Chapter 641 Privacy is for sale
The banquet was over and Lin Weimin was about to leave. Roberto Benigni came over again and chatted with Lin Weimin for a few words.
Before Lin Weimin left, he said meaningfully, "There will be opportunities for cooperation."
After he got in the car, Roberto Benigni's expression was still ecstatic, "Nicole, did you hear that? He said 'there will be a chance for cooperation', which means he recognizes me, recognizes me!"
Nicoletta Braschi is not as optimistic as her husband, but Lin Weimin's words do give people food for thought.
Could it be that he really intended to give the novel to her husband?
But when she thought about it carefully, she felt that it was unrealistic. They had just met for the first time today, and she might not even know who her husband was.
Nicoletta Braschi watched the car disappear into the night, her mind full of questions.
Bertolucci then said to Roberto Benigni: "Roberto, if you want to get the adaptation rights of Lin's novel, you have to be more proactive. At present, his novel "Farewell My Concubine" is being prepared for filming. The sales of this novel are close to 20 million copies worldwide. If the film adaptation is successful, it will not be so easy for you to get the adaptation rights of his works again."
Bertolucci's words immediately made Roberto Benigni's originally happy mood heavy.
That’s right, I have to be more proactive and let Lin see my sincerity.
The fifth day after the Strega Prize was awarded was also Lin Weimin's last day in Italy.
After finishing all the trips, Lin Weimin no longer had any plans to travel. After being away from home for six days, he missed Xiao Doubao a little.
Having a child has indeed brought about huge changes in one’s life. In the past, no matter how long or how far away he was away from home, Lin Weimin never had this feeling of missing his child.
After spending the last night in the hotel, Lin Weimin was ready to leave early the next morning, but Albert suddenly appeared just as he was about to get in the car to go to the airport.
"Lin, let's talk about your latest work."
Lin Weimin looked at Albert speechlessly, “Albert, I have a plane to catch.”
"It's okay, we'll talk in the car." Albert shamelessly got into the embassy's car.
Damn it, what have you been doing so far?
But after all, he had just won the Strega Prize, and for the sake of the hungry Italian readers, Lin Weimin decided to give Albert a chance.
After all, he is now very famous in Italy, and one more novel means more royalties!
After getting in the car, Albert couldn't sit still as soon as Lin Weimin opened his mouth.
“The royalties will be raised to 15%.”
"Lin, you can't do this. We are old friends."
"We Chinese have an old saying: business is business, brothers should be clear about accounts."
Albert said anxiously: "Lin, we have cooperated so happily in the past two years. You can't find a more suitable partner than us in Italy..."
"Who said that? I think Fabry Publishing House is pretty good. I happened to meet their editor-in-chief at the awards ceremony two days ago. He's a very nice guy and even invited me for coffee."
Lin Weimin's words almost made Albert jump in anxiety. Fabbri Publishing House is the second largest publisher in Italy and one of the strong rivals of Mondadori Publishing House.
Being caught in a dilemma, Albert had no choice but to agree to Lin Weimin's request.
"Don't be so sad. It makes me sound like I'm squeezing your publisher. Isn't the Strega Prize worth 15% of the royalties?"
"It's worth it, of course it's worth it." Albert said this but his face looked worried.
Lin Weimin couldn't help but tease, "Why did you think of talking about this just before leaving?"
Albert hesitated for a moment and said, “I went out for a drink with Roger last night…”
Well, if I hadn’t been drinking, I probably wouldn’t have remembered it.
"He said he wanted to introduce your book, Not One Less, and a fairy tale novel."
"The fairy tale novel has not been published yet. It has just been serialized in a children's literature magazine. I will send you the manuscript later."
Hearing this, Albert finally smiled a little, at least the trip was not in vain.
The plane flew over the Eurasian continent for several hours and finally landed at the Capital Airport.
This time when he returned to China, Lin Weimin did not bring anything that needed to be inspected, and he passed through customs easily.
As soon as he came out of customs, he was immediately surrounded by a group of reporters.
Lin Weimin was puzzled, "Where did you get the news that I was going to return to China?"
A tall and thin reporter was not shy and said directly, "Teacher Lin, you will be returning to China in the next few days after winning the award. I bought two packs of cigarettes for the airport staff. If there is a flight for you that day, please notify us immediately."
Well, this also involves selling personal privacy.
"Let's get out of the way so as not to block the road." Lin Weimin called the reporters to the side and said to them, "Okay, if you have any questions, please ask them now. I have to go home to see my kids, so let's hurry up."
The reporters were delighted to see Lin Weimin taking off his clothes and working hard without complaint. They liked this kind of initiative.
"Teacher Lin, do you have a trophy or something? Let's take a picture first."
