Screenwriter

  Screenwriter

  Two days later, Fang Hua still found Man Li and talked about Dai Ping's affairs.

  Marilyn said apologetically: "Actually, I also know that David is quite good and excellent. But, I really don't have any feeling for him! Probably, he's not the type I like!"

  "What type do you like?" Fang Hua thought this was a question that many boys would want to know.

  Marilyn said regretfully, "I don't know either! Maybe on a certain day in a certain month of a certain year, when I saw that boy, I would naturally know what type I like! But I really don't know now!"

  It's all just empty talk, saying it is equivalent to not saying it at all.

  Manli turned around and asked her: "Then you tell me, what kind of boys do you like?"

  Now it's Fang Hua's turn to be speechless. "Boyfriend"?! How could she let herself like those silly boys? But what kind of "man" does she actually like? In fact, she still can't say it out loud. The failed marriage from her past life seemed to have killed off her emotional cells. She no longer believes in men, no longer believes in love, and naturally shut the door to her heart.

  Manli continued to ask Fanghua, and Fanghua could only perfunctorily say: "I'm the same as you, when the time comes and I meet that person, I'll naturally know." Manli laughed and scolded her for being evasive.

  Dai Ping's ability to withstand setbacks is still pretty good. Recently, Fang Hua has been paying attention to him and hasn't found any signs of self-abandonment after a lost love. As the schoolwork gets heavier after the start of term, he seems to be gradually immersing himself in his studies just like the other students. Perhaps apart from time, wholeheartedly working and studying is also a good remedy for emotional wounds!

  The four-person trip had actually stopped, but coincidentally, all four people received the Jian Zhen Sheng Scholarship this year. The scholarship is named after an excellent student of our school who sacrificed himself on the battlefield in Korea that year. It was meant to inspire later generations to love their country and school, and has always been considered the highest honor that students can receive at the school level. When the four people went on stage with other winners to receive the award, Dai Ping and Luo Manli naturally congratulated each other and took a photo together graciously.

  Not long after, due to the school's preparation for the first University Campus Cultural Festival in the city, student union cadres from various faculties often held meetings together. Dai Ping and Luo Manli went through these events as a buffer, and it was as if that awkward incident had never happened, and everyone became good friends again! The four-person group reappeared on the scene! With things resolved like this, Fang Hua also secretly let out a sigh of relief!

  This cultural festival is the first time to be held in this city, so all universities attach great importance to it. They will send their best representatives with carefully prepared programs for performances and competitions among schools. There are calligraphy and photography exhibitions, speech and essay contests, as well as literary and artistic performances.

  The medical university students' association also broke the boundaries of various faculties this time, requiring students from each faculty to unite and cooperate to produce their best works for the cultural festival.

  The four of them often heard Dai Luo discussing the preparations for the Cultural Festival. Dai Ping was in charge of publicity, and it wasn't difficult to gather some talented people to write essays and create artworks. Lu Manli was in charge of cultural performances, but she had run into a headache.

  Because the school hopes that this time's programs are all original student-created new programs, which is more in line with the theme and will not be repeated with other schools. As for dance, it's easier to say, there are semi-professional talents like Jiang Lu, who can still create some new dances; as for songs, students have also found several self-organized underground band singers, who actually have original songs, whether they sound good or not is another matter, at least they can go on stage and fill the stage.

  The trouble is that we still need to arrange a drama program. However, this original script has not yet been finalized. The student union at school assigned this task to Roman Li, which made her anxious. She flipped through many materials and still couldn't find a suitable script.

  Dai Ping suggested that she mobilize the whole school to collect manuscripts, so Luomanli asked the student union to issue a notice on the radio and at the entrance of the cafeteria. However, after the notice was issued, there were still few respondents.

  Perhaps because the university campuses of this era had not yet formed the kind of large-scale, organized club culture that would come later, most people born in the 1970s were still standardized products of traditional education, and students' personalities and interests lacked deep development. Among the few talented students, those with skills in music, art, calligraphy, etc. were more common, while literary pursuits, although present, were mostly limited to poetry and essay writing; specialized study of drama was virtually nonexistent.

  Finally one day, Luomanli was at a loss and had Fanghua help write a script.

  Fang Hua was taken aback: "How did you find me? I've never written a script before!"

  Luomanli said: "I'm also helpless! Looking at you talking about movies and whatnot, it's like a river flowing from your mouth, every word is on point! I think, letting you write a script should be a piece of cake! So, look at me being anxious to the point of my eyebrows burning, can't you just help out a bit?!"

