Entertainment Era: My Good Sister Is All Over the World

The yellowed manuscript paper remained blank. I felt restless, and a sudden urge arose within me.

The lewd images I had glimpsed kept flashing through my mind—nothing malicious, but they served as a distraction.

—William Stellan, Sophie's Choice (1979)

……

"Hey bro, is there a role in your script that would suit me?"

Liu Xiaoqing is very outgoing. Even though it was only the first time she met Huang Wenbin, her tone was already as intimate as if they were old friends.

Factory Director Wang knew what kind of person she was and had a high degree of tolerance for her words and actions.

Huang Wenbin felt that her lack of boundaries made her easy prey for others to exploit.

"The script has already been given to Director Chen, so he'll definitely be in charge of casting and everything else." Huang Wenbin was having trouble handling things, so he could only pass the buck to Chen Huaikai.

Factory Director Wang also chimed in at the opportune moment: "Don't make things difficult for Xiao Huang. He just took on several orders and is exhausted right now."

"You were the one who told me to ask him just now." Liu Xiaoqing didn't bother Huang Wenbin any further, turned around and walked out: "I'm going to the guesthouse to get a room and check in."

After Liu Xiaoqing left, Factory Director Wang said to Huang Wenbin with a smile, "She's just a straightforward and honest person. Don't mind her. She's the most popular actress in the factory now."

"She's also one of the most popular actresses in China," Huang Wenbin added. "She's truly impressive."

"Alright, it's nothing, you can go back now." Director Wang smiled and patted Huang Wenbin on the shoulder. "You did a good job just now. You can take your time writing the script, no rush."

Huang Wenbin nodded, then said goodbye and left.

Back in his room at the guesthouse, he planned to organize his current manuscript tasks, prioritize them, and then tackle them one by one.

The first project was "The Funeral Coffin," adapted by director Xie Tieli. The deadline for this script was one to two months, so it was completed in about a month and a half.

Secondly, there are manuscripts for *People's Literature* and *Yanjing Literature*. It's essential to submit one or two pieces from time to time; this will allow him to gain recognition in the literary world and increase his influence, making things easier for him later. He can look through his own archives to see if there are any suitable ones.

Then there's the script I promised to give to the three film studios, and it's already showing some promise, so I can take my time writing it, since I have a year to write it.

After clarifying his thoughts, Huang Wenbin was in a great mood and was ready to roll up his sleeves and get to work.

"Little Yellow, Little Yellow!"

Just then, Liang Xiaosheng's shouts rang out from outside.

In less than a few seconds, the person was already at his room door.

Huang Wenbin put down the pen he had just picked up, looked up and asked with a smile, "Brother Liang, what happened again?"

"This is good news," Liang Xiaosheng replied with a smile, then spat, "That was good news just now too!"

Huang Wenbin asked curiously, "What good news?"

"The royalties!" Liang Xiaosheng laughed, raising an eyebrow at him and teasingly asking, "Aren't you even a little bit excited?"

"The payment for the article is finally settled?" Huang Wenbin immediately stood up excitedly. "How much is it?"

Why did he go to such lengths to copy the script? It's because, in the current climate, the highest-paying scripts are those for movies.

Writing traditional literature will earn you a maximum of 7 yuan per thousand words, and at most 10 yuan per thousand words.

There are even fewer poems. Every 20 lines is counted as 1000 words, but there aren't many poems that can be written in 20 lines. On the contrary, it is not uncommon to see poems that are deliberately divided into 20 lines.

Writing lyrics earns you about 10 to 20 yuan per song, while writing lyrics for movie soundtracks can earn you 50 to 100 yuan.

Only when it's related to movies can the royalties see a qualitative leap.

"Let's go, come with me to see Director Jiang!" Liang Xiaosheng tugged at Huang Wenbin.

"Alright!" Huang Wenbin's enthusiasm immediately rose, but he still tidied himself up a bit before following Liang Xiaosheng to the Literature Creation Department.

The Literature Department is located on the third floor of the main building on the east side, overlapping with the editorial office of "Film Creation".

