Chapter 60 Chapter 60

A few days after Cheng Xin helped them confront Fang Xiao, Fang Xiao surprisingly sent them a message apologizing in a very humble tone. He even returned the manuscript fees he owed them. Although they didn't know the reason, Yu Youxia and the others suddenly felt emboldened.

If the other colleagues in the company gave them a sense of security, allowing them to cautiously reach out, then now, they finally found a place to take root.

Yu Youxia countless times thanked her luck for encountering Manager Gu that day, leading to her current life.

Everyone cherished their current happy life. The relaxed creative environment and free discussion atmosphere allowed them to vent all the resentment they had suppressed and been deceived for years.

Their solid writing foundation and suppressed talent seemed to be released at this moment.

In addition, everyone worked together. One person's thinking is limited, but the brainstorming of so many people is enough to continuously raise the upper limit of a story.

The reason why they became friends and had been together for so many years, besides being socially anxious, was also because of their similar talents, aesthetics, and character.

Moreover, over the years, they had written all kinds of scripts for a living, although of varying quality, it prevented them from being confined to their narrow aesthetics.

There was no intrigue, no useless discussions. Even they themselves didn't realize how astonishing their creative efficiency was.

So, when Gu Xing Shi finished a period of busy work and planned to check on their progress, he found four or five scripts on his desk.

Printed by the office printer, the A4 paper covers only had the script title and author's name, quite simple.

Gu Xing Shi noticed that the author column was almost never a single person, but rather the result of collaboration by several people.

He didn't think much of it, casually opened one, and was shocked by the quality of the script.

The structure was ingenious, the plot was compact, and the characters were vivid.

Just by looking at the script, Gu Xing Shi could construct the entire story in his mind and immerse himself in it.

Even in large companies, this level of quality is rare.

He only read a small part before reluctantly putting it down and picking up another one.

This one had a completely different style.

The story was bolder and spicier. A few lines of dialogue were enough to make Gu Xing Shi applaud.

He couldn't help but read the remaining few scripts.

By the end, even though he had seen a lot in the past few years, he still felt the excitement and apprehension of suddenly winning five million.

These scripts had different themes and styles, but their commonality was their excellent quality.

Gu Xing Shi held them in his hand, reluctant to put down any of them.

Although Yu Youxia and others were very confident in their work, seeing Gu Xing Shi remain silent for a long time, their long-lost self-doubt resurfaced. They asked in a small voice, "Manager Gu, are the scripts not good...?"

"Not bad, they're too good!" Gu Xing Shi looked at them with bright eyes. "My goodness! What treasures are you guys! Such excellent scripts in such a short time, you're amazing..."

This was the first time Yu Youxia and the others had been praised so directly. After a moment of astonishment, they all blushed.

But beyond shyness, there was the joy of being affirmed.

Gu Xing Shi was immediately caught in a sweet dilemma. If possible, he really wanted to film every single one.

But given the company's current situation, it was impossible to handle so many.

An idea suddenly popped into his mind: to cooperate with Wen Corporation.

But this thought only appeared in his mind for a moment before he dismissed it.

In the past, it wouldn't have mattered.

But after the so-called scandal, this cooperation would become awkward.

Moreover, Gu Xing Shi also realized that he seemed to be too closely tied to Wen Corporation.

From the earliest limited-time boy band to the later dramas, almost all of them had close ties with Wen Corporation's subsidiaries.

His past experience told Gu Xing Shi that one shouldn't put all their eggs in one basket.

Moreover, now he didn't only have himself, but also so many artists and staff, and he had to be responsible for them.

Undeniably, Wen Corporation was a good partner.

Wen Yue...was a good person too.

But the two sides were ultimately unequal.

Wen Corporation was a huge cruise ship, while their Le Shi was just a small dinghy in the sea. Even with his system, he couldn't guarantee that they could safely weather every storm.

Although it was a pity.

But perhaps when he had enough strength in the future, he could cooperate with Wen Corporation again.

