Ark, they don't revolve around you

Nian was the only one who talked nonstop: "In the end, the people under the True Dragon attacked Huanglong and killed Sui and the Shanhai people. However, considering Sui's contribution, the True Dragon did not kill him, but only sealed him!"

"This is just like a myth. There is no innovation." The screenwriter must be a very serious person. He listened to Nian's words meticulously, but he was sure that it would not work. "Director Nian, this is a commission from the real dragon. You must not bring your own ideas to this movie."

Zhuang Ning looked at the screenwriter with sympathy. This man must have stayed up all night to watch all the movies of the past year. People who are too picky can be really persistent sometimes. Watching all the movies of the past year must be a torture to a person's will, right?

They were having a so-called script meeting. The screenwriter, who was always serious about his work, said sternly:

"The script is the soul. Only after it is defined can we draw the storyboards. How can a pure mythological story move the audience if it has no heart? Learning from Lancawood, setting up a simple theme, with an upright protagonist and a fixed team, these are all good, but it would be meaningless."

The old director also spoke up. The old man had a profound understanding of the film, but he might be more interested in the name of Royal Investment: "After all, there are people above this play, and we really can't treat it perfunctorily. If the real dragon is dissatisfied, neither you nor I can bear the consequences."

That's how old people are. What matters is caution. Zhuang Ning nodded and smiled without saying anything. After listening for a moment, he stood up and waved his hand to signal everyone to be quiet.

Everyone immediately turned their eyes to Zhuang Ning. In their eyes, this person was related to the royal family. Although he did not reveal his identity, his background was obviously the most important.

"I have some associations as well. After all, I was the one who proposed this." Zhuang Ning said.

He has full self-awareness and has never touched film and television, so how can he have any ability? Even yesterday, he had to ask Prisseth to remind him that he cheated before he could barely get the recognition of professionals.

Ability is one thing, and the story to be told is another. He made dumplings just to tell this story.

His story goes something like this:

The protagonist is a soldier who is born with the strength of an ox and has a simple and honest personality.

It begins with a splendid battle. The Dayan warriors are armed to the teeth and go deep into the barren land, where a giant beast has been waiting for a long time.

The eunuchs went forward and read out the monster's sins, such as eating several young boys and girls every year, and so on. The monster laughed at the powerlessness of humans, and used his magical powers to cause the sky to collapse, the earth to collapse, and the four seas to shake.

"First, we set the tone to the fullest, to attract the audience without shuddering... Then we depict the bravery of the Great Yan soldiers in their fight back, like ants trying to shake a tree, and actually managed to defeat the giant beast."

There must have been millions of dead in that battle, right? But the protagonist was just a soldier, and perhaps he also had his own family and comrades. He looked at the corpses on the ground and found that his captain was among them. He was deeply saddened. Although he returned with a great victory, the grudge was quietly buried.

The real dragon warmly received the soldiers, including the protagonist, but the protagonist was only angry. The soldiers were half dead in the army, but the beauties were still singing and dancing in the tent. During the dinner, he drank wine and was furious. He even insulted the real dragon and the ministers.

However, the real dragon was not angry. Instead, he spoke to the protagonist from the bottom of his heart. The protagonist was deeply moved and vowed to serve the real dragon until his death.

The opening story was simple and old-fashioned, and it was politically correct, beyond reproach. Everyone nodded.

Seeing that no one had any objections, Zhuang Ning continued:

One day, the True Dragon summoned the protagonist and said that the people of the mountains and seas were in chaos. His words were full of dissatisfaction. The protagonist had been holding grudges for a long time. The True Dragon said that he had a big plan for the New Year and immediately wrote an edict in blood.

The protagonist was greatly encouraged, but as soon as he left the city, he was captured by the Shanhai people. It turned out that the Shanhai people had already monitored the real dragon. They tortured the protagonist in every way, but the protagonist would rather die than surrender.

At this time, the heroine appeared, and seemed to have a high status among the Shanhai people. The protagonist learned from her that not only did the real dragon want to get rid of the Shanhai people, but he actually had delusions about the throne.

In order to obtain information, the protagonist endured humiliation and became the heroine's attendant. He found that the heroine seemed to care about nothing, but always had something on her mind.

Afterwards, there was a civil strife among the Shanhai people, and the heroine took the opportunity to release the protagonist. The protagonist wanted to take the heroine away with him, but the heroine shook her head and refused. The heroine said that she was living a good life here, so why should she go back?

The protagonist was dejected, but finally chose Dayan. Before leaving, the heroine gave the hero a sword, saying that it could break thousands of troops.

There is nothing wrong with this part. How can there be no love in a commercial film? It is understandable to add a little drama. The screenwriter has already conceived the characters of the protagonist and the heroine in his mind, and polished the script to make the story more reasonable.

Afterwards, the protagonist anxiously entered the court, but was wrongly accused. After a confession in the hall, he finally won the trust of the real dragon. When the real dragon heard that the Sui beast actually wanted to get involved in the throne, he sneered.

