Chapter 63: Write "SB" on the mist.
When Sun Ziyi opened her eyes, she found herself in a transparent glass cover. Outside were Li Bei and the screenwriting teacher she had followed before. She looked around and realized that she had become a beast in a cage, except that there was no chain around her neck.
She lowered her head and found that she was only wearing underwear. She was so scared that she covered her body and shouted, "What are you doing? Let me out!"
The people outside looked at her calmly. Li Bei poured a cup of coffee for the teacher and said to her, "Sometimes I feel like this group of screenwriters is a joke."
The teacher was originally in a friendly mood, but upon hearing this, he sneered. He looked at Sun Ziyi, but said to Li Bei, "Be respectful. I'm also a screenwriter."
Sun Ziyi, who was in the glass cover, was annoyed that the teacher was looking at her so directly. Although she was also a woman, she couldn't help but cover her chest. Seeing her like this, the other party gave her a contemptuous look.
Li Bei realized he'd said something wrong and quickly slapped himself, looking at the teacher like a fawning eunuch. "No, teacher, I'm saying that new screenwriters these days have dreams, but it's hard to make it in the current system."
"What is the current system?" the teacher asked after taking a sip of coffee.
"The platform doesn't want works by new screenwriters. No matter how good the work is, it won't pass internal review if it's under a name nobody wants. This is something production companies are well aware of, so they don't dare to use newcomers. This has formed a vicious cycle. Every few years, a rising star will emerge to break through the cycle, but that was only a few years ago. Now that the economic situation is so bad, even fewer people dare to use newcomers. Talking about dreams in this era is really presumptuous."
Sun Ziyi banged on the glass twice more and yelled at Li Bei, "Who the hell are you calling overestimating my abilities? I just want to pursue my dreams, what's wrong with that?"
As she spoke, fog formed on the transparent glass, but the people outside were still pretending not to hear anything and were still leisurely drinking coffee. Sun Ziyi angrily blew out a large cloud of fog, writing the two letters SB on it, which made the two people outside laugh.
So Li Bei picked up his coffee and glanced at the teacher. "Look how humorous screenwriter Xiao Sun is. Even at this time, he is still writing idiot on the glass. I wonder how he will think of escaping first."
The teacher glanced at Sun Ziyi meaningfully. "Actually, he's able to find joy in hardship, which is quite endearing."
Hearing this, Li Bei looked at the teacher in surprise and asked, "Why are you praising her? Didn't you bring her in?" The teacher said "oh", slapped his forehead and said he forgot.
At this time, Li Bei's cell phone alarm rang. He stood up and bowed to the teacher after a cry of "Oops" and apologized, "Sorry, teacher, I have a project to start, and I have to go read the script with my colleagues now."
The teacher waved his hand, and Li Bei retreated, carefully closing the door.
"But the way he walks still looks like a eunuch." Sun Ziyi thought angrily.
The two words "SB" that she had just written were almost disappearing, leaving only traces of water droplets. The teacher turned her head to look at her again. Sun Ziyi thought that things had come to this point and she couldn't lose her ambition, so she took another deep breath and wrote a bigger "SB". After finishing, she tilted her neck to look at her.
The teacher came over and asked Sun Ziyi, "Why don't you want to run? What's the point of shouting? Why don't you struggle?"
Sun Ziyi sneered and asked, "What's the use of struggling? If I struggle out, you two will still catch me back. I might as well vent my anger and scold you."
The teacher exclaimed, "Look at you little fellow,"
Sun Ziyi got goose bumps all over her body. She stretched out her arm to show the other person, "Don't disgust me. Who is your little guy?"
The teacher was not angry. He pointed to the upper right corner of Sun Ziyi and said, "Little guy, look, I actually left a gap for you. Try it. You can run out. You can definitely run out."
Sun Ziyi then raised his head and found that the originally smooth and hard glass now had cracks, and the cracks were in the direction the teacher pointed.
Sun Ziyi stretched out her hand and struck hard, the crack in the glass getting bigger. When she was about to continue striking, the teacher suddenly spoke.
"Don't believe what Li Bei said, you will come out on top."
Sun Ziyi suddenly stopped, turned around and asked her, "Do you believe me?"
The teacher said, "Of course I believe you, because I was once Xiao Sun too."
Sun Ziyi suddenly remembered her name. It was when she was helping her teacher to sign a contract that she learned that her name was Sun Fen. The outside world only knew her pen name as Qiqi.
