I am a literary giant in Europe

Chapter 637 Year-End!

"What's up with her?"

"She recently said some bad things about you."

"for example?"

"for example……"

Mela looked troubled.

She hesitated for a moment, then said softly, "She said you're a Chinese swindler who relies on deceiving women's feelings to maintain your creative output."

She believes that your achievements are entirely dependent on women.

She also suggested that Eva and the others break free from your control and become independent and self-reliant women…

In short, it's just the same rhetoric used by feminists.

Liu Jin's face darkened!

You can call me a liar, I won't argue with you.

But what are you to make Eva and Alizee leave me?
"Did she say this in the media?"

"She wouldn't dare!"

Mela said, "She knows very well that you are far wealthier than her, and more influential than her."

These are things she said privately at a gathering within the industry.

But you know, she has considerable influence behind her, and she enjoys very high prestige among female intellectuals…”

“I know, the second Simone de Beauvoir.”

That's about it!
Moreover, some of her views have been endorsed by female intellectuals.

So they do criticize your work, but mostly in private, not in public.

"Is Arnold going to make a move?"

"Of course, Mr. Lagardère wanted to establish you as a literary icon. He had a phone call with Dambard and seemed to have reprimanded him very harshly. After that, Dambard never spoke of you again."

He's a bully who picks on the weak and fears the strong!
Otherwise, why would Danbad dare not express her opinions in the media? Why would she only murmur in secret?

Should we respond?

"Meira asked."

"Of course!"

"Then I'll have Chloe secure the evidence."

"it is good!"

Liu Jin disdained to personally retaliate against such people.

In his view, even speaking a single word to those maggots would make him feel physically uncomfortable.

The best way is to throw money at it!

The original intention of the law was to ensure fairness.

However, in practice, it naturally becomes a tool to serve those in power.

This is true both in China and abroad.

Of course, Liu Jin also knew that it was unlikely that he could eliminate this group.

The forces behind them wouldn't allow Liu Jin to do that...

But extinguishing a small amount of arrogance is not a big problem.

As long as he's willing to spend the money!
……

Mela's arrival made Liu Jin's creative process even smoother.

However, there was a slight hiccup in the middle.

Originally, he was scheduled to travel to Kennebunkport, Maine around the 20th to visit the estate at 59 Zhoushan Road.

This was something he had agreed upon with Blumenthal.

But at Blumenthal's level, many things are not subject to his personal will.

On the 16th, Liu Jin received an email from Blumenthal.

The email stated: "I sincerely apologize for being unable to fulfill my commitment due to Party affairs."

The content is very simple and not explained in detail.

But Liu Jin was still able to guess what Blumenthal's 'party affairs' were, probably preparations for the 08 general election.

President George W. Bush's image as a "war maniac" caused the Republican Party's approval ratings to plummet.

Although there are still two years until the election, the Democratic Party has already begun preparations.

If nothing unexpected happens, the power struggle between that Mr. Black and Mrs. Zipper has already begun!

Liu Jin's mind flashed back to that Netflix production, a critically acclaimed masterpiece from the original timeline, and his heart stirred.

House of Cards!
He vaguely remembered that the American TV series was adapted from the political trilogy by British author Michael Dobbs.

Yeah, American TV series!
That is also a huge treasure.

The number of movies Liu Jin remembers is decreasing.

The amount of material available for writing will also decrease.

But there are still American and British TV series that can be used; just write them down.

The layout is small!

Actually, there have been quite a few TV series in the original timeline from 00 to now.

Unfortunately, Liu Jin's attention was always focused on movies, and he overlooked this huge treasure.

However, it's not too late!
Liu Jin decided that he needed to properly recall this treasure.

It's a pity that House of Cards is not easy to copy.

The author of the original book was once the vice-chairman of the British Conservative Party and the chief of staff to the Iron Lady, and has extensive political experience.

His ability to write this work is actually based on his personal experience.

If a political novice like Liu Jin were to actually write something like that, people would be suspicious of him.

Besides, this novel was written in 1989, so even if he wanted to plagiarize, he probably wouldn't have the chance!

……

In short, Blumenthal was busy with important matters and didn't have time to see him.

So the planned Christmas visit to No. 69 Zhoushan Road Manor had to be cancelled.

If you're not free, then you're not free!

To be honest, Liu Jin was also reluctant to have too much contact with Blumenthal.

After all, these kinds of politicians... tsk tsk tsk, they're all seasoned veterans. It's best for a newbie like him to avoid them if possible.

After figuring it out, Liu Jin felt relieved.

