Chapter 517: , literary exchange, heart has flown

Jin Yong is a person who loves books, and his collection is even more numerous. Seeing that Li Heng had a room full of books at a young age, he was surprised and asked instinctively: "Are these all bought by Mr. Li?"

Li Heng answered truthfully: "Some were bought by myself, some were entrusted to my senior brothers to buy."

Jin Yong asked: "Can I take a look?"

Li Heng smiled and said: "They are all ordinary books in literature and history, please feel free."

Jin Yong is also a writer himself, and obtained the opportunity to visit Li Heng through various ways. Now that he has the opportunity to visit the study, he naturally won't be too polite when encountering such things.

He stood in front of the bookshelf, first looked at the books in the room again carefully with a leisurely attitude, then stretched out his hand, took out the books he was interested in and flipped through them.

Jin Yong is flipping through books. His secretary took a camera and took several close-up photos for him, recording his words and deeds on this trip.

Li Heng didn't care, let the old gentleman toss, and after inviting Editor-in-Chief Liao and Yu Laoshi to sit down, the three of them drank tea face to face, very comfortable.

About half an hour later, Jin Yong suddenly turned around and asked Li Heng: "I see that many books have notes and insights written on them. Has Mr. Li read all the books in this room?"

Isn't that nonsense, I read books every day, some books were even moved from my hometown, and after accumulating over time, not to mention all, at least a considerable part has been flipped through.

Li Heng replied: "It's okay, some have been read, some are used to check writing materials, and some are books I plan to read in the future."

Jin Yong asked: "How many books are there in total?"

Li Heng answered: "About 1400."

Mr. Jin Yong paused, and sighed with admiration: "Amazing! Before coming, I thought Mr. Li was a little old man, at least he was old.

At the school gate, Mr. Li's age shattered my traditional concept, thinking that Mr. Li is a genius with outstanding writing talent.

And it wasn't until I flipped through these books that I realized Mr. Li far exceeded me in diligence, and I am ashamed of myself."

Li Heng was proud in his heart, but said peacefully on the surface: "The great hero, for the country and the people. After the May Fourth Movement, many modern novelists wrote foreign novels in Chinese, while Mr. Cha insisted on writing Chinese stories in traditional forms. The profound cultural heritage far exceeded the form of martial arts works.

I have always felt that your artistic structure is not just Eastern, but also inherited the creative means of new literature after May Fourth. The works not only have entertainment, but also have ideological and artistic quality. The hardship and excellence behind this are beyond the understanding of ordinary people. In this point, it is worth learning from our vast number of peers."

Jin Yong praised his talent and diligence.

Li Heng conversely praised him for pioneering new forms, writing martial arts novels to a new height, and writing literary art.

It is said that if people respect me an inch, I will respect you a foot.

Jin Yong wrote so many wonderful martial arts novels, and behind him there are hundreds of millions of book fans supporting him, which should be proud. But the reality is that there are always some cultural celebrities who criticize him with popular novels, criticizing his works for only pleasing the public, only having shallow entertainment, and not being in the mainstream.

This is a big pain in Mr. Jin Yong's heart.

Now hearing Li Heng praise him so much, Jin Yong's mood immediately improved, and for a time, a smile overflowed his whole face.

You must know that the young man in front of him is not an ordinary cat or dog, but a super bull person who wrote "To Live," "Cultural Bitter Travel," and "Bai Luyuan." How heavy is the gold content of his words? Only those who hold the pen understand Li Heng's greatness.

A few words adjusted Mr. Jin Yong's mood to the highest point.

Jin Yong happily sat down and talked about his experience of contacting "Bai Luyuan": "In the first half of the year, after I finished my work, I called a long-time friend living in Yang Pu, asking about the situation in the mainland literary world? Asking if there are any good books published in the mainland? Books worth reading?

At that time, my friend recommended "Bai Luyuan" to me very grandly.

He introduced to me: Liangyong, you are lucky, you asked at the right time now, other books can not be read, but a book published recently is very necessary to see.

This is an epic literary work. The author has a new breakthrough in the writing of the gentry group in the Republic of China period, writing Bai Jiaxuan, a gentry, into a positive model who is full of righteousness, upright, asking for the people, and supported by the villagers...

I was immediately interested at that time, and asked him to collect the "Harvest" magazine journals and mail them to me.

When I finished reading the first time, I felt especially great, and realized a truth from the book: when in a trough, don't bend your waist, and stick to the moral bottom line, which is the power of character; in a smooth situation, don't be arrogant or impetuous, and be low-key, which is a pattern.

Still not satisfied, I read it a second time without stopping.

When I finished reading the second time, I was suddenly enlightened and broke out in a cold sweat, worrying for this author, this author's courage is really big!"

