Chapter 46

Wang Qianqian volunteered to adapt "The Sword of the Yue Maiden" for Gong Cheng'en, which indeed delighted him greatly. He felt a sense of "working together with a loved one to achieve a grand cause." Moreover, Wang Qianqian had already demonstrated her talent in the previous play she had directed. Even if she didn't know or couldn't professionally convert the novel into a script, there was no need to worry. After all, the Gong family had plenty of professional screenwriters.

"I'll find a few capable screenwriters to assist you," Gong Cheng'en said, trying to please her.

"Oh, then I won't do it," Wang Qianqian said, changing her mind suddenly.

"Then I won't find them. I can grind ink for you," Gong Cheng'en knew her temper well. When she said she wouldn't write, it wasn't just a simple threat, so he quickly added a light-hearted joke.

Fortunately, Wang Qianqian didn't continue to make things difficult. She nodded and said, "Find a way to let me meet Uncle Gu Yongsheng. I have a few questions I want to ask him in person."

No matter how whimsical Wang Qianqian was, her ability to judge the author's age from the two novels was quite impressive. The term "Uncle Gu Yongsheng" was, in a sense, not entirely wrong.

"I'll take care of it," Gong Cheng'en said confidently. Many authors, from the moment they entered the writing world, started dreaming of their books being adapted into movies, TV series, games, and comics, hoping for a huge success. Gong Ershao had seen many such authors and knew their enthusiasm for entering the film and television industry, so he believed Gu Yongsheng would be no exception.

"Alright, and by the way, remind you to pay attention to 'Seven Swords Descend from Mount Tian.' It would be best to secure the copyright early; this one has more potential."

...

At this moment, Liu Jingting, known as "Uncle Gu Yongsheng," was standing on the balcony, answering a phone call. He looked very relaxed and smiled as he said, "That's no problem. I've already discussed it with Editor Mai Mai, but I don't understand these things very well, so I'll have to trouble you, Mr. Yao."

The person on the phone with Liu Jingting was Yao Lihua, the editor-in-chief of "Children's Literature." "Shuke and Beta" had progressed to over twenty chapters, and another famous character, Piplu, had already appeared. After the Cat City incident, the outstanding imagination and dramatic plot of "Shuke and Beta" were evident. Comic publishers, who had been eyeing it for a long time, could no longer hold back and immediately contacted Editor Yao to express their interest in adaptation.

Editor Yao still intended to push it further, at least until the hundredth chapter before proceeding. Liu Jingting naturally had no objections.

Less than half a minute after hanging up with Editor Yao, the phone rang again. It was Tang Nan.

"I've been trying to call you, but you were always on the line," Tang Nan explained. "I have something quite important to ask you."

"Is it about the serialization?"

"The serialization is fine. I want to ask if the film and television rights to 'The Sword of the Yue Maiden' are still in your hands?"

"Ah, oh, yes, they are."

"Here's the thing. Yesterday, Star Moon TV approached President Lu, hoping to buy the TV rights to 'The Sword of the Yue Maiden.' However, this..." Tang Nan hesitated, unsure how to phrase it.

Liu Jingting, being very astute, knew what Tang Nan was getting at. In the contract he signed with Qianhong, there was a clause stating that for three years, the copyright of any martial arts works he publicly published would be owned by Qianhong. According to the contract, the priority copyright for "The Sword of the Yue Maiden" naturally belonged to Qianhong.

"I understand your meaning. There's no problem on my end. You can go ahead and negotiate with them. Just let me know about any major matters in advance."

Tang Nan quickly replied, "That's only right. We will strive to maximize the benefits of this story. Please rest assured."

Liu Jingting smiled and said, "Thank you," then they hung up.

Liu Jingting held his phone in his left hand, letting it dangle by his pocket, and gazed at the lush forest before him. He suddenly realized an important matter—the TV adaptation of his novels.

Firstly, he was not at all opposed to such adaptations. In fact, in the other world, he first encountered these famous martial arts novels through TV adaptations, not the original texts. Whether it was Jin Yong, Gu Long, Liang Yusheng, or Wen Rui'an, the significant influence of their works was largely due to TV adaptations.

In the cultural industry, content is undeniably at the top of the value chain, from big screens to various movies, small screens to major TV series or miniseries, and stages to plays and music. The rise and fall of the content sector determines the rise and fall of the entire cultural industry.

