Matters between young people, of course, should be resolved by the young people themselves.
No matter what reason Xie Qian has for keeping it secret, in the end, the one who has to coax Wen Ying is neither Yuan Fenghui nor Zhang Guangzhen.
Zhang Guangzhen cannot learn Yuan Fenghui’s composure. His skin is not thick enough, his heart not black enough. No wonder he was almost driven to death by Manager Guan and Cao Bo’s group before.
Thinking of Manager Guan and Cao Bo, Zhang Guangzhen immediately associated it with President Jin and expressed concern about Xie Qian accepting President Jin’s investment.
“That coal boss who does mining invested in ‘Love Cruise’ before, and now he wants to invest in Jiaxin’s new drama. I am really scared of these amateurs interfering randomly. If it were not for Xie Qian guaranteeing me that he absolutely will not let President Jin interfere with the filming, I would regret helping Jiaxin write the script!”
Changing the script until the entire drama’s plot lines collapsed, changing it until the female lead and supporting female roles’ parts became unclear. This was Zhang Guangzhen’s nightmare-like experience.
Anyone related to that experience, including Manager Guan, Cao Bo, Yu Tianlin, and the investor President Jin, were all nightmare figures Zhang Guangzhen did not want to face.
Even after being rescued by Tianjiao, Zhang Guangzhen had a period where he kept having nightmares, dreaming of the coal boss President Jin bringing a group of thugs to drag him back to revise the script!
After being rescued by Tianjiao, Zhang Guangzhen felt he had a backer and was very glad he no longer had to deal with people like Manager Guan.
Unexpectedly, Xie Qian, a youth who seemed untouched by worldly affairs, had dealings with President Jin again and was willing to accept President Jin’s investment to make a drama. Zhang Guangzhen found it too strange and incongruous!
Yuan Fenghui, however, did not think much of it.
In the entertainment industry, there are no eternal enemies.
Xu Mei was willing to change camps, and Yuan Fenghui could even introduce her to Jiaxin. Xie Qian accepting President Jin’s funds had no issues at all. One side has money, the other needs money. The two sides naturally hit it off!
President Jin is a nouveau riche, that is true, but President Jin’s money is genuine.
As long as Xie Qian can keep President Jin in check and not let him meddle in the drama’s production, a nouveau riche like President Jin is simply the ideal investor.
Abundant cash flow, generous with money. These are all President Jin’s advantages!
“You do not understand anything except script creation, so do not comment on Xie Qian’s actions. If he keeps being high and mighty, picky about investors, I think his company will not last two years before closing down. Let us talk about proper business. Director Fan from Hunan Provincial TV has contacted me several times. This year’s summer prime time slot for Hunan Provincial TV was sniped by the joint effort of the four TV stations broadcasting ‘Stars and You’. Director Fan still wants to cooperate with us to prepare for the next slot. I did not tell Wen Ying earlier because she is in her senior year of high school this year. The mainland side values the college entrance exam highly. I do not want to distract her. This matter can only be handed to you!”
Not only is Wen Ying in her senior year, Li Mengjiao is also in her senior year.
Producing two hit dramas in two years, Wen Ying’s screenwriter reputation in the industry is already solid. With Li Mengjiao’s current popularity, she is not afraid of being easily forgotten by audiences either.
Before the college entrance exam, Yuan Fenghui did not want to assign tasks to Wen Ying, nor did she want Li Mengjiao to film again.
The only artists in the company who can be mobilised are Yun Chen and Zhang Yangning. For screenwriting, Zhang Guangzhen needs to step up.
Zhang Guangzhen was dazed. “Not only can Xie Qian accept President Jin’s funds, but our Tianjiao can also cooperate with Hunan Provincial TV again?”
This world is so strange.
Yuan Fenghui tugged at the corner of her mouth, giving Zhang Guangzhen the most standard fake smile.
“As long as the copyright fees are sufficient and the broadcast conditions are good, cooperating with whom is not cooperation? Besides, I am just willing to catch up with Director Fan. I did not say we must cooperate with Hunan Provincial TV.”
Saying it is cooperation with Hunan Provincial TV is better said as personal cooperation with Director Fan.
If Tianjiao sells dramas to Hunan Provincial TV again, it will only go through Director Fan’s channels.
Doing so would increase Director Fan’s say in the TV station. As one gains, the others lose. The influence of Liang Dan and the others would be weakened.
Back then, for the summer prime time slot, which drama to broadcast, Director Fan and Liang Dan’s group had a falling out.
Director Fan wanted to buy ‘Stars and You’. Liang Dan and the others pushed ‘Love Cruise’ to the prime time slot with full force. Director Fan temporarily fell behind, and Tianjiao gritted its teeth to sell the copyright of ‘Stars and You’ to other TV stations.
In the end, ‘Love Cruise’ was halted before it finished broadcasting. ‘Stars and You’ soared in both ratings and reputation. The four TV stations became the big winners of the summer slot.
Hunan Provincial TV lost both ratings and reputation. The atmosphere in the station immediately turned. Director Fan, with his accurate eye, regained the upper hand!
Hunan Provincial TV wants to cooperate with Tianjiao again?
Yuan Fenghui expressed that she was very hurt.
Trust is easy to destroy, hard to rebuild.
No matter who calls Yuan Fenghui, she does not answer. Only Director Fan’s calls does she still take.
Director Fan expressed his hope to renew the friendship. Yuan Fenghui neither confirmed nor denied.
This time, Director Fan hinted that Hunan Provincial TV would provide money if needed, and slots if available. He offered Tianjiao very favourable cooperation conditions. Any ordinary film company would have pounced to hug Hunan Provincial TV’s thigh long ago, but Yuan Fenghui did not bite the bait.
