The task is heavy, and the deadline is tight? What to do?
Add money, of course!
Without extra pay, how can you expect workers to burn the midnight oil?
Wen Ying put on a shy expression, just two parts bashful. “We creatives usually feel a bit embarrassed to bring up money directly. But in special circumstances like this, I think it’s only fair to mention it… Miss Ran, rest assured, I have strong professional ethics. I absolutely won’t demand an exorbitant price!”
Most creatives indeed feel awkward initiating talk of money.
Ran Keqing had long been mentally prepared for Wen Ying to “demand an exorbitant price”. After all, Wen Ying was different from ordinary writers. She practically had “materialistic” written all over her face.
How much would Wen Ying quote?
Ran Keqing’s warm smile turned meaningful. For a moment, she did not respond, and the office fell into an unnatural silence.
This was a negotiation tactic.
If Ran Keqing spoke first, Wen Ying would gain confidence.
Ran Keqing wanted to make Wen Ying unable to hold back and state a specific quote first!
Ran Keqing was waging psychological warfare. Director Zhang, on the other hand, wished he could agree immediately.
Being able to buy a script with extra money was already great. Previously, he couldn’t even get a meeting with Wen Ying. One collaboration could lead to a second. After a few more, how could he fail to poach Tianjiao’s golden goose?
Actually, Director Zhang had considered poaching their own Zhang Guangzhen, but unfortunately, Zhang Guangzhen was too stubborn. For script commissions, you had to queue. If you tried to jump the line by poaching, sorry, take a new number and get back in line!
Old, stubborn, inflexible.
Those were the labels Director Zhang had stuck on Zhang Guangzhen.
Heard that Zhang Guangzhen had been burned badly in the past, leading to his current wariness.
Since their own was hard to deceive, Director Zhang switched targets to Wen Ying.
Young people are more passionate, easily moved by “dreams”, with little social experience. They are the easiest to trick, no, the easiest to inspire.
Unfortunately, Yuan Fenghui was too shrewd, tightly controlling Wen Ying, this golden goose, leaving Director Zhang no opening.
Yuan Fenghui, who had gone to make tea, had not returned for a long time. Opportunity rare, Director Zhang couldn’t resist the temptation. “Teacher Xiaoyu, feel free to quote. It’s us who came begging for a script from you. How could it be called demanding an exorbitant price? A bad script renders even the best director and actors useless. I don’t understand too many profound theories. My criterion for judging a film is simply whether it’s good to watch!”
Good to watch?
No.
Wen Ying silently added in her mind: Director Zhang judges a film’s quality by its box office!
Director Zhang was a thorough vulgarian, making films purely for box office. This actually eased half of Wen Ying’s worries.
If Director Zhang aimed for awards, wanting a script that could win prizes, Wen Ying would refuse outright.
Whether it could win awards wasn’t up to Wen Ying!
Of course Wen Ying wanted to win more awards to prove herself, but she wouldn’t deliberately cater to judges’ tastes for the sake of awards. What story to write and how to write it had to be decided by Wen Ying herself.
Ran Keqing wasn’t experiencing Zhang’s backstabbing for the first time. She couldn’t help glaring fiercely at him.
Director Zhang pretended not to see.
The Ran family was wealthy and didn’t lack the earnings from one film. Director Zhang did!
This Ran girl was actually using a money-making venture as a tool to suppress her rival. Director Zhang thought if she were his daughter, she’d long be hung up and whipped three times a day!
Director Zhang made a decision on the spot. If Ran Keqing continued causing trouble, Liansheng would ditch Huanyu and film it alone.
Yes, just like that. First buy the script from Wen Ying, then personally explain to Chairman Ran afterward!
With his mind set on going solo without Ran Keqing, Director Zhang grew even more enthusiastic. “Teacher Xiaoyu, I truly have sincerity!”
Wen Ying pretended to hesitate. “Actually, I generally don’t accept custom scripts. I’m afraid of too many restrictions.”
