1994: I Became a Literary Master in America

Chapter 168 Different Time and Space

The snow is still falling.

It's already dark!

The outdoor temperature in New York was very low, close to minus ten degrees Celsius.

Theron opened the door, enveloped in a chill, to find the room pitch black, so dark you couldn't see your hand in front of your face.

She stomped her foot and turned on the light.

"Ha, you startled me."

When she saw Xu Shengjie sitting on the living room sofa, she almost cried out.

"Why aren't the lights on? It's pitch black!"

She closed the door, took off her coat, hung it on the hanger, then walked to the sofa, sat down, and hugged Xu Shengjie.

"Your hands are so cold!"

"Hehe, it must be cold outside, it's so cold outside."

Theron removed her hand from Xu Shengjie's chest. "What's wrong with you?"

"I'm fine, I'm just thinking about something."

Xu Shengjie hugged Theron and asked with a smile, "What did the doctor say?"

Charlize Theron went to the hospital for a check-up today.

She has almost fully recovered, and the injuries she sustained while filming "Run Lola Run" are no longer a big problem.

"The recovery is going very well, there are no problems anymore."

JJ accompanied me to get the X-ray today, and everything was normal.

By the way, JJ will be accompanying me to NYFA tomorrow. There's a short acting course there, taught by Linda Kent, a professor in the NYU Tisch Department of Performing Arts. It's a two-month course, and I'm planning to take it.

"Linda Kent?"

Xu Shengjie frowned slightly and asked, "Is it that impressive?"

"The mentor of the Stella Adler system—you're aiming for NYU, aren't you? How come you don't know Linda Kent?"

"Very famous?"

"She's the associate director of the Tisch School of Performing Arts."

That's really impressive, but I don't really know much about it.

Tisch is indeed very famous, having produced many outstanding figures.

Martin Scorsese, Woody Allen, Chris Columbus

Actors, including Angelina Jolie and Lady Gaga, are also graduates of this school.

But teacher————

It's really hard for someone outside the industry to know.

Just like in China, the names of star students at Beijing Film Academy and Central Academy of Drama are readily available, but when it comes to teachers, apart from a few well-known individuals, most are unknown.

However, judging from Theron's demeanor, Linda must be quite famous in the industry.

"That's good too; it's also a way to build connections."

Xu Shengjie had no objection to Theron's decision.

"By the way, Manny called you today."

"Manny? Didn't she go back to Boston?"

"Yes, she said on the phone that she would come to New York to work after the Chinese New Year—at Irwin's martial arts school, teaching Tai Chi."

She asked me to ask you if you're interested in becoming her top disciple.

"Want to learn martial arts?"

"What else?"

"The tuition must be expensive. I heard from Justin that Erwin's martial arts school charges quite a lot."

"If you want to learn, I'll just talk to Erwin."

"Well, I'll call Manny first and see when she's coming over."

As she spoke, Theron stood up, picked up the cordless phone, and went into the bedroom.

Charlize Theron loves boxing!

In the future, someone compiled a list online of Hollywood actresses who had persisted in martial arts training for more than ten years, and Charlize Theron was one of them.

However, she studied Muay Thai and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.

Besides Charlize Theron, other actresses include Angelina Jolie, Jessica Alba, and Scarlett Johansson.

Learning Tai Chi from Manny is a good idea; it may not be inferior to Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.

Is this considered spreading and promoting Chinese culture?

In any case, Xu Shengjie did not object to this.

I'm a little hungry!

So he got up from the sofa and grabbed his phone from the coffee table.

"Sally, have you had dinner yet? I'd like to order a pizza, could you get one for me?"

"Don't order takeout, I'll cook for you later. I bought some groceries at Costco on my way back."

"Oh, okay."

Xu Shengjie did not object and went into the study.

Theron was cooking while on the phone outside.

Xu Shengjie, meanwhile, sat at his desk, opened his notebook, and wrote down "The Legacy Quartet" and "The Assassin's Tale."

The book title.

I definitely have to write the Inheritance Quartet; selling 50 million copies would be a huge sum of money.

Robin Hobb's Assassin series is an even bigger treasure trove.

