Chapter 00112: Who Bullied My Good Sister
# Who Bullied My Good Sister?
Chapter 112
Novel: 1979 Golden Age
Chapter 112: Who Bullied My Good Sister?
"It's not about giving up. I've come to realize that material things are the foundation of everything," Liang Xiaosheng said with a sense of clarity, speaking freely.
"At my age, I'm neither here nor there, and I don't have a wife. Chasing dreams is just nonsense. Saving money is the real deal. I'll keep writing popular novels for now, and when I have some capital, I'll talk about dreams again. Who knows, maybe by then I'll even have a wife."
"Ah, that's a good way of thinking. The worst thing is to be stuck in extremes," Chen Qi replied.
"Extremes?"
"Yeah, like going all-in on dreams or all-in on reality. Both are just being foolish. Life is all about being flexible and adaptable. You've got the right idea."
"Haha, you're lecturing me again. You're so young, yet you have so much wisdom. And for some reason, I actually listen to you," Liang Xiaosheng laughed.
"..."
Chen Qi hesitated for a moment, then decided to share his plan.
"Old Liang, I've actually had this idea for a while now. I want to start my own magazine under a company."
"What kind of magazine?"
"Something very popular, with martial arts, romance, sci-fi, detective stories, and the like. We could also include some ancient and modern mysteries, strange stories from around the world—UFOs, the Bermuda Triangle, the wild men of Shennongjia, or even how the U. S. government drained an entire reservoir just because a kid peed in it to prevent people from drinking urine-tainted water. Or how they cut off power to the whole city just to save a sparrow that landed on a high-voltage line. People would definitely love that kind of stuff!"
Liang Xiaosheng was stunned.
"So, uh, when do you plan to start this?"
"After we finish filming Tai Chi. I'll have some free time then, and I'll see if I can find the right connections. I'm telling you in advance because I'll need your help."
"Of course, I'll help. But..."
"I get it, I get it. Don't worry, I won't make things difficult for you. Once I have the framework set up, we can discuss the details."
After sharing his plan, Liang Xiaosheng left.
Chen Qi washed up and then lay down on his bed.
Last year, a magazine called Chunfeng (Spring Breeze) was launched in Changchun.
It was a pure literary journal with poor circulation.
In early 2000, it was revamped into a comprehensive digest magazine and renamed Yilin.
Next year, a new king would emerge in Gansu—Reader's Digest, later simply called Reader.
In the same year, the China Youth Publishing House would launch Youth Digest.
Along with Zhiyin, which was founded in 1985, the four major magazines of the reform era would all make their debut, entertaining the masses with wild stories for over 40 years.
Tales of the American passport, the German paper bag, and the Japanese summer camp became legendary.
Forty years later, the tables turned, and foreigners started praising us.
As the saying goes, "There will always be scholars to defend us!"
Chen Qi now had two goals: making movies and running a magazine.
Even though he might not make much of a difference in an era where everything foreign was glorified, he wanted to earn his living with dignity.
...
The Yuan brothers left quietly, just as they had arrived, without taking a single seed with them.
Huh, that rhymed.
Nice touch.
The fight scenes were mostly done, and now it was time for the dialogue scenes and outdoor shoots.
Chenjiagou didn't have much scenery, but this was a movie, not a documentary.
Li Wenhua chose Yesanpo in Hebei for the scenic shots and Xiaodianhe Village in Weihui, Henan, as the outdoor location for Chenjiagou.
Like Chenjiagou, Xiaodianhe was in northern Henan, built during the reign of Emperor Qianlong.
It was a well-preserved village with walls, gates, courtyards, and houses, making it a perfect fit.
The Tai Chi crew was filming the dialogue scenes while preparing for the outdoor shoots.
Filming had started in May and was expected to wrap up by August.
If all went well, everything would be finished by early next year.
...
In 1905, Ren Jingfeng, the boss of the Daguanlou Theater, collaborated with the Peking Opera master Tan Xinpei to produce China's first film, Dingjunshan, to celebrate Tan's 60th birthday.
