What Should I Do If the Aloof Movie Queen Is Too in Love With Me? - Chapter 9

Ji Youyi ultimately chose to pay for her own breakfast after all.

 

Holding the free bottled water provided by the film crew, she bit into a meat bun, swallowing as she walked, jogging all the way to find Li Zhulan.

 

Li Zhulan was staying in the hotel arranged by the production team—a standard twin room she shared with the female lead, Wen Yang.

 

Having likely received the message right after waking up, she hadn’t even washed up; with a messy head of hair, she explained the whole story to Ji Youyi.

 

The root of the incident was simple: “Zhizhi Sesame Paste” had gone bankrupt.

 

The company withdrew its investment, the boss ended up in the hospital with heart disease, and the Crown Prince was urgently recalled. On the way back, he was driving while wailing and roaring in tears, crashed his car, broke his leg, and ended up lying in the hospital right next to his father.

 

The producer, director, and cinematographer saw the situation and ran away immediately.

 

“What about the Yeye side?” Ji Youyi asked.

 

Wen Yang’s face was pale, and she looked like she wasn’t feeling great either: “The boss probably doesn’t know yet. I sent a message to the manager, but there’s no reply; they’re likely still asleep.”

 

Ji Youyi boiled a pot of water, took out three disposable paper cups, and brewed a cup of tea for each of the three people in the room: “Then this isn’t called a ‘blown-up set,’ it’s called a breakup. Isn’t that great? You all know what this crew is like; it’s better to disperse. Treat these past few days as a vacation on the public dime. We can still get two days’ worth of pay. Otherwise, even if we worked ourselves to death to finish filming, god knows how much the final payment would be or when it would arrive.”

 

The tea was steaming hot, but the other two remained silent, showing no intention of drinking.

 

Ji Youyi couldn’t stand the cold atmosphere. She took a sip from her own cup and let out an exaggerated sigh, “Mmm—! This tea is quite good. You guys should try it too. I see the sun is nice today; how about we go for an outing nearby this afternoon? I’ll take photos of you. With my skills, and I’m not bragging, I can give you eighteen ‘life-defining photos’ in minutes.”

 

Li Zhulan finally moved. She touched the side of her cup and glanced at Ji Youyi: “Aren’t you afraid of burning yourself?”

 

Saying so, she picked up her own cup and took a sip.

 

The room was quiet, the heat floating against their numb faces. Li Zhulan watched Ji Youyi silently, and a sudden urge to vent surged within her. “Do you guys think… I’m a bit jinxed?”

 

Ji Youyi looked at her.

 

Li Zhulan put down her cup, her eyes downcast, fingers fiddling with the rim. “I was a hardworking student, right? A liberal arts student from a high-competition province; I ranked in the top one hundred in the whole province to get into S University. In the end, I chose the wrong major and was down-adjusted to the Chinese Department. After my bachelor’s, I entered a big tech firm, but it was all 996 and being PUA’d, so I ran off to do a Master’s.”

 

“Ha, I won’t even mention the pain involved. When I finished my Master’s, I thought I was finally free. I thought all schools and private enterprises were trash and could go to hell, so I went to take the exam for a provincial-level government position. Well, I passed, but guess what? I got caught in a factional struggle and was made the scapegoat for a leader.”

 

Li Zhulan could still recall the grievances and pain of that time. She paused for a few seconds, holding back tears before continuing, “I’ve come to terms with it. I’m just a loser, I have no talent, and I’m just not suited for work.”

 

“I usually have a hobby of writing short essays, so I found a way online to try writing scripts and being a screenwriter. I thought it would be such a bright path.”

 

“And the result? You’ve seen it. What other crew has a screenwriter following them on set? I foolishly followed along hoping it would be filmed well, and then? I revised the script eight hundred times!”

 

“Fine, I revised it. I thought things couldn’t possibly get worse. I’d work hard just to at least get the drama filmed. Now? The crew is disbanding. It won’t even be filmed! Haha! Hahaha!”

 

Li Zhulan started laughing, but then her tears fell. Ji Youyi watched her silently, pulling out a tissue to wipe her eyes.

 

“What am I doing! I’m already 28. What on earth have I accomplished all these years!” Li Zhulan’s tear ducts completely collapsed. She grabbed Ji Youyi’s arm and sobbed, “Little Ji baby, tell me, how can someone be this unlucky? I must have brought my bad luck to you all.”

 

Ji Youyi didn’t reply. After a long while, she finally spoke, asking: “Do you have the producer’s contact information?”

 

Li Zhulan looked at Ji Youyi through teary eyes, her whole being dazed from crying, not understanding why she wanted the producer: “I… I have it. But hasn’t he already run away? Do you want to beg him to come back?”

