As Wang Jian had expected, the writers' community reacted very strongly to the casting of an Asian actress as the lead.
"Wang, it was your insistence, right?" Neil Gaiman called to ask, his voice conveying irrepressible excitement.
Although Wang Jian had never understood why, after receiving the royalty fee, there was anything still worth fussing over about a literary work.
But that didn't stop him from using a writer's type of response to tacitly confirm the matter.
"It's what we deserve, Neil! Hollywood should give us writers the respect we're due!"
After using such platitudes to respond to calls from Stephen King, George Martin, and others, Wang Jian turned on his computer.
"A female director and a female lead? They must be joking!"
"There are so many scenes in the novel depicting women wearing high heels, shouldn't Quentin Tarantino be asked to join?"