Chapter 255: The First PK Between Gong Yu and Zhu Lin

During this time, Li Hanxiang wandered around collecting antiques and watched several of Wei Ming's representative works, leaving no doubt about his literary prowess.

He also visited Beiyingchang, where besides discussing the possibility of co-producing "The Last Emperor" with Director Wang Yang, he brought up Wei Ming.

Director Wang Yang praised the young genius Wei Ming endlessly and revealed the relationship between Wei Ming and Wei Kuangren.

He can write serious literature and wuxia novels—what a talent!

Later, Li Hanxiang called Director Xie Jin to check in and mentioned the film "The Herdsman."

Xie Jin said the film would premiere in December: "If you're on the mainland then, I'll treat you to a screening."

"Pity—I still have film commitments in Hong Kong and will be leaving soon. It's truly regrettable," Li Hanxiang then turned to the novel and screenplay of the film: "I've just met Wei Ming, the author of your film. I heard he wrote the screenplay too."

"Yes, and it was his first screenplay, just like his first novel—equally stunning."

"Oh, tell me more…"

Through subtle inquiries with these mainland film industry acquaintances, Li Hanxiang realized this young man might be an excellent screenwriter candidate for him.

But Wei Ming declined, saying: "I'll be busy soon. My novel is nearly finished, but there's a long revision period ahead, and I also have an original screenplay and a children's sci-fi story to write—all urgent."

"I'm not in a hurry," Li Hanxiang laughed. "I'm returning to Hong Kong soon to shoot films—I still have two contracts with Shaw Brothers. You can finish it next year."

"Next year?" Wei Ming pondered. Was the timeline really that flexible? He began to feel tempted.

Li Hanxiang added: "Don't worry—the fee will be higher than mainland standards, and I'll pay in Hong Kong dollars."

In truth, Wei Ming no longer needed money much—this month's dividend from Dongfang Xintiandi was another twenty thousand, and his RMB balance now exceeded fifty thousand.

Even in foreign currency, he had over twenty thousand dollars in his HSBC account in Hong Kong.

But taking this job had clear advantages—for instance, it would give him a legitimate reason to go to Hong Kong.

Because he had a grandfather who couldn't return, Wei Ming's greatest wish right now was to visit Hong Kong officially. So if "The Heroic Youth" collaborated with Hong Kong, after its release next year, he'd have no further excuse to go.

Fortunately, "The Burning of the Yuanmingyuan" and "The Last Emperor" were back on track!

Just then, Li Hanxiang walked to the table, gritted his teeth, and placed the lavishly illustrated complete edition of "Jin Ping Mei" before Wei Ming.

"Besides the screenwriting fee, I'll give you this rare antique as well," Li Hanxiang said, though he was reluctant—after all, Wei Ming was a young prodigy, a child of heaven.

Wei Ming smiled and pushed it back: "A gentleman does not take what others cherish. I'll accept the screenwriting job, but not the book."

Although Li Hanxiang didn't keep a diary, he wrote columns—"Thirty Years of Detailed Recollections" was vital material for many filmmakers studying cinema history and later became widely cited by film-related YouTube creators.

What if, in the future, Old Li wrote this: "I invited writer Wei Ming to script 'The Last Emperor.' He refused. I offered a high fee—he still refused. Only when I produced the complete edition of 'Jin Ping Mei' did he finally agree."

Then he'd be laughed to death by future generations of filmmakers—so even if Wei Ming truly wanted to collect it, he absolutely refused.

Of course, the screenwriting task depended on his own schedule—Wei Ming could only consider this Qing court story after finishing his own writing plans.

Seeing Wei Ming agree, Li Hanxiang was overjoyed and promised to mail Wei Ming his collection of books on the Qing dynasty, especially the late Qing period, from Hong Kong.

"Not a gift—just for you to borrow, to help your creative work."

Wei Ming was happy to read—late Qing history was fascinating indeed.

"These two tapes both have my songs," Wei Ming said as they parted, handing over the albums "The Chorus" and "The New Star Concert," and pointing out which tracks were his.

After leaving the Yanjing Hotel, Wei Ming went back to Beiyingchang.

That noon, his mother told him that Zhu Ke, from Beiyingchang, had called again last night.

Xu Shufen, fully aware, still pretended ignorance to send them covert signals.

This time, Linjie had just finished her period, and both had been unrestrained, taking no precautions.

When they collapsed on the bed, Linjie rubbed her chest and knew what to do.

While Linjie was in high spirits, Wei Ming told her bad news: "Next week I'm going to 'Shouhuo' to revise my manuscript—I'll be away for a long time."

Zhu Lin, whose mind was blank, took a moment to realize—"Shouhuo" was in Shanghai!

