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Chapter 365 "Infernal Affairs": Another screenwriter is in place.

Huizhou.

After ending his call with Mai Yaohui, Cao Sheng dialed his assistant Cui Xinyu's number and asked her to draft a contract to send to Mai Yaohui.

Although he himself felt that Mak Yiu-fai would not dare to claim the idea for "Infernal Affairs" as his own.

But the defensive heart is indispensable.

It's safest to sign a joint creation agreement with the other party first.

As for Zhuang Wenqiang, the other screenwriter of the original "Infernal Affairs", Cao Sheng has no plans to contact him for the time being.

He remembered that after the original *Infernal Affairs* became a huge hit, Mak Yiu-fai, who served as both screenwriter and director, said in a media interview that when he watched *The King of Masks*, he felt that the face-swapping between the protagonists and antagonists was impossible in reality. Therefore, he had an idea to directly switch the identities of the two sides, and thus began writing the script for *Infernal Affairs*. While writing the script, he constantly communicated with Chong Man-keung, seeking his advice, as Chong Man-keung was a professional screenwriter with strong writing skills. After finishing the *Infernal Affairs* script, Mak Yiu-fai sent it to Chong Man-keung for revisions.

Therefore, Cao Sheng knew that the inspiration for the script "Infernal Affairs" came from Mak Yiu-fai.

Therefore, as long as he writes the script before Mak Yau-fai, he doesn't need to worry about the other screenwriter of the original "Infernal Affairs," Chong Man-keung, producing the same script.

Now, he has reached an agreement with Mak Yiu-fai to co-create "Infernal Affairs," and Mak Yiu-fai will complete the first draft.

Simply put, he has successfully snatched the script.

Although when signing his name, he will include the name Mai Yaohui.

But Cao Sheng didn't think it was a big deal. Mai Yaohui was one of the screenwriters of the original "Infernal Affairs". Moreover, this time it was Mai Yaohui who wrote the first draft of the "Infernal Affairs" script. In comparison, Cao Sheng did not contribute much, but he would be regarded by the outside world as the first screenwriter of "Infernal Affairs".

He's the one who benefits.

Of course, during the phone call just now, when he confirmed that Mak Yiu-fai had not yet written the script for "Infernal Affairs," he did have the opportunity to complete the script on his own.

However, in the original "Infernal Affairs," Mak Yiu-fai was not only one of the screenwriters but also one of the two directors.

Cao Sheng was a little unsure what the final product of the film "Infernal Affairs" would be like if Mak Yiu-fai were completely removed.

It's common in the film and television industry for the same script to be adapted into completely different movies.

For example, in well-known Jin Yong dramas, such as "Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils," there is a significant difference between the Hong Kong version and the mainland version.

Another example is remakes of movies in the film industry; the same plot, but the result is completely different.

There are even instances where footage from the same movie can appear vastly different due to different editing techniques.

and many more.

Therefore, Cao Sheng decided to work with Mai Yaohui to complete the script for "Infernal Affairs". Once the script was finished, it would be natural to recommend Mai Yaohui to the investors for directing.

Otherwise, given Mak Yiu-fai's current resume, he probably wouldn't be qualified to direct a big-budget production like "Infernal Affairs."

Cao Sheng estimates that a major reason why Mai Yaohui was able to co-direct "Infernal Affairs" with Liu Weiqiang in the original timeline was because Mai Yaohui was the main writer of the script.

Now, unless Cao Sheng is the main investor in this film, other investors would probably find it difficult to agree to let Mai Yaohui participate in directing if he is not involved in the screenwriting.

But can Cao Sheng be a major investor?
He does have the funds.

But making a movie isn't something that can be done just because you have money and a script.

Especially for films like "Infernal Affairs," which require a host of award-winning stars, if the investors leading the project don't have a strong enough presence and influence in the film industry, top stars like Tony Leung and Andy Lau probably wouldn't even consider taking the role.

This is a practical difficulty.

In addition, Cao Sheng himself did not want to get too involved in the film and television industry, and did not want to put in too much effort.

I just want to go with the flow and make some money along the way, that's all.

……

Hong Kong.

Mai Yaohui received a call from Cao Sheng's assistant, Cui Xinyu, who told him that an agreement was to be sent to him and asked him to print it out, sign it, and mail it back to her. Mai Yaohui was not surprised, because he was used to signing contracts for every job he did in the film and television industry.

When Cui Xinyu told him that he needed to sign a joint creation agreement, Mai Yaohui was not only not surprised, but also quite happy.

He felt that once the agreement was signed, his collaboration with Zhongyuan Yidianhui on the script for "Infernal Affairs" would be a done deal.

