The shop's door was knocked on.
Shang Lingqiu was doing her homework. She was now a senior in high school, a time when she should be working hard. Therefore, even when she heard the doorbell, she didn't respond.
Fortunately, during the National Day holiday, her second older sister, Shang Mengzhu, who was already a junior in college, was also at home. Shang Lingqiu heard her go to open the door.
Outside the door stood a young and handsome man with shoulder-length hair that looked like it had been chewed by a dog, as if it had been haphazardly cut by some incompetent barber.
The man was as thin as a ghost, with bloodshot eyes. Shang Mengzhu was startled and regretted opening the door without checking the peephole: "Hello, who are you?"
Where is Ji Ya?
The person who came was clearly very young, yet he addressed his mother by her first name. Shang Mengzhu frowned: "What do you want with my mother...?"
Before he could finish speaking, the man shoved Shang Mengzhu aside and strode into the room!
Shang Jiayu was lying on the sofa playing on his phone when he saw a strange man daring to push his second sister. He was furious and jumped up from the sofa, rushing forward and yelling, "Who are you?!" He then unleashed a string of vulgarities.
The man acted as if he hadn't heard, tossing Shang Jiayu aside like trash.
Although Shang Jiayu was only in junior high school, he was already a chubby boy weighing over 200 pounds. He had the weight, but was weak and limp. The man pulled him down onto the ground with a thud.
Shang Jiayu was stunned for a moment, then came to his senses and immediately shouted, "Dad! Mom!"
A plump middle-aged woman, wiping her hands, rushed out of the kitchen, yelling, "Are you trying to call back the soul?"
Shang Jiayu pointed at the strange man and yelled, "Someone broke in! And they pushed me! Mom, call the police!"
The middle-aged woman also noticed the stranger who had barged into her home. Clutching her apron, she said with a mixture of suspicion and wariness, "Who are you? Trespassing is illegal. In broad daylight, is there no law anymore?"
The strange man scanned the middle-aged woman from head to toe, his gaze lingering on her face for a long time. After a while, he suddenly said, "Aunt Ji, do you remember me?"
-----------
Shang Yechu is replying to Xue Zhao's message.
Xue Zhao found out about Ai Xiaodong. The famous writer was currently traveling in Xiatan. Xiatan is located at the southernmost tip of China, almost separated from Taiwan by only a strait. Shang Yechu calculated the dates and decided that after finding Ai Xiaodong in Xiatan in a couple of days and discussing copyright matters, he could conveniently make a detour to Taiwan to attend the Golden Dome Award ceremony.
The Golden Dome Awards ceremony is a gathering of renowned directors, and Shang Yechu thought she'd try her luck there to see if she could find any good film scripts.
CTS (China Television System) is considering having Shang Yechu star in two patriotic productions, but nothing is finalized yet. Shang Yechu doesn't want to participate, so she needs to clarify her schedule before CTS makes a decision, to avoid having to directly refuse.
While mainstream patriotic works can boost one's status and popularity, once one accepts this type of script, a constant stream of offers will follow. Over time, this could lead to a stagnation in Shang Yechu's on-screen image and make it difficult for her acting skills to improve.
Male actors are judged by box office numbers, while female actors are judged by awards. What Shang Yechu lacks most right now is awards. The directors who frequent the Golden Dome Awards ceremony best represent the career gap Shang Yechu currently has.
Thinking about art film scripts gave Shang Yechu a headache again. Ji Juntao had collected a whole bunch of art film scripts for Shang Yechu, but as soon as Shang Yechu saw the contents of those scripts, she felt bored.
In the past, Shang Yechu would occasionally fantasize about what it would be like to become a top actress like Liang Wan or Yu Jianqing. Back then, her biggest thought was that she would never choose to retire after achieving fame and success like them. She would act for a lifetime, and even in her seventies or eighties, she would use her acting skills to crush all her rivals.
Now that she has reached a point where she can freely choose which scripts to write, Shang Yechu finally understands why those senior actresses have gradually faded from people's view.
Because there are simply no films to shoot!
The art-house film market can be broadly divided into three categories: The first is films featuring marginalized or marginalized individuals, often from the lower rungs of society. These are further divided into urban and rural films. The protagonists are predominantly male, and their lives are often filled with hardship, exhaustion, and suffering. Actresses are often relegated to playing roles such as prostitutes, waitresses, ex-girlfriends, or shrewish women from neighboring villages. Of course, there are also films featuring female protagonists, but these are often accompanied by softcore pornography, excessive nudity, and inexplicable romantic subplots.
Secondly, there are satirical works based on metaphors from specific historical periods. These works are most likely to win awards because Western art circles will enthusiastically embrace them, even if the protagonist is a dog, it could probably win a Best Collar award.
Thirdly, there are experimental works by some fledgling directors. They are categorized separately because these directors often don't even know what they want to express. Often, a jumble of elements piled together results in an art film. These heterogeneous mixtures are difficult to classify, yet so numerous that, over time, they have developed into a genre of their own.
