After Reuniting with My Aloof Movie Queen Childhood Friend - Chapter 28.1

Without waiting for Meng Xingshu’s response, she slipped away like a puff of smoke.

On the other side, Li Zhulan was also desperately waiting to be rescued.

Li Anran was a warm hearted comrade.

Concerned about the fragile mental health of the great screenwriter, she dragged Li Zhulan into a conversation spanning from heaven to earth.

By the end of it, she shared with Li Zhulan enthusiastically, “Do you read web novels? Let me recommend an author to you. It’s guaranteed to be good, let me tell you, she’s an absolute legend in our circle!”

Curious, Li Zhulan tapped open WeChat. Immediately after, she saw the homepage of Zhuzhu Aqie sent over by Li Anran.

While Comrade Li was still pitching her recommendation passionately, the screenwriter’s soul had already flown away.

What was the meaning of this? A hint? A forced confession?!

Where had she exposed herself? Her IP address, her writing style, or her manner of speaking?!

Li Zhulan swallowed hard, her mouth opening only to utter incomprehensible nonsense. When her drifting eyes caught the figure approaching from a distance, it felt like seeing a savior.

Her spirits rallied, and she bolted. “I have something to discuss with Director Ji, I’ll head over first!”

Before Ji Youyi could even reach them, she watched the short-haired girl storm over like a whirlwind, grab her by the arm, and drag her toward an unoccupied section of the guardrail.

Amused, Ji Youyi said, “What are you doing, running away in such a fluster?”

“Aiyah, don’t worry about it.” Li Zhulan would rather die than tell Ji Youyi.

She looked back at Meng Xingshu, who was dining alone, and countered, “What about you? Why aren’t you continuing to eat?”

Ji Youyi didn’t dare look back, coughing lightly. “Don’t worry about it.”

After their eyes locked for a few seconds, Ji Youyi initiated the topic. “I just came over to ask you, do you have any inspiration for the new script lately?”

With Bone of the Heiress nearing its finale, Ji Youyi would soon regain her freedom and have an entire block of working time, she wouldn’t need to hunt for short term gigs everywhere anymore.

Due to the explosive popularity of Bone of the Heiress, the project invitations she received recently had piled up into mountains.

But Meng Xingshu had been kind to her and was the first to extend an invitation. She still wanted to wrap up Meng Xingshu’s project first before considering anything else, by then, she could direct whichever project brought in the most money.

Logically speaking, she should be getting a head start on preparing the production crew right now. The problem was that the script wasn’t finalized yet, so there was absolutely nothing to prepare.

Shouldering the heavy responsibility of the script, the great screenwriter covered her face in shame. “No…”

To be precise, she lacked inspiration for the new script. On the other hand, unpresentable inspirations were flooding out of her like an unstoppable torrent.

Since April, she had been thoroughly immersed in the world of fanfiction, and the more she wrote, the more energized she became, completely losing track of time and space in her joy.

However, Li Zhulan firmly believed this couldn’t be blamed on her. It was truly because the real life pair served up too much content.

Just look at how compatible they appeared in the lounge tonight, and look at that atmosphere at the dining table where absolutely no one else could wedge themselves in!

It forced her to come up with a new plot hook every single day.

She couldn’t finish writing them all, it was simply impossible to finish.

“It’s fine,” Ji Youyi comforted her. “Bone of the Heiress is about to finish airing. You can go out to gather material, maybe inspiration will strike then. Even if you really can’t write it, it’s no big deal, we can just look for another screenwriter.”

Li Zhulan asked curiously, “Oh right, wouldn’t it be better to look for another established screenwriter? Why look for me?”

Ji Youyi looked at Li Zhulan with a smile. “Because you and I vibe better.”

Ji Youyi choosing Li Zhulan as the screenwriter did carry a bit of personal bias.

Within the domestic film and television industry, the status of a screenwriter had always been bottom of the barrel low.

Li Zhulan didn’t come from a professional background, and combined with this temperament of hers, if she went to another production crew, she would likely suffer endless grievances and cry like a fool every day.

If she could help her direct a few more dramas to build up her reputation further, once she could stand on her own two feet in the future, the bitterness she would have to swallow would be relatively less.

However, Ji Youyi wouldn’t mention any of this to Li Zhulan. She merely said, “With Teacher Meng’s resources, she could easily assemble a massive production in a matter of minutes. It’s just a pity that a minor director like me has too low a status to keep a big shot screenwriter in check, so I can only look for you.”

Li Zhulan didn’t understand. “But whether you can keep them in check or not is just a matter of a single word from the investor, right? As long as Teacher Meng values you, who would dare disobey you? Plus, participating in a major production means you’ll earn significantly more money.”

“For a small project like Bone of the Heiress, we can only pull tens of thousands or a hundred thousand. But in major projects, directors’ fees can reach into the tens of millions or even hundreds of millions. Why don’t you have Teacher Meng set up a major project for you so you can make more money? Wouldn’t that be great?”

Resting her arms on the guardrail, Ji Youyi propped her face up with her hand, gazing out at the dazzling neon lights of the city as she replied leisurely, “What do thousands of bushels of grain add to me?”

