"We couldn't afford the rights to any novels, and no production company offered us a chance to adapt an existing IP. Creating something original was our only option." This was his situation—and one many young screenwriters face.
Before The Wanted Detective (定风波), Zhang Yunxiao's last works were the 2016 TV series An Ju and 2017's The Hypnotist Who Was Hypnotized. Reappearing in front of audiences after years, he had spent most of that time focusing on The Wanted Detective. There were moments he considered giving up—or even leaving the industry entirely to do something else if screenwriting didn't work out.
Fortunately, once the script for The Wanted Detective was completed, it gained strong recognition on the platform. Before the premiere, Yu Zheng posted on Weibo: "I've read the script—it's amazing. I even got to see the finished product. Wish I could direct it myself." After airing, audience feedback gave Zhang Yunxiao more space for reflection. While the show's broadcast numbers didn't fully meet the team's initial expectations, they received significant acknowledgment for pursuing original work. What he calls a "no-retreat" effort is also a form of self-rescue for a young screenwriting team.
Below is Zhang Yunxiao's account, organized from a recorded interview.
The Ambition of a Mystery-Loving Writing Team
After The Hypnotist Who Was Hypnotized (被催眠的催眠师) aired, my team—Chen Zihao, Lin Nannan, and I—still weren't satisfied. Our creative drive hadn't been fully released, and we wanted to do something new together.
Chen Zihao and Lin Nannan are huge fans of Young Justice Bao (少年包青天) and also love Detective Conan and anime. I'm more drawn to Japanese social-style mystery dramas. Creating "investigation-centered" works was almost a perfect fit for us. On top of that, I had previous experience that participated in the early stages of Nirvana in Fire (琅琊榜), so ancient costume genre had always been a direction we wanted to explore.
By 2017, IP adaptations had started trending, but we didn't have any novel rights, nor had anyone approached us to adapt anything. At that time, historical mystery dramas were rare in the market—the field was almost empty. Original works were even scarcer. Once we settled on a rough concept, script development quickly became a priority.
Over two years, our team developed four cases. But during the repeated polishing, we felt the pacing was a bit slow, so we added two more cases. These six cases formed the 1.0 version of The Wanted Detective. By 2019, the project was ready to start filming. Everything was in place—but the feeling of "not satisfied, unwilling to settle" kept lingering in our minds.
"Bro, I can't accept that such a great show would be shot with such a small budget and just done," said chief producer Nie Wen. I felt torn. After two years of work, our screenwriting team had almost no income. Filming now would immediately get us paid. Yet at the same time, I was drawn to a bigger goal. Everyone around me kept saying this project could become something much better. Finally, after talking it over with Zihao and Nannan, the three of us decided to go all in.
Thus, The Wanted Detective 1.0 began its push toward The Wanted Detective 2.0.
This time, the story added main threads like the Ye Sha (Night Demon, 夜煞) and Haiya Case (Cliff by the Sea, 海崖案). In the original script, the six cases were standalone with no connection. During script evaluation, we received feedback: "If a single case falls flat, audience retention drops. With a main storyline, you can guide viewers forward."
Adding this story thread meant another two years of rewriting for our team. In 2021, the 2.0 version of the script finally passed its first review.
I remember that day vividly. Chief producer Nie Wen and producer Sheng Ning were attending an event when they received the approval notification—and the evaluation scores were very high. They were shaking nervously. Years of suppressed determination wanted to explode in that moment, yet there was no way to voice it out loud.
Adjustments to the Romance Line
The journey of The Wanted Detective is a testament to the complex, often arduous process of television production where creative vision must constantly negotiate with market demands. After clearing the first major approval hurdle, the project advanced methodically. However, this momentum was soon halted by a new set of revision notes that presented fresh, significant difficulties.
This period coincided with a notable shift in the broader television landscape. Around 2021-2022, the market for female-targeted dramas was becoming increasingly sophisticated, with audiences voicing exceptionally strong and specific feedback online. The consensus from platforms and producers was clear: to compete, the central romantic storyline between our leads needed constant enrichment and intensification.
We responded to these notes diligently, developing a "2.0" version of the script that amplified the romantic elements. Yet, upon completion, a profound sense of unease settled in. The script felt unfamiliar, as if the very soul of the story had been diluted to serve a single ingredient. My confidence in this new direction wavered significantly; the narrative had lost the unique ensemble chemistry and gritty investigative texture that first defined it.
This instinct proved correct. In 2023, just on the cusp of filming, the final project approval meeting resulted in the difficult decision to put the entire 2.0 version on hold.
Looking back, 2021 to 2023 were the most conflicted and uncertain years in the entire creation of The Wanted Detective. The "hold" status placed immense pressure on the entire team, casting a shadow over months of work and forcing a moment of deep introspection. It was a critical juncture that demanded a bold choice: to continue polishing a flawed version or to start anew.
In our Jinan studio, I gathered the core creative team. We made a conscious decision to temporarily set aside our anxieties about the project's ultimate fate and return to a fundamental question: Were we, as storytellers, genuinely satisfied with the script? The answer, after a frank and thorough re-examination, was a unanimous "no."
We all agreed there was significant room for improvement, not just in meeting external notes, in fulfilling our own original ambition for the series. It was from this clarity that I made a decision many considered reckless: we would not revise further. Instead, we would continue enriching the procedural cases and deepening the character relationships within the core ensemble, expanding the episode count accordingly, and present the platform with a completely new script—a 3.0 version.
