Entertainment Era: My Good Sister Is All Over the World

Ba Jin was born in 1904 and is now 75 years old.

At this time, his hair was completely white, but he was in good spirits and looked quite healthy.

His status in the literary world needs no introduction; there are few who can be compared to him, such as masters like Mao Dun, Cao Yu, and Shen Congwen.

He has lived in Shanghai for many years and only comes to Beijing occasionally.

So as soon as he checked into the Yanjing Hotel, people came to visit him in an endless stream.

The group included prominent figures in the cultural field, celebrities from other industries, old friends from his era, and booksellers from various publishing houses waiting for Buffett's autograph.

When Huang Wenbin and his group arrived at the Yanjing Hotel, there was already a long queue of at least two or three hundred people.

There are guards at the entrance of the Yanjing Hotel; otherwise, it would definitely cause unnecessary riots.

With Li Xiaolin leading the way, Huang Wenbin and his group entered the Yanjing Hotel without any hindrance.

The booksellers in line immediately became dissatisfied and shouted, "How can they get in?"

"Isn't this cutting in line?"

"Old Ba's time is already precious, and yet some people don't follow the rules."

"..."

Hearing the commotion, the guard couldn't take it anymore and said directly, "That lady in front is Mr. Ba Jin's daughter. Does she need to queue up to bring people in?"

Those people were immediately speechless, and could only envy Huang Wenbin and his companions.

Because he needed to receive a constant stream of guests, Ba Jin directly borrowed a room from the Yanjing Hotel, which he used as a dedicated reception room.

Upon arriving at the reception room, Li Xiaolin asked Huang Wenbin and the others to wait a moment while she went in to check on the situation.

About five minutes later, Li Xiaolin came out again and said to Huang Wenbin and the others, "It's alright, you can come in now. However, my father is not very energetic and can only talk to you for five minutes. Please forgive me."

"It's already an honor to meet Mr. Ba," Huang Wenbin quickly waved his hand.

Factory Director Wang also said with a smile, "I'm just here to take advantage of this kid's presence and meet with Old Master Ba. I won't say anything to disturb him."

Ran Xiaosheng had no say at all and could only remain silent.

The other two editors also looked reverent, after all, Ba Jin was a literary giant of his generation.

Li Xiaolin led Huang Wenbin and the other two into the reception room.

There were three or four other people in the reception room, reading Huang Wenbin's novel.

"Father, they've arrived!" Li Xiaolin walked to Ba Jin's side and said softly.

Huang Wenbin turned his head and glanced at Director Wang.

"Old Ba, we've come to see you!" Wang Yang was the oldest among them, so naturally he took the lead.

Ba Jin slowly took off his reading glasses, looked up at Huang Wenbin and the others, and greeted them with a smile: "Come and sit down, don't be shy."

"I'm Xiao Wang from the Beijing Film Studio. I met you in Shanghai ten years ago," Wang Yang introduced himself humbly.

"I remember you." Ba Jin chuckled and said to Wang Yang, "The Beijing Film Studio did a good job under your leadership; you are very capable."

Li Xiaolin then briefly introduced the three editors to Ba Jin.

Ba Jin also offered them a few words of encouragement.

Huang Wenbin was the last to speak.

"You're Huang Wenbin?"

Ba Jin's gaze suddenly sharpened, and his tone became somewhat impassioned, "Do you know how much of a storm your novel, 'Blood Romance,' has caused?"

"I don't know," Huang Wenbin answered truthfully. "Ms. Li just told me."

"You have quite the nerve!" Ba Jin scolded, his face full of displeasure. "Everyone is rushing to show their scars and reflect on the past. But your novel doesn't have that kind of meaning at all, and it even uses some unconventional techniques. Do you think other writers don't use these techniques? Young people shouldn't be so arrogant!"

"If you're not spirited, what kind of young person are you?" Huang Wenbin retorted as if on cue.

Ba Jin was taken aback at first, then burst into laughter: "Hahaha, you're an interesting kid, really interesting. I didn't manage to trick you."

Huang Wenbin had already guessed that Ba Jin was testing him. Ba Jin had always valued mentoring newcomers, and many controversial newcomers were protected by him. How could he have such an attitude?

"Hahaha, that's a very funny thing to say." A dark-skinned middle-aged man sitting next to him couldn't help but slap his thigh and burst into laughter.

Another elderly man, almost bald, chuckled and said, "It's been a long time since I've seen such a spirited young man."

"Indeed, he is exceptionally handsome and a fine prospect." The remaining man looked to be in his early fifties, with a sturdy build; he must have been a handsome man in his youth.

"Let me introduce you." The elderly Ba Jin pointed to the four people and introduced them one by one to Wang Yang, Huang Wenbin and others: "This tall, fat man with dark skin is Li Hanxiang, a famous director from Hong Kong."

The dark-skinned, chubby middle-aged man grinned widely and said, "Old Ba, you're too kind of me. I was quite a handsome man when I was young."

"This is Comrade Gu Leiming, an Indonesian Chinese who works for China News Service."

They were talking about the old man with the buzz cut. "He used to make opera films, and he's been a longtime friend of Chen Huaikai from your factory."

The third senior brother spoke up himself: "I'll just say it myself, as Lao Ba introduced himself. My name is Fu Qi, and I'm an actor from Great Wall Film Company."

"He's a well-known left-wing filmmaker," Ba Jin chuckled, pointing at Huang Wenbin. "I heard you wrote a script about Shaolin Temple for his company?"