On December 32th, "Halo Relics" was successfully completed, containing a total of 8679 words.

Unfortunately, Mela has already left.

She was going back to Paris to reunite with her family.

Originally, Liu Jin was Chinese, so Christmas was neither here nor there for him.

But Mela and her friends are definitely the most loyal fans of Christmas.

Why don't you go back?

Liu Jin looked at Alizee and Eva and asked in confusion.

The two women glanced at him almost simultaneously.

Don't you know why we're not going back?

In fact, both Eva and Alizee received emails from their families asking them to return home.

Eva received an email from her sister Joy, while Alizee received a phone call from her brother Joan.

But they were wary of each other.

He was terrified that if he went back, he would leave another Liu Jin to monopolize the position, which was absolutely intolerable.

So the two of them made an excuse and didn't leave.

With the completion of "Halo: Relics", Liu Jin was quite relaxed.

The school will be on holiday from the 24th until January.

There is a holiday of about ten days in between.

Stranded in New York?

Not to Liu Jin's liking, he enthusiastically suggested, "How about we take a road trip through America?"

"please do not!"

Alizee didn't want to go through all that trouble.

"It's too dangerous... Some places in America aren't safe, I think it's better to stay in New York and rest."

This time, Eva did not object and expressed her approval of Alizee.

Liu Jin felt extremely bored.

But neither of the two women responded, so he could only express his agreement.

Of course, he knew that this was just a sudden whim and not very reliable.

While America's big cities are certainly plagued by gangs and not very safe, they are at least governed by well-established rules.

But those small places...

America is a country teeming with all sorts of monsters and demons.

A true traverse would be fraught with danger.

Even if he carries a gun, he may not be very safe.

This is a country where civilians own more than 400 million firearms.

What is the total population of America?

Anyway, it definitely isn't 400 million!
"How about we go out to sea?"

"Come on, why can't we just stay home? I heard there might be a blizzard coming in a few days." "Okay then!"

Liu Jin was somewhat disappointed.

……

The manuscript for "Halo: Relics" was sent to Mela.

Mela replied, asking him: Which publisher do you plan to submit it to?

After thinking it over, Liu Jin finally chose the Scholars Group.

In June, Richard Dick Robinson, president of Scholar Publishing, traveled from America to Germany and bought the rights to "The Big Short" for $800,000, demonstrating his sincerity.

Random House...

They were actually very sincere; Nancy Miller and Sengoku Rodriguez traveled a long way to visit them.

The problem is that Bertelsmann Group is currently in a bit of a mess.

Random House was also affected; although Nancy Miller succeeded Olson as CEO, her position was not secure.

In what direction will Random House develop in the future?
It's definitely a good direction!
It's important to know that in their original timeline, they acquired Simon & Schuster, a publishing house that was considered one of the top six publishers in America.

But that happened after the leader of the sect was changed.

Will Nancy be able to stay on?
If she stays in her position, can the development continue as it did in the original timeline?

Liu Jin also found it difficult to determine.

He has given Random House the opportunity to publish the English version of The Shadow of the Wind.

If Nancy fails again under these circumstances, it means she is not worth Liu Jin's continued attention.

Nancy and Sengoku are both good people!

But good people don't always have enough power.

This is a hurdle.

If Nancy Miller doesn't get through this, it's all just empty talk.

Moreover, this book, "Halo: Relics," is a work that Liu Jin wrote to prepare for his upcoming showdown with Rowling next year.

Since that's the case, let's all just compete under the Scholars Group. I believe Richard can treat everyone fairly.

He sent the manuscript to Richard on the 21st.

That evening, Richard called and expressed his willingness to publish the work.

"Amos, give me this book. I will mobilize all the resources of the academic group to pave the way for your showdown with Rowling next year."

"Of course, that's why I gave you the manuscript."

As usual, I'll keep both the French and Spanish versions.

"no problem!"

Richard's answer was resolute.

……

Finally, I can rest!
Liu Jin felt very relieved after submitting the manuscript.

For the next two days, he continued to attend classes at Columbia College diligently, demonstrating a positive attitude.

Professor Lacapra was also very satisfied.

Speaking of which, Columbia University was very friendly to Liu Jin.

But Liu Jin was never able to develop any attachment to this world-renowned top university.

Things might be better if Liu Sisi were still studying here.

Unfortunately, Liu Sisi has already graduated for a year... Last year, when Liu Jin was shot, she spoke out for him.

But after that, there was no further news.

Liu Jin inquired about her during his visit and learned that she had not returned to China.

