Xu Jixin sat in Kang Jianfei's office and waited, as the editor-in-chief of "Oriental Daily", he has been choked by Kang Jianfei's pigeon release in the past few months. After receiving a call from Kang Jianfei's assistant, Xu Jixin came to get the manuscript early in the morning, but he waited for half an hour and didn't see anyone.

Suddenly, there was a clear sound outside the door, Xu Jixin turned his head to look, and just saw Kang Jianfei walking in.

"Editor-in-Chief Xu came so early?" Kang Jianfei asked with a smile.

Xu Jixin smiled bitterly: "Mr. Kang, I have been waiting for your manuscript for half a year. ”

"Then wait a little longer," Kang Jianfei returned to his seat and sat down, and said, "I'll find someone to write a novel, and I'll ghostwrite that later." ”

Xu Jixin was not surprised to hear that it was a ghostwriter, it was strange that Kang Jianfei, a busy man, wrote a novel himself, but he still asked curiously: "Several gunmen introduced by our "Oriental Daily" have not been able to enter Mr. Kang's eyes, I don't know who Lu Dao is looking for to write this time?" ”

Kang Jianfei said with a smile: "Huang Jiaqiang." ”

Xu Jixin thought about it for a long time and couldn't figure out which one Huang Jiaqiang was, so he could only sit in the office and wait patiently.

After more than twenty minutes, a tall and thin man came in, still holding a stack of manuscripts in his hand, and bowed as soon as he entered the door: "Mr. Kang, I'm sorry, there is a traffic jam on the road." ”

Kang Jianfei introduced: "Editor-in-chief Xu, this is Huang Jiaqiang. ”

"Hello, I'm Xu Jixin, editor-in-chief of Oriental Daily." Xu Jixin took the initiative to shake hands with Huang Jiaqiang, but his eyes fell on the manuscript in the other party's hand.

"Hello, Editor-in-Chief Xu." Huang Jiaqiang shook hands with Xu Jixin excitedly.

Xu Jixin discussed the manuscript of the novel and asked, "I don't know where Mr. Huang is?" ”

For Wong Ka-keung, who has been repeatedly rejected for submissions, the editor-in-chief of the Oriental Daily is a big man, and he respectfully replied: "Hong Kong Museum of Art." ”

"Really? It turns out that Mr. Huang is still an artist. Huang Jiaqiang's answer surprised Xu Jixin, and he thought that Huang Jiaqiang was a writer in some company.

Huang Jiaqiang smiled: "I can't talk about artists, I just do some chores in the art museum." ”

Kang Jianfei interjected: "Jiaqiang is very persevering. In three months, he sent me twelve letters, all of which were novels he had written. ”

"I don't know what novels Mr. Huang has written before?" Xu Jixin asked.

Huang Jiaqiang's face was embarrassed, and he said: "I have written some short and medium stories, but they have not been published yet. ”

In fact, Huang Jiaqiang submitted several drafts to the "Oriental Daily", but he was shot dead by ordinary editors, and Xu Jixin never saw him at all.

Xu Jixin looked at Kang Jianfei with puzzled eyes, as if he wanted to know what he chose Huang Jiaqiang to ghostwrite for Lu, an art museum staff member who had not published any works, Xu Jixin really couldn't see anything special.

"Editor-in-chief Xu, let's take a look at the manuscript first," Kang Jianfei said with a smile. "Jiaqiang sent me twelve letters in three months, and he came to my company a few times later, and it was quite speculative for me to meet and talk to him."

In fact, Kang Jianfei is all nonsense, if he hadn't recognized Huang Jiaqiang as Huang Yi, he wouldn't have let an "amateur" ghostwrite.

In parallel time and space. Although Huang Yi had already begun to write novels at this time, all he wrote was traditional martial arts. It wasn't until 87 that the fantasy "Moon Demon" was finally published.

And because of the inspiration of Kang Jianfei's "Looking for Qin". Coupled with the stimulation of "Ethereal Journey", Huang Jiaqiang's thinking for writing novels has broadened a lot, and the manuscript he sent to Kang Jianfei is fantasy martial arts.

Xu Jixin opened the manuscript and glanced at the title of the novel "Turning Clouds and Rain", and then looked directly at the content of the text.

"Turning Clouds and Rain" was originally Huang Yi's semi-mature work, and at this time, Kang Jianfei outlined the plot he remembered. Then let Huang Jiaqiang, who is not enough to control the novel, write it, and the taste is very different from the original "Turning Clouds and Rain".

Xu Jixin only read a few lines, and he saw that Huang Jiaqiang's writing skills were not good (Huang Yi often failed his compositions when he was studying), and he really couldn't understand why Kang Jianfei was looking for such a person to ghostwrite.

