House Dad's Literary Life

Chapter 348: I Won’t Use A Different Pen Name

Originally, Yang Yi wanted to send Xixi to kindergarten and then go to the film set to wait for the end of filming. But Lu Benjie’s visit delayed Yang Yi for a while.

Lu Benjie was the manager of Sahara Publishing House who was in charge of him before. Now, with the reorganization of Sahara Publishing House, Yang Yi has promoted Lu Benjie to the position of deputy editor-in-chief. However, the nature of his work hasn’t changed much from before, mainly responsible for his works.

“Please sit down. If there’s anything, you could have just said it over the phone. You didn’t have to come all this way,” Yang Yi smiled and said to Lu Benjie.

Sitting in front of Yang Yi, Lu Benjie was holding a stack of manuscripts. These were the new book manuscripts that Yang Yi had given to Lu Benjie a few days ago. He smiled wryly and said, “I had no choice but to come. After reading your book, my mood is quite complicated and I can’t explain it over the phone.”

“You’ve finished reading it?”

“I’ve finished it!” Lu Benjie not only finished reading it but also read it several times. It took him a while to figure out the storyline. He also saw many details that he didn’t see in his first or second readings.

“How is it? Give me an objective evaluation!” Yang Yi asked enthusiastically.

Yang Yi had put a lot of effort into adapting this book and was unsure about the effect of his adaptation. He was eager to get feedback from Lu Benjie.

“It’s a terrifying novel, to be honest. I read it with a shiver down my spine, but… I couldn’t stop.” Lu Benjie sighed, “Mr. Yang, your ideas are truly unparalleled. Moreover, compared to your previous works, even the currently popular ‘Prison Break’, the plot of this book is even more intricate, and the logic is more rigorously constructed.”

Lu Benjie hesitated for a moment and then firmly said, “It’s the most unique, exciting, and heart-stirring suspense novel I’ve ever read!”

Yang Yi breathed a sigh of relief and said with a smile, “With your evaluation, I can rest assured.”

At least he didn’t ruin a classic.

“But the problem is that this novel is very different from your original style. I’m afraid your readers will find it hard to accept!” In fact, this was the issue that Lu Benjie wanted to discuss with Yang Yi when he came this time.

“What do you mean?” Yang Yi frowned.

“It’s not about the theme. It’s just that your original style is more positive. ‘Soldier Assault’, and ‘Drawing Sword’ are all novels that encourage a positive outlook. Not to mention the fairy tale book you wrote for your daughter. ‘Yu Zui’, although it hovers on the edge of darkness, is still predominantly about fighting evil. Even ‘Prison Break’, which tells the story of a group of criminals, still focuses on combating wrongdoing overall.”

Lu Benjie sighed and said, “But this one… all your protagonists are villains. Even though I admit they have their bright sides… what they do can’t be considered good!”

“And then?”

“Then… I’m afraid the readers you previously accumulated won’t accept it.” Lu Benjie said in a low voice.

“So, you mean my book about villain characters can’t be published?” Yang Yi was somewhat surprised.

“No no, that’s not what I mean. This book is very good. It dissects human nature profoundly. Those who like it will really like it… I just thought, perhaps you should consider using a different pen name specifically for writing this type of book? This way, you won’t lose your original readers.” After beating around the bush for a while, Lu Benjie finally gave his suggestion.

Yang Yi laughed and said, “So that’s what you’re worried about! Then let me ask you, if I use a different pen name, will the number of readers increase or decrease compared to what I have now?”

“In the initial stage, there will definitely be fewer, but in the later stage, it’s hard to say. I think this novel is a rare top-tier work in the suspense genre. Readers who like suspense novels will faithfully follow your novels. Therefore, the number of readers will increase later on. It’s just unclear how much. It’s hard to compare!” Lu Benjie said.

“Then I won’t use a different pen name!” Yang Yi waved his hand and said, “I’m not an author who only writes in just one genre. Military, fairy tales, crime. Each of these genres is significantly different from the others, and the reader groups are also different. But what’s the problem with that? There’s no need to worry about the loss of readers. The gap left by the loss will be filled by new readers. As long as the quality of the works is guaranteed, there’s nothing to fear!”

“Well, okay then…”

Lu Benjie’s will was not firm. After Yang Yi raised objections, he did not mention the matter of using a different pen name again. He just discussed the plan for the new book with Yang Yi and soon excused himself and left.

……

Whether it’s a movie or a TV series, the filming is not done in the order of the storyline. Due to cost considerations, directors will rearrange the filming sequence, trying to shoot scenes that take place in the same setting together.

The crew of “Fairy Tale” did just that. The last few shots before the end of filming were not the scene of Xu Shishi lying weakly on her hospital bed, her hands dropping, at the end of the story. Instead, it was the scene where A’Guang and Xu Shishi were in the piano practice room. A’Guang played the piano and Xu Shishi fainted and fell.

“Cut!” Du Yuanlei called for a stop again.

She paused and looked at “Xu Shishi” who was still lying on the ground, and gently said, “Qin Wen, you get up first.”

Qin Wen sighed and got up from the ground, complaining, “Ah, is it still not good? If I fall again, I’ll be really knocked out!”

For this last shot alone, Du Yuanlei had already called for retakes several times. She wanted to shoot it perfectly. She wanted to capture the shock brought by Xu Shishi’s fall and even more wanted to capture A’Guang’s dazed, helpless, and incredulous expression when he heard the sound and turned his head while playing.

Du Yuanlei was meticulous in every detail, so she repeatedly called for retakes, asking Guo Ziyi to transform ordinary bewilderment into complex bewilderment, and she asked Qin Wen to faint more realistically…

Yang Yi, who was watching from the side, couldn’t help but feel sorry for Qin Wen. This young star really gave her all when acting. She fell down time after time without any hesitation. Not to mention her pain, even those watching felt pain for her!

In fact, Yang Yi thought that Guo Zi and Qin Wen had already performed very well, especially in the recent shot, which made his heart tremble. He didn’t know why Du Yuanlei still thought it wasn’t good enough. He was puzzled in his heart, but he didn’t interfere with Du Yuanlei’s directing.

When everyone looked at Du Yuanlei thinking she was going to talk about the scene again, she smiled slightly and, in a rare playful manner, winked swiftly, saying, “I announce that our micro-movie titled ‘Fairy Tale’ is a wrap!”

“Ah?” The crowd was stunned for a moment.

The reaction seemed a bit slow, and the scene was a bit awkward.

Why was there no reaction? Du Yuanlei waved her hand somewhat embarrassedly and said, “Surprise?”

“I-Is it really over?” Wang Chao asked uncertainly.

“It’s really over!” Guo Zi reacted and excitedly jumped up from the piano stool, waving his fist.

At this moment, everyone really cheered. Although it was a bit awkward just now, the joy of completion made them jump up with joy.

Du Yuanlei who had been serious for more than half a month also showed a smile. Despite being strict before and teasing everyone a moment ago, she was lifted and hugged by everyone, and even thrown up in the air.

“Let’s go, you’ve finished filming! Let’s head to the buffet!” Yang Yi, surrounded by everyone, waved his hand generously, “I’ve also prepared champagne for you guys! Today, we must celebrate properly!”.