Huang Wenbin followed Liang Xiaosheng to a conference room, but it was empty.

"Wait here for a moment, I'll go call Director Jiang!" Liang Xiaosheng said to Huang Wenbin, then turned and left.

Huang Wenbin wasn't surprised, because that's how things are these days. He picked a seat and sat down.

A few minutes later, a refined-looking man in his forties slowly walked in, followed by several other people.

"Hello, Director Jiang!" Huang Wenbin stood up immediately to greet him when he saw him.

"No need to stand up, let's sit and chat." Jiang Huaiyan smiled and waved his hand, gesturing for Huang Wenbin to sit down. "I was planning to see you yesterday and chat with you, but something came up and I couldn't make it. Today, I'll introduce you to the people in the editorial department."

He smiled at a very kind old lady and said, "This is editor Shi Wenxin. He's been a literary editor since 54. He's the most senior and most qualified editor here."

"Hello, Teacher Shi." Huang Wenbin greeted her very politely.

Grandma Shi nodded at him: "Your talent is truly amazing, attracting so many film studios to compete for you. I've never seen anything like it in my life."

"Professor Shi, you flatter me," Huang Wenbin said modestly.

"And this is...?"

Then she introduced a few more characters, but since they wouldn't have much of a role later, she didn't give them names. (Mainly, she didn't mention the young woman, Bai.)

Finally, pointing to Liang Xiaosheng, he said, "This is our youngest editor. You should all know him well."

Huang Wenbin and Liang Xiaosheng exchanged a smile but said nothing.

After exchanging pleasantries with Huang Wenbin, the editors went back to their editing work.

Jiang Huaiyan exchanged a few more pleasantries before getting down to business: "I called you here for two reasons: first, to get to know you, and second, to discuss royalties."

Huang Wenbin waited obediently for Director Jiang to continue, without interrupting.

"The official policy on screenwriters' remuneration has never been set; we figured it out ourselves."

Jiang Huaiyan said slowly, "Ten years ago, the pay was very high; a script could earn six thousand yuan. Now, that's definitely not possible. When adapting a script, the author's influence is what matters most. You're a new author, so your pay won't be very high."

Huang Wenbin was prepared for this and said with a smile, "I understand."

"After discussion, we have decided to give you a fee of nine hundred yuan, which is the price for your script at Beijing Film Studio."

Jiang Huaiyan ignored Huang Wenbin's gasping expression and said directly, "Your other two scripts were sold to Great Wall Film Company and Xi'an Film Studio. Great Wall Film Company paid five thousand yuan, while Xi'an Film Studio was poorer and could only pay eight hundred yuan."

Finally, Jiang Huaiyan said with a smile, "So, the royalties you'll receive this time are six thousand seven hundred yuan."

Huang Wenbin was instantly excited. This was a huge sum of money, more exciting than receiving hundreds of thousands in later years.

It's important to know that in 1979, the average wage for urban residents in China was only about 60 yuan, while the average wage for rural residents was less than 30 yuan, or even less.

Actually, there was another expense that Director Qianjiang hadn't calculated for him: a two-yuan daily allowance for staying at the guesthouse, because this amount wouldn't be settled until the end of the month.

Huang Wenbin asked eagerly, "When will I be able to receive this money?"

"The factory's finance department has finished coordinating, so you can go collect it now." Jiang Huaiyan understood Huang Wenbin's excitement and smiled, "However, you'll have to wait for the funds from Great Wall and Xi'an to be transferred before we can give it to you."

"Let the Bullets Fly is currently in the pre-production stage. When filming begins, as the editor, you will definitely be on set, and we will give you an extra dollar per day as a subsidy."

It must be said that Director Jiang was indeed very kind to Huang Wenbin.

"Go collect the money, and remember to deposit it in the bank as soon as possible." Jiang Huaiyan handed him a receipt and solemnly reminded him, "It's not safe to carry a large sum of cash these days."

Huang Wenbin received the approval slip and excitedly followed Liang Xiaosheng to the finance department.