The Shanhai people stopped acting. Sui led his troops to attack Da Yan. Seeing the army approaching, the real dragon stood on the female wall, holding the red sky in his hand and shouting that the world belongs to everyone in the world, calling on all people to rise up and attack Sui! The protagonist participated in it, and the soldiers fought against Sui and the Shanhai people.

However, the beast was powerful after all. At the critical moment, thousands of magicians in Da Yan opened a passage at the cost of their lives. The protagonist walked on a road of corpses to kill the year, which was almost like walking in hell.

But at the end of the storm, he saw the heroine, and it turned out that the heroine was the year-old agent.

The protagonist was in great pain and questioned why the heroine was like this. The heroine sneered and asked why that position could only be given to others.

The battle between Dayan Superman and Dayan God was inevitable, but the protagonist was just a mortal, and Sui could easily crush him with just a flick of his fingers. But maybe Sui had slept for too long, and he was reluctant to make the killing move, and even showed mercy at the last moment. The protagonist successfully counterattacked and killed Sui's soul with the heroine's sword. He fell on the battlefield, and remembered the heroine's voice and smile before he lost consciousness.

After Zhuang Ning finished speaking, he gently put spring tea to his lips like an old monk in meditation. He spent ten minutes thinking of the framework of this story last night. It was purely a template, and his tone when he read it out was also flat and calm.

The atmosphere in the hall suddenly became as heavy as stone. Everyone's eyes were particularly strange. The screenwriter seemed to have something to say, but soon two rounds of applause rang out. The two people who were applauding each other looked at each other and smiled in tacit understanding.

One of them was naturally Nian. She thought the story was very good and quite to her liking. What’s more, it was Zhuang Ning’s proposal. What reason was there not to applaud?

Another person who was applauding was the old director. His eyes were filled with tears and he almost broke his hands. Seeing how excited he was, one could hardly believe whether Zhuang Ning had just told some extraordinary and touching love story.

"Perfect!" the old director shouted, "Perfect!"

The screenwriter hesitated for a few seconds and finally reacted, casting a disdainful look at the director. It was true that the older he got, the more servile he became. This story was not perfect at all. There were so many loopholes that he could easily question five or six of them. It was obvious that this old director was afraid of Zhuang Ning's identity, so he tried his best to please Zhuang Ning!

Are all old people able to protect themselves like this? Bah, disgusting! !

The screenwriter smiled coldly, but raised his hand honestly, making a crisp sound. He then clapped his hands, with a friendly smile on his face: "It is indeed a very good story. You are worthy of being Dr. Zhuang Ning."

Integrity is important, but you still have to eat. Besides, the screenwriter thinks that this plot change may be earth-shattering, so it's not a big problem, right? He still has the integrity of a scholar.

Someone took the lead, and the rest of the people also smiled and clapped vigorously. The scene became heated in the blink of an eye. Zhuang Ning was stunned. In fact, he was not very good at making up stories. He didn't expect everyone to be so enthusiastic.

Fortunately, this person still had some self-awareness and stretched out his hands to signal everyone to calm down.

"Don't flatter me, I know what I'm doing." Zhuang Ning cleared his throat, "This is just a very basic framework, and all the details are left for you to fill in."

He asked the screenwriter: "I see if you have questions, you can always bring them up."

"Uh..." The screenwriter was a little embarrassed to speak, but seeing Zhuang Ning's gaze, he mustered up the courage and said, "Can I ask why Sui likes the male lead?"

"Ok?"

"I think the idea is great, but I don't quite understand the logic of age."

"Good question." Zhuang Ning nodded and said calmly, "Because he is the protagonist."

"what?"

"Because he is the protagonist." Zhuang Ning sighed, "Since he is the protagonist, everyone must revolve around him, isn't that natural?"

This is the truth. After all, this is not a "group portrait", but the screenwriter still can't help but shrink his head: "Is this too hasty?"

"That's why we have you." Zhuang Ning stood up and, contrary to his extremely indifferent tone just now, gave the best encouragement and praise. "Just because I can't tell a good story doesn't mean you can't do it with your pen and camera. You all sitting here have the best director, the best art director, the best photographer, and the best screenwriter... You are the ones who can make this mediocre story shine!"

"I only ask for this framework. The rest is up to you. If you have any requests, just ask me. I can satisfy them within my ability!"

After he finished speaking, thunderous applause broke out moments later. This time it was genuine applause. People are always happy to hear good words. Moreover, an investor with clear goals and the courage to delegate power is always much better than those clients who ramble on and on and finally choose the first version of the plan!

The meeting was over, and the people below took action to plan the next work.

Nian wanted to join in, but was stopped by Zhuang Ning.

"Nian," he said in a delicate tone, "I give you the power to make the final decision, but you must be respectful to the seniors."

"Do you know how old I am this year?" Nian raised his eyebrows. The word "old senior" is more appropriate to call her. In a sense, she is not even a senior. Should she be called the Grandmaster... or the Grandmaster's wife?

"The old senior is talking about seniority." Zhuang Ning shook his head, "Otherwise the old master is not even as old as you."

He pressed Nian's shoulders: "Do you feel a little uneasy?"

"You underestimate me too much." Nian stuck out her tongue, but her wavering eyes showed that she was not so stable.

