Reborn in the Hong Kong entertainment industry in the 1980s

Qi Weiming acted as if the mockery of Lin Yi had never happened, immediately changing his tune and chuckling, "In terms of screenwriting skills, how many people can compare to you? At the TV station, you're number one."

After giving Lin Yi a thumbs up, Qi Weiming looked at the script and praised him, "It's so much better than before! It's so good that it's unbelievable. You've exceeded your usual level! You still need to be pushed a bit, otherwise you won't even know how much potential you have."

Lin Yi felt a little smug as he listened to Qi Weiming's endless praise, and at the same time couldn't help but glance at Hu Xiaoxiao.

Hu Xiaoxiao gave him a lot of advice and inspiration for his new script. Hu Xiaoxiao told him that audiences nowadays don't like to watch overly tragic stories, as evidenced by the increasing ratings of family-friendly dramas year after year. So, without affecting the overall logic of the play, he made this scene a little more lively and lightened the atmosphere.

To my surprise, the result was quite good after I finished writing it.

This was a bold attempt for Lin Yi, a departure from his usual serious theatrical style. Perhaps he could draw inspiration from Diderot's ideas of "serious comedy."

After quickly reading through the script, Qi Weiming immediately had several copies printed and distributed one to each of the main actors. He said, "This scene has been delayed for several days, affecting the filming schedule, so there's no time for you to memorize your lines. Read it once first to get a general idea, and then memorize them while filming."

Qi Weiming believes that the actors have all studied the script and have mastered and understood their own characters and stories. Even if there are changes, they can keep up with them, and they must keep up with them.

He had complete confidence in Lin Yi's script. It was Lin Yi's own script, so there wouldn't be any mistakes or contradictions with the later plot. Moreover, the two had worked together for so many years and had a tacit understanding. They had even argued and revised the script while filming in the past.

When Xia Lu heard that the script had been changed again, she thought she would lose her role. To her surprise, she not only got a role, but the script she received was also quite substantial. She was both surprised and delighted.

Lin Yi happened to see Xia Lu's delighted expression and said, "Miss Xia, you've gone to so much trouble to have so many scenes added for you. I'm a very easy person to talk to. Since you like adding scenes, I'll add two more for you."

Xia Lu quickly thanked him, "Thank you so much, Mr. Lin. I will definitely perform well and will not let you down."

"I believe you. Your acting skills are excellent, absolutely top-notch. You brought the character of Yamamoto Masako to life so vividly. I'm very satisfied," Lin Yi said amiably.

However, Xia Lu sensed a murderous aura from Lin Yi's calm expression. She felt something was wrong and quickly reviewed her scenes.

The sooner she saw that, the faster the joy on her face disappeared.

"Lin Sheng, isn't the character of Yamamoto Masako a bit too... too stupid? It seems a bit ridiculous..." Xia Lu asked cautiously.

Lin Yi calmly said, "Your question is rather ridiculous. When I was designing the character of Yamamoto Masako, I envisioned her as a greedy, stupid, and cruel idiot. I originally thought no actress could portray such stupidity, but Miss Xia has portrayed her very well. Miss Xia's performance is getting better and better, making it hard to tell whether it's the character or the real person."

Xia Lu was certain Lin Yi was scolding her, but she could only pretend not to know. She was trying to get better scenes for her role, and she went to so much trouble to add more scenes so that Yamamoto Masako would be more intelligent and witty, and not so bad, making it seem like she had some hidden difficulties, so that it would be easier for her to transition to a good person in her next drama. Otherwise, if she acted according to the original script, she was afraid it would affect her future image. She didn't expect that the script Lin Yi presented would directly amplify all of Yamamoto Masako's shortcomings.

"Lin Sheng, Yamamoto Masako is an important character in 'The Bund,' so if she's portrayed as a bit clever, someone who outwits and outmaneuvers Zhao Zhenchuan, the audience will be more willing to watch..."

"If you like intelligent and brave characters so much, why don't you compete for the female lead? Bao Jingmei, the female lead, is the smartest of all." Lin Yi said bluntly, "If you, as a villainous supporting character, finish all the smart and witty scenes, what will the protagonist do? Let the audience see how stupid and ridiculous the protagonist is, and how clever and intelligent the villain is? In my drama, you have to be smart when you're supposed to be smart, and when you're not supposed to be smart, you should just act like a pig."

Xia Lu suspected that Lin Yi was still cursing at her, but she could only pretend not to know and not understand.

Hu Xiaoxiao was reading the script when she heard Lin Yi cursing. She thought to herself: "Scholars really know how to curse. They can make people feel ashamed without using a single swear word."

It was also the first time Hu Xiaoxiao had seen her new script. Although she gave Lin Yi a lot of advice, she also added scenes for herself with her own agenda.

But she only now knows what it actually looks like.

Upon seeing this, the joy on her face grew even stronger.

Unexpectedly, Lin Yi not only added all the scenes she suggested, but also gave her a lot more screen time. Moreover, in this scene, Xie Weihua was portrayed as even more intelligent and resourceful, on par with Zhao Zhenchuan, and even smarter than Yamamoto Kazuya in the script Xia Lu had previously presented.

Seeing that Lin Yi was about to leave, she quickly went over and thanked him.

Lin Yi waved his hand and said, "I just wrote it more rigorously. Xie Weihua is extremely intelligent and knowledgeable. Otherwise, she wouldn't have been able to navigate the Wang Jingwei regime and help Zhao Zhenchuan resolve several crises."

He simply wrote in a more rigorous and fair manner.

How could Hu Xiaoxiao let such a fair screenwriter leave? This is a real gem! "Lin Sheng, since you're already here, why don't you watch us perform a scene first? You added so many scenes for me, I'm really excited, but also a little nervous, afraid of letting you down and not performing well. Why don't you stay and see how I perform and if there's anything I can improve?"

If she performs well, could you add a few more matches for her later?

Lin Yi thought about it for a moment. He was indeed quite free. He was already semi-retired. After writing "The Bund", he wouldn't have any work for a long time to come.

Staying on set and keeping an eye on things is a good idea; it'll keep an eye on the production and prevent it from being arbitrarily altered again. Especially Qi Weiming, that old guy loves to mess with his scripts, so he needs to keep a close eye on him.

After receiving Lin Yi's affirmative reply, Hu Xiaoxiao immediately found a quiet place to memorize her lines, making the most of every minute. While memorizing, she also mentally planned how to act it out and how to design her emotions.

Song Yan'an was also memorizing his lines. Since he had many scenes with Hu Xiaoxiao, the two simply sat together. They memorized their lines, went over them, and occasionally exchanged tips on how to best express their ideas.

Song Yan'an has a wealth of acting experience, and Hu Xiaoxiao never misses any opportunity to learn from an outstanding performer. Whenever she encounters something she's unsure about, she immediately and humbly asks Song Yan'an for advice.