I am a literary giant in Europe

Chapter 781 Winning the Prize
Actually, Liu Jin prefers the name "gathering around the stove to brew tea".

However, foreigners may not necessarily understand.

But a concert by the fireplace—you know what that means right away.

Fireplaces hold many unusual meanings in the history of Western civilization, which resonate with them immediately.

Old Zhang, who had been half-dead, has also perked up!

People need to find something to do, otherwise they'll really become useless.

Old Zhang is not short of money.

He gambled with Liu Jin and now has a net worth of several hundred million US dollars.

He was already quite wealthy!
According to the original timeline's statistics, he already had a net worth of one hundred million US dollars before he jumped to his death in 03.

Now, it's even more abundant.

The Best Actor won.

Cannes and Oscar Best Actor.

In terms of acting, I have no desire or ambition, unless it's an exceptionally good film.

It seems that singing is the only area where he still has some ambition.

But if you ask him to release an album or hold a concert, he's too lazy to do so.

If Anita Mui were still alive, he might still have some interest. But now that Anita Mui is gone, his life has suddenly lost its direction.

In addition, I've been recovering from my injury for the past two months and haven't been able to move around much.

And so, my mind started wandering!

But a concert by the fireplace, chatting with friends about music, singing, and sharing stories sounds incredibly appealing.

Old Zhang's dormant heart has begun to revive again!

……

Old Zhang has difficulty walking, so he definitely can't go around.

Therefore, Villa No. 404 in Taiyangshiwan was directly requisitioned as the filming location.

Yes, the terrace it is!

“Flatten the swimming pool, since you don’t use it much anyway.”

If you really want to have fun, go to the beach. It's the ocean there, all water. You can have fun however you want.

"Also, extend the edge of the terrace outwards a bit."

“Build an outdoor fireplace where the pool is located.”

Just imagine: the sea breeze whistling, the waves crashing, a fire burning in the fireplace, everyone chatting, drinking coffee and wine around it… with some sunflower seeds and Hong Kong snacks… oh la la, just thinking about it is wonderful!

"Move the piano over here, and set up the drum set, keyboard, and speakers."

Singing alone is so boring, you also need to play instruments. Get some good instruments. Your guitar is a bit lousy! You're so rich, would it kill you to get a few good guitars... Hmm, well, as for the shameless Mia, she can be the audience.

"Oh, and get some more high-end filming equipment..."

"Get the lighting right, we need to create that atmosphere."

Liu Jin looked at him, expressionless.

"Leslie, this is my house."

"I know, I know, that's why I won't stand on ceremony with you."

"whatever."

Looking at Leslie, who seemed to be on steroids, Liu Jin suddenly felt a little regretful.

Are you trying to die?!

You really are being very blunt.

But who can blame him when he's the one who saved her?

Since we saved him in the first place, we can only take full responsibility for it.

Liu Jin shook his head and turned to walk upstairs.

Just then, Leslie was heard making a phone call: "Maggie, come to Salerno."

I've got a fun idea, let's do it together! What are you doing in Paris? I know charity is meaningful, but what we're about to do is even more meaningful. We can help the whole world understand China a little more.

Liu Jin had already gone up the stairs.

Suddenly, he stopped and turned to look.

Leslie, with his back to Liu Jin, was still trying to persuade Maggie.

Liu Jin couldn't help laughing!
This guy understands me.

……

Old Zhang hired a designer.

It's not difficult; the University of Salerno has professors specializing in this field.

He explained his requirements, and the designer understood his idea.

Then, he started working on a plan.

If you're going to do it, then do it well and do it exceptionally well.

Fortunately, the assistant wasn't too busy at the time, so Lao Zhang pulled him over to help with the design.

The assistant felt she couldn't manage on her own, so she called Bella over.

It's fortunate that both the assistant and Bella speak English; otherwise, communication would have been a problem.

Italians and French people have drastically different attitudes towards language. If you're communicating with a French person and your French isn't very good, they're generally not keen on communicating. They'll advise you to stop speaking French, but they're unwilling to use other languages. Italians, on the other hand, can accept your terrible Italian and are willing to communicate with you in English or other languages... If all else fails, resort to physical force!

It's about using hand gestures...

