Chapter 81
Li Lan was faster than expected. Xu Ying called her again, saying that she wanted to send over all the samples so that Xu Ying could try them out and see if she was satisfied.
"You've mobilized everything so quickly?"
"Yes, this is the first batch. If you are not satisfied with any of the incense, I can change it."
Xu Ying received the package and immediately opened and smelled each item.
They all smell wonderful.
Her nose wasn't that sensitive; in fact, she couldn't tell the difference between these incenses and those from her previous life. But that didn't matter. Even if there were differences, it didn't matter; as long as they smelled good, that was enough.
"Could you send me another batch? The crew of 'Legend of the Qing Dynasty' is almost finished filming, and I want to send a set to the actors."
"When and how many portions do you need?"
"The filming wraps up this week, so it'd be best to send it over before Saturday. We need..." Xu Ying wondered how many people were on the crew. Sending it only to the actresses seemed inappropriate; it would be best to send it to everyone. "How many can you make at most?"
Li Lan always had a generous way of speaking: "Is two hundred portions enough?"
"That's enough, that's enough."
"Okay, I'll send it to you on Thursday, and you should receive it around Saturday."
After hanging up the phone, Xu Ying carefully put away the incense sticks that were spread out on the coffee table. She had only lit them, smelled them briefly, and then put them out, so she could use them again later.
On the day filming wrapped up for "Legend of the Qing Dynasty", Xu Ying brought two hundred packets of incense to the set.
Everyone in the crew rushed to find her.
It's something everyone's been curious about for a long time, and the screenwriter quietly got someone to make it. We have to hurry over and check it out!
"Screenwriter, you actually made it! We were just talking casually last time," Li Tingyu and the others said somewhat embarrassedly.
"Thanks to you for giving me inspiration, otherwise I would never have thought of making these things," Xu Ying said, handing each of them a copy. "Take them home and smell them quickly. After filming for so long on set, I still don't know what the fragrance I've been talking about every day smells like."
"Hehe, okay, okay, we'll fumigate it when we get home."
Everyone happily accepted this special gift.
There weren't enough people in the crew, so Xu Ying had some left over after everyone took a portion. She brought back the extra incense and gave it to Qingfeng, Fuyou, and even Lin Zhongxu got a free portion.
Lin Zhongxu didn't refuse and ordered one of the dishes as soon as he got back to his dorm, not caring at all when his roommates teased him about it.
*
The New Year is approaching.
The fact that filming for "Legend of the Qing Dynasty" has wrapped up at this time undoubtedly allows the actors and crew to go home early and have a good New Year.
"Filming is finally wrapped up!"
With filming wrapped up, the happiest person was undoubtedly Zhou Xingyun.
Her home is in Beijing, but she has been stationed in Shanghai for a long time because of the film crew. Now that the New Year is approaching, her family calls her several times a day to urge her to leave. She has been wanting to leave for a long time.
"I'm leaving now, Happy New Year!"
"Happy New Year."
Not only did Zhou Xingyun leave, but Qingfeng and Fuyou also went home early. Lin Zhongxu went home later; he stayed with her for a few days after school started its holiday, but eventually he still had to go home.
Seeing his troubled expression, Xu Ying found it amusing.
"Go back, your grandma has called to urge you. I'll be fine here on my own."
The New Year is just a name; in reality, it's no different from any other day.
"Then I'll come back to be with you as soon as possible," Lin Zhongxu can be quite stubborn at times.
"Okay, at least stay home until the fifth day of the Lunar New Year before coming back," Xu Ying said as she saw Lin Zhongxu off at the station, giving him one last piece of advice before he got off the train.
Lin Zhongxu nodded, got out of the car, took his luggage from the trunk, and left.
There were many cars near the station, so Xu Ying couldn't stay there for too long. As soon as Lin Zhongxu left, she started the car and went back.
I'm home.
She turned on her computer. There was only a little bit left to write in "Code Name: Dodder Flower". She planned to write it all in one go until the finale, so that she could completely relax during the New Year period.
Lin Jingshu successfully turned Ye Xun to the side.
If Lin Jingshu is someone who pursues love for her country and family, then when she portrays Ye Xun, she focuses more on describing her personal love.
Ye Xun is an extreme egoist.
As long as he is doing well, he doesn't care what others do, so after he falls in love with the female lead, he is willing to do anything for her.
If the female lead prioritizes national and familial interests, then he will fulfill her wishes regarding national and familial interests.
......
Xu Ying wrote from afternoon until evening, and finally finished the finale.
Actually, she had initially envisioned a tragic ending, with the male lead dying or the male and female leads being separated, but perhaps out of pity, she ultimately gave them a happy ending.
After uploading the last few chapters to the draft box and setting the publication time, Xu Ying logged out.
After finishing writing "Code Name: Dodder Flower", she never opened the Feihong Novel app again. It wasn't until after the New Year that director Liu Mingchun contacted her, and she realized that he had already read the ending.
"Let's set a time to meet and discuss the script."
"Okay, when do you have time, I'll come to visit you." After all, she's an elderly person, so it's only right that she goes to visit her.
"Do you have time to come over at 3 PM the day after tomorrow?"
"no problem."
After hanging up the phone, Xu Ying went to the supermarket on short notice.