Li Zhulan looked completely blank. “What?”

Ji Youyi had noticed before that while the time progression across these two worlds was identical, and their cultural and social systems were extremely similar, there were minute differences in the details. Presumably, the middle schools in this world didn’t include that particular textbook excerpt.

“It’s normal not to get it. This happens to be the absolute pinnacle of your Director Ji’s cultural refinement.” Ji Youyi stretched to brush it off, before turning back to Li Zhulan with a serious expression.

“Like you said, the prerequisite is that she must truly value me.”

Ji Youyi rarely called Li Zhulan by her full name, which was her habit when delivering important advice. “Li Zhulan, speaking to you seriously, never easily accept any benefits that exceed the scope of your abilities. Otherwise, the price might be more than you can bear. What people value might not necessarily be your ability, it could very well be your naivety.”

Li Zhulan seemed to grasp it half-way. “Are you afraid Teacher Meng will swindle you?”

“Watch your phrasing. I have absolutely no intention of doubting your goddess’s character. I think she’s a pretty good person.” Ji Youyi blinked, looking elsewhere. “I am simply unwilling to spearhead a project I cannot control. Relying on others is always illusory, relying on oneself is the only reality.”

“Then what if that person… ah, ah, of course, I’m not talking about Teacher Meng.”

Li Zhulan thought about the private correspondence she exchanged with Meng Xingshu, every single line revolved around Ji Youyi.

She carefully measured her words. “I mean, what if there’s a person who gives you benefits simply because they want to treat you well? For example, they… they actually like you, so they just want to see you doing well, without plotting for anything else at all.”

Ji Youyi fell silent for a few seconds. “You… found out?”

Li Zhulan panicked. “Huh?”

Oh no, Little Ji was so smart. Could she have guessed something?

Ji Youyi took hold of Li Zhulan’s hand, her water like eyes shimmering gently, brimming with deep affection. “Yes, Teacher Li. Actually, I like you. Being able to join this crew and encounter you is the greatest honor of my life. Your talent, your diligence, as well as your innocence and cuteness, have deeply captivated me. The days after wrapping up production, spent without you, will be an utter torment every single second. That is why I argued strongly with Teacher Meng, demanding that you be the screenwriter, all of this is simply because I like you.”

Li Zhulan’s brain short circuited.

Her eyes went wide, her face flushed entirely crimson, and she turned completely to stone right on the spot.

Right as she was about to pass away from shock, Ji Youyi withdrew all her emotions, let go of her hand, and crossed her arms over her chest with a half-smile. “Do you mean that kind of liking? Well, that’s simple. Come, point the way for me, is there anyone who has more money than brains and is exceptionally easy to fool, the type who will casually gift a multi-million luxury mansion when they’re happy? I’ll rush over immediately to deliver a three thousand words heartfelt confession, guaranteed without a single pause.”

His nerves shattered, Li Zhulan was practically pushed to tears of frustration.

She buried her face in her hands, stomping in place a few times, yet she still couldn’t calm down. Her furious roar was loud enough to echo across the entire terrace: “Ji! You! Yi!!”

“Present, present.” Ji Youyi smiled, calmly waving to acknowledge the glances cast from their surroundings.

Smoothing down Li Zhulan’s feathers, she said softly, “Don’t be so easily fooled, got it?”

“I don’t! Get! It!” Li Zhulan gnashed her teeth and growled. “I am never dealing with you rotten showbiz folks ever again!!”

Despite her words about never dealing with them again, the great screenwriter still dutifully began mulling over the script. The moment they returned to the hotel, she went straight to Ji Youyi’s room to hold a late-night meeting.

Many film directors would excessively pursue art, overlooking or even looking down on the market. But Ji Youyi didn’t suffer from that affliction.

Overlooking the market meant the box office would likely be dismal, and she didn’t possess a family fortune to squander on pure art. Making money was her absolute primary objective. For Ji Youyi, she had always directed whatever the market demanded.

At present, however, everything remained empty talk because their screenwriter couldn’t squeeze out a story to save her life.

“As for the story, uh,” Li Zhulan said slowly, “how about you guys give me a prompt instead?”

She looked at the two people opposite her, far too embarrassed to confess outright that what she wanted to write most was a romance drama, and the two leads should preferably be… cough.

After all, the two sitting across from her appeared entirely too proper.

Meng Xingshu had never filmed a scene containing romantic elements, and as for Ji Youyi… hah, she was an absolute heavyweight champion of emotionless pragmatism!

Li Zhulan still held a grudge over Ji Youyi’s performance on the terrace, and she was secretly planning to write a bit more angst in her next fanfiction brainstorm to get her revenge. Hah!

Ji Youyi remained entirely oblivious to the “evil pink bubble plan” taking over the screenwriter’s mind. Assuming the little screenwriter was just feeling down, she turned to ask Meng Xingshu, “Does Teacher Meng not have anything she particularly wishes to express?”

“No.” Meng Xingshu turned her head over as well. “What about Director Ji?”

