Chapter 00044: The Cliffhanger Master
# The Cliffhanger Master
Chapter 44
Novel: 1979 Golden Age
Chapter 44: The Cliffhanger Master
"Editor-in-chief!"
"Editor-in-chief!"
He Chengwei held the manuscript like a treasure and trotted over, saying, "You must take a look at this!"
"What's got you so excited?"
"Just take a look, just take a look!"
The editor-in-chief, puzzled, took the manuscript, and He Chengwei stood by, waiting eagerly.
After a while, the editor-in-chief lifted his head, looking like a hyena in heat, and urgently asked, "What's next? Is there more?"
"No, that's all there is!"
"Ah, this author is so annoying! If you're going to tell a story, tell it properly!"
The editor-in-chief was also frustrated, but after a moment, he calmed down and was filled with excitement.
"We always complain about not having good stories, but look, here it is! So, we must be patient. True talent lies among the people!"
"I don't agree. All the talented ones have gone to Sprouts and Harvest. Who would come to Story Collection? Maybe he just copied it from somewhere else?"
"Don't sell yourself short. Popular literature is what the masses love. I bet this guy is a master storyteller. Just the way he ended it at the cliffhanger shows he knows how to tell a story!"
"So, do you think this needs any editing?" He Chengwei asked.
"There are a few minor things we can polish, but the main story doesn't need any changes."
The editor-in-chief pondered for a moment and said, "Publish the entire story in one go. Don't split it up, or it will lose its impact. We felt the suspense, and so will the readers. Imagine them reaching the cliffhanger and then—nothing! Haha..."
He seemed to imagine the scene and suddenly laughed.
Then he asked, "Did the author mention a continuation?"
"He said there's a second part, and he's working on it."
"That's great, that's great! Reduce the page count for the other stories and give all the space to The Kapok Robe. Put it at the top of the table of contents, make it stand out!"
Story Collection had 90-100 pages per issue, a small 32-page booklet.
Without illustrations, each page could hold about 800 words.
The Kapok Robe was 20,000 words, about 20 pages, which wasn't too long.
These days, content was scarce, and to fill the pages, a single story could take up over 30 pages.
"Where is the author from?"
"He's in Lushan. He said he'll return to the capital before winter. If we want to send him a letter, we need to time it right."
"Lushan? Returning to the capital?"
The editor-in-chief scratched his head.
"Seems like he's not an ordinary person. What's his pen name?"
"Uh..."
He Chengwei went back to his desk, grabbed a piece of paper, and returned.
"Midnight Butcher, Little Strong, I Want to Do Big Things, Northeast Sweet and Sour Pork is the Best, Jade-Faced Meng Chang, Capital's Timely Rain, Sleeping Makes You Pale..."
"If we can't agree on any of these, let's just call him Aqi!"
"..."
The editor-in-chief was stunned, then burst into laughter, and the other editors joined in.
"What an interesting guy. Aqi? Sure, sure. Write to him immediately, expressing our respect and friendship."
"Alright!"
He Chengwei returned to his seat, but before he could start writing, the editor-in-chief added, "Xiao He, why don't you go in person? Meet this fascinating character."
"That works. I'll set off tomorrow!"
He Chengwei was secretly pleased; this was exactly what he wanted.
"What about the payment?"
"Spare no expense. Go and see for yourself. If he's truly talented, seven yuan per thousand words is fine!"
...
The Kapok Robe was a martial arts film from the mid-1980s, directed and written by Xu Xiaoming.
At the time, he was working at Hong Kong's Rediffusion Television, which later became ATV.
In 1981, he directed a TV series called Huo Yuanjia, starring Huang Yuanshen, Michelle Yim, Bruce Leung, and Wei Qiuhua.
It was a hit in Hong Kong and was the first Hong Kong drama introduced to mainland China, where it also became wildly popular.
The theme song, The Great Wall Will Never Fall, "The Great Wall will never fall, the Yellow River flows endlessly, the mountains are beautiful, the peaks are colorful, ask me if my country is sick..."