 

Ji Youyi didn’t explain, only saying simply: “Send it to me.”

 

Ji Youyi got the budget sheet and the list of already spent items from the runaway producer and went through them from beginning to end.

 

The role of a producer is an extremely exhausting one, but there are always people flocking to it for one reason: too much grease.

 

The total investment for this project was 5 million. Currently, Zhizhi and Yeye had each contributed 750,000, totaling 1.5 million—all of which had been spent on items where money could be easily siphoned off.

 

After the producer finished pocketing the money, he ran away, leaving the crew with a mess of bad debts.

 

Ji Youyi calculated it over and over again. It was only when she reduced the crew size to under 50 people that the math barely worked.

 

She put down her pen and said to the other two: “It can be filmed.”

 

Streamline the script, compress post-production, squeeze the crew, and it can be filmed.

 

Li Zhulan and Wen Yang were confused: “What do you mean? Who’s filming it?”

 

Ji Youyi’s tone was nonchalant: “I am. I’ll produce, and I’ll direct.”

 

Li Zhulan and Wen Yang were stunned.

 

Ji Youyi ignored the wide-eyed stares. She stood up and straightened the pile of A4 papers on the table: “Li Zhulan.”

 

Li Zhulan followed celebrities and loved watching dramas and movies. She knew that producing and directing were no simple tasks; it was hard to imagine Ji Youyi taking on both burdens at once.

 

But Ji Youyi’s posture was too calm—so calm that Li Zhulan almost instantly believed her, believed she could do what she said.

 

At this moment, Ji Youyi was rarely not smiling. Li Zhulan couldn’t help but get nervous, standing up like an elementary student called on by a teacher.

 

“Find your favorite version of the script and streamline it,” Ji Youyi began assigning tasks. “We have to shorten this drama. Change it from the original 1200 minutes to 400 minutes. Weigh it carefully; don’t be reluctant to cut. Everything unnecessary, everything that slows down the pace—cut it all.”

 

“Then, do we still need the male lead?” Li Zhulan asked.

 

“You decide. Delete him or change him, either is fine. Ideally, don’t give him too many scenes; hiring actors is expensive.”

 

Ji Youyi then looked at Wen Yang. “Wen Yang, do you want to act?”

 

“I… I don’t know…” Wen Yang’s hands were clenched tight.

 

“I’ll be blunt. Your acting doesn’t meet my minimum requirements,” Ji Youyi interrupted. “I know you aren’t professionally trained and have no experience, but film production only cares about results. If I put you out there like this, the audience won’t buy it. So if you still want to act, you will definitely suffer a lot. Can you do it?”

 

“I…”

 

“Can you endure hardship?” Ji Youyi changed the wording.

 

Endure hardship? Did years of training and dieting count as hardship? Being cold-shouldered at home, insulted at the company, ignored everywhere, rejected, rolled eyes at, being told ‘someone like you can actually be an artist’—did that count as hardship?

 

Wen Yang nodded gently: “I can.”

 

“Good.” Ji Youyi’s speech was fast. “17 days. I only want 17 days from you. During these 17 days, if I don’t let you sleep, you are not allowed to sleep. If I tell you to practice, you must practice, over and over again, until I am satisfied. You can curse at me, as harshly as you want, but your body cannot stop. You must fully immerse yourself in the character. Can you do it?”

 

Ji Youyi’s tone was strangely infectious. Wen Yang clenched her fists and nodded forcefully: “I can.”

 

“Okay, wait for my good news.” Having finished her instructions, Ji Youyi finally broke into a smile. She waved to the two and turned to leave the hotel.

 

Ji Youyi had the thousand yuan in her pocket that she had just received this morning. She had shamelessly forced that short-drama crew to give her cash, and before it could even get warm, two bills were pulled out.

 

She hailed a taxi and went to the headquarters of Yeye Company.

 

Yeye Media was in the neighboring H City, a little over an hour’s drive away. When Ji Youyi arrived, it was just their starting time for work.

 

Ji Youyi had asked Wen Yang for their boss’s phone number and had already made an appointment to discuss the project on the way there.

 

The boss of Yeye Media was named Wu Buxing. In his early years, he worked in exhibition organizing. Later, to make an extra buck, he signed some minor artists, providing food and housing and paying a basic salary. Usually, they would act as hosts or models at the exhibitions the company organized, singing and dancing. As it developed, this actually became the company’s main business.

 

This venture into the film and television circle made Wu Buxing realize his own ineptitude. The risk was too high; he didn’t dare continue.

 

“We aren’t investing in this drama anymore. Whoever wants to invest can, but it’s impossible for my Yeye to put in another cent. I’ll just consider that previous 750,000 as money down the drain. If we keep losing, it won’t just be that amount,” Wu Buxing said with a firm attitude.