Huang Wenbin nodded: "It's called 'Shaolin Temple.' Director Zhang Xinyan took a liking to it and bought it."

"I've read that script, it's absolutely brilliant!" Fu Qi, who has been immersed in the Hong Kong film industry for many years, knows how amazing the script is. "However, Director Zhang just finished filming 'The Bride with White Hair,' and post-production will take some time. I estimate that 'Shaolin Temple' won't start filming until next year."

Huang Wenbin nodded and said, "Good things come to those who wait. Taking your time to film will result in a masterpiece."

"I didn't expect you to be a screenwriter at such a young age?" Li Hanxiang became interested in Huang Wenbin. "Then we should become friends. I'm desperately in need of good scripts. Write one for me when you have time."

In fact, Li Hanxiang is known for his creativity; he is a top-notch screenwriter himself.

However, in previous years he switched back and forth between Shaw Brothers and Taiwan Film Studio, which made both sides very unhappy with him, and he had far fewer opportunities to make films.

Now, through someone else's connections, I've returned to the mainland to see if we can co-produce a few films here.

"You can discuss the script privately!" Ba Jin waved his hand, deflecting Li Hanxiang's attack for Huang Wenbin. "I want to talk to you about this novel."

Huang Wenbin immediately listened attentively.

"Your writing techniques have likely been influenced by Western writers such as Kafka and Borges."

Ba Jin's voice was soft and gentle, but every word was clear and unambiguous. "There's a bit of Kawabata Yasunari's influence, but the least influence from Márquez. This novel is groundbreaking and can inject some freshness and vitality into today's literary world, but it will also face backlash from conservatives. You need to be careful about that."

Ba Jin succinctly analyzed Huang Wenbin's background in just a few words, and Yu Hua himself was greatly influenced by these writers.

"I read your 'Bloody Romance' and a few short stories last time. I originally thought you were still young and might not be able to handle things well, and then you would just become an ordinary person."

Ba Jin took a sip of water and continued, "Out of a desire to cherish your talent, I've always wanted to talk to you and calm your mind. However, after reading your piece 'Leaving Home at Eighteen' today, I found your vigor to be beyond my expectations, so there's nothing to worry about. You should maintain this pioneering spirit and sweep away the stagnation and lethargy of today's literary world!"

Huang Wenbin dared not accept such praise, humbly waving his hand: "Mr. Ba, you flatter me. I am just a greenhorn, I don't have that much ability!"

"What's there to be afraid of!" Li Hanxiang, true to his fearless nature, said, "You yourself said that if you're not impetuous, are you even a young man? Why are you cowering now?"

Huang Wenbin casually said, "I'm not being cowardly, but I know my own limitations. I can't bear such a heavy burden; I'd be easily crushed by it."

"It's alright, I'm still alive," Ba Jin said calmly. "I can still shelter you young people from the wind and rain for a while. This novel will be published in the next issue of 'Harvest,' and I'll write a book review for you."

This is truly a tremendous honor; Ba Jin really went all out to support the newcomer.

It was supposed to be five minutes, but we actually talked for more than ten minutes.

It wasn't until the Writers' Association and the Federation of Literary and Art Circles sent people to remind him that Ba Jin, still holding Huang Wenbin's hand, said with lingering enthusiasm, "In short, the Chinese literary world depends entirely on you young people. Don't be afraid, don't panic, boldly charge forward, break out of China, and preferably break into the world!"

"I will." Huang Wenbin nodded respectfully.

Then, they said goodbye.

"Wait a minute, I have something else to talk to you about."

Before Huang Wenbin and his group had even left the restaurant, Li Hanxiang and Li Heizi jogged out after them, their fat jiggling.

"Director Li, what would you like to talk to me about?" Huang Wenbin asked.

Li Hanxiang's big mouth grinned again as he said, "Let's exchange contact information. I have a lot of ideas in my head, but I can't write them all down myself. In Hong Kong, it's all just fly-by-night writing; there are too few professional screenwriters. So, I'd like to ask you to write these scripts for me."

Huang Wenbin looked at Li Heizi strangely and asked, "Are you sure you want to find me?"

"Hehe, don't be so surprised." Li Hanxiang said seriously, "I will pay you a satisfactory price, and I will pay in Hong Kong dollars."

Upon hearing this, Factory Director Wang Yang's eyes widened suddenly; Hong Kong dollars were foreign exchange.

The country is desperately short of foreign exchange right now. Whoever can get foreign exchange is the boss!

Wang Yang immediately nudged Huang Wenbin with his elbow.

Huang Wenbin asked calmly, "How much can you give?"

Li Hanxiang said with a smile, "In Hong Kong, the price for a script written by a top screenwriter is between ten thousand and thirty thousand yuan. I can give you twenty thousand yuan for a script."

As expected, the script for "Shaolin Temple" was short, and Zhang Xinyan received only 5,000 yuan!

But he's a left-wing filmmaker, so it's fine.

Li Hanxiang is not a left-wing filmmaker, and he is known for his extravagant spending on filmmaking, so he must be restricted.

"Okay." Huang Wenbin held up two fingers. "But I have two conditions."

Li Hanxiang: "Which two?"

Huang Wenbin replied, "The money was collected first, and once it was written, it wasn't changed."

Li Hanxiang: "Are you like this with everyone?"

"No," Huang Wenbin shook his head, "I wouldn't treat you like that!"