The film was screened at the Daguanlou Theater, which became the birthplace of Chinese cinema.
Located at Qianmen Dashilan, it's still a cinema today.
Back then, film studios only handled production, not promotion.
That was the job of film companies and theaters.
Theaters had promotion teams that created large posters and promotional materials for major films.
If a film was particularly popular, they'd work overtime, riding bikes with watercolors and brushes to paint the film's title, showtimes, and ticket prices on billboards around town.
Theaters were usually affiliated with local film companies and had many responsibilities, so they employed a lot of people.
The entire industry supported about half a million workers, truly a lifeline for many.
At this moment, outside the Daguanlou Theater, a group of young promotion team members, under the guidance of their supervisor, were hurriedly putting up posters.
The posters were hand-painted, with two versions: one featuring Gong Xue and Tang Guoqiang, and the other featuring Gong Xue alone.
The backdrop was the beautiful scenery of Mount Lu, with the characters painted so vividly they seemed alive.
The posters listed the film as a color feature produced by Beijing Film Studio, with the main cast and crew, including Chen Qi's name.
"Alright, it's up!"
"The boss's painting is amazing!"
The young workers flattered their supervisor while admiring the posters.
"I've never heard of this actress, Gong Xue. Is she new? She looks really pretty in the stills."
"I heard she's even more beautiful in person. We'll see when the movie comes out. Hey, boss, how are the copies being distributed this time?"
"About four or five theaters sharing one copy."
"That's too tight. I hope it's not like The 405 Murder Case, where poor Xiao Zhang had to run his legs off."
Xiao Zhang was the theater's film courier.
As they chatted, they didn't realize that one of the people on the poster was standing right behind them.
The Tai Chi crew was about to start filming outdoors, so Chen Qi went home for a bit.
That's when he saw the poster for Mount Lu Romance.
He only cared about the release date: July 5th!
The 5th was a Saturday, with Sunday off, and July was the summer season when students were on vacation.
Don't think people back then didn't know anything—they knew to release major films during peak viewing periods.
"..."
Chen Qi rode off on his bike, thinking for a moment before deciding not to go to the Beijing Film Studio.
Instead, he headed to Xidan.
Gong Xue had officially joined the studio, and Mount Lu Romance was about to be released.
It was a double celebration, the perfect time to give her a gift and make up for the embezzled manuscript fees.
"Ah, sir, you're back!"
As he entered the Overseas Chinese Store, the female clerk who had left him a note before was overjoyed, almost ready to throw herself at him.
Hmph!
He snorted.
He'd seen this kind of expression too many times in his past life—small actors in Hengdian, female streamers on Douyin, and even tea sellers all acted like you were their beloved husband.
"I'd like to look at some skincare products."
"Right this way, please!"
The clerk's heart sank.
Skincare products? So he had someone already? Which lucky woman managed to snag such a young, rich, and handsome catch?
Chen Qi went to the counter and saw a selection of high-end imported products with familiar brand names.
He was quite knowledgeable about women's products and quickly picked out a full set of skincare items, along with an imported soap and shampoo.
He didn't buy makeup—wearing makeup in daily life was still frowned upon back then.
He only chose two lipsticks and a lip balm, then went to buy shoes.
"What size was her feet again? 35, 36... Better to buy bigger than smaller. Let's go with 36."
So he picked out a pair of light brown leather women's shoes with a small heel.
Carrying a bag of goodies, he headed back to the Beijing Film Studio, eager to invite Gong Xue out.
When he reached the main building, he actually saw her coming out, wiping her eyes and looking down.
"Xue Jie!"
He called out, and Gong Xue suddenly looked up, her delicate brows furrowed, tears glistening in her eyes, looking as pitiful as ever.
"What's wrong?"
"I..."
She hesitated, then shook her head and ran off without saying anything.
Who had bullied her?
Chen Qi was stunned, anger rising in his chest.
He hurried to the set, determined to find out what had happened.
(End of Chapter)