Shang Yechu left the film crew, got into Aunt Cai's car, and headed towards Sheng Wenzhi's house. She started reading the script in the car.
Shang Yechu glanced at a few pages, and when the ten minutes were up, she promptly and decisively returned the video to Ji Juntao.
"You really are making the most of every second." Ji Juntao's face still bore the marks from sleeping on the table. "How are you feeling?"
Shang Yechu remained calm: "I'd like to hear your opinion first."
Ji Juntao thought Shang Yechu didn't understand, so he said, "Put on your headphones first."
Assistant Xiao Wang quickly handed Shang Yechu a pair of wired headphones. Shang Yechu thanked him and plugged them in.
After putting on his headphones, Ji Juntao continued, "Do you know the difference between male and female actors in the film industry?"
Shang Yechu leaned back in the car seat and said softly, "Generally speaking, male actors are judged by box office numbers, while female actors are judged by awards."
"So you knew all along." Ji Juntao wasn't surprised. "Then what do you think of this notebook?"
Shang Yechu countered, "Do you think this notebook has a chance to win an award?"
Ji Juntao took a big gulp of instant coffee: "This book is based on a true story."
Shang Yechu chuckled: "This kind of argument might have worked twenty years ago. There are just too many people in our country, and there are countless stories adapted from real events."
"Let me tell you slowly," Ji Juntao said. "This script had been listed on a script trading platform for three years without any takers. I found it while browsing. The price is incredibly reasonable! Guess how much it is?"
Shang Yechu simply said, "I won't guess."
Ji Juntao made a "three" gesture.
"Thirty thousand?" Shang Yechu was genuinely shocked. "You skinflint!"
Ji Juntao shook his head: "Three thousand! This was written by a college student for fun."
Shang Yechu: "..."
Shang Yechu suddenly felt a touch of admiration for his own feat of managing to extract 2.6% of the shares from Ji Juntao.
"You dare to ask me to act in a script that costs three thousand?" Shang Yechu said, half-jokingly and half-seriously. "Do you remember the contract hasn't expired yet?"
Ji Juntao said seriously, "Don't you think this notebook has the potential to win an award?"
Shang Yechu pondered for a few seconds, then honestly shook her head: "It's too plain, too simple. The plot is as bland as water. In my experience, it's lacking in finesse."
“Those who didn’t buy the script share your opinion.” Ji Juntao took another sip of coffee, and Shang Yechu was worried that she would drink herself to death. “But my point of view is exactly the opposite.”
Ji Juntao wiped his mouth: "Do you trust my judgment?"
Shang Yechu naturally wanted to say she didn't believe it. The scripts she had seen in her past and present lives were stacked higher than her entire body, and Shang Yechu couldn't recall any film festival featuring a movie called "The Mute Woman".
Out of respect for her boss, Shang Yechu spoke softly, "Let's not talk about winning an award yet. Tell me first, which role in this script would I be able to play? The mute woman? Or her granddaughter?"
Shang Yechu is only twenty years old, and he must overcome tremendous difficulties to play an old man.
This question really stumped Ji Juntao: "I haven't thought about that yet."
"The granddaughter's role isn't very big, she's not the lead actress. And the mute old woman's age doesn't suit me," Shang Yechu said helplessly. "Playing an older character, with a face full of silicone wrinkles, I can't even make expressions, how am I supposed to compete for awards? Playing a younger character—you want me to compete for Best Supporting Actress?"
"Tsk." Ji Juntao said irritably, "This script is actually quite good. And the story is set in Jinsha City, so with a little effort, it wouldn't be difficult to film it along the way. What a pity."
Shang Yechu didn't understand why Ji Juntao thought so highly of the script. Although "The Mute Woman" wasn't very commercially viable, it was also almost devoid of entertainment value. At least, Shang Yechu thought it was just average.
"I'm currently filming 'Xiao Feng Que'," Shang Ye Chu said earnestly. "Do you remember what happened to Yang Huan Yi? At this juncture, do you want me to follow in her footsteps?"
“The filming period for this movie won’t be too long, probably ten days to half a month to finish—” Ji Juntao pulled out a wet wipe and wiped his face. “Forget it. Since you don’t want to, then forget it.”
Shang Ye thought the conversation was over, but Ji Juntao continued after wiping his face: "But I still want to advise you to take a good look at this script. Art films and commercial films are different, and the words on paper are different from the filming."
Shang Yechu joked, "You're not trying to say that this is the best resource our company can offer, are you?"
"..." Ji Juntao said with a forced smile, "If you want to see it, I'll compile all the company's 'resources' and send them to you tonight."
"Thanks. No need for now." Shang Yechu hung up the phone without hesitation.
With another drive to go and nothing else to do, Shang Yechu decided to continue reading the script for "The Mute Woman".
She was curious to see what was so special about this script.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