 

Zhizhi went bankrupt after investing in this drama, which meant the drama was bad luck. He wouldn’t be the second Zhizhi.

 

This reaction was within Ji Youyi’s expectations. She sat opposite Wu Buxing, her left arm leaning loosely against the edge of the table, while her right index finger casually tapped out a rhythm on the surface: “Mr. Wu, you’ve got it wrong. This isn’t just a matter of losing 750,000.”

 

“You might not understand the film industry very well.” Ji Youyi handed over a stack of bills. “The 750,000 paid for equipment, venue rentals, and the crew’s basic needs. But the problem is—”

 

“The cast and crew’s salaries haven’t been paid, travel tickets haven’t been reimbursed, insurance fees haven’t been settled, and clothing rentals, prop settings, and various crew chores were all paid in advance by others. This amounts to several hundred thousand that hasn’t been paid. Who do you think will be stuck with the bill in the end?”

 

“The crew disbands, the producer and director run away, Zhizhi is bankrupt, but your Yeye is still here! Such a large company—one search on a map and people can find it. If over a hundred people surround your company building demanding their pay, how will your company continue to develop?”

 

Wu Buxing’s face turned green as he looked at the items one by one. Ji Youyi guessed he was mentally slapping his past self for impulsively investing in film, but that wasn’t her purpose for this trip.

 

She tapped the table and continued: “Okay, I know Mr. Wu is an honest and law-abiding entrepreneur who won’t let things go to the Labor Bureau, nor will you end up in a lawsuit or on the news. You can afford to lose 750,000, and you don’t care about a loss of over a million. But again, you might not understand the film industry. Actually, encountering this is a good thing; most people wouldn’t let this chance go easily.”

 

“Why?”

 

“This drama has already cost 1.5 million. This includes not only the 750,000 you put in but also Zhizhi’s 750,000. If you don’t film it, Zhizhi’s 750,000 has nothing to do with you. But if this drama is finally finished, it’s equivalent to you investing 750,000 less for independent production, sole decision-making power, and when the project goes online for profit-sharing, all the money goes into your pocket alone!”

 

“This kind of opportunity only comes when luck is on your side. Halfway through the project, the person sharing the profits went bankrupt and withdrew, essentially giving you that 750,000 for free. Mr. Wu, wouldn’t you say? Where else in the world can you find such a good deal?”

 

Of course, Ji Youyi wouldn’t tell him that too many film projects can’t be sold for a good price after completion, earning less than was invested, leading to company bankruptcy and bosses running away.

 

Wu Buxing was clearly a bit moved: “But if we film it, don’t I still have to invest more money?”

 

Ji Youyi let out a long sigh, shaking her head repeatedly with a look of being between laughter and tears: “Mr. Wu, when this drama is made, aren’t we going to sell it? You can sell it on any platform. At a cheap estimate, it’ll easily sell for a million, right? You invest another 900,000 and sell it for a million—tell me, haven’t you made a profit?”

 

“Furthermore, money is secondary. Mr. Wu is an insider; you surely understand what is the most expensive thing these days.”

 

Ji Youyi counted on her fingers for him: “By filming this drama, your reputation in the circle is established, the company’s credit goes up, Wen Yang gets famous, and invitations will come flooding in!”

 

“Also, your company needs to recruit new talent, right? There are so many agencies in the industry; why would young people choose ours? Because our company has capability! We have experience in producing dramas; if they sign with us, they’ll have roles to play. Naturally, everyone will scramble to get in.”

 

“Once the base is large, there will be more high-quality artists. The company’s professional level will soar, its reputation in the industry will get better and better, resources will become abundant, feeding back into the company—a direct entry into a virtuous cycle!”

 

Wu Buxing was listening with boiling blood. He rubbed his head as if trying to force down the lid of a jumping, boiling kettle: “Then, then, then… even if I want to film, I can’t. The director and the others have all run away.”

 

Having started the fire, Ji Youyi now began to smile slowly.

 

She looked down and organized the documents in her hand, seemingly non-threatening, but in reality, she held firm control over the rhythm of the conversation: “Mr. Wu, filming isn’t a simple matter.”

 

Her gaze was indifferent as she sighed softly, “Think about it. If this project could be landed easily, wouldn’t everyone be trying to make this money? Would it still be our turn? Obtaining the scriptures requires going through eighty-one tribulations.”

 

“Then, then… right! Then tell me, how do we find a director and all that?”