Director Zhang exclaimed, “No restrictions at all! Though it’s called custom, it only sets a general direction. The content is entirely up to you, Teacher Xiaoyu!”
To dispel Wen Ying’s concerns, Director Zhang roughly outlined the project.
Liansheng and Huanyu wanted to make a grand period piece.
The story based on wuxia but transcending it. Romance essential, brotherhood and family ties also to be shown.
“This story should be fresh and new.”
Director Zhang sighed, “I don’t know if Teacher Xiaoyu follows the film market, but these past couple of years, everyone’s making blockbusters, yet once released, they’re slammed.”
Making blockbusters requires hefty investment.
The cast actors are all top-notch.
The visuals are beautifully shot.
Audiences watch and then curse how bad it is!
Moreover, Director Zhang had noticed a problem. High box office films were all adaptations.
Adapting myths and legends, wuxia novels, historical stories.
These seemed to guarantee box office, thanks to built-in audience foundations.
Director Zhang wasn’t saying adaptations were bad. He just, after seeing so many… wanted something different.
Those foreign blockbusters, some adapted from bestsellers, some not. They were just original screenplays by film writers!
“Actually, at first, I wanted to buy the adaptation rights to “Seeking Yong”. When I mentioned it to Director Yuan, she asked if I had confidence to film it well. That stumped me. I don’t have confidence to do “Seeking Yong” justice, so I settled for commissioning a script from Teacher Xiaoyu that Liansheng can confidently produce well.”
Director Zhang opened up. Wen Ying was quite surprised.
Yuan Fenghui had told Wen Ying about Director Zhang’s style, saying he was harsh on Liansheng’s artists, an iron rooster who could squeeze oil from stone.
If Wen Ying fell into his hands, he’d wring her dry!
Yet this same person, talking about films, carried genuine passion. Was he really concerned for the entire industry?
Looking at Director Zhang’s sincere face, Wen Ying felt somewhat touched.
However, her gaze sweeping to Miss Ran beside him snapped her back to reality!
Money hadn’t even been discussed. What dreams?
Any company interview where the boss paints pies about dreams without mentioning salary, every single one is a bastard!
This bastard Director Zhang nearly fooled Wen Ying. She felt embarrassed and decided to tack on another 500,000 temporarily.
Wen Ying wore a moved expression, holding up one hand. “You truly want to make good films. I’m touched. The script quote is 5 million then. Consider it making friends with you, Director Zhang.”
Director Zhang, who had been waxing on about dreams, choked instantly. “…5 million?!”
Ran Keqing’s tone dripped sarcasm. “Teacher Xiaoyu, have you not checked industry rates? No film script is worth 5 million!”
Guessing Wen Ying would demand exorbitantly and her actually doing so were different things.
How dare Wen Ying quote 5 million?
Who would spend 5 million on a film script!
5 million could hire an A-list actor. Spending that much just on the script, how high would the total production cost be?
Wen Ying found their shocked expressions amusing.
These two definitely hadn’t expected her original expectation was 3 million.
Because Ran Keqing deliberately arrived late, plus 1.5 million.
Because Director Zhang tried to paint pies and deceive, another 500,000.
5 million for a film script was indeed far above industry rates. Ordinary screenwriters selling one for hundreds of thousands was already impressive.
But what did ordinary screenwriters’ quotes have to do with Wen Ying?
It wasn’t Wen Ying begging to sell the script to Director Zhang and Ran Keqing. They came knocking. The initiative was in Wen Ying’s hands!
Earlier, Ran Keqing stayed silent. Now it was Wen Ying’s turn to smile without speaking.
Yuan Fenghui finally returned with tea, pretending not to notice the weird atmosphere in the office. She asked Ran Keqing and the other with a beaming smile, “How’s the chat with Xiaoyu going? Xiaoyu is very easy to talk to, good-tempered, refined, with little concept of money. Whether to collaborate mainly depends on the other party’s sincerity.”
Director Zhang: ???
Ran Keqing: !!!
