Entertainment Era: My Good Sister Is All Over the World

In the spring of 1978, the China Federation of Literary and Art Circles and its various associations were gradually and orderly restored.

However, the old Federation of Literary and Art Circles building had been allocated to the Commercial Press and Zhonghua Book Company, so the Federation had to choose a new location.

However, they couldn't find a suitable address, so they set up several rows of wooden houses at No. 2 Shatan North Street, which is the courtyard of the Red Flag magazine, as temporary office space.

After the Fourth National Congress of Literary and Art Circles, the China Federation of Literary and Art Circles and the China Writers Association jointly submitted a report on the construction of the Federation's building, which was approved. Finally, in 1986, the China Federation of Literary and Art Circles building was completed at No. 10, Nongzhanguan South Lane, on the East Third Ring Road.

Around 2000, the Federation of Literary and Art Circles and the Writers Association finally separated and each had its own independent office space.

At that moment, in one of the wooden rooms, several bigwigs from the Federation of Literary and Art Circles and the Writers Association were having a small, impromptu meeting.

On the table in front of them was a large stack of manuscripts, with Huang Wenbin's "Half a Game of Winning Against Heaven" prominently displayed on top.

"You've all read the manuscript, what are your opinions?" Zhou Yunyi, chairman of the Federation of Literary and Art Circles, finished his cigarette and asked slowly.

The others had different expressions and didn't rush to speak.

"These novels are all controversial works that have appeared in the last two years."

Zhou Yunyi had no choice but to continue, "Some are slightly biased in their thinking, some are too intense in their descriptions, and some are... like this Huang Wenbin."

He pointed to the top title, "Half a Move Against Heaven," and said, "I heard he's not even twenty yet, but his novels are already quite mature, and very... unconventional from the current mainstream. It's neither scarred nor reflective, but has a strange detached attitude, and it's very bold!"

"They certainly have a pioneering spirit, and their perspective is unique."

The speaker was Zhang Weiran, the former editor-in-chief of the Literary Gazette. "Of all these novels, this young man's is the most compelling; I really like it. And he's not the only one raising the issue of anti-corruption. Liu Bingyan's reportage, 'Between Humans and Demons,' also touches on the issue of corruption."

"This isn't the topic of today's discussion." Zhou Yuanyi frowned and tapped the table. "The main discussion now is about the current creative atmosphere in the literary and artistic circles. Although the National Congress of Literary and Art Circles has established the future direction for the literary and artistic circles, most ordinary people and creators are still unaware of it."

"I think openness should be within certain limits, otherwise it's not openness, it's indulgence." He was asking where those limits lay. "To what extent should openness be considered open?" The speaker was Li Qingquan, editor-in-chief of *Yanjing Literature*.

Gan Wudong, one of the secretaries of the Federation of Literary and Art Circles, raised an eyebrow and his tone suddenly became louder: "Artistic creation shouldn't have any boundaries. Weren't the restrictions already heavy enough? Have we created any masterpieces yet?"

"You're just arguing for the sake of arguing!" Li Qingquan retorted, dissatisfied. "How can these be the same? You can't go to extremes in anything, or it will easily collapse!"

Gan Wudong retorted, "How is it different! If you don't correct the wrong course, what kind of correction is that!"

"Alright!" Zhou Yunyi slammed her hand on the table again, feeling a terrible headache. Running the Writers' Association was really tough. "Let's not get off-topic. Let's talk about Huang Wenbin's novel."

To prevent these people from arguing further, he directly called out, "Li Ji, you are the main person in charge of People's Literature, you speak first."

Li Ji lit another cigarette. He was the one who approved Huang Wenbin's works in the final review, so he was well aware of the energy contained in these works.

The earliest submission was in March 1978. The editors of People's Literature received a manuscript from a young man from Jiangxi. It contained twelve short stories, ranging from one thousand to ten thousand words.

The first story, titled "Bride Price," tells the tale of a promising young man who was ultimately killed because of excessively high bride prices in a certain province. It is about three thousand words long and is chilling to read.

The second piece, titled "Selling Crutches," tells the story of an old swindler from Northeast China who, along with his wife, sells a pair of crutches to a able-bodied chef. This piece was rejected by Li Ji in the final review because he felt it belittled people from Northeast China and discriminated against chefs and disabled people, potentially causing a negative impact.