The study was weirdly quiet for a few seconds, and later everyone laughed knowingly.

Li Heng smiled: "Mr. Cha, you understood this book."

Jin Yong nodded: "'Bai Luyuan' is really a good book, a classic seen once in a hundred years, Mr. Li has great talent, after I read it for the third time, I had an intuition that it would win all the big awards in the mainland."

Big awards?

"To Live" only has word of mouth, no awards.

"Cultural Bitter Travel" has good word of mouth as always, and currently hasn't won any awards either.

Now whether it is "Harvest" magazine, Editor-in-Chief Liao, or Yu Shuheng, they all hope that "Bai Luyuan" will break through the shackles, have both word of mouth and win big awards.

Even to a certain extent, Yu Laoshi and Editor-in-Chief Liao's desire for him to win an award is heavier than Li Heng himself.

The reason why Editor-in-Chief Liao is like this is because Li Heng is the pillar writer of "Harvest" magazine. Over the past two years, he has almost been carrying "Harvest" forward alone, suppressing "People's Literature" in sales for 11 consecutive issues and maintaining the national first place, which has allowed everyone in the agency to eat a wave of big dividends.

It also made everyone in the magazine agency have admiration for Li Heng.

After all, it is not an easy thing to suppress "People's Literature" that has dominated the industry in the past with one's own strength. It can even be said to be a very unimaginable thing.

No one has ever thought about it in the past, but Li Heng completed it, not only shaking the literary world, but also making the entire literary world look at him with admiration and maintain a lofty respect for him.

Whether friendly or hostile, at least in terms of market sales, everyone is convinced by Writer Twelve Month.

And Yu Shuheng doesn't need to talk about it. "Bai Luyuan" was almost accompanied by her throughout the process. Because of love, she hopes more than anyone else that Li Heng stands at the peak of the literary world.

"Bai Luyuan" is a history about men's ambition, and also a tragic history about women's fate. Just like Jin Yong read it 4 times, every time you read it more, you will have different feelings.

With the topic of "Bai Luyuan," Li Heng and Jin Yong exchanged many insights and feelings, especially this old gentleman seems to like this book very much, often blowing Li Heng to the point of floating.

It is said that if people respect me an inch, I will respect you a foot. When "Bai Luyuan" was talked about to a certain extent, he appropriately led the topic to martial arts novels.

Because the two were too excited, they were like martial arts masters, and they ranked the martial arts and masters in Jin Yong's martial arts.

Li Heng said: "I have

Chief Editor Liao, Yu Shuheng, and the secretary were all very surprised. At first, they thought Li Heng had only done some advance preparation, which was why there was that scene of mutual commercial flattery at the beginning.

But as Li Heng began to recite all the martial arts techniques as if they were his own family treasures and analyzed the characteristics of a certain martial art, they realized that Li Heng wasn't just spouting nonsense—he had genuinely read and summarized them.

Jin Yong naturally perceived this as well. It was as if he had found a kindred spirit, and he said with great delight, "Mr. Li has a keen eye. Your terminology for these mythical-level martial arts is novel and unique, even more on-point than my own summaries. I am currently reviewing and revising these martial arts novels; once I finish, I will send them to you for a trial read. I hope Mr. Li will not hesitate to point out any shortcomings..."

Does this mean he wants to consult his opinions to revise the martial arts novels?

It's no wonder Jin Yong thought so much of it. Seeing him speak so logically, he even had a thought in his mind: if the person before him wanted to write martial arts novels, he would probably write better and with more depth than he did.

This was also the source of Jin Yong's idea to invite Li Heng to revise the novels together.

As an old hand who had lived two lifetimes, Li Heng naturally understood the deeper meaning behind his words, and he felt quite pleased with himself inside.

That's right, just think about it!

I have been nurtured by the fantasy and cultivation novels of the future; isn't it perfectly normal to come up with some fresh and original viewpoints? Isn't it something I can handle with ease? It's simply second nature—it couldn't be easier.

However, what Li Heng considered normal was seen as miraculous by Jin Yong. It was as if many things in his mind had suddenly "popped" open, and he was instantly flooded with inspiration.

With so many topics and such intense interest, from "Bai Luyuan" to martial arts novels, and then to the Xuanwu Gate Incident and the expansion of the Tang Dynasty's territory, the two of them connected almost seamlessly, talking endlessly until their mouths were nearly dry.

Inadvertently, two and a half hours had passed. If it weren't for the secretary reminding them later that there was a press conference at Xianghui Hall at 11:00, they could have kept chatting and bragging.

And it wouldn't have stopped.

Li Heng looked at his watch, a bit dazed. What happened to the press conference scheduled for 11:00?

It's already 11:30!

Damn it, those reporters must be getting impatient, and they're probably cursing up a storm in their hearts.

