong Kong joined together to award me an honorary professorship; and another letter came from Juan Carlos, the king in front of you, who awarded me the Cervantes Prize.”

“I asked Mr. Carlos privately if he had ever finished reading '2666,' and he honestly told me that he had never finished the book. Like that retired Real Madrid player, he had only ever turned to the first page.”

"They never actually finished reading my book, but they were still influenced by me."

Carlos wasn't embarrassed at all and kept nodding.

Yu Qie immediately continued, “Just as Cervantes seems to still live among us. How many people have read the original Don Quixote? How many people use Don Quixote to refer to a certain type of person? Windmills, anti-knights, comical, warhorses… to this day, no one directly associates these images with Cervantes.”

"We know these images as naturally as we breathe."

"I hope that one day, you won't need to know about Yu Qie. The less you need to know, the more it means I've succeeded. Because I am your very existence, and I will live here forever."

A huge round of applause erupted in the auditorium.

At the Cervantes Prize, there is an unwritten rule that everyone must stand up and applaud for two minutes, regardless of the writer's speech.

Many writers excel at writing; their public speaking skills are poor, and their impromptu performances are difficult to evaluate… They need more tolerance from the audience.

This time, however, was different. Two minutes passed, then another two minutes, then another two minutes... until Carlos took the stage, at which point the applause had to stop.

"Why haven't you stopped yet?" Carlos laughed.

"It's time to stop."

How would I rate this year's Cervantes Awards ceremony?

“Oh, it was a magnificent awards ceremony, unparalleled.” After a pause, Carlos chose this sentence as his closing remarks.

For the next two weeks, Yu Qie stayed in Europe, giving an average of two speeches a day. His experience of online battles with netizens in his previous life had made Yu Qie very knowledgeable, and he could offer insightful opinions on almost any current hot topic.

Before search engines existed, this was a bug-level capability.

It's incomprehensible how he knew that; the only explanation is genius.

At the University of Akala, Yu Che discussed the Renaissance in the 16th century, linking the cultural explosion in Europe to the Black Death, stating that "the Black Death led to a brutal process of survival of the fittest, which unexpectedly improved the genetic quality of newborns."

This is true.

A group of historians from the Madrid Institute estimated that the Renaissance era had an unusually large number of geniuses and a higher average intelligence.

why?
He died because of his poor health.

No one has ever thought in such a reverse direction before.

But how does Yu Qie understand history and biology?
He is truly learned.

Thirty kilometers away at the Bernabéu football stadium, Yu Qie started playing football, managing a few impressive amateur shots. Former Real Madrid captain Vicente, now the coach of Real Madrid's youth academy B team, was there. Yu Qie discussed possession-based tactics with him – a specialty of Real Madrid's future arch-rivals, Barcelona.

Bissente was surprised: Holy crap, you know about football?
When interviewed by reporters, Vicente said, "You ask me about Yuche's football skills? Of course, he's not as good as these lads in the youth academy. He's a writer."

"You really have to describe his skill level? Okay..."

"All I can say is that he understands Real Madrid's football far better than I understand literature. He's not at the level of the first page."

Barcelona, ​​on the Iberian Peninsula, is Carmen's hometown and the wealthiest region in all of Spain. Historically, this area has been at odds with other parts of Spain; Barcelonans feel they are too comfortable and could easily secede.

In 86, Spain held a referendum on whether to remain in NATO, with Barcelona showing far more opposition than other regions. Protests subsequently erupted over whether to maintain "nuclear-free" status, opposing the deployment of American nuclear weapons there.

Yu Qie then transformed into a political commentator, and he had a debate with a professor at the European Institute of Harvard University.

Because Yuche supports denuclearization, he supports the Spanish not fighting the Spanish.

Or, like in the movie *Metro*, the Americans should give the nuclear bomb to the Spanish and let them decide whether to launch it. Furthermore, the Spanish should have the right to launch it at the Americans.

Isn't this just sophistry?
The American professor was on the verge of a breakdown: "Our nuclear weapons were meant to protect the Spanish."

Yu Qie countered, "Do you think the Spanish are incapable of protecting themselves?"

The statement wasn't particularly impressive, but since he said it in Spain, the Spanish people naturally supported him. Suddenly, shouts of "I" filled the air, demanding the expulsion of this inconsiderate American professor.

Yu Qie pressed his advantage, saying, "The Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty has already been signed. Your deployment of nuclear weapons here will only turn Spain into a battlefield."

The professor snapped: "Not a single word of yours makes sense! You're just constantly pandering to the Spanish because you, as a writer, are so sensitive to your readers' emotions! You always play these tricks! What's the difference between you and a shampoo boy?!"

"Professor, why can't you do it? Look for the reasons within yourself."

The professor was furious and deliberately made things difficult for Yu Qie: "You haven't been to Banana Leaf Island yet. That's a piece of land belonging to your people... There, many people don't agree with your ideas. How can you then try to back out? Trying to please the audience won't work!"

"I don't need to please the audience. I have a billion people supporting me."

"But not all the people there will necessarily support you. If everyone could vote, you would be expelled."

“You know what? I’m not there, but you really are in Barcelona, ​​Catalonia. Are you going to be asked to leave?”

The professor was rendered speechless by the rebuttal and didn't utter a complete sentence for the rest of the debate. Seeing Yu Qie's performance, Shao Qi unexpectedly grasped the essence of Western debating techniques: you say yours, I say mine.

It's all driven by emotion, with no logic whatsoever.

Chinese celebrities always suffer in these situations, because they value elegance and uphold principles of benevolence, righteousness, propriety, wisdom, and trustworthiness. Yu Qie, on the other hand, has never suffered in these situations.

