A widower's entertainment

Chapter 308 [The Measure of Literature] (Please Subscribe)
Just as Lin Youcheng was revising the script for "The Reader," the TV series "Lurking," which he also wrote, was broadcast on Beijing TV.

When "Lurking" aired, its ratings soared, becoming big news in the newspapers. There was no way around it; the original novel "Lurking" was so excellent that its adaptation into a TV series naturally attracted a lot of attention, especially with the success of "The Message" preceding it.

Undoubtedly, the broadcast of "Lurking" has once again sparked a spy drama craze in Beijing, generating an unprecedentedly enthusiastic response.

It should be said that this trend is not limited to Beijing, but is also spreading throughout the country. You know, nowadays, there are so many more people watching TV in every household. Viewers who are following this TV series have even written to the TV station hoping that more episodes will be shown.

Lin Youcheng had naturally watched "Lurking" on TV. He had to admit that TV dramas were being made with great care, and Zheng Xiaolong had done a very good job. The whole series was suitable for all ages, and the children watched it with great interest. After school, they would sit in front of the TV to watch the show on time, all because the series was so well made.

While the children were watching the play, Lin Zhaoman's eyes shone brightly, and his little face was full of determination. He said, "Dad, I want to be a soldier when I grow up."

As Lin Youcheng listened to Lin Zhaoman's words, he also remembered that when Lin Zhaoman was younger, he said that he wanted to join the army when he grew up. But he just took it as a child's words and didn't pay much attention to it. After all, his second brother, Lin Zhaoqing, had said that he wanted to be a scientist when he was a child.

Of course, Lin Youcheng smiled and said to Lin Zhaoman, "Then you should study hard. A true soldier needs to know a lot of knowledge."

Lin Zhaoman nodded and said with a smile, "I will study hard and become a good soldier in the future."

Lin Youcheng looked at Lin Zhaoman. He had never actually thought that Lin Zhaoman would join the army in the future, just like he had never thought that he would send Lin Zhaoqing to a sports school to study sports. In his opinion, there was no need for him to suffer that hardship and pain. Of course, this was just Lin Youcheng's own idea.

Lin Youcheng is unaware of just how resolute and courageous his son, Lin Zhaoman, truly is.

At this time, Lin Zhaoman was only eleven years old. His eyes were fixed on the content on the television screen, and he was completely absorbed in listening to the dialogue.

Of course, compared to Lin Zhaoman's dedication, the younger Lin Zhaohuan and Lin Zhaole were not very interested in the TV series "Lurking". They would rather watch cartoons or children's shows. However, it was obvious that the TV remote control was in the hands of their older siblings. The two younger ones would either watch with them or go play by themselves.

Lin Youcheng was also somewhat surprised. After all, it was understandable that Lin Zhaoxi and Lin Zhaoqing would watch TV series like "Lurking," and Lin Zhaomei could too. But Lin Zhaoman, who was still quite young and a Young Pioneer wearing a red scarf, was watching it so intently, which really surprised him.

Of course, it's possible that the TV series "Lurking" was genuinely well-made.

Compared to the novel, the TV series "Lurking" undoubtedly made even those who don't follow literature familiar with the story of Yu Zecheng and Cui Ping known to them. They also learned about Zuo Lan, Station Chief Wu Jingzhong, Ma Kui, and Liao Sanmin, who resolutely chose to perish with Li Ya after his identity was exposed.

The entire city of Beijing is now abuzz with discussion about the thrilling and suspenseful plot of the TV series "Lurking." Many people in the film, television, and literary circles have once again witnessed just how powerful the TV series adapted from Lin Youcheng's novel is. No matter how the actors perform or how the director films it, the most undeniable thing is that the incredibly solid script of "Lurking" is truly brilliant!
This is why Wang Shuo initially wanted to invite Lin Youcheng to join their film and television studio. There was no other reason than that Lin Youcheng was simply too talented as a writer.

Because of the popularity of the TV series "Lurking", Li Xuejian, the actor who played Yu Zecheng, has undoubtedly become famous. With his excellent acting skills and touching performance, he has become popular in Beijing and even in places across the country where "Lurking" was broadcast. He is definitely very popular.

Li Xuejian was undoubtedly very grateful to Lin Youcheng, because it was Lin Youcheng who initially recommended him for the role of Yu Zecheng.

