Back to 1997, I became the originator of online literature

Chapter 305 "Twilight City" has been upgraded; career comes first.

The next morning.

Copyright Department of 20th Century Fox, United States.

Lin Xiang, the scapegoat, was packing his personal belongings at his workstation with his head down. His foreign boss had made him take the blame for missing out on the script for "Rise of the Planet of the Apes." He knew in his heart that he had to take the blame whether he wanted to or not.

Because he wasn't confident he could shift all the blame onto his foreign boss.

Besides, so what if we push all the blame onto the other party?
As a subordinate, not only did he not take the blame for his superior, but he also pinned the blame on his superior. How can he possibly survive in the future? Which superior would dare to give him an important position?

At that point, not only might Fox not keep him for long, but other companies in the industry probably won't hire him either.

The key point is that his foreign boss privately compensated him by introducing him to a job at a small film company with decent pay, and also gave him $50,000 as compensation.

On one hand, there's the prospect of mutual destruction and a bleak future.

On one hand, they take the blame and then receive compensation.

Reason has already made the choice for him.

But when he actually came to the company to pack his personal belongings and prepare to leave Fox for good, he still felt very uneasy.

Since joining Fox, he has considered himself to have worked diligently and accomplished a great deal.

But now it has come to this.

Susan next door, I guess I'll never see her again. Jason at the workstation across the way... is he laughing at me? That green-haired turtle! He's not married yet, but he looks just like a green-haired turtle. When he gets married, his wife will definitely cheat on him! It's a pity I'm not the one doing it, but it doesn't matter, as long as someone else does it for him.

Lin Xiang's mind was filled with all sorts of random thoughts.

Just then, Susan, the beautiful white woman at the next workstation, called out to him, "Hey! Lin! Are you just leaving like that? I'll miss you."

Upon hearing this, Lin Xiang looked up at her.

Jason, sitting at the workstation diagonally across from her, flashed a bright white grin and said in a joking tone, "Hey! Lin! I'll miss you too!"

Do you want me to cheat on you?

Lin Xiang cursed inwardly, glared at him irritably, then smiled at the hot Susan, shrugged nonchalantly, and said, "Call me if you miss me! I promise I'll be there whenever you call."

As he spoke, he glanced longingly at her two headlights.

I thought to myself: every glance is one less I can take, so I'd better look at it a few more times before I leave!
Susan nodded. "OK! Let's keep in touch!"

Lin Xiang nodded.

Just as he was about to look away and continue tidying up his belongings, his brow suddenly twitched, and he subconsciously glanced at her two headlights again.

At the same time, a flash of inspiration struck him—that guy from Central Plains, Yidianhui, had recently submitted not only the script for "Rise of the Planet of the Apes" to Fox, but also another script.

Another script was internally rated A-, which is also a good script. However, it was rejected because the investment required for this script was relatively large and the box office expectations were uncertain.

These two scripts are like two headlights for Susan; they're both excellent.

It's just that the company's top management prefers "Rise of the Planet of the Apes".

Could this be my chance?

"Lin! Please hurry up! Don't waste everyone's time! Please!"

The security personnel who were supervising him as he packed his personal belongings to prevent him from taking company property noticed that Lin Xiang was distracted and suddenly urged him on.

Lin Xiang turned and glanced at him.

He frowned and said in a deep voice, "Wait a moment! I'll be right back!"

After saying that, he hurriedly ran towards his foreign boss's office.

This scene not only stunned the security personnel, but also surprised everyone else in the office area.

Jason, who didn't get along with Lin Xiang, quickly said, "Will! Go stop him! We can't let him run around!"

Upon hearing this, the security personnel immediately chased after Lin Xiang.

But Lin Xiang rushed into his foreign boss's office first.

The foreign boss was working on some documents when he heard the office door suddenly open with a bang. He was startled and looked up.

Lin Xiang: "Sir! I've got a great idea to help you save face! You could persuade the higher-ups to buy another script by 'A Little Gray in the Central Plains'! It's also an A-list script, very valuable for investment! You…"

Security guard Will rushed in, grabbed Lin Xiang's arm with both hands, and dragged him towards the door while nervously apologizing to his foreign boss, "Sir! I'm so sorry! I'll take him away right away. I'm so sorry to have disturbed your work!"