 

Seeing that the kettle opposite her was about to let out a piercing whistle, Ji Youyi finally handed over a set of materials and said calmly, “I have experience as a director and producer, and I’ve participated in S+ projects. If Mr. Wu trusts me, you can hire me. This is the project proposal I’ve drafted; please take a look.”

 

Wu Buxing’s brain cooled down a bit. He looked at Ji Youyi, feeling she looked familiar but unable to remember who she was.

 

He hesitated: “I’ll consider it further.”

 

Ji Youyi had no objection: “Understood. Then you consider it first, Mr. Wu. I have an appointment with another boss at eleven to discuss investment, so I’ll be going now.” Saying so, she stood up to walk out.

 

“Wait, why did you make an appointment with someone else?” Wu Buxing immediately became anxious.

 

Ji Youyi shrugged: “I naturally have to account for the possibility that you won’t invest. Time is money. The crew is paralyzed right now, but the rent for the venue and equipment continues to burn. Every day filming is delayed is another day’s loss for the investor. Calculate how much it costs per day for 3 million over 20 days.”

 

150,000 a day! Wu Buxing was great at math and immediately arrived at the answer.

 

He seemed to see stacks of cash burning, and it made his heart bleed: “I’ll invest! I’ll invest! Don’t go looking for anyone else. This drama—Yeye will produce it independently. Start filming immediately!”

 

On the return trip, Ji Youyi didn’t spend a single cent. Wu Buxing arranged a private car to take her back to the film set.

 

The driver was the man in the suit, who pulled the car door open for her with a smile and bowed to invite her in. Ji Youyi took the coffee he handed her with both hands but did not say thank you.

 

The fragrance in the car was too heavy. Ji Youyi opened the rear window, leaning against it while checking her phone.

 

Li Zhulan was truly the “script mother”; in just a few hours, she had sent over a new outline.

 

The setting before the rebirth remained unchanged. After the rebirth, the female lead, Cao Qiu, was no longer led astray by the romance line. Instead, she focused entirely on self-growth and protecting her family, while incidentally getting revenge for her previous life.

 

The people who bullied her in the past life were set up one by one, and those who tried to humiliate her in this life were stepped on and crushed. The original male lead was changed to a villain; a major plot climax involved a powerful official being framed and imprisoned by the Prime Minister’s daughter.

 

Along the way, she made two close friends.

 

One was the original male lead’s childhood friend, Ning Li. After seeing the male lead’s true colors, she chose to help Cao Qiu, playing a major role in the showdown against him. She was optimistic, cute, intelligent, and brave—a warm companion on Cao Qiu’s path to revenge.

 

The other was the current Princess, Song Qingyan.

 

Princess Qingyan came from a humble maternal family and had suffered bullying since childhood, nearly becoming a sacrificial lamb in her brothers’ struggle for power.

 

But she remained outwardly unfazed, while in reality, she was spiritually gifted and intelligent. Under Cao Qiu’s support, she eventually took the throne, becoming the first female emperor of the dynasty, while Cao Qiu, who assisted her, became the first female Prime Minister.

 

Princess Qingyan was originally a minor character who appeared only two or three times. Because the role was so small, they hadn’t even chosen the actress carefully. Now, with a stroke of Li Zhulan’s pen, her plot was drastically increased, and she was changed directly into the third female lead.

 

After finishing the outline, Ji Youyi reread the character description for Princess Qingyan several times. An increasingly clear figure emerged in her mind.

 

On her phone, Li Zhulan sent a message anxiously: “Xiao Ji, what do you think? I feel like I wrote Cao Qiu to be too ‘bad’; I’m afraid the audience won’t like her.”

 

Ji Youyi replied: “They won’t.”

 

Ji Youyi was talking nonsense; she actually wasn’t sure.

 

In the past, she had only filmed popcorn commercial movies and had never left the small circle of the film world; she didn’t understand the preferences of the web drama audience.

 

But she had to use firm instructions to soothe the creator’s anxiety. Only when the creator’s core stabilized could the work be complete, the audience be comfortable watching it, the audience be willing to finish it, and the production team make more money.

 

Ji Youyi’s mind wasn’t on the female lead for the moment.

 

She was flipping through the segments for Princess Qingyan, imagining the character’s every frown and smile. Her mood was strangely good:

 

“Song Qingyan’s effective scenes are more than Ning Li’s; she is the second lead in a true sense. Polish it well. I have a very suitable candidate to recommend; she will definitely perform brilliantly.”

 

Li Zhulan: “Wow, who is it?”

 

Ji Youyi couldn’t help but smile, replying mysteriously: “A non-celebrity friend of mine. She’s incredibly beautiful and has great temperament—you’ll understand once you see her. I plan to work hard to ‘trick’ her into coming over.”

 

Non-celebrities were great—non-celebrities were cheap!