Entertainment from Divorce

Despite the sweltering heat, the atmosphere in the conference room of the State Administration of Culture building was heavy.

Around the long conference table, heads of departments such as the Film and Television Management Office, the Creative Support Center, and the Copyright Protection Bureau sat together.

The projector was showing news reports about "Interstellar" winning awards at Cannes.

The headline "Chinese Science Fiction Wins the Highest International Honor" was particularly eye-catching on the screen.

Ye Wen sat in the main seat, her navy blue suit giving her a composed and dignified aura.

As the director of the State Administration of Culture, she had just finished a three-hour discussion, her forehead beaded with sweat, and her fingertips lightly tapping the table.

"The success of Interstellar is not only an honor for Tan Yue personally, but also a breakthrough for China's science fiction film and television industry. It proves that we are fully capable of producing science fiction works that combine scientific core with humanistic warmth, and it also shows the market the huge potential of the science fiction genre."

She glanced at everyone present and said firmly, "We've mentioned support policies for science fiction before, and now, taking advantage of this momentum, we must increase our efforts."

Ye Wen paused for a moment, looked at everyone, and said seriously: "We will focus on supporting truly meaningful science fiction works, not pseudo-science fiction that relies on special effects and uses the guise of science fiction to tell clichéd stories, but works with rigorous scientific settings, profound ideological content, and the ability to showcase China's scientific and technological strength and cultural heritage."

Director Zhang of the Film and Television Management Office nodded in agreement: "Director Ye is right. There are many copycat science fiction works on the market now, but most of them are just reskins without any real substance. We need to establish stricter review standards and use the support funds where they are most needed."

"We need not only financial support, but also to build platforms," ​​Ye Wen added. "We will establish a science fiction film and television science advisory group to provide professional support for creators."

The meeting ended at 3 p.m. As Ye Wen walked out of the meeting room, many staff members in the corridor greeted her, their eyes filled with pride at "Interstellar" winning the award.

She nodded slightly in response, but her heart was heavy. No matter how good the policies are, without good works to support them, they are just castles in the air.

Back in the office, secretary Lin Lan had already brewed a cup of chilled chrysanthemum tea. In the clear glass, the chrysanthemum buds slowly unfurled in the water, emitting a faint fragrance.

"Director Ye, you've worked hard. Have a cup of tea to cool off." The secretary handed over a teacup and placed a thick folder on the table. "This is the list of science fiction films and television series that you asked me to compile recently for review. It includes movies, TV series, and web series, a total of 23 works. Each one is accompanied by a brief plot summary and review comments."

"Put it here." Ye Wen took the teacup, took a big gulp, and the cool tea slid down her throat, relieving some of her fatigue.

She sat behind her desk, opened a folder, and her eyes fell on the first page, "Star Trek: The Galaxy Chase".

The synopsis reads: "In 2077, Earth was invaded by an alien fleet. Young astronaut Lin Feng led his team to pilot an improved spaceship, traversing wormholes to find weapons for retaliation, and ultimately defeating the alien civilization."

The review comments stated, "Special effects are acceptable, but the plot is clichéd and has many flaws in its scientific setting."

Ye Wen frowned and continued scrolling down.

"Future City 2050" tells the story of artificial intelligence ruling the world and humanity rising up in resistance, but at its core is the love and hate between the male and female protagonists.

Several other web series simply use science fiction as a novelty element, with absurd plots and chaotic logic.

The more she looked, the more disappointed she became. She tapped her fingers lightly on the folder, her brows furrowing in frustration.

These works either copy the Hollywood model and lack local characteristics; or their scientific settings are full of loopholes and cannot withstand scrutiny; or they use science fiction as a guise for entertainment and have no intellectual depth whatsoever.

Compared to the rigorous setting of the black hole physics model, the five-dimensional space, and the profound core of family and responsibility in "Interstellar," it is worlds apart.

"There isn't a single watchable one," Ye Wen muttered to herself, pushing the folder aside with a helpless tone.

She recalled what Tan Yue said in an interview: "Science fiction is not a castle in the air. It needs to be built on the foundation of science, but more importantly, it needs to be rooted in the soil of humanity. Good science fiction should make the audience marvel at the imagination while thinking about the future of mankind and the meaning of civilization."

It now seems that very few creators truly understand this statement.

Ye Wen picked up her teacup, looked out the window at the State Administration of Culture building, and couldn't help but think of Tan Yue.