As for the idea of ​​exclusively owning the script for "Infernal Affairs"?

Of course, he had thought about this.

But I only thought about it briefly; I didn't dare to think about it any further.

there are many reasons.

For example, his contact information was given to Cao Sheng by Andy Lau. Andy Lau should know why Cao Sheng contacted him. Therefore, if he monopolizes this script idea, Andy Lau will definitely know what he did. Once the matter gets out, not only will his reputation be ruined, but if Chung Yuen Yi Dian Hui sues him, he will most likely lose the case. At that time, he will not only fail to get the script idea, but will also be ruined for nothing.

From now on, it will probably be very difficult for him to move forward in this industry.

For example, Cao Sheng didn't tell him the detailed plot of the script on the phone today, he only gave him a general overview.

But he could sense that Cao Sheng seemed to have a clear idea of ​​how to write the script. Therefore, if he wanted to steal the idea for the script, Cao Sheng would definitely be able to finish writing the script for "Infernal Affairs" before he, Mai Yaohui, finished writing it.

When the time comes, given Zhongyuan Yidianhui's reputation and past achievements, the outside world will definitely assume that he copied Zhongyuan Yidianhui's idea.

All of the above makes him happy to sign a joint creative agreement with Cao Sheng.

He believed that as long as the name "Zhongyuan Yidianhui" was on the script, many companies would be eager to invest in it.

As an actor, screenwriter, and director, he couldn't help but wonder if he could direct the film after the script was finished.
He believed that since the script was credited to Cao Sheng, the funding must have been very ample when it was produced, and that they could easily invite several A-list stars to participate.

For example, the Four Heavenly Kings, and Leung Chiu-wai, who has become incredibly popular in recent years.

Collaborating with these superstars will definitely enhance his fame and industry standing.

He was thrilled at the thought of these possibilities.

For the next two weeks, he devoted himself to writing the script.

Even his film "The Wishing Tree," which he directed this year and was scheduled for release on October 28, which he, as the director, should have participated in promoting, he had no interest in doing so.

No matter how much the investors tried to persuade him, he kept saying he wasn't feeling well lately and apologized profusely, but he just wouldn't participate in any promotional activities.

Actually, the cast of the movie "The Wishing Tree" is not bad.

Its Japanese title is "If Heaven Has Feelings 3". It's considered a sequel to a well-known IP.

The main cast includes Edison Chen, Lung Yuet-sum, and Simon Yam.

It was a project that Alan Mak had worked very hard to secure.

Although it is a romance film, he also had high hopes for it.

Putting aside everything else, the male lead of this movie, Edison Chen, has become very popular in the Chinese film industry in recent years and is regarded by many as a potential superstar and one of the leading figures of the next generation of Hong Kong film industry.

But the script for "Infernal Affairs" made Mak Yiu-fai lose interest in "The Wishing Tree." Even though it was a film he directed himself, he suddenly found it uninteresting.

In terms of its script's theme, it is far inferior to "Infernal Affairs".

For half a month, he locked himself at home and devoted himself to creating art.

An interesting thing happened during this time—on the evening of the third day of Mai Yaohui's secluded creative work, his friend Zhuang Wenqiang from the industry came to visit him.

When Zhuang Wenqiang came, he specially bought some apples, bananas and other fruits.

"I heard you were sick, so I made a special trip to come and see you..."

Upon entering the room, Chong Man-keung greeted Mak Yiu-fai with a smile and uttered these words. The reason he was so well-informed was because he was one of the two screenwriters for the film "The Wishing Tree." Therefore, when Mak Yiu-fai declined to participate in the promotional work before the release of "The Wishing Tree," Chong Man-keung quickly learned about it.

But when he met Mai Yaohui, he stopped abruptly after saying just that.

He had noticed that Mak Yiu-fai didn't seem to be sick; apart from being a little sleep-deprived, he seemed perfectly fine.

"Director Mai, are you not sick?"

Zhuang Wenqiang asked in surprise.

Mai Yaohui gave an awkward laugh, gesturing for Zhuang Wenqiang to sit down while whispering, "Qiang, don't talk nonsense after we go out! Don't tell anyone I'm not sick, understand?"

Zhuang Wenqiang: "???"

"Why? 'The Wishing Tree' is about to be released, and it's your directorial work. Aren't you going to participate in the promotion? And you're faking illness? You..."

Zhuang Wenqiang felt a little uneasy.

Because he participated in the screenwriting of "The Wishing Tree," it can also be considered one of his works, Zhuang Wenqiang.

