Translator: Ink Hub
Editor: Yoog

The day after the Leap Awards, the stars Lin Ji had met only once all sent their personal resumes through their talent agencies. The story of how Cheng Yuan was selected had become an open secret. For newcomers desperate for fame, his rise to stardom had opened the door to a new world.

Even if there were no suitable roles at the moment, simply having their names registered with Lin Ji was considered a win.

Lin Ji’s inbox was once again overflowing.

He sighed and began checking the invitations sent by various platforms one by one. After looking through them, he found himself uninterested in the projects they were planning. It wasn’t that he couldn’t write them, but rather that the current themes failed to spark his creative desire.

Lin Ji was about to go out for a stroll to find some inspiration when he saw the brilliant sunlight outside. He put on a hat and went downstairs to bring back a bag of ice cream. Just as he returned, the security guard told him that visitors were waiting for him downstairs.

Lin Ji felt he really needed to find an agent.

In the beginning, his workload wasn’t heavy, and he could manage everything alone. But now, the daily influx of emails and phone calls had started to interfere with his daily life. He needed someone to help him resolve these issues.

Lin Ji wasn’t particularly interested in opening a studio or signing with a management company. Although many screenwriters in the industry chose that path, he preferred to create without being disturbed. It was best if he could just write quietly and not worry about anything else.

However, in the current entertainment industry, a screenwriter could generate massive profits, and management companies naturally wanted a piece of that pie.

* * *

Downstairs, Lin Ji met several faces he didn’t recognize at all.

He initially thought they were executives from a satellite station or a management company. But once they stated their purpose, Lin Ji realized they were from the official publicity department. They had come to ask him to adapt a drama.

Judging by their sheer presence, Lin Ji silently guessed that this drama would not be easy to write.

Sure enough, once they introduced the name of the original work to be adapted, Lin Ji understood immediately.

In Lin Ji’s previous life, if one asked a screenwriter which type of drama was the hardest to adapt, most would give the same answer: the classics.

Take the Four Great Masterpieces as an example. There were classic versions, mediocre versions, and “demonic” adaptations. Yet, even the versions considered classics by later generations faced immense scrutiny when they first aired. It could even be said that book fans might not be satisfied even with the versions the general public deemed legendary.

The project currently seeking Lin Ji was exactly that kind of work.

The influence of the original novel, Records of the Bai’s Return, might not be as immense as the Four Great Masterpieces, but it was a work familiar to the vast majority of people and had even appeared in textbooks.

Years ago, this book had been made into a drama, but that version had drawn significant backlash. The series failed to accurately recreate the scenery, objects, and people described in Records of the Bai’s Return, and the pacing of the plot was a mess. While this was partly due to the grand scale of the original scenes, anyone watching the show could tell the production crew simply hadn’t put in enough effort.

Book fans had spontaneously written letters to the television station to express their strong boycott of the show.

The publicity department had always wanted to reboot the production of this book, but no screenwriters were willing to take it on. It was at this time that Code 11 entered their radar.

Although the script for Code 11 was completed by Lin Ji alone, its material came from real people and events. In other words, Lin Ji had created while “wearing shackles.” However, the completion level of Code 11 was extraordinarily high. Not only was the plot substantial, but the depictions of friendship, faith, and the nation were deeply moving.

Adapting a script similarly required a screenwriter to create within a certain framework. In other words, the adaptation could not deviate from the scope of the original work. This was quite similar to the creation of Code 11.

Lin Ji: “…”

He realized he seemed to be becoming something of a fire captain.

“As long as you are willing to take on this drama, we will not interfere with your creation. We will provide whatever you need, and you can even offer your input on the preparation of the production crew.”

The other party spoke frankly, “Our thought in adapting this drama is this: among classics of equal status, only Records of the Bai’s Return lacks a decent film or television work.”

Even now, whenever the original adaptation was mentioned, book fans would start cursing. While a classic work didn’t necessarily have to be adapted into a drama, turning the scenes described in the book into reality was a way to extend the work’s vitality.

Lin Ji said, “I’ll consider it first.”

He was someone who enjoyed a challenge, but as for whether he would actually participate in this project, he had to read the original work carefully first.

* * *

Lin Ji had read Records of the Bai’s Return long ago, but the perspective of a reader was different from that of a screenwriter. A reader would be attracted by the grand descriptions of the scenery, while a screenwriter needed to consider how those scenes would be presented on screen.

Lin Ji had to admit that this book was indeed difficult to adapt.

First, the era in which the book was written was not the modern age. The scenes described in the book had almost vanished without a trace. However, the book itself had a creative background, which meant that to recreate the scenes in the book, there had to be sufficient historical data to assist.

Secondly, Records of the Bai’s Return was very long and involved a vast number of characters. Most were not just passing mentions; the personality traits of every character had to be expressed. Under these circumstances, finding actors was a daunting task.

Objectively speaking, although the previous version had various flaws, the actors’ skills were still able to support the characters.

But now, the entire television circle was facing a decline in acting quality.