"I used to be Xiao Sun too. They only called me Teacher after I became famous. I wrote for twenty years and became famous at forty. It's only been ten years now. How old are you?"
-
When Sun Ziyi woke up, her face was covered with tears. Xu Zecheng had been watching her for a long time. After their eyes met, he reached out and touched Sun Ziyi's head, asking her like he was coaxing a child, "Are you scared? I didn't even dare to wake you up."
"I had a nightmare. I dreamed that I was naked and thrown into a cage."
Xu Zecheng opened his arms and said, "It was just a dream. It's okay. Things like this won't happen in real life."
Sun Ziyi rolled over and lay on his chest, pressing his face against his. "I'm really scared."
"Yiyi, I want to know what can solve your insecurity now? I feel really sad when you are under too much pressure."
Sun Ziyi looked at the gloomy sky outside the window and said, "Actually, I don't know either."
Xu Zecheng paused stroking her head and asked tentatively, "How about we get married?"
Sun Ziyi jumped up, got out of bed, put on his workout clothes as quickly as possible, and then returned to the bed. He calmly said, "I'm going downstairs for a run," and then ran away.
Sun Ziyi hadn't lied; she'd actually gone downstairs for a run. Over the past two months, she'd begun writing a new script. It was about the stories of different women facing unemployment in a broader context. From the moment she started writing, everyone knew it might not be well-received. After all, everyone had been suffering so much over the past two years. Films and TV series, however, often need to create sweet, ethereal worlds to numb people's feelings. But she still wanted to give it another try, to see how far a work she found satisfying could take her in the industry.
Maybe her previous clamor for changing careers was just a small matter, but this time, Sun Ziyi was really determined. After all, she had graduated from the advanced training class, and this was the last chance she gave herself. However, she didn't expect that the person who would interfere in this last chance was Xu Zecheng, who asked her whether he wanted to get married.
She ran around the neighborhood, the wind whistling in her ears as she imagined what marriage would bring. It would go from being a romantic relationship between two people to the relationship between two families. One of the two people who didn't know how to manage money would learn how to manage the family finances. They would buy a house and renovate it together. They would visit relatives together during the holidays.
Sun Ziyi frowned, thinking that it all sounded a bit troublesome.
After running one lap and two laps, when she reached the fifth lap, Sun Ziyi finally figured it out. She ran upstairs and opened the password lock of her house. Xu Zecheng had just finished making breakfast and called her to eat.
The tone of his voice didn't suggest he had proposed just an hour ago.
Sun Ziyi walked to the side of the dining table and stretched out his left hand in front of him. "Then where is my ring?"
Xu Zecheng put the plate of fried dough sticks on the table and looked at her in confusion. "What? What ring?"
Sun Ziyi reached out and knocked on his head. "You proposed without a ring?"
Xu Zecheng reacted for only three seconds before quickly taking off his own ring and gestured to give it to Sun Ziyi.
Sun Ziyi quickly retracted his hand, and Xu Zecheng was deflated. "You regret it again?"
Sun Ziyi quickly said, "No, no, just now in my dream, my right hand escaped from the cage. My engagement ring must be worn on my brave right hand!"
After saying this, she stretched out her right hand. Xu Zecheng smiled and put the ring on her.
-
Shen Qingqing and Sasa looked at the men's ring on Sun Ziyi's thumb and said, "Your proposal is too casual... You two were in love for no apparent reason at the time."
Sun Ziyi retracted his thumb and scratched his head. "Just casual? I thought about this day when I was with him."
Chen Qingqing said, "Don't resist marriage just because other people's marriages aren't going well. That's the right thing to do. The essence of any relationship is to pursue comfort and freedom."
"When are you going to have your wedding?" Sasa asked.
The story goes back to that day. After Sun Ziyi put on the ring, the two continued to drink soy milk and eat fried dough sticks. Sun Ziyi asked directly, "Is it okay to hold the wedding at your golf course? There's a lawn, and we can just find a wedding planner. It also saves money."
Xu Zecheng tore off a bowl of fried dough sticks for her and said, "It's all right. When do you plan to do it?"
Sun Ziyi paused while scooping soy milk and said in a low voice, I want to finish writing this script.
She didn't dare to look up for a long time, and added, asking hesitantly, "Is it okay?"
Xu Zecheng said calmly, "Of course you can, you can get married whenever you want. I just want to tell you, don't cry in your dreams because of worrying about survival. I won't starve you to death no matter what."
Sun Ziyi put the hand holding the soy milk under the table and pinched his thigh hard to make sure he wasn't dreaming...