Gu Xing Shi thought rationally.

These thoughts flashed through his mind, and he quickly made up his mind.

He chose the most suitable script from among them and explained the reason to Yu Youxia and the others.

Although those whose scripts weren't chosen were somewhat disheartened, they understood Gu Xing Shi's concerns.

They had been in this industry for quite some time and had seen many small companies rely on large companies, either being swallowed up or going bankrupt due to an accident.

They were very satisfied with their current life and didn't want anything to change.

Moreover, Gu Xing Shi also promised them that these scripts would not be wasted, and that he would definitely film them when he had the chance.

If someone else had said this, they would only have thought that the person was making empty promises.

But the person who said this was Gu Xing Shi, and every word he had said since they joined the company had been fulfilled.

On the contrary, Gu Xing Shi felt that his empty promise was not very good.

He remembered when he was a worker, he also hated bosses who only made empty promises without any substantial rewards.

He didn't want to become the kind of person he hated most.

Thinking of this, he added, "You've all worked hard recently. Let's do this, our company employees have a half-month vacation every year. Why don't you go out and have a trip to relax? Go wherever you want, the company will reimburse you."

All the screenwriters were stunned.

They did know about this company benefit, but usually, this kind of vacation was a company-organized team-building activity, right?

Although they got along very well with everyone in the company, for socially anxious people, team-building activities were best avoided. They had originally planned to find excuses to skip the vacation.

So, it was actually a real vacation?

Everyone looked at each other, but Chun Yan, the most timid one, timidly raised her hand: "Manager Gu, can I go to Baofu City?"

For the first one to speak up, Gu Xing Shi naturally had to be encouraging: "Of course."

But he hesitated for a moment, "But Baofu City...are there any famous attractions? Don't choose such an obscure place to save the company money. Go wherever you want to play, be bold!"

Chun Yan shook her head: "I just want to go to Baofu City. There's the most famous ghost village in the country there. I've always wanted to write a script based on the ghost village, but I've never been able to go. Now I finally have the chance!!"

She became more and more excited, her eyes shining.

Gu Xing Shi: "...?"

Other screenwriters seemed to have inspiration too.

"Manager Gu! I want to stay in a Taoist temple in the mountains for a while, the kind with few tourists, very quiet..."

"Manager Gu! I want to stay in a lighthouse for a while! I've already chosen the address of the lighthouse!"

"Manager Gu..."

Gu Xing Shi: "..."

Is this really a vacation???

But seeing them unusually not looking down, but excitedly discussing with each other, he decided to respect their choice.

Anyway, let's leave these things to the administration to worry about.

Gu Xing Shi happily decided.

The writers' requests were met, and they became even more motivated.

"Manager Gu, let's get back to work!"

"I only wrote 3,000 words today! Not enough! Far from enough!"

"The three of us are going to discuss the character relationships in the new script. I think we can..."

Gu Xing Shi: "?"

Wait a minute, why did it suddenly become so competitive!

I just let you go on vacation, not to encourage you to compete!

If you write another seven or eight excellent scripts, and the company can't film them, wouldn't that be a waste of talent that even God would condemn?!

Gu Xing Shi, who had originally planned to take a little nap today, could only continue to work hard.

Today's Manager Gu was both happy and in pain.

-

With a suitable script, it's natural to find a suitable director to film it, so that it won't be buried.

But there are only so many good directors in the industry, and even fewer who fit the script's style.

Gu Xing Shi contacted several directors, who refused without even looking at the script.

Gu Xing Shi had no choice but to think hard about where to find a suitable director. As he walked and thought, he actually arrived near the Beijing Film Academy.

Several students were promoting something at the entrance. He asked and found out that it was the school's annual exhibition of outstanding student films.

Since he was free anyway, he bought a ticket and entered the academy's cinema, casually finding a seat.

Although it was an exhibition of outstanding student films, most of the films were still very immature. Gu Xing Shi watched one or two before feeling sleepy. He was about to leave when he was captivated by the fifteen-second opening sequence on the screen.