Looking across the entire Chinese film and television industry, only he possesses both scientific knowledge and creative principles, and can master both grand science fiction worldviews and delicate human emotions.

Interstellar is the best proof of this.

But then she sighed.

Two days ago, she learned from her daughter Chen Ye that Chen Ziyu was pregnant. Tan Yue now has to manage Brilliant Entertainment and take care of his pregnant wife, so he definitely doesn't have the energy to devote to the time-consuming and energy-intensive creation of science fiction films.

"I'm afraid we won't see any new works from him for at least a year or two," Ye Wen thought to herself, a sense of disappointment welling up inside her.

What she didn't know was that Tan Yue was already quietly embarking on a path of science fiction writing.

The creation of the script for "The Three-Body Problem" was kept highly confidential from beginning to end.

Only Tan Yue himself knew about this great IP from a parallel world. Even Chen Ziyu only mentioned that he was writing a science fiction script, without revealing any specific details.

Tan Yue encrypted all the script-related documents and stored them on his personal computer. He also deliberately avoided office hours when writing the script, mostly doing so in the evenings or on weekends to avoid being seen by his employees.

Ye Wen rubbed her temples, suppressing her regret, and picked up the documents on the table to start working.

She knew that support policies couldn't wait, and even if there weren't any high-quality works for the time being, she had to cultivate the environment first.

She turned on her computer and began revising the "Special Support Policy for Science Fiction Films and Television (Draft)".

Brilliant Entertainment Company, President's Office.

Tan Yue was intently typing on the keyboard in front of the computer screen.

Sunlight streamed through the blinds, casting dappled shadows on the screen, which displayed the script for "The Three-Body Problem".

To recreate the authenticity of the Red Coast Base, Tan Yue consulted a large amount of aerospace and radio communication materials, and even contacted a retired expert who had worked at a research base to inquire about details such as the working principle of the radio telescope and the base's work and rest schedule.

"The sun is a giant electromagnetic wave amplifier. Through radio waves of a specific frequency, it can amplify signals to the point that they can cross interstellar space..." Tan Yue read the lines he had just written softly, his fingers adjusting the wording on the keyboard.

His desk was piled high with related books.

A thick notebook filled with dense annotations, including supplementary scientific settings, analyses of characters' psychology, and adjustments to the pacing of the plot.

To make the script more relevant to this world's background, he specifically combined the setting of the Red Coast Base with the history of China's space development in this world, adding some details to make the story more immersive. Just as Tan Yue was immersed in writing, there was a gentle knock on the study door, and Chen Ye's voice came: "Mr. Tan, there are several urgent documents here that need your signature and approval, as well as a letter of intent from the overseas distribution department for follow-up cooperation on the award-winning film 'Interstellar,' which we need your review."

"Come in." Tan Yue stopped typing, encrypted and saved the script document, and then closed the computer screen.

This is his habit; he will never reveal any content of the Three-Body Problem script as long as there are outsiders present.

Chen Ye pushed open the door and came in, carrying a stack of documents, more than usual.

"These are five new talent contracts from the artist management department; this is a budget adjustment request for post-production of 'Time Ticks,' with director Lin Qingye requesting an increase in special effects funding."

Tan Yue took the documents, placed them on the table, and casually picked up the first new employee contract, quickly flipping through it.

His sharp eyes quickly noticed that the "term of use of artist's portrait rights" was not clearly stated in the contract.

"Have the artist management department revise the regulations to clearly state that the use of portrait rights is limited to the contract period and is restricted to legitimate channels such as film, television, variety shows, and commercial collaborations. It is prohibited to use them for illegal purposes."

"Okay, Mr. Tan, I'll inform them right away." Chen Ye took out his notebook and quickly wrote it down.

Tan Yue continued processing documents, and he quickly signed the application for a budget adjustment in the post-production of "Time Ticks".

Lin Qingye has high standards for his work, and he always supports increasing the cost of special effects in order to improve the quality of his work.

He scrutinized the letters of intent for cooperation from overseas distribution departments with exceptional care, meticulously checking each company's cooperation plan, resource support, and revenue sharing ratio, occasionally adding his own comments in the margins.

Tan Yue pointed to one of the documents and said, "Their proposed 'joint development of original science fiction IP' model is quite in line with our development direction, and they promised to provide global distribution channels and special effects team support. Let the overseas distribution department make initial contact with them to understand their specific creative requirements, and then we will hold a meeting to discuss it further."