When I shared this decision with industry friends, the universal reaction was that I was crazy. In a risk-averse industry, being "on hold" was a precarious but manageable state; voluntarily embarking on a massive, time-consuming rewrite was an undeniable gamble. It was during this high-stakes creative pivot that screenwriter Xu Yu joined our team. I was explicit with him from the outset: we were not there to tinker with margins. We were there to create a fundamentally new script together.
Our strategy was deliberate. We consciously cut several of the more conventional, intimate romantic scenes between the two leads. In their place, we added richer, more nuanced interactions across the six-person investigation team, allowing friendships, professional rivalries, and loyalties to blossom. This shift moved the emotional focus from a singular romantic connection to a more universal and relatable tapestry of human bonds—camaraderie, mentorship, and shared purpose.
This gamble, born from a crisis of confidence, ultimately saved the project. It was this very focus on a broader emotional spectrum that finally resonated with the platform, greenlighting a story that felt both fresh and authentically ours.
Expanding the Six-Person Team Dynamics
In The Wanted Detective, each member of the six-person investigation team has their own role and characteristics. They needed combat skills—hence Zhong Xueman; a forensic specialist—hence Feng Qingzhuo; someone to gather intelligence—hence Tong Shuang. Within the team, there's a cat-and-mouse rivalry, which became Zhuge Kongyun. Only Huo Dairong was retained after her standalone story ended because everyone liked her. We designed her as versatile and psychologically insightful, integrating her fully into the team.
The show doesn't focus solely on romance, but the emotional intensity had to be high. Xiao Beiming and Feng Qingzhuo meet three years after the Fengbo Lake tragedy, so their relationship needs a foundation—they can't just fall for each other instantly. For a screenwriter, plot points are like bombs: drop them, and they create a splash. But building emotional depth takes time, and we also had to wonder: would the audience have the patience? It was a risk in itself.
Another year passed, and Xu Yu, planner Wen Xu, and I barely touched any other work. We focused entirely on rewriting and refining the script, treating it as a "do-or-die" effort.
The market was changing, but our creative intention remained the same. We submitted the script every five episodes, and our colleagues at iQIYI managing the project became real partners in battle, meeting almost every day. During the constant revisions, we spent a huge amount of time identifying potential logic holes. Logic is crucial in a mystery series, and every piece of feedback was taken seriously. The final The Wanted Detective script is the result of true collaborative creation.
Submitting the completed script again felt like taking the college entrance exam. In May 2024, after three rounds of major rewrites, The Wanted Detective finally began filming. After seven grueling years, we finally saw a new dawn—but we didn't dare relax for a moment.
During filming, I spent about a month on set, and we had screenwriter Xu Yu stay full-time to assist the director with script adjustments caused by shooting conditions. Director Zhao Jintao really trusted the script and had been waiting a long time for this project. Because the pre-production collaboration was so smooth, very few script changes (飞页, last-minute rewrites) were needed during filming.
Actor Wang Xingyue's Dedication and Outstanding Performance
Two weeks before filming, I met Wang Xingyue for the first time. I didn't know much about him yet and could only judge his fit for Xiao Beiming based on appearance. But during the first script reading, the moment he spoke, he was already acting. Without physical movements, his timing, emphasis, and delivery of the lines were all spot-on. That's when I realized he really embodied Xiao Beiming.
For the confrontation scene on the Fengbo Lake boat, we revised it many times during creation. The scene required a "scripted mystery" logic—viewers had to see events from different characters' perspectives while simultaneously being presented with something new. The suspense in this scene wouldn't be resolved until episode 30. Xiao Beiming goes from complete confidence to gradually losing control, which sets very high demands for the actor.
I gave Wang Xingyue a perfect score for that scene. He played both observer and participant; every piece of information in his lines came as a surprise to his character. That's extremely hard to act, but he pulled it off brilliantly. During filming, he also discussed the plot with us constantly, pointing out potential logic issues in the performance so we could adjust them in real time.
The Wanted Detective is a detective series, and its success rests entirely on Xiao Beiming. For Wang Xingyue, the role is a significant challenge. Nowadays, few shows feature long stretches of dialogue, but The Wanted Detective has several. Xiao Beiming's lines often run five to six pages, filled with many character names and unusual sentence structures—not like normal conversation. Later on, I even felt like cutting some lines for him, but in the end, he delivered all of Xiao Beiming's high points perfectly.
Beyond that, Wang Xingyue's performance had many surprises for me. In the script, emotional cues were restrained; we rarely wrote "crying hard" or "laughing loudly." Yet he naturally conveyed emotion as the plot progressed, surpassing the script itself.
At the The Wanted Detective preview event, I couldn't help but say a few extra words: creating original work is difficult. I hope the market supports more original projects, giving young writers like us, just starting out and facing similar challenges, more opportunities. Our team members are all students of screenwriter Zhao Dongling, who has consistently pursued original projects. We will continue down the path of originality.
Today, many industries are tough, but no one faces greater hardships than Xiao Beiming. He falls from a proud, brilliant young detective into the depths yet remains strong and resolute. As Su Shi (苏轼) wrote in Ding Feng Bo (the same name as the Chinese title of the drama): "With bamboo staff and straw sandals, lighter than a horse, who's afraid? In a raincoat, let the misty rain follow life as it will". This is the energy we want to convey to the audience through Xiao Beiming and his friends. These characters are remembered by viewers, and our seven years of persistence as a writing team were worth it.
