Time flowed quietly amidst the daily hustle and bustle of the cleopatra set.
Li Kai continued to play his low-profile yet indispensable role as assistant director, shuttling between Director Mankiewicz, big-name stars, and various departments, handling endless trivialities and emergencies.
One afternoon about three weeks later, the set was filming an important indoor scene between Cleopatra and Caesar. Elizabeth Taylor, once again displaying her mercurial side, clashed with Mankiewicz over the delivery of a single line.
"Director Mankiewicz, I feel that delivering the line this way completely fails to convey Cleopatra's testing and ambition at this moment; it makes her sound like a silly little girl!" Taylor sat in her exclusive lounge chair, her tone displeased. A makeup artist beside her was carefully touching up her makeup, terrified that a slightly heavy hand might annoy the goddess.
Director Mankiewicz suppressed his patience and tried to explain: "Elizabeth, the subtlety here is that she is using innocence to mask her ambition. It's a performance..."
"But I don't feel it!" Taylor interrupted him directly, shouting, "I need a stronger sense of conflict, not this ambiguity!"
Instantly, the atmosphere on set froze. All staff held their breath, not daring to make a sound for fear of becoming the fuse that ignited a larger conflict.
[Holy crap, they're arguing again. Big stars are really hard to please! If I become a director in the future, I'll never work with actors who don't follow instructions, even if they're superstars...] Li Kai shook his head inwardly. Standing not far behind Mankiewicz, he silently recorded the director's requirements, having long since grown accustomed to such scenes.
In that brief, suffocating silence, a crew handyman carefully squeezed through the crowd to Li Kai's side and whispered, "Li, there's mail for you outside from America. It's a large package and requires your personal signature."
Hearing this, Li Kai's heart skipped a beat.
He quickly glanced at the director and leading lady locked in a stalemate, knowing this argument wouldn't end anytime soon.
So, he walked up to Mankiewicz and requested in a low voice, "Director, I have an urgent package. I might need to step away for a moment."
Mankiewicz, distracted and annoyed by Taylor, simply waved his hand to signal him to go and come back quickly.
Feeling as if he had been granted a general amnesty, Li Kai immediately followed the handyman and strode out of the oppressive studio.
At the entrance of the set, a postal worker was guarding a massive, thick airmail package.
"Hello, I'm Li Kai!" Li Kai greeted the man, then began verifying his identity, signing, and taking the package.
The package felt heavy in his hands, and his heart felt correspondingly full and steady.
Li Kai didn't open it immediately. Instead, he cradled the precious package and walked quickly back to the simple little Room he rented near the set. Closing the door to shut out the external noise, he took a deep breath and carefully slit open the package with a paper cutter.
The contents were revealed before his eyes:
A copy of the officially signed and stamped publishing contract.
A check for five thousand dollars.
At the very bottom were two carefully wrapped books.
Li Kai held his breath and picked up the top one. The book's binding was exquisite; the hardcover was a deep, almost black forest green, with a fine cloth texture to the touch. In the center of the cover, a simple gold-stamped puppet motif was striking—its lines were clean yet filled with hints of mystery and power. Below it was the title in the same gold-stamped, specially designed font: "The Godfather". The author's name: Kai Li.
His fingers gently brushed over the embossed gold title and his own name. An inexpressible wave of excitement and trance-like disbelief instantly seized him.
Then, he slowly opened the pages, and the fresh scent of ink wafted toward him.
The paper was thick, and the printing was crisp.
"The novel The Godfather is finally published!!!" Li Kai sat on the edge of the bed, stroking the book for a long time, his heart unable to settle.
The mediocrity of most of his life intertwined with this moment of achievement, giving him a surreal sense of happiness... Li Kai didn't linger in the rental for long; it would be trouble if Director Mankiewicz needed him for something.
So, he immediately hurried back to the set. Because he was in high spirits, his steps felt lighter.
By the time he returned to the set, the argument between Mankiewicz and Elizabeth Taylor had reached a conclusion.