Lin Weimin reluctantly took out the Strega Literature Prize trophy and said, "I originally had 20,000 lire, but I changed it and put it in the bank."
The reporters excitedly took photos and asked about Lin Weimin's award-winning experience.
These days, there is still a big market for winning glory for the country. Reporters were happy to listen to Lin Weimin's story about receiving the award in Italy and kept taking notes.
"This is the second time you have won a major European literary award. How do you feel about this?"
"Including Goncourt, this is indeed the second time. I feel very honored. It proves that good works can transcend national boundaries, which is also the greatest charm of literature.
After answering this question, Lin Weimin said loudly: "Okay, okay, I have asked almost all the questions. I will answer one last question and then you can let me go, okay?"
He pointed at the tall and thin reporter who had just spoken to him and said, "You go ahead and ask."
The tall and thin reporter was in high spirits. Under the eager gazes of many colleagues, he asked without hesitation: "When do you think you will win the Nobel Prize in Literature?"
After he asked this question, many reporters breathed a sigh of relief. It turned out that none of the reporters who could make a living at the airport were easy to deal with.
Lin Weimin smiled and said, "As for the Nobel Prize in Literature, it would be a lie to say that I have never thought about it. It is not something I can decide. If I win, it is an honor, and if I don't, it is no loss. So, there is no need to take it so seriously."
Having satisfied the appetites of many reporters, Lin Weimin was finally able to leave the airport.
When I left, I was picked up by a government car, but when I came back, I didn't get the same treatment.
After saying goodbye to the two accompanying staff members, Lin Weimin took a taxi and left the airport.
When he got home, before he put down his luggage, he saw Tao's father enjoying the cool under a tree. Xiao Doubao's baby carriage was also under the tree, and Tao's mother and Tao Huimin were sitting next to them chatting.
Tao Huimin was surprised to see Lin Weimin coming home.
"Why didn't you tell me you came back?"
"Just come back. It's too much trouble for you to call in advance."
Lin Weimin said something, hugged Tao Huimin, put the suitcase down, and leaned over to tease the little bean bun with his fingers.
"Daddy's little darling, do you miss daddy?" Lin Weimin's tone was gentle and full of love.
Little Doubao, who is almost three months old, is very awake now. He stares at the sky with his eyes wide open. When he sees Lin Weimin, he starts to laugh.
Looking at his daughter's cute appearance, Lin Weimin's heart melted.
Urged by Tao Huimin to wash his hands, he returned to the tree and picked up the child.
"You miss me so much after only being apart for a week?" Tao Huimin teased with a smile on her face.
"Try to separate for a week."
After playing with the little bean bun for more than ten minutes, the little girl finally became unhappy. She cried loudly and peed on Lin Weimin, finally escaping from the suffering.
Tao Huimin took the small bean bun from Lin Weimin and said to her husband who was still not satisfied, "That's enough, go change your clothes and wash them."
After changing his clothes, Lin Weimin took out gifts from the suitcase. Not only his family members, but also the two nannies, Sister Sun and Sister Qin, got some. The two were so happy that they kept expressing their gratitude.
Tao Huimin pulled Lin Weimin aside and whispered, "Why did you buy such an expensive watch?"
She was talking about the two watches that Lin Weimin gave to Tao's father and mother. They were IWC Da Vinci watches with perpetual calendar functions. They were very valuable. If they were bought in China, they would cost at least 40,000 yuan each.
"It's cheaper in Rome. Two watches cost only 40,000 yuan in lira. Your parents are helping to look after the children, so just give them a gift!"
Tao Huimin looked at her parents again. When Lin Weimin took out the watch just now, they kept pushing it away. Now that he had taken the watch, they couldn't hide the smiles on their faces.
She had to admit that her husband was capable of doing things and she herself would never have thought of such a thing.
Of course, her main reason was that she was reluctant to spend money.
Not to mention the parents, even the gifts for Sister Sun and Sister Qin were not cheap, at least a few hundred yuan. The most important thing is that these gifts are not easy to buy in China.
I received a gift worth one or two months' salary, but I would be unworthy of it if I don't work hard!
After resting at home for a night, Lin Weimin drove to the Guowen Publishing House to work early the next morning.
As soon as I entered the courtyard, I heard endless congratulations.
In the past few days, the news that Lin Weimin won the Strega Prize, Italy's highest literary award, for his book "Life is Beautiful Anyway" has been spread through various media and has become a hot topic of discussion on the streets in China.
In recent years, ordinary people have become accustomed to the news that Lin Weimin has won awards overseas.
But this is to bring glory to the country after all, and Chinese people have never had any resistance to terms like "highest" and "first".
Whenever the news came, even though it was no longer new, everyone still couldn't help but spread it, discuss it, and praise it, because after all, it was an award won by one of their own!
(End of this chapter)
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