"Understood." Chen Ye nodded, tidying up the annotated documents. "President Tan, is there anything else I need to follow up on?"

"That's all, you can go ahead and get busy." Tan Yue waved his hand, watched Chen Ye leave the study, and then reopened his computer and brought up the script document for "The Three-Body Problem".

The sunlight outside the window gradually slanted westward. Most of the documents on the desk had been processed, but Tan Yue's thoughts were still unable to return to scriptwriting.

Seeing the cooperation intentions of overseas companies just now, he couldn't help but feel a little moved.

The success of "Interstellar" brought international recognition to Chinese science fiction, but he hoped to create original science fiction IPs of his own, and "The Three-Body Problem" was the best vehicle for that.

The reality is that he simply doesn't have enough time to focus on the script right now.

Chen Ziyu is pregnant and needs care, he has to manage all the affairs of the company, coordinate overseas cooperation, follow up on Lin Qingye's film, and deal with various emergencies.

Often, I would write a script for less than an hour before being interrupted by documents, phone calls, or meetings. By the time I finished dealing with those things and came back, my train of thought had been broken, and I would need to spend time reorganizing it.

Just like now, he stared at the scene on the screen where "Ye Wenjie discovers the Trisolaran civilization signal at the Red Coast Base," his mind still filled with the details of processing the letter of intent for cooperation, and he couldn't get into the zone for the moment.

He leaned back in his chair, took a sip of the cold tea on the table, and felt no impatience, only calm perseverance.

He knew that adapting "The Three-Body Problem" was not something that could be done overnight; the work required a great deal of patience and effort to polish.

It's okay if the progress is a little slower now; what's important is that every detail is done well, every scientific setting is rigorous, and every character is vivid. He doesn't want to sacrifice quality for speed, and he doesn't want to let down this great IP from a parallel world.

In the evening, Tan Yue finished processing the last document, turned off his computer, and got up to walk to Chen Ziyu's office next door.

Since Chen Ziyu started staying home to prepare for her pregnancy, this office has been temporarily empty, with only Chen Ye occasionally coming to organize documents.

He stood by the window, watching the lights gradually come on downstairs, thinking of Chen Ziyu and the baby in his belly, a gentle smile appearing on his lips.

The phone rang. It was Chen Ziyu calling: "A-Yue, are you off work? Mom made your favorite braised pork. I want you to come home early."

"I'll be right back," Tan Yue replied with a smile. "I've finished dealing with what I needed to do, and I'm leaving now."

After hanging up the phone, Tan Yue grabbed his coat and strode out of the office.

He knew that in the days to come, he would still be busy juggling company management, family care, and scriptwriting, and the progress of the "Three-Body Problem" script might still be slow, but he would not give up.

Meanwhile, inside the State Administration of Culture building, Ye Wen was still working overtime to revise the draft of the support policy.

Looking out at the night sky, she still felt a strong desire for high-quality science fiction works.

Little did she know that Tan Yue, on whom she placed the most high hopes, was already quietly building a grand science fiction world, a work that was enough to shock the entire film and television industry, which was slowly and steadily being conceived.

Two people in different positions, sharing the same expectations, are working silently for the future of China's science fiction film and television industry on this sweltering summer night.

Tan Yue was driving home when the car radio was broadcasting a follow-up report on Interstellar's award win, with the host enthusiastically discussing the future of Chinese science fiction.

Listening to the radio, his determination to create "The Three-Body Problem" became even stronger.

He wants to show audiences around the world more stunning, profound, and distinctly Chinese science fiction works, so that Chinese science fiction can truly gain a foothold on the world stage.

When he got home, his mother had already set the table. Chen Ziyu was sitting at the table waiting for him with a gentle smile on her face.

"Are you tired from work today? Is there any progress on the script?" Chen Ziyu asked.

"It's alright. I've processed quite a few documents and written a bit of the script. The progress is a little slow, but it's okay."

Tan Yue sat down, picked up his chopsticks, took a piece of braised pork and put it in his mouth. The familiar taste made him relax instantly.

Chen's mother smiled and said, "Rest more when you're tired, don't push yourself too hard. Ziyu is pregnant now, and you have to take care of her, manage the company, and write scripts. Your health is the most important thing."

"Okay, Mom." Tan Yue nodded and put a piece of green vegetable on Chen Ziyu's plate. "Eat more, it's good for the baby."

The atmosphere at the dining table was warm and harmonious, while the night outside the window grew increasingly dark. (End of Chapter)