The foreign boss frowned at the scene, then suddenly raised his right hand. "Wait! Will, you go out first, let Lin stay!"

Will was taken aback, glanced at Lin Xiang subconsciously, then nodded, released Lin Xiang, and stepped out.

Lin Xiang was overjoyed and quickly closed the office door. He excitedly approached his foreign boss and said in a low voice, "Sir! I have no problem leaving the company, but you are my boss. My mistake at work will also affect you. Even if it doesn't affect your job, it will definitely affect your future promotion. I think you should make amends and save face as soon as possible to give the higher-ups an explanation. What do you say?"

His foreign boss squinted at him.

After staring at him for a while, the foreign boss put down his pen, leaned back in his chair, and snorted coldly, "Your suggestion is to buy this other script by the Chinese screenwriter? The one the company rated A-? This script is nowhere near as good as 'Rise of the Planet of the Apes.' Do you think acquiring this script will save me face?"

Lin Xiang smiled brightly, but still said in a low voice, "Sir! The rating of a script does not mean that the script's true value is less than that of 'Rise of the Planet of the Apes.' The rating is just an internal evaluation given by our company. Aren't there many examples in Hollywood of S-rated scripts that ultimately resulted in films that flopped at the box office? There are also many examples of A-rated or even B-rated scripts that resulted in films that were box office hits, aren't there?"

He paused, and before his foreign boss could respond, he added, "Besides, Sir! I think this script is no longer just A-, it's at least A+! What do you think?"

The foreign boss frowned slightly, his eyes filled with doubt. "Why? What's the reason? How did this script get upgraded?"

Lin Xiang's smile widened, and his voice lowered even further. "Because Disney bought 'Rise of the Planet of the Apes'! Plus, Paramount bought another script by this screenwriter, 'Pacific Rim.' As long as these two movies are released and the box office and reviews aren't too bad, this screenwriter's reputation will definitely grow a lot. At that time, the value of all his scripts will increase, including the 'Twilight' script, of course. Don't you think so?"

The foreign boss's eyes lit up, and a smile appeared on his face.

He nodded slowly and said, "Not bad! Lin! Although you are Chinese, you do have some brains. You are right. Disney bought 'Rise of the Planet of the Apes,' so the rating of the 'Twilight' script should be raised by one level. An A+ script is definitely worth buying! You're good. Before leaving, you can still offer me this suggestion. Very good! Very good!"

Lin Xiang was delighted. "Sir! So... can I stay? I don't have to resign, right?"

His foreign boss stared at him for a moment, then nodded slightly. "Personally, I don't think you need to resign. However, this isn't my decision. Wait here for me. I'll go and report to the president to see if he's interested in signing the 'Twilight' script."

As he spoke, the foreign boss stood up, straightened his collar and cuffs, and walked towards the door.

Lin Xiang was in a good mood and eagerly stepped forward to help open and close the door.

……

Huizhou.

In Wang Zuxian's hotel room, Cao Sheng, at her request, went back to get his laptop, intending to stay with her for two days and write some articles. But...

He may never be destined to have a beautiful woman by his side in this lifetime.

He sat at the round table by the window, typing away, while Wang Zuxian sat beside him, smiling as she peeled grapes and occasionally popped one into his mouth—a very romantic gesture.

The grapes are also very sweet.

But he soon discovered something—he just couldn't get into the writing mode.

When he went back to get his laptop at her request today, he was worried that with her around, he wouldn't be able to get into a writing mode.

But I still want to give it a try.

Thinking about how beautiful she is and how close we are, I figured that if she stayed silent, I might be able to find the right state of mind to write.

In the past, when I was writing, I couldn't have anyone watching me, probably because I wasn't close enough to those people.

On his way back to get his computer, he remembered that not long after he was reborn, when he was typing in the classroom, Wu Can, a classmate, was sitting next to him watching him. He felt uncomfortable at the time and even snapped at her.

It's probably because Wu Can and I didn't have that kind of relationship at the time, we weren't close enough, or maybe Wu Can wasn't pretty enough. If it were Wang Zuxian instead, it would have been a real treat.

That's what he was thinking.

But he couldn't get into a writing mode for a long time, which made him gradually realize that it wasn't a problem of whether they were pretty or not, but a problem of himself.