Shang Yechu has already acted in rural-themed works and won't be touching them again anytime soon. Without exception, the directors of works featuring marginalized urban dwellers and historical themes are all from the same group as the "Madai Cult" (a group of directors known for their outspoken and sometimes sarcastic remarks). Shang Yechu is currently collaborating with CTS (China Television System), and getting involved with them would undoubtedly be a slap in the face to CTS.
Shang Yechu hadn't even bothered to watch the experimental work of the new director. There might be a very few geniuses in this world whose very first film can go down in film history—like Orson Welles, who made *Citizen Kane* at 25; but most new directors' works are just a pile of garbage. Shang Yechu had no intention of using his accumulated goodwill to support them.
The Golden Dome Awards ceremony is Shang Yechu's only hope at the moment. Taiwan has a relatively larger selection of art-house films; perhaps she can find a breakthrough there.
Shang Yechu turned off her phone and started scribbling on her notebook.
First, I wrote "art film", then I drew a parenthesis: "(Awards)".
He wrote another one titled "Rules Street," followed by the note: "(Box Office)."
Finally, he wrote "The Heavenly Ruler".
Shang Yechu added a question mark after those two words.
Shang Yechu struggled to articulate her unspoken attachment to "The Heavenly Emperor." In reality, the role offered by "The Heavenly Emperor" wasn't particularly appealing. It was merely a mother character in a classic commercial film; even if she landed second lead, the box office revenue would only go to Shang Yechu, not to her.
Shang Yechu stared blankly at the two characters "Heavenly Ruler" on the paper, and finally found the answer in his distant memory.
It turns out that "The Heavenly Emperor" was the only "serious drama" she had ever acted in during the long first half of her life, rather than a comedy.
Shang Yechu crossed out the question mark and replaced it with the word "I".
Having finished writing, Shang Ye felt completely satisfied. She had long-term ideals and short-term goals, which was much better than most people's. Now she just needed to achieve them. Just as she was about to put down her pen, as if possessed, she wrote three more words on the paper.
"A swarm of mosquitoes."
Shang Yechu stared at the strange three words for a long time.
Why these three characters?
Yesterday, she had a huge fight with Sheng Wenzhi and said many hurtful things. Shang Yechu can't remember most of them now. Anyway, when people are angry, it's not surprising that they spew out a volcano.
Those words contained her long-held views on Sheng Wenzhi, his works, her disdain for his so-called artistic taste, and her mockery of Sheng Wenzhi's long-standing vague gender identity... There were so many things to say.
Shang Yechu rubbed her temples. Sheng Wenzhi carried the image of the old Shang Yechu, serving as an anchor point in her memories. Without Sheng Wenzhi, no one in this world would ever know what the past Shang Yechu was like.
The thought of Sheng Wenzhi leaving her forever felt like the same way she herself had left her in the past. How could Shang Yechu allow such a thing?
That damn mosquito, he certainly knows how to enjoy himself, living quite comfortably in his mental cocoon!
After venting his anger, Shang Yechu felt much better. The thought of Sheng Wenzhi returning home, weeping and wailing like he did in middle school, slapping himself in the face (he often did this when he failed an exam in middle school), cursing everything about Shang Yechu through gritted teeth, then tearing the script of "Rules Street" to shreds, hating his past attempts to please Shang Yechu… Shang Yechu almost wanted to let out a satisfied hum.
Rather than be tormented by the rumors, it's better to torment him in return. Little Leaf triumphed, delivering a crushing blow to the traitorous Mosquito, and even though it came more than a decade late, the victory was still incredibly sweet.
How will he retaliate?
He might cause trouble at "Rules Street." Shang Yechu shook his head. That idiot would do that, but unfortunately, the contract is there in black and white, and his resistance won't have any legal effect. If he makes a scene on Weibo and stirs things up, it will only increase the movie's popularity.
Then, together with Ji Juntao, they can produce the contract, play the victim, and mislead the public into thinking that Sheng Wenzhi is extorting money.
Shang Yechu squinted, pondering the possibility of this action. Sheng Wenzhi's defeat was due to his status as a writer, and a writer with multiple pen names at that. For a writer who hasn't cultivated a loyal fanbase to clash with a top-tier celebrity is like throwing an egg against a rock.
103 clicked his tongue.
Shang Ye asked, "Is there something you need?"
103 said, "I saw an article in my database."
"What?"
"The Long-Term Effects of Adolescent Trauma on Mental Disorders".
"Didn't you say you couldn't use irony?"
"I wasn't being sarcastic; I was just reading."
Shang Yechu was too lazy to argue with 103. This system had been getting increasingly erratic lately, often behaving strangely. Sometimes, even when Shang Yechu hadn't done anything, it would suddenly utter some profound and cryptic remarks, implying something.
After erasing the three characters "Sheng Wenzi" (meaning "mosquitoes") from the paper and completely blackening it so that no words could be seen, Shang Yechu stood up triumphantly and went to bed.
How will Sheng Wen retaliate? Shang Yechu was very curious.
Should we write Shang Yechu back into the novel? Unfortunately, Shang Yechu is not the same person she used to be; she will no longer be heartbroken for that silly girl Ye Zi.
-------------
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