However, as the plot of the novel progresses. Xu Jixin was gradually attracted by the story, and waited until he finished reading the manuscript of more than 100,000 words before raising his head and saying: "Very unique martial arts novel. ”

Although Wong Ka-keung's writing is not good, his storytelling ability is very outstanding, and the development of the plot rhythm is very good. Don't think ghostwriting is an easy thing, Kang Jianfei is just listing the outline of the story, and how to write it still needs Huang Jiaqiang to operate, which is not much different from the original.

Kang Jianfei said: "The author will co-sign it, this is what I told Jiaqiang." ”

Xu Jixincai doesn't care whether he signs Huang Jiaqiang's name or not, as long as there is Kang Jianfei's gold-lettered signboard, he nodded and said: "Yes, but the novel needs to be polished again before serialization, this is no problem, right?" ”

Many of the talented people have strange old diseases, such as the fact that Ni Frame's writing of novels is not only scribbled and illegible, but also does not allow others to revise his manuscript unless it is a typo.

Huang Jiaqiang didn't have any requirements in this regard, Xu Jixin agreed to ask him, as long as the "Oriental Daily" did not change the plot, the text was tossed as much as possible.

Xu Jixin put away the manuscript, and finally breathed a sigh of relief and said: "This book has dragged on for eight months, and I can finally give readers an explanation." ”

Huang Jiaqiang suddenly remembered the question of his pen name, and he said: "Editor-in-chief Xu, my name will be signed Huang Yi, which is the Yi of the Book of Changes." ”

Kang Jianfei didn't expect the pen name Huang Yi to come out in advance, but considering that Huang Jiaqiang originally specialized in Chinese painting in college, he has been studying Yili metaphysics, and it is reasonable to take out a pen name related to the "Book of Changes".

……

"Oriental Daily" moved quickly, and on the front page of the supplement the next day, it made a headline in large letters: Countdown to the new book of a generation of famous novelist Kang Jianfei - there are only 8 days left!

The reason why it was not serialized immediately was because there was another novel occupying the page at this time, and "Oriental Daily" had already asked the unlucky author to finish it as soon as possible, and to end Kang Jianfei's novel before the serialization.

In addition, advertising in the form of a countdown will make Kang Jianfei's new book get great attention.

In a tea restaurant in Yau Ma Tei, a young man asked for breakfast, picked up the newspaper on the table and looked at it. A few minutes later, the young man suddenly squirted out the barbecued pork bun in his mouth with a sudden "poof". Then cough clutching his chest.

"It's in the streets!" The old man opposite the young man was sprayed with barbecued pork in the face, slammed the table and scolded, as if the young man was going to pick up a knife and cut people without giving an explanation.

Seeing that the situation was wrong, the boss hurriedly ran over and asked, "Ming Zai, what's wrong with you?" ”

The young man named Ming Tsai finally straightened out his anger, pointed to the newspaper and said, "Kang Jianfei is going to publish a new book!" ”

"Who do you say is going to publish a new book?" The boss thought his ear was wrong.

"It's Kang Jianfei who wrote "Ethereal Journey"!" Ming Tsai pointed to the supplement of "Oriental Daily" and said, "See, Kang Jianfei's new book counts down, and there are 8 days left to be serialized." ”

The boss was happy at first, and then scolded: "That's also a dead street." A book dragged on for seven or eight months, and it had no credibility at all. ”

Ming Tsai smiled: "Uncle Gen, don't scold you, Kang Jianfei has money now, and the big theater on the adjacent street is his." People make 10 million or 20 million yuan now when they make a movie, how can they have time to write novels? Bounce is better than closing the pen. Jin Yong just made enough money and sealed the pen directly. ”

"That's the same, it would be nice if Jin Yong didn't seal the pen." The boss sighed. He is also an avid martial arts enthusiast. Usually, when there is nothing to do in the store, I rely on novels to pass the time.

The two of you said a word, and directly forgot the old man who was sprayed with sandbags all over his face, and the latter could only glare at them viciously, wipe off the things on his face and continue to eat breakfast.

The same scene was played out in various parts of Hong Kong, and in the 80s, when martial arts novels were in decline, there were still countless loyal fans of the novel. It's just that these people's tastes have been raised by Jin Yong. It is difficult for ordinary novels to get into their eyes, and now there are only three most popular authors left in Hong Kong, namely Ni Box, Wen Ruian and Kang Jianfei.

Among them, only Wen Ruian specializes in martial arts, and Ni Frame's magic weapon is the "Wesley" sci-fi series. And Kang Jianfei even made a Xiuzhen novel like "Ethereal Journey".

Many loyal readers are waiting for Kang Jian to fly out of the new book, and now as soon as the news of the countdown to the new book comes out, these people immediately rush to tell each other.

