Chapter 33: Why Choose the Pen Name "Li Tang Wang"?

Chapter 33: Why the Pen Name "Li Tangwang"

The homeroom teacher had been quite surprised when he first heard about Li Jingkun’s plans to pursue art school. He had pulled him aside for a private chat that lasted over an hour. Eventually, seeing that Li Jingkun’s thoughts were clear and his goals well-defined, the teacher realized he couldn't change his mind and decided to offer his support. Getting into the Beijing Film Academy would be a fine achievement; after all, it was a top-tier national university, and it would add a new color to their school’s record. They had already sent students to Tsinghua and Peking University, but no one had ever made it into the Film Academy.

On Monday after school, the teacher came over to serve as a background extra. Along with a few other classmates and Gao Shun’s group, they rearranged the classroom to stage a scene and filmed for a while.

"This is actually quite professional," the teacher remarked.

"It’s mostly because what we’re filming now is simple and doesn't require much acting skill," Li Jingkun replied.

They were currently focusing on the scenes for the female lead, Wang Yajing. The content was simple: she just needed to stand at the podium, smile, and introduce herself, or perhaps read a passage from a textbook. As before, no dialogue was required; the voice-over by Song Hairong would be added in post-production. When it came down to it, "That Summer" was even simpler than most music videos.

But why make it at all? It was best to start with something simple. Plus, it allowed the actors to experience something new and build their confidence, helping them realize that many things aren't as difficult as they seem once you set your mind to them.

"Hello everyone, my name is Su Mo. I am very happy to spend the next three years of high school with all of you..."

This part required filming in a classroom, which meant they needed classmates to act as extras—essentially acting as a "living backdrop." With so many people around, it was easy to get noisy. Many others had heard about the short film, so students from other classes came to watch, including Zhou Jiani. Because of this, Wang Yajing needed the others to cooperate and stay quiet while she delivered her lines. Since it was her first time performing in public, it took several takes to get it right.

"How was it? How do you feel?" Li Jingkun asked.

"I felt a bit awkward at first... but now it seems okay. It’s not that hard," Wang Yajing replied.

"Don't worry, just be yourself. Just act like you usually do."

"You need to guide me more, otherwise I don't feel confident."

"I definitely will. Don't worry."

***

The short film "That Summer" wrapped up quickly and entered post-production. This phase primarily involved dubbing and editing. Li Jingkun could handle the editing himself, but for the voice-over, it was better to have the male lead, Song Hairong, record it. Since Song hadn't received professional training in recitation or script reading, he needed to practice it over and over with Li Jingkun. They weren't in a rush, though; they still had classes to attend, and it wouldn't matter if it took ten days or half a month to finish.

While Li Jingkun wasn't in a hurry, others were. Wang Yajing would occasionally send messages asking about the progress.

"Is your movie ready yet?"

"It’s a short film, just a few minutes long. It’s almost done. Give it a few days; there are still some things to tweak. Since this is just a side project, I can't devote all my time to it."

"Make sure to let me see it when it's done."

"For sure, you're the lead actress. I’m thinking of holding a 'premiere' and inviting the cast and a few friends to watch it together."

"Haha, that sounds great. Very formal! Jiani and the others said they want to come, is that okay?"

"Of course, tell them to come. We’ll watch it in our rehearsal room; it’s spacious and there won't be any adults around."

***

That evening, Li Jingkun received a call from an unknown number.

"Hello?"

"Hello, is this 'Li Tangwang'? I’m Liu Jiaming, a reporter from the Jiedong Daily."

Li Jingkun was a bit surprised, then confirmed his identity.

"It really is you! At first, I couldn't believe it. Is your real name Li Jingkun? I never expected you to be from our Jiedong City, and a top student at Liuchuan No. 1 High School, no less."

Li Jingkun’s village fell under the jurisdiction of Lihe Town, which was part of Liuchuan City, and Liuchuan City was nominally under Jiedong City, so the reporter was technically correct. It was like a reporter from the Guangzhou Daily calling him and saying he was from Guangdong Province.

"You've done your research," Li Jingkun said.

"Don't get me wrong, I just couldn't believe it at first, so I had to confirm," Liu Jiaming said. "The thing is, we’d like to interview you and introduce our very own young writer to the people of Jiedong. Do you have some time?"

"Since you’ve researched me, you should know that I’m not exactly keen on making this public, right?"

"Yes, I understand. You’re like Annie Baby, one of the most low-profile young writers of the post-80s generation. But I don't think you need to be like that in your own hometown, do you? I think this is a very reportable and proud achievement."

Li Jingkun still felt it wasn't necessary, but the reporter’s persistence made him hesitate. He realized that it was already the second semester of his second year of high school, and there was only one year left until graduation. Perhaps there was no longer any need to keep it a secret.

In the end, he agreed and set a time for the interview.

***

A few days later, Liu Jiaming came to Liuchuan to meet him. They booked a private room at a restaurant, and after some casual small talk, the formal interview began. Li Jingkun spoke about his writing, from his first novel, "Whose Youth Accompanies Me," to "Dream River of Qingming," and finally his new book, "Wuxin: The Monster Killer," which was currently being serialized in "Sprouts."

Reporter Liu: "So you started writing novels in your first year of high school?"

Li Jingkun: "Not exactly. I started in middle school, but back then my writing was messy and immature—it was just for myself. I only started submitting my work formally in my first year of high school."

Reporter Liu: "Why did you choose the pen name 'Li Tangwang'? Is there some deep meaning behind it?"

Li Jingkun: "Back in middle school, I thought 'Li Tangwang' was one of the titles for the last emperor of the Southern Tang Dynasty, but later I realized it wasn't. But I liked the sound of it, so I kept it."

Reporter Liu: "What do your parents think of your writing?"

Li Jingkun: "My parents know I like to write and read a lot of books, but they didn't pay much attention to it. To put it nicely, they’re open-minded; to put it bluntly, they’re quite hands-off because they don't really understand this field. Later, when they found out I could publish books and make money, they were truly shocked."

Reporter Liu: "Haha, are you sure 'shocked' is the right word?"

Li Jingkun: "Yes. They probably never expected that their 'free-range' parenting style would bear such surprisingly vibrant fruit."

Reporter Liu: "But you’ve remained very low-profile. Do your classmates know you’re a famous writer?"

Li Jingkun: "They don't. Even my best friends don't know. Actually, I didn't try to hide it at first. In my first year of high school, I would go to internet cafes to write. My best friend, who is also in my class, Hairong, would often accompany me, but he was always either chatting with female classmates or playing games."