The King of Soft Rice in Chinese Entertainment

Chapter 593 Help
In the following days, Xu Jiuyang's schedule included not only following up on the post-production and pre-production of several films, but also going to Fangyuan Culture to discuss matters related to the novel.

"Little Yezi, is Sister Yuanyuan here?" Xu Jiuyang stepped into the door of Fangyuan Culture and saw Gao Ye, who was wearing an OL uniform, coming out. He didn't bother to find the receptionist and went straight to ask her.

Gao Ye subtly rolled his eyes, then put on a smile: "President Gao is in a meeting, Mr. Xu can wait in the lounge—also, may Mr. Xu call me Assistant Gao or Xiao Gao?"

"Okay, Xiao Yezi, no problem, Xiao Yezi." Xu Jiuyang laughed and led Yang Ying inside.

Gao Yuanyuan didn't keep him waiting long; she quickly ended the meeting and went straight to the lounge.

"Sister Yuanyuan could have just sent me a text message, why did you have to come all the way here?" After kicking the assistant out, Xu Jiuyang fawned over Gao Yuanyuan and started massaging her shoulders.

“Alright,” Gao Yuanyuan said with a smile, slapping him lightly before getting down to business. “I’ve looked at the outline, but it’s still far from being a detailed outline that can be filled with content. Besides, I don’t think it’s a good idea for me to co-author with Yinyin.”

"Is Sister Yuanyuan worried that because of her fame, everyone will focus on you and overlook Yinyin?" Xu Jiuyang asked.

"Not only that, you said before that you would adapt it into a movie and have Yin Yin star in it. That way, when the movie is released, you can promote it as the author, screenwriter, and lead actress all in one. When readers look back, they will think that my name is listed as the author, but it was actually to let Yin Yin ride on my fame," Gao Yuanyuan said.

“Even without the movie being released, as long as Yin Yin wins Miss World, these kinds of comments will appear, and some will even say that someone is promoting her,” Xu Jiuyang added.

However, Gao Yuanyuan waved her hand and said, "It doesn't matter. We're just trying to support Yinyin."

Then she looked at the person who had raised an eyebrow: "Is there a problem?"

“No,” Xu Jiuyang shrugged, “It’s just… how should I put it, Sister Yuanyuan is becoming more and more like a strong woman.”

“Your current wife is the real strong woman. As for me, I’m just a businesswoman now.” Although she said this, the corners of Gao Yuanyuan’s mouth curled up slightly.

“Even if he’s just a businessman, he’s a Confucian businessman,” Xu Jiuyang said seriously.

"Stop being so cheeky." Gao Yuanyuan was slightly embarrassed; after all, she wasn't thick-skinned enough.

Xu Jiuyang immediately steered the conversation back to the main point: "However, even if Yinyin signs the document alone, what Sister Yuanyuan mentioned will still happen, and it might even be more intense."

However, Gao Yuanyuan stretched out her finger and pointed it lightly in the air: "It's darkest under the lamp."

"Huh?" Xu Jiuyang was a little surprised, but after thinking about it, he realized what was going on.

“In that case, Yin Yin needs to publish at least two decent science fiction stories before ‘The Martian.’” He frowned. “But, I haven’t written science fiction in a long time, and I can’t think of any suitable topics right now.”

“There’s no rush. The Miss World finals are at the end of the year anyway. As long as there’s a piece of work before then, even if it’s just one, it’s fine. It can give Yin Yin some practice,” Gao Yuanyuan said.

Xu Jiuyang really wanted to say that "The Martian" had to be copied before 09, no, it had to be finished before 09. But after careful consideration, he realized that he still had at least a year or so, and he should be able to find a suitable subject... right?

He was very uncertain because he hadn't read "Science Fiction World" since around 05 in his previous life. This was partly because his career was finally starting to take off and he had to work hard for it, and partly because the quality of "Science Fiction World" had begun to decline.

For example, one author directly quoted the "Classic of Mountains and Seas," describing it as an alien world, and the mythical beasts like Bai Ze and Zou Wu as extraterrestrial life. Then, humans who had left Earth came to this planet to investigate, clashed with them, and even used force. As a result, they were beaten to their knees and begged for mercy by the dragons—Chinese dragons—and were only spared because the local life forms pleaded for them.

Well... how should I put it? If this novel had been published in the late 80s or early 90s, it might have been somewhat interesting, but by then it was already the 21st century, and Liu Cixin had already published many short and medium-length stories, raising the ceiling of Chinese science fiction.

It's really hard to keep it up.

This resulted in Xu Jiuyang being largely unfamiliar with Chinese science fiction novels published after 05, especially short stories, making it impossible for Zhang Yin to copy them. It was also because of this unfamiliarity that when he wanted to copy *Beyond the Aquila Rift*, he discovered the original novel had already been published in 05.

Luckily, I was cautious at the time and searched on the foreign internet, otherwise... I might not have been accused of plagiarism. After all, he directly adapted the animation, and there are already quite a few good works. At most, it would just be a case of great minds thinking alike.

But it was still too awkward, after all, he knew where his novels came from.

Nevertheless, Xu Jiuyang agreed to Gao Yuanyuan's request: "I'll think about it carefully."

"I still have things to take care of, so I'll go to my office first. Just come over if you need anything." Gao Yuanyuan stood up after glancing at the time.

"No problem." Xu Jiuyang nodded.

But as soon as she left, he sat back down and sighed deeply. He regretted not releasing "Ex Machina" so soon, otherwise he wouldn't be in such a predicament now.

"Ex Machina" can almost be said to be tailor-made for Zhang Yin. The awakened female robot protagonist uses various means to break out of the cage that humans have created for her. If it were released ten years or so later, I wonder how much the boxing world would praise it.

Even now, adding elements like "patriarchy" and "independence" to propaganda still works quite well.

What a pity. What a pity.

As for the others, Xu Jiuyang did have some recollections, but they were mostly online novels. The characteristics of online novels are self-evident, even if they are very creative.

"This is really a headache," he said, scratching his head in frustration, especially since he had so much to do next.

"Is the boss facing some difficult problems? Should I give him a break?" Yang Ying asked, leaning closer.

As expected of Da Baobei, especially since she was trained by Angela, she is not only shameless but also exceptionally understanding, with a much lower bottom line than Zhang Yan.

However, before Xu Jiuyang could speak, there was a knock on the door, and Gao Yuanyuan poked her head in: "By the way, there's something else I need your help with."

"What is it?" Xu Jiuyang asked immediately.

“I’ve signed two new writers, and they’ve done a great job with their onboarding training. They’ll be starting to build their personal image soon. I was supposed to treat them to dinner today, but something came up, so could you treat them for me?” Gao Yuanyuan asked.

"Is it appropriate for me to step in?" Xu Jiuyang asked, puzzled.

"Don't forget, you're still a consultant for the cultural company, and you've been receiving a salary all along," Gao Yuanyuan reminded her.

"Really? But I didn't see my salary." Xu Jiuyang's eyes widened.

"Because I've already put them away for you. Just let me know when you need them," Gao Yuanyuan said with a smile.

Xu Jiuyang rolled his eyes: "Fine—am I the only one here?"

“And Guo Zhenni, she’s a senior now. Also, I’ll have Zhang Lei come and help you too, that should be fine, right?” Gao Yuanyuan said.

"No problem." What else could Xu Jiuyang say but give an "OK" sign?

(End of this chapter)