Spring Night of Misty Rain - Chapter 6

Because she spoke so vaguely, Xu Luosu looked utterly bewildered. “What does this have to do with Giant Whale?”

Shen Zeyu froze for a moment. “You want to collaborate with me; aren’t you going to sign the contract through Giant Whale?” Was there even another way to collaborate?

Xu Luosu immediately realized that Shen Zeyu had misunderstood. She let out a small laugh and a sigh. “So that’s what Senior Sister was thinking.”

As she spoke, she picked up her teacup and took a sip, explaining under Shen Zeyu’s puzzled gaze: “I have two companies under my name, plus three film and television production companies. When I sign a contract with you, it will be through those companies. It won’t involve Giant Whale at all.”

She looked up at Shen Zeyu, her eyes sparkling with amusement. “In other words, you are only collaborating with me. As for who I collaborate with, that has nothing to do with you.”

Shen Zeyu finally understood. “Oh…”

She had initially assumed Xu Luosu was just like the other “trust-fund babies” she had known—wealthy socialites just playing around in the entertainment industry. She hadn’t expected her to be so professional and organized. This realization made Shen Zeyu look at her in a new light.

With the misunderstanding cleared, Shen Zeyu got straight to the point. “So, how exactly do you want to collaborate?”

Xu Luosu thought for a moment, set down her cup, and leaned forward, holding up two fingers toward Shen Zeyu. “I’ve thought of two options. The first is that I pay you 20 million to buy the rights to these four works outright. However, after the buyout, you cannot interfere in any further development.”

While this price didn’t match Shen Zeyu’s peak market value, it was double the amount she had expected.

Shen Zeyu pondered for a moment and asked, “And the second option?”

Xu Luosu smiled and waved a hand, looking quite pleased. “I’ll add another 10 million, and you come on as the screenwriting consultant to revise the scripts according to my requirements. How about that?”

Shen Zeyu’s brain went numb for a second. Wait, is that how she does math? The status of a screenwriting consultant wasn’t worth that much.

Actually, no matter how she calculated it, it didn’t seem practical.

After a moment’s thought, Shen Zeyu made her choice without hesitation. “I choose option one.”

Xu Luosu hadn’t expected her to choose so quickly. She sat stunned for a beat before blurting out, “I think option two is much more interesting. Why don’t you think about it some more?”

Shen Zeyu didn’t even blink. “No need. I choose one.”

Xu Luosu began to struggle. “I think—”

“Option one!”

“Just consider—”

“Option one!”

“I believe we could have a better—”

Shen Zeyu didn’t want to give her a single opening. She replied decisively: “No. Option one!”

Xu Luosu fell silent for a moment, then spread her palm toward Shen Zeyu. “If you pick option two, I’ll add another 5 million.”

Shen Zeyu raised a hand in refusal. “No, no, no. I don’t want it…”

Xu Luosu gritted her teeth. “Another 10 million!”

Shen Zeyu shook her head frantically. “No, no, no, no…”

Xu Luosu pursed her lips, hardened her heart, and gave an utterly ridiculous quote: “20 million!” Twenty million plus another twenty million—forty million in total. To spend that much on a script was truly the absolute limit.

Shen Zeyu sighed, looking helpless. “It’s not a matter of money. Miss Xu, I reminded you before: in my current mental state, I cannot join a production crew.”

Xu Luosu frowned slightly, still unwilling to give up. “Since I dared to invite you to join the crew, it proves that besides having sufficient funds, I also have the ability to ensure your safety.”

“Whether it’s physical safety or mental safety, I can guarantee both.”

Taking advantage of the gap while Shen Zeyu was silent, she poured out her inner thoughts all at once: “This is my first time as a producer. I might be inexperienced, but I will never let a situation like Xiao Yao happen again. I am very aware of your condition; the crew will have a doctor on standby. It’s just script revision—as long as we avoid triggers, it won’t be a problem.”

“Even so, are you still unwilling to be my consultant?”

Xu Luosu’s momentum was fierce, like a little lion queen ready to pounce, rushing toward Shen Zeyu with an overwhelming sense of pressure.

Shen Zeyu felt her resolve being battered to pieces, but she also felt a headache coming on.

The girl really has some nerve.

Filming meant going to the Film City. In such a massive place with so many familiar staff members, even Shen Zeyu couldn’t guarantee she wouldn’t run into a trigger.

She suddenly felt dizzy. In the past, she would have certainly kicked a guest out with a cold face by now.

