1994: I Became a Literary Master in America

Chapter 20 Robert Gottlieb

Life suddenly became simple.

Three days later, the $82,000 arrived in his account, and Xu Shengjie went to the bank that same day to withdraw $55,000 in cash.

He first went to the tenement building on Motte Street, but Mr. Yin was not there that day.

Kenny Zhang was at home, along with several Ghost Shadow Gang elders. They were playing mahjong and chatting.

When Xu Shengjie placed five stacks of US dollars in front of Kenny, Kenny's gaze was somewhat complicated.

"Okay, I will transfer this money to Lao Ding."

Ah Jie, since you've decided to quit this life, then live it well. I heard about you from Justin; you're talented. Staying in Chinatown isn't your future. Focus on writing your books; I'm still looking forward to seeing your movies someday!

"Yes, Ah Jie, I'll have all the old neighbors from Chinatown come and support us."

Elder Jimmy then said with a smile.

Xu Shengjie nodded and said, "It definitely will."

Stepping out of the tenement building, I felt a strange sense of relief.

Handing over the $50,000 also meant that his feud with the Ghost Shadow Gang, or rather, the feud between his deceased father and the Ghost Shadow Gang, had come to an end. Of course, he would continue to associate with the second-generation rich kids like Zhang Ping'an, but he had nothing to do with the Ghost Shadow Gang anymore... He was just a part of Chinatown, not a gang member.

Xu Shengjie was certain that his father's identity had been exposed.

Mr. Yin knew, Kenny Zhang knew, and even Jimmy, a veteran in the gang, was aware of Xu Jiadong's identity.

I secretly rejoiced!

Fortunately, these elderly people followed the rules and didn't play any tricks that would harm their families; otherwise, even with James Huang's secret protection, the original owner would have been doomed.

The methods used by gangs are beyond your imagination.

……

Afterwards, Xu Shengjie went to the fast food restaurant on Duoye Street and found Zhang Ping'an.

He returned the three thousand dollars to Zhang Ping'an. Although Zhang Ping'an repeatedly refused, he eventually accepted the money at Xu Shengjie's insistence.

He then went to David's electronics store and gave David two hundred dollars.

Then they went to the Hehe Restaurant to settle the bill, and in the blink of an eye, the $55,000 became $1,500.

But, being debt-free is a blessing!

Xu Shengjie rode his motorcycle at breakneck speed along the road, feeling exceptionally relaxed.

For the next few days, he hardly left his house, calling the nearby fast food restaurant every day to deliver meals.

On June 10th, the first part of "Buffy the Vampire Hunter" was successfully completed.

Xu Shengjie finally left home, called Zhang Pingan and David for a drink, and then the group went to the Lucky Bath at 33 Orchard St for a soak and a full foot bath, feeling completely satisfied...

"I've already spoken to Gui Li. If you want to buy spinach, just go there directly."

"Out of consideration for our long-time neighborhood relationship, I'll waive your fees... Jeff, do you have some inside information?"

"I was a gang member, and now that the gang is gone, what inside information could I possibly have?"

I'm just going with my gut feeling!

David's eyes lit up, and he said, "Brother Jay, can I join you?"

How much money do you have?

"I……"

David looked embarrassed, his confidence somewhat lacking: "As you know, I don't have much money, at most I can come up with a thousand."

"Sure, then you can count me in."

"I'll offer ten thousand."

Zhang Pingan handed him a cigarette.

"Aren't you afraid Uncle Kenny will scold you?"

"It's my own money... and that's all I have. If I lose it all, so be it; if I win, it's just luck."

"Hehe, Kenny said that if you follow lucky people, your luck will improve too. Ah-Jie, I believe in your good luck!"

Xu Shengjie chuckled.

"Have you spoken to Aunt Zhang about the recording studio issue?"

"I've been busy writing my book all day lately, I haven't had any time... But now that I've finished writing, I have some free time, so I'll go talk to Aunt Zhang about it tomorrow."

"Yes, I've talked to her about this, and she said it's no problem."

Furthermore, she seemed to like the song you sang that day and asked if you wanted to sign with a record company. She said she could help.

Zhang Disha is a Broadway model.

There really are some connections within the music industry.

However, Xu Shengjie wasn't very interested and just laughed it off, saying, "We'll see how far we can go. I don't even know."

The conversation ended there.

