Writer 1978: I Need to Give the Literary World a Lesson

Chapters 283 and 284: Joint Production by Two Major Film Studios

"Wow, Teacher Liu is amazing!"

In the courtyard, Zhu Lin sincerely praised Liu Yimin after hearing his postgraduate entrance examination results.

The calico cat next to him happily jumped from under the ginkgo tree onto the stone table and meowed at Liu Yimin.

Liu Yimin chuckled: "So-so!"

The main reason is that the postgraduate entrance examination has just been reinstated, and the exam paper focuses on students' mastery of basic knowledge rather than critical thinking. In addition, the teachers are also quite generous in their grading.

Zhu Lin said, "I wish I had scored higher on the political science exam!"

In this exam, the score for Ideological and Political Education was the lowest, while the score for English was the highest.

"That's enough, any higher and it'll really be like launching a satellite!" Liu Yimin said with a smile.

"Teacher Liu, come to my house to celebrate tonight!"

"Celebrate? Young comrade, there's no need for elaborate preparations. We can celebrate now!" Liu Yimin chuckled and carried Zhu Lin into the room.

Sanhua swaggered behind, but was startled by Liu Yimin's kick and shrank back. Then the door slammed shut with a "bang".

Dust that blew out from under the door covered Sanhua in its fur.

Then it ran to the eaves, looked around furtively, and then jumped onto the eaves with a "whoosh." It stared into the house through the window without moving, occasionally licking its paws and wiping its face.

Afterwards, Liu Yimin and Zhu Lin lay on the bed, their eyes meeting in silence, the sweat streaming down their necks telling the whole story.

After resting for a while and regaining some strength, Zhu Lin kicked Liu Yimin as usual, then got dressed and got out of bed.

"Let's eat out, don't cook!" Liu Yimin propped his head up with his hand, lying on his side on the bed and looking at Zhu Lin.

Zhu Lin turned around and glanced at Liu Yimin's "seductive" appearance, then turned back helplessly: "No, there's still some food in the fridge, just make something quick!"

In the kitchen, Zhu Lin slowly cooked, the corners of his mouth occasionally curving upwards, emitting a faint laugh.

"What are you laughing at?" Liu Yimin asked with a smile.

Zhu Lin tilted her head to look at Liu Yimin and chuckled, "Nothing's funny!"

The bamboo grove in front of the courtyard's screen wall is turning green, and the ginkgo trees in the courtyard are sprouting new buds. Zhu Lin's eyes are practically overflowing with happiness.

While eating, Zhu Lin discussed the play "The Visit": "It's so ironic. Everyone in the play thinks that they will be happy if they have money, but they end up getting trapped in a cage woven by money."

“Perhaps their happiness lies in having more money!” Liu Yimin replied.

"When I was a doctor, I felt that happiness was actually very simple. Having a job, being a good doctor, opening the door to find your parents home, and a steaming meal laid out on the living room table."

Zhu Lin slowly explained his standards of happiness, occasionally teasing Sanhua beside him.

"What now!"

"Be a good director and a good actor, and you'll be able to see Teacher Liu as soon as you open the door!" Zhu Lin said softly.

Liu Yimin's lips curled into a smile: "Really?"

"Of course it's true, I can say that with my hand on my heart!"

"Tell me your honest opinion!"

Zhu Lin blushed and looked down at Sanhua, saying, "Little Sanhua, look how naughty Teacher Liu is!"

"Meow~"

In the afternoon, Zhu Lin went to the Beijing People's Art Theatre, while Liu Yimin rode his bicycle to the nearby Ministry of Culture and pushed open the door to Xia Yan's office.

"You actually came?" Xia Yan looked quite surprised. He had only mentioned it casually when he mentioned it at the end of March, but he hadn't expected it to actually happen!

"Haha, after rushing around, I'm finally done revising it! Look, the ink isn't even dry yet!"

Xia Yan put on her glasses, had her secretary serve Liu Yimin tea, and then smiled as she read the script.

After reading the script, Xia Yan praised it, saying, "The reason this novel is so popular is not only because of the power of patriotism, but also because of the power of emotion: the bond between comrades-in-arms, the deep bond between the people and the soldiers, and the love between men and women."

After saying that, he shook his head and repeated the phrase "the power of emotion"!

After that exclamation, he changed the subject: "When are you and Comrade Xiao Zhu getting married?"

"We'll get married after graduation!" Liu Yimin said with a smile.

"Call this old man with you then. I love joining in the fun. If you don't call me, you'll be in big trouble!" Xia Yan threatened with a smile.

Liu Yimin immediately said, "I absolutely have to invite you. I won't agree if you don't go!"

"Hahaha!" After laughing, Xia Yan picked up the phone on the table and made a call, asking the other party to come to her office.

Then, carrying the tea, he sat down next to Liu Yimin. The tea in his cup was Longjing tea, and he liked to drink strong tea, so he had to put in a lot of tea leaves.

