“How can this black stuff make such delicious desserts?!”
At the moment, everyone at the Food Research Institute stared at Yu Mian with wide eyes.
Last time, Yu Mian had come to the institute’s greenhouse and warehouse for another round of scouting. As expected, he discovered a new ingredient…these pitch-black vanilla pods.
“This is a golden ingredient. It’s amazing for making desserts. Although it’s just one character different from cilantro in name, its use and flavor are completely different.”
As Yu Mian explained, he used the tip of a small knife to gently slit open the vanilla pod in his hand. Then, scraping it with the back of the knife, sure enough, black vanilla seeds emerged.
“If you add this to ice cream, cream, or custard, it tastes super delicious.”
“Even just sticking it into white sugar will turn it into vanilla-flavored sugar.”
Yu Mian couldn’t help but feel greedy just thinking about the many expensive cream cakes on Earth that were infused with natural vanilla seeds.
After all, the taste of vanilla was one of those rare flavors that most people found irresistible!
Even the simplest vanilla milk was something he absolutely loved.
After Yu Mian busied himself with the preparation, the people in the Food Research Institute looked at the pure white ice cream speckled with tiny vanilla seeds in their hands. Tentatively scooping a spoonful into their mouths, their taste buds were instantly blown away.
“This flavor is truly amazing! The rich, sweet taste is far more layered and surprising than just plain sweetness!”
Even Uncle Harrison, at his age, found himself unexpectedly conquered by the creamy vanilla ice cream melting on his tongue.
“Is it good?”
Yu Mian turned to ask Huo Ting, who had also taken a small spoonful for a taste.
This time, Huo Ting carefully savored it before meeting Yu Mian’s gaze and nodding slightly.
“It’s definitely unique.”
It was absolutely nothing like cilantro.
After setting down his vanilla ice cream, Huo Ting looked up and found Yu Mian still staring at him thoughtfully.
?
“Ahem, it’s nothing.”
Yu Mian was just thinking, if he got the full version of the favorability detector, if he forcibly fed Huo Ting some cilantro, which he hated, would the crystal ball darken?
And then, if he fed him vanilla-flavored desserts, would it light back up again?
[Hey, this reward isn’t meant for you to play around with… Be careful, or you’ll crash and burn with all these adjustments.]
The little system always felt that there was something wrong with Yu Mian’s plans.
“It’s my own reward. Isn’t this me studying its mechanism of action? Who told you to issue a reward so vaguely?”
Yu Mian continued to ponder his plan, really curious about what he would see when the time came.
Huo Ting, however, kept his gaze fixed on Yu Mian in front of him, inexplicably wanting to reach out and brush away a bit of cream that had gotten onto his hair by his ear.
Meanwhile, at Lightyears Pictures, tens of thousands of script data files were being compiled together.
This time, the industry’s internal script solicitation had already been limited in scope, basically only screenwriters recognized by various companies in the industry were qualified to submit scripts through recommendations.
But even so, the overwhelming amount of data was still piling up like a vast ocean.
“Director, these three scripts have been marked as key selections. The previous works of these three screenwriters were all quite outstanding, and each one has crucial qualities that make them strong candidates.”
Director Lin Ke took the printed copies handed over by the assistant.
“But honestly, choosing among these three is really difficult.”
They were evenly matched, each with their own strengths.
Several of the screenwriters also had significant backgrounds and resources, each providing a valid reason for selection.
Lin Ke spent an entire day studying them, but in the end, he was still at a loss. He took off his round black-framed glasses with a troubled expression.
“Perhaps you should take a look at some of the other scripts? Xinggui also submitted a batch this year.”
The assistant brought over a second batch.
“You all go through these first. If any stand out, bring them to me. The average ones aren’t worth considering.”
The spirited old director waved his hand, preparing to take the three key scripts and discuss them with potential investors.
After all, one of them was rumored to be capable of securing significant sponsorships.
When the quality of scripts was similar, these external factors inevitably had to be considered.
“Pah!”
Just as the old man hurried out of the office on his short legs, one of the scripts on the desk suddenly slipped off.
The assistant quickly bent down to pick it up.
But as he lifted it, his eyes were immediately drawn to it, because a stack of already sketched-out character concept designs had also fallen out.
The first sketch depicted a strikingly beautiful girl. The outfit she wore felt fresh and unique, and the flowing, light green dress and the jingling hair ornaments were incredibly eye-catching.
“Li Chun?”
The second sketch featured a long-haired young man with an enigmatic, handsome yet melancholic expression. A raindrop-shaped brooch shimmered against his black formal attire, with a background stylized to resemble falling rain.
From gentle big sisters to mirror twins to short-haired good-looking boys…there was an array of stunning male and female characters.
The assistant counted a total of twenty-four sketches.
Just these twenty-four animated character designs alone were enough to captivate an audience…they were so exquisite they could be collected as artwork.
The script’s title was “Bei Xing’s Necklace”.
What did that even mean?
And what was the connection between these twenty-four characters and the necklace?
Without realizing it, the assistant had already flipped through numerous pages and started reading the script.
The story began with a mystical necklace. The twenty-four colored gemstones on it represented the twenty-four solar terms.
However, due to the carelessness of the guardian beast, Domi, the necklace’s gemstones were scattered across the universe. As a result, the seasonal rhythms of Blue Star fell into chaos, throwing people’s lives into turmoil.