The cinema, which had been whispering, suddenly fell silent.

Gu Xing Shi sat back down.

The short film wasn't long, only half an hour, but Gu Xing Shi was completely immersed in it without any distraction.

He wasn't a professional, but he could still tell that the director's showy narrative structure, stunning camerawork, and transitions showed the director's unique personal style.

Most importantly, the style of this short film perfectly matched Gu Xing Shi's expectations for the script.

He was instantly excited.

At this time, the short film came to an end, showing the director's name—Pei Zhuo Zhi.

Gu Xing Shi was momentarily confused.

Recently, in order to find a suitable director, he had almost checked all the directors in the country, but he had never heard of Pei Zhuo Zhi's name.

But he was so excellent, how could he be unknown?

Could he be a student who hasn't graduated yet?

Gu Xing Shi didn't think much about it and directly found the organizer of the exhibition to ask about Pei Zhuo Zhi.

The organizer, whose surname was Ye, was a professor at the film academy. Hearing Gu Xing Shi inquire about Pei Zhuo Zhi, he showed a strange expression: "You say...you want to find Zhuo Zhi to film a movie?"

Gu Xing Shi nodded: "What's wrong? Is it inconvenient?"

Professor Ye: "Not really, it's just that I'm afraid you'll give up after hearing about Zhuo Zhi's situation."

Gu Xing Shi became interested: "Oh?"

Professor Ye: "Zhuo Zhi is the most talented student I've ever taught. He won numerous awards during his undergraduate years and was immediately recognized after graduation, directing independently. However, he was really unlucky. Several films he participated in from graduation to now have failed to be released for various reasons. Gradually, no one asked him to make films anymore..."

Gu Xing Shi: "..."

He never expected that Pei Zhuo Zhi's obscurity was due to this reason.

At this time, the system also popped up: [Pei Zhuo Zhi is indeed very unlucky. For example, the film he made right after graduation, just after the project was established, the investor had an accident, the capital chain broke, and it couldn't be filmed. Later, he worked as an assistant director for his teacher, and successfully filmed most of it, but the male and female leads were photographed together, and both of them had families, so they had an affair and made it to the hot search. The movie was boycotted by the audience and had to be abandoned...Not only that, he even directed MVs, and the singers were arrested for drug use, causing the MV to be aborted...]

Gu Xing Shi: [To be honest, I feel a familiar unlucky aura about him...]

System: [...]

Gu Xing Shi felt that although Pei Zhuo Zhi was unlucky, the fact that these films couldn't be released didn't have much to do with him. He was just unlucky and encountered all these things.

As long as he could maintain the directorial level of that short film, Gu Xing Shi didn't care about these trivial matters.

Thinking of this, he asked Professor Ye: "If I want to find him, can you give me his contact information?"

Professor Ye looked at him in surprise, not expecting that after hearing about Pei Zhuo Zhi's story, he would still be willing to find him to film a movie.

Professor Ye's expression was strange: "He doesn't use his phone much. If you want to find him, you can go to Sichuan Province."

Gu Xing Shi: "Sichuan?"

Professor Ye: "Yeah...He's participating in the Mahjong God competition there."

Gu Xing Shi: "????"

-

Gu Xing Shi quickly boarded the plane to Sichuan, waiting for takeoff while listening to the system gossip about Pei Zhuo Zhi's experiences.

[Pei Zhuo Zhi couldn't continue directing, right? Those crews knew his reputation and didn't dare to find him. He didn't want to work, so whenever he ran out of money, he'd find Mahjong competitions. Although his luck in filming was bad, his luck in this was good, and he always won the championship, relying on the prize money to get by...]

Gu Xing Shi: [...]

[This Sichuan Mahjong God competition is the largest Mahjong competition in China in recent years. It attracts not only domestic Mahjong enthusiasts, but also overseas players. It is said that the previous Mahjong Kings from Macau and Hong Kong are also participating. However, all of them were defeated by Pei Zhuo Zhi. He has already entered the finals...]

