Literary Master: Starting with Refusing to Be a Child Star

Chapter 44 The reason why the short-haired girl has short hair

A middle-aged woman is sitting at home.

Luo Jinnian didn't know how to move to his own place without being noticed, even though there wasn't any space in the house that belonged solely to him.

"You're back?"

Luo Jinnian turned around stiffly. Had he still been caught?

The middle-aged woman patted her son on the shoulder, "You've lost weight, eat more."

Actually, quite the opposite is true. After two months of recuperation, Luo Jinnian's health is much better than when she first arrived.

"Is it because that man isn't giving you good food? A stepfather is a stepfather after all. Look at how listless my son is now."

Recently, Luo Jinnian has been getting up early and going to bed early, and he insists on going for a run at night. The real reason for his poor mental health is that he is completely unaware of it.

"I heard from your director that you did a great job. Keep it up, Nian Nian!"

Here it comes, dumplings prepared for vinegar.

The prison training has been quite effective; the middle-aged woman has become more composed. Before, her intentions were revealed in the very first sentence, but now she at least knows to lay the groundwork with a few words.

Luo Jinnian had gotten used to being with her, and smiled sweetly, "Yes, I'll do my best."

In fact, the progress of the "Ice Love Song" production team is terrifying. Director Mo has been making art films for so many years, and this is the first time in his life that he has encountered two young leading actors with such great chemistry. He also realized that a director can eat so well.

If Gu Yanxi is a natural-born genius who knows how to act, then Luo Jinnian seems to be born with professionally trained acting skills honed through countless trials. More importantly, he is exceptionally uninhibited when acting.

You can say you don't like his interpretation of a certain plot, but his natural, lifelike expression makes watching his shows really comfortable.

Director Mo believed Qin Chuan's words; it was indeed a pity that this kid didn't enter the entertainment industry.

"Let's call it a day."

Director Mo was giving instructions to several important supporting actors while holding a boxed lunch.

Gu Yanxi was munching on an extra chicken leg she'd been given for her good performance. Her hair was covering her eyes, and she brushed it aside with her hand.

Why did you cut your hair short?

In the entertainment industry, there is definitely a greater demand for long-haired girls than short-haired girls. Gu Yanxi is one of the top child stars in the country, so how could she not understand this?

Luo Jinnian had always been very curious about this, and he felt that it was not abrupt to ask this question given their current relationship.

Gu Yanxi paused, "Let me finish this chicken leg first."

Such a simple refusal made the young man smile and not intend to ask any further questions.

Unexpectedly, Gu Yanxi was serious. She carefully finished the chicken leg in her hand and began to explain why she had short hair.

She had never met her father, but when she learned that he was a big star, her desire for revenge was ignited, so she embarked on a career in acting.

As for why she has short hair, it's to protect her mother. If she were a girl, she wouldn't be intimidating enough. If she were a boy, she could stand in front of her mother and protect her.

"Shh, you have to keep this a secret. I only told you because I knew you were a great writer. Actually, even my mother doesn't know why I have short hair."

Gu Yanxi didn't want her mother to feel pressured; a true knight's protection doesn't need to be known.

Luo Jinnian didn't pay attention to the other words in the girl's words. "Great writer," hehe, this should be the first time he has heard this word he longed for in this world.

Refuse to be a child star who appears in public.

But he will do his best as a low-key yet unrestrained literary master.

If his life story were made into a biographical film in the future, it could be given a corny title like "Literary Master: Starting from Refusing to Be a Child Star".

…………

……

The journal "Harvest" received a very special manuscript.

"Avant-garde literature? It's a completely new paradigm that I've never seen before."

As a veteran editor, Mr. Du, who was reviewing the manuscripts, believed that he was very knowledgeable about avant-garde literature both at home and abroad.

But he had never read anything similar to it; this piece, "Leaving Home at Eighteen," was a possibility he had never seen before.

The previous article by Kong Yuhua mainly studied Kafka's "A Country Doctor," but now that Kafka is no longer available, this article has been upgraded.

As for whether the manuscript would be approved or not, Mr. Du's answer was undoubtedly yes. He read it carefully again, and a strange sense of anticipation suddenly rose in his heart. Would he be about to witness another chapter in literary history?

Although the layout of "Harvest" is already scheduled until April next year, Mr. Du is thinking of replacing a previously unsatisfactory work that barely managed to "grow" and allowing this manuscript to be published in February next year.

This is already a privilege earned by the high quality of the manuscript. This is the case for pure literature journals, but it's not that they can't submit one manuscript to each issue.

However, if a literary work can have this kind of influence in a top national journal like "Harvest," then it's basically reached the end of its career.

Yu, Mo, Su, and Jia are the ones, and they are all die-hard fans of "Harvest".

Just like the February 2013 issue of "Harvest" to be published by Luo Jinnian, you can see Yu Gensu and Jin Yucheng's serialized "Prosperity" on Shangyuan Time and Space, as well as a super big news in the literary world - the first public release of dozens of private letters from Shen Congwen to Ba Jin (most of which have never been published before).

This was the biggest bombshell of "Harvest" that year, shaking the literary world and becoming a "cultural relic."

Although Luo Jinnian was very confident in the works he had copied, he was still quite nervous at the thought of facing so many big shots.

After hearing the news that his manuscript had been accepted, he was initially excited but then he thought a lot about it.

"I still have to write more articles. The only reason I'm anxious is that I don't have any funding. If I were submitting to several journals right now, I wouldn't worry so much."

Submitting to one journal is like being hooked, but submitting to multiple journals is like choosing a concubine. Thinking of this, Luo Jinnian's hands started writing furiously.

"Lost in Thailand" was submitted to "Renming Literature".

A benchmark for domestically produced road comedy. A classic "Lost in..." series film starring Xu Zheng and Wang Baoqiang, featuring the Spring Festival travel rush, class contrast, and hilarious healing elements.

It's Chinese New Year now, and this topic is naturally appealing to editors. Plus, if the quality is good, the manuscript might be adjusted to suit the New Year theme when it's published.

The article "The Submarine at Night" was submitted to "Flower City," a magazine that appreciates exquisite and artistic styles.

The biggest difference between this work and the previous works is that "Night Submarine" is a work written by a Chinese post-90s writer. The author, Chen Chuncheng, first published this work on Douban in 2017. As a starting point for the future of pure literature, the nine stories in "Night Submarine" were originally published on Douban.

Chen Chuncheng finally gained fame in 2020 with the publication of his short story collection of the same name, "The Submarine at Night," which was a great success.

Luo Jinnian started daydreaming again, thinking that maybe all the works he had accumulated from publishing books could be published as a book next year.

But my immediate priority is to quickly get into the provincial literary association to earn some royalties, and maybe even attend some literary salons, and then offer some pointers to young writers, hehehehe.