"I'm not looking down on you. Do you want me to accompany you?" Zhuang Ning blinked, "It just so happens that I have some free time recently."

"Really?"

"At least I can follow along for the beginning part." He smiled slightly, thinking that Nian would not refuse. Although this would delay him some time, it was worth it.

Nian showed a tangled expression, pondered for a few seconds, and suddenly raised her head. There was a persistence in her eyes that Zhuang Ning could not see, like a flame. She had never been so serious when forging. "It's okay, I can do it alone."

“This time, I have to do it.”

……

A week later, the script was sent to Zhuang Ning via email. It contained hundreds of thousands of words and was as thick as a novella.

"A typewriter? This is..." Even Zhuang Ning was as expectant as he was, but he was still shocked by its thickness.

"Since it involves the royal family, the screenwriter will probably not dare to neglect it. Moreover, this is not the work of one person, there is a studio behind him." Precious said in a low voice.

Zhuang Ning didn't care. The sooner the movie was finished, the better.

I didn't expect him to be so fascinated as soon as he read it. He even felt melancholy for a while after reading it. He closed the manuscript and murmured, "Awesome."

"Oh?"

"All my bugs have been fixed. Now it's really a comedy and not nonsense." Zhuang Ning picked up the portable terminal. The story he constructed according to the template could not be described as rubbish, it was just unbearable to look at. The script in his hand was vivid. Although the general framework could be seen in the shadow of the past, it was already a different story. If it was made into a movie, it would be even more shocking.

He sent a message to the editor: "Let's use this version, but change it. I don't like tragedies. Let's change it to a reunion of the hero and heroine."

"that's it?"

"Okay, let's start shooting." Before Zhuang Ning pressed the enter key, he frowned and found the blind spot. "Wait, why are you asking me? I'm not the director."

"You are the investor and have a lot of say." Precious smiled.

The filming of this drama officially started soon. This is the advantage of the feudal dynasty. The emperor's orders are absolute and no one dares to neglect them easily.

During this period, Zhuang Ning seldom interfered. As a non-technical person, he would only cause trouble. Although Nian didn't have to come, Zhuang Ning was still worried and occasionally took time out to visit the crew.

It was an afternoon when he went there. The middle-aged man in the noisy crew was calm and composed, still smiling, but his aura was as cold as a sharp knife, and he had the demeanor of a general facing the enemy in battle.

"Doctor, why are you here?" Nian saw Zhuang Ning at a glance.

"Can't I come?" Zhuang Ning asked curiously, "Which part are we filming today?"

"It's the part where the protagonist is let go by the heroine." Nian looked like she was being inspected by her superior, but she still maintained her pride. She was a 24-year-old, not an ordinary person. Seeing that Zhuang Ning didn't react, she explained:

"The protagonist was ambushed and kidnapped by the Shanhai Clan. Before he died, the heroine saved him. The heroine liked to tease the protagonist, but she still valued him. It happened that the Shanhai Clan had a civil strife, and the protagonist took the heroine hostage and fled. Although the heroine was able to stop him, she thought that the protagonist was not interested, so she acquiesced to the protagonist's departure."

After she finished speaking, she heard the crowd shouting and walked over. Zhuang Ning was in a state of watching a play. He was indeed very different during the filming. His every move was more solemn, and even the smile on his lips was the noble smile of a knight.

Zhuang Ning could guess the reason, but he pretended not to know. However, this indifference only lasted until the leading actor called out the first name.

That was a complete sentence: "Ningzhuang, have you had enough fun?"

What is the protagonist's name, Ning...Zhuang?

"In the script the screenwriter gave me before, the protagonist's name wasn't this, right?" Zhuang Ning immediately questioned Nian.

"Is it not possible? I'm the director and I'm the boss!" A little steam came out of Nian's face. This was also the reason why she didn't want Zhuang Ning to come over. "It's just a name, don't be so stingy."

It's not that she's stingy, and using a name is not a big deal, but looking at the girl's solemn expression, it seems that even if the sky falls, the protagonist must be called Ningzhuang.

Zhuang Ning sighed. No wonder Nian didn't let him come to the crew. Fortunately, this was harmless. He wanted to make sure whether the core was preserved - this was Zhuang Ning's bottom line.

In other words, below the bottom line, nothing matters. The only two requests he made are to change the tragedy into a comedy, because it would be too uncomfortable if the fictional story couldn't be funny.

Zhuang Ning shrugged, rubbed Nian's silver hair and said nothing, just watching quietly. This meant tacit consent. Nian obviously understood it, but he didn't dare to look at Zhuang Ning because of shame.

The play officially begins, with the protagonist Ning Zhuang being the servant of the woman. The woman calls herself the Star God, and she tortures Ning Zhuang with all kinds of abominable means, including but not limited to forcing him to eat the chili peppers he dislikes the most, and watching him endure the spiciness, and forcing him to sing, but Ning Zhuang's singing voice is extremely unpleasant, and she likes to see Ning Zhuang's reluctant expression but having to do it.

Ning Zhuang was angry about this vicious behavior but dared not say anything, while he was thinking about his homeland all the time.