Director Fan was holding it in uncomfortably. If it were not for Yuan Fenghui blocking it, Director Fan would directly contact Wen Ying to commission a script from her!
If Tianjiao does not sell dramas to Hunan Provincial TV, Hunan Provincial TV can buy the script and produce its own drama!
Director Fan had already heard the news that Oriental TV was making self-produced dramas.
“I directly rejected it. The reason is still that Wen Ying has the college entrance exam and has no time to write scripts for Hunan Provincial TV.”
Yuan Fenghui explained lightly. Zhang Guangzhen was silent for a long time. Yuan Fenghui thought this person might have thought wrongly. Who knew, when Zhang Guangzhen looked up again, his expression was grave and bewildered.
“Suppose, I mean suppose, if we cooperate with Hunan Provincial TV again, I write a script for the company to produce and sell to Hunan Provincial TV. When the two dramas air, would it not be me fighting against myself?”
Director Fan heard the rumour that Oriental TV was making self-produced dramas. Zhang Guangzhen immediately matched it to himself. The project Director Fan saw as a rival was the script he sold to Jiaxin!
Now Yuan Fenghui asked Zhang Guangzhen to create a new script.
When the two projects air on two different TV stations, the production companies are different, but the screenwriter is the same person. What would that be called? “Zhang Guangzhen vs Zhang Guangzhen”!
“That would be great. No matter which drama explodes in ratings, it is good for you. In the future, the external quote for your scripts can double again.”
Yuan Fenghui joked. Zhang Guangzhen’s expression did not relax.
“Zhang Guangzhen vs Zhang Guangzhen” was clearly something that had not happened yet. The more Zhang Guangzhen imagined it, the more afraid he became. He was already breaking out in cold sweat.
The script sold to Jiaxin was undoubtedly the one Zhang Guangzhen was most satisfied with in his many years of work.
Because he did not have to listen to the production side’s nonsense, it was completely created as he pleased, representing his highest level as a screenwriter.
When he finished writing the script, Zhang Guangzhen was so satisfied that he feared he could not write a better one in the short term. He even wanted to go back on it and not sell it to Jiaxin. Such a good script should be kept for his own company to produce!
It was Yuan Fenghui who talked him out of it with a mix of laughter and exasperation, telling him not to be too stingy and to have contractual spirit, before Zhang Guangzhen signed.
If he had known, he might as well have thickened his face and kept it for self-use.
Zhang Guangzhen feared Hunan Provincial TV losing to Oriental TV again, and even more feared Tianjiao’s produced drama being outdone by Jiaxin’s version. Although “Zhang Guangzhen vs Zhang Guangzhen” would greatly help elevate his fame and influence, allowing him to become a star screenwriter like Wen Ying, Zhang Guangzhen could not smile at all.
“You should have told me earlier!”
Zhang Guangzhen was covered in sweat.
Tianjiao had produced two dramas, both ratings champions. This performance myth was about to be ruined by him. Then he would be the company’s sinner!
How could he have the face to stay at Tianjiao?
He would have no face to face Wen Ying and the others.
He would have let down his old friend Yuan Fenghui’s trust.
Wuwuwu, he could not even face the security guard Little Ma at the door!
Little Ma’s income as a security guard was far less than a screenwriter’s, but Little Ma was loyal to the company…
Tears glistened in Zhang Guangzhen’s eyes. His voice choked as he confessed to Yuan Fenghui. This time, it was Yuan Fenghui who fell silent for a long time.
Old Zhang’s brain, well, there is something a bit wrong with it.
Such a person, apart from locking him up to write scripts, cannot be relied on for anything!
Yuan Fenghui held it in for a long time but could not hold it. She unleashed a tirade at Zhang Guangzhen. “First, I do not think you cannot write better scripts. Creators cannot be satisfied with existing works. The most satisfactory work should always be ‘the next one’. Second, I only said Hunan Provincial TV wants to cooperate with Tianjiao again. I have not decided if we will. Third, and most importantly, our competitor at Tianjiao is not someone else, but Xie Qian’s company. Why should we fight to the death, instead of sitting down to discuss and, based on each other’s production cycles, decide the broadcast slots for the two dramas next year?”
Ah, can it be like that?
Zhang Guangzhen blinked his eyes.
It seems it really can!
The embarrassed to death Zhang Guangzhen stumbled out of Yuan Fenghui’s office, practically fleeing in disarray.
Yuan Fenghui sneered at his back. “What are you running for? From today on, you are not allowed to go anywhere. Just stay locked at home writing the new script. When you give me the plot outline, that is when you can go out for some air!”
“…Okay.”
Zhang Guangzhen’s response lacked confidence. Yuan Fenghui was amused again.
So soft, yet with creative talent. Bullying him a bit might yield profit. No wonder he was bullied to death before.
After so long at Tianjiao, he had not learned a shred of shrewdness. Instead, he was becoming more and more like the little fool Li Mengjiao.
No, even Li Mengjiao is stronger than Zhang Guangzhen. Li Mengjiao is naive, yes, but absolutely not easy to bully. She is not a pushover!
…
While Yuan Fenghui was exasperated, Wen Ying had already arrived at Xie Qian’s home.
Today was Saturday. Xie Qian was giving the three a small special class.
Wen Ying and the little fool Li Mengjiao whispered, also discussing Zhang Guangzhen.
“Teacher Zhang is hiding something from me.”
Wen Ying murmured to herself. “Although I still do not know what it is, he did not even dare to meet my eyes. It is simply too strange.”
Li Mengjiao perked up her ears. “It does seem off. But do not worry. I will help you find out.”
Wen Ying was curious. “How do you plan to ask?”
The little fool Li Mengjiao was utterly righteous. “Just ask directly! Teacher Zhang cannot even lie!”
