Chapter 71

Old Li accompanied Jiang Rong all the way out of the school. On the way, Jiang Rong curiously asked him, "Uncle, is this a kindergarten?"

When they went downstairs, she saw many children, about the same age as Xiaobai, clearly indicating it was a kindergarten. But why would a kindergarten be open at night? Don't these children go home?

Old Li replied, "This place is called Little Red Horse School, also known as the Midnight School, which only operates at night."

"Only at night??"

Jiang Rong had never heard of such a school before.

Old Li chuckled and said, "Yes, only at night. Look at the opposite side of West Chang'an Street; so many people are working, who takes care of their children?"

Jiang Rong: "So they leave their children here?"

Old Li nodded, "That's right."

"Can this be profitable?"

"It operates at a loss."

Jiang Rong looked up and surveyed the area outside the courtyard on West Chang'an Street. The traffic was bustling, and it was a prime location. The land was worth at least hundreds of millions, and using it for a midnight school seemed wasteful. What else could they do? Even if they did nothing, just renting it out would bring in a fortune.

"Then why do it?"

Old Li looked at her with a meaningful gaze, "But isn't it very meaningful?"

Jiang Rong was stunned for a few seconds, then quickly caught up with Old Li and continued, "Why does Zhang Tan live here? Does this place also take care of adults besides children?"

Old Li chuckled, "Of course not, this isn't a hotel. Xiaobai is our service recipient."

"Then who is Zhang Tan?"

As a screenwriter, she was used to creating and telling stories. In just a short while, she had already concocted several tragic backstories for Zhang Tan, one of which seemed particularly plausible.

Zhang Tan must be an orphan who grew up at Little Red Horse School. After growing up, he didn't leave and stayed here, working and supporting the school. Otherwise, it would have gone bankrupt.

Because of his orphan background, Zhang Tan was aloof and kept people at a distance.

The more she thought about it, the more it seemed possible. She even gave Xiaobai a backstory, making her Zhang Tan's sister, or more boldly, his illegitimate daughter?

Old Li's words mercilessly shattered her fantasies.

"Zhang Tan is the owner of the school."

The owner? Jiang Rong was astonished. Even with her vivid imagination and her ambition to become the top Chinese screenwriter, she never expected Zhang Tan to be the owner. He didn't seem like a wealthy person.

"Didn't he grow up here?"

Old Li said strangely, "Yes, he grew up here, and this school is his family's property."

So he's a rich second generation, Jiang Rong thought. Perfect, she was also a rich second generation, a good match.

She felt she understood Zhang Tan better, and the more she understood, the more she admired him. To use such a prime location to take care of a group of children who had no one to look after them—what a noble heart!

Such a man was especially responsible and reassuring. No wonder she almost fell asleep leaning on Zhang Tan earlier.

While she was lost in thought, she had already followed Old Li to the school gate. Old Li said, "Thank you for bringing Zhang Tan back. Be careful on your way, and get home early."

Jiang Rong turned to look at Little Red Horse School. The courtyard was dark, but the building was brightly lit. A row of little heads peered out of the first-floor windows, chattering and looking at her, discussing her.

The children's voices carried on the evening breeze, and she heard snippets of their conversation, things like "Is she Zhang Boss's wife?" "Is she a girlfriend~" "Wife~" "Girlfriend~"...

Children speak without reserve, she thought, and looked up at the third floor, where Zhang Tan's bedroom was, but it was pitch black.

"Is Xiaobai Zhang Tan's sister?" Jiang Rong asked.

She had guessed Zhang Tan's background wrong, but she didn't think she was wrong about Xiaobai, otherwise why would Zhang Tan draw Xiaobai in his notebook?

"Xiaobai is a child at the school who likes to play with Zhang Tan."

Old Li's words shattered her fantasies again.

She felt that Zhang Tan was full of mysteries, a man of enigma.

That night, Zhang Tan slept soundly. He woke up at 5 a.m. due to thirst, his throat dry and a bit sore.