Gu Xing Shi: [...It seems that God closed a door for him but forgot to close the window.]

When Gu Xing Shi arrived at the competition venue, it was the final round.

Four finalists were fighting, and the venue's large screen was showing the live broadcast.

Without the system's reminder, Gu Xing Shi immediately recognized Pei Zhuo Zhi.

Mainly, his temperament was too unique among these people.

Others were either in suits and ties with big gold chains, or had white hair and wore Tang suits. Only he was wearing a faded T-shirt and loose sweatpants.

His skin was pale from lack of sunlight, his cheeks were thin, his hair was messily tied up in a bun at the back of his head, his eyes were half-closed, and he was biting a long, unlit women's cigarette.

Compared to the others' seriousness, his posture was very casual. He sat cross-legged in his chair, occasionally spacing out. Even when his cards were bad, he seemed unconcerned, discarding cards casually, without showing any skill.

Then he drew a card, and every card he drew was the one he wanted, and he inexplicably won.

If everyone present hadn't witnessed it with their own eyes, no one would believe his cheating-like luck.

Pei Zhuo Zhi didn't seem very happy to win either. During the award ceremony, he still had that absent-minded look.

Gu Xing Shi waited until the award ceremony ended and everyone gradually left before going against the flow to find Pei Zhuo Zhi.

Besides him, there were other people looking for Pei Zhuo Zhi.

Among them was the big gold chain man who played Mahjong with Pei Zhuo Zhi. He spoke in broken Mandarin: "Mr. Pei, your skills are so excellent. If you go to Macau and Hong Kong, you'll definitely have great prospects. As long as you're willing to sign with me..."

However, Pei Zhuo Zhi ignored him, put on the film academy's down jacket, casually put the prize money card in his pocket, and walked out without looking back.

The big gold chain man quickly chased after him: "Mr. Pei, don't go, we can negotiate the remuneration..."

At this time, another dark-skinned man came forward: "Mr. Pei, what's Macau? As long as you're willing to go abroad, I guarantee you'll make a fortune..."

"Mr. Pei..."

But no matter what they said, Pei Zhuo Zhi seemed to be deaf.

Gu Xing Shi saw that he was about to leave the venue, so he quickly called out to him: "Pei Zhuo Zhi!"

Pei Zhuo Zhi didn't stop.

The big gold chain man next to him was annoyed by Pei Zhuo Zhi's attitude and couldn't help but sneer: "Don't call him, this guy is stubborn and won't listen to you..."

The dark-skinned man also said sarcastically: "Which company are you from? You're just a young kid. You think you can do what we can't?"

Gu Xing Shi raised his eyebrows: "If I want to, how can I do it?"

The dark-skinned man: "I'll give you my head!"

Gu Xing Shi: "You said it yourself."

After saying that, he shouted towards Pei Zhuo Zhi's back: "I want to find you to make a movie, are you sure you don't want to talk to me?"

Pei Zhuo Zhi suddenly turned around, his narrowed eyes widened, revealing a sharp gaze: "What did you say?"

Under the shocked gazes of the two men, Gu Xing Shi smiled and pointed to the few police officers walking over, saying to the dark-skinned man: "I don't need your head. Just explain your overseas gambling activities to the police officers."

The dark-skinned man's face changed, and he was about to run when he was stopped by the police.

Gu Xing Shi put away his phone.

Pei Zhuo Zhi was dumbfounded, the women's cigarette in his mouth had fallen to the ground.

Gu Xing Shi spread his hands: "Let's go."

Pei Zhuo Zhi glanced at him, seemingly stunned by his actions, completely devoid of his previous arrogance, and obediently nodded: "Okay."

Half an hour later, the two were sitting in a nearby KFC.

Gu Xing Shi explained his intentions.

Pei Zhuo Zhi bit the straw in his Coke, nonchalant, his voice mumbled: "Professor Ye should have told you about my situation?"

