Chapter 145: Only the Mediocre Are Never Envied

Producer Zhang slammed his palm heavily on the table.

"Yu Min, go and find out what Liu Changshan and the others are up to. They were supposed to revise a script, but instead they stirred up this kind of mess. Are they trying to create free publicity for me?"

Yu Min pushed up his glasses resting on the bridge of his nose. "After the news broke, several reporters called me. I immediately phoned Liu Changshan and his team. At first, Liu Changshan claimed he was just venting to a reporter in private and meant nothing by it. When I called him back later, he stopped answering altogether."

Producer Zhang cursed angrily, "Damn it, what a load of dog crap. Take my phone and call him; let's see if he dares to ignore my call."

Yu Min took Producer Zhang's phone, turned on the speakerphone, and dialed Liu Changshan's number. After several rings of the busy tone, the call finally went through, and Liu Changshan's voice came over the receiver: "Hello, Director Zhang."

Yu Min immediately demanded, "Liu Changshan, why weren't you taking my calls? The news is everywhere right now! What on earth are you trying to pull?"

"Oh, it's Director Yu," Liu Changshan replied with a chuckle. "I was tied up with something earlier and didn't see your call. Besides, didn't I already tell you? It was just some casual talk in private, but those reporters went and blabbed about it."

"Do you have any idea how much trouble this has caused our production crew?"

"Caused trouble?" Liu Changshan raised his voice. "Old Yu, that's not fair of you. You invited us to write the script, yet you brought in some wet-behind-the-ears kid to lord it over us. What is that supposed to mean? Do we now need a little punk's nod of approval to determine if a script is satisfactory? What do you take us for?"

Producer Zhang couldn't help chiming in, cursing furiously, "You son of a bitch, Liu Changshan! You agreed so readily when I paid you. What did I tell you? I told you not to deviate too far from the original story. Besides, if you were unhappy with Zhang Tan intervening in the script, you should have just told me! I would have mediated and resolved it. Who gave you the right to run to the reporters?"

There was a moment of silence on the other end before Liu Changshan spoke up. "Director Zhang, the truth is, the few of us just aren't convinced. Why should a little brat still in diapers have any say in bossing us around?"

"Your mother's head! Since when do you have the moral high ground? Just because one of his books sold ten million copies and he made millions in royalties alone! Can you compare to that? Have you lived your life in vain like a dog?"

"Director Zhang, I really don't like hearing you talk like that. Plenty of people make more money than we do, but what does scriptwriting have to do with how much money you make? Even if he sells a hundred million or ten billion copies, in the screenwriting circle he's still a complete nobody. Why should we pander to him? If worse comes to worst, we'll just part ways."

"What did I tell you beforehand? And now you're just going to drop your burden and walk away? What do you take my Zhang Weishen for? Lao She’s *Teahouse*, where anyone can just walk in and out as they please?"

"I don't want to either, but things have reached this point. Director Zhang, do as you see fit."

With that, Liu Changshan hung up the phone.

Producer Zhang was so furious that his mustache quivered in rage. It took him a long while to catch his breath. "Don't you try playing that shameless, dead-pig-not-afraid-of-boiling-water trick with me. I've already contacted Zhang Tan's side. You must immediately apologize to him in the newspapers. If you do that, I'll pretend this never happened, and we can continue our collaboration. I've said all I have to say; I expect to see your apology in the papers within two days."

*Clack.* Producer Zhang slammed the phone down.

Yu Min, traditionally a man of few words, watched Producer Zhang fuming and asked, "Should we step outside and issue an explanation?"

Producer Zhang took a sip of water, and his breathing finally smoothed out.

To be fair, he wasn't really all that angry. Having been in the industry for decades and worked on dozens of film crews, what kind of storms hadn't he weathered? If he let every little annoyance anger him, he would have died of high blood pressure long ago.

His outburst was mostly just for show.

After a moment of thought, Producer Zhang countered, "Hasn't Zhang Tan already made a statement in the newspapers?"

"Yes, he cursed Liu Changshan and the other two out a bit."

