Chapter 11 Pairing Up "Isn't this the most popular kind of pairing...?"
"So professional!" the young lady exclaimed, slapping the table in admiration. "I want this 'Thumbelina Sheriff' the most. It's interesting. I'd love to see a fluffy detective movie made from it!"
Shu Qing was also very happy and confirmed with her, "For this plan, is it okay if I let my little snake play the role of the suspect snake?"
“Of course,” the young lady readily agreed. “Bring your fierce little rascal to justice, hey, how impressive!”
The little snake demon yawned lazily and glanced at the "monkey police chief" who was about to arrest him.
The imposing sheriff had just peeked out from behind the young lady when he received that look. He was so frightened that his hair stood on end, and he quickly hid back, never daring to peek out again, disappearing completely from the screen.
“I love the ‘seeing past events’ concept the most,” the young lady said enthusiastically, oblivious to the two monsters’ subtle movements. “It’s a bit like the psychic abilities in games. But wouldn’t filming it like this be a bit of misleading advertising?”
Shu Qing was silent for a moment, then said, "No, it's true, it really can see things from the past."
The young lady was taken aback: "Who said that? The seller who sold it to me didn't tell me, and it's not mentioned in the supermarket inspection report either."
"...It was a monster researcher I knew who helped me pass the Supernatural Bureau's exam and taught me a lot." Shu Qing hesitated for a moment, but finally told her what Jiu Su had told her, including the reason why the little monkey was slow to react.
Finally, she concluded, "Perhaps it has something to do with its breeding methods..."
"I knew it! That's a ruthless business!" The young lady was furious after hearing this, hugging her thumb monkey and cursing, "No wonder they charge so much! So that's how they got their 'high probability of monsters' claim. What's the difference between them and those pet shops that breed disabled pets? They're all the same heartless bastards!"
Shu Qing was so shocked by her agitated tone that she took three inches back. She heard her ask again, "Can it be cured? Did your monster research expert say anything? Although it's not the wild at home, a slow reaction doesn't matter, but there's always a three-second delay. That's just too pitiful."
It seems that although she was furious, she had no intention of abandoning the child.
Shu Qing wasn't sure how to use her "golden touch" to cure the little finger monkey, so she could only vaguely say, "It should be curable, maybe it will get better when it grows a bit bigger? Also, there's something else. I want to use it as the main character in a public service announcement. To let everyone know not to buy little monsters from these kinds of vendors..."
The young lady readily agreed, "No problem, I'll cover the cost of filming the public service announcement short film, to help everyone avoid potential pitfalls!"
She also asked Shu Qing for Jiu Su's contact information and abruptly ended the video call, seemingly preparing to seek medical advice from a professional.
Shu Qing also hung up the video call, sincerely hoping that everything would go smoothly for both herself and the client.
A week later, Shu Qing took the subway for an hour and arrived at a photo studio called "Qi Feng Photography".
The client's daughter's surname is Qi, and this photo studio is her property. The set design and equipment are professional and complete, and a set of detailed monster costumes was even made based on her storyboard design.
When she arrived at the photo studio, she went inside and found that Miss Qi was indeed a hobbyist—all the costumes and sets in the studio were prepared according to her own preferences, and almost all of them were monster-themed. No wonder she was given a whole day off.
Rich and willful.
Riding on the coattails of the young lady, Shu Qing finally got to experience the joy of being a director. The set design and lighting were all handled by the staff, and all she had to do was check the effect.
The crew's work went smoothly until filming began, at which point everyone's smiles vanished.
Shu Qing and the young lady exchanged glances. The young lady confirmed, "Our script is that your Xiao Hong wreaks havoc on the house, and then my Nian Nian uses her 'seeing the past' superpower to find clues and catch your Xiao Hong, right?"
Shu Qing nodded expressionlessly.
“But,” the young lady asked, pointing at the camera, “does Niannian’s behavior suggest it has discovered a clue?”
The little thumb monkey, Nian Nian, dressed in a custom-made mini detective outfit, is trembling in front of a pile of broken props. He is a far cry from the lively and cute person he was seen with on camera earlier, and his narration doesn't match up with the expected narration at all.
Shu Qing agreed, saying, "It doesn't seem like it at all. It discovered the ferocity of the perpetrator, or rather, the culprit snake, and was brutally suppressed."
The little snake demon yawned indifferently. What could he do? He had already tried his best to conceal his aura.
Who could blame this little demon for having such sharp intuition despite his weak demonic power?
"Perhaps the difference in their levels is too great..." The two girls slumped down side by side on the ground, looking at each other dejectedly. The young lady guessed, "Logically speaking, snakes shouldn't be the natural enemy of monkeys... Wait, do pythons eat monkeys?"