  Fang Hua exclaimed: "What's going on here! I comment on movies, it's just pointing fingers and talking nonsense, but writing a script is real creation! I'm not good enough!"

  Lu Manxiao persisted: "You haven't tried, how do you know it won't work? I think you can! You comment so logically, it should be no problem to come up with a plot and write a script! Besides, if you can write such a difficult medical thesis, why would a small script stump you?"

  "Can writing papers and scripts be the same?"

  The beauty was speechless, it seems that this romantic girl had also become desperate. She finally said helplessly: "Then I'll go back and think about it!"

  That night, Fanghua lay in bed thinking for a long time. At first, she thought of copying some of the popular comedy sketches from the Spring Festival Gala, but she felt that those comedians' styles were too exaggerated and not suitable for a university cultural festival. Later, she recalled many scenes from movies and TV shows she had watched, and finally thought of a film, "Turn Left, Turn Right", produced by Johnnie To and adapted from Jimmy Liao's illustrated book.

  The film adaptation is not bad, and Leslie Cheung and Takashi Kaneshiro have performed well in this urban love story. The movie is filled with the melancholy of people's confusion and loneliness in the city, and the constant missed encounters between the male and female leads make one sigh at the capriciousness of fate. This can be said to be a romantic film full of petit-bourgeois sentimentality.

  But Fanghua thinks that the characters in this movie are simple, but the plot changes are full of drama, and it's a story about love and fate. If adapted into a stage play, it should be popular among university students.

  The next day at noon, Luomanli couldn't wait to arrive at Fanghua's dormitory and asked if she wanted to come out. As a result, while eating, Fanghua outlined the story of "Turn Left, Turn Right".

  Not only was Mary very interested after hearing it, but the others in the dormitory also thought the story was quite interesting. Mary said excitedly: "I told you you'd be fine, now hurry up and write the script!"

  Fang Hua hastily said: "No way, I really can't write this script! Otherwise, let me recommend someone to you!"

  Manli strangely asked: "Who is it? Why didn't you recommend him earlier?"

  Fang Hua smiled and said, "I just thought of it!" Then she walked to the door and hugged Zhou Yu's shoulders: "Hey, it's her! Our dormitory's eldest sister Zhou Yu!"

  Zhou Yudiao almost jumped up: "Lao Yao, what are you kidding? I'm not going!"

  Luomanli looked at her and then at Fanghua, but didn't say anything.

  Fanghua smiled and picked up a copy of the latest issue of "Rising Sun" from the table, flipped to a certain page and handed it to Manli: "Take a look at this article!"

  Marie read aloud: "A New Letter of Farewell" - a family letter, written by Zhou Yu. The main content is:

  "The son's words: Now that the semester is not yet half over, but there is no money in the middle of the road. Although one day three meals are added to fatigue, this is indeed a critical moment of survival. However, parents and elders do not slack off at home, and children who forget themselves in their studies abroad, cover up the ancestral virtues, and want to repay them in the future. It is advisable to remit money again to honor parents' faces and restore the child's spirit; it is not advisable to be self-deprecating, cherish wealth, and cut off the child's financial path."

  At home and abroad, it's hard to be the same; in cities and rural areas, they are vastly different. If you think I'm spending too much money and being extravagant, you should compare it to the standards of Hong Kong and Taiwan entertainment industry, so as to balance your mentality, and not be biased, losing face for our child also.

  Boys and girls' clothes, shoes, hats, accessories, etc. are all famous brands. The colors are extraordinary, and the children buy them in simple style. I think that wearing is a matter of no big or small, all follow fashion, then put into practice, and can cover up one's origin, with some benefits.

  I was mediocre in my studies, and when I went to the city for school, I just sought to pass muster within my class, not seeking fame throughout the campus. Friends didn't think me lowly, and often invited me to play mahjong and poker. They guided me through the confusion, and I felt grateful, so I promised many friends that I would drive them around...

  As for attending classes, taking notes, reading books and doing homework, these are all tasks for bookworms. Although my grades have dropped several times, I have no complaints or regrets. During exams, I look around to seek help from my deskmate. If unfortunately I get caught cheating, it's just bad luck, and I'll wait for the re-exam. My parents should also take care of themselves, borrowing here and there, raising funds in many ways, to rescue their child from difficulties. The child is grateful and moved by their kindness.