"Brother Zhong, Kang Jianfei is going to publish a new book, and there is still a week."

"Ah Yuan, what do you think Kang Jianfei's new book will be about?"

"Fatty, didn't your family subscribe to the "Oriental Daily" and bring one to school every day in the future."

“……”

"Over the Clouds and Rain" has not yet been officially serialized, and just the news that Kang Jianfei is about to release a new book has already attracted the attention of countless people. This situation has made many young authors in Hong Kong blush, and few people care about what they have worked so hard to write, and Kang Jianfei's new book is already known to everyone without a single word.

……

The eight-day countdown passed in a flash, and the Oriental Daily newspaper specially printed 10,000 more copies, so as not to sell out of stock like last time.

In a rented house in Kowloon, Hong Kong, Wen Ruian stared at the wall in a daze for a long time before finally picking up the pen and continuing to write. But after only writing for a while, he stopped again, threw the pen away, got up and walked around.

Wen Ruian is now in a miserable situation, and after being deported by the Taiwan authorities, he came to Hong Kong last year in many ways, and now he makes a living by serializing novels in the "Ming Pao Evening News".

In the parallel space, after Wen Ruian arrived in Hong Kong, he was invited by Khoo to join Asia Television as a creative manager (equivalent to the chief screenwriter). has also continuously adapted and filmed dramas such as "The Four Famous Catchers of Jingshi" and "The Divine Appearance of Li Buyi", and got a large amount of copyright fees, and lived a good life.

It's a pity that now there is only Phoenix TV in Hong Kong and no Asia Television, Wen Ruian did not become the creative manager of the TV station, and his novels have not been remade into TV series, so he can only live on manuscript fees. Fortunately, at the end of last year, "The Four Famous Catches" was collected into a book, and more than 80,000 copies were sold, which made Wen Ruian's pockets plump up all of a sudden.

"Knock Knock Knock ......"

Wen Ruian, who was already Carvin, was even more annoyed when he heard the knock on the door, and ran to open the door angrily.

When he opened the door, he saw a middle-aged man wearing glasses outside, and Wen Ruian said angrily, "Why are you here again?" ”

The person who came was Shangguan Xiaobao, a great cartoonist who was as famous as Huang Yulang, and he came to talk about the comic adaptation of "The Four Famous Catches", but unfortunately the adaptation fee was too small, and Wen Ruian was always unwilling.

"Mr. Wen, young people nowadays like to read comics, and if the "Four Famous Catches" is published, the fame of this book will definitely be icing on the cake and rise again." Shangguan Xiaobao didn't see Wen Rui'an's bad face, and tried to persuade the other party as soon as he came.

Wen Ruian didn't bother to talk to him, this guy actually wanted to buy the comic adaptation rights of "The Four Famous Catchers of Jingshi" for 20,000 yuan, it was just a fool's dream. As for what changes in the manga will increase the popularity of the novel, it is even more nonsense. Shangguan Xiaobao saw that the novel of "The Four Famous Catches" sold well last year, so he wanted to adapt it into a comic to make money.

"If you don't have 200,000 yuan, you don't need to talk about it Wen Ruian directly refused, and even quoted a sky-high price to make Shangguan Xiaobao retreat, and after speaking, he went out to the newspaper box in the aisle to get today's newspaper.

As a writer who makes a living from codewords, Wen Ruian must read serialized novels in newspapers such as Ming Pao and Oriental Daily every day. The news of the countdown to Kang Jianfei's new book, Wen Ruian also learned about it a long time ago, and guessed that it was the hype method of "Oriental Daily".

After getting the newspaper, Wen Ruian threw "Ming Pao" aside and went directly to the supplement of "Oriental Daily", he was actually very curious about what Kang Jianfei's new book would look like.

Shangguan Xiaobao was left aside and ignored. He was so thick-skinned that he didn't leave, but wanted to wait for Wen Ruian to finish reading the newspaper before continuing to talk.

In the 50s and 60s, the comic industry in Hong Kong flourished, and a large number of comic writers emerged. Since drawing comics is very profitable, Cat and Dog joined the ranks of comic creation. Competition has become extremely fierce, and major comic magazines and newspapers are trying to increase sales. Cartoonists began to be encouraged to create violent, erotic/erotic plots.

The comic newspaper of the time was opened. Either the plasma flew randomly or was exposed at three points, and the most obvious thing naturally caused public outrage, so much so that the British government in Hong Kong ordered an investigation and legislated to regulate the comic industry.

After some investigation, the booming comic market went into recession, and countless comic magazines and newspapers went out of business. Shangguan Xiaobao and Huang Yulang are the only two remaining fruits. They cleverly launched the "Comic Cleanup Campaign" to reduce violence and pornography, and finally ushered in a leap forward in the face of adversity.

