Not long after, a staff member came and escorted the drunk John out.
Then, the deputy editor of the New York Times came to apologize to Wang Jian.
As to whether it was because of Wang Jian himself or the presence of Stephen King, that’s for others to decide.
At this moment, however, Wang Jian was too preoccupied to care.
He was discussing with Stephen King what to pay attention to in literary creation.
Thinking back to a few days ago, he had just watched The Shawshank Redemption several times.
Now, he was able to exchange creative ideas with its original author.
Wang Jian couldn’t help but feel a sense of unreality.
He did not know if it was because of this mindset or because he had just read Extreme Heavenly Demon in his head.
When Stephen King shared that his next story’s setting was mainly in a prison.
Images of The Shawshank Redemption mixed with Extreme Heavenly Demon kept coming to Wang Jian’s mind.
It was something like the protagonist being bullied by prison guards and then transforming into a three-meter-tall giant, knocking out each antagonist with a single punch.
And the classic scene of Andy Dufresne kneeling in the rain became the giant, grinning wickedly, and loudly proclaiming, "I’m just a prisoner!"
This image was indeed bizarre.
Lynn, sitting nearby, glanced at Stephen King and then at the young Wang Jian.
She then sat quietly, not daring to make a sound.
An hour later, the dinner concluded.
The conversation between Stephen King and Wang Jian finally came to an end.
Just before leaving, he pulled out the first volume of Arcane Throne, smiling and saying, "My daughter is a loyal fan of your books."
"She asked me to get your autograph if I met you at the dinner."
Wang Jian felt a bit awkward taking the novel, signing his name, and saying, "I thought you were joking, had you really read Arcane Throne?"
"Of course, I’ve read I’m Really a Great Mage too," Stephen King replied with a smile after taking the novel back, "Your website has quite a few interesting works, though paying is a bit cumbersome."
Well...
Stephen King, touted as the writer most likely to become a contemporary master, also reads novels.
Who would believe that?
After saying goodbye, Wang Jian, filled with reluctance, got into the car with Lynn.
The atmosphere in the car was eerily quiet.
Lynn was just fixing her hair, clothes, and high heels.
Wang Jian turned to the Red-haired woman and asked, "Your apartment is near the Lily community, right?"
Lynn did not speak, just stared steadily at Wang Jian.
Suddenly, she excitedly said, "Even Stephen King reads your work, could you also become a central figure in high society like him?"
Wang Jian started the car silently, no longer bothering with this crazed woman.
He thought to himself privately, "Earning royalties, that earns more than sharing royalties with others."
Just as they were approaching Brooklyn, a police car suddenly appeared.
The police car sounded its siren indicating for Wang Jian to pull over.
Then, two police officers got out of the car.
On seeing one Asian and one Caucasian in the car, they visibly relaxed their hands away from their waists.
Then, one of the officers said, "Routine check, license please."
After verifying, the officer handed back the license to Wang Jian.
"Why are you heading to Brooklyn this late? It’s dangerous!"
Before Wang Jian could explain, Lynn spoke up, "We were at a dinner hosted by the New York Times."
After speaking, she even showed the invitation to the officers.
Wang Jian glanced at Lynn and then at the policeman.
After the policeman examined the invitation carefully, he queried, "Bestselling author? Why don’t you live in Long Island or Manhattan?"
Then, without waiting for Wang Jian to answer, he called over his colleague.
After whispering to each other for a while, he told Wang Jian, "We’ll escort you for a bit, after all, you’ve donated quite a bit to the police department."
Wang Jian remembered how a few days ago, when community workers came to his door, he had donated a hundred-dollar bill because he had no small change.
He inwardly marveled at the benefits of donations.
Thus, they were escorted by the police to Wang Jian’s apartment.
Once he opened the front door, Lynn walked in as if she were at home.
"Wang, honestly, with your status, you shouldn’t be living in Brooklyn anymore," Lynn said, helping herself to some juice from the fridge and sitting on the sofa.
"Don’t mess with my stuff."
Recalling in the car how this woman had handed over the invitation to police without his permission, Wang Jian scolded.
Then, he took off his suit and went to take a bath.
Unexpectedly, a few minutes later, Lynn pushed open the bathroom door and entered.
Her eyes looked like they were teeming with tears as she looked at Wang Jian.
"I touched your stuff again; I left the invitation here, what should I do now?" she said, purposely tilting her head.
Wang Jian wrapped a towel around himself, walked over to Lynn, and directly pulled out the invitation card.
...
The next morning,
Wang Jian watched Lynn slowly leave the apartment building, wondering if he had been too harsh last night.
But the ringing of the phone in the apartment interrupted his feelings of pity.
Picking up, he heard the excited voice of Tom.
"A novel that started charging for access last night has already surpassed a thousand payees."
"Its author, James, is the one you mentioned we should keep an eye on, the author of I’m Really a Great Mage."
Oh?
So, it seems James really is talented.
"Prepare the data report, I’ll be at the company soon," Wang Jian said.
He hesitated, recalling last night.
He then added, "The New York Times might also be stepping into the publishing arena, look into it."
"Okay," Tom replied.
Wang Jian went back to his dining table and casually ate a sandwich.
He pondered whether launching Extreme Heavenly Demon online now would scare people off.
Umm...
Better to wait and see.
ps: Happy Dragon Boat Festival to everyone.
I’ve been very busy, struggling with writing.
Anyway, thank you all for your support.
Thanks!