"Professor Yu, what would you do if you were in the Soviet Union in the future? How would you win the trust of the Soviet people through debate?"

"I will recount the crimes of a small group of American outlaws."

"What if you were in the United States?"

"The Land of Light is ungrateful."

"What if you were in the Land of Light?"

"I will not go to that place."
-
Yu Xuanfeng is back.

Yu Qie, who once dominated the Japanese entertainment industry, is once again making headlines frequently. He's like a walking money-printing machine, generating several news stories every day.

The obscure novel *2666* suddenly became a trendy item, hyped up and used as a fashion symbol by artsy youths. Not to mention Yu Qie's other novels, the somewhat absurd version of *Return to One's Roots*, translated by Colombian President Bertancur, also topped the Spanish-language short story sales charts.

"His books are coming off the assembly line like sausages and appearing in the hands of every reader."

"Exactly the same, but incredibly delicious."

Márquez gave this quote to Yu Qie.

The number of people following Yu Xuanfeng has far exceeded just Cha De and Shao Qi; reporters from the United States and editors from Taiwan's United Times have all rushed to Europe, striving not to miss any of Yu Xuanfeng's quotes.

These news articles were sent to the newspaper in the most detailed possible versions.

Harper's analysis of the "last great writer" theory is actually not wrong!

What Yu Qie did in Spain could reach any place in the world within fifteen minutes. This was unimaginable for writers in the past.

The writer has never been surrounded by such a spotlight.

A luxury mansion in the Mid-Levels area of ​​Hong Kong.

Cha Liangyong had just resigned from the Hong Kong Lands Committee. On the one hand, he had performed poorly in Kowloon Walled City; on the other hand, Cha Liangyong found himself unsuitable for politics.

He's not even suited to giving speeches.

Throughout Cha Liangyong's life, he never gave a speech that could make all the strangers in a foreign land stand up.

"Why did I lose?" Cha Liangyong muttered to himself.

His gaze shifted to the table, where a reader's letter from newspaper editor Yang Junze had been sent—recently, many readers from Hong Kong had used extremely offensive language to insult this martial arts master.

The last time I was criticized like this was the year when Cha Liangyong first wrote Xiaolongnu as a villain and then killed her off.

The razor blades were sent from Cha Liangyong.

Cha Liangyong hid for many years and even developed PTSD.

The message Yang Junze sent to him was that the newspaper was about to collapse and he should apologize quickly.

Cha Liangyong couldn't finish writing the apology letter. After thinking it over, he suddenly called Yang Junze: "How about I debate with Yu Qie again? I don't care if I win the debate, I just want to explain myself. I want the people of Hong Kong to know that I didn't do anything wrong on purpose! I've been wronged!"

Yang Junze sighed: "TVB Jade is broadcasting Yu Qie's debate in Spain. Mr. Cha, please go and watch it quickly."

Cha Liangyong immediately contacted TVB Jade, where Yu Qie was discussing the issue of nuclear discontinuation with an American professor. The professor looked like a wilted eggplant and was quickly defeated.

"Why did this American lose so badly? The audience was all white."

“Do you know why?” Yang Junze repeated the sentence, and then said, “Because Yu Qie is half a Barcelonan when he’s in Barcelona, ​​and half a Kowloon Walled City resident when he’s in Kowloon Walled City. He can always quickly find out what the audience cares about most.”

"To make others believe that he is speaking for himself."

Cha Liangyong understood; it meant that if they debated again, they would lose even more miserably.

Things are different now. There are many Yu Qie book fans in Hong Kong, and they always feel that they are more sophisticated than those who read martial arts novels.

Therefore, Cha Liangyong wrote an apology letter and called Yu Qie in advance to inform him.

Yu demanded that the apology letter be published on the front page of Ming Pao.

How can this be?

Yu Qie was too lazy to persuade him: "When I pass through Hong Kong on my way back to Beijing, I will invite you to a debate... Why did 30,000 citizens in Hong Kong live in the worst slums in history during your time as a committee member?"

"Did you embezzle funds?"

Cha Liangyong was furious: "Impossible, absolutely impossible."

"Then you lack competence, which is worse than being greedy."

Strangely, although Cha Liangyong said he would fight to the end, Ming Pao quickly published his apology.

Yu Qie still didn't let him off the hook after seeing it.

You cannot admit your mistake without my permission. In matters like this, I shall be the one in charge.

In some ways, Cha Liangyong was similar to Guan Moye later on. He was disliked by both the keyboard warriors and liberals. His stance was ambiguous, yet he liked to express his opinions, which were often superficial, leading to his unpopularity in Chinese-speaking regions for a period of time.

The United Times of Taiwan commissioned an article from Yu Qie, asking him how he viewed Cha Liangyong's political career: "He started at a very high level, but now he has retired at the height of his career."

Yu Qie wrote only one sentence: He didn't know he was wrong, but he knew he was going to die.

This sentence caused a sensation, and the United Times started paying the author by having each word represent a line of text.

In an office building in Barcelona, ​​agent Carmen led Yu into a large, single-level apartment by the sea.

From here you can see the southern section of Golden Bay, which is part of the Mediterranean coast. This one-kilometer stretch of coastline is home to countless beautiful women and is frequented by celebrities.

“I bought this house four years ago, renovated it, and have never lived in it. The price has doubled. With the 92 Barcelona Summer Olympics approaching, it will become even more valuable.”

"Why are you showing me this house?" Yu asked knowingly.

"This is a gift for you."

(End of this chapter)