In both the world Liu Jingting came from and the current world, the lack of content often led to the frequent production of subpar works.

TV dramas were either influenced by European and American styles or Japanese and Korean trends. People could hear someone speaking perfect American English at any time, and girls could be heard calling out "oppa" everywhere.

Regardless of the mindset, this phenomenon undeniably reflected a fact: we were constantly being influenced by foreign cultures. Of course, this had nothing to do with patriotism; it was simply that we couldn't compete with them.

Liu Jingting had often entered cinemas with the intention of supporting domestic films, only to leave feeling depressed after watching subpar productions, angrily muttering, "All movies that don't tell a story and only sell technology are garbage."

Another phenomenon in the other world was the constant remaking of classics, especially Jin Yong's works, with one or two being remade almost every year.

This was partly due to the unique artistic charm of Jin Yong's martial arts novels, but fundamentally, it was because the content sector was as barren as a desert.

Rich tycoons vied to enter the entertainment industry, spending lavishly to hire famous directors and actors, then piecing together a script, starting production, and pushing hard to sell it.

Liu Jingting had once summarized that almost every major hit movie or TV series relied on a good story. Works like "33 Days of Lost Love," "Let the Bullets Fly," "So Young," and "Bu Bu Jing Xin" were all examples of this.

Without a good script, no matter how dazzling the special effects or how bright the costumes, the final product would be garbage, at best, well-packaged garbage.

This sad phenomenon had persisted for a long time, and people had come to accept it, even saying things like "XX is dead." For example, Liu Jingting often saw people on forums or microblogs lamenting, "Martial arts are dead." He had once doubted this, thinking, if martial arts were dead, why were so many people still remaking martial arts dramas?

So, perhaps no genre would ever truly die; it was just that no one could write good stories for them. In the end, this was just a way to comfort oneself, a pretentious statement. All analysis and explanations ultimately boiled down to one thing: no one could write them anymore.

In the other world, Liu Jingting had once made a grand vow to contribute good stories to the world. Now, having unexpectedly entered this world, it seemed his wish could be realized in another way.

"TV series," Liu Jingting felt inexplicably excited, "I must do this well."

Thinking about the possibility, no, the certainty, of being involved in the adaptation of works like "The Legend of the Condor Heroes" trilogy, "Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils," and "The Smiling, Proud Wanderer," even Liu Jingting, with his dual souls, found it hard to suppress his excitement.

Of course, even if he were involved, it didn't mean he would abandon writing. He wouldn't stop until he had finished promoting all the books he wanted. However, being able to influence the production of these TV series and make up for past regrets would be a rewarding experience.

Liu Jingting returned to his room, sat at his desk, picked up a pencil, and opened his notebook. After a moment's thought, he began to write:

Wen Rui'an: "Who Is the Hero" series, "Four Great Detectives" series;

Huang Yi: "Twin Dragons of the Tang Dynasty," "Seeking Qin," "Storming the Clouds";

He paused, nodded, and muttered to himself, "And Xiao Shiyi Lang!"

Readers familiar with Gu Long's works would know that "Xiao Shiyi Lang" was originally a script and was the first martial arts classic to be written as a script before the novel.

Liu Jingting listed these works because he suddenly realized that with the appearance of "The Sword of the Yue Maiden," "Seven Swords," and the next "The White-Haired Demoness," TV adaptations were almost inevitable. He needed to adjust his previous plans. With the addition of Wen Rui'an and Huang Yi, he could manage the workload throughout his high school years.

However, these were still temporary plans, and everything should adapt to the times. The early appearance of "The Sword of the Yue Maiden" was a fortunate coincidence.

After writing this simple plan, Liu Jingting felt much more relaxed. It was strange; he had this talent, which should have made everything easy, but sometimes he felt a strange pressure. It wasn't about fame or public opinion, but a sense of responsibility.

Human nature is complex, and Liu Jingting couldn't simply churn out books from his mind every day and push them out. He also wanted to witness and experience the process, so he couldn't rush it.

...

"The representative from Star Moon TV wants to meet you to discuss the adaptation of 'The Sword of the Yue Maiden.'"

In the evening, while Liu Jingting was chatting with Mi Hu, Tang Nan left a message for him in the WC.

"There's no need to meet them. This is a short story. If they want to make a TV series, they will have to make significant changes. I have no objections as long as they pay the full copyright fee according to the contract."

Liu Jingting replied with a mix of humor and politeness.