1994: I Became a Literary Master in America

Chapter 6 WTF

Daylight broke!

Xu Shengjie still doesn't feel tired.

He changed his clothes, wearing jeans, a T-shirt, and a brown jacket over them.

Standing in front of the mirror, he tidied his thick hair, then whistled and nodded vigorously at his reflection.

"Damn, that's so cool!"

He exclaimed in genuine admiration.

Standing at 188 cm tall, with a strong physique and a handsome appearance like Alain Delon.

Uncle has good taste. Why join a gang? Looks like him, physique like him, isn't he more handsome than Tom wearing height-increasing insoles?

He's Chinese, otherwise he would have definitely tried to break into Hollywood.

I replaced Zhou Wenqiong's belongings with a backpack; the original women's canvas bag will be disposed of later.

After all, there was blood on it.

Xu Shengjie, carrying a bag and a canvas bag, went out the door and happened to run into Ah San, who was coming out from the door across the street.

Their eyes met, and the Indian man couldn't help but blurt out, "Shit, what bad luck."

"Damn, what a ghost this morning!"

"Jeffrey, I don't want to argue with you today."

"Does my mom want to argue with you? Hey Indian, why are you up so early today and dressed so neatly?"

"Hey Chinaman, don't call me Indian."

"What the hell did you call me when I left the house the day before yesterday?"

The Indian man's name is Ashish, full name Hrithik Ashish Rajnikant.

Based on Xu Shengjie's understanding of Indians from his previous life, this guy should be from southern India.

After Zhang Ping'an reprimanded him, he became much more obedient. However, he was always sarcastic and bickering with the original owner of the body.

Xu Shengjie, naturally, showed him no mercy either.

If arguing doesn't work, then fight...

However, Ashish was very clever; he would run away whenever he saw Xu Shengjie nearing his limit.

As a result, the original owner was also extremely annoyed with him.

"Fuck, that happened a couple of days ago."

"You ran away so fast that day, I didn't get a chance to beat you up, now's the perfect time to make up for it."

"Jeffrey, don't push me."

Bang! Xu Shengjie slammed his fist against the wall. "So what if I forced you? If you can fight, then stop talking nonsense. If you keep spouting nonsense, I'll beat you up."

Jeffrey is Xu Shengjie's English name. Jeff is a nickname that only friends can use.

The two bickered as they walked into the elevator.

"Oh, you're wearing perfume. No wonder it smells so strong."

Judging from your outfit, something good must be happening?

"Ha, I'll be moving out of here soon. My uncle introduced me to a rich woman, and we're meeting her today."

After I marry her, I will bring all my brothers and sisters from my hometown over.

Jeffrey, I have seventeen brothers and sisters, then I won't be afraid of you anymore...

Your mom was really good at having children, seventeen...

No, this guy seems to be from a high caste; his father was able to marry several wives.

So, seventeen brothers and sisters doesn't seem like that many.

Xu Shengjie suddenly felt a little envious of Ashish's father!

"Are you so confident you can win over a rich woman?"

"We Indians are very sincere, she will definitely like me."

Upon hearing this, Xu Shengjie couldn't help but burst into laughter.

……

Ashish is a taxi driver who starts work early in the morning.

Xu Shengjie bought an international calling card at the convenience store next door; it's the kind of card that makes international calls very cheap.

It provides a number, you dial that number, then enter the PIN on the phone card, and then enter the number you want to dial... For the same twenty dollars, a direct international call would only take a few minutes, but with a phone card, you can make calls for an hour.

This type of card is also a favorite among those who keep their money in this era.

He walked out of the convenience store, ready to ride his bike to East Village.

Just then, the roar of a car engine came, followed by a Chevrolet Caprice with a distinctly 1970s American tough guy vibe speeding by.

The car window was open, and a restless melody drifted out from inside.

The car stopped beside Xu Shengjie, and a thin Black man leaned out. "Bro, long time no see, how are you?"

This guy was wearing sunglasses, had a bald head, and wore a floral headscarf.

It's a bit like the way old men from Northwest China tie their hair.

Xu Shengjie was stunned when he saw him.

A name surfaced from the depths of his memory, and he blurted out, "Amaru?"

"Ha, I knew it, Bro, you wouldn't forget me. It's been ten years since we last met, and the first thing I did when I got back was to come and see you."

I didn't expect you to still be living here. How are you, Uncle Xu?

"My dad has been dead for many years."

Xu Shengjie had already recognized the other person by this time.

At the same time, deep in my memory, I also recalled the friendship between the two of us.

Tupaik Amaru Shakur...

His original name was Lessini Parish Crooks, which he apparently changed to his current name later.

However, he also has a stage name, which is perhaps more widely known.

2Pac!

One of the West Coast rap trio.

Well, besides 2Pac, the other two characters are Snoopy and Dr. Dre.

This guy is also a pioneer of the East Coast-West Coast hip-hop war, a rapper, an actor, and was nominated for the Grammy Award for Favorite New Rap Artist this February.