He was about to get some water when he saw a blue children's straw cup on the bedside table, filled with water.

Xiaobai had one, and so did Xiaomi. Thinking about Xiaobai's visit last night, he knew it was Xiaobai who left it there.

What a warm-hearted child, Zhang Tan thought. He picked up the straw cup, didn't use the straw, and drank the water in one go.

Dudu~~

The chirping of crickets came from under the bed. Zhang Tan had given up on finding them; they were too good at hiding.

He got up, went to the bathroom, brushed his teeth, washed his face, and washed Xiaobai's straw cup. He took three bottles of bear drinks from the fridge, filled them, and put the straw cup back in the fridge so Xiaobai would have cold bear drinks when she came back in the evening.

He went to the courtyard to jog. The sun hadn't risen yet, but the sky was already lit up, with a rosy glow on the horizon.

The bustling Pudong city was quiet at this moment, with no traffic on the main roads and streetlights still on.

When Zhang Tan arrived at the company, he was the only one on the entire 9th floor.

He opened the window, boiled water, watered the plants, and thought about work, as it was still early.

"The Unlucky Bear" was almost finished, and there was nothing much left for him to do. What should he do next? He needed to think about it.

He had been in this world for nearly two months. First, he participated in "Under Tianyu Mountain," then adapted "The Lamp-Lighter," and then edited "The Unlucky Bear," all of which were animations.

He didn't originally intend to work on animations; he wanted to work on live-action films, which he was most skilled at.

Pudong Film Studio's core business was animation, which was top-notch domestically. However, live-action films were far behind, with annual revenue less than one-tenth of the animation department.

Last year, they released two live-action films, one with an investment of 100 million and the other 50 million. The former flopped, losing a fortune, while the latter barely broke even, earning a good reputation.

In terms of TV series, they had released several, but most were lukewarm, with the highest-rated probably being "The Golden Section Chief," which was in its third season.

"The Golden Section Chief" was a web series, with a new season every year. Two seasons had been released, and the third was planned for this year. The series was somewhat popular, but it wasn't a traditional TV series; it was a sitcom, with each episode about 15 minutes long, and no continuity between episodes, relying on jokes and humor.

The first two seasons were somewhat popular, but the ratings had dropped significantly by the second half of the second season. Without a revamp, the third season was likely to flop.

Perhaps because of this, "The Golden Section Chief" third season had been delayed, and the director of the first two seasons had been replaced.

"Huh?"

While Zhang Tan was deep in thought, the office door opened, and Jiang Rong walked in, surprised to see him.

"Boss? You're here so early."

Zhang Tan shook off his thoughts and said, "I went to bed early last night. Thank you for yesterday."

"No problem, by the way, your place is quite unique."

"Being around children every day helps keep a childlike heart, which is good for writing scripts."

"Really?"

"I'm the example."

"Wow~~ Boss, I didn't realize you were so vain."

Zhang Tan stood up and stretched.

"I won't talk to you anymore; I'm going out for a walk."

Liu Dawen had just arrived and was sitting at his desk eating breakfast, with his "Sister Feng" on the table, admiring it while eating.

Zhang Tan remembered that Liu Dawen had said he would write a character profile for Sister Feng. He asked if he had done it, and Liu Dawen, with a mouth full of baozi, took out a notebook, flipped to a page, and showed it to Zhang Tan. It was handwritten.

Identity: Queen of the Ancient Phoenix Kingdom

...

Just reading this identity made Zhang Tan feel a chill. He wanted to turn and leave or close his eyes to avoid being contaminated, but Liu Dawen looked at him expectantly.

He regretted asking.

Despite the chill, he read Sister Feng's character profile. Zhang Tan didn't say much, only that the backstory was impressive, and then hurriedly left.

"Zhang Tan, help Sister Feng write a story when you have time," Liu Dawen called out to his back.

Zhang Tan waved but didn't respond, too afraid to.

