Elevate! Elevate!

"This stance is called 'Wild Goose Soars to Bestow Auspiciousness'!" "Spread your arms, mimic the goose flapping its wings, up and down like this, up and down..." In the afternoon, Ge You, the latest recruit to their little kidney-fortifying, vitality-boosting squad, was learning the Longevity Skill from Chen Qi. He practiced stiffly, strictly by the book, without relaxing his body in the slightest. Chen Qi called out, "Stop, stop, stop! Don't do this like you're following standard radio calisthenics! This is a Daoist health-cultivating exercise. It's all about inner peace and natural movement. Don't lock yourself into rigid forms; let your mind guide the flow. It's just like kids playing a game—as long as you feel comfortable, you're doing it right." "And you claimed you didn't know martial cultivation! You're even bringing up Daoism now!" Ge You squeaked in a low voice. "Cultivation my foot! Keep your mouth shut and don't go babbling outside, or you'll get us into trouble." "I get it! I get it! Sacred teachings shouldn't be casually shared." Ge You seemed to have misunderstood. Ever since Chen Qi's speech about martial arts after watching *Drunken Master*, Ge You genuinely believed Chen Qi possessed some reclusive hermit's secret manual. Chen Qi could only scoff. This was reality, not some low-magic fantasy realm—even Chang Wei didn't have innate superhuman strength! "Do the Vajra Skill in the morning and the Longevity Skill at night. Sticking with it will do wonders for your health. Your frame is way too frail." "I'll try my best!" Ge You replied. He seemed to suffer from some congenital deficiency, frail ever since childhood. Otherwise, he wouldn't have been assigned to feed pigs when he was sent down to the countryside. As he grew older, he grew even weaker, speaking in a sluggish drawl. Back when Chen Qi transmigrated, Ge You had been nearly seventy years old, having lived his whole life without children. Some said the couple didn't want any, some said his wife couldn't conceive, and others said he was the infertile one... In any case, his poor health was an undeniable fact. "Xiao Chen!" While they were still practicing, Liang Xiaosheng pushed open the door and entered. "Director Jiang is looking for you!" "About the script?" "Yeah!" "Alright, then I should head out too. I'll drop by another day." Seeing this, Ge You tactfully took his leave. Chen Qi followed Liang Xiaosheng downstairs, asking on the way, "Did the script pass?" "How should I put it... In principle, it passed!" "What do you mean, 'in principle'?" "It's a bit complicated. Director Jiang will explain it to you." Chen Qi was thoroughly mystified. When they arrived at the Literary Department's office in the main building, all the editors were present. Jiang Huaiyan, as the department director, had a small private office inside. Chen Qi knocked three times and pushed the door open. "Ah, Xiao Chen, come in, take a seat!" Jiang Huaiyan motioned for him to sit down, poured him a cup of tea, and smiled. "First off, congratulations. Your script was approved unanimously, and the deputy studio head signed off on it as well. We've categorized it as a romantic scenic film, grounded in showcasing Mount Lu's beautiful scenery, telling a love story between a young man and woman interwoven with political themes and contemporary thought. In principle, Beijing Film Studio has officially decided to take your script..." *However!* Chen Qi chanted the word silently in his head. Sure enough, Jiang Huaiyan's very next sentence was: "However, we'd like to make it even better." "Could you be more specific?" "It's an aspiration of ours. You might feel our expectations are too high, but in filmmaking, perfection doesn't exist. Of course, this isn't a mandatory requirement. We can greenlight the project right now. But if you also want to make it even better, could we introduce a few more twists and turns into the plot, elevate the theme a bit more, and make the emotions resonate a little deeper?" *Mmmmph!* Chen Qi cursed inwardly. *How is this any different from 'voluntary' overtime?* His finalized draft was already the historical storyline of *Romance on Mount Lu*, yet Beijing Film Studio still wasn't satisfied. On second thought, it made sense: different people had different standards. What Shanghai Film Studio thought was okay might not be okay for Beijing Film Studio. "..." Catching the expectant look in the man's eyes, Chen Qi secretly rolled his. *I just wanted an easy win, but you're forcing me to bust my chops!