After an hour and a half of discussion, they finally hammered out the plan.
The script would follow the novel's plot as closely as possible, with only minor adjustments at most.
Adaptation means adapting — not making things up. Dramatization means dramatizing — not talking nonsense.
In her past life, so many works had been ruined at the adaptation stage. The source material would be perfectly good — internally consistent, well-plotted, paced with just the right balance of tension and breathing room, with both characters and story worthy of being called a masterpiece.
And then the adaptation team would, seemingly having lost their minds entirely, hack and slash their way through it until a genuine gem had been turned into absolute trash.
The most infamous example was Ma Po Cang Qiong.
Fighting spirit transformed into a horse.
The internet had exploded with countless jokes about it. Things like: I'm a time-traveler, currently being hunted by ten Dou Emperors, and yet I'm not panicked in the slightest — I almost want to laugh, because my horse is faster than all of theirs.
As for casting, that would be handled jointly by the Yun-Han Opera Troupe and the director's team.
The Yun-Han Opera Troupe worked in traditional performance, but at its core it wasn't so different from what she needed — the two arts shared the same roots.
If anything, stage performance demanded even higher standards of acting than filmed drama. After all, on a film set you could always call cut and do it again.
So Fang Qiu had no desire to interfere too much with the professionals' choices on that front.
She simply looked through the photos submitted by the applicants and picked out a few whose looks came close to the actors from the Sword and Fairy productions in her past life.
Which reminded her — thinking it over carefully, she had to admit her own appearance was actually quite well-suited to playing Xi Yao.
Not that Fang Qiu had any interest in acting, of course.
Besides, looking at the filming schedule Ningguang had put together, the cast was going to be run absolutely ragged. She'd never survive that.
Grueling as it was, though, Ningguang was offering correspondingly generous pay.
Generous by local standards, that is — still worlds apart from the actors back in her past life who routinely raked in over a hundred million per production. But it was fair compensation, all things considered.
With the Sword and Fairy production settled, she said her goodbyes to Ningguang and took her leave.
Stepping out of Yuehai Pavilion, she judged by the angle of the sun that it was already past eleven in the morning.
The light hit her eyes and left dark spots swimming in her vision.
I really did not sleep nearly enough...
Fang Qiu made her way back to her rental place — and the moment she reached the door, she spotted a familiar figure.
The woman was dressed in violet, her long purple hair styled up into twin-tail buns.
It was Yuheng Keqing.
She was seated beside the doorway, absorbed in a book she held with careful attention.
It was one of the volumes of Sword and Fairy.
Beside her sat a finely crafted cloth bag — by its shape, it likely held more books.
The sound of Fang Qiu's approach caught Keqing's attention. Spotting that it was Fang Qiu returning, Keqing couldn't help but smile and close her book, rising from the stool to greet her.
"Good morning, Miss Fang Qiu. I was starting to think you weren't home."
Keqing smiled as she said it.
"Good morning, Miss Keqing. I stepped out to take care of some business — I'm sorry to have kept you waiting."
Fang Qiu said.
"Not at all. It gave me the chance to read more of your Sword and Fairy while I waited. It really is wonderful — I've grown very fond of Tang Xuejian and Jing Tian."
Keqing shook her head with a smile.
"You flatter me, Miss Keqing."
Fang Qiu felt a flicker of genuine curiosity and asked: "By the way — was there something you needed to see me about, Miss Keqing?"
Shouldn't Keqing be overseeing the tunnel excavation works in the northern mountain range right now?
What had brought her here?
"Something like that," Keqing said with a smile.
"Then let's go inside and talk."
Fang Qiu said.
She led Keqing inside and said: "Make yourself comfortable, Miss Keqing. Oh — I only have black tea on hand, is that all right?"
"That's perfectly fine," Keqing said.
"All right then."
Fang Qiu gave a small nod, went to the kitchen to brew a pot of tea, and brought out some Liyue pastries to go with it.
When she came back out of the kitchen, she found Keqing trying to coax Tingyu into playing.
Tingyu, as ever, maintained her air of aloofness — treating Keqing's overtures with supreme indifference.
"She's shy around new people. Doesn't like getting close."
Fang Qiu smiled and set the pastries and tea down in front of Keqing.
"I see."
Keqing withdrew her gaze with a faint look of disappointment, lifted the teacup, and took a delicate sip. "Actually, I'm not here for anything major. First — the tunnel construction has entered its final stage. It should be completed within the next day or two, so I wanted to ask you to come up with a name for it. I know it's technically the second tunnel, but since the whole point from the very beginning was to break through this particular mountain range, I thought it deserved a proper name — which is why I wanted to ask you."
"I see," Fang Qiu said, considering for a moment. "How about 'Flourishing'?"
"Flourishing?"
"Right. Diligence forges gold; gold builds prosperity. This tunnel was dug to open trade with Mondstadt and bring prosperity to Liyue Harbor — so 'Flourishing' fits the purpose perfectly."
Fang Qiu said.
"That makes sense."
Keqing nodded. "Then the tunnel's name shall be 'Flourishing.'"
"Was there anything else, Miss Keqing?"
Fang Qiu gently rubbed her eyes and asked.
"Nothing else."
Noticing the exhaustion on Fang Qiu's face, Keqing shook her head, rose with a smile, and said: "I have other matters to attend to, so I'll take my leave."
"...All right. Take care, Miss Keqing."
Fang Qiu stood as well to see her off.
"Of course."
Keqing gave a nod, said her goodbyes, and stepped out the door.
"Ahhh... I finally had a day off, and I was actually hoping to invite Miss Fang Qiu out for a bit of shopping — but she looked like she hadn't slept properly at all. She probably stayed up all night working... it seems Miss Fang Qiu is quite the hard worker herself."
Out on the streets of Liyue, Keqing let out a quiet sigh and glanced back at Fang Qiu's home, muttering to herself: "I suppose next time will have to do. Though I wonder whether Miss Fang Qiu will be free for the Moonfeast Festival."
The moment Keqing was gone, Fang Qiu flopped face-first onto the bed with a thud.
"I really shouldn't have stayed up reading light novels... so tired."
She mumbled into the pillow, utterly boneless.
These past few days, she'd done nothing but read light novels — hadn't touched her writing once. In the language of her past life: she hadn't even created a new folder yet.
She hadn't even decided what to write.
And last night she'd gotten so absorbed in the novels that she hadn't slept nearly enough...
Right now, all she wanted to do was sleep.
She dragged herself upright and changed into her nightdress.
Even after doing it so many times, Fang Qiu still couldn't quite get used to the constricting sensation of the fabric as it settled into place.
It was like being tied up in some strange, awkward fashion.
Catching sight of herself in the full-length mirror — chest pressed and pushed up into an exaggerated shape by the nightdress — Fang Qiu's face went faintly pink. With well-practiced efficiency she adjusted the fit at the chest, and as the pressure released, she let out a quiet breath of relief.
She set out Tingyu's lunch and dinner for the afternoon, helped herself to two of the pastries Keqing hadn't touched, then lay back down on the bed.
A wave of sleep crashed over her immediately.
Come to think of it... once the tunnel is open, books can be shipped to Mondstadt, can't they.
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