"Go ahead and write! Why aren't you starting yet?"

When Wang Zuxian, who was standing next to him, put another peeled grape into his mouth, she urged him softly.

Cao Sheng pursed his lips and turned to look at her.

Why are you staring at me like that? Aren't you supposed to be writing an article? Do you want to write it on my face?

Writing on your face?

Cao Sheng subconsciously glanced at her lower body, and some inappropriate images flashed through his mind.

He sighed helplessly, "I can't write with you here."

Wang Zuxian frowned. "Am I in the way?"

Cao Sheng shook his head, "No! It's my skill level that's lacking! It's not your problem."

Wang Zuxian glanced at him sideways and smiled, "Give me a break! If you think I'm in the way, just say so. Why are you saying you're not good enough?"

She paused, her expression turning somewhat helpless. "If it really doesn't work, then go back and write it! You can come and keep me company after you're done."

Cao Sheng thought for a moment, and then he realized he had two choices.

One option is to do as she said, go back and write, and then come back to keep her company.

Secondly, during her time in Huizhou, I paused my daily writing to spend a few days with her.

Logically speaking, since she rarely comes to Huizhou to see him, he should put everything aside and spend these few days with her.

But he knew his own problem: if he stopped updating any book for a few days, his writing would decline drastically when he resumed writing, and it would be difficult to regain his previous writing form. If the hiatus was long, the urge to abandon the book would become very strong.

It's a bit like between a man and a woman; when they're doing *that*, they can't stop.

Therefore, after a slight hesitation, he nodded and said, "Okay! You rest first, I'll go back and write a couple of chapters, then I'll come over and keep you company."

Wang Zuxian had just finished giving her suggestion and was peeling grapes when she heard him speak. She looked up at him in surprise, hardly believing her ears.

He actually took her advice?

I was just saying something polite to make myself seem reasonable, and you actually took it?
Has my charm diminished?
She couldn't help but look down at her own figure.

Cao Sheng reached out and put his arm around her head, pulling it close and kissing her forehead. "Okay! I'm going back now. You can watch TV or play on the computer. I'll leave my laptop here for you to pass the time. I'll come back and keep you company when I'm done."

With that, he got up and walked towards the door.

Wang Zuxian stared blankly at his retreating figure, then suddenly asked, "How are you going to type if you don't take your computer back with you?"

Cao Sheng waved his hand without turning around, and said as he walked towards the door, "It's okay! I have another desktop computer. I rarely use this laptop, so you can leave it here to play with. I'll be back soon."

Cao Sheng is gone.

Wang Zuxian sat by the computer by the window, still looking a little dazed.

I couldn't resist getting up to go to the bathroom and look in the mirror.

I'm starting to seriously doubt my own charm.

……

What is the biggest difference between middle-aged men and young men?
That depends on what aspect is being compared.

On the way back, Cao Sheng thought about this question. He thought that if he were really a 20-year-old young man, he would probably have abandoned everything and stayed with Wang Zuxian every day during her stay in Huizhou, inseparable from her.

But he knew that his state of mind was that of a middle-aged man.

He wasn't quite sure what other middle-aged men's attitudes were towards matters between men and women.

But he was clear about his attitude.

For example, when pursuing a woman, he only pursues those who are interested in him, because he has a better chance of winning them over. Conversely, if the other woman is not interested in him and doesn't even give him a smile, then no matter how beautiful or good she is, he won't waste a single word on her.

For example, when it comes to patience in pursuing women, he might pursue a woman for one or two years when he is young, but when he reaches middle age, he usually just asks, "Shall we give it a try?" If the other party refuses, he will move on to another target.

To put it simply, in middle age, when it comes to relationships, he thinks: if it works, great; if not, forget it. Spending a year or two pursuing a woman is too extravagant! What if he ends up with nothing to show for it? On the other hand, if he tries to pursue dozens of different women over a year or two, even if it's just a lucky break, he'll eventually find a partner.

Of course, he felt that the biggest difference between his mindset in middle age and when he was young was that the focus of his life was different.

When you're young, you might put love first.

By middle age, love might not even rank in his top five in his life.

Even now, his career is still the most important thing to him.

Even if Wang Zuxian came, he would still have to go back to writing.

(End of this chapter)