Chapter 109 An unexpected gain
"When I came from Beijing, I happened to meet Ms. Shi Shujun, the director of Shanghai Film Studio. When she heard that I was coming to Japan to meet you, she asked me to say hello to you first. She wanted to adapt your work into a movie and hoped to get your consent."
"Shi Shujun? Oh, are you planning to adapt my 'Young Friends Come to Meet'?" Gao Jialin asked.
Why did he guess this one instead of "Spring Breeze in Meilong Town"? The reason is very simple. He has seen Shi Shujun's previous work, "Female College Student Dormitory", which also tells the life of college students in the new era, but focuses on female college students.
This is her first work. Generally speaking, a director who has just entered the industry often likes to choose similar themes for the first few films, so that he can be more proficient in shooting and the film studio will trust him. Once he has accumulated enough experience, he can try new themes and the probability of success will be higher.
"Yes, yes, yes. She went to Pujiang College to look for you, but when she arrived she found out that you had come to Japan. She was afraid that such a good story would be snatched away by another film studio, so she asked me to tell you first. She will look for you as soon as you return to Shanghai." Han Shanping nodded repeatedly.
"Thank you Teacher Shi for your appreciation. I will visit the film studio when I return to Shanghai." Gao Jialin agreed. Adapting it into a movie was a good thing, and "Female College Students' Dormitory" was of good quality. He was also relieved to hand "Young Friends Come to Meet" to Shi Shujun.
At noon the next day, Gao Jialin boarded the flight back to China. Before leaving, Tsuboi Chinatsu was reluctant to let him go and almost shed tears. Fortunately, Tokuma Shoten and Gao Jialin agreed that when the sales of "Showa American Story" exceeded 10 million copies, Gao Jialin would come to participate in the celebration party. With the current sales speed, perhaps this day is not far away, and then they can meet again.
After getting off the plane, Gao Jialin immediately paid a visit to the head of the cultural department. The head was very happy to see him and said, "Jialin, I have heard a lot of compliments about you these days. You have brought honor to our country this time. I want to thank you on behalf of everyone."
Gao Jialin quickly responded modestly. The leader held his hand and did not let go until they reached the sofa. He also personally poured him tea. It was no wonder that he was treated so well. It was really that the influence of "Showa American Story" was too great. Since the founding of New China, no literary and artistic work had had such a sensational effect abroad.
It also brought valuable foreign exchange to the country and helped the country gain opportunities to send talents to study.
More importantly, although Gao Jialin had already gained fame and fortune overseas, he was not at all addicted to the decadence and glamour of capitalist society. When the agreed time came, he returned to China without hesitation, which made them breathe a sigh of relief. Such a young talent with both moral integrity and ability should naturally be treated well.
If Gao Jialin heard what he really thought, he would probably feel ashamed. I am addicted to the decadence and glamour of capitalist society, and I still miss the decadent times I spent with Chinatsu Tsuboi.
The leader did not just praise him, but also gave him practical benefits, "You haven't joined the Writers Association yet, right? I went to the Writers Association meeting a few days ago and mentioned it. They decided to absorb you immediately and elect you as a member of the presidium. You can go to the Writers Association tomorrow and complete the formalities!"
"Thank you, leader. I will go there early tomorrow morning." Gao Jialin agreed.
Joining the Writers Association not only sounds good, but the most important thing is that members of the Writers Association's presidium also enjoy certain status treatment, which can bring them many benefits, the most direct of which is the purchase of air and train tickets.
In the past, Gao Jialin had no qualifications to take a plane, and he had to find someone to buy a hard sleeper train ticket. Now, by showing his identity as a member of the Standing Committee of the All-China Writers Association, he can openly buy plane tickets and soft sleeper train tickets.
When the leader had almost finished speaking, Gao Jialin took out a stack of manuscripts from his bag and handed them over. "During my stay in Japan, after communicating with people in the Japanese cultural community, I wrote down my views on the current development of Japan's cultural industry. I hope the leader will correct me."
"Oh? I have to take a closer look at this. Your last article on the Japanese economy was very insightful. This article must also have something to say." The leader took it and flipped through it. He only glanced at it and praised it repeatedly. "It is indeed well written. There are many things in it that are worth learning. After I finish reading it, I will submit it to the internal reference for publication and let other leaders read it as well."
After staying in Beijing for a few days, reporting his work during that period to relevant leaders and going to the Writers Association to get his certificate, Gao Jialin boarded the train back to school. With his committee card, he bought a soft sleeper ticket directly at the window.
After returning to Shanghai in comfort, Gao Jialin put his things in his big house and went to the public telephone store near his home to call the Shanghai Film Studio. When Shi Shujun answered the phone, she said politely, "I should be the one visiting you. How can I let you come to me?"
"Of course you are my elder, and I haven't been to the film studio yet, so I'd better go there and broaden my horizons."
When they arrived at the film studio, the adaptation was finalized in a few words. Gao Jialin also planned to use this opportunity to learn how to write scripts. It was not that he wanted the writing fee. After the royalties from "Showa American Story", he no longer cared about this little money.
The main thing is to exercise my own abilities. If I go to another world to be a director in the future, won’t this skill come in handy?
"I missed a lot of classes this semester, so I need to concentrate on my studies for the next period of time. I'm afraid I won't be able to give you the script until summer vacation." Gao Jialin talked about his progress.
"It doesn't matter. It takes time to prepare a movie. It's enough time to submit the manuscript during the summer vacation. Once the preparations are done, it will be the time for new students to enroll at the Shanghai Theatre Academy. You can go with me to select actors then. You wrote the novel and you are most familiar with the characters, so we have to respect your opinions." Shi Shujun was very polite.
"Okay, just give me a call and I'll be there right away." Gao Jialin agreed readily.
Alas, he came at the wrong time. Gong Xue had already left the Shanghai Film Studio. Gao Jialin had no choice but to go to the Shanghai Theatre Academy to see if there was any girl who could catch his eye.
After returning to school and giving the small gifts to his roommates, Gao Jialin picked up the letters that had accumulated during his absence and started reading them. A letter from Sichuan caught his attention.
The writer of the letter is Yang Xiao, the editor-in-chief of Science Fiction World. In the letter, she solemnly thanked Gao Jialin. The period from the reform and opening up to 1983 was the golden age of domestic science fiction, and many outstanding science fiction writers emerged.
Unfortunately, this good time came to an abrupt end with the "Cleaning Up Spiritual Pollution" campaign, and "Science Fiction World" also fell into trouble.
Recently, due to the popularity of "Showa American Story" in Japan, the constraints on science fiction literature have been loosened, and "Science Fiction World" can finally take a breath, so Yang Xiao wrote a special letter to express his gratitude.
Didn't expect this kind of impact? This is also a pleasant surprise.
Vacation, classes, study, exams, organizing student activities. Time passed by unknowingly, and summer vacation is here again in the blink of an eye.
I will update twice in the next few days. Let me take my time. I will update more when I am done.
(End of this chapter)
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