The Assassin series consists of 16 books and took a total of thirty years to complete.

From 1995 to 2025—from the first book, Assassin's Apprentice, to the last book, Assassin's Fate—each volume has sold millions, even tens of millions of copies.

The 16 books have sold nearly 200 million copies worldwide.

However, this series is too long and spans too much time.

So much so that after the turn of the millennium, when people talked about fantasy works, they mostly only mentioned "A Song of Ice and Fire" and "Harry Potter." Of course, the main reason is the failure of the film and television adaptations, resulting in insufficient influence.

This is also a major reason why many people are unaware of the Assassin series.

If it could be compressed to ten years —

At the same time, multimedia integration may yield different results.

After talking to Robert on the phone in the afternoon, Xu Shengjie began to consider this issue.

He also called Kate Medina and asked her the same question again.

Kate said on the phone: "I don't recognize the name Megan Lindholm, nor do I recall a book called *The Flight of the Harpy*. I'll ask Michiko Kakutani and Catherine; if they don't know either..."

If we know this work exists, then it's highly likely it doesn't exist, or it's a failed work.

Give me some time, and I'll give you a definite answer.

What I mean is, if you're not in a hurry ——————

Xu Shengjie is definitely not in a hurry.

He has already decided to write the "Legacy Quartet" first, and then consider the Assassin series.

How should I put this space-time?

He was certain that this timeline was almost identical to the timeline of his previous life.

However, they are not necessarily exactly the same.

At least, his father from his previous life, Xu Sicheng, does not exist in this timeline.

Since this timeline can erase his parents from his previous life, it is also possible that it could erase Robin Hobb and her works.

As the German philosopher Leibniz said: There are no two identical leaves in the world.

(No two leaves in the world are exactly alike).

Leaves, for example.

Then spacetime is no different.

However, the so-called "difference" needs to be discovered and explored slowly by Xu Shengjie.

It's even possible that this difference might mean one could never discover the whole picture in their lifetime.

As for whether Robin Hobbs and her Assassin series actually exist in this timeline, we'll find out by next year at the latest.

Before that, he can focus his energy on the "Heritage Quartet".

Okay, it's decided then!

Dinner was basil pesto, ham rolls, and macaroni.

Typical white person's meal.

However, the taste was not bad.

At least Xu Shengjie thought it wasn't too bad.

Such a beautiful queen, I don't ask you to buy me designer bags, I don't ask you to drive luxury cars or live in mansions.

I'm even willing to cook dinner for you. Whether it tastes good or not is another matter. I just ask for some praise from you. Shouldn't I?

In any case, Xu Shengjie provided ample emotional value.

"Let's go see Prada's New York Spring Exhibition on the 21st. Aunt Susan called me today; she has an invitation."

"The 21st? Isn't that a Saturday?"

"yes!"

"I don't think that will work. The 21st is the first day of Linda Kent's acting training class. I can't very well take the first day off."

"Okay, fine then!"

Xu Shengjie felt that Theron's words made a lot of sense.

She's just started out, and it's a time for her to work hard.

New York Fashion Week is held twice a year, and there will be plenty of opportunities in the future.

Now, she needs to improve her acting skills in order to secure a role in Tom Hanks' "Unstoppable Miracle".

Although the film's box office performance was only so-so, its competitors were not to be underestimated.

That's Liv Tyler, the future Arwen the elf from The Lord of the Rings!

Of course, Liv Tyler might not care about Tom Hanks' movie. After all, she comes from a wealthy family; her father is Stephen Tyler, the lead singer of Aerosmith, who has enough resources to provide her with access to the film industry.

Some are dying of drought, while others are dying of flooding!

To succeed in the entertainment industry, you need connections and influence.

Thinking about it this way, it seems that Charlize Theron's current background, besides JJ, is only her!

Or, how about we give "There's Something About Mary" to Charlize Theron?

She's still a bit young, so she doesn't seem to have the same allure as Cameron Diaz.

However, the two of them seem to be about the same age—three years and four years?

Xu Shengjie watched Theron's back as she washed dishes in the kitchen, and in that instant, he made up his mind.

I'm so sorry, Cameron!

It's strange, we're just not meant to be.

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