Unsurprisingly, Mankiewicz had yielded in the end.
Li Kai wasn't surprised by this; it had happened several times before.
"Alright, alright, back to work."
"All departments in position!"
"Action!"
...Even though he was about to become a bestselling author, Li Kai maintained his low-profile and humble style, working diligently on set. He didn't change at all because of the $5,000 windfall in his pocket or his impending fame.
He knew deep down that publication was only the first step; he was far from the point where he could afford to be arrogant.
The next day, he took half a day off. The first thing he did with that five-thousand-dollar advance was rent a spacious, bright apartment a bit further from the set but in a much better environment, and immediately applied for a private telephone line.
The day the phone was installed, he called his editor in New York, Joan Slick, to give her his new contact information.
"That's great, Li! This makes it much easier for us to stay in touch. By the way, the book is fully stocked in stores, the first round of promotion has started, and the response is very good. Several bookstores have already reported that readers are starting to inquire," Joan Slick's voice was full of energy.
"Thank you for your hard work, Miss Slick. I'm looking forward to more news," Li Kai said with a smile.
"Don't mention it! I'll definitely tell you as soon as there's progress. By the way, just call me Joan; all my friends do."
"Alright, thank you, Joan," Li Kai followed her lead and changed the address, then added, "If it's convenient, it's best to contact me after 11:00 PM Italian time. The set has been filming night scenes lately, and I usually only get back to my place by then."
"No problem at all! New York and Rome have a six-hour time difference. When it's late night there, it's only 5:00 PM here—I haven't even left work yet," Joan responded with a laugh.
After a few more pleasantries, the two ended the call.
It takes time for a new book to go from being on the market to causing a sensation. Li Kai understood this well. He tried to focus his mind and stay calm, striving to remain unmoved by either gain or loss, and threw all his energy into the busy work on the cleopatra set... The filming of cleopatra remained fraught with difficulties. The romance between the lead actress Taylor and the lead actor Burton was gradually becoming public, becoming the focus of global tabloids and introducing more uncertainty to the set. Li Kai watched with a cold eye, becoming even more determined in his belief that he must control his own creative destiny in the future.
About a month after The Godfather hit the market, on an ordinary workday, the phone in Li Kai's apartment rang suddenly in the dead of night.
Li Kai picked up the phone, and on the other end came Joan Slick's voice, almost uncontrollable and trembling with excitement: "Li! Li! My God! A miracle! It's a miracle!!!"
"Calm down, Joan. What happened?" Li Kai's heart began to race. He guessed that The Godfather must be a hit—it had to be!!!
"The New York Times! It's The New York Times Best Seller list!!" Joan was incoherent with excitement. "Number one! We're number one!!! The Godfather hit the top!!! Heavens, this was so fast! It's unprecedented! Bookstores are sold out, and the printing plants are working through the night to print more! You've made it, Li! You're going to be a national bestselling author!!!"
Even though he was mentally prepared, Li Kai was temporarily stunned by this sudden and rapid success.
On the other end of the phone, Joan was still excitedly describing the sales situation, the initial positive media reviews, and the euphoria within the publishing house. Li Kai just listened quietly, his heart a whirlwind of emotions—a complex mix of a huge sense of achievement, a feeling of unreality, and ambition that was hard to describe in words.
Li Kai clenched his fist tightly, then suddenly threw a punch into the air, as if to completely release the surging emotions in his chest.
Then, he took a deep breath, tried to steady his voice, and said sincerely into the phone: "Thank you very much! If it weren't for your company's appreciation and courage, The Godfather might still be just a stack of ignored manuscripts. no matter how outstanding the work, if it doesn't get a chance to be displayed, it will eventually... be buried in the dust."
"Li, there's no need to thank me! This is a complete win-win!" Joan's voice overflowed with unmasked joy and pride. "Frankly, the massive success of The Godfather has brought our publishing house unprecedented attention and prestige! This isn't just a victory in sales; it proves to the entire industry that we at G. P. Putnam's Sons have vision and courage beyond our peers. We dare to choose truly valuable stories when others hesitate."