……

In the following days, Xu Shengjie let loose a bit.

I completed 230,000 words in half a month, all handwritten, and then used an electric typewriter for layout and design. I felt completely drained.

I visited Zhang Disha and bumped into Zhou Wenqiong.

However, when the older sister saw him, she ran away like a mouse seeing a cat.

Xu Shengjie wanted to flirt with her, but after being warned by Zhang Disha, he gave up.

Yes, Zhou Wenqiong is very beautiful, but she's already thirty!

Eleven years his senior, and not someone he genuinely wanted a deep conversation with, Xu Shengjie knew his limits. Besides, it seemed like there wasn't much to talk about with these people coming from China at this time; they had no common topics.

In their eyes, the United States is a beacon, a place where gods dwell.

But for Xu Shengjie, who was demystified in his previous life and was born and raised in this life, it was just that.

Zhang Disha introduced him to several recording studios.

He completely ignored the Power Station.

This is a top-notch recording studio founded in 1977, located on the west side of the Broadway theater.

They have four large recording studios, including top-of-the-line studios like Neve and SSL, and their clients include top singers from the 70s and 80s like Sting…

Just by listening to it, you can tell that this kind of recording studio has no advantages other than being expensive.

"Aunt Zhang, I just want to record a song, a regular recording studio will do."

"Let's leave these top-tier tracks to the singers; I'll just listen to them."

Zhang Disha couldn't help but laugh.

She thought for a moment and then suddenly said, "I have a friend who owns a small recording studio in Midtown called Quad Recording Studios."

The producer is Alan Menken, you may not have heard of him, but he is very capable.

His fees aren't too high. Mainly, he doesn't make a living from the recording studio; it's just a place for him and some friends to hang out. If your song is good enough for him, he might even take care of everything for you without you having to pay anything.

But his requirements are very strict!

"Sure, I'll give it a try?"

"I'll give you his contact information; you can contact him directly."

Zhang Disha wrote down her address and phone number on a note and handed it to Xu Shengjie.

After thanking him, Xu Shengjie turned and left.

Zhou Wenqiong walked in and asked疑惑地问道, "Aunt Zhang, why are you helping him?"

"We're all Chinese, so helping out isn't a big deal... Besides, his song is really great. If he really wrote the lyrics and composed the music, it means this kid is really talented. I also hope to add a Chinese voice to the American music scene."

"he?"

The image of Xu Shengjie shooting and killing people that night flashed through Zhou Wenqiong's mind.

That fierce gaze and the bloodstains on his face still send chills down her spine when she thinks about it.

America is such a strange place.

Can a nobody like him represent the voice of the Chinese people?

She curled her lip slightly, a hint of disdain in her heart.

In China, this nobody would probably be shot... but in the US, he's actually considered a genius?

It's simply incomprehensible!

Zhang Disha glanced at her but didn't say anything.

Some things she needs to see, understand, and figure out for herself.

After all, the national conditions here are completely different from those in China!

……

Fifth Avenue, Rockefeller Center.

Elaine Books Brokerage is right here.

It's not a large place, only about a hundred square meters, and there are only a dozen or so employees.

However, this small agency has nurtured seven or eight bestselling authors.

However, Elaine has been a bit irritable lately.

Recently, several of her bestselling authors have been aggressively poached by Andrew Wylie, a notorious literary shark in the New York publishing world. Her top author, Danielle Steel, has also been tempted. Today, Danielle came to the office and told Elaine that Andrew was willing to offer an advance of $1.8 million for her new book…

On the surface, Danielle Steele was there to tip off someone.

But Elaine knew perfectly well that this bitch was trying to bargain.

Look, Andrew has offered such a high upfront payment price, shouldn't you reciprocate?

It can't be less than Andrew's advance payment, otherwise even though you've put me on the cusp of success, nobody will turn down money.

It's worth noting that her previous book sold 200 million copies across the United States.

This female writer, often referred to as the "American Qiong Yao," undoubtedly holds significant importance for Elaine.

But a two million prepayment?

son of a bitch!

What a greedy woman.

After seeing Danielle off, Elaine returned to her office.

Sitting in the chair in front of her desk was a thin, slightly balding old man. His gray hair was draped diagonally across his head.

"Robert, what brings you here?"

Elaine looked surprised, smiled, and walked over to hug him.

……