The name "Gong Yu" immediately popped into her head.

"Will it be a long time?" she asked.

Wei Ming: "I might come back if Xiao Mei and Yunyun get married."

"Oh," Zhu Lin replied, disappointed. Even if he returned, it would be for someone else's sake.

Wei Ming added: "Yunyun is my cousin. Mei Wenhua—you know her. When they marry, come join the celebration too."

Hearing this, Zhu Lin perked up: "You're serious?"

Wei Ming: "Of course."

Though he hadn't said he'd acknowledge their relationship, all of Wei Ming's relatives would attend the wedding—Zhu Lin knew this was exactly what she wanted: to be formally introduced to his family.

So Linjie invited Wei Ming to come again—she could take care of everything herself.

Wei Ming was also thinking—he must raise Xuejie's progress bar during this trip to Shanghai, or he might lose her.

…

With Nanjing's liberation, the war's outcome was no longer in doubt. Finally, Jiang Limin found his lost aunt and her son—the son of his sister-in-law Jiang Chixia—named Jiang Lizu.

Of China's four siblings, only the ethnic brother remained on the mainland; Zhong went to Taiwan, Hua to America—but Jiang Limin firmly believed they'd reunite someday.

Thus, the novel "The Right Path of Humanity Is Vast Change" was fully completed. Wei Ming estimated it at 600, 00 characters.

Next, he'd fly to Shanghai to revise the manuscript, aiming to finish revising the first 200, 00 characters before December.

His mother felt it was a pity—his birthday was just days away, and she'd planned to make him a bowl of longevity noodles herself, their family tradition: one bowl, one poached egg. Last year they hadn't celebrated together; this year, again, they wouldn't.

"Why couldn't you wait two more days?" Xu Shufen complained.

Wei Ming had wanted to celebrate with Xuejie—he wondered what birthday gift she'd give him.

Wei Ming ate the longevity noodles his mother had prepared: "Consider this my early birthday. Next year, when I turn twenty, we'll celebrate properly."

Then he picked up a box.

"Mom, these are Rubik's cubes for Xiao Hong—four in total. Give them to her when she comes back."

Amin's package arrived—she'd bought four Rubik's cubes, plus several popular Cantonese pop tapes for Wei Ming. The cost surely exceeded what he'd given her.

The girl was still loyal. Wei Ming planned to reply once in Shanghai and send her some local specialties—her birthday was coming up too.

Since he didn't know how long he'd be away, Wei Ming left his mother a thousand yuan for spending money.

"If there's an emergency, call long-distance at the Post and Telecommunications Building. The phone book has the Shanghai Writers Association guesthouse number—don't be stingy."

Seeing so much spending money, his mother, besides worrying about his romantic affairs, now worried about finances: Was earning so much money even permitted by the state?

The next morning, Wei Ming switched to a Shanghai-brand watch, shouldered his bag, and headed for the capital airport—again with Ping'an's pass.

While waiting at the airport, Wei Ming bought a magazine and saw Xuejie's face.

He eagerly picked up the November issue of "Mass Film"—the cover was Gong Yu, not a still from a film, but dressed in the latest outfit from Dongfang Xintiandi, the one Wei Ming had given her, smiling sweetly, gentle and lovely.

Last time she appeared on "Mass Film," it was a back-cover photo with Zhu Shimao from "The Herdsman."

This time, she earned the cover as the female lead in both "The Herdsman" and "A Good Thing Is Hard to Come By"—a promotional boost for both films.

"The Herdsman" premiered in December; "A Good Thing Is Hard to Come By," filmed afterward, would release in November—perhaps in just a few days. Xuejie had written that she wouldn't watch it herself, waiting for Wei Ming to come to Shanghai to see it together.

Wei Ming glanced at the back cover—it showed Koji Miura and Machiko Kyo from "The Last Song."

Machiko Kyo, who had married Koji Miura last month, had announced her retirement, but her fame in China was still small—"The Blood of the Red Lotus" hadn't been imported yet.

But "Astro Boy" had been confirmed for import and would air this year.

Opening the magazine, Wei Ming saw promotions for new films like "The Mysterious Buddha" and "Bitter Love," but both had recently run into censorship troubles.

In Beijing, Beiyingchang, as Zhu Lin and her crew ate lunch in the canteen, she saw fellow crew member Cai Ming holding a copy of "Mass Film." Zhu Lin instantly recognized the cover.

Gong Yu!

An actress without a major work yet had landed the cover of "Mass Film"—a solo portrait. She'd soon be known to thousands of readers nationwide.

A male colleague nearby asked curiously: "Who is she? So beautiful."

Da Shichang: "Oh, that's Gong Yu from Shanghai."