After the script for "The Unlucky Bear" was finished, the scriptwriting team was disbanded, leaving only Zhang Tan and Jiang Rong.

Zhang Tan needed to stay to handle temporary matters for "The Unlucky Bear," while Jiang Rong had nowhere else to go.

She had originally come from the script evaluation team and couldn't go back, as it would be a step backward, and people might think she had been demoted.

So, she was allowed to continue following.

Meanwhile, the live-action film department of Pudong Film Studio was holding a department meeting. Compared to the animation department, it was much smaller and quieter.

They had just discussed the third season of "The Golden Section Chief," and the department head, Zhu Ruopu, was already feeling the pressure. The script wasn't ready, and the lead actor, Wang Yifan, and the new director had almost completely rewritten the original script, which wasn't easy.

The most urgent task for the department was to quickly start the third season of "The Golden Section Chief," as they couldn't afford any more delays.

To create a good script, they had gathered several experienced screenwriters to form a scriptwriting team, working day and night to develop the plot.

"Nothing else, let's adjourn," Zhu Ruopu said, watching everyone pack up and leave, his head buzzing. He had been with the studio for almost 10 years, starting with great ambition, but looking back, he had achieved little.

"He Miao? What is it?"

The head of the scriptwriting department, He Miao, stood by, waiting for him.

"Minister, we have a serious problem that needs to be solved quickly," He Miao said.

"What is it?" Zhu Ruopu looked at him, a bit annoyed, took a sip of tea from his cup, which was covered in a thick layer of tea stains, and had been used for over three years.

He Miao knew the minister was stressed about "The Golden Section Chief," with the project delayed and the higher-ups pressing, but his problem couldn't wait.

"Yesterday, Old Liu was transferred to the scriptwriting team for 'The Golden Section Chief,' and now I have very few screenwriters left. I counted today and was shocked. Including the two we hired during the summer, there are only four of us left. Minister, the scriptwriting department is short of people."

"Only four people left?" Zhu Ruopu was also surprised. A department with only four full-time screenwriters?

"Only four," He Miao confirmed, listing the four names, "The rest are in the 'The Golden Section Chief' project team."

Zhu Ruopu said, "Don't think I don't know. The scriptwriting team for 'The Golden Section Chief' only has five people. Where are the others?"

He Miao said, "Three left this month, and two transferred to the animation department. We only have nine people left. Minister, we need to hire more."

Zhu Ruopu thought for a moment and said, "What do you suggest?"

He Miao said, "I think we need to tackle this from two angles. First, we need to hire externally, but not new hires; we need experienced people. We don't have time to train new people. Second, I suggest we transfer a few people from the animation department."

Zhu Ruopu said, "Transfer people? That might not be easy. Yang Senlin is very strong, and he recently secured a big project from Pudong TV. He's in a good position. Will he let us have people?"

He then asked, "Do you have someone specific in mind?"

In the meeting room, only Zhu Ruopu and He Miao were present, so He Miao didn't need to hide anything and said directly, "Minister Yang is indeed very strong, and he won't easily let people go. So, we can't take too many or key people. You just mentioned that the animation department secured a big project from Pudong TV. I noticed a new screenwriter, Zhang Tan, and I want this person."

"Zhang Tan?" Zhu Ruopu said, "I know this person; he's quite capable. But will Yang Senlin let him go?"

He Miao shrugged and said, "If Zhang Tan isn't willing to let go, then what's the point of taking other new hires? Our department needs people who can hit the ground running. We don't have the time or platform to train new people. If Minister Yang doesn't let him go, I think we should report to the leadership. Are the two departments so separate that we can't share resources? They have four scriptwriting teams, and we only have one!..."

Zhu Ruopu thought about it and nodded, "That's a good point. You need to communicate with Zhang Tan first. If he's willing, we can proceed with the transfer."

He Miao was pleased and said, "Of course, I'll go talk to him right away. But, Minister, to attract him, we might need to offer better terms."

"Within reason, you decide," Zhu Ruopu said.