Reborn as the Villain's Wife, I Shine in 80s-Chapter 502 - 486 Li Yibai accused of plagiarism

"Li Yibai, is this ’Shanghai Beach’ your original work?"

Li Yibai’s face turned crimson, but he still nodded. "Of course it’s my original work!"

"Regarding this screenplay, you only sent us two-thirds of it. We want to ask—have you finished writing the rest?" 𝕗𝕣𝐞𝐞𝘄𝐞𝚋𝚗𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹.𝚌𝕠𝚖

Li Yibai replied, "Not yet. I’ve been busy with my studies recently."

He would never hand over the script so easily. At the very least, he needed to keep them waiting and curious—to whet their appetite. If it came too easily, it would seem cheap.

Moreover, ’Shanghai Beach’ was a classic of its time. It swept across the nation back in the day, touching countless lives of those born in the ’60s, ’70s, and ’80s. Even after that, there were sequels, movies, and adaptations based on ’Shanghai Beach,’ all of which held enormous commercial value. And what does commercial value boil down to? It’s money!

In the 21st century, ’Shanghai Beach’ was remade.

Of course, the remakes never surpassed the original. Li Yibai was also a fan of Zhou Runfa, just like Tian Sangsang; he particularly loved the younger Zhou Runfa’s portrayal of Xu Wenqiang. Zhou had captured the soul and essence of the character, turning Xu Wenqiang into an iconic figure. That was something the later actors, like Huang Xiaoming, who focused only on appearances, could never compare to. In his view, Huang Xiaoming merely played a hollow shell.

In this regard, Li Yibai’s thoughts aligned perfectly with Tian Sangsang’s.

Li Yibai dreamed of becoming a man like Xu Wenqiang. But if he were Xu Wenqiang, he swore he wouldn’t let himself meet such a tragic end; he’d turn himself into Ding Li. He’d have power and beauty—a kingdom and a lover. In the end, living well was what mattered. Why bother with patriotism or sentimentality? Why make oneself die with regrets for no good reason? Wasn’t Xu Wenqiang’s ultimate fate exactly like his own tragic end in his previous life?

The writer thought for a moment and oh-ed in understanding before asking again:

"So, do you currently not have any draft at hand?"

Li Yibai replied coldly, "No." Wasn’t this a redundant question? He had already answered earlier.

"None at all? Not even a word or a punctuation mark?"

"Yes." Li Yibai thought to himself, at least there were ellipses... infinite ellipses...

The writer’s expression grew more solemn. "Then, let me ask: Before you submitted ’Shanghai Beach’ to us, did you discuss your ideas for it with anyone else? Or possibly publish anything related to ’Shanghai Beach’ elsewhere? If ’Shanghai Beach’ isn’t exclusive to us, we’ll need an explanation."

Li Yibai frowned, thinking they were questioning the exclusivity. "That’s not possible. I’m submitting it first to you, and apart from you, I’ve never shared ’Shanghai Beach’ with anyone else."

The writer gave him a disappointed look and let out a heavy sigh.

At that moment, Li Aihua from the Cultural Bureau stepped forward and said sternly, "Li Yibai, we now suspect that you are plagiarizing someone else’s screenplay. Please come with me."

"What?" Li Yibai was stunned—he hadn’t expected them to come for this reason!

He firmly denied it. "What are you talking about? I don’t understand! Me, plagiarizing? That’s impossible!" He was a transmigrator, living in a parallel world with a completely different cultural background. As a copycat writer, he plagiarized works that didn’t exist here! If someone were to be accused of plagiarism, it could never be him!

"Exactly," Jia Wenxiu interjected, looking toward Li Aihua and reminding her, "Director Li, are you mistaken? Yibai’s work is entirely his own; he couldn’t possibly plagiarize. I’m his partner—I can vouch for him."

Li Aihua responded coolly, "Jia Reporter, as a homewrecker who interfered in someone else’s marriage, your character itself is questionable. Your assurances have limited credibility to us."

Jia Wenxiu’s face turned green, and her expression grew contorted with rage.

The principal and the other professors were taken aback.

"Director Li, what do you mean by this?"

The fans in the audience immediately grew restless, their faces flushed as they stared at the stage. Plagiarism? They had just learned about Li Yibai’s true identity, and now he was being accused of plagiarism? But... given Li Yibai’s personality, it did seem plausible that he might do something like that.

Still, it was all too absurd.

Unlike everyone else’s shock, Ye Binyi remained as composed as ever. She sat in her seat with a smile tugging at her lips. It seemed that Li Yibai had inherited not only the looks of that vixen but also her intellect. He lacked the sophistication and talent her husband had back in the day. His so-called talent came from plagiarism. Hah.

Li Aihua said, "This matter should be explained by the scriptwriter from Hong Kong."

The writer scanned the room, cleared his throat, and said, "I know everyone may have doubts about this matter. In fact, I myself and all the other judges in this competition were shocked. Li Yibai has been a very talented rising star in wuxia literature these past couple of years. His works have been wildly popular in our Hong Kong scene, drawing immense crowds of followers.

I shouldn’t be doubting him, but the evidence has left me no choice."

"The work Li Yibai submitted for this competition is ’Shanghai Beach.’ However, prior to this, another contestant had already submitted a work titled ’Shanghai Beach’ to us. We compared the two scripts, and the backgrounds, outlines, character setups—everything—were identical. Even minor details such as events, dialogues, and lines were virtually the same. The only differences lay in certain nuances of phrasing, which are indeed subject to an author’s literary style."

"Though scripts seldom emphasize style, there was a detectable trace."

Li Yibai urgently interjected, "That doesn’t prove I plagiarized!"

The writer gestured for him to calm down before continuing, "The other contestant who submitted the script goes by the name ’Yadan.’ His screenplay is already complete, while yours is unfinished. Furthermore, ’Yadan’ claimed that his screenplay was accidentally lost at some point. If there are any similarities, they must have been plagiarized by someone else. So, Li Yibai, you must go with the Cultural Bureau for investigation. You are a public figure, and you owe the public an explanation."

Li Aihua nodded and added, "We now suspect not only that you plagiarized ’Shanghai Beach,’ but we also want to reinvestigate your previous novels, like ’Heroic Legend of the Condor Heroes’ and ’Return of the Condor Heroes.’

"That’s impossible! I didn’t plagiarize!" Yadan! This again with Yadan! For a moment, Li Yibai lost his composure and urgently exclaimed, "I came up with ’Shanghai Beach’ myself! Although I haven’t finished writing the rest, I already know the ending. In the final act, Feng Chengcheng leaves the country, and Xu Wenqiang, having lost all affection for Shanghai Beach, plans to follow her. But after parting ways with Ding Li and stepping out of the club, he is suddenly ambushed and shot outside. He dies with regrets, and in his last moments, he confesses to Ding Li that he had wanted to go find Chengcheng."

The writer frowned, "That makes this even more puzzling. Your idea of Xu Wenqiang’s ending happens to be identical to the conclusion written by Yadan. In Yadan’s version, Xu Wenqiang also dies with regrets."