After Reuniting with My Aloof Movie Queen Childhood Friend - Chapter 22.1

Being able to direct a drama for a platform was equivalent to allowing a employment challenged person like Ji Youyi to ascend straight to heaven by entering a high-paying, major corporation. It was naturally an incredible opportunity, so how did this count as helping?

Filled with doubt, Ji Youyi pressed on, “Which crew is short on people? If I go, what role will I be performing?”

Just as she was about to adopt an interview mindset to showcase her mastery of various crew skills, she heard Meng Xingshu provide the answer: “Director.”

Ji Youyi rejected it without a single thought.

“Other roles are fine, but director won’t do?” Meng Xingshu asked.

Ji Youyi nodded, correcting her seriously, “Other roles are fine, but chief director won’t do.”

“Why?” Meng Xingshu stated calmly. “You just served as the chief director for a drama. There’s no reason for you to act as an assistant in another crew.”

…Chief director, my foot. For a small web series with a three-million yuan investment, the entire directing team consisted of her and a single script supervisor. Could that even be called a chief director?

Ji Youyi was thick-skinned, but she wasn’t that thick-skinned. She scratched her cheek and explained, “After all, seniority and status matter in the industry. I’m a newcomer, young, with a poor reputation, and no established works. If I don’t act as an assistant, who would be willing to play second fiddle to me?”

“If I act as the chief director, the crew will find it very hard to recruit people, we won’t even be able to invite decent actors. Even…” Ji Youyi paused, confessing honestly, “Actually, there’s no need to talk about what happens after setting up the crew. Right from the very beginning, no producer would be willing to hire me.”

Platform producers had performance requirements for their projects, who didn’t want to make more money?

Bonuses were tied to project revenue. If a project lost money, they would be scolded or even lose their jobs!

Since the platform was footing the bill and wasn’t short on director fees, they would naturally prioritize directors with greater name recognition out of prudence. That way, they could attract a better main creative team, appearing more reliable and less prone to disaster.

It was hard to say what the future held, but given Ji Youyi’s current situation, someone would have to be insane to choose her.

The young girl, who had been bursting with vitality when she first got into the car, now wilted like a plant deprived of water.

Meng Xingshu’s gaze landed on her slightly lowered head, her voice softening. “How can you say you have no works? Weren’t you working on one just a few weeks ago?”

Ji Youyi paused, answering ambiguously, “That doesn’t really count.”

To Ji Youyi, The Price of Wealth was practically a thing of the past.

Her name wasn’t in the main creative credits, so she didn’t need to participate in any subsequent promotional work. Her name wasn’t at the beginning of the film either, it was hidden in the middle section of the cast and crew list, sliding past rapidly at the end.

Taking money to do a job meant cutting ties cleanly, which was exactly as it should be.

Ji Youyi didn’t really want to talk about this drama. Just as she was about to crack a few witty jokes to steer the topic away, she heard the other woman’s tone lift slightly at the end. “That’s good then.”

What was good? Ji Youyi stared blankly at Meng Xingshu’s profile, somewhat bewildered.

In the dead of night, the secluded street was completely silent. Only the gentle evening breeze blew, unhurriedly swaying the tall trees by the roadside.

The bright moon hung high, and cherry-pink blossoms drifted down slowly along the path of the wind, a few petals landing on the car’s front windshield.

“I thought you wanted to develop your career with the platform and wouldn’t be able to help me.” Meng Xingshu parked the car under a tree at her convenience, turning her head to look at Ji Youyi. “I’ve recently had the idea of transitioning into a producer, but I don’t know where to start. It just so happens that you’re free during this period. Would you be willing to guide me hand in hand through a project?”

On the very first day they met, Ji Youyi had thought Meng Xingshu was breathtakingly beautiful, especially those eyes, shaped gently like flower petals, yet containing incredibly deep, dark pupils that seemed to possess a magical power capable of stealing one’s breath away.

As Ji Youyi kept watching, her breathing inexplicably grew erratic.

She hurriedly averted her eyes, staring at the gently swaying fallen petals on the windshield for a few seconds before she finally managed to reel her runaway breath back in. Her mind began to process the information she had just received.

The great movie queen wanted to transition to being a producer?

The entertainment circle was small, and it was quite common for industry insiders to jump from one role to another. There were plenty of top actresses who transitioned behind the scenes, but who transitioned at such a young age?

“Are you not going to act anymore?” Ji Youyi asked.

“I haven’t run into a good script lately, and I also want to try out a new identity.”

“Oh, oh, that’s really good.” Ji Youyi echoed her sentiment, yet she still felt that even if Meng Xingshu wanted to be a producer, it made no sense to ask her for help. “I actually have very little production experience. Wouldn’t it be better if you asked your company, or simply consulted President Lin?”

“Their projects are too large, and the risks are high. Starting from small projects together with you will give me less pressure.”