But there was something about Xu Luosu. Even though she was aggressive, she was surprisingly not annoying.

Shen Zeyu pursed her lips, thought for a bit, and replied, “The fact that you are willing to spend so much to hire me is an acknowledgment of my work, and I am grateful for that. But precisely because of that, I cannot offload the risk onto my partner.”

She looked up and met Xu Luosu’s gaze. “I’m sorry. I can’t help you this time. Maybe next time.”

The girl’s gaze was stubborn and persistent, but upon hearing those words, she finally admitted defeat. She let out a sigh, and her eyes softened. “Alright.”

“We’ll leave it at this for now. When you’re feeling better, we’ll collaborate then.”

As she spoke, she flashed a smile, her eyes full of encouragement. “There’s plenty of time in the future, after all.”

Shen Zeyu smiled back, though the warmth didn’t quite reach her eyes. “Yes. There’s plenty of time.”

Ever since Shen Zeyu’s “incident,” all her business and financial affairs had been handled by Chen Ci.

After reaching a verbal agreement, Shen Zeyu informed Chen Ci, leaving her to coordinate with Xu Luosu’s lawyers to finalize the contract.

Chen Ci was overjoyed at the news. On one hand, it meant new income for Shen Zeyu—and as her agent, she’d get a 10% commission. On the other hand, the fact that someone had sought out Shen Zeyu immediately after her discharge to validate her talent significantly boosted Shen Zeyu’s sense of social worth.

After all, humans live in this world because they have the value of being needed by others.

Some are needed by parents, some by lovers, some by friends, and some by society…

Shen Zeyu’s previous suicide attempt was because she felt no one in this world needed her anymore. Being unneeded meant having no place to belong; having no place to belong meant no sense of security. That was why she had thrown herself into the arms of death so recklessly.

Although Chen Ci had used “debt” to bind her—threatening that even if she died, she could never pay back what she owed Giant Whale—and managed to barely hang onto her life through that dark first year, the current Shen Zeyu still lacked any real vitality.

She was still hiding in that pitch-black cave. She might roll over when the sun shone in, but when there was no light, she just lay on the ground, motionless, waiting for the darkness to swallow her again.

Both the doctor and Chen Ci believed that only by trying to step out into a larger landscape could Shen Zeyu dilute the unpleasant memories and walk toward a future.

But how does one step out into a larger landscape? You have to crawl up from the ground and take a step forward!

This was a perfect opportunity. After receiving the message, Chen Ci sent a string of voice notes: “Don’t worry about the signing; I’ll handle it!”

“It’s not every day a ‘sucker’ comes along and takes an interest in you. Make sure you treat her well!”

“Have you had lunch? What? Not yet? Then remember to take her out for Jinwu cuisine tonight!”

“After dinner, go to the Jinwu Pier and ride the Ferris wheel. I’ve already booked a car for you both! Go, quickly!”

Even though it was just voice-to-text, Shen Zeyu could see the excitement through the screen by the sheer number of exclamation points.

Shen Zeyu clicked her tongue, thinking it was a good thing she didn’t actually listen to the audio, or she’d be deaf.

With that mindset, she clicked the final voice note: “I know you, you rascal—you definitely won’t go. If you don’t go, I will come and drag you out of bed every single morning for the next month!”

As the text finished translating, an image of a bloody knife was sent over.

A threat. This was a blatant threat.

Shen Zeyu took a deep breath. Between going out and being physically assaulted by Chen Ci, she chose the former.

She looked up at the girl in front of her, who was busy tapping away on her phone. She hesitated, then spoke: “Um, Junior Sister Xu…”

Xu Luosu looked up and blinked curiously. “What is it, Senior Sister?”

Shen Zeyu thought for a moment, organizing her words. “Are you in a hurry to get back? If not, since it’s rare for you to visit Jinwu, how about I take you out to look around some more?”

Xu Luosu’s eyes lit up instantly. “I’d love to! I was just about to ask if you were well-rested enough.”

“Since you’re willing, I’d be delighted to see more. We could ride the Eye of Jinwu, see the Clock of the World…”

“And if possible, let’s take the ferry…”

She listed off projects like she was reading a menu.

Shen Zeyu’s mouth twitched, and she began to fear for her feet.

Given the intensity of this morning, her feet were definitely going to cramp. Absolutely!

Maybe I should book a spa for tomorrow.

If I can’t walk, I’ll just have someone come to the house.

They hadn’t even left the house yet, but just the thought of it made Shen Zeyu’s eyes glaze over with a sense of utter despair.