As soon as I sat down, the fresh, grassy aroma of Longjing tea filled the air around the sofa.

A little while later, Chen Bo, the director of the Film Bureau, walked into Xia Yan's office. Upon seeing Liu Yimin, he immediately extended his hand and said, "This must be Comrade Liu Yimin!"

"Hello!"

Xia Yan said with a smile, "This is Comrade Chen Bo, the current director of the Film Bureau. You probably haven't met him before!"

"Hello, Director Chen!" Liu Yimin said again.

Xia Yan pointed to the desk and said, "Comrade Chen Bo, the script for 'Triumph at Midnight' is on the desk. Take a look!"

Upon hearing this, Chen Bo quickly walked to Xia Yan's desk and picked up the manuscript to read it.

"Yimin, let's play a game of chess!" Xia Yan quickly set up the chessboard, while Chen Bo beside him stared intently at the script.

By the time Chen Bo finished watching, the two had already played two games, one win and one loss. Xia Yan, looking like she hadn't had enough, asked, "When did your chess skills improve so quickly?"

"You don't even know who my sparring partner is. With you and Teacher Wan taking turns training me, how could I not improve quickly?"

Xia Yan smiled and looked at Chen Bo: "What do you think?"

"In my opinion, the script is definitely ready!" Chen Bo said with a smile.

"Comrade Chen Bo, which film studio do you think would be most suitable to shoot this?" Xia Yan asked.

“I think the August First Film Studio is more suitable for filming. First, many of the actors are from military backgrounds, so they can do professional action scenes with a little training. Second, it is a film studio within the military, so the military can coordinate the filming. If this is to be filmed, the military will definitely need to help!” Chen Bo said.

"Comrade Chen Bo, don't you dare show favoritism to the August First Film Studio just because you came from there!"

Chen Bo hurriedly said, "I'm doing this from the perspective of filming. Other film studios need to use the military, but there are still procedures involved."

"What about the director? The director is the most crucial!"

“Li Jun is not bad, he is a seasoned director who has been tested for a long time!” Xia Yan’s expression flickered, and his fingers tapped lightly on the armrest of the sofa. After a while, he said, “Do you think we can discuss a joint production between the August First Film Studio and the Beijing Film Studio?”

Beijing Film Studio and August First Film Studio are sister studios; Beijing Film Studio provided significant assistance when August First Film Studio was established. However, the film *Xu Mao* caused a rift between them. A joint production brought the two studios back together, pooling their resources to make a high-quality film!

After hearing Xia Yan's words, Chen Bo immediately said, "Then let's go and study it!"

"Don't just let the Film Bureau conduct internal research; we also need to discuss it with the General Political Department!" Xia Yan said.

"I'm afraid that if one side takes the lead and the other takes the lead, they'll end up fighting their own battles!"

"Comrade Chen Bo, this will test your wisdom! You must give full play to the coordination ability of the higher-level leaders."

Xia Yan said calmly, without giving any specific instructions.

"I understand. I'll go back and discuss it with my comrades, come up with an internal opinion, and then discuss it with the comrades in the General Political Department!"

Chen Bo got up and left Xia Yan's office. Liu Yimin then handed Xia Yan the application for research funding.

Xia Yan picked up a pen, signed his name on it, and then called the finance department. After the finance department signed it, Liu Yimin received two thousand yuan.

He stuffed the envelope into his bag and just as he stepped outside, he saw Chen Bo, the director of the Film Bureau.

"Comrade Liu Yimin, what a coincidence!"

Liu Yimin looked around and laughed, "It is quite a coincidence!"

The two rode their bicycles out of the Ministry of Culture compound. Chen Bo asked, "Comrade Liu Yimin, do you think it's possible for Beijing Film Studio and August First Film Studio to collaborate on a film?"

"I dare not say that!"

"Tell me, you're familiar with both the August First Film Studio and the Beijing Film Studio, and you're a screenwriter, you can't stand idly by!"

"I think the comrades at Beijing Film Studio and August First Film Studio will definitely understand the good intentions of their superiors, turn hostility into friendship, and make a good film!" Liu Yimin said with a smile.

Chen Bo smiled broadly, but in his heart he thought to himself, "At such a young age, he's already such a sly one."

The Film Bureau is not currently located within the Ministry of Culture, but rather in Lishi Hutong.

After walking together for a while, Chen Bo went into the Film Bureau, and Liu Yimin went a short distance ahead and arrived at the Beijing People's Art Theatre.

Inside the Beijing People's Art Theatre, Liu Yimin greeted everyone with a smile, and everyone he met congratulated him on being admitted to graduate school.

The news spread incredibly fast; everyone at the Beijing People's Art Theatre knew about it.