Meng Xingshu gazed intently at Ji Youyi, speaking unhurriedly, “You said before that as long as it could help me, you wouldn’t hesitate at any cost. Is this favor making things difficult for you?”

“Of course not!” Ji Youyi said hastily.

Meng Xingshu gave a soft “un” sound, her gaze clear and beautiful, yet the words she spoke left Ji Youyi no room for refusal.

“Then it’s settled. I know you’re very busy during the day, so before the project takes its initial shape, I hope to occupy the time on your commute home each night to learn from you. If you have any other spare time, please let me know as well, alright?”

The clear, cool timber of her voice was steeped in the moonlight, actually revealing a hint of tenderness. Ji Youyi looked back into Meng Xingshu’s eyes, and the breathing she had managed to find with great difficulty grew erratic once again.

She spared a shred of attention to keep a grip on herself, stammering slightly when she spoke: “Of… of course you can.”

At four in the morning, after taking a shower, Ji Youyi pulled out her laptop, squatted in front of it, and opened her browser.

In the car, she had mindlessly agreed to do a project together with Meng Xingshu, but now that she had calmed down and thought about it, a few problems still existed.

The core issue came down to one point: the fear of absolute failure.

It wasn’t that she lacked confidence in her own abilities.

The reason Ji Youyi had been able to become a famous director at such a young age in her original world was because she achieved an industry miracle, none of the works she directed had ever lost money.

As a commercial film director, her movies had been criticized for lacking depth and substance, but absolutely no one could ever criticize her for lacking box office returns.

She was a wholesaler of mindless popcorn movies, whereas Meng Xingshu was quite the opposite. Having won so many “Best Actress” awards, she carried a detached, scholarly aura around her, one look and you could tell she was an artist.

If the great movie queen didn’t interfere with the creative process, that would be fine. But if she had her own ideas, and their styles proved incompatible, leading to wavering decisions, the probability of producing a flop would naturally skyrocket.

If they wanted to cooperate properly, it was only right and reasonable for Ji Youyi to research Meng Xingshu and her works beforehand.

Ji Youyi typed out a string of pinyin. Backed by the input method’s dictionary, the celebrity’s name popped up automatically.

Just as her thumb hovered over the spacebar, about to press down, she pulled it back as if she had received an electric shock.

She quickly darted a glance at the tightly shut bedroom door, her finger instinctively pressing the backspace key to delete the entire string of pinyin.

What was she feeling guilty about?

Ji Youyi fiercely scolded herself in her heart. Searching for Meng Xingshu was for the sake of better work; she was being completely open and aboveboard, alright!

Feeling entirely open and aboveboard, Ji Youyi entered the pinyin once more. After finishing the input, her ten fingers got into a tangle in mid-air, and in the end, they landed on the backspace key again, deleting everything.

Ji Youyi cast a reproachful look at her right finger, unable to comprehend its actions.

Was there any information on Meng Xingshu that she wasn’t allowed to look at?

It wasn’t as if she hadn’t searched her before. Back in the hospital when she was confirming Meng Xingshu’s identity with Li Zhulan, she had already looked up her encyclopedia page. Yes, the high-definition official photos were indeed gorgeous, but so what?

The real person was even more beautiful than the official photos, and she had already seen the real person so many times. She had long since become immune, alright!

After finishing her lecture to her disobedient hand, Ji Youyi redoubled her efforts and continued to type… and then deleted it.

Typed again, and deleted it again. Typed again, and deleted it again.

Meng Xingshu

Meng Xingshu

Meng Xingshu

Meng Xingshu…

By the time Ji Youyi snapped out of it, she had already repeatedly typed that name numerous times.

On the completely unchanging browser interface, the vertical cursor blinking rhythmically above those three characters resembled a beating heart.

Thump.

Thump!

Ji Youyi suddenly sprang up from her seat, slammed her laptop shut with a snap, and threw herself onto the bed.

Something seemed to be vibrating in her chest, making the entire tip of her heart feel numb. Ji Youyi frowned and pressed down on it, pulling out her phone to take a look, it was already half past four.

Staying up late had made even her heart feel uncomfortable. Going on like this wouldn’t do; she had to sleep early since she still had to continue hauling bricks at the Film and Television City tomorrow.

As for researching the data… she would wait until there was an opportunity in the future.

Before her phone screen turned off, Ji Youyi caught a glimpse of the date by chance. Today was the sixteenth day of the lunar month, the time when the moon was at its roundest.

She had forgotten to draw the curtains in the room, and in the clear night sky, a full moon happened to be shining straight through her window.

The fragrance of rose essential oil quietly suffused the room, and a wave of exhaustion washed over her like a tide.

Ji Youyi was too lazy to pull the curtains, choosing instead to bury her head in her blanket to sleep.