Xu Shengjie knew about 2Pac because twenty years later, with the rise of Chinese rap, 2Pac, as a legendary figure, had various short videos appearing one after another and was highly regarded in the rap world.

The reason the original owner knew 2Pac was because Tupac himself was a Manhattan native.

Although he is a representative figure of West Coast rap, he was born in Manhattan and is four years older than the original owner of this body.

The reason he knew the original owner was because he had spent his early years on the streets. He got into trouble and was being chased, and Xu Jiadong helped him out of it. At that time, Xu Shengjie was six years old and had been wandering around the streets of New York with Tupac.

In 84, Tupac's mother took him to Baltimore.

I don't know what came up with that idea, why not stay in New York and go to Baltimore, that place...

Anyway, Xu Shengjie and Tupaike lost contact after that.

I learned about him later from television.

I just didn't expect...

Xu Shengjie has never been a rap fan; his understanding of hip-hop is limited to five of Eminem's songs.

As for Snoopy, Jay-Z, etc...

Oh, and he also knows about Puff Daddy, but he only heard of him because of Leonardo DiCaprio, Justin Bieber, and the story of baby oil.

This guy is a complete scoundrel.

The original owner of this body may have had feelings for him, but the current Xu Shengjie feels nothing at all.

However, Tupac did not notice Xu Shengjie's coldness.

He got out of the car, walked up to Xu Shengjie, hugged him, and said softly, "I'm sorry, I've been in Los Angeles for the past few years... plus my mother became addicted to drugs, and I've been busy helping her get rehabilitation, so I haven't been able to contact you."

You're helping your mom quit drugs, so what about all this smell of alcohol and DM on you?

Xu Shengjie couldn't help but complain in his mind.

"Bro, have you had breakfast yet? I always miss the restaurant you took me to back then, the one on Mott Street, the wonton soup there was especially delicious."

"You mean Hehe Restaurant?"

"Yes, that's the restaurant."

"Bro, look at the time, it's only 7:30!"

And it's Saturday today, the restaurants aren't open yet...

"Come on, I'll take you to the Qilin Golden Pavilion; it's not far from here!"

After saying that, he suddenly seemed to remember something and shook his head repeatedly, saying, "No, I have things to do right now, I have to go out first."

"Where are you going? I'll take you."

Tupac was very enthusiastic.

WTF, I don't want to get too close to you!

Xu Shengjie wanted to refuse, but seeing how enthusiastic he was, he couldn't really refuse.

Alright, let's go find Zhou Wenqiong first, then we'll go eat...

Today, we must resolve this matter.

"Are you driving?"

"no problem!"

Xu Shengjie didn't waste any time and got into the car.

"Amaru, I've seen you on TV."

"I knew it; you'll definitely recognize me."

"Of course! Back then, I followed you all over Manhattan."

"Don't talk about me, how about you? How are you doing now?"

"I?"

Xu Shengjie scratched his head and laughed, "I'm doing fine now. I'm planning to write a book, a novel."

"You're going to write a book?"

"Yes, I've already come up with a story, and I'll be able to write it soon. It's sure to be a huge hit."

"Haha, bro, publishing a book isn't as easy as you think."

Although Tupac wasn't part of the literary circle, the arts and entertainment industries are closely intertwined, so he still had some understanding of what happened in the literary world.

"Now that you've written it, who should you publish it with?"

You don't think that once you send your manuscript to a publisher, it will be published quickly, do you?

It's a real hassle... Although I don't write books, I know some magazine editors. A few years ago, I had the idea of ​​writing a book, but after hearing what they said, I gave up the idea.

As Tupac drove, he said, "First, you have to get noticed by a publisher, then there's a selection evaluation and contract signing. They need to assess the market potential and content, and then hold an internal meeting to discuss whether to approve the project."

Even established writers need weeks to achieve fame.

Not to mention a complete novice like you who has never published a book before.

If you're lucky, it might take a few months for evaluation, and that's assuming someone has actually read your book; if you're unlucky, it could take six months or even longer, or it might just disappear without a trace... Then there's the editing and proofreading process. For a newcomer like you, there's initial review, secondary review, final review... This could take even longer than the evaluation and contract signing, maybe a year?

"That long?"

"That's all the time it's taken. You're a newcomer, that's all."

If you're an older person or a bestselling author, it will be very simple.

"But I am not."

Xu Shengjie couldn't help but frown.

Tupac glanced at him and asked softly, "You really want to be a writer?"

"certainly!"

"Then you'd better find a literary agent first... a powerful one. They have close relationships with publishers. A good agent can not only help you find a suitable publisher and negotiate a good price, but most importantly, they can use their connections to shorten the process and speed up the publication process."

The car stopped at the entrance of 99 E 3rd St.

This is an apartment building.

"By the way, who are you looking for?"

Tupaike turned to look at Xu Shengjie and asked in confusion.

……