I am not Ximen Qing.

I really miss the days in Zhongguancun. I don't know why, but seeing Meng Liang filled me with nostalgia. No matter what, the small bars on this street can't compare to the atmosphere at places like the Tian Shang Tian Roast Duck Restaurant in Zhongguancun. Every day was practically sales, sales, sales—a mountain of printouts! My foreign friend Longli called him a computer superman. Drinking with clients who could hold their liquor was so exhilarating. The balance between business and friendship was always delicate, but alcohol was definitely the best thing—a melting pot. Once we sat down at the table, a few bottles of Erguotou would leave us tipsy, completely losing track of whether it was business or friendship mixed together. Yes, that state was the best.

The roast duck at Tian Shang Tian is the most distinctive, with generous portions of various side dishes that are sure to fill you up. You almost can't find this kind of roast duck anywhere else in Beijing. The most authentic Mao Xue Wang (a spicy Sichuan dish) and the most authentic stir-fried pork kidneys are also excellent. The chef's knife skills are truly martial arts-level. The key to the stir-fried pork kidneys is the chef's knife skills; otherwise, you simply can't get the authentic flavor. As for the poached chicken and boiled fish, I almost forgot about the boiled fish. When eating boiled fish and Mao Xue Wang, I practically swallowed them whole because these two dishes really stimulate my appetite. The restaurant is famous for its excellent salt and pepper ribs and stir-fried pork intestines with chili peppers. Of course, you can't get the most authentic Northeastern-style sweet and sour pork, but the Dongpo pork knuckle here is just as good. The Dongpo pork knuckle at Meizhou Restaurant is generous in portion, filling, and the taste is truly authentic—it tastes like Su Dongpo himself made it in the kitchen. The key is drinking at Tian Shang Tian Roast Duck Restaurant; it's the kind of drinking style you see in the Water Margin, the Liangshan heroes. It seems customers enjoy watching the staff get drunk and then close deals with customers who come in. The method is absurd and ridiculous, but the profits are substantial. Customers, big and small, are invited to Tian Shang Tian Roast Duck Restaurant for drinks. The relationships built over meals and drinks are far more effective than superficial gifts.

"Two grown men putting on such a pretentious act just to drink, how boring!"

After drinking a small bottle of Erguotou (a type of Chinese liquor), I felt much more energetic.

"This wine is really sweet; it must be at least 112 years old."

It definitely tastes much better than the liquor from Da Ya Li. This liquor is amazing! They're both the same brand of Erguotou, but the owner is quite thoughtful. He usually stores it for two or three years before serving it to customers. Don't underestimate the taste of this liquor from a small bar; it determines future repeat customers. This liquor has been aged for at least three years.

"I'm so envious! You all have creative talent and can draw. You're a true master of full color!"

Is the assistant director still writing the script?

"There's no other way. For the sake of the film, the script, and art, this is the only option. I've already written four or five scripts. Someone said they wanted a script, so what do you say?"

It's like stepping back into the days of that old dog at the film studio gate, always trying to seduce young screenwriters. Screenwriting is a nightmare, more deceptive than anything else. I wonder what his sexual preferences are; it seems he's bisexual and preys on virgins. Those guys at the film studio gate are the real artists, the realist artists. Each screenwriter has thousands of scripts to their name. But then there's this old woman who's always talking about private concerts, saying all screenwriters are useless. They write nonsense, it's pointless. Even thousands of scripts won't change anything. These people are obsolete; they're just extras day and night. Their souls have been devoured by dreams and art; they can no longer function properly. They'd rather live in dreams and artistic imagination than suffer in the real world, preferring the harshness of nature. Their faith won't bow down to the back of their hearts and do hard labor in capitalist factories. Despite exploiting and oppressing themselves, their thoughts were absolutely free, and they had lofty ideals. However, the Beijing Film Studio has now become a museum. We can never return to the entrance of the Beijing Film Studio, which was once full of dreams and artistic fantasies. It was once a kaleidoscope of ideas, where dream chasers from all over the country got lost. Many of Beijing's sentimental places have become libraries.

"He was a bit obsessed. Even when he slept, he would always keep a piece of paper on his traditional bedside table, and he would start writing as soon as he had a spark of inspiration, writing frantically."

"It would be best to persevere. Why not sell for 50? We don't need that now. Let's finish three or four scripts, dress up one properly, and sell it. We can sell it even if we make less money, right? Only in this way can we revitalize the business."

"Unfortunately, nobody's buying them now."

"It's related to the economic cycle and trends."

"That's right, once the trend stops, everything comes to a standstill."

"Once investors' enthusiasm wanes, the script becomes just a backup plan."

It seems some people can mortgage their real estate and still make money for a movie, while others absolutely cannot mortgage their real estate for a movie.

"Look at those trashy Hollywood movies, Mr. Wood."

