Translator: Ink Hub
Editor: Yoog

Although Records of the Bai’s Return could have followed the “shoot-as-you-air” model like other dramas, the publicity department didn’t want to take any risks. They hoped to wait until the script was entirely finished before officially starting production.

However, they could start looking for actors ahead of time.

In the matter of finding actors, Hu Weiyi was much more experienced than Lin Ji, but he still consulted Lin Ji’s opinions as the screenwriter regarding which actors suited specific roles.

Hu Weiyi visited Lin Ji once midway through the process. Seeing Lin Ji’s study packed so full of research materials that there was hardly room to move, the criticisms he had prepared about Lin Ji being too slow died in his throat. He simply flipped through the materials in silence.

Lin Ji’s speed certainly wasn’t fast, but the quality of every single episode far exceeded Hu Weiyi’s expectations.

After that day, Hu Weiyi visited frequently, bringing food and drinks. He brought containers of freshly stewed chicken soup and pork rib soup from home, along with cured meats and chicken legs. He brought bag after bag, making Lin Ji deeply suspect the director was worried he would starve to the point of being unable to write.

In short, his refrigerator was now stuffed to the brim.

When Lin Ji was writing, Hu Weiyi didn’t disturb him. He just sat quietly in the study, reading through the reference materials Lin Ji had prepared over and over again. Occasionally, Lin Ji would get stuck on a scene transition and ask for his advice.

With Hu Weiyi around, Lin Ji’s writing efficiency actually improved.

Aside from discussing the script, Hu Weiyi would also show Lin Ji actor resumes and discuss who was more suitable.

* * *

The news that Records of the Bai’s Return was being adapted into a drama was no longer a secret in the industry.

In fact, rumours about an adaptation of Records of the Bai’s Return surfaced every year, but these rumours had become a “Boy Who Cried Wolf” situation—they were never actually put into practice.

When the news first broke this time, the original poster was mocked by netizens for quite a while.

“Filming Records of the Bai’s Return again? They say this every year, but I’ve never seen anyone actually do it.”

“I’ll be honest: twenty years ago, or even ten years ago, you could find a cast to pull it off. But now? Are you joking?”

“Who’s going to adapt it? Who’s going to direct? Look at how much the previous version’s screenwriter, Xue Rong, was flamed. Back then, I thought he was terrible, but now I can’t even find a few people better than him.”

“Seriously, stop dangling Records of the Bai’s Return. Go lick some other project.”

“…I know some people in the industry, and it seems the news is true. The director and screenwriter have already been settled.”

“OP +1. I’m an industry insider, and I’ve heard it too.”

“Please don’t stop halfway. Who is the director, and who is the screenwriter? As a fan of the book, I feel like I’m going blind. Why does someone always have to ruin the classics in my heart?”

After the netizens had discussed it for a long time, the disappearing OP suddenly bubbled up. “Director Hu Weiyi, Screenwriter Lin Ji.”

“??? Who?”

“I suspect I’ve developed dementia, to be seeing the name Lin Ji.”

“The news I heard is exactly the same as what the OP revealed.”

“I can understand Hu Weiyi; after all, he’s a veteran director. But Lin Ji… emmm, can he do it?”

“I’ve decided not to flame this drama yet. I flamed Code 11 before it aired, and I ended up getting slapped in the face.”

“Me too…”

Some resourceful netizens went directly to the publicity department for verification and actually received an affirmative answer.

“Records of the Bai’s Return is indeed being filmed. The lineup is Hu Weiyi plus Lin Ji.”

The netizens weren’t the only ones shocked by this news; many industry insiders were as well.

The actors were quite calm. Everyone knew that Records of the Bai’s Return had many roles. With the current fierce competition in the entertainment industry, actors especially welcomed large-scale productions that could provide them with opportunities.

The screenwriters, however, were both jealous and envious. Even if they wouldn’t necessarily have accepted the script themselves, their tone was inevitably sour when they heard Lin Ji had taken it.

“Isn’t Lin Ji rising a bit too fast? Are they sure a script like Records of the Bai’s Return should end up in his hands?”

“Just because Code 11 was a hit doesn’t mean he can handle this kind of major production, alright? The production side needs to think this through. It would be better to change to a more suitable screenwriter.”

The explosive success of Code 11 had already made many screenwriters burn with envy. Lin Ji’s ascent was simply too rapid; in just a few years, he had caught up to what took them decades to achieve in the industry.

It was said that Records of the Bai’s Return had approached many screenwriters in the circle. As a major project spearheaded by the publicity department, if they weren’t chosen, they could at least make the excuse that their qualifications weren’t enough. But Lin Ji, with such shallow experience, had been chosen!

Didn’t this mean that in the eyes of the publicity department, Lin Ji was stronger than them?

“Records of the Bai’s Return is not an easy drama to adapt. Lin Ji might have taken it, but can he actually do a good job?”

“I think Lin Ji is overestimating himself. He dares to take on any drama. Who does he think he is?”

One screenwriter complained online using a burner account. Unfortunately, his complaint happened to be seen by Lin Ji.

Lin Ji posted a shy cat emoji: [Just the owner of a mere 4.8% rating, that’s all.]

The other screenwriters: “…Scram!”

It was now the end of the year, and the rating data for various satellite stations was being released one after another. Ranking first on the annual satellite TV ratings chart was still Sunrise TV’s Code 11.

Among the top fifty dramas on the ratings chart, Sunrise TV only occupied one slot, yet the prestige of Code 11 was the highest.