He'd seen her before at Shangyingchang—very beautiful. Though not yet officially part of Shangyingchang, she clearly would be soon, given how many of their films she'd taken.

Cai Ming added: "Her dress looks great—I think I saw it at Dongfang Xintiandi. I heard it's not sold anywhere else. Maybe she came to Beijing just to buy it."

This remark struck Zhu Lin again—no one would travel to Beijing just for a dress. There was only one possibility: Wei Ming gave it to her!

After all, he'd helped that store immensely.

Thinking of Wei Ming's imminent arrival in Shanghai and what might happen between him and Gong Yu, Zhu Lin found her meal tasteless.

Then, senior crew member Cao Cuifen announced another piece of news: tonight, the factory would screen "A Good Thing Is Hard to Come By," Shangyingchang's upcoming release, starring Guo Kaimin as the male lead and Gong Yu as the female lead.

"Who's going? Let me count," Cao Cuifen said.

Everyone was eager. When all eyes turned to Zhu Lin, she smiled and raised her hand.

Back in Shanghai, Wei Ming took a taxi to the Shanghai Writers Association and "Shouhuo" editorial office. Ba Lao wasn't there—he handed his suitcase of manuscripts to editor Li Xiaolin.

She would now cross-check with several senior editors to find errors and inconsistencies in the novel.

Wei Ming wrote quickly—only four months of actual writing—so mistakes were inevitable. Li Xiaolin had spotted typos and awkward phrasing before but ignored them to finish reading quickly; now they all had to be corrected.

"It'll take a few more days to return the first draft to you. Then you'll revise from the beginning. Rest up these two days—explore Shanghai," Editor Li said warmly.

Wei Ming nodded, dropped off his luggage at the guesthouse, and asked the young staff member—whom he knew well—to assign him a quieter room.

"The revision work ahead will be heavy."

So he was placed at the end of the third floor—two walls faced the exterior, the other two faced empty rooms. Wei Ming was satisfied.

Then Wei Ming carried a bag to Shangyingchang—the bag held a mysterious box.

Inside, he began asking where "Midnight" was being filmed.

Gong Yu had finished her scenes in "July Fire" and immediately joined the "Midnight" crew. The original novel was by Mao Dun; the director was Sang Hu.

Recently, Mao Dun, despite his illness, filmed a scene of himself reading by lamplight to officially launch the film.

In the original timeline, Gong Yu's role in this film was minor and unremarkable, but now, with "The Herdsman" behind her, her status had changed—her role was different.

This time she played the second female lead, Zhu Guiying, a silk factory worker, and had spent time working in a factory to prepare.

At the filming site, Wei Ming didn't intrude—just wandered outside—when he unexpectedly met someone familiar.

"Wei writer, is that you, Wei writer?"

Wei Ming looked at the woman before him—Li Huanying? No, it was Liu Jia.

"Liu Jia, right? Are you filming at Shanghai Film Studio?"

Liu Jia, from the Class of '78 at Beijing Film Academy's Acting Department, was also on this set, playing Lin Peishan, the younger sister of the male lead—a new-era youth.

"Mm," Liu Jia asked, "are you looking for Gong Yu?"

Wei Ming's heart skipped—a beat. Do they all know about us?

He merely grunted and shook his bag: "I'm delivering something for her, sent by a friend."

Liu Jia: "She has a lot of scenes today; she'll probably finish late. Why don't you wait for her at our guesthouse? I room next to her."

Wei Ming thanked her and followed her to the guesthouse—but didn't go upstairs.

As Gong Yu's neighbor, Liu Jia knew she often received letters from Beijing; once she even spotted Peking University's return address on an envelope, though no sender's name was visible. She guessed it must be Wei Ming.

As the original screenwriter of "The Herdsman" and the female lead, a handsome man and beautiful woman—it wasn't hard to understand, though the age gap seemed rather large.

Though this Wei writer was famous, he was about her own age, with eyes as clear as a college student who'd never left campus.

After roughly an hour, Wei Ming saw Gong Yu walking toward him alone; she'd changed into everyday clothes, thin and frail.

Sister Xue's eyes were vacant, still not having left the role—she'd just portrayed Zhu Guiying, who had just lost her fiancé.

To immerse herself deeper, she kept imagining Wei Ming dead, Wei Ming dead—and it worked wonders; even the director praised her.

But as she kept thinking, she suddenly saw Wei Ming come back to life—her eyes instantly lit up.

"You—you came today?!" A smile bloomed on her face.

She'd always thought Wei Ming wouldn't arrive until the end of the month.

Wei Ming smiled: "I pushed hard on the final draft and finished faster than expected, so I came straight here. Have you eaten?"