Producer Zhang stroked his mustache and actually started to laugh. "Looked at that way, this might not even be a bad thing, right? Hand this matter over to Xiao Zhu in charge of publicity. Tell him not to panic too much. Just put out a press release stating that the screenwriter and the author are on great terms, and that the media reports are pure nonsense. We'll ride it out with that for now."

What kind of man was Producer Zhang? An absolute veteran of the entertainment industry.

For him, the only thing worse than a crew having drama was a crew so boring that nothing ever made the news.

Thus, the Producer Zhang Studio quickly issued a statement:

"Recently, some media outlets have reported conflicts during the screenwriting process of *The Legend of the Condor Heroes*. In response, the Producer Zhang Studio wishes to clarify that the original novel's author, Tan Zhang, and the screenwriting team remain dedicated and hard at work to perfect and polish the script. The preparation progress of the production crew is proceeding smoothly. Please do not believe or spread false rumors."

...

Producer Zhang remained as steady as a fisherman sitting on a rock.

He didn't consider the fallout between the screenwriters and Zhang Tan to be a major issue.

In his view, this was simply a case of the screenwriters being resentful of a young upstart like Zhang Tan and acting out of temporary frustration. Once they cooled down, a private apology from the writers and a bit of saved face for Zhang Tan would restore everything to peace. Producer Zhang didn't believe Liu Changshan and his cohorts possessed any genuine backbone; they would inevitably cave in sooner or later.

A step back from both sides would open up a vast ocean and sky.

The squabbling for now wouldn't affect the big picture. After all, pre-production wasn't fully underway, the script could be fine-tuned at leisure, and the controversy would only generate more hype for *The Legend of the Condor Heroes*. What a wonderful outcome.

For any production, generating hype before release was an absolute golden rule that Producer Zhang firmly believed in.

However, things seemed to be straying from his expected trajectory.

No one took the Producer Zhang Studio's statement seriously, and reporters continued to endlessly sensationalize the screenwriter controversy.

Following Zhang Tan's counter-attack, public opinion—which had initially leaned toward criticizing Zhang Tan—shifted dramatically, turning instead to condemn the screenwriters for lacking genuine talent while refusing to tolerate others' input.

Realizing the momentum was turning against them, Liu Changshan took to the newspapers once more to air his grievances.

Sidestepping the contractual powers explicitly granted to Zhang Tan, he emphasized instead: "For an author with no prior experience to casually interfere with scriptwriting is a deeply dangerous phenomenon. Modern youngsters achieve a modicum of success and immediately lose their minds, imagining themselves to be towering figures while looking down on everyone else. If this trend is not stopped, the screenwriting industry will be in grave danger, and future adaptations will struggle to produce good films."

He elevated the conflict from a personal spat between a few screenwriters and Zhang Tan to a systemic issue affecting the entire industry.

Sure enough, Liu Changshan's remarks immediately won the backing of heavyweights within the screenwriting community.

Cao Weitai, a top-tier domestic screenwriter who had collaborated with the Fifth Generation directors and won major international awards, told reporters: "To respect the screenwriter is to respect the story. Screenwriters are the storytellers. If someone cannot even respect the story itself, don't you think there is a problem? I haven't read *The Legend of the Condor Heroes*; I am merely speaking on the principle of the matter."

Cao Weitai was undoubtedly a heavyweight in the screenwriting world.

Highly active throughout the 1980s and 1990s, he had penned numerous works reflecting the dark undercurrents of society and adapted masterpieces by several literary giants. Although his films might not have always enjoyed massive box office success, they were immensely popular in European literary and artistic circles.

His words unquestionably redirected the spearhead right back at Zhang Tan.

If Cao Weitai's comments could still be interpreted as merely sticking up for a fellow screenwriter, the next heavyweight pulled no punches whatsoever.

Wang Wenwu, a famous screenwriter and planner who had crafted numerous projects for Fifth Generation directors and participated in writing China's first commercial blockbuster in years, *The Emperor and the Assassin*, stated bluntly: "Society is growing increasingly restless and impatient, constantly hyping up so-called teenage prodigies just to grab eyeballs. These youngsters who haven't even finished reading their books will only end up polluting the general environment even further."