In that state between sleep and wakefulness, she unconsciously opened her eyes again to glance at that full moon outside the window, thinking fuzzily.

A full moon seems like quite a good omen.

At five in the morning, before the alarm clock even had a chance to ring, Ji Youyi was first awakened by the bright morning light.

Having only slept for half an hour the previous night, and a chaotic sleep at that, she lay like a stiff corpse on the bed for ten minutes before dragging herself up to wash up.

In the vase on the bathroom counter, the blooming irises were fresh and beautiful. Ji Youyi watched the flowers while brushing her teeth, finally clearing her mind.

She had been paid her wages, so she now had money to buy her own breakfast. Consequently, she didn’t press the kitchen bell upon waking up. Yet to her surprise, the moment she walked downstairs, she still saw the cooking auntie coming out carrying a meal tray.

The tender douhua (tofu pudding) was covered in sweet syrup. After downing a large bowl of the warm food, Ji Youyi stepped out of the house, only to see the driver already waiting outside.

Life in the Rising Star dormitory was so comfortable that it was completely mismatched with her daily routine of manual labor.

Ji Youyi had originally wanted to move out as soon as possible, but since she had just taken on Meng Xingshu’s project last night, her moving plans could only be postponed.

Besides, her bank cards were still frozen, and she had no steady source of income, so how could she afford to feel embarrassed? She might as well be thick-skinned and continue living here.

As for the room fees, car fees, and meal expenses she owed Rising Star… she would just let them rack up for now; returning favors wasn’t something that could be rushed.

Those three big shots from Rising Star didn’t look like they were short on money anyway. Rather than sweating over every single penny right now, she was better off focusing on improving herself first.

She should eat what needed to be eaten and ride what needed to be ridden. When they needed help, she would put in the effort to deliver, look, wasn’t she about to teach Meng Xingshu production now?

Ji Youyi had the driver drop her off outside a hotel.

She was in luck, having picked up a job as a makeup artist. The original makeup artist had a sudden matter to attend to and needed her to fill in for the morning. Once she collected this wage, she could still go and interview for other positions, making her time utilization approach absolute perfection.

The crew was very small, with only around a dozen characters requiring makeup. Moreover, it was a modern theme, so the makeup looks were simple.

Ji Youyi finished the makeup and styling for the entire crew before it was even nine o’clock. She took her money and left the hotel, pulling out her phone, only to see a missed call from Wu Buxing by surprise.

Seeing that the call didn’t go through, Wu Buxing hadn’t continued calling like he used to. Instead, he left a message:

【[Silly Laugh] Director Ji, are you busy? Once you’re done, would it be convenient to give me a callback? [Handshake] [Rose]】

Ji Youyi was puzzled. The final cut had just been handed in yesterday, and they had already audited a problem first thing this morning?

Hopefully, there weren’t many places to revise, so it wouldn’t delay her from finding work.

She dialed the number back.

On the other end, Wu Buxing’s tone was abnormally enthusiastic. “Director Ji! You’re done with your work? I’ve been waiting for you! Ai-ya, it’s like this, Director Ji, is it convenient for you to come over to H City right now?”

The words were somewhat familiar, only this time, the speaker’s attitude was no longer high and mighty. Instead, he sounded so respectful that he seemed to wish he could kneel down to her through the phone.

This was too bizarre. Ji Youyi creased her face. “What’s the matter? Just say it directly.”

“No, no, no, Director Ji, I just want to invite you to a meal, haha. You were busy with the crew before, so I didn’t dare to disturb you. Now that the drama is finished shooting, if I still don’t extend an invitation, that would be my fault.”

Inviting her to a meal when it wasn’t even nine o’clock, this person must have lost his mind.

The more polite Wu Buxing behaved, the more Ji Youyi felt nothing good was coming out of it. She refused coldly, “No need. I’ve already joined another crew; I don’t have time.”

Wu Buxing was truly on the verge of losing his mind. “It’s necessary, it’s absolutely necessary! Director Ji, the car to pick you up has been waiting in D City since early this morning, just waiting for your word to arrive immediately! How about this, can you take a leave of absence from your current crew? It’ll only take up one morning of your time. I will compensate you for all losses!”

Oh, he can give money. Ji Youyi grew interested. “Compensate how much?”

Wu Buxing grit his teeth. “Everything!”

Ji Youyi thought about it, switched out of the call interface, and entered two names into the browser. The very first result that popped up was a trending hot topic:

#Inside Story of the Entertainment Industry Exposed. Credit Malpractices Run Rampant in Film and Television Works, Ghostwriter Producers and Directors Direct Damage to the Industry Ecology!

So it turned out that the two buyers from before had been exposed. Caught in the teeth of the storm, they had suddenly remembered her, this bad luck, tarnished artist.

Ji Youyi clicked into the news link, scanning the lines rapidly. She spoke in an unhurried tone, “Sure, send the car to pick me up.”