A-Class Production

Around 11:40 AM, Wang Hai finally finished reading the first six episodes of the script. He looked up at Li Xun for a moment, his eyes filled with complex emotions, then turned back to re-read the scene that had left the deepest impression on him:

Interior Scene, the residence where the murdered Goryeo Crown Prince was staying, daytime.

Bao Zheng, the Goryeo Princess, Minister Cui, Grand Tutor Pang, Shen Liang the Blade Head, the Prefect of Luzhou, and others gathered at the crime scene. Bao Zheng meticulously unraveled all the mysteries.

Prefect of Luzhou Gongsun Zhen: So, how did the murderer kill them? The moment we heard the commotion, we rushed in. There's no way the killer could have murdered the Crown Prince and the Seventh Prince so brutally in such a short amount of time!

Bao Zheng: It's actually very simple.

Female voice outside the room shouts: Ah!

Crowd: Who? What happened? What's going on?

The crowd went to the room and saw Madam Bao.

Constable Lu Yun: Madam Bao, did you scream?

Madam Bao: I didn't scream! I really didn't!

Prefect Gongsun Zhen: But we clearly heard you scream just now.

Madam Bao: I really didn't.

Prefect Gongsun Zhen: Then what happened?

Ling Chuchu enters the frame: It was me!

Prefect Gongsun Zhen: What do you mean?

Bao Zheng: Does everyone understand now?

Prefect Gongsun Zhen: Understand what?

Gongsun Ce enters the frame: Everyone heard the scream and turned around to see Madam Bao outside the room, immediately assuming the scream came from her. In reality, it's hard to determine who screamed based on just one sound. When the yamen runners heard a scream from inside the room, they naturally wondered which room it came from. When they rushed in and found only the deceased, they directly assumed the scream came from the victim. However, the one who actually screamed was the killer.

Bao Zheng: Yes, exactly! The killer actually injured the victim severely with a heavy blow the moment they entered, then stuffed his mouth with something like cloth to prevent him from screaming. Once everything was set up after the murder, they let out a loud yell. That's why, seeing the victim killed in such a short time with no one else around, everyone assumed it was the work of a female ghost and blamed Chuchu.

Goryeo Princess: Then why did the killer make the two princes look so horrifying?

Minister Cui: According to your explanation, the killer was still inside when the yamen runners rushed into the room. How did they escape?

Bao Zheng: That's the most brilliant part of the entire setup. The bodies of the two princes were mangled, and the room was covered in blood. It wasn't just about killing them; the killer's goal was to create a diversion to escape.

Madam Bao: Escape how?

Bao Zheng: I wonder if everyone has noticed that there's an extra person among us now. In fact, this person wasn't here when you all first entered.

Prefect Gongsun Zhen: Impossible! We all came in together!

Gongsun Ce: No, it was me! I only entered just now while I was explaining the scream to everyone.

Prefect Gongsun Zhen: Is that so? Didn't you come in with us?

Bao Zheng: My lord, he is your son. Didn't you even notice if he entered with you?

Prefect Gongsun Zhen: When we entered the hall, there was a crowd of people. With so many people, it was reasonable to assume he was involved in the case. How was I supposed to know he wasn't here originally?

Bao Zheng: That's right. In fact, the killer was also playing this trick!

Ling Chuchu: What exactly is going on? Tell us quickly!

Gongsun Ce: That's because the killer was a yamen runner in official uniform. After the incident, he blended in with the other yamen runners. Everyone was flustered at the time, and since he was already a yamen runner, his presence didn't arouse any suspicion at all.

Bao Zheng: After killing them, the killer hid behind the door and yelled loudly. Then the yamen runners rushed in and were terrified by the sight of the Crown Prince's death. No one noticed anything. Finally, the killer left unnoticed. This is why the killer could murder someone in a completely sealed room. Because the killer was a yamen runner, and he is standing among us right now!

Wang Hai had a faint feeling that this Young Bao Qingtian might be even more exciting than the widely popular The Coroner. But was that really possible? It was probably just his imagination?!

Wang Hai couldn't quite believe his intuition.

"That's right, it must be my imagination!" Wang Hai thought.

Just then, producer Tang Jiahe hurried through the editorial department, heading straight for Vice President Dai Ying's office.

Tang Jiahe was Dai Ying's ace executive producer, having already helmed two A-Class Productions. Both works had received extremely positive ratings and industry acclaim. He rushed into President Dai's office. Was the company about to launch another major project?

The office buzzed with activity.

Only productions with a budget exceeding 2 million per episode qualified as A-Class Productions. For A-Class Productions, the screenwriter's bonus was 200,000 per episode. Every single screenwriter in the office dreamt of writing an A-Class Production. This wasn't just about a bonus of several million; it was also about gaining immense industry prestige. A screenwriter who could independently create one A-Class Production, with just one or two classic works in their lifetime, would basically be set for life.

"Has one of our Screenwriting Department's scripts been designated A-Class?"

The atmosphere in the office became restless, with envy and jealousy spreading among dozens of screenwriters.

Tang Jiahe had been on a roll for the past two years, so the possibility of his project being an A-Class Production was very high.

"No way. Although our Penguin Video is a major player, we only have one or two A-Class Productions each year. Besides, our company hasn't had an original A-Class script in years. In the company's eyes, well-known IPs with large fan bases are the golden children. Original scripts? Getting a B-Class Production would be good enough."

"Then has an IP adaptation project someone here is working on been approved?"

No one in the editorial department responded.

They weren't sure about the IP adaptation works, but a family drama being adapted in the department might qualify for an A-Class Production. However, that project had only recently started, so it couldn't possibly be this fast?!

In fact, although many screenwriters complained that management didn't value original scripts, they themselves weren't much different.

The bonus for original scripts was indeed high, but it only counted if you actually got paid, right? How many people in the Screenwriting Department had rewritten an original script dozens of times, worked on it for months, only to be suddenly informed that the project was scrapped?

Writing original screenplays is really too difficult.

And most screenplays adapted from major IPs can eventually be successfully released. Only when a work is successfully released can screenwriters receive their full commission. Indeed, even though the bulk of the script fees for major IP adaptations go to the original novel authors, the adaptation screenwriters can still get a piece of the pie.

"Perhaps it's a popular novel's hot IP that was just bought from outside? The company values this Costume Suspense trend so much, they must have spent a lot of money to buy a popular IP from outside."

"It must be. If that's the case, the adaptation task should come down this afternoon. I'm just finishing up my current work. Once this IP adaptation project is released, I'll sign up. Although the money for adaptation projects isn't much, I don't have the talent for original work, so I won't aim too high."

Wang Hai listened to his colleagues' discussions and looked at Li Xun, who was rubbing his wrists. A thought suddenly occurred to him:

"Could Producer Tang Jiahe have been specifically brought in by President Dai to study his script?"

But he immediately dismissed the thought.

"No way. This script was just sent to President Dai. No matter how good the script is, how could it possibly catch President Dai's eye without being revised ten or eight times? Even the best script couldn't possibly get approved this quickly. It makes no sense!"