Shangguan Xiaobao and Huang Yulang are enemies, and the two of them are old rivals who have accumulated grievances for more than ten years. When one person is proud, the other is unlucky.

In recent years, it has been Shangguan Xiaobao's turn to be unlucky, and even three years ago he was annexed by Huang Yulang's Yulang International, and he worked under the enemy's hands in humiliation.

Ma Rongcheng was brought into Yulang International by Shangguan Xiaobao, and he was nominally his apprentice. As a result, now Ma Rongcheng and Huang Yuelang are in a hot fight, and his comic "Chinese Heroes" is a big hit, and there is nothing to do with Shangguan Xiaobao.

Shangguan Xiaobao only left Yulang International at the beginning of this year and regained his freedom, and saw Wen Ruian's "Four Famous Catches" selling well, so he wanted to adapt this novel into a comic, but unfortunately he really couldn't come up with much money.

"Turning Clouds and Rain" was serialized in the newspaper with only nearly 10,000 words, and the edited novel was very flavorful, and Wen Ruian felt unfinished after reading it.

Wen Ruian put down the newspaper, and suddenly found a Shangguan Xiaobao standing next to him, and said in surprise: "Why haven't you left yet?" ”

Shangguan Xiaobao said: "Mr. Wen, I really don't have much money on hand now. If you look at this, the sales volume of each issue of "82 Painting Society" shall prevail. If the sales volume is more than 10,000 copies, I will give you an adaptation fee of 100 yuan per issue, and if it is less than 10,000 copies, I will give you an adaptation fee of 80 yuan per issue. ”

"82 Painting Society" is a comic daily newspaper, 60 yuan a day, and 1,800 yuan a month, far more profitable than directly selling out the comic copyright, Wen Ruian was a little moved by this proposal.

In fact, if it weren't for Shangguan Xiaobao's signature work "Bruce Lee" being merged into Yulang International, he would not have pulled down his face and asked Wen Ruian to adapt "The Four Famous Catches".

"Knock Knock Knock ......"

Wen Ruian was about to say yes, when suddenly there was a knock on the door again.

"You are?" Wen Ruian looked at the strange man outside the door and asked.

The person smiled and said, "Hello Mr. Wen, I am Xu Xiaoming, the manager of the TV production department of Oriental DreamWorks. ”

"DreamWorks?" Wen Ruian had already heard about the name of Oriental DreamWorks, and asked expectantly, "May I ask what Manager Xu is looking for me?" ”

"That's right," Xu Xiaoming explained, "DreamWorks wants to adapt Mr. Wen's "The Four Famous Catchers of Beijing", I wonder what Mr. Lu Daowen thinks? ”

Wen Ruixin was overjoyed, his novels have never been adapted into TV series, this is definitely a big opportunity for him, once the "Four Famous Catches" TV series is on the air, then his novel readers will definitely increase greatly.

Holding back the joy in his heart, Wen Ruian said: "I'm very happy to cooperate with DreamWorks, I don't know how to calculate the adaptation fee?" ”

Xu Xiaoming explained in detail: "Now the copyright fee of Jin Yong drama is about 250,000 yuan, and the ancient dragon drama and Liang Yusheng drama are about 150,000 yuan. Although Mr. Wen's "Four Famous Catches" sold very well, after all, you can't compare with Jin, Gu, and Liang, and we can only give you 80,000 yuan. ”

The reason why DreamWorks wanted to shoot "The Four Famous Catches" is the same as Shangguan Xiaobao's adaptation of the comics, all because the book sold very well some time ago.

But the difference is that the TV series is broadcast on the platform of Phoenix Channel, which will bring Wen Ruian a huge benefit in fame. Don't say it's 80,000 yuan, even if you only give 10,000 Wen Ruian, you will agree.

However, he still has to pretend to be reserved on his face, Wen Ruian said: "I still like DreamWorks and Phoenix Terrace very much, although 80,000 yuan is a bit low, but I am very happy to cooperate with you." I wonder if I can participate in the adaptation of the script? "The Four Famous Catches" is my brainchild after all, and I am afraid that it will be too outrageous by other screenwriters. ”

DreamWorks' screenwriting department now has seven or eight pens, but it really doesn't have a writer as famous as Wen Ruian. Xu Xiaoming suddenly had the idea of beating rabbits with grass, and said: "It would be great if Mr. Wen could participate in the adaptation of the script, why don't you come to our DreamWorks as a part-time screenwriter." ”

"It just so happens that I also have plans to be a screenwriter, so it's better to be respectful than to obey." Wen Ruian was worried that there was no place to show his talent, so he naturally agreed with a smile.

Shangguan Xiaobao stood aside and watched the two of them chatting happily, and suddenly felt that he was a little redundant. (To be continued......)