S City Central Square.
Borvis Cafe.
Borvis Cafe occupied the prime location in the Central Square. Its style was a blend of light luxury and exotic charm. The designer had cleverly sectioned off intimate little spaces without losing the overall cohesion of the room. Soft music flowed slowly from vinyl records, allowing guests to relax and enjoy a wonderful afternoon immersed in the mellow aroma of coffee.
Two people sat by the floor-to-ceiling windows facing the street.
One wore a neat suit, while the other was dressed casually.
The casually dressed man had a shaved head. He picked up his coffee and took a sip. Seeming to find it too bitter, he added some more milk.
The man in the suit beside him was currently on the phone. “Your script is revised? I’ll read it as soon as I get back.” “Look at what you’re saying, Master. Just keep your schedule open for me.”
“…”
Director Chen, who was adding milk to his coffee, furrowed his brows. Seeming put off by his words, he asked, “Who were you contacting?”
“Alright, then it’s a deal. I’m counting on you.” Zhang Wenyuan covered the mouthpiece, cooperatively hummed in agreement a few more times, and only explained after hanging up, “Mr. Wenquan, a master of school-life dramas. It wasn’t easy for me to book him.”
Director Chen reminded him, “The author of this novel is the screenwriter.”
Producer Zhang smiled. “I know.” He picked up his coffee and took a sip. “It’s just in case.”
Director Chen’s brows furrowed even deeper. “You sound awfully certain for a ‘just in case’?”
Why did he have to expose him? Zhang Wenyuan sighed, a hint of weariness hidden in his eyes. “Old Chen, I’m just doing this for the show. I don’t want to be the bad guy either, but screenwriting isn’t a simple matter. This author is a rookie screenwriter with zero experience. Can the script she writes actually be used?”
“Not to mention, she isn’t willing to make adaptations. For the sake of ratings, we have to add elements the market loves to see. Just a dry, plain romance between two people—what’s the selling point?”
Director Chen interrupted him, “Did you even read the script carefully?”
Zhang Wenyuan paused. “I read it.” But he didn’t think the audience would like it. The emotional relationship was too simple; it lacked drama.
Director Chen pushed his coffee aside. “I came specifically for this script.”
The producer paused. “I didn’t say the script was bad, it’s just not very suitable for television. A TV drama needs enough plot to support it.”
“Why are you so stubborn?” Director Chen’s nostrils flared, at a loss for how to talk sense into him.
Zhang Wenyuan was his old classmate. Over a decade ago, when he transitioned from a director to a producer, he got incredibly lucky and his first film became a massive hit. He raked in a fortune, becoming the most successful person in their graduating class. Unfortunately, in recent years, every show he produced had flopped. After losing money several times in a row, fewer and fewer people were willing to invest on his account. Producing another hit drama had become his obsession.
But it was obvious that his judgment was way off.
Director Chen tried hard to organize his words. “Whether a TV drama is good or not doesn’t rely on a fixed formula. It’s not just the ‘you love me, I love him’ melodramas that are good. The market isn’t like that anymore.”
“Take the idol drama Director Sun filmed the year before last—the female lead returned to a billionaire’s family, and the whole show had zero villains. The best friends didn’t envy the female lead, they didn’t try to seduce the male lead, and there were no messy frame-ups. And the result? It was a huge hit.”
“Every drama has its own unique charm. The purity, sweetness, and sourness of the romance in this novel are exactly what makes it attractive. If you add second female and male leads, it’ll lose its unique flavor.” How would it become a hit then?
Zhang Wenyuan didn’t refute him, but judging by his expression, he hadn’t listened either. “Old Chen, say no more. I never said I absolutely had to replace her. I just want her to collaborate with Mr. Wenquan.”
Director Chen wanted to persuade him further, but the producer said softly, “I can’t pull in any investments anymore.”
Director Chen stiffened.
The producer’s voice was steady as he told the harsh truth. “There isn’t a single person willing to invest in me. If I hadn’t traded my company shares, the company wouldn’t have even given me Stop Making Trouble to produce. Meanwhile, Mr. Wenquan is a famous screenwriter in the industry. Just the name ‘Mr. Wenquan’ alone can pull in some investments.” “Cun Xin wants this drama to be good; surely she should be willing to make some compromises for it, right?”
What kind of bullshit is that! The director immediately wanted to curse him out. Unfortunately, right at that moment, the cafe door was pushed open.
“Welcome!” High heels clicked against the floor, letting out a crisp sound.
Shi Yi walked in, glanced around, and headed toward the window. “I’m sorry, I’m late.”
Both men looked toward her. Their first impression was that she was beautiful—the kind of breathtaking beauty radiating with a vibrant aura. Director Chen swallowed back the curses he was about to unleash and pulled out a smile. “You’re not late. We arrived too early; there are still twenty minutes until our agreed time.” Director Chen pushed a cup toward her. “I ordered you a cappuccino. I don’t know if you’ll like it.”
“Thank you.” Shi Yi acutely sensed that the atmosphere between the director and the producer was off, but she wasn’t planning on exposing it. She placed her small bag to the side and curved her eyes into a smile. “I’ve seen the TV dramas you’ve directed.” Exchanging business pleasantries, she praised, “Your camera work is beautiful.”
“I actually think your writing is beautiful. The emotions between the lines are very moving.” Director Chen didn’t usually talk much, but given Producer Zhang’s attitude just now, he was afraid of an accident and took it upon himself to act as the middleman. “Oh right, this is Producer Zhang.”
Shi Yi looked toward the producer. Her lively eyes flashed as she greeted with a smile, “Producer Zhang.”
Producer Zhang sipped his coffee and nodded.
