Chapter 53: The Third Arc Takes Shape

Chapter Fifty-Three: The Third Act Takes Shape

The conference room was plunged into a stunned silence, everyone shaken by Liu Dafu’s utterly mind-bending proposal.

“I object!”

“I object!”

“I object as well!”

Every employee raised their hand.

“This is disgusting!”

“Exactly! If we release this, people will surely report us!”

Shi Bai smiled, motioning for everyone to calm down.

“All right, I understand. I don’t approve of Dafu’s idea either—it’s definitely over the line. Let’s go with Xiaodong’s suggestion instead. Let Zhang Gouzi emerge from the ground.”

“Good!” The employees applauded in unison.

“So, what happens next?” Shi Bai asked. “What’s the following part?”

Zhang Dachui hurried to reply, “For the adaptation, we specifically wrote a normal version to read to you, Director Shi. Then we’ll make changes based on that.”

Shi Bai nodded, “Very good, go ahead. What’s the normal version?”

Zhang Dachui cleared his throat and began:

“After his resurrection, Zhang Gouzi is deeply moved. He feels that heaven has granted him a second life, which he must cherish.

He seeks out his sworn brother, Black Bear, and the two venture through the forest, training diligently as they go.

After some time, they unwittingly enter the territory of a wolf pack.

But these wolves are no ordinary beasts—they are an intelligent species known as the Howling Moon Tribe.

The Howling Moon Tribe usually appear as wolves, but transform into human form on the night of the full moon. They possess magical powers and are formidable beings.

Zhang Gouzi and Black Bear are beset by the wolves and soon fall into disadvantage, on the verge of defeat.

At that critical moment, they risk it all and capture the leader of the pack, the Howling Moon Queen.

Seeing their queen taken, the wolves dare not continue their assault, and Zhang Gouzi and Black Bear retreat safely.

They tie up the she-wolf queen with vines, intending to release her once they reach safety. But that night, a sudden full moon rises.

On the night of the full moon, the she-wolf queen transforms into a human. Zhang Gouzi and Black Bear are dumbfounded to find before them a voluptuous woman, utterly unclothed.”

Zhang Dachui paused, “That’s the content for the third act.”

Shi Bai’s eyes widened, speechless for a long moment. Suddenly, he clapped fiercely. “Brilliant! You truly have a knack for storytelling—what a waste of talent here!”

The staff chuckled sheepishly, “You flatter us, Director Shi.”

Shi Bai said, “All right, then let’s hear the revised plot.”

Zhang Dachui quickly agreed, “Sure, let’s start with the first sentence: After his resurrection, Zhang Gouzi is deeply moved, feeling this is a second life granted by heaven, which he must cherish.”

“We changed it to: After his resurrection, Zhang Gouzi is furious, since he never wanted to come back, and so he commits suicide again.”

“What?” Shi Bai was shocked. “He commits suicide again? Then what?”

Zhang Dachui replied, “Then there is nothing further.”

Shi Bai shot to his feet, “Nothing further? What about the rest of the content? You’re not telling me the entire third act is just one sentence?”

The staff all nodded.

Liu Xiaoyan said, “We learned this from you. Isn’t your first act in this style as well? When Zhang Gouzi didn’t want to venture into the world, his dog said, ‘If you don’t want to go, then we won’t go.’”

Shi Bai nearly turned to stone. “That was then! This time we can’t repeat ourselves. Even parody needs some technical merit—let’s not be redundant!”

The staff lowered their heads. “But this is all we’ve come up with so far.”

Shi Bai shook his head, sighing. “Looks like I’ll have to handle this myself.”

The employees promptly applauded, “We’ve been waiting for this moment!”

Shi Bai paused, “So you’ve been waiting for me all along?”

The staff burst out laughing.

Liu Xiaoyan said, “Hey, you’re just too good at revising!”

Shi Bai smiled and shook his head, “Fine, I’ll do it.” He picked up the manuscript.

“Let’s look at the first sentence: After his resurrection, Zhang Gouzi is deeply moved, feeling it’s a second life from heaven, which he must cherish.”

“We won’t change this one—otherwise there’s no story to follow. Let’s look at the second sentence.”

“So he seeks out his sworn brother, Black Bear, and the two live in the forest, wandering and training diligently.”

“What an interesting scene! A man and a bear roaming the woods—these two lines alone make me want to read more. So, absolutely not, change it!”

Shi Bai pondered for a moment. “Change it to: He fails to find his brother, but encounters an old woman in the forest. The two hit it off, get married, and spend their wedding night together!”

“Whoa!” The staff’s expressions shifted instantly. “Boss, that’s a bit much!”

“Yeah! I doubt our readers could handle it!”

Shi Bai waved dismissively. “Don’t worry! We’re not trying to make them like it anyway. Let’s keep it!”

The staff, unable to sway him, could only sigh.

Shi Bai said, “Let’s move on to the next sentence.”

“The two wander the forest as they train, until one day they inadvertently enter the territory of a wolf pack.”

“Change it! Make it: As they wander and train in the forest, one day they stumble into the territory of a group of rabbits.”

The staff: “……”

But these wolves are no ordinary beasts—they are an intelligent species known as the Howling Moon Tribe.

“Change it! These rabbits are no ordinary rabbits—they’re exceptionally useless rabbits.”

The Howling Moon Tribe usually appear as wolves, but transform into human form on the night of the full moon. They possess magical powers and are formidable beings.

“These rabbits are usually rabbits, but on the night of the full moon, they turn into carrots.”

“……”

Zhang Gouzi and Black Bear are beset by the wolves and soon fall into disadvantage, on the verge of defeat.

“Zhang Gouzi and the old woman are beset by the rabbits, and gradually lose ground.”

At that critical moment, they risk it all and capture the leader of the pack, the Howling Moon Queen.

“At that critical moment, they risk it all and tie up the rabbits’ chief.”

Seeing their queen taken, the wolves dare not continue their assault, and Zhang Gouzi and Black Bear retreat safely.

“The rabbits’ chief is captured, and the other rabbits cheer and stop pursuing.”

They tie up the she-wolf queen with vines, intending to release her once they reach safety. But that night, a sudden full moon rises.

“Zhang Gouzi and the old woman tie the rabbit to a branch, start a fire, and prepare to roast it. The old woman watches the roasting rabbit with excitement, ‘Finally, a proper meal!’ But that night happens to be a full moon.”

On the night of the full moon, the she-wolf queen transforms into a human. Zhang Gouzi and Black Bear are dumbfounded to find before them a voluptuous woman, utterly unclothed.

“On the night of the full moon, the roasted rabbit suddenly turns into a roasted carrot. The old woman flies into a rage, suspecting Zhang Gouzi of trickery, and the two come to blows. Zhang Gouzi is no match for her, and is knocked out cold by a punch. The old woman storms off in anger. Act Three ends.”

The staff applauded enthusiastically. “Director Shi, you’re incredible! In just a few strokes, you’ve turned the story into something utterly unrecognizable. We’re truly humbled!”

Shi Bai laughed heartily. “Not at all, you’re fantastic too! All right, let’s draw Act Three like this and aim to publish it next week.”

The staff quickly agreed, though their hearts were uneasy.

“When will this absurd routine ever end?”