This was her first meeting with director Liu Mingchun, and since it was a visit, she felt it was necessary to bring him a large gift package.
"You're here, why did you buy so much stuff?" Liu Mingchun greeted Xu Ying as she came in. He was accompanied by this young girl, who looked like a college student.
This person was Liu Han.
She was a loyal reader of February Sky. A couple of days ago, when her grandfather told her that he had invited the author to his house, she immediately refused to leave and stubbornly stayed at her grandfather's house.
Xu Ying smiled and said, "Of course."
“This is my granddaughter. She was the one who recommended you to me in the first place.”
"Oh, it's my reader! Hello, hello."
Taking the opportunity, Liu Han confessed: "I really like you, author. All your books are great. I've read every single one of them and recommended them to everyone I know, and they all said they were good too..."
"Thank you, thank you," Xu Ying said, feeling a little embarrassed.
Faced with such enthusiastic fans, she didn't know what to say.
"I won't disturb you and Grandpa any longer, you two talk. I'll go keep Grandma company first," Liu Han said, knowing that the two had important matters to discuss, so she tactfully ran away after saying only a few words.
"Let's go to the study."
Liu Mingchun took Xu Ying to his study.
He bought the copyright to "Code Name: Dodder Flower" before the novel was finished. He had been looking for suitable actors for some time, and the reason he brought Xu Ying over was mainly to discuss revising the script.
"Is the way the female lead acts in the script a bit too extreme? I think it would be more reasonable to put some of her actions in the male lead."
Xu Ying disagreed with his statement.
"In times of war, it is undeniable that one should treat comrades with the warmth of a spring breeze and enemies with the cruelty of a harsh winter."
Furthermore, when I was developing the character's personality, I specifically made the female lead decisive and ruthless. If these qualities you mentioned were applied to the male lead, then the female lead's core would be completely different.
"What you said makes sense."
......
The two analyzed and discussed the script issues one by one.
Xu Ying remembered the plot she wrote very clearly and was able to handle the director's questions and doubts, but she still felt a little tired.
Fortunately, Liu Mingchun had said most of what he wanted to say.
He took a sip of tea and said, "By the way, I've seen most of the actors for this drama. I think Zheng Fan and Qian Jingjing are very suitable. They've also told me that they're interested in participating."
Zheng Fan, Qian Jingjing... these two are indeed good-looking and talented. Director Liu Mingchun chose these two as his first choice, so Xu Ying had no complaints.
"These two are indeed a good match."
However, she still felt a little uncomfortable.
On the way back, Xu Ying felt more and more frustrated. So, was her trip to visit the director just to persuade him not to change the script?
The script clearly cannot be changed at will; it's her script, and only she has the right to change it.
"well!"
Xu Ying sighed. It was all Zhou Xingyun's fault for spoiling her. He had found easy-going and approachable directors for both "Wu Zetian" and "Legend of the Qing Dynasty," which made her mistakenly believe that being a screenwriter was an easy thing.
However, in reality, directors like Liu Mingchun, who have a strong desire to control the production team, are the norm. Especially for directors who are relatively capable, the production team is basically their personal fiefdom, and the screenwriters have no say at all.
It's even more impossible for them to choose their own actors.
Today is a perfect example. Liu Mingchun didn't even ask for her opinion beforehand; he had already spoken to the two actors.
This is really annoying!
Although Liu Mingchun was satisfied with the actress Xu Ying she had chosen, she still felt slightly unwell. This discomfort only subsided when she drove home and saw Lin Zhongxu standing at her doorstep.
Why are you here?
"Didn't you say you'd let me come back on the fifth day of the new year?" Lin Zhongxu had been standing there for who knows how long, his nose was red from the cold.
Xu Ying's face darkened: "I told you to stay home until at least the fifth day of the Lunar New Year."
"Pretty much."
"You didn't even call me, and you just stood there freezing at the door?"
Xu Ying quickly opened the door and let him in to warm up.
“I asked you yesterday, and you said you wanted to meet with Director Liu. I didn’t want to disturb you,” Lin Zhongxu sniffed. “How did it go? Director Liu is a famous director in the industry, and he’s very capable.”
"Their strength is indeed very strong," Xu Ying said calmly.
Lin Zhongxu noticed that she was in low spirits and asked cautiously, "What's wrong? Did the talk not go well?"
"Are you sure you want to be a director in the future?" Xu Ying looked into Lin Zhongxu's eyes. "Are you sure you don't want to go home and inherit your family's small company?"
"Of course, I'm determined to be a director."
"Then you can be my director. I'll write the script, and you can direct it, but the condition is that you can't arbitrarily change my script, and the casting must be approved by me..."
Xu Ying thought it was a good idea.
Collaborating with others always presents various communication challenges, so it's better to cultivate your own in-house director.
Lin Zhongxu was shocked: "Really? Of course I'm willing! Sister Xiaoying, your script is so good, so many people are begging to film it. If you're willing to trust me and let me be your director, I'm a hundred times willing!"
"With your current abilities, it's indeed a bit of a stretch. But the movie 'Code Name: Dodder' is about to start filming soon, so I'll hand you over to Director Liu and let him mentor you."
She didn't like Liu Mingchun's way of doing things, but she really liked his abilities. She figured she wouldn't have much say in the production crew anyway, so having him mentor people for free would be a good way to ease her dissatisfaction.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com