  Tonight, as I sit at my desk, tears fall like rain, and I am at a loss for words."

  Manli read with a smile, and although others in the dormitory had seen it before, they couldn't help but laugh along.

  "Great, great!" Manli said after finishing reading. Then she put down the newspaper and walked in front of Zhou Yu, looking at her with sincere eyes: "Sister Zhou, your writing is so good, help me out! Help me write a script!"

  Roman's charm is irresistible to both men and women, and Zhou Yu was also shaken: "But I've never written a script either!"

  "Hey, you don't have to go on stage, it's not about the format. Just write a script outline based on the story I just told, mainly focus on writing out the characters' dialogue!"

  Zhou Yu tapped her nose and said: "Such a simple thing, why didn't you write it? You're really good at catching the gist of things!"

  Fang Hua smiled: "I'm not as good at writing as you! However, I do have an idea! I think this play can be made into a musical stage play, with most of the characters' dialogue sung out in songs!"

  Manli asked: "Singing? Do you also compose?"

  Fang Hua said: "No need, just use some popular songs that everyone is familiar with, and change the lyrics. This is Lao Da's strong point!"

  Zhou Yu still didn't quite understand: "What song should we use after all?"

  For example, when the male and female leads first meet in the park and fall in love at first sight, they can sing: You've never seen me, I've never seen you, young friends who meet for the first time, with a match made in heaven; you don't need to introduce yourself, I don't need to introduce myself. Young friends together are happier than anything else...

  For example, when it suddenly rains heavily and the two are forced to separate, this song can be modified - Splash, splash, splash, it's raining, everyone is running; Ba, ba, ba, ba, taxis have a great business (you can't sit if you don't have money); Splash, splash, splash, many people got wet, lost their smile on their face, helplessly looking up at the sky, sighing and shaking their head...

  There are still two people who miss each other and can't see each other. The heroine can sing "Floating Snow" without changing many lyrics - seeing the snow floating again, floating in the memories of heartache, making me think of you again, but stirring up my heartache... thinking of you again, embracing the fluttering white snow... it turns out that being with you was just a dream, like the fluttering snow tears falling, wetting the cold and clear evening sky, it turns out that I loved you so deeply, now accompanying my painful memories...

  Zhou Yu listened and quickly took out a pen and paper to start recording. Manli and the other sisters in the dormitory were all attracted by Fang Hua's novel ideas, and they also came up with suggestions one after another. Everyone had just heard the outline of the story, and immediately freely associated their own ideas, coming up with many suitable popular songs.

  In just an afternoon, everyone managed to piece together the outline of the main scenes in the script, especially many dialogues and songs for the transitions. It's truly amazing how popular songs can be so deeply ingrained in people's hearts.

  Later, Manli and Zhou Yu discussed it for several nights and finally settled on the script. When they decided on a title, they came up with "Yuan". Fanghua also thought this name was more acceptable to college students at that time than the original one.

  The first draft of the script was unanimously passed by the student union, and Manli began to select roles. Originally wanted to ask Jianglu and Lu Heng, this campus couple, to play the male and female leads, Lu Heng is okay, but unfortunately, Jianglu's voice is a low-pitched woman, and her singing is also average. In the end, Jianglu lost the opportunity to play the lead role, and Lu Heng was unwilling to act as a couple with others, and he actually quit playing the male lead.

  Finally, Manli decided to play the female lead herself. She was originally a frequent host on stage, with a clear and pleasant voice, and her singing was not bad either. Her image and temperament were also very consistent with the setting of the heroine. However, she spent half a day selecting male leads from among the enthusiastic members of the student union's entertainment department, but none of them were suitable. Either their appearance wasn't good enough, or their voice was bad, or they couldn't sing in tune. In the end, even those who looked and sang okay didn't have the right temperament.

  Fang Hua jokingly said to Man Li: "Otherwise, all the boys in school will be selected! As long as they say it's a match with you, those who come to apply won't be crowded!"

  Manli gave her a white eye: "Don't take me for granted!" However, she still posted the poster and searched for the male lead throughout the school. I don't know if it's because the poster didn't mention her, but there weren't many boys who came to audition, and among these few people, no suitable one was found.

  It's almost late September, and Marilyn still hasn't found the male lead. She can only continue to advertise for people while starting other preparations, such as contacting rehearsal venues, preparing props, making backdrops, and further revising the script. Fortunately, there are still over two months until the university student cultural festival performance at the end of November, so she should have time to slowly find someone.