Li Xuejian, knowing that Zheng Xiaolong was coming to Xinghua Hutong to see Lin Youcheng, also came along to express his gratitude.

Upon meeting Lin Youcheng, Li Xuejian expressed her sincere gratitude, saying, "I really want to thank writer Lin Youcheng for recommending me, because it was through your recommendation that I had the opportunity to play the role of Yu Zecheng."

Lin Youcheng waved his hand after hearing Li Xuejian's words and said, "The most important thing is that you can play the role of Yu Zecheng well. I only recommended him to Director Zheng, but in the end, it was Director Zheng who made the decision."

Li Xuejian was naturally very grateful. He had even lost a lot of weight specifically for the role of Yu Zecheng, focusing all his efforts on preparing for the role. Now that he had gained recognition from the audience and the author himself, he was extremely happy.

"I really love your novel 'Lurking'. I never thought I would be able to play this role. I can only do my best to play it well and live up to the role."

Upon hearing Li Xuejian's words, Zheng Xiaolong nodded and affirmed, "He put a lot of effort into the role of Yu Zecheng and acted very well."

"Director Zheng, your drama is also very well made."

Zheng Xiaolong looked at Lin Youcheng and then talked to him about a drama called "Desire" that Wang Shuo wanted to collaborate on with the Beijing Television Art Center. He said, "I've watched this drama and I think it's very good. They're already planning to film it here, and Xue Jian will also be in it."

"I believe the TV series you, Director Zheng, are in charge of will be excellent."

Lin Youcheng naturally wouldn't stop the Beijing Television Art Center from collaborating with Wang Shuo, nor did he have any reason to stop the collaboration. He knew that "Aspiration" was a nationally renowned TV series.

Although the main screenwriter was Li Xiaoming from the Yanjing Television Art Center, it was actually Wang Shuo's team that planned the TV drama script selection. They were attracted by a news report of about 300 words about adopting abandoned children in "Journalist's Digest". Based on the main plot of adopting abandoned children, they gradually filled in the entire script plot. A group of people stayed in a hotel to write the script. Each person had a set of plot and structural ideas in their mind. When several people wrote the story together, they actually brought together their ideas, the stories they wrote, the characters' fates they designed, and the plot they organized. This can be regarded as the prototype of the first work of Haima Film and Television Studio. They jointly came up with ideas and drew up an outline. Finally, the specific writer, Li Xiaoming, wrote the script.

Lin Youcheng was aware of the influence of the TV series "Aspiration," but when it came to truly the influence that drew massive audiences, the currently popular "Lurking" was no less impressive, and perhaps even stronger. After all, it was another spy drama following "The Message," so how could it not be loved by the people?

Actually, after Lin Youcheng's previous work, "The Message," there were several spy dramas produced. However, it was undoubtedly Lin Youcheng's spy works that raised the bar for spy dramas to a whole new level, setting a benchmark for the genre. The latest hit, "Lurking," is a prime example. The unconventional hero Yu Zecheng has truly won over countless viewers. Not to mention the captivating love stories between Yu Zecheng and Zuo Lan, and between him and Cui Ping.

More importantly, besides spy dramas, Lin Youcheng's previous TV series "My Brothers and Sisters" was also a hugely popular series, bringing tears to countless viewers and becoming an absolute national hit. Even now, some local TV stations are still broadcasting "My Brothers and Sisters," which has been aired countless times.

Hearing what Lin Youcheng said, Zheng Xiaolong smiled and nodded, knowing that Lin Youcheng didn't care. Thinking of Lin Youcheng's novel "Atonement", he couldn't help but say, "Your novel 'Atonement' is quite wonderful, but I don't think it's suitable to be adapted into a TV series."

A TV series version of "Atonement"?
Lin Youcheng shook his head and said, "It's not suitable."

When Li Xuejian heard Zheng Xiaolong mention Lin Youcheng's novel "Atonement," he naturally knew that he had also read the novel and was deeply moved. He had also heard that Lin Youcheng's novel was going to be made into a movie. In fact, if possible, he would also like to play the role of Luo Yang. However, it was clear that he did not have the opportunity, because he already knew that the male and female leads for the movie version of "Atonement" had been decided, and the female lead was still Gong Li.