“I don’t either, ah.” Ji Youyi let out a sigh, feeling a slight headache coming on.

Ji Youyi herself was a person completely devoid of artistic sentiment, she had entered the industry to direct films purely for the money, maintaining her original intent unchanged for over a decade.

But she didn’t believe for a second that Meng Xingshu didn’t have any preferences either.

The great Movie Queen hailed from a wealthy family and had everything she could ever want at a young age. A wealthy heiress mingling in the entertainment circle couldn’t possibly be doing it for the money as well, right?

Thus, to Ji Youyi’s ears, the “no” uttered by Meng Xingshu equated exactly to a “whatever”

It was precisely like going out to eat with someone who says “whatever” before ordering, only to complain that this tastes bad or that shouldn’t have been ordered once the food arrives.

Based on Ji Youyi’s experience, the more generalized a client’s articulated requirements were, the more difficult they actually proved to deal with.

If Ji Youyi truly directed a film entirely according to her own whims, it was highly probable she would end up offending the person halfway through production.

Sigh, tough, truly tough.

Ji Youyi’s brain was already a muddled mess. She leaned backward, sinking her entire body into the soft armchair, and pulled out her phone to log onto Weibo, intending to clear her mind.

Ever since she discovered that Little Ji’s account had amassed quite a few fans, the latest figure had already broken past four million. Ji Youyi had picked up the additional chore of managing the account on behalf of Little Ji.

It wasn’t convenient for her to post too many updates using Little Ji’s account, but since the fans wanted to know about Little Ji’s status, she could only come online every few days to check the messages and interact a bit.

Having just experienced the live stream incident tonight, the moment Ji Youyi tapped open the super topic, she found a crowd of girls crying their hearts out.

Filled with bewilderment, Ji Youyi picked one of the comments crying the hardest to reply to:

[ My babies, don’t cry. Didn’t I speak with so much positive energy? Don’t you feel a sense of being inspired by me! [Hugs] Everyone, sleep early tonight! ]

After browsing through the super topic and the Weibo comment section, Ji Youyi clicked into her private messages as per usual. Sifting past the insults interspersed within them, she began reviewing the messages left by her fans.

Presumably because the words she spoke during the live stream had struck a chord with many, Ji Youyi unexpectedly received quite a few lengthy paragraphs.

She read through and replied to them one by one. It wasn’t until she clicked on a certain message that her gaze paused for two seconds, her browsing speed slowing down.

After a long while, she turned off the screen and sat up straight. “Actually, I do have an idea now. We can film…”

“No way!” The rational little voice in her head shrieked frantically, Aren’t you afraid of offending the client anymore?! With a single punch knocking out her emotional side, Ji Youyi collapsed straight back down. “Fooled you, I don’t have an idea.”

Meng Xingshu had been flipping through some materials. Hearing this, she looked over at her. “Tell me about it. What do you want to film?”

“I don’t want to, I don’t want to.” Ji Youyi shook her head vigorously. “It’s too troublesome.”

“What’s troublesome about it?”

Lying back in the armchair, Ji Youyi casually grabbed a throw pillow to hug against her chest. She tilted her head to peer at Meng Xingshu, one second, two seconds, three seconds.

The investor and producer standing before her seemed entirely too easy to talk to. Ji Youyi wanted creative control, and Meng Xingshu seemed genuinely willing to hand over all creative control to her.

Why?

This was incredibly strange, wasn’t it? Strange enough to make it impossible not to harbor a shred of vigilance.

Even though she had repeatedly warned herself not to rely on others, not to spearhead projects she couldn’t control, and not to mistake a leader’s easygoing nature for absolute truth.

Yet, perhaps it was because the person before her possessed an aura that was far too grounding, or perhaps these few months of companionship had accustomed Ji Youyi to the other party’s reliability, or perhaps… simply because the gaze returning her look was excessively gentle…

In short, Ji Youyi’s urge to propose a “terrible idea” began to stir restlessly.

…At any rate, once she cleared her debts and saved up enough retirement funds, she would leave the industry. When the time came, she could just delete Meng Xingshu from her contacts and swap out her SIM card, it would be incredibly difficult for Meng Xingshu to exact revenge on her head anyway. Exactly!

Finally making up her mind, she sat up with the pillow in her arms, scooting across the sofa to edge closer to Meng Xingshu.

“The trouble lies in the fact that our screenwriter will have to figure out how to make a dry, boring core concept interesting. As for me, I have to figure out how to pass censorship. And you, our magnificent investor, Teacher Meng!”

Ji Youyi wrinkled her face pitifully. “You’ll either have to consider cutting down costs or consider adjusting your mindset, packing up, and preparing yourself to lose money.”

Meng Xingshu nodded, looking at her calmly. “But you want to film it.”

Ji Youyi gestured with her fingers. “Just a tiny bit.”

“Then we’ll film it,” Meng Xingshu answered decisively.

“You don’t need to worry about the funding side of things. It won’t necessarily lose money. Just film what you want to film.”

Her lips curved up into a faint smile, her tone light and slow. “Didn’t you teach me? A good producer should resolve all troubles on behalf of the director.”