Chapter 3: That

Fang Hong looked around the set, then pulled Chen Zhixi aside to a secluded spot.

Chen Zhixi found the man's behavior oddly comical, like a thief, but she still followed him to a quiet place.

"Why so secretive?" she said.

"Afraid someone will steal it, so better to be cautious," Fang Hong said.

Chen Zhixi nodded; copyright enforcement in the domestic market really was chaotic, with plagiarism rampant.

How did Yu Ma rise? By plagiarism!

How did Xu Guangtou rise? Again, plagiarism—he even lost the lawsuit.

But does that matter?

They made money, achieved fame and fortune; whatever happened after was their own doing.

Few film productions avoid plagiarism; it's just that enforcement tightened later, yet it can't be fully eradicated.

Fang Hong pulled out a notebook from his chest and handed it to her: "Here's the script—see if it's worth pursuing."

Chen Zhixi took it and read the bold characters on the cover: Those Years, The Girl We Chased.

She frowned slightly: "Why does this title sound so familiar?"

"That's not important—look at the plot," Fang Hong gestured.

Of course it sounded familiar—it was adapted from the novel Those Years, The Girl We Together Chased.

The title differs from the original novel, but the meaning is identical.

That film was the pioneering work of the youth genre, sparking massive backlash and countless imitations.

The author's far away in Taiwan—who cares? If needed, just pay him a few ten thousand yuan after release to quiet him down.

Fang Hong had considered buying the adaptation rights, but the author had problematic ideology, communication was difficult, not a good guy—so he gave up.

Besides, Fang Hong didn't copy it entirely—he changed the setting and many plot points; the novel's backdrop was 1994 Taiwan, he switched it to 1998 Beijing.

Also, the original film didn't follow the novel closely—the character designs differed too; the novel's male lead was short and small, but Fang Hong wrote him tall and handsome, modeling after himself.

The film and novel plots also varied in degree: in the novel, the male lead first liked another girl before falling for the female lead; the film included many scenes absent from the novel.

Plus, there's a scene early on where the male lead jerks off in class—definitely can't film that; just change it to him reading porn magazines, more subtle.

Also, the original film is full of vulgar scenes: full nudity, smuggling, homosexuality, sexual innuendos—Fang Hong won't film any of that.

He'll only let the male lead read porn magazines under the covers, just a hint of youthful hormones.

This reflects different ideologies and life details; the original film's ideology and life details matched Taiwan and Hong Kong.

These must all be aligned with mainland China—to serve the target audience!

For example, there's a scene with an earthquake—can't use that; change it to SARS, perfect timing.

With these changes, the surface is unrecognizable, but the core story remains: lost love, ordinary youth.

Actually, this film feels dull—no central plot, just simple, essay-like narration; it needs tightening.

The original runs about 109 minutes; Fang Hong must cut at least ten minutes, keeping only the essence and deleting all sluggish parts.

Fang Hong isn't determined to copy this work—he simply has a tiny pool of options at his current stage, so he must choose from low-budget films.

Low-budget films can't copy comedies; comedies demand high acting skill—poor acting becomes painfully awkward.

He dares not gamble on overly avant-garde films, since many successes depend on their era and market conditions—he can't afford to risk it.

Also, he can't produce overly polished films right now—not because he lacks ability, but because no one gives him that much money, and he lacks a professional team.

Great, well-produced films rely on highly professional teams; no director can accomplish them alone.

Professional behind-the-scenes teams have fixed collaborators; even if you invite others, you need clout, and your old employer must be free.

Filmmaking is a team achievement—success requires harmony among people.

At this stage, youth films are the best choice: low production cost, low technical barrier, short shooting schedule, and already market-tested.

Youth campus films will be hugely successful in the coming years!

"The story's fine—just lacks a focused main plot, which might bore viewers, but it can still move them."

Chen Zhixi closed the notebook: "It's just that the title feels familiar—I can't recall where I've seen it."

"That's not important—just tell me if it's worth pursuing," Fang Hong tapped the notebook.

"Hard to say—no youth-themed film has succeeded on the market yet," Chen Zhixi said.

"Then we'll be the pioneers. Following others and eating dust won't catch the wave—we'll make others eat our dust," Fang Hong said with passion.

"Take an unconventional path."

Chen Zhixi strongly agreed.

To succeed, you must create something new that shocks the audience.

She looked again at the bold characters on the cover, growing more familiar: "Aren't 'Those Years' the title of a novel?"

"That's not—" Fang Hong was about to say those four words again.

"Those Years, The Girl We Together Chased," Chen Zhixi slowly recited, then realized: "Isn't that the title of a Taiwan novel?"

"Yeah, borrowed from it," Fang Hong showed no guilt.

"You're plagiarizing!"

Chen Zhixi raised her voice.

Fang Hong glanced around: "Don't say it so harshly—it's just inspiration. If you don't believe me, take my script home and compare it to the novel—see how much is actually the same."

You blatantly copied the title—what's left to say?

Chen Zhixi had no patience to compare; youth films are all like this anyway—she only worried: "If this film gets made, it'll cause trouble."

"Even if it's a completely original story, success will bring trouble—unless you're unknown, then no one cares."

Fang Hong's words made sense: success breeds envy; people will criticize. Stay obscure, nothing happens; become famous, trouble follows.

He added: "Sister Chen, don't overthink it—just do it. If we succeed, who'll care how we did it?"

"That mouth of yours is pretty sharp — you've talked me into it."

Chen Zhixi laughed and shook her head. So young, yet already so glib, and she could see the ugly side of the market so clearly.

She also understood that playing by the rules made it hard to stand out, and decided: "I'll go raise some investment for you."

"Sorry to trouble you."

Fang Hong nodded, then rested his hand on Chen Zhixi's arm and said in earnest: "If anyone asks who wrote this script, don't say it was me — just make up some name."

"You've got some shame left, but not much."

Chen Zhixi didn't say that — it was obviously not fear of others plagiarizing him, but fear of others accusing him of plagiarism.

That's why he's being so secretive and sneaky!

(End of chapter)