Zheng Xiaolong nodded, then turned to look at Lin Youcheng and asked with a smile, "If it's not suitable, then have you, the great writer Lin, written any novels suitable for TV series adaptation recently?"

What I'm writing now is "The Reader".

A TV series version of "The Reader"?
Lin Youcheng felt it was impossible for a TV series to air where a fifteen-year-old boy and a thirty-six-year-old woman were studying in bed because of desire, unless the entire plot of the TV series was drastically changed. The first thing to change would be the age of the male lead, Jiang Xia. However, if that was changed, the tension of the entire story would be weakened.

Lin Youcheng smiled and shook his head, saying, "I am writing, but don't even think about it."

"Even movies might not be able to be made, let alone TV series."

Undoubtedly, Lin Youcheng's words startled both Zheng Xiaolong and Li Xuejian.

Is Lin Youcheng really writing a new story?
However, it's not even certain that this movie will be made.
Does this mean that the story Lin Youcheng is currently writing is quite explicit?
Zheng Xiaolong looked at Lin Youcheng, his heart filled with curiosity, and asked, "What's the story this time?"

Lin Youcheng thought for a moment and said, "A love story."

A love story?

Hearing Lin Youcheng's words, Zheng Xiaolong's curiosity was naturally amplified. It wasn't surprising that Lin Youcheng wrote a love story, but what was surprising was that even a movie might not dare to make it out of it. This piqued Zheng Xiaolong's curiosity even further, and he pressed, "Is the story finished yet?"

"not yet."

"Even with success, the movie might not be able to be made. Why is that?"

Zheng Xiaolong was very curious about what kind of love story it was. After all, there was no reason why a film like "Atonement," which directly confronted the dark side of human nature, especially the humanity of children, would dare to be made. Could it be like "The Devotion of Suspect X," which involved murder? But actually, it's not necessarily true that "The Devotion of Suspect X" wouldn't be filmed. Although that novel was adapted and filmed by a director from Taiwan, it was just that domestic film studios were being cautious. If it were actually made according to the novel, it might not turn out any good.

Why is it that this time, even making a movie isn't guaranteed?

Seeing the curious looks on Zheng Xiaolong and Li Xuejian's faces, Lin Youcheng said, "This is just my opinion, but it's not necessarily true. After all, it's just a love story."

In Lin Youcheng's view, although the love story in "The Reader" is about a fifteen-year-old boy and a thirty-six-year-old woman, it is still mostly about love. It doesn't involve any theoretical aspects like the novel "Fuxi Fuxi" that "Ju Dou" is based on. In fact, the original novel of "Ju Dou," "Fuxi Fuxi," does involve theoretical aspects, and it is a story about a naive sixteen-year-old boy and his aunt.

Of course, this is also because Lin Youcheng felt that although his manuscript was dangerous, it was only dangerous. After all, within the standards of mainstream literature, it was not as strict as the standards of film censorship.

This is because mainstream literature has always claimed creative freedom, and the depiction of some explicit scenes is more about the ideological content of the work, or even about real-world issues, rather than simply depicting sex scenes. It is also because the work itself does not have a deeper ideological core, so it is naturally classified as a popular novel.

It's worth noting that the later novel, *Ruined Capital*, is even a erotic novel directly depicting the lives of contemporary intellectuals. It was published in the magazine *October*. Due to its unique and bold attitude and direct descriptions, the novel sparked fierce controversy in all sectors of society. It received both praise and criticism, with some believing that it corrupted social morals and demanding its ban. The novel was subsequently banned.

Lin Youcheng knew this, which is why he wrote this story; otherwise, he wouldn't have spent time writing a story of over 100,000 words that would never be published.

Obviously, Zheng Xiaolong will also spread the news that Lin Youcheng is writing a new novel. What's most attention-grabbing is the story Lin Youcheng told, which might not even be made into a movie.

Undoubtedly, such words naturally aroused more people's curiosity, and their hearts were also eager to explore. What kind of story could a movie possibly tell?

After all, that's how things are in the literary world; the more challenging something is, the more curious people become, wanting to see it for themselves.

Of course, what's even more intriguing is the new story Lin Youcheng is writing—a love story that might not even be made into a movie.

(End of this chapter)