After Living in My Hometown lost to Code 11 in ratings, Dajiang TV had pulled out many high-quality dramas from their inventory to try and secure the annual championship. Those dramas did have good ratings and reputations, but unfortunately, none could beat Code 11.

Lin Ji’s words were a perfect way to draw aggro.

“Little Lin is so blunt and straightforward, lol.”

“Little Lin says he’s nothing, just the owner of a mere 4.8% rating. What about you guys?”

“When Little Lin brings out the data, he sweeps through thousands of troops.”

“Lin Ji: Let me see who’s talking behind my back?”

Of course, with the precedents of Gu Lenian and Zhao Jing, the screenwriters wouldn’t be foolish enough to criticize Lin Ji to his face. After all, a 4.8% rating was indeed Lin Ji’s achievement.

However, while the screenwriters didn’t say it openly, they were all waiting in private to see Lin Ji make a fool of himself.

Most screenwriters in the industry knew exactly how difficult Records of the Bai’s Return was to adapt. Take the original screenwriter Xue Rong; as much as he was flamed by the audience back then, he was still considered a well-known screenwriter in the circle now.

Objectively speaking, Xue Rong’s adaptation level wasn’t too bad. The fact that he could take on that script at least proved he had more courage than most screenwriters.

“Can’t Lin Ji just take it slow? Why did he have to be so short-sighted and take this on?”

“Director Hu too… I need to give him a call and tell him to be more cautious. He shouldn’t collaborate with Lin Ji just because he wants to film Records of the Bai’s Return.”

One screenwriter called Hu Weiyi. Over the phone, he couldn’t express that Lin Ji was incompetent too directly, so he went on a long, winding detour.

“Then why don’t you do it?” On the other end of the line, Hu Weiyi’s tone was flat, making it impossible to tell if he was angry.

“I’d like to, but…” The screenwriter found many excuses, such as not being good at long-form period epics or having two scripts currently in preparation.

Hu Weiyi remained silent through his excuses. Only after he finished did Hu Weiyi’s clear voice come through the receiver. “You can’t do it because you’re incompetent.”

The screenwriter who called: “…”

Is Lin Ji’s habit contagious?

If you won’t let me do it, then fine, but was the personal attack necessary?

That screenwriter was extremely angry, but he couldn’t criticize Hu Weiyi the way he criticized Lin Ji. How senior was Hu Weiyi? In his early years, he had collaborated with every satellite station, big and small, and it was common for several satellite stations to broadcast his dramas simultaneously.

In addition, Hu Weiyi had connections with many directors and screenwriters. Among the directors Dajiang TV frequently collaborated with, two or three had started as Hu Weiyi’s assistant directors.

If he spoke ill of Hu Weiyi today, it would probably reach Hu Weiyi’s ears by tomorrow.

Little did he know, Hu Weiyi was even angrier than him.

This wasn’t the first call he had received. He thought these people might have something serious to say, but instead, they all came to disparage Lin Ji.

Could he not know whether Lin Ji’s script was good or not?

Hu Weiyi had always been in contact with the screenwriting industry. He could say with certainty that today’s screenwriters were indeed inferior to those he had collaborated with in his early years—not only was their skill lacking, but their attitude was also poor.

Lin Ji definitely had creative talent, but even so, Lin Ji still diligently checked materials and read academic papers. He was so diligent that Hu Weiyi walked carefully when near him, for fear of disturbing him.

When he first saw the scripts for the first two episodes of Records of the Bai’s Return, Hu Weiyi had already begun to feel confident about the production. As Lin Ji wrote more episodes, his confidence grew stronger.

Therefore, today, anyone who came to him to speak ill of Lin Ji would get a scolding.

Hu Weiyi had decided. Once Lin Ji finished the script, he would put all his effort into filming it well and making it a classic no one could look down on.

* * *

Lin Ji handed the newly finished script to Hu Weiyi, who then passed over several actor resumes. “I think these two are good for the roles of Bai Cheng and Bai Xin. What’s your opinion?”

Lin Ji nodded. “You decide.”

Hu Weiyi definitely knew actors better than he did. Although the previous version of Records of the Bai’s Return provided many references for subsequent casting, Lin Ji felt it was better to choose actors according to the descriptions in the original novel.

The actor photos Hu Weiyi showed him didn’t actually look much like the actors from the previous adaptation, but Lin Ji felt they suited the original work quite well.

“What about Bai Mei?” Hu Weiyi asked Lin Ji.

Bai Mei was absolutely the soul of the first generation of the Bai family. This role spanned a long period, requiring two actors: one to play the young Bai Mei and one to play the middle-aged and elderly Bai Mei.

Bai Mei seemed fragile, but her character was actually very tough. After her brothers went to the battlefield, she was the one who single-handedly supported the entire Bai family.

Hu Weiyi provided photos of two or three young actresses. Objectively speaking, their temperaments were very suitable. Lin Ji glanced at Chen Cheng’s photo, which had been placed at the very end. He thought to himself that perhaps because Chen Cheng’s acting had improved significantly lately, she had actually been kept until the end by Hu Weiyi.

Lin Ji pulled out the original novel and then found the script. “Let’s compare them.”

The two of them highlighted the passages describing Bai Mei in the original work, reading them word by word, then considering the candidates.

Just as Lin Ji looked at Hu Weiyi, Hu Weiyi also looked toward him. Their fingers pointed simultaneously to the second photo. “She is more suitable.”

This actress had a soft countenance, but her gaze was firm. She was indeed the ideal Bai Mei.

Translator’s Note: Hu Weiyi is becoming quite the “Lin Ji protector.”

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