Chapter 3

Xiaohongma Academy, despite being located in a bustling urban area, was particularly quiet. The lush trees blocked out the noise, and from the windows, one could see a sea of green that separated the academy from Xichang'an Street, giving it a sense of seclusion within the city.

Zhang Tan lay on his bed, eyes open in the darkness, thinking about both his past and present life.

Overthinking won't help; just live a good life.

He closed his eyes, turned over, and soon fell asleep.

The next day, he was awakened by a group of small birds chirping on the branches outside his window. It was a mulberry tree with lush branches, quite rare in the city. Zhang Tan stood on the balcony, took a deep breath, and felt the fresh air. Surrounded by trees, his eyes were filled with green, and he could see the tall buildings not far away, with the faint sound of traffic.

What a great place.

The academy, which had been lively for most of the night, was very quiet during the day. Zhang Tan put on his running shoes and jogged in the courtyard.

This body was a bit weak and needed exercise. After running ten laps, Aunt Huang arrived, standing by the side and watching him run over. "Good morning, Zhang Tan. I brought you breakfast."

Zhang Tan stopped, wiped the sweat from his forehead, took the breakfast bag, and looked inside, smiling. "Wow, so much! I see zongzi. Thank you, Aunt Huang, you still remember my preferences."

Aunt Huang was pleased that her breakfast was praised and smiled. "Of course I remember. Your grandmother's zongzi was the best in the village, and I loved it when I was a child."

They chatted and laughed as they returned to the teaching building. Zhang Tan went back to his room, took a shower, ate breakfast, and then went to Aunt Huang's office. A faint tea aroma filled the air, and two cups of clear tea were placed on the tea table, with the sound of boiling water coming from the purple clay teapot.

Aunt Huang introduced him to the academy's situation.

The academy had been operating at a loss for a long time, with expenses exceeding income, and the account balance was already low, requiring an injection of funds.

Since it became a night academy, the income and expenses have been difficult to balance. On one hand, the number of children enrolled has decreased by more than half, and on the other hand, the fees are low.

"How many children are there in the academy now?" Zhang Tan took a sip of tea, which was a bit bitter, but it helped to cut through the greasy and sweet taste in his mouth. He still wasn't used to the sweetness of Pudong.

"There are 30 now. Usually, the number stays around this, not changing much. The night academy has limited enrollment, and we don't charge by semester. Instead, we charge by the week, so there's a lot of turnover."

Zhang Tan nodded, understanding. Since there were no teaching tasks, the main function of the night academy was childcare. Some people were busy with work and often worked overtime, leaving no time to take care of their children, so they would send them to the academy, paying by the week, which was quick and practical.

He wondered what his grandparents were thinking when they turned a regular academy into a night academy, leading to a loss-making operation.

"How much money is left in the account?" Zhang Tan asked.

Aunt Huang handed him the ledger and said, "100,000 yuan."

Seeing Zhang Tan carefully examining the ledger, she paused and continued, "It can probably sustain the academy for about half a year."

Zhang Tan nodded, returned the ledger, finished his tea in one gulp, and got up to leave. Before he left, he said, "Don't worry, the money will be transferred to the account when it's needed."

Zhang Tan went upstairs, returned to his room, sat at his desk, opened the window, and turned on his computer to browse job websites.

He had no money. He might have had money before, but it was all spent. His bank card showed less than 10,000 yuan.

What he said earlier was just to comfort Aunt Huang. He needed to find a job as soon as possible.

On the train from Beijing to Pudong, he had a detailed understanding of this world. Everything seemed familiar yet different. For example, the entertainment industry. In his previous life, he was a screenwriter and paid close attention to this field. The movies and TV shows he knew did not exist in this world!

He opened a job website and searched for screenwriter positions.

The film and television industry is complex. Talent alone is not enough to succeed. Even he, who had been nominated for best screenwriter three times, had only been a runner-up. It's hard to believe that external factors didn't play a role.

He could rewrite scripts he had written before or copy a famous work.

However, even if he wrote a script like "Infernal Affairs" and sent it to a famous director or posted it on a forum, hoping a talent scout would find him, it would be a dream. Based on his years of experience in the film and television industry, it would be like looking for a needle in a haystack, with little chance of success.

A job posting appeared on the computer screen.

"Pudong Film Studio, hiring 2 screenwriters, with excellent benefits..."

Seeing the words "Pudong Film Studio," Zhang Tan's mind naturally recalled his grandmother's fan, sitting on a small stool watching mecha warriors transform, with his grandmother fanning him to keep the mosquitoes away. He watched the animated films produced by Pudong Film Studio, and his grandmother watched him with loving eyes.

In Pudong, the Pudong Film Studio was the top player in the film and television industry, a century-old brand that many people grew up watching.

Nationwide, Pudong Film Studio could rank in the top three.

The job posting read, "Please attach a script along with your resume, a story outline is sufficient."

"Which script should I write?"

Zhang Tan looked at the mulberry tree outside his window, thinking.

Pudong Film Studio's strongest and core business was animation, producing many well-known animated films that have won numerous awards both domestically and internationally.

The safest approach would be to write an animated story script. Although Zhang Tan had worked in live-action films in his previous life and had not ventured into animation, the fundamentals of scriptwriting were the same. Moreover, he watched animations regularly and had some impressions, such as the popular "This Hero Is Strong but Overly Cautious" before he was transported to this world.

He had analyzed this animation, and the most creative and core element was the "strong but overly cautious" character setting. The contrast between these two opposing characters created a highly dramatic story.

Zhang Tan didn't remember the specific plot of the animation, but that didn't matter. He had his own method to expand the story, as long as he captured the creative concept.

For him, he only needed the creative concept.

With the concept, he could write a beautiful script.

Creativity is the most valuable thing.

He first listed the eight elements of a story on his computer: characters, desires, actions, core issues, obstacles, outcomes, positive values, and negative values.

Then, following the basic structure of "beginning, development, turn, and conclusion," he listed 10 sequences, each written according to the eight elements.

This was a formula, and while he didn't have to follow it strictly when writing, it often came in handy.

The sun, which had been in front of the window, moved behind him, casting a warm glow on his back. He finally finished a 10,000-word outline of a hero's story, along with his resume, and sent it to the recruitment email of Pudong Film Studio.

After finishing these tasks, Zhang Tan hesitated for a moment, changed his clothes, and went out.

The security guard, Old Li, at the gate greeted him, "Young Master Zhang, going out?"

Zhang Tan replied, "To visit my grandparents' graves."

Old Li solemnly said, "Oh, that's right, you should."