assistirfilmes Chapter 21 Canal Street Subway Station
Chapter 21 Canal Street Subway Station
"Robert, how's retirement going?"
Elaine had her secretary bring two cups of coffee, then sat back down in the soft chair in front of her desk and began chatting with the old man with a smile.
"It's alright, just a bit boring."
You know, I love reading. After retiring, I feel like something is missing from my life, and I always feel a little uncomfortable.
How are you?
I just passed by the conference room and saw...it looked like Danielle Steele?
"It's her."
"What, a new work?"
"There is indeed a new book, but she wants a two million dollar advance."
That damn Andrew, that guy's breaking industry rules, poaching talent everywhere with advance payments, it's making everyone uncomfortable."
"Well, no wonder Andrew is tempted. Morton is willing to spend ten million. Who wouldn't be tempted?"
This is one of the reasons I retired; the atmosphere these past few years has indeed been poor, and writers have become too restless.
"Yes, I really miss the atmosphere of the 1980s, when writers were working hard to create."
At gatherings, we used to talk about stories and creative ideas. But now, when we sit together, we talk about women and royalties… I'm not used to this kind of atmosphere anymore!
"But that's life, you have to get used to it."
The old man chuckled, picked up the coffee on the table, and took a sip.
"Shit, can't you buy some good coffee? The coffee here is still as undrinkable as ever."
Elaine couldn't help but burst into laughter.
……
The old man's name was Robert Adams Gottlieb.
A great editor, and a highly authoritative veteran editor in the American publishing industry.
He rose from an ordinary editor to become the editor-in-chief of Simon & Schuster, one of the six major publishing groups in the United States. He discovered and published Joseph Heller's famous "Catch-22," which brought him instant fame.
He later moved to Knov Publishing House, where he served as general manager for twenty years.
In 87, he became the editor-in-chief of the famous American magazine The New Yorker. In 92, he returned to Knoff Publishing House and retired at the beginning of this year.
He has extensive connections in the publishing industry.
He discovered future Nobel laureate Toni Morrison and spy novelist John le Carré; and he also published the autobiographies of Bill Clinton and Greta Garbo.
Although he has now retired, he still wields enormous influence in the publishing industry.
Even though Elaine is one of the top five literary agents in New York, she still has to show Robert the respect he deserves.
After chatting for a while, Robert suddenly waved the manuscript in his hand.
"This is the draft I just saw on your desk. You don't mind, do you?"
"What manuscript?"
"Yes, Buffy the vampire hunter, recommended by Matteo."
Which Matteo?
"This says it's from the editor of The Source magazine."
What magazine is The Source? I've never heard of it before.
"Hmm, I remember now, it's a hip-hop music magazine, mainly recommending and introducing hip-hop music, a very niche magazine."
Matteo...the guy from Clinton Hill, has written some decent reports.
He called me a few days ago, saying he wanted to introduce me to an author... I haven't had a chance to read it yet, what do you think?
"See for yourself."
"Of Chinese descent?"
Elaine glanced at the resume on the first page of the manuscript, and lost interest after seeing that the author was of Chinese descent.
Chinese?
What good stuff can you possibly write?
If it were sixty years earlier, when the masters of the Republic of China era were still around, he might have been somewhat interested.
but now……
Have you ever heard of any Chinese-American writer who has produced a good article?
They're all melodramatic stories, full of tales of ignorance and rural life... While they've received decent reviews from literary circles, frankly, they don't appeal to the general public. If they don't attract readers, they won't sell well, so why bother?
She casually tossed the manuscript aside and laughed, "I don't think those guys can write any good stories... A recommendation from a black hip-hop magazine editor, a Chinese-American writer... Haha, young people these days aren't down-to-earth at all, always thinking they can become famous overnight. I'll have my secretary return this manuscript later."
Robert smiled but didn't say anything.
He changed the subject, as if nothing had happened.
After chatting with Elaine for a while, he got up to say goodbye.
Elaine was indeed in no mood for idle chatter with him at the moment; Danielle's situation was making her extremely irritable. After seeing Robert off, she called her secretary and asked her to process the manuscripts on the table and return them all to the authors.
The secretary knew Elaine's mood at that moment, so she didn't say anything and walked out with a stack of manuscripts.
And the document "Buffy the Vampire Slayer," which included an outline, three chapters, and a resume, was also included.
