“It’s not that there’s a problem with your novel,” Shang Yechu repeated. “It’s that the budget is insufficient, so some large scenes may have to be cut.”
"It's just a general store. Even if you built one directly like in the novel, how much would it cost?" Sheng Wenzhi's expression had become increasingly impatient. "Is your company that poor?"
“It has nothing to do with landscaping; it’s just that the current technology can’t reach the level described in the novel.” Shang Yechu showed Sheng Wenzhi the price list provided by Ji Juntao. “These are quotes from several well-known VFX companies in the industry.”
Sheng Wen glanced at it twice and asked a rather uninformed question: "What does VFX mean?"
"Visual effects," Shang Yechu explained to him in much improved English, "It's what we do in post-production."
Sheng Wenzhi leaned closer to Shang Yechu's phone screen, revealing a hint of disdain: "This price isn't expensive. My average daily royalties are more than this."
Shang Yechu leaned closer to Sheng Wenzhi and smiled, "Did you even look at it carefully? This quote is calculated by the second."
Sheng Wenzhi's beautifully shaped eyes widened several times over: "A movie—let's say it's an hour long, or three thousand six hundred seconds..."
Sheng Wenzhi shut his mouth. After thinking for a while, he opened his mouth again: "Isn't that wrong? I saw on the Internet that those low-budget ghost movies only cost a few million or even a few hundred thousand to produce."
Sheng Wenzhi is not entirely isolated from the internet.
They're not easy to fool.
This subtle flattery softened Sheng Wenzhi's sour face somewhat. He stopped dwelling on the cuts and began to question the next issue: "Why didn't you let me go out and talk to your boss?"
Of course, she was afraid that he might let slip that the novel wasn't even finished yet, revealing to Ji Juntao that the second half hadn't even been written. That would make it even harder for Boss Ji to go out and scam... ah, attract investment. Furthermore, if Sheng Wenzhi blurted out during negotiations, "I'll give this novel away for free," Shang Yechu really didn't know how to explain it to Ji Juntao.
Talking to Sheng Wenzhi about personal relationships wouldn't work, so Shang Yechu had to continue trying to persuade him by using an area he wasn't familiar with: "Every industry has its rules. If we don't follow the rules, it will affect our company's future collaborations with other authors and screenwriters. Besides, the money for buying the copyright is a small amount compared to the overall investment in the film. You can just keep it."
Sheng Wenzhi fell silent, seemingly accepting the reason reluctantly.
As they were talking, the apartment doorbell rang. Shang Yechu went out and returned a while later with a takeout order.
"For me?" Sheng Wenzhi looked surprised.
"Hmm." Shang Yechu opened the takeout packaging, put on gloves, and took out a clay pot from inside. "Seafood and vegetable congee."
"What seafood?"
Shang Yechu's lips twitched slightly: "The only kind of seafood you can handle won't kill you. Don't worry." With that, she lifted the lid and pushed the casserole in front of Sheng Wenzhi.
Sheng Wenzhi didn't eat meat. In the junior high school cafeteria, most dishes were cooked with lard, so Sheng Wenzhi could only eat a few dishes cooked with vegetable oil, such as scrambled eggs with tomatoes or stir-fried vegetables. However, since the cafeteria was run by a relative of the principal, there were many arbitrary rules—for example, under the guise of students needing a balanced diet, each student was required to order at least two dishes each time they ate.
Unable to defy this rule, Sheng would always reluctantly order one meat dish and one vegetable dish, then give the meat dish to Shang Yechu. He also consistently expressed his disdain for Shang Yechu's non-picky taste.
Once, when higher-ups came to inspect the school, the cafeteria made a rare exception and improved the students' meals, giving each student a plate of boiled shrimp.
Good things should be saved for last. The greedy merchant Ye Chu didn't touch the prawns until he finished his own food, then eagerly turned his wolfish gaze to the prawns.
Just then, Xiao Shang Ye Chu felt a gaze that seemed almost tangible. Looking up, she saw that the tray in front of Xiao Sheng Wen Zhi was piled high with food, except for the section with the large prawns, which was completely empty. Even the traditional tomato and egg stir-fry had been abandoned.
Xiao Shengwenzhi stared at the large shrimp on Xiao Shangyechu's tray with what she thought was a very discreet gaze.
Xiao Shangye thought to herself, "So mosquitoes actually have things they like to eat."
Xiao Shangye rarely had the opportunity to eat shrimp except during the Lunar New Year. And Sheng Wenzhi, who was living under someone else's roof at that time, probably didn't have many opportunities to order dishes either.
Xiao Shang Ye Chu worriedly thought that since the little mosquito ate vegetarian food all day, it would develop slowly, just like the biology teacher had mentioned. Most girls in puberty were starting to develop breasts, but Sheng Wenzhi's chest was as flat as a board; the boys in the class secretly called her "Flat-chested Princess." Several times when she heard this nickname, Sheng Wenzhi's face contorted with anger. She must have been very bothered by it herself.
Thinking of this, Xiao Shang Ye Chu generously gave the shrimp on the tray to Xiao Sheng Wen Zhi, just as the other party had done before.
Xiao Shengwenzhi yelled, "What are you doing? I won't eat your leftovers!"
Xiao Shang Ye Chu clumsily told a lie: "I'm allergic to shrimp. Eating it will cause me to get pimples."
Xiao Shengwenzhi never imagined there could be such an unlucky person in the world. Her eyes widened: "Really? You didn't eat it, did you? You're such a glutton! Let me see your arm!"
"No." Xiao Shang Ye Chu stretched out her arm. "I didn't dare to eat it, I didn't touch it at all. You eat it."
Xiao Sheng Wenzhi glanced at Xiao Shang Yechu's smooth arm, then at the second serving of shrimp that had suddenly appeared on her tray. After hesitating for a few seconds, she finally couldn't resist the temptation of the extra meal: "Then I'll eat it... There are leaders watching over the vegetable truck today. If you take the leftover shrimp there, you'll be criticized for wasting food."
Xiao Sheng Wenzhi is the smartest; she seems to have a reason for everything she does. Xiao Shang Ye Chu showed a grateful expression: "Thank you so much!"
It was summer.
Xiao Sheng Wenzhi buried her head in eating shrimp. As she ate, she became thirsty and asked Xiao Shang Ye Chu, "Ye Chu, give me some water."
"But the water was just filled and it's still quite hot."
"It'll cool down once it's aired out. Slurp."
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