The remarks from the two screenwriting giants stirred up towering waves in the media.

Countless online flame wars erupted.

Across internet forums like Tianya, Banyan Tree, Xici Hutong, and Mop, fierce debates could be seen everywhere. On one side stood the wildly popular martial arts grandmaster and representative of post-80s literature; on the other stood the veteran screenwriting heavyweights. Each camp boasted countless supporters, turning the discussion into a chaotic, mudslinging brawl. Recognizing the immense engagement, the media naturally leaped into the fray with even greater enthusiasm.

Statements from just two heavyweights clearly weren't explosive enough.

Consequently, reporters scrambled to solicit the opinions of various celebrities and public figures on the matter.

Fourth-generation veteran director Zheng Yintian remarked, "It's normal for young people to be arrogant due to their talent. Once he matures, he probably won't act this way anymore."

Peking University humanities professor Zhou expressed utter disdain: "Martial arts fiction is merely a form of popular vernacular literature with very low literary value. I haven't wasted my time reading this so-called *The Legend of the Condor Heroes*, so I have no comment on this affair."

Conversely, Renmin University professor Li Qiru retorted, "Some people hold far too deep a prejudice against martial arts fiction. Not to mention that martial arts literature traces its lineage back to the strange tales of the Qin and Han dynasties, the legends of the Tang and Song, and the courtroom cases of the Ming and Qing—a history truly profound in its own right—just look at the chivalric culture advocated by Tan Zhang in *The Legend of the Condor Heroes*. It can be said to have pioneered a whole new genre, and its artistic merit is by no means inferior to traditional literature."

Meanwhile, underground director—or sixth-generation director—Zhang Sanyuan, hailed by America's *Time* magazine as one of the hundred young global leaders of the 21st century, told reporters: "I utterly despise blowing martial arts novels out of proportion. Where does violence come from if not the influence of such trash? Besides, if you're going to write novels, just write novels; why stick your nose into filmmaking as well? Do you really think you're some kind of big shot?"

Many other public figures weighed in as well.

The vast majority of them targeted Zhang Tan. It had to be said that Liu Changshan and his cohorts had successfully garnered sympathy within the industry.

Whether condemning Zhang Tan for disrespecting screenwriting, disparaging martial arts novels as harmful, or accusing Zhang Tan of youthful arrogance, these critics easily found endless angles from which to attack him.

And Zhang Tan, who had largely maintained a low profile, thus unwittingly found himself at the eye of the public opinion vortex.

...

"Have I somehow activated a taunt aura, or what? Why am I suddenly such a magnet for hate?"

Riddled with a mix of anger and speechlessness, Zhang Tan set off for Guangzhou, where the third stop of his book tour was scheduled to be held at the Bowang Bookstore. Although his mood wasn't the greatest, upon arriving at the venue and seeing the thousands of readers lined up outside the bookstore waiting for autographs, a brilliant smile broke across his face once more.

Only mediocre people are free from envy.

His novels had sold tens of million copies, and both *The Four Constables* and *Condor Heroes* boasted remarkable achievements. Such success inspired both admiration and jealousy, so naturally, plenty of people would find him an eyesore. Having previously found no angle to attack him, they had seized this opportunity and were now pulling out all the stops to smear him collectively.

Yet, gazing at the still-booming book-signing scene, Zhang Tan knew he was already in an unassailable position.

He stepped out of the car, waved, and greeted his readers.

At that moment, several reporters lying in wait rushed forward.

"Tan Zhang, how do you plan to respond to the recent barrage of criticism from numerous screenwriters?"

"Tan Zhang, Wang Wenwu believes you haven't even finished reading your books and shouldn't meddle in screenwriting. Do you agree?"

"Director Zheng Yintian criticized you for letting your talent breed arrogance. What are your thoughts on that, Tan Zhang?"

"Tan Zhang..." *(To be continued.)*

***

*Author's Note:* *Begging for recommendation tickets and monthly tickets!*