Take the Uncle Circle as an example. The reason this concept existed was precisely because the acting skills of many young actors could no longer meet the audience’s needs.

Twenty years ago, the acting skills of young actors were competent. Dramas would often use young actors as leads, so audiences naturally didn’t need to shift their affection toward middle-aged actors.

Twenty years ago, this group of “uncles” in the Uncle Circle might not have been able to stand out because they weren’t particularly prominent among actors of the same age.

And finding actors didn’t mean finding just one; it meant finding a whole group. The difficulty was dozens of times higher than finding an actor for Lou Zhi.

Lin Ji let out a long sigh.

To take it or not to take it, that was the question.

Lin Ji massaged his head and watched the previous version of the adaptation once.

The cursing was justified.

As a screenwriter, Lin Ji could pick out at least twenty flaws in this version. As long as one compared the adaptation to the original text, there were simply too many places worth criticizing.

If Lin Ji were to adapt it, he was confident he could do better than this version.

However, whether he could recreate the original work to the greatest extent and meet the requirements of the book fans was something he wasn’t entirely sure about.

If he were being rational, he should turn down the invitation just like the other screenwriters.

But… Lin Ji couldn’t help but reread the original work.

Classics became classics because their themes and the character images they presented were timeless. No matter what era it was, no matter what fresh perspective people used to view them, the brilliance of the work itself could not be erased.

If the adaptation was successful, the screenwriter’s name would be remembered alongside the classic.

Of course, if the adaptation failed, it would be remembered just the same.

During these few days, Lin Ji read the original work repeatedly, memorizing the classic lines. The more he read, the more his heart, rather than quieting down, beat even more fiercely with the desire to try.

The obstacles were aplenty, but the challenge was equally exciting.

Even though he hadn’t yet confirmed he would take the script, he had already begun to conceptualize the drama from a screenwriter’s perspective.

* * *

The publicity department contacted Lin Ji by phone this time.

The plan to adapt the original work had existed for several years, but several top screenwriters in the industry were unwilling to take it. Records of the Bai’s Return was a massive production, and the publicity department was naturally unwilling to hand it over to a minor screenwriter. Without sufficient skill, one could not handle such a long, monumental work.

However, the publicity department wasn’t sure if Lin Ji would be willing to accept.

Lin Ji had become famous at a young age and held several hit dramas like Code 11 and Secretly in Love with You. Even if he didn’t take this task, it wouldn’t affect his status in the circle.

Youth meant capital. Lin Ji had already entered the ranks of famous screenwriters. Even if he just coasted on his seniority, he could achieve a lot. The industry was full of screenwriters who only had one or two hit dramas, yet the glory brought by those shows was enough for them to enjoy for a lifetime.

Lin Ji was clearly very ambitious. With his talent for scriptwriting, he could completely create more works that the audience would never forget. There was no need to risk taking on a classic adaptation.

The moment the phone was picked up on the other end, the department staff were already prepared to be rejected.

They were already well-versed in being turned down: “Adapting this book is indeed very attractive to me. After becoming a screenwriter, I have also considered bringing classics to the audience in my own way, but I’ve been too busy lately / I have other tasks on hand / the difficulty is too high, I’m afraid I won’t do it well.”

Sure enough, Lin Ji’s lines were the same, “Adapting this book into a drama should be very interesting… Alright, I’ll take it.”

“Okay.” The staff member of the publicity department subconsciously started to reply, “Sorry to have bothered you,” when he suddenly realized: had he just heard Lin Ji say the word “take”?

He was going to take it?

His brain worked rapidly, and the staff member couldn’t help but confirm with Lin Ji, “Screenwriter Lin, you mean… you’re going to take on this task?”

“Yes.” Lin Ji’s voice wasn’t loud, but at this moment, the staff member felt it was the clearest answer he had ever heard.

“Adapting Records of the Bai’s Return will be quite troublesome…”

“I know.”

After confirming his decision, Lin Ji’s mood lightened. He pushed all the messy thoughts aside and stopped worrying about what script he should write next; he would just focus on this drama.

In Lin Ji’s two lifetimes as a screenwriter, opportunities to adapt such a massive work were rare, but they did exist.

In adapting a work with such a huge influence, the most important thing was to respect the original. But respecting the original didn’t mean moving every single detail into the script. A screenwriter had to know how to trim, and for content where the author’s descriptions were sparse, appropriate supplements had to be made.

In Lin Ji’s previous life, the screenwriters for some classic drama versions weren’t professional screenwriters but professional researchers who had conducted studies on the works themselves and possessed a certain level of literary accomplishment. In the era when Lin Ji became famous, a screenwriter didn’t necessarily have to publish profound papers, but literary literacy was a must.

Information regarding Records of the Bai’s Return was easier to find than for Code 11. Only two days after Lin Ji confirmed he was taking the drama, he received five giant cardboard boxes—all research materials and historical papers related to the original work provided by the publicity department.

Naturally, there were also visual and electronic materials, all in gigabytes.

Lin Ji: “…”

By the time he finished writing this drama, he could probably pass the entrance exam for a master’s degree in Ancient Literature.

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