Liu Jin continued writing every day, and before he knew it, the last two parts of The Shadow of the Wind had come to a perfect end.

He is very happy!
You have to understand how painful it is to be switching between several languages ​​every day.

He wrote The Shadow of the Wind in Spanish.

When writing about promising futures, it was done in English.

I communicated with my assistant and Bella in Italian.

The discussions about work with Mela and Joanp were in French.

And then there's Lao Zhang, who communicates in Chinese... The most painful thing is that this guy automatically switches to Cantonese every time he gets excited.

Liu Jin felt that his villa was more lively than the United Nations building in Brussels. In mid-March, Maggie was tricked by Leslie into coming from Paris.

You're saying there wasn't anything between them that was ambiguous?
Liu Jin refused to believe it no matter what.

No connections? You just make a phone call and Maggie will drop everything and come over to mess around with you?
But they both vehemently denied it.

In addition, given Leslie's past, Liu Jin was unsure whether he had changed his ways.

Anyway, it looks perfectly normal!
"disagree?"

Liu Jin received a call from his father.

But they received some bad news.

His father helped him choose a suitable bodyguard, but for some reason, it wasn't approved after being submitted.

They were described as elite talents, and their previous work was somewhat inconvenient.

Furthermore, it is inappropriate to go abroad for private purposes.

So, the person Dad chose, who was supposedly agreed upon by the individual, was ultimately rejected.

He started swearing on the phone.

Liu Jin could only listen, and only after he finished speaking did he say softly, "If you disagree, then you disagree... I've thought about it, and given my current status, it's indeed a bit inappropriate to have someone like this by my side."

Who do you think you are?!

"A billionaire, how about that?"

On the phone, Liu Dasheng suddenly fell silent.

After a long pause, he said, "Really 10 billion?"

"Yes, still in US dollars."

Liu Dasheng took a deep breath and then forcefully exhaled a breath of stale air.

He did know that Liu Jin had been shorting America since 07.

But what does 'short selling' mean?
He doesn't understand.

However, he understood what '10 billion' meant.

After thinking about it, my initial anger vanished, and I felt somewhat relieved.

"Camille, did you go to your place?"

"not yet!"

"Didn't you say you were going to come see me in March?"

"Yes, it's not over yet."

"Xiao Jin, is your place big enough for everyone?"

"That's enough, what's wrong?"

"Your mother and I are planning to visit you next month."

"You're willing to come out?"

"Since my son doesn't want to come back, I, as his father, have no choice but to travel thousands of miles to see him."

Upon hearing this, Liu Jin couldn't help but laugh.

……

The interior design drawings were completed at the end of March.

Liu Jin was very satisfied.

However, a major upheaval is about to occur.

We need to renovate!

At least one month.

The constant nagging and banging was getting to Liu Jin, so he approached Professor Barbara and asked for a month's leave.

Perfect timing, my assistant also needs to prepare for her graduation exam and thesis.

I don't have time to keep an eye on the construction site every day.

The professor did not refuse and approved it after asking for the specific time.

Perfect timing, she also needs to go back to Columbia University.

"Amos, make time in May and go to New York."

"what?"

"congratulations."

"Congratulations for what?"

Liu Jin was completely bewildered by the professor's sudden congratulations.

The professor then took an invitation from his drawer and handed it to Liu Jin.

"An invitation to the awards ceremony?"

"Congratulations on winning the 2009 America PEN/Faulkner Fiction Prize for your novel 'Gone with the Wind'."

Liu Jin was stunned!
The news came so suddenly, I wasn't prepared at all.

He even forgot that the America PEN Prize was about to be announced.

This is an extremely important prize in the American Literature Prize, no less significant than the Goncourt Prize.

It's no surprise that "Gone with the Wind" won the award.

However, it was too sudden, so sudden that Liu Jin was caught off guard.

"It's already been announced?"

"Of course not yet. It will be announced on April 4th, and the awards ceremony will be held on May 16th at the Scott Fryer Center for the Performing Arts at NYU."

"This……"

Liu Jin looked at the invitation in his hand.

The professor put his finger to his lips and said, 'Shh!'

"I see!"

Liu Jin couldn't help but take a deep breath.

……

(End of this chapter)