This aligns with Liu Jin's perception of her.

It seems she went to Boston for further studies, but Liu Jin couldn't find out which school specifically...

Then don't ask!
Liu Jin gave up the idea of ​​contacting Liu Sisi.

He did reconnect with Selena... She and Mark from Texas are doing quite well, and the family of three has now moved to Portland.

Mark from Texas is a teacher at UP (University of Portland).

Selena, on the other hand, runs a language school, teaching Chinese and French, and earns a considerable income.

In her words: "While I'm young, I want to make more money so I can buy a ranch in California and retire in peace!"

Her wish finally came true!

However, I wonder what it would be like in this time and space.

On Christmas Day, New York was hit by a blizzard.

The entire city was blanketed in white snow, and Parri Street became exceptionally slippery.

Liu Jin didn't go out. He stayed home, continuing to work on the outline of "Halo" while making creative plans for next year.

He hadn't forgotten Jeffrey's provocation.

Therefore, he must create an America work next year to increase his future influence in the America genre.

But what should I write?

Gone with the Wind?

A very good choice!

But, should I write it now?

Liu Jin hesitated again.

It's such a shame that such a long and voluminous work was released so easily, especially to slap someone in the face!

Think about it again.

For a moment, Liu Jin was also at a loss.

Eva and Alizee are not home right now.

The main reason is that Eva's school has a performance today, a traditional Broadway production, The Phantom of the Opera.

Eva and Alizee were invited to attend.

Originally, Liu Jin had also received an invitation.

That's normal. As an art school, how could NYU Tisch School of the Arts not know about the relationship between Eva and Liu Jin?
However, Liu Jin wasn't very interested in this.

But Eva couldn't not go, after all, she was still studying here.

Not feeling comfortable leaving Alizee alone with Liu Jin, he tried various methods to bring Alizee over as well.

Judging by this, I'm afraid he won't be back by dinner time!
Liu Jin thought for a moment, then put on his coat and led the two large animals out of the house.

Eva the raccoon didn't follow; she would become very lazy in the winter and sleep on the rug in front of the fireplace.

Liu Jin didn't make things difficult for her, and only brought two large animals with him.

There are several good restaurants on Parry Street. Not far from Liu Jin's residence, at 117 Parry Street, is an authentic American restaurant.

However, there weren't many customers at the restaurant today.

Liu Jin walked in with two large men and sat down in a corner.

"Amos, why did you go out alone today?"

The waiter stepped forward and greeted Liu Jin with a smile.

"What should we eat today? The usual?"

"Ha, don't try to trick me into tasting that smoked salmon again today."

Upon hearing this, the waiter couldn't help but burst into laughter.

Because it's so close, Liu Jin sometimes comes here to eat. That damned Daum tricked him into ordering smoked salmon before, which really upset him.

"Steak tartare with grilled squid."

By the way, do you still have the pumpkin sauce from last time? If so, please add another serving of pumpkin sauce and potato dumplings.

Also, when you pay the bill, could you please give me some extra toast? Eva and Alizee both love your toast.

As he spoke, Liu Jin stuffed a twenty-dollar bill into the waiter's hand.

"As you wish, esteemed Mr. Amos."

The waiter glanced furtively behind the counter, then swiftly slipped the money into his pocket.

The restaurant is called Left Bank.

The other dishes were ordinary, but their French toast was the most authentic in Xicun, even more authentic than those from professional bakeries.

Moreover, it's free and usually served as a side dish.

But what Eva and Alizee liked most was their bread.

America's waitresses don't earn much; they mainly rely on tips.

The food Liu Jin ordered cost no more than $200,000, and the waiters would generally receive a tip of $2.50 to $5.00.

Now, the five dollars are in my pocket.

Why not take advantage of a $20 tip that comes out of nowhere?
It's not his shop anyway. As for the bread... it's free anyway, so what's wrong with customers taking more if they like?

Two large animals lay motionless at Liu Jin's feet.

Liu Jin then took out a book from his pocket to kill time.

I miss the 5G era, I miss smartphones, I miss the Qidian app!

However, it seems the first-generation iPhone will be released next year!
The era of smartphones seems to be just around the corner.

And Apple's stock is about to surge...

By the way, Apple's stock seems to have risen to $6 this year. Next year will likely see a technical correction, but that won't affect the stock's value. When he bought Apple, its market capitalization was only $17 billion, but now it's approaching $10 billion.

Thinking about these things made Liu Jin feel exceptionally happy.

……

(End of this chapter)