The third article is called...

At the time, the entire editorial department of People's Literature was stunned by this young man named Huang Wenbin. He not only had a rich imagination, but also a unique perspective that was not detached from reality and had a touch of dark humor.

Li Ji actually loved these twelve manuscripts to death, but he still reluctantly rejected seven of them and selected five to be published in three issues of "People's Literature".

The most popular of these is a short story called "Heart-Shaped Stone," which, despite being over 29,000 words long, fully captures the essence of human nature.

"The Heart-Shaped Stone" tells the story of a young male star in the Republican era who frequently gave actresses heart-shaped stones, claiming they were natural stones he had picked up by the river. He used this tactic to date many actresses. However, these actresses didn't love him; they only used his fame to advance their careers. After breaking up with him, they would use the stones to imply he was stingy.

One day, a male celebrity gave a heart-shaped stone to a female celebrity who was much more famous and influential than him. As a result, the female celebrity was truly moved and married him.

Not long after, the female celebrity got into trouble and was arrested and imprisoned. The male celebrity immediately divorced her and severed all ties with her.

A reporter questioned him about the heart-shaped stone, asking how he could live up to his previous affection.

He made up a story: the stone was actually man-made. He went to a rural area for a charity performance and found the people there to be very poor. He wanted to give them money directly, but they refused because they had the pride to refuse. So he tricked the villagers into grinding heart-shaped stones for him, saying that there was a good market for them and that they could make money. Gradually, the villagers escaped poverty by doing this.

Then, the actresses who previously disliked heart-shaped stones gave interviews, showing off the stones they had received and saying they were the best gifts they had ever received.

Male celebrities were hailed as idols of the Republic of China era.

The entire story, absurd yet profoundly reflecting human nature and reality, is extremely satirical.

His later works, "The Funeral Coffin" and "Hibiscus Town," were even more brilliant, and his level was far superior to that of his contemporaries.

When "Bloody Romance" was published, Li Jidu became somewhat afraid. He was hesitant to accept it, so he forwarded it to "Yanjing Literature and Art".

As expected, it caused a huge reaction as soon as it was published, but I don't know who suppressed that reaction.

He had originally intended to borrow the author to write at No. 166 Chaonei Street, but later cautiously rejected the idea.

Unexpectedly, a year later, this kid has caused such a big commotion again. He really knows how to stir things up.

"This author is young, has a brilliant imagination, and his creations have endless possibilities."

After carefully considering his words, Li Ji said with utmost caution, "Although his work subtly reveals characteristics that are out of step with the times, I don't think it crosses any lines. We shouldn't interfere; we just need to guide it gently."

Li Qingquan agreed, saying, "That's right. Huang Wenbin's novel does not violate any principles and should be given the greatest possible leniency."

"What you're saying is utter nonsense!" Gan Wudong shouted directly, "Precisely because he's so creative, he needs to be nipped in the bud and restrained in time. What kind of stuff is he writing now, just as he pleases?!"

As he spoke, Gan Wudong pulled out a copy of "Foshan Literature and Art" and pointed to the martial arts novels inside. For these top figures, figuring out an author's pen name and real name was incredibly easy.

But as the conversation progressed, their positions reversed. Li Qingquan was clearly protecting Huang Wenbin, while Gan Wudong's conservative stance gradually became apparent.

After discussing it for a while, no conclusion was reached.

"How about this!"

Zhou Yunyi delivered her final concluding remarks, speaking solemnly:

"In the past two years, many good works of art have emerged, and many authors are exploring the boundaries of creation."

"Among these writers, Huang Wenbin is a very typical example. His novels and screenplays are of extremely high quality, but his ideas are very unconventional, his writing techniques are advanced, and he shows more facets of personality."

"Then after the National Congress of Literary and Art Circles concludes, we will hold a special seminar on him to discuss all his works in detail, and take this opportunity to set a tone for creators across the country."

"As the saying goes, though the sparrow is small, it has all the vital organs!"

He placed his hands on the table, his expression solemn:

"Then let's dissect this sparrow named Huang Wenbin properly in front of the entire nation!"