“Disorder in the solar terms and seasons? Wouldn’t that turn it into a planet with an extreme climate? If it snowed for years on end, even going to work would be unbearable.”
Just the thought made the assistant feel uneasy. Could this even be fixed?
And wasn’t this guardian beast too unreliable?!
But when the sketch of this guardian beast appeared on the next page, the assistant was unexpectedly charmed.
“Oh damn, why is it… so fluffy and white!”
It even looked small enough to fit inside a backpack?
Wait, hold on, why was the guardian beast appearing in a backpack in the sketch?
The assistant quickly flipped through more pages and finally discovered that the protagonist of the story was a fourteen-year-old girl named Bei Xing.
As the guardian beast, Domi came to the human world in search of the twenty-four gemstones. But with its powers restricted, it was almost chased into a desperate escape on its very first day by a vicious star beast lurking in the sewage district.
A small ball of fluffy white fur, now grimy and filthy from the dirty water, happened to be discovered by Polaris as she passed by. After driving away the star beast, she took the dirty Domi home, cleaned it up, dried it, and placed it on her pillow.
And that was the beginning of the extraordinary friendship between Bei Xing and Domi!
At Domi’s request, Bei Xing agreed to help retrieve the twenty-four gemstones. In return, Domi handed her the only remaining gemstone, “Li Chun”, and taught her the magic of the solar terms.
The moment Bei Xing first tried to activate the necklace at home, she reopened her eyes to find herself being guided down from mid-air by a mysterious girl named “Li Chun”.
**Li Chun is the term for the beginning of spring. Also the first solar term.
Even more astonishing, her own clothes had transformed into a stunning, dreamlike vintage dress.
Li Chun told Bei Xing that the second gemstone, “Yu Shui”, was actually hidden in her school. This explained the recent abnormal weather and relentless rainfall around the campus, the school was even forced to consider relocating.
And so, with Li Chun and Domi by her side, Bei Xing embarked on her first attempt at using her newfound magic powers to locate the second gemstone, “Yu Shui”.
*Yu Shui is the second solar term. Literally translates to “Rain Water”.
By the time the assistant finished reading the first arc of the story, watching how the initially introverted Bei Xing gradually changed, gaining friends and using her powers to solve their problems while recovering the second gemstone, he had completely lost track of time.
It felt as if he had finished reading it in the blink of an eye.
Moreover, after retrieving the second gemstone, the necklace’s lost magic slowly began to recover, and a mysterious “Solar Term Realm” emerged.
Each solar term had its own domain, with elements reflecting its nature, creating a breathtakingly beautiful world.
Even though the assistant had never read such a script before, a strange thought surfaced in his mind.
If this script were really produced, wouldn’t those young viewers be fascinated by the magical necklace and go crazy begging their parents to buy one just like it?
Not to mention the design sketches of the retro outfits, with the essence of ancient Blue Star and elements of the solar terms, they were so exquisite they made one’s eyes dazzle.
There was a children’s picture book before, “Fallen Morning Star”, it had made his niece cry for half a day, begging to have the same princess dress as Isabelle’s. This script seemed to have a similar kind of appeal.
The assistant suddenly felt a chill in his wallet…
If all twenty-four outfits were released, wouldn’t those little ancestors cry and make a fuss to collect the full set?!
“No, the director has to see this!”
Realizing the uniqueness of the script, the assistant immediately grabbed it and ran off to find someone.
In fact, since this was the first time writing a script, Yu Mian wanted to do his best while designing the story. So after completing it, he even reached out to An for help.
An had been quite surprised at first upon learning that Teacher Fish Soup Noodles was trying his hand at screenwriting.
But after reading through the general framework and key plot points, An was instantly captivated by this fresh and magical story.
That sense of awe and excitement from reading the opening of every new book by Teacher Fish Soup Noodles, and that feeling of impatiently flipping pages but not wanting to reach the end all surfaced strongly again.
Even though it was clear that the target audience for this script was younger children, even an adult like him couldn’t help but be drawn in by the imaginative elements and he unconsciously finished the entire thing in one sitting.
He even thought that this was the kind of work he’d actually want the children in his own family to watch.
After all, aside from the main storyline of Bei Xing collecting the solar term gemstones, there were plenty of side stories about Bei Xing helping others and a wealth of cultural knowledge about the solar terms.
The different solar term characters, each with their own unique personalities, would casually drop idioms and historical references in their conversations with Bei Xing, weaving knowledge into the audience’s minds in a truly fascinating way!
Many concepts of ancient Blue Star were actually considered too obscure to be taught in schools and had been repeatedly debated over whether they should even be included in textbooks.
But who would have thought that this knowledge could be presented in such an engaging form?
[An: Of course, I’d love to help with the character designs! I’m actually getting a little excited. Let me think… when’s the soonest I can finish them for you?]
!Fish: But hold on for a moment! There are still some details, especially regarding the outfits, that I’d like to discuss with you first!]
Just as An was about to grab a pen and quickly start sketching, Yu Mian stopped him.
And the details Yu Mian proceeded to share left An thoroughly astonished.
Because Teacher Fish Soup Noodles had actually dug up numerous books about clothing from ancient Blue Star and carefully summarized the various elements in them, hoping to incorporate them into the outfits for the solar terms.
