Wen Ying deliberately teased him a bit. Director Fan felt like a cat scratched at his heart.
This episode had a segment where several writers introduced their new works. Director Fan just needed to wait patiently for a few hours. He would naturally see the content of “Crown of Thorns”.
Director Fan felt utterly speechless. “Xiao Wen, you have learned bad habits from Director Yuan. You were not like this before.”
“I have always been like this. You just did not know me well enough in the past.”
Director Fan did not get angry.
Wen Ying could joke with him. That meant she felt close to him!
Director Fan quite enjoyed this closeness.
The recording started. Since the process was fixed, Wen Ying could not tell yet if she was the main guest. The final effect would depend on editing.
Li Mengjiao had been badly tricked by post-production editing before. Wen Ying did not want to follow in Li Mengjiao’s footsteps. In truth, Wen Ying mainly considered the programme team. Yuan Fenghui was hard to deal with. Wen Ying was no pushover either. She did not care if she was the main guest. But she would not let others use her as a stepping stone!
After the “Writers’ Rich List” came out, Wen Ying’s popularity reached a small peak. The programme team staff all gave her face. They treated her politely. Wen Ying also showed her approachable side. Mrs Wang was a social butterfly too. For a time, the whole studio filled with a relaxed air.
This episode invited five writers as guests. Three men and two women. The women were Wen Ying and Lan Jing.
Apart from Lan Jing, the other four writers, including Wen Ying, all had real bestsellers to their name. The three male writers had earned quite a bit of money too. In such a setting, no one would go it alone. Wen Ying had Mrs Wang with her. The three male writers had their assistants along too.
Wen Ying was the one who rose to fame latest. The three male writers had been famous for years. They handled such occasions with ease.
During breaks in recording, they all exchanged contact details with Wen Ying.
Though Lan Jing was very pretty, no male author took the initiative to chat with her. In fact, they all found it strange. Why was Lan Jing recording a variety show with them?
To put it bluntly, including Wen Ying, everyone had sold over a million copies of a single book. Lan Jing was pretty, sure. But her books had no success. Why could she join them for the show?
Only one reason. Lan Jing had strong backing!
One male writer tested the waters with Wen Ying. “I heard the host say just now that she debuted through a writing contest prize. You were a judge for that contest, right? Do you know any inside stories?”
Wen Ying shook her head with a smile. “It is not good to talk behind someone’s back.”
The male writer got it at once.
He felt Wen Ying seemed to say nothing. But in fact, she said everything. Lan Jing got to record this episode because of inside dealings!
The male writer wanted more gossip. But Bao Lixin arrived with people carrying a stack of books.
The finely printed new books still gave off a faint ink scent. They were Lan Jing’s new book, “Crown of Thorns”.
Bao Lixin led Lan Jing. They gave out the books one by one to the staff, to the host. Of course, that included the guests for this episode. Director Fan lingered outside the studio on purpose. He passed by Bao Lixin and snatched a copy in a flash.
Wen Ying had teased him on purpose. It nearly drove Director Fan mad. He had to see what made this book so special!
Though the three male writers had thoughts about Lan Jing joining the recording, they kept basic courtesy on the surface. They all smiled and accepted the gifted books. They gave their own new books in return to Lan Jing.
It was Wen Ying’s turn. Bao Lixin stressed on purpose, “Our Lan Jing’s new book. We ask Teacher Xiaoyu for your kind guidance!”
Bao Lixin thought that once Wen Ying saw “Crown of Thorns”, she would explode with anger. Perhaps she would lose her temper in the studio.
That would be good. If Wen Ying lost composure, Bao Lixin could stir up some news.
One had to say, after getting to know Director Guan, Bao Lixin, who already had no bottom line, opened a new door to the world. His bottom line dropped even lower. Combining publishing promotion with entertainment hype, thick skin meant invincible!
Wen Ying deliberately flipped through a few pages in front of Bao Lixin. She praised Lan Jing sincerely. “The book is good. Big progress. Leaving Rongcheng Literature Press opened a new world for you!”
Lan Jing might have felt guilty. Her face changed. She forced a smile. “Xiaoyu, you left before me…”
Wen Ying admitted it openly. “Yes, we both have new paths. That is not the point. The point is, I remember you used to call me Teacher Xiaoyu?”
“Pfft.”
The male writer who gossiped earlier could not hold back. He burst out laughing.
Of course Lan Jing had to call her “Teacher Xiaoyu”. For others, it was polite. For Lan Jing, it was a must. Because Lan Jing debuted through the writing contest. Wen Ying was a judge. She had truly guided Lan Jing!
Bao Lixin had a debt of gratitude from discovering Lan Jing?
Then Wen Ying counted as Lan Jing’s true mentor!
The male writer laughed. Then he quickly covered his mouth. “Oh, I just thought of a joke. Do not mind me. Carry on!”
How could they carry on now? Lan Jing’s face turned red. She walked away.
Bao Lixin felt puzzled. Why did Wen Ying not react? Did she not notice?
What a shame.
Wen Ying seemed unaffected. Instead, Lan Jing seemed startled by Wen Ying’s two jabs. In the next game segment, she kept making mistakes.
Even simple games, she could not cooperate well with her teammate. It wore out the patience of her male writer partner.
Mrs Wang could not understand it. With such poor mental strength, Bao Lixin still dared to promote her like this?
The programme had not finished recording yet. Director Fan came in holding the finished “Crown of Thorns”.
“Is that surnamed Guan mad? This book and “With the Galaxy” are not identical, but the story framework is eighty or ninety percent similar. What is this? This is plagiarism!”
“With the Galaxy” told an entertainment circle story. From trainee to star.
“Crown of Thorns” told of a dancing girl’s dream chase.
The settings differed.
The rest was just rewriting “With the Galaxy” in another way. General readers might not notice so keenly. Director Fan was different. He was a professional. Every year, the dramas aired on Hunan TV, the hot broadcasts on other channels, Director Fan would not miss one. He followed them from start to finish.
TV drama plots, filmed over and over, used all those tropes. Someone had written every routine. For the same theme to shine, it came down to the screenwriter’s skill.
Sensitive as Director Fan, he saw through “Crown of Thorns” at once. The story structure, plot conflicts, character setups all resembled “With the Galaxy” closely!
This was plagiarism.
It was high imitation.
Wen Ying, the original author who got plagiarised, had not got angry yet. Director Fan blew up. “I will absolutely not let this drama get greenlit!”
Mrs Wang did not expect Director Fan to have such integrity. She was about to give him a big thumbs up. Director Fan leaned in and whispered low. “Let Xiao Wen sue them for plagiarism. If the original gets tangled in a lawsuit, our channel will not feel right investing. That surnamed Guan bought the rights, did he not? Let him lose big!”