"He can't compare to Zheng Heng, who's a screenwriter, cinematographer, and director all in one. He can finish tonight, find a bunch of kids outside the movie theater, and do it all for free. They don't make much money filming if they don't pay him. He's a man truly full of love and romantic fantasies, his mind is full of big-breasted girls."

"In your research on the art of Jin Ping Mei, are there any wet nurses?"

"Yes, of course! It seems that many officials in the Ming Dynasty liked to drink human milk, and every wealthy family had a wet nurse."

"But that guy doesn't like to talk, and he's quite arrogant."

"It's not that he doesn't like to talk; he's quite humorous. He's been around for at least 10 years, seems to be from Guangdong, or maybe someone from around here. He's comparable to Zhu Meimei from Song Yu's story—they seem to be from the same place, Fujian. Right, ask Song Yu."

"I can't possibly never compromise with him."

"They're both kettles, brother."

"He's treating me like a kettle, brother. That's absolutely unacceptable. He's always using that same old tactics to belittle you, belittle your worth, and make you lose confidence. Confidence in someone depends on their worth; whether you have value or not. He's made me lose all confidence."

"You're not drinking enough. Bottoms up! Drink more, and you'll be in Dionysus's body and have more confidence!"

I took a small sip of Erguotou, a sweet Erguotou, better than Moutai, and even better than Blue Ocean. I once downed a whole bottle of Blue Ocean in one gulp, that's absolutely true. I even believe that after drinking it, Wu Song could fight a tiger. Anyway, after drinking Blue Ocean, I'm full of energy, and I could easily take on 10 or 8 people by myself. When I was little, I loved watching Jackie Chan's Drunken Master I and Drunken Master II, watching you die and come back to life. If you ask what kind of happiness drinking brings, the happiness it brings is daring to chat with beautiful women, daring to talk about love with them. I bought a lot of Moutai when I came to Beijing, but I never drank it myself. It seems like I just left it there and gave it to my dad. Unbelievable, right? Every year when I come to Beijing, I buy Moutai for the New Year, but I've never drunk a drop. Back then, Moutai wasn't expensive, only about 500 yuan a bottle. I drank Wuliangye once, and Wuliangye is really good. I drank a whole bottle. A friend had a baby and gave me a bottle of liquor to celebrate. I drank it, and the feeling of not being drunk after drinking it was really something. Ah, sincerity! That feeling of pure, exquisite liquor—that's the feeling I had for Wuliangye. Pure, exquisite liquor, only once, just once at a banquet, I drank a whole bottle of Wuliangye.

"I used to be Don Juan, and he was Don Garcia, a pair of brothers who loved to talk about love and make jokes."

"Then we go to the hot springs, take a bath, have a buffet, another buffet, and then pick up girls, right?"

"When I was dating girls, it was always through legitimate massage parlors, saunas, and foot baths, which were definitely good for my health. Back then, I had incredible energy when I ran, and I could run a 10km marathon without any problem. My physical condition was excellent."

In the modern, artistically designed hall, only a few old men, tipsy and in high spirits, remained. They had finally rediscovered the joy of drinking from the past, drinking from morning till night without neglecting to make money or do business – those were truly golden years. Those happy days are nowhere to be found in Beijing anymore. Time flies! Even Confucius would find it hard to return to those happiest days. Before, when I told Songyu we were going to Wutai Mountain, we'd drive there without a second thought. Before, we'd go drinking whenever we wanted, go to Hongluo Temple whenever we wanted, go to the Golden Coast whenever we wanted, and even if we said we'd go to Wutai Mountain, we'd end up praying for wealth at the Wuye Temple. What went wrong? Those happy days are gone forever.

"One more waiter, please."

"Another little heartthrob arrived. The chubby girl, a bit aroused, had jiggling flesh on her body—not so much that she was fat, but rather that she exuded a sense of contentment in her life. Anyway, the chubby girl felt the topics they were discussing were too lofty, too artistic."

Shh, don't tease me.

It's really down-to-earth, and the service is so entertaining. However, the waiter seems to have developed a bit of a crush on the chubby girl.

"Did you know? Developing this script and filming in both China and the US would cost at least sixty or seventy million in budget? The box office would probably be several billion."

"How much? How much do you want? Billions?"

"Film part in China, part in the US, with a minimum total budget of 5000 million, the final box office should easily reach several billion, right?"

Without even thinking about it, a budget of 5000 million, two wars, one in Korea and one in Vietnam, isn't 5000 million enough? Special effects, but special effects are expensive these days.

Did you know? I'm currently writing a science fiction script.

"Science fiction is too difficult to film."

"But science fiction is creative and low-risk."

"Risk first" refers to the fact that science fiction has a higher chance of being selected from an imaginative and creative perspective. Meng Liang is indeed a heavy smoker; while he might not necessarily be a heavy drinker, he's definitely a heavy smoker. Smoking and drinking are truly inseparable. They're always at home, surrounded by smoke, boasting, talking about hundreds of millions, billions, as if they were real billionaires.