-
Sun Ziyi in the coffee shop glanced at his phone. It was already one in the afternoon, so he put down the cup of coffee in his hand and said to Shen Qingqing in front of him, "I'm leaving. I have to go meet the people from the platform. The result may not be smooth, but I am no longer the person I used to be. I just want the best result for my script now. Everything else is out of the question. I would rather not make this money than have no say. After all, I..."
Sun Ziyi extended her thumb, which was wearing a wedding ring, and brushed her bangs like a show-off who deserved a beating. "I'm hooking up with a rich man."
After saying this, she carried her computer and walked out of the cafe lightly.
Looking at her elegant back, Sasa said sincerely, "It seems that today is the most relaxing day for Sun Ziyi in the past two years."
Chen Qingqing nodded. "With love as a foundation, nothing is too hard. I hope she can have her own good opportunity this time. She hasn't made any progress in the past few years. Now that her peers' works have come out, she really has a lot of unhappiness in her heart."
-
Sun Ziyi made an appointment with someone from the platform at a teahouse. When she arrived, the other party had already ordered tea.
Sun Ziyi went in and said hello, having already thought of a thousand ways to deal with the fact that she was not famous.
The other party introduced herself with a smile as Jiang Xiqing. Sun Ziyi searched in his mind and then confirmed that he really didn't know her.
Seeing that she didn't react to her name, Jiang Xiqing asked again, "Ziyi, we met once in a building in Wangjing."
This kind of opening was not what Sun Ziyi expected. She expected that the other party would be cold and hostile, either lowering the price or making a big promise and expecting her to give more.
Sun Ziyi looked at her many times, but couldn't figure out who she was, so he shook his head awkwardly and said, "Sorry, I'm a little face-blind."
Jiang Xiqing laughed heartily. "You really forgot. We were still in college back then. You came to Beijing from out of town for a meet-and-greet. We were in a media group that also included Chen Su and several current editors-in-chief of major media outlets."
Sun Ziyi smiled awkwardly and said, "I have already left that group."
Jiang Xiqing nodded. "I know. Last year, Frank from the group wanted to write an article about our past few years in the group. When he found me, I realized that you and I were the only ones in the group who were working on content in the entertainment industry. I really wanted to contact you at the time, but Frank said he couldn't get in touch with you either."
Sun Ziyi took a sip of tea embarrassedly, "Yes, I haven't contacted Frank either. I heard he went to Guangdong."
"He's doing very well now. I contacted Chen Su about you a while ago. She said you were working on a script and that we could get in touch if there was a chance. I didn't expect that as soon as I asked for your WeChat, my colleague handed me your script."
Sun Ziyi nodded and said, "What a fate! It's been five years since we last met."
"2016, that's six years." Jiang Xiqing corrected her.
Sun Ziyi suddenly felt the past few years flash back before his eyes. He realized that he had achieved nothing in the past six years and felt a little frustrated. "Back then, I was so young and full of energy. Most people have done well in the past six years."
Jiang Xiqing noticed her depression and comforted her, "But I think that as a creator, a little bit of ups and downs is good. As you said, life is so long, and no one is lucky enough to live in peace all their lives. If you accumulate early, your material will be stronger than others."
Sun Ziyi smiled and said sincerely, "Thank you."
For a moment, the atmosphere in the teahouse was a little low. Jiang Xiqing quickly said, "Oh, we are here to talk about business. We have read the script."
Finally, they got to the point. Sun Ziyi, who was holding the teacup and about to drink it, paused, looked at her, and waited for her to continue speaking.
Jiang Xiqing stared into her eyes. "I think it's good, really good."
Sun Ziyi subconsciously added, "But what?"
Jiang Xiqing said in surprise, "No buts, Mr. Sun, no buts. If you have a production company or director you want to work with, you can recommend them to me and I will pack up and go to the meeting."
Sun Ziyi was shocked, knowing that he had passed the first hurdle. He quickly asked, "Can I, a complete newcomer, pass the review? Isn't the risk too great?"
Jiang Xiqing nodded. "It's indeed difficult in theory, but I think good content is hard to come by. I'll do my best to find the resources I have to build a good project for you to present at the meeting."
"Or, if you have good people who can take charge of our project, you can also tell me. In short, I will definitely do this content." Jiang Xiqing added.
-
On the way back, Sun Ziyi deliberately opened the car window to let the cold wind of Beijing winter blow on her face. She was still confused until now. She didn't expect that when they met again, the plot of "The boss and I knew each other when we were little" would hit her head hard. So she huddled in the back seat of the taxi and read her script over and over again.