The three exchanged a few pleasantries. Shi Yi took a script out of her bag. “I consulted a screenwriter previously and realized there were some omissions in the first draft. I made some revisions; Director, you can take a look.”
Director Chen took it and flipped through. Reaching an exciting part, he couldn’t help but cheer in approval. He wasn’t considered a hugely successful director, but having worked in the industry for so many years, the number of scripts he had read was innumerable. Yet, this script still felt like a breath of fresh air.
Director Chen praised it a bit, then pointed out a few minor mistakes in the details, though they didn’t affect the big picture. “It’s just that with this revision, the female lead is a bit of a scumbag.”
Cough. Shi Yi almost spat out her coffee. She merely added some plot points that she had been too embarrassed to include at the very beginning. How was she a scumbag?! Ah, how was she a scumbag?!
Director Chen told Producer Zhang to take a look too. He still wanted to persuade Producer Zhang that this script was genuinely good. As for the investment, he shouldn’t be so desperate just yet.
Producer Zhang twitched the corners of his mouth, his flipping motions entirely perfunctory. Yes, the story was good; otherwise, he wouldn’t have picked it to fight his comeback battle. But could it pull in investors? No. Nobody was willing to invest based on her name, which was her biggest flaw.
He set the script down and spoke, “The script is good.”
Shi Yi raised her eyebrows, quietly waiting for his “but.”
Producer Zhang: “But it could be better.”
He waved his hand, saying sincerely, “It’s not that I don’t believe in you. The fact that Miss Shi’s book is so popular is enough to prove your capability. It’s just that this is your first time as a screenwriter, and you don’t understand the TV drama industry. TV dramas require dramatic conflict; they need vicious supporting characters to enrich the story. Mr. Wenquan is very skilled at adapting this type of school-life drama.” “Of course, you will still be the core screenwriter. The main framework of the story won’t change.”
Producer Zhang brushed away Director Chen’s hand that was pulling at him and softened his tone. “The most important thing is, sigh, you might already know this, but I’ve been flopping for many consecutive years.” “Stop Making Trouble is something I exchanged my company shares for. I’ve contacted every investor I know, and not a single one is willing to invest anymore. However, many investors will give face to Mr. Wenquan… If I hadn’t reached a dead end, I wouldn’t have come up with a method like this.”
After saying this, Producer Zhang looked at Shi Yi with a bitter smile. “Tell me, what else could I do?”
This was using both the carrot and the stick, forcing her to take a step back. Shi Yi raised her eyes and took a sip of her coffee, smiling sweetly. “Then why not change the producer?”
Hm? Producer Zhang’s face stiffened.
Shi Yi rested her chin on her hand. “I said, why not change the producer? With the situation you described, wouldn’t changing the producer solve everything?” Another producer could surely pull in investments, right?
Shi Yi’s eyes were very sincere.
Director Chen suddenly felt amused. He pulled back his hand and drank his own coffee, completely unbothered now. Serves you right for trying to guilt-trip! You say your name can’t pull in investments, and for the good of the show, I should give up my spot as screenwriter. But you’re even worse at pulling in investments! Investors get headaches just seeing you. So for the good of the show, shouldn’t you be the one giving up your spot?
Shi Yi was not a young girl who was easy to fool—perhaps she was in her teens, but after living independently for a few years, she was far from it now.
I underestimated her. Zhang Wenyuan realized this. He smiled and laid his cards on the table. “In short, I don’t believe in you. How about we make a bet? We will both go and pull in investments separately. If the investments I pull in using Mr. Wenquan’s name are more, you will voluntarily give up your position as the screenwriter. If you pull in more investments, I won’t mention changing screenwriters again.”
With a contract in place, he couldn’t change the screenwriter anyway. Making this bet meant that if she won, she’d gain nothing, but if she lost, she’d have to give up her spot. Shi Yi thought to herself, He sure dreams beautifully. “If I pull in more investments, how about we change the producer instead?”
The producer laughed out of anger. “Fine.” This little girl sure has a big appetite.
—
Director Chen never expected that in just the span of two sentences, the two of them would go head-to-head and make a bet.
Now it was too late to say anything.
He looked at Shi Yi worriedly. She had fallen for it! Zhang Wenyuan did this on purpose! After all, he had been mingling in the industry for so many years and knew Master Wenquan’s power. Just Gu Zhan alone—Master Wenquan excelled at school-life scripts, and Gu Zhan seemed to hold Master Wenquan in high esteem, investing in him eight times out of ten! Wasn’t she guaranteed to lose?
Shi Yi had no idea what Director Chen was thinking. She wasn’t worried. When her family faced a crisis when she was eighteen, she had accidentally discovered that this world might be a book—even though the plot had long since changed and the male lead inexplicably ran off to become a celebrity, the little bit of useful memory she had left was enough for her to rake in a fortune. She could fill up the investment quota all by herself.
Shi Yi stood up to pay the bill, politely paying for the director’s tab as well. As for the producer, she guessed he definitely wouldn’t want her to pay for him, and how could she force someone against their will? 🙂
Director Chen didn’t give the producer a good look. He really thought he was hot stuff. Zhang Wenyuan: “She was the one who wanted to bet; it’s not like I forced her.” Heh, she even wanted to change producers.
Both of their tones were unpleasant.
Zhang Wenyuan suddenly pushed his coffee cup aside and exclaimed in surprise, “Gu Zhan!”
Who?!
Director Chen paused and followed his gaze. Outside the glass window, a man was stepping out of a car. With that unforgettable aura, it was undoubtedly Gu Zhan.
Director Chen’s heart skipped a beat. It’s over.
He looked at the producer beside him and, sure enough, saw him stand up in pleasant surprise.
Heaven was helping him!
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