Zhuang Wenqiang felt that his hard work was being wasted because director Mak Yiu-fai didn't value it.

Naturally, I felt a little unhappy.

Mai Yaohui noticed the displeasure in Zhuang Wenqiang's expression and could understand Zhuang Wenqiang's feelings. After thinking for a moment, he felt it was necessary to explain.

There are two reasons.

Firstly, he and Zhuang Wenqiang are friends and have a good relationship, and he didn't want to ruin their friendship because of this incident.

Secondly… he knew Zhuang Wenqiang's screenwriting abilities were very strong! He was a professionally trained screenwriter, and he knew he would need Zhuang Wenqiang's help with many script-related matters in the future. For example, Zhuang Wenqiang should be able to help with the script for *Infernal Affairs*, since Zhuang Wenqiang had written the screenplays for *Sunshine Police*, *Gen-X Cops 2*, and *Tokyo Raiders*.

So he explained it to Zhuang Wenqiang in a low voice.

"Qiang, I didn't pretend to be sick. You might not believe it, but a few days ago, I suddenly received a call from Zhongyuan Yidianhui. You know Zhongyuan Yidianhui, right? He asked me to co-write a script, a really great crime drama script. And he thinks highly of me, giving me the opportunity to write the first draft. Tell me, how could I not cherish such an opportunity? If it were you, what would you choose? Don't you think so?"

Zhuang Wenqiang was so surprised that he forgot he was angry.

I couldn’t help but ask Zhongyuan Yidianhui what kind of script he had asked to co-write.
Mai Yaohui hesitated for a moment, thinking that he needed Zhuang Wenqiang's help with the script, so he roughly explained the idea of ​​the script to Zhuang Wenqiang.

Given Chong Man-keung's expertise in screenwriting, he knew immediately upon hearing the concept of "Infernal Affairs" that if the script was well-written, it would be an excellent one.

He had also seen the movie "Face/Off".

"Infernal Affairs," adapted from "The King of Masks," has many compelling storylines to tell.

He believes that as long as this film can capture seven-tenths of the essence of "Face/Off", its box office success and critical acclaim will be guaranteed.

only……

As he listened, he felt a little jealous.

I can't help but think: when it comes to screenwriting ability, I'm the real professional. The quantity and quality of my screenwriting works surpass those of Mak Yiu-fai. Why did Chung Yuen Yit-fai choose him instead of me?
Why can't I have such a great opportunity that falls from the sky?

The more he thought about it, the more upset he felt.

As Mai Yaohui was talking, he suddenly said, "Qiang, we're good friends, right? I finally have such a great opportunity, you have to help me! You can't refuse! Don't worry! Once I make it big, I'll definitely give you a hand!"

Zhuang Wenqiang looked at him in surprise.

"Let me help you? How can I help you? This script is a collaboration with Zhongyuan Yidianhui. Do you really need my help? Don't you trust his screenwriting abilities?"

Mai Yaohui shook his head repeatedly, "No! No! Of course I believe in his screenwriting ability, but I don't believe in my own. I'm afraid the first draft he asked me to write won't satisfy him. Do you understand what I mean? I hope you can help me write the first draft of 'Infernal Affairs' well and try to satisfy him. You understand what I mean, right?"

Zhuang Wenqiang looked at Mai Yaohui with a complicated expression.

He understood.

It was precisely because he understood that his feelings became even more complicated.

He thought Mai Yaohui was very clever; given such an opportunity, he still managed to find a helper. It seemed that Mai Yaohui was determined to cling to Zhongyuan Yidianhui's coattails.

Out of consideration for their friendship, Zhuang Wenqiang nodded and forced a smile, "Of course! Since you've asked, I'll definitely help you out, as long as you don't mind my lack of skill."

Mai Yaohui was overjoyed and quickly sat down, putting his arm around Zhuang Wenqiang's shoulder. He laughed and said, "Great! Great! Qiang, with your help, I feel much more confident! By the way, I'll talk to Mr. Cao for you later and try to get him to agree to this script and let you be credited, okay?"

Zhuang Wenqiang was surprised, "Huh? He... he'll agree? This... this isn't a good idea, is it?"

Mai Yaohui hesitated for a moment. He also felt that this was not a good idea, but in order to write a better first draft of "Infernal Affairs", he felt that he should still mention it to Cao Sheng.

Whether or not Cao Sheng agrees is his decision.

Whether or not to mention it is Mak Yiu-fai's business.

Thinking this, he smiled and said, "It's okay! I'll talk to him for you. But if he doesn't agree, I hope you won't blame me, okay? Don't worry, I will do my best to persuade him."

(End of this chapter)