Gu Xing Shi nodded: "He said you're extremely talented, but unlucky, every crew has accidents, even filming an MV will be aborted..."

Pei Zhuo Zhi froze, lowering his eyes: "And you still want to find me?"

Gu Xing Shi: "The investor had an accident, the leads had an affair, the MV singer used drugs...none of this has anything to do with you."

Pei Zhuo Zhi looked at him deeply: "They don't think so."

Gu Xing Shi smiled slightly: "But I don't care about these things."

Hearing him say this, Pei Zhuo Zhi didn't seem to react, instead asking: "Why did you find me?"

Gu Xing Shi: "I saw the short film you made at your school's outstanding student film exhibition. I was very impressed, and your style is exactly what I want."

Pei Zhuo Zhi said calmly: "You have good taste and guts."

Even though he was the one being assessed, he didn't show any apprehension.

Even after so many setbacks, his life falling into a trough, it didn't diminish his confidence in his abilities.

And this composure and mentality are what an excellent director should possess.

Gu Xing Shi became more and more interested in him, smiling: "I think so too."

Pei Zhuo Zhi stretched out his hand: "I need to see the script first."

Although his request seemed impolite, Gu Xing Shi didn't get angry, handing him the script he carried with him.

Pei Zhuo Zhi read very quickly, finishing the script in no time.

Gu Xing Shi was still very confident in the script, asking: "How is it?"

Pei Zhuo Zhi was silent for a while, then mumbled, "Okay."

This quality is only okay?!

Gu Xing Shi almost wanted to argue with him.

Then he heard Pei Zhuo Zhi ask: "Who is the screenwriter? Can you control them? Is the script registered? Is there a timestamp? Are there any copyright disputes...?"

Gu Xing Shi was stunned.

Because what Pei Zhuo Zhi asked were all the problems he had encountered before, the various accidents that caused problems with the script.

His expression was tense, and he was almost biting the straw in half.

Gu Xing Shi suddenly understood.

He wasn't saying the script was bad, he actually liked it very much, but he was afraid of things happening like before, so he acted like this.

He had originally thought that those previous incidents hadn't affected Pei Zhuo Zhi.

He sighed softly in his heart, seriously saying: "The screenwriter is a contracted screenwriter from my company, there's no problem with copyright, and I've registered it and added the timestamp..."

As he explained one by one, Pei Zhuo Zhi's expression seemed to soften.

After Gu Xing Shi finished, he asked, "How is it? Any more questions?"

Pei Zhuo Zhi: "Then...the investors..."

A trace of guilt flashed through Gu Xing Shi's heart.

After all, the investor issue hadn't been settled yet.

But he was confident on the surface: "You're asking too many questions. Are you interviewing me, or am I interviewing you? I want to ask if your skills have declined!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Pei Zhuo Zhi stood up and left.

Gu Xing Shi: "?"

But soon, he discovered that Pei Zhuo Zhi hadn't left, but had gone to the counter to borrow a pen from the staff, then returned to his seat.

Gu Xing Shi was still wondering what he was going to do when he saw him spread out a napkin, picking up the pen and drawing storyboards on it.

He didn't even need to think, his strokes were very smooth.

In a short while, he filled a sheet of paper.

Gu Xing Shi took it, and he was shocked to find that although Pei Zhuo Zhi had read it quickly, he had actually memorized the content.

Moreover, the opening storyboard he drew completely subverted the script's narrative, but the visuals were many times more spectacular than Gu Xing Shi had imagined.

Pei Zhuo Zhi drew several sheets of paper before stopping, asking: "How is it?"

Gu Xing Shi put away the papers, extending his hand: "Congratulations on passing the interview, I wish us a pleasant cooperation."

Pei Zhuo Zhi shook his hand, taking out his phone and turning on the recording function: "Can you say that last sentence again?"

Gu Xing Shi: "..."

Good heavens, you're not as calm as you appear!