She paused, her tone full of anticipation for the future: "I believe that as The Godfather continues to dominate the bestseller list, more and more talented authors will see us as a beacon for their dreams and will be willing to entrust their most important works to us."
...Days went by.
The news of The Godfather reaching the top of The New York Times Best Seller list was like a giant boulder thrown into a calm lake, creating massive waves. It wasn't just a bestseller; it became a cultural phenomenon. People on every street corner were discussing the story of the Don Corleone family, the exquisite dialogue, and the profound characterization of human nature.
So far, it had occupied the top spot for eight consecutive weeks—two whole months—sweeping across the entire United States. Even more terrifying was that its popularity was increasing rather than decreasing; sales were climbing higher and higher, and it looked set to continue dominating the charts.
It was no exaggeration to say that even among all bestsellers, The Godfather remained the best-selling and most popular one!
As the editor Joan Slick said, it was simply unprecedented!
At this moment, every publishing house that had once rejected The Godfather regretted it so much their faces turned green.
If there were a regret pill, they would be willing to chug a whole bottle.
Enormous success inevitably brought enormous attention, and the entire American media had fallen into a frenzy.
Soon, sharp-nosed reporters began to dig into who this mysterious author "Kai Li" who had appeared out of nowhere really was. His USC background and his involvement in the cleopatra crew were quickly uncovered.
When reporters discovered that the author of such a profound, dark, and "Italian-spirited" masterpiece was actually such a young Chinese-American, and that he was currently in Rome filming another epic production, every news point exploded!
"Mysterious Chinese Genius Writes the Most Explosive Novel of the Year!"
"The Godfather Author is Actually an Assistant Director on cleopatra!"
"Kai Li: A Literary Rising Star on a Hollywood Set!"
Similar headlines instantly swept through America's entertainment and literary sections.
This trend soon crossed the Atlantic and blew into Italy. The Italian media was first shocked—a masterpiece about Italian-American mafia families, full of family honor and betrayal, actually came from the hands of a young Chinese man? Then they felt incredibly curious and excited. This was excellent news material!
Thus, a few days later, the peace of the cleopatra set at Cinecittà Studios was completely shattered. It started with a few, then grew into swarms of Italian reporters, holding cameras and notebooks, trying to break through the set's security.
There was no internet back then, so news traveled slowly. Coupled with the fact that the crew had been filming on set recently and had little contact with the outside world, the crew members thought these reporters were once again there for the romance between Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton.
Not far away, Richard Burton looked at the reporters surging outside for him and Taylor, feeling a secret sense of pride. In a way, this was a sign of high popularity.
However, he soon noticed that something was wrong.
He saw these reporters, speaking in heavily accented English or through Italian colleagues translating, competing to ask Li Kai questions.
"Mr. Li Kai, why do you have such a deep understanding of Italian immigrant families?"
"Where did the inspiration for The Godfather come from? Did you do extensive research?"
"As a Chinese-American, how do you view the descriptions of power and family in the book?"
"You are participating in the filming of cleopatra. Will this affect your writing career?"
"There are rumors that Hollywood production companies have started competing for the film adaptation rights to The Godfather. Is this true? Will you be personally involved?"
The crew members were stunned. They never expected that their usually quiet, hardworking colleague, who always carried that characteristically Eastern reserve, had suddenly transformed into a bestselling author who was causing a sensation across America!
Gaius Hansen's mouth hung open as he remembered teasing him about whether he had received a love letter. It turned out that was a contract and royalty check that changed his destiny!
At this moment, even Elizabeth Taylor cast a surprised glance. She arched her famous eyebrows and said to her assistant, "Wow, I didn't expect Mankiewicz to have a star author hiding by his side. Tell him that if he's willing, he can write me into his next book." Her tone was half-teasing, half-approving.
Obviously, she didn't yet understand that The Godfather was different from an ordinary bestseller; otherwise, her attitude wouldn't have been so flippant.