When Cao Yu saw Liu Yimin, he sized him up and said smugly, "You did well on the exam. You didn't embarrass me. Come to my house another day and I'll have your teacher's wife cook you some of your favorite dishes to treat you!"

Liu Yimin chatted with Cao Yu for a few minutes with a smile, and Cao Yu said seriously, "Recently, the Beijing People's Art Theatre wants to import a few scripts from the United States. Do you have any opinions?"

“Teacher, I don’t know much about the American theater scene, and I don’t know many scripts!” Liu Yimin said.

"What do you think of 'Death of a Salesman'? I remember telling you that director Xia Chun advocated for its import!" Cao Yu asked.

"This script does have some similarities to 'The Visit,' I think it's good!"

"After a while, I'll have someone send a few scripts from the United States. Since you're good at English, you can take a look and offer some suggestions to the Beijing People's Art Theatre. Importing is a troublesome matter, so we have to be careful and can't rush it."

"it is good!"

That evening, Liu Yimin went to Zhu Lin's house for dinner. Zhu's parents cooked a table full of dishes to celebrate Liu Yimin's success in the postgraduate entrance examination.

At the dinner table, as if afraid that Zhu's mother wouldn't realize how high Liu Yimin's score was, Zhu's father kept giving her examples.

"It's like everyone is competing in archery. One person shoots an arrow through the target, and the target shatters."

Liu Yimin thought to himself, "If there are no arrows on the target, can he be considered the winner?"

The next day, knocking sounds rang out repeatedly at the courtyard house. Upon hearing this, Liu Yimin turned to Wang Yan, who was sitting next to him, and said, "Guess who it is?"

"Who could it be? Someone from the August First Film Studio!" Wang Yan said with a smile.

Upon opening the courtyard gate, it was indeed people from the August First Film Studio: Li Jun and Wei Lian.

As soon as the door opened, Li Jun anxiously asked, "Comrade Yimin, we heard that the Film Bureau is planning to give 'Triumph at Midnight' a joint production between our August First Film Studio and Beijing Film Studio?"

"Where did you get this information?" Liu Yimin asked with a smile.

Wei Lian said, "Comrade Yimin, let's not try to evade the issue. Early this morning, our factory director and deputy director went to the Film Bureau and the General Political Department respectively, demanding more control over the filming!"

The General Political Department originally did not intend to entrust the film to the August First Film Studio, but Chen Bo came from the August First Film Studio, and the director of the August First Film Studio did some work with the Film Bureau, and the August First Film Studio was included in the shortlist.

The two walked inside, exchanging a few words. Liu Yimin looked at Li Jun: "Director Li, is 'The Flames of War in Beiping' finished filming?"

"Filming is finally finished. We worked overtime during the Spring Festival and finally finished filming 'The Flames of War in Beiping'!"

Li Jun was initially in high spirits, but when he saw Wang Yan come out of the study, he gritted his teeth.

Stealing someone's script, while not quite as bad as killing their parents, is pretty much the same!

"Old Li, 'Xu Mao and His Daughters' is a misunderstanding!"

Li Jun walked quickly to Wang Yan, with Wei Lian following closely behind, and Wang Yan was immediately at a disadvantage.

Seeing this, Liu Yimin quickly said, "Garlic bird, garlic bird, none of you are interested!"

"Wang Yan, you stole 'Xu Mao' and now you want to steal 'Triumph at Midnight'?" Li Jun asked angrily.

"Old Li, what do you mean by 'robbery'? That's an unpleasant way to put it!"

"The worst is yet to come!"

"Old Li, the reason the higher-ups made this arrangement is to reconcile our two film studios. If brothers have a conflict, just resolve it. Let's not fight over it and end up benefiting other film studios."

I've heard that the Shanghai Film Studio is eyeing the project covetously, and Comrade Xu Sangchu has recommended Comrade Xie Jin as director!

Upon hearing this, Li Jun's expression changed, and Wei Lian, who was standing next to him, hurriedly said, "Really? Didn't the Film Bureau already make a decision?"

“The moment a decision is not written down, there is always the possibility of change!” Wang Yan said calmly.

The three of them calmed down. Seeing this, Liu Yimin was relieved and invited them to have tea together.

As it turned out, Xu Sangchu was indeed prepared to compete, but unfortunately, he was too far away to act. By the time his telegram reached the Film Bureau, the deal had already been finalized.

Xu Sangchu tried to use his connections, but he couldn't change the decisions of the Film Bureau and the General Political Department.

Two days later, the Film Bureau announced that "Triumph at Midnight" was a joint production of the August First Film Studio and the Beijing Film Studio, with the August First Film Studio as the main producer and the Beijing Film Studio as the assistant.

The two companies each contributed 500,000 yuan as filming expenses. The Beijing Film Studio was dissatisfied with the assistance, and Wang Yang was about to object when the Film Bureau blocked him with the matter of "Xu Mao".

(End of this chapter)