……
The weather is great!
It rained lightly this morning, and it was a bit cool.
Xu Shengjie was unaware that his book "Buffett" had been shelved. At that moment, he was at the exit of the Yunhe Street subway station with a young man, watching the passersby.
"Jeff, what are you looking at? We've been squatting here for almost an hour."
The young man was getting impatient and muttered under his breath.
Xu Shengjie glanced at him and asked, "Tell me, what does Uncle Atu usually think about when he's here?"
"Hehe, thinking about how to swindle money from these idiots."
"You're fucking rude."
"Nonsense, I dropped out of school at 16 and followed you around the streets. You keep using vulgar language, how am I supposed to be polite?"
"Child, go back to your studies."
"roll!"
The young man's name was Roger.
His surname is Luo, his given name is Roger, his English name is Roger, and his nickname is Panther.
His skin tone is indeed a bit dark, but not the kind of dark that comes with being Black.
He was the executioner for the Ghost Shadow Gang, and in Chinatown, he was even more famous than Xu Shengjie.
Because this guy does all sorts of shady work and is ruthless... However, he is Xu Shengjie's underling and is extremely loyal to Xu Shengjie.
A few days ago, he went to Brooklyn with Mr. Yin and only returned these past two days.
Upon returning home, he heard that Xu Shengjie had won the lottery, so without saying a word, he went to Xu Shengjie's house and ate at Xu Shengjie's house for two days in a row.
Today, the two of them, having eaten and drunk their fill, squatted at the subway station exit, the spot where Uncle A-Tu used to set up his stall.
Xu Shengjie's eyes were vacant and his gaze was unfocused; it was unclear what he was thinking.
Roger, bored out of his mind, squatted down beside him, whistling and flirting whenever a hot girl walked by.
Then, Xu Shengjie was also dragged into it and received a lot of criticism.
"Are we just going to stay here like this, until how long?"
"Okay, okay, let's go."
"Where to?"
"Let's go to Mott Street and pay a visit to Ghost Lee!"
"I'm not going..."
Upon hearing this, Roger immediately refused.
"What's there to visit in this eerie place? You've forgotten, when we were kids, that old ghost chased us down the street and locked us in his shop all night. I still remember the old man's face back then."
"I need to speak with him."
"Even if something comes up, I won't go..."
Xu Shengjie didn't insist. He made an appointment to have dinner with Roger that evening, and then rode his motorcycle to Mott Street.
……
After returning from Mott Street, I received a call from Roger.
Mr. Yin asked him to do some work on Eighth Avenue in Brooklyn.
Oh, don't get me wrong, it's not about making him kill someone or cause trouble, but about making him contact the Fuzhou gang over there.
Speaking of Eighth Avenue in Brooklyn, Xu Shengjie is reminded of that female internet celebrity who was once a sensation online.
Later, it seems she fell off the killing line and became a homeless woman on the Eighth Avenue!
Although Mr. Yin is a seasoned veteran, he has served ten years in prison. Things are still alright in Manhattan, where the Ghost Gang has a stronghold, but things have changed drastically in Brooklyn, and his influence on Eighth Avenue is practically nonexistent.
Roger is a Fujian immigrant who has close ties with the Fuzhou community there.
Therefore, Xu Shengjie was not worried that he would get into trouble; he simply told him to be careful.
The black street gangs in Brooklyn are more numerous and more vicious than those in Manhattan...
When he got home, he turned on the light and sat down at his worktable.
I jotted down some of today's inspirations in my notebook, then turned on the electric typewriter and started typing.
This thing is all about practice; you're not very familiar with it at first, and it takes some getting used to. But after a while, you'll have mastered it completely.
He typed the title "Canal Street Metro Station" on his typewriter.
• New York, Manhattan, retired subway cleaner?
Hmm, not good!
He is a comic artist who created the first Chinese superhero, Green Turtle.
But in his time, America did not need Chinese-American superheroes.
But Ah Tu Bo refused to compromise and was eventually blacklisted and fired by the comic book company, falling to the brink of extinction and eventually fleeing to Chinatown.
Now, in the dark corner of Canal Street subway station—under that bizarrely decorated "GG" sign—he sets up a rickety table, writing letters for others and forging documents for illegal immigrants; occasionally, he also handles some "special goods"...
He had no wife or children and was all alone.