Against the Current Hong Kong 1979

When Zhang Shuai'an was submitting his manuscript to Ming Pao, a fat man on the Shaw Brothers set couldn't help but slap his thigh.

"This novel is incredibly well-written!"

The chubby screenwriter excitedly shouted, "Who wrote this novel? Find them right now!"

A stuntman standing nearby found it somewhat amusing: "Young Master Jing, are you kidding? It's already quite a feat for a bunch of roughnecks like us to be able to write, let alone write novels."

This chubby screenwriter is none other than Wong Jing, the son of TVB's renowned director Wong Tin-lam, a top student from the Chinese University of Hong Kong, and a talented chubby man.

He grew up on Shaw Brothers film sets and naturally joined the company after graduation. In 1976, he wrote his first screenplay, "A Thousand Knots in My Heart." From then on, he was unstoppable, writing several commercially viable scripts every year and gaining considerable influence among the Shaw Brothers employees.

"Whose novel is this?" Fatty Wang asked, waving the manuscript in his hand.

At this moment, an experienced prop worker spoke up: "That spot looks like it belongs to Lao Li."

"Who is Lao Li?" Fatty Wang immediately walked up to the man. "Call him over here. I have something important to ask him."

The veteran employee shook his head: "No way, Lao Li was invited by Director Liu Jialiang to set up the tent. You know Director Liu's temper; when he's working, anyone who dares to disturb him will be scolded mercilessly."

"Okay, I'll take the manuscript now. When Lao Li gets back, tell him!"

Fatty Wang was quite anxious. He patted the man on the shoulder and said, "Or you can have him come to Uncle Liu's office to find me."

After saying that, he started running and quickly disappeared from sight.

I ran all the way to the main building of Shaw Brothers Studio. There was a telephone operator guarding the entrance, and a row of sofas opposite was for visitors to rest and wait for Mr. Shaw to receive them.

Shao Yifu's office was on the second floor, next to which was a screening room specifically for Mr. Shao to watch films. There was a projectionist named Abang who lived in the dormitory and was available 24 hours a day.

Fatty Wang ran all the way to Shao Yifu's office door and started banging on it.

Who is it?

Wang Tianlin's voice rang out from inside, scolding, "Where did this idiot come from? So rude!"

"Dad, it's me!" Wang Jing replied immediately, looking speechless.

Wang Tianlin inside exclaimed "Ah!" and then opened the office door, glaring at him fiercely: "What are you doing? I told you to come to the meeting, and not only are you late, but you're also knocking so loudly! What if you startle Uncle Liu?!"

"I have an urgent matter to attend to; I must see the boss," Fatty Wang said hurriedly.

Wang Tianlin said irritably, "The most urgent thing right now is to come up with a good script, film it as soon as possible, and wrest the ratings back from ATV! Everything else is minor."

Fatty Wang immediately shouted, "That's exactly what I wanted to say! I've found a fantastic topic!"

Shao Yifu's rather lukewarm voice finally rang out: "Tianlin, let Jingzai in. What kind of behavior is this, talking outside the door!"

"Okay." Wang Tianlin said softly to Fatty Wang, "Be more careful when you see Sixth Uncle. Don't be so impulsive. Make a good impression, and the thing you're asking for will most likely come to fruition."

"I know." Fatty Wang was a very emotionally intelligent person and knew what his father meant. He had been a screenwriter for more than three years and had always wanted to become a director, but Shao Yifu had never given the go-ahead.

The door was open, and Fatty Wang found that there were quite a few people inside, at least seven or eight, all of whom were veterans in the screenwriting industry.

His father, Wang Tianlin, needs no introduction. There's also Li Tiansheng, the well-known producer of hit dramas like "The Tycoon" and "Struggle," as well as Gan Guoliang, who transitioned from actor to director, Zhao Zhenqiang, Gan Guoliang's classmate from the acting training class, and Du Qifeng, Wang Tianlin's apprentice, among others.

"Boss, I've found a great script. If we adapt this, it'll definitely be a huge hit." Fatty Wang, with his naturally bold and fearless nature, walked straight up to Shao Yifu and handed him the manuscript.

"A viral sensation?" Shao Yifu was intrigued by this, but he didn't have high hopes.

In his eyes, Fatty Wang was just an extra for Wang Tianlin. Although he had written a few decent scripts in recent years, they were still only passable.

"Young Detective Bao Qingtian?" Shao Yifu was somewhat surprised when he saw the title.

The subject of Bao Qingtian has always been popular, and it has been adapted into both operas and film and television dramas.

However, most of the scripts that were written were adapted from traditional operas, with a strong theatrical flavor, and the plots were also very similar, either the case of Chen Shimei or the trial of Wupen.

It's surprising that someone would use Bao Qingtian's childhood as a starting point to bring out his detective attributes, which is quite refreshing.

Then he saw the subtitle, Volume One: Fame Throughout the World.

Because this novel was originally adapted from a TV series, it is very vivid in the reading experience. Although Run Run Shaw did not write many screenplays, he had seen a lot of movies and TV series and had a good eye for them.

The first story begins with the conflict between the Northern Song Dynasty and Goryeo, then moves to the conflict of interests between the Eighth Prince and Grand Tutor Pang. Then, the Goryeo delegation encounters trouble within the territory of the Song Dynasty, with the Crown Prince and the Seventh Prince being killed one after another. Several mysterious forces also get involved, creating a complex web of cases within cases, and a war between the two countries is about to break out... Just then, Bao Zheng, with a seven-day deadline, unravels the mystery step by step, uncovers the truth, and stops the conflict.

The entire story unfolds seamlessly, with one climax after another, making it impossible to put down.

"Jingzai, did you write this notebook?"

Run Run Shaw's eyes lit up, filled with admiration: "These past few days, your father has been telling me that you've matured and can stand on your own. I thought he was just being overly protective of his son, but I never imagined you'd really grown to this extent."

Hearing Shao Yifu praise Wang Pangzi so highly, the others also became interested. They asked him for the manuscript, and after one person finished reading it, they passed it on to another. Before long, they had all finished reading it, and they all looked at Wang Pangzi with new respect, even astonished.

Li Tiansheng said, "It might have started as a script and was later adapted from a novel."

"It has gimmicks, plot, romance, suspense, thrills, mystery, and political intrigue... Such skillful writing, truly brilliant."

"That was brilliant! The reasoning, the build-up of emotion—you're a master! I never would have guessed! Jingzai, you've really made something of yourself!"

"It is indeed a masterpiece, with the potential to become a huge hit." After reading it, Wang Tianlin couldn't help but praise his son even more in order to promote him.

"No, I'm sorry, boss, I didn't write this." Although Fatty Wang was greedy and lecherous, he had never actually stolen other people's things.

"Who wrote that?" Shao Yifu asked.

Fatty Wang shook his head: "I don't know who wrote it. I got it from a prop maker."

"A prop master?" Shao Yifu said in astonishment, "TVB is truly full of hidden talents. Even a prop master can write such a good script. What's his name? Call him over right now."

Fatty Wang replied, "His name is Li Shuisheng, everyone calls him Old Li."

"Oh, it's him." Gan Guoliang, who was standing next to him, seemed to remember him. "He used to be a scaffolder. Director Liu Jialiang invited him to be the prop master when he was filming 'Shaolin Scaffolder.'"

Liu Jialiang has a bad temper, especially after the machine is turned on, he exudes an aura that keeps strangers at bay, and no one would normally disturb him at this time.

Shao Yifu immediately said, "Send someone to call them, and say it was my idea."

……

At that moment, Zhang Shuai'an had just stepped into the Ming Pao editorial office.