It was many people's first introduction to Cantonese songs.
Later, Xu Xiaoming directed Chen Zhen and Huo Dongge, which were also very popular and helped make Bruce Leung a martial arts star.
After that, he went north and collaborated with the mainland to produce The Kapok Robe, in which Yu Rongguang played the villain Qi Tianyuan, and it was a huge success.
Xu Xiaoming was a versatile talent—director, screenwriter, actor, singer, and martial arts choreographer.
Li Saifeng was his disciple.
Logically, he was at the peak of his career in the 1980s, but suddenly, he disappeared.
Most sources say he moved behind the scenes, but they don't explain why.
At the time, the Taiwanese market was the lifeblood of Hong Kong's entertainment industry.
99% of artists had to cater to Taiwan's demands.
Taiwan banned Hong Kong stars from collaborating with leftist groups, let alone going to the mainland to film—it was considered "unforgivable!"
For example, after Chen Zhen aired, Bruce Leung visited the mainland.
Taiwan ordered him to write a letter of repentance, but he refused, saying, "I did nothing wrong. I just went home."
As a result, he was blacklisted.
If it weren't for Stephen Chow's Kung Fu Hustle, Bruce Leung would have faded into obscurity.
Xu Xiaoming faced the same fate.
After filming The Kapok Robe, he was labeled a "collaborator with the communists" by Taiwan and was completely blacklisted.
However, The Kapok Robe later won an award from the Ministry of Culture, and Taiwan changed its strategy.
After all, Taiwan also wanted to unite with the mainland!
Imagine how prestigious it would be to have a filmmaker recognized by the mainland government return to Taiwan's embrace!
So Taiwan said, "As long as you write a letter of repentance, stop filming in the mainland, and talk about how terrible the mainland is, we'll let bygones be bygones."
Xu Xiaoming: "I'm not writing that damn letter!"
So he had to move behind the scenes.
Even many years later, when Hong Kong's entertainment industry was filled with anti-China rhetoric, Xu Xiaoming stood up and spoke out for his country.
Don't think that in those days, the Hong Kong and Taiwanese entertainment industries were just about entertainment.
They were always deeply entangled with politics—it's just that no one talked about it.
But that's a story for another time.
In any case, Chen Qi had his own plans.
He had created The Kapok Robe, and in the future, he definitely wanted to make it into a movie.
He still wanted to find Xu Xiaoming and bring him over...
It wouldn't make sense not to support one of his own.
He made some changes to The Kapok Robe.
Originally, the male lead was a monk, and the female lead had always loved him.
But the male lead wore a tattered hat and kept his hair, never admitting he was a monk.
The logic was flimsy, making him seem like a scoundrel.
Chen Qi didn't like that, so he changed the male lead to a lay disciple, and the two characters fell in love.
This way, when the male lead later decided to officially become a monk, the sense of fate's cruelty would be even stronger.
...
It was over 600 kilometers from Shanghai to Lushan.
He Chengwei took his time and arrived in two days.
He reached Guling and found the hotel according to the address.
He was a bit puzzled when he arrived and went in to ask, "Hello, comrade. I'm an editor from Story Collection. Someone here submitted a manuscript, and I've come to visit."
"Manuscript? You must be mistaken. We're hosting a film crew here," a staff member said.
"Film crew? Shooting a movie?"
"Yes!"
He Chengwei was confused.
"The address is correct. His pen name is Aqi. Do you know him?"
"Aqi... Oh!"
The staff member clapped his hands and said happily, "You mean Xiao Chen? His name is Chen Qi. He's the screenwriter."
"Screenwriter..."
A proper screenwriter submitting to Story Collection??
Before He Chengwei could react, the staff member enthusiastically said, "He went out with the crew today. You can wait here; he should be back this afternoon... Let me tell you, Xiao Chen is a great guy. He's an amazing storyteller..."
(Comrades, please keep voting for us!
That's all...)
(End of Chapter)