Li Heng subconsciously looked at Yu Shuheng.

Yu Laoshi nodded imperceptibly, telling him: Don't worry, I have everything covered; there won't be any problems.

"No problems" meant: those reporters wouldn't dare act out, the news reports wouldn't be written recklessly, and she would handle everything.

Seeing this, Li Heng's anxious heart settled. Today was a big day, and he couldn't afford to be sloppy. Fortunately, with Yu Laoshi backing him up, he dared to be this uninhibited.

Speaking of backing him up, he glanced at Yu Laoshi. He didn't know when it started, but she seemed to have permeated every aspect of his life and work; whenever something major happened, he would instinctively think of her.

Phew!

Thinking of this, Li Heng shuddered violently!

Yu Laoshi was boiling the frog in warm water, and he was that frog. By the time he realized it, he was already thoroughly enjoying her presence. In some respects, he was already a bit reluctant to leave her.

Receiving Li Heng's resentful gaze, at this moment, Yu Shuheng seemed to read his heart. She gave a clear, gentle smile, the corners of her mouth curling up imperceptibly: Little man, you can't run away.

Mr. Jin Yong and his party had eaten breakfast before coming, so they weren't hungry yet. They said they would accompany him to the press conference first, then come back for lunch—a big meal.

Coming out of the study, Li Heng saw the old Mr. Ba and Sister Xiao Lin on the sofa on the first floor, with Mai Sui and Zhou Shihe accompanying them.

Li Heng hurried over in a few steps, calling out enthusiastically, "Teacher, Sister Xiao Lin, you're here."

The old Mr. Ba stood up with a smile, patted him gently on the shoulder, and then went to exchange greetings with Jin Yong behind him.

Li Heng asked Sister Xiao Lin, "Sister Xiao Lin, are you hungry?"

Sister Xiao Lin said, "Not hungry yet. Let's accompany you to Xianghui Hall first."

"Eh, alright."

Li Heng replied, then turned to Zhou Shihe and Mai Sui, "Sui Sui, Shihe, thank you for your hard work today. We won't be back for lunch for a while; do you want to come to Xianghui Hall to take a look?"

Mai Sui and Zhou Shihe looked at each other and stood up at the same time.

Walking quickly from the small building No. 26 to Xianghui Hall, Mr. Jin Yong quietly sighed to his secretary, "This trip was not in vain. I've gained a lot. Mr. Li is wise and talented, with a wealth of knowledge; I am not his equal."

The secretary had listened to their literary exchange the whole time and truly felt Li Heng's wisdom and erudition. She was shocked; she couldn't imagine how someone at the age of 19 could achieve this level.

Even if one started reading from the womb, couldn't one reach this rare level?

Before meeting Li Heng, the secretary believed that geniuses existed in the world, but she felt those geniuses mainly relied on diligence.

But after meeting Li Heng, for a moment, the secretary felt that perhaps there really were people in the world who were born with knowledge.

Seeing the secretary looking at Li Heng's back, lost in thought.

Jin Yong asked casually, "What are you thinking about?"

The secretary blurted out, "I am very curious about him, and I have the idea of wanting to work by his side."

The secretary's identity was not simple; she graduated from the University of Hong Kong and later went to the University of Pennsylvania in the United States for further studies. She had always been helping Jin Yong manage "Ming Pao" and some commercial matters.

Externally, she was called a secretary, but those close to Jin Yong understood that she was an agent. Usually, she made decisions on many things, and only major issues were decided by Jin Yong himself.

It was such a pivotal person who now suddenly said she wanted to leave.

Anyone would be stunned, and no one would be happy.

But Jin Yong only paused for a moment, not angry, and smiled kindly a moment later, "With that Yu Laoshi there, Mr. Li probably doesn't lack people by his side."

The secretary said, "No, he lacks people."

Jin Yong looked at her, then looked at her again, and after pondering for a long time, said, "If you have really made up your mind, I can speak to Mr. Li for you."

Now it was the secretary's turn to be stunned, "You are willing to let me go?"

Jin Yong looked ahead and said, "After the reform and opening up, the mainland is changing with each passing day and developing very fast. I am old, and it is no longer appropriate for you to stay by my side; it limits your ability. You should have a better stage."

The secretary was silent, and after a while, said, "Let me think about it again."

Think about it again?

Jin Yong knew that this secretary who had worked with him for 7 years could not be kept; she was going to fly away.

PS: Posted first, edited later.

Although I only updated one chapter yesterday, it was over 10,000 words. Later, because I needed to sort out the detailed outline for the next million words, I didn't update. Sorry about that.

As of this chapter, I have updated more than 105,000 words. Actually, it's passable. I will continue to work hard later and strive to write more words.

(End of chapter)