"I dreamt that you have a strange attraction to me; whenever I'm around you, I become a heavy smoker."

"I was corrupted by my smoking pipe as soon as I got here."

"You are a kind person, you are not a bad child. In fact, you are definitely a kind person at heart. It's just that society has tormented you to the point of helplessness, leaving you unable to be a kind person. How could you teach me to be bad? My soul has lost its inspiration, do you understand? I can't find that exciting feeling that beauty brings me. Immortal beauty, where are you? You are in the dark space, secretly watching me, watching me lose my soul and become empty."

"The assistant director seems to have also encountered a creative block,"

"The assistant director must be out of his mind. He's destined for Shangqiu but insists on being a Don Quixote with dreams. If he doesn't cause trouble, who will? He's Shangqiu, I'm the Don Quixote."

"Yes, yes, that's what I think too. He must have been out of his mind to do the thing he's worst at. Isn't that ridiculous? He wasted so much time. But he's much better now, and he's realized that he can't do it all by himself."

"Have you heard? Amazon seems to have acquired the rights to The Three-Body Problem and is going to spend $10 billion to make a film about it. It seems like the Chinese can't capture the essence of The Three-Body Problem."

"Anyway, The Three-Body Problem made money."

"The cost of a film's screenwriter is roughly over 1000 million."

"Persistence may be the only way out. At least if you keep writing novels, creating, or being a screenwriter, you won't fall into depravity. You still like the feeling of being God or Zeus. That's why some novelists and screenwriters become addicted, because they are creating their own world, their own edifice. That feeling is really exhilarating. You are the absolute master of the game of power!"

"That's right, that's absolutely amazing!"

"A person's life needs a framework, doesn't it? And a bit of imagination, a bit of excitement, isn't it? I like this kind of spiritual and soul-stirring stimulation. At least I have a framework. Standing at a high point, how bad can things get? How bad can they get? If the framework is right, the direction is right, and the trend is right, then I can patiently persevere. This has inspired my art and had a huge impact on my art. That's why I admire Lavitt."

"Director Wu still hasn't grasped the essence of art. Now, others have persevered for 5 years, waiting for success, and they've succeeded at 50."

"Actually, it's also because contemporary films lack direction and heroes, isn't it? But I still believe that those with strong political awareness will always have a chance to succeed, right?"

"We don't need to worry about Big D anymore; at least he'll have someone to rely on in his old age, and he can write screenplays."

"Let's wish the assistant director all the best. After all, he mortgaged his house; that's even more courageous than smashing a Mercedes. At least he's truly dedicated to art, which is rare. The spirit of art is great in life and glorious in death."

"But some things can't be insisted on just by persisting. We have to be realistic and flexible. Nobody can afford to keep charging money every day."

"The assistant director wasn't very successful at making the film, but he left a deep impression on all his friends by making a movie that had nothing to do with him. Isn't that a kind of success?"

"Anyway, the movie was exciting, the fun was great, and now it's a bit painful to have mortgaged the house, right? You could say you've had your fill of joy, but maybe this joy will turn to sorrow. Even if you've had your fill of joy, this world will eventually end, everything will eventually come to an end, won't it?"

"Beautiful lady, checkout! Beautiful lady, checkout!"

The beautiful women seemed too lonely, too isolated, to even bother paying the bill. At least two of them were chatting, mostly about art and movies—a conversation between artists. It was somewhat interesting, a way to pass the time. The women seemed to enjoy the two men's banter; it kept them entertained. They didn't want them to just pay and leave, otherwise, it would all be pointless.

"Let's go, beautiful, stop hiding!"

"What's the rush? There's plenty of time."

The beautiful woman's eyes were full of curiosity; it was clear she was quite bored. Whether it was boasting, drunken musings from an art enthusiast's house, or just casual conversation, her language was generally reliable, and she was eating and drinking. She was even learning something new! Why was she leaving to pay the bill? She seemed lonely and had encountered a charming, middle-aged man who could write novels and screenplays. They even talked about Meng Liang's visitor, an English graduate student who was in charge of a publishing house. Good heavens, this society is terrifying!

"Why not just publish it as a book, like Balzac? My graduate student has the connections."

"Sir, it's 133 yuan, why are you in such a hurry?"

The beautiful woman was in despair; she didn't want the two artists to leave.

What did the beautiful woman say?

At least the beautiful women were flirting with them. The city's erotic men and women, thinking of the plump, fair-skinned Anhui beauties at the mutton offal shop in Li's Hutong, their eyes always sparkling with affection for the artist—it's a pity that just one flirtatious glance instantly exposed the Anhui beauty's true nature. It's such a shame she was fired by the female boss; I never saw that alluring Anhui beauty again.

Anyway, I'll come again next time.

Okay, come again next time.