"Not yet. I was planning to grab something at the guesthouse canteen."

"It's probably closed by now. Let's eat out."

"Mm, okay." She agreed happily.

Upstairs, Liu Jia watched through the window as the two walked out of Shanghai Film Studio. She wondered: Would Gong Yu return tonight? If not, was she spending the night with Wei Ming?

Since it was late and Gong Yu was starving, they found a nearby restaurant to make do.

Wei Ming: "Tomorrow I'll treat you to a proper meal."

After sitting down, Wei Ming opened the wooden box from his bag: "Guess what I brought?"

Gong Yu exclaimed: "Is it a gift for me?"

"No," Wei Ming said, "it's a gift from Ah Long for Ah Ying."

Wei Ming used to call her "Sister Ying," but now he said "Ah Ying"—from Sister Xue's perspective, she was the younger sister; from Ah Long's, she was his sister-in-law. Either way, "sister" no longer fit.

Gong Yu wasn't disappointed; hearing about someone else's romance excited her more.

"Do you know what's inside?"

Wei Ming: "I haven't looked. Want to sneak a peek?"

Gong Yu took it: "Better not. It's not moral. I'll go home tonight—I'll find out what's inside then."

Wei Ming: "Fine. But if you want to know what gift I brought you, you'll have to come with me to the Writers' Association guesthouse."

Gong Yu tucked a strand of hair behind her ear: "Tomorrow. I'll finish earlier tomorrow."

Wei Ming: "Then I'll sweep the bed to welcome you."

"It's 'sweep the mat to welcome,' not 'sweep the bed,'" Gong Yu blushed. Had he just said what he truly thought? Was she really going to jump into this tiger's den?

Wei Ming only smiled. His smile wasn't lewd—it was even quite sunny—but Gong Yu always felt he wanted to strip her clothes off.

Scenes from the Sihe Academy kept flashing through her mind lately. She longed for intimacy with the man she loved, yet feared being too close would make her seem cheap—and feared rejection would break his heart.

With nothing else to do, Wei Ming took the bus himself to escort Gong Yu home. Passing a cinema, he saw a giant poster for "A Good Thing Takes Time."

"When can we watch this movie?" Wei Ming asked. "I wanted to take you to the cinema."

Gong Yu: "The day after tomorrow. I'm looking forward to it too."

Zhu Lin, who had already seen the film, walked out with people from Beijing Film Studio and overheard their chatter—some about the plot, but mostly about the new actress, Gong Yu.

"Beautiful!"

"So beautiful!"

Almost all comments were like this. Even Zhu Lin couldn't deny Gong Yu's screen charm—so delicate, so pitiable, her performance vivid.

Those who'd seen her first film, "Jihong," knew how much she'd improved.

Had it not been for Wei Ming's ambiguous relationship with her, Zhu Lin might have fallen for the character—and thus for the actress herself.

Perhaps because she'd thought of Gong Yu all day, Zhu Lin dreamed of her that night—but she couldn't recall what they'd done in the dream.

The next day, as Zhu Lin ate lunch, someone came to find her.

"Teacher Ma?"

It was Ma Jingwu, a professor from the Acting Department of the Film Academy and the male lead in her film "The Traitor."

Ma Jingwu pushed his bicycle: "Little Zhu, I came to tell you—our 'The Traitor' is screening the day after tomorrow. I just got a call from Xi Film Studio and came to let you know."

"What?" Zhu Lin was startled. "So suddenly?"

"Not really. 'Mass Cinema' already promoted it, but since Xi Film Studio is tucked away in the northwest, most publicity only reached the western regions."

Zhu Lin: "Do I need to do anything?"

Ma Jingwu thought: "No need. Just encourage your friends to support it. But we have few prints—I don't even know which cinemas in Beijing will show it."

Hearing this, Zhu Lin felt a chill. Thinking of Gong Yu's "A Good Thing Takes Time" also releasing soon, she felt even colder—she could clearly sense their film was inferior.

"Teacher Ma, does Shanghai Film Studio have many prints of 'A Good Thing Takes Time'?"

"Probably. I passed a cinema on the way and already saw posters up."

Zhu Lin: "…."

Though she wasn't the female lead and wasn't responsible for box office, losing to Gong Yu still rankled her.

So after work, she rode her bicycle to check nearby cinemas and compare the two films' situations.

The first cinema she visited showed "A Good Thing Takes Time"—but not "The Traitor."

Passing a newsstand outside, she saw "Mass Cinema" with Gong Yu on the cover displayed prominently.

Zhu Lin hurried to the next cinema—her first film had to be seen by her parents!

(Guaranteed yesterday)

(End of chapter)