Shu Qing said softly, "Pythons eat people. But Xiao Hong..." She pointed to herself, showing the young lady the small silver necklace around her neck, "Does it look like a python?"
The "little silver necklace" moved, and its tail hooked up, turning into a collar.
It can be used as an ornament, a pet, or even a fighter; it's truly a must-have little snake for home and travel.
The young lady looked at it enviously, then at her own Niannian. Her little finger monkey hid in the corner furthest from them, too terrified to even stay in its owner's arms because of the snake's threat.
"What should we do then?" Miss Qi asked, distressed. "We haven't filmed those scenes with the two girls together anymore, we've only filmed two separate scenes, and Niannian is already this scared... Can we use two sets of props?"
“No way,” Shu Qing rejected, “Even if I cut the camera and use two sets of props, the mistake will be immediately obvious.”
Both of them were a little discouraged—Monkey King had been suppressed by Snake Grand Tutor and had no hope of fighting back, which was quite frustrating. The story definitely couldn't be written like that.
“How about we try a different approach?” Shu Qing abandoned the idea of including the snake in the shot and suggested, “How about we use the ‘historical record’ approach where Nian Nian appears alone? I’ll have Xiao Hong go play in the dressing room next door.”
The little snake flicked its tongue at her unhappily, and Shuqing could only coax it, "There's nothing I can do, Niannian is afraid of you."
However, it wasn't just Xiao Hong who wasn't cooperating with the new plan; even the client wasn't cooperating. The young lady said wistfully, "But I just love this 'sheriff' storyline! I love suspenseful crime dramas. Like that one a while back where the female lead was a junior forensic doctor—"
Female lead?
Shu Qing suddenly had a flash of inspiration.
“I’ve got it,” she said, staring at the footage on the screen for a moment. “I can make a few minor adjustments to this plan.”
She quickly pieced together and edited the pre-recorded footage in her mind, adjusted the overall scene, found a mirror, and used the reflection to create a fake effect of them being in the same frame. Then she directed the two little monsters to add a few more shots to each of them.
Finally, she gathered all the materials together and gave the sponsor a professional-level editing demonstration on the spot, snapping away and playing the footage on the big screen to showcase her new idea.
The young lady stared in disbelief, exclaiming again, "Amazing!"
In the new concept, "Monkey Judge" has been transformed into a cute little detective who solves cases with superpowers, but dares not speak out against the lurking snake in his daily life.
The "suspicious snake" wanders casually along the boundary between black and white, mysterious and unpredictable, making it a perfect addition to a suspenseful male protagonist's repertoire.
"This is even more interesting," the young lady said enthusiastically. "A cute, timid little detective and a vicious, arrogant snake—isn't that the most popular kind of couple? It's much more fun than a simple sheriff solving a case. I like this one. When will it be uploaded?"
Shu Qing breathed a sigh of relief. Although this batch of footage, which didn't even include any actual photos of the two women together, was quite challenging for her editing skills, the client was satisfied, and she was satisfied herself. The remaining difficulties were nothing to worry about and could be overcome.
"This is just a rough cut," she said with a smile. "I'll go back and revise it, add background music and effects, and then I'll send it to you after I've finished the final cut. Do you have any other requests?"
The young lady shook her head and stated decisively that as long as the effect was good, she would leave everything to Shu Qing to do as she pleased, and she would wait to see the finished product.
He's a perfect client—rich in money, easy to work with, and easy to talk to.
If the divine beast under the lord's command could cooperate even a little more, then it would be absolutely flawless.
Shu Qing raised her hand to check the time. She had originally planned to film the public service announcement and short film together today, but the plan was changed at the last minute, and now it was too late, and Niannian was still not in good condition.
"Let's film again next time. I'll come back tomorrow." Shu Qing said goodbye to the young lady. "We can talk online if anything comes up."
The young lady gave an "OK" sign and then suggested, "Why don't you change the plan for the public service announcement? Even if it's tomorrow, Niannian will still be afraid of your Xiaohong."
"I've thought about it, and none of them are as good as this version," Shu Qing sighed regretfully. "If you come again tomorrow, I won't bring Xiao Hong..."
As she spoke, she reached out to hug the little snake demon. Unexpectedly, the little snake demon nimbly dodged her hand, turned its head, and darted into the backpack like lightning, leaving Shu Qing with nothing.
Shu Qing looked at her empty hands, "?"
Why did it get angry over nothing? I didn't do anything to it, it was just a casual remark like "I won't bring it with me tomorrow".
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