After reading it, she was convinced that what had hit her head was not luck, but what she deserved, because no matter how she looked at it, this script was the best she had written in recent years.
After thinking about it, Sun Ziyi took out his cell phone and called Sun Fen. The call went through quickly and she timidly said, "Teacher, I want to ask you a favor, is that okay?"
-
Sun Fen was holding a meeting in the studio, and Li Bei was there too. At that time, the teacher had found someone else to continue the project that Sun Ziyi was unable to continue, and now Li Bei happened to come to hold a meeting on that project.
The moment he saw Li Bei, Sun Ziyi really wanted to turn around and leave, but since he was already there, he went in and sat down.
Sun Fen invited Sun Ziyi to the next-door meeting room. As soon as they entered, Sun Fen got straight to the point: "Xiao Sun, what do you want to talk to me about?"
Sun Ziyi took out a Starbucks cup from her pocket, which she had just bought downstairs. She thought that it would not be good to ask someone to do something for her empty-handed, although this gift was as light as a feather compared to the things she had to do.
As soon as Sun Ziyi took out the cup, he looked up and saw the teacher in front of him holding a water cup and wearing glasses, looking at him. The cup was the same as the one in his hand.
"You bought a new cup, the same as mine." The teacher held up the cup and gestured for her to see it. The teacher seemed to be in a good mood today.
Sun Ziyi smiled awkwardly, thinking that this gift was not worth giving... "Yes, teacher, it's just too cold. I was thinking of coming up to drink a cup of hot water..."
Sun Fen asked again, "What do you want me to do?"
Sun Ziyi made up his mind and said directly, "Teacher, I dreamed of you yesterday."
Sun Fen almost burned her mouth. She didn't expect Sun Ziyi to come all the way here to play the emotional card.
Sun Ziyi mustered up his courage and blurted out, "Teacher, I'm in a real tough spot right now. I've written a script, but new screenwriters might not get it approved. Could you please support me? I could offer you the title of script supervisor, and the price is negotiable. I dreamed yesterday that you told me you'd been writing for twenty years and only turned forty, so I mustered up the courage to come to you today."
After Sun Ziyi finished speaking, Sun Fen did not speak. The two of them were silent in the conference room for an unknown period of time. When she raised her head and looked at the teacher again, the teacher asked her
"Who told you that it took me twenty years to get ahead?"
“Baidu said so.”
"Then I have to ask my assistant to revise it. Actually, I have been writing it for twenty-two years." Sun Fen said this without any expression.
"Did you bring your script?" Sun Fen asked again
Sun Ziyi knew there was a chance, so he hurriedly said, "Shall I copy it for you?"
Sun Fen pointed to the printer outside and said, "I'm old and don't like looking at computers. Please use the printer to print it for me. Make a few copies. Everyone in the studio will want to see them. If your work is good, I can help you."
Sun Ziyi couldn't help but tremble with excitement. He bowed deeply to Sun Fen and said, "Thank you, teacher."
Sun Fen came over, patted her shoulder, and said, "Go get some hot water in your new cup. It's really cold outside."
Sun Ziyi raised her head and said, "Teacher, I was..." She wanted to apologize to Sun Fen, saying that she had been stupid and clumsy and didn't know how to say nice things, but it was obvious that Sun Fen didn't take it to heart.
Sun Fen knew what she was going to say and said directly, "I didn't let you participate in that project because Li Bei's role in the project was greater than yours. I have always valued value. There is no point in saying more now. It will be enough if you submit a well-written script."
-
Sun Ziyi held his new cup, filled it with hot water from the water dispenser, and walked to the printer to start printing.
Li Bei came over after the meeting. He didn't know what was going on yet and asked directly, "Writer Sun, are you here to apply for the position of assistant writer?"
Sun Ziyi didn't say anything. The printer made a sound indicating that the scripts were printed. Sun Ziyi stood up, took out all the scripts from the printer, and bound them one by one.
Li Bei looked at her back as she distributed scripts around the studio and found it funny. He muttered to himself, "You're overestimating yourself."
The sound was not loud, but the studio was not big either, so everyone heard it. Most people looked at Sun Ziyi quietly for a reaction, but Sun Ziyi did not react. He left after distributing all the scripts.
Li Bei took another sip of the coffee in his hand, turned his head, and saw that the place where Sun Ziyi had placed the water cup was fogged up, with two English letters written on it.
"S" "B"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