* "Since you've put it that way, Director Jiang, I'll give it a shot." "Excellent! I knew I wasn't mistaken about you!" Jiang Huaiyan brightened instantly, clapped him on the shoulder, and laughed. "Our editors were talking earlier, and everyone believed you'd take it on. Don't think we're deliberately giving you a hard time. Just showcase your abilities as best you can; we're definitely taking this script." Hearing that made Chen Qi feel slightly better. At least they valued him! Then he sighed internally. *Damn it, am I getting guilt-tripped into extra work even back in 1979?* ... Back at the guesthouse. On the third floor, he ran into Chen Huaikai again. The old man was currently preparing an opera film, *Zhuge Liang Mourns at the Funeral*. He held meetings in his room every day, with traditional opera performers coming and going, none of whom Chen Qi recognized. Seeing the script in Chen Qi's hand, he asked, "Did it pass review?" "Quasi-passed, let's say!" "Quasi-passed?" "It passed in principle, but they want me to revise it further. Hence, quasi-passed." "Hahaha!" Chen Huaikai burst out laughing. Possessing a deep appreciation for classical wit, he readily caught the humor. "You're an interesting fellow! By our studio's custom, whenever a script passes review, the author has to let out a triumphant holler for everyone to hear. Keep at it!" "A holler?" "You'll see when the time comes!" Chen Qi shrugged, went into his room, and slammed the script—which was thicker than a Xianghe meat pie—down onto the desk, venting his frustrations as a corporate drudge. After splashing cold water on his face, though, his mood settled. Sitting before the desk, he drew fresh ink into his fountain pen and began to write with utmost seriousness for the very first time. A butterfly had flapped its wings, causing reality to deviate from history, which forced him to get serious. *Romance on Mount Lu* had originally been quite simple; excluding extras, the entire film had only seven actors. The female lead was Zhou Yun, and the male lead was Geng Hua. After reviewing the plot, Chen Qi pondered for a while and decided to introduce a new character: the male lead's older sister, Geng Ying. Geng Ying was around twenty-seven or twenty-eight, delicate on the outside but tough inside. With their mother bedridden and a younger brother to care for, she shouldered the entire family alone. Zhou Yun held American citizenship and her father had been a Kuomintang military officer. When she and Geng Hua grew close, Geng Hua fell under organizational investigation and was temporarily detained. He asked his sister to pass a message to Zhou Yun, expressing his feelings. Yet for her brother's sake, Geng Ying persuaded Zhou Yun to leave instead. Heartbroken, Zhou Yun returned to America, sparking the leads' five-year separation. Five years later, amidst the Reform and Opening Up, the pair reunited on Mount Lu and officially cemented their relationship. Zhou Yun then sought out Geng Ying for a heartfelt conversation... With this adjustment, the plot became far richer than the original, and the supposed "elevation" rested squarely on that conversation. "Elevate, elevate! You want elevation? I'll elevate it to the moon!" "I'll give you a full-on Rising Dragon of Mount Lu!" Chen Qi mumbled to himself as he wrote, feeling as though he had returned to his previous life of burning the midnight oil on drafts. And he truly did write through the night, not daring to slack off any longer for fear of further unexpected complications. In terms of execution, it wasn't actually that difficult. He worked in the industry himself and had weathered the information age's boundless deluge; his mind held what amounted to a treasure trove. He knew what the audience of 1979 wanted to see. A political message wrapped in romance—and politically unimpeachable at that! ... *Knock, knock, knock!* "Teacher Shi!" Early the next morning, Chen Qi knocked on the door of the Literary Department. Shi Wenxin took one look at him and jumped in alarm. "Xiao Chen, are you ill? Why do you look so haggard?" "No, no, I stayed up all night revising the draft." "You silly boy, this wasn't a matter of a day or two! What was the rush?" "It's fine. I'm young—what's a late night to me?" *Worst-case scenario is sudden death, that's all!* He handed her the manuscript, deliberately swaying on his feet twice as if lightheaded from lack of blood to the brain, before backing out of the room. Shi Wenxin felt a pang of self-reproach. "We can't pressure a promising young talent like this! Isn't that just pulling up seedlings to make them grow?" "Who could've guessed he'd be this motivated? He was so laid-back before," Liang Xiaosheng said, equally astonished. "Let me take a look at it first..."