“I heard. Do you want a photo or an autograph?” Qi Xiu took the bouquet of chrysanthemums from Fu Junqiu, then turned around and replaced the wilted chrysanthemums on the studio windowsill. He turned back to Fu Junqiu and smiled politely. “Thanks for the flowers.”
Shen Xi was stunned. She came to the studio several times and was practically living at the office like Qi Xiu when they were recording his album, but she never noticed those chrysanthemums.
His hobby was indeed rather special.
Fu Junqiu gave Shen Xi a bragging look paired with glee, as if she was saying, “See… He likes chrysanthemums!”
“I still have something to do, so you two have a chat.” Shen Xi was a little speechless, but she respected other people’s hobbies. She looked at Fu Junqiu and said, “Just tell him whatever you want.”
Shen Xi then cast a pleading look at Qi Xiu before walking away.
Fu Junqiu watched her leave before she asked Qi Xiu, “Who is she in your company?”
Shen Xi had told them her cover story beforehand. “A contracted artist.”
Fu Junqiu, who got an answer, started to run wild in her thoughts. ‘So she’s an artist, huh? Then she’s bound to enter the entertainment industry…’
The Chinese entertainment industry was not as established as Hollywood. Many Chinese stars were scrambling for their big break in the international scene. Fu Junqiu thought, ‘I wonder if I can sign her onto the Fu family’s entertainment company. When the time comes, I’ll be her boss and I get to see her whenever I want! This is such a brilliant idea!’
Shen Xi came to the office to talk to Yuan Yu about the recording of “National Idol” and her role in it.
Yuan Yu looked at her and asked, “Su Ruowan has the right to sign up and participate in the show, but why do we have to promise Su Yi to give her a chance to debut?”
“Because she’s too smug and I can’t stand to see her like this. Since she wants to be popular, I’ll put her on a pedestal and push her off later.” Shen Xi laughed. She had always been outspoken about everything in front of Yuan Yu.
Su Muyan and Su Mushi had enjoyed their time in the limelight being adored by millions, but Su Ruowan had never experienced this. Thus, Shen Xi wanted Su Ruowan to continue being smug and arrogant as she basked in the feeling of being revered by fans and skyrocketed into fame.
Then when Su Ruowan was at her peak, Shen Xi would give her a fatal blow. That would be wonderful! Otherwise, stepping on Su Ruowan now was as easy as crushing an ant. It would not be any fun.
“I knew it…” Yuan Yu was doubtful of her plans in the beginning, but it looked like she had long since figured it out.
Shen Xi would not do anything superfluous. Since Su Ruowan desperately wanted to enter the entertainment industry and prove herself, Shen Xi would let Su Ruowan’s wish come true, then move against her.
As for Su Muyan and the others, it was more enjoyable to strike first, then give them a little hope, before finally beating them into dust to torment them again and again.
Otherwise, defeating them in one blow would not give her the pleasure of serving revenge. Seeing the opponent fall without so much a struggle would not provide her with a sense of accomplishment.
Shen Xi gave Yuan Yu an appreciative glance and said, “Actually, Brother, I have another thing to discuss with you.”
Yuan Yu saw her expression and had an unsettling premonition. He thought it must be troublesome, but he was not afraid of trouble. “Tell me.”
“I want to use your mother and you as two of the character prototypes in my next manuscript. Will you agree to it?” Shen Xi was afraid that if she put his story in writing, it would sadden him.
After all, his mother’s tragic death was the last thing he wanted to remember.
“Are you ready for your next manuscript?” At the mention of his mother, an obvious sorrow swept over Yuan Yu’s eyes. He looked at Shen Xi and asked, “What do you want to write about?”
Shen Xi said, “A story about a f*ckboy and a homewrecker. I’m just asking for your permission and will show you the script when it’s finished.”
She wanted to write about a scumbag and a mistress that later became his wife. She also wanted to write about how they abused their biological daughter and their eccentric favoritism towards their adopted daughter.
“You just want to use Su Yi and Li Jingran as your character models!” Yuan Yu heard her and could already guess what she wanted. “You’re also a character model.”
Shen Xi nodded and gave a faint “mm”. Her long and fair fingers raised a cup of tea as she took a small sip and savored it.
“What are your plans?” As the Chairman of the company, Yuan Yu still had to think about the best interests of the company. “You’re famous now. I’ve received many offers from acclaimed celebrities who are even willing to lower their prices to star in your show. Please don’t tarnish your stellar reputation in terms of ratings!”
Shen Xi needed to pay attention to her identity as Yun Qi, the screenwriter, who was a hit in the entertainment industry. This name was more valuable than any of the cast in “The Smiling Nation”.
If an actor wanted to be popular and have high ratings, besides a good director, the most important thing was a good script and a great screenwriter.
“Don’t worry, this script will surely be entertaining.” The last thing Shen Xi lacked was a good script.
Her science fiction novels could become blockbuster science fiction movies, provided that she could find a good director, good actors, and a good post-production company.
Her campus romance novels were a little lacking as movies, but turning them into a web series was not a problem given the low cost. Even if it was not popular, it certainly would not flop. Once they were successful in one, the rest would follow suit. After all, it was from the same series.
This script that she would write was her personal experience. If she polished it well, it would be a good script.
“If you’re confident, just use whichever character model you like.” Yuan Yu was a little sad. In China and the world, a lot of people suffered the same bitter fate as his mother.
In fact, his mother was not the only character model available, she was just part of a microcosm of this phenomenon in society.
“Then I’ll do it,” Shen Xi said.
“What else do you plan to do besides the script?” Yuan Yu knew that there must be more than just the script.
Shen Xi joked. “This is a trade secret, how can I tell you in advance?”
She only had an outline at the moment and had not done any intricate planning. Once she had a plan and finished the script, she would tell him all the details.
Yuan Yu said, “I’m the boss!”
Shen Xi retorted, “I’m the big boss!”
When they finished, they looked at each other and laughed.
Yuan Yu stopped probing because he knew she could perhaps only have a rough idea with no specific plan yet, so naturally, she could not tell him. He said, “Ms. Screenwriter, when are you gonna give me the script? The Film Empress Gong Zhi also chatted with me privately a few days ago and expressed interest in your next drama. This will be her first drama transitioning from the big screen, so I think we can give it some thoughts.”
