IPCFS: Chapter 33 Part 2

“Hello, Director Guo. I am Ji Li of Chaoying Culture. I wanted to talk to you regarding the script.” Ji Li seized the opportunity and rushed to the side of the director, Guo Minsheng.

Guo Minsheng looked at him and asked, “What are you talking about? Filming hasn’t even started yet and you think there is a problem?”

“Director Guo, you shouldn’t be saying that.” Yu Fuya walked over to Ji Li’s side and opened her mouth to fight back.

“We originally joined for the script but now the script has been changed to a mess. As the director, don’t you know about this?”

Yu Fuya’s eyes were very sharp and she fully showed the momentum of negotiation.

“Our Ji Li was the first actor to sign with the crew and it was clearly written in the contract that the crew is obligated to guarantee our interests as the third male lead.”

“Now there are less than 20 scenes if I add up all the scenes…” Yu Fuya handed the script to the director and sneered. “We have every right to quit and not film!”

Ji Li naturally didn’t want to make trouble to the point of ‘resigning’ but this was Yu Fuya’s deliberate bargaining chip. Thus, he had to keep silent and watch the director’s reaction.

Sure enough, Guo Mingsheng’s face tightened and his eyes flickered for a moment. “How can you talk about resigning on the first day of filming? If there is a problem with the filming of the script, we can discuss it again.”

He had spent so many years in the director’s circle and finally got a big investment for filming. He didn’t want things to go wrong on the first day.

“Let’s go. I’ll call the screenwriter to the lounge and we can have a good chat.” Guo Minsheng shirked responsibility. The script was the responsibility of the screenwriter while he was only responsible for filming.

Ji Li had participated in many works over the years and had worked with and met many directors.

Now he saw Guo Minsheng’s reaction and his heart became half cold.

This was a director who had no leadership ability and was accustomed to fishing in muddy waters. The gap between him and a top director was recognizable to the naked eye.

Ji Li didn’t want to waste time and could only suppress his thoughts. “Okay.”

---

Five minutes later, the director’s lounge.

The door was pushed open and Cai Yishu walked in with a bunch of people. There was a pair of exaggerated brown sunglasses on the bridge of his nose.

He saw Ji Li and Yu Fuya sitting on a long wooden chair and his lips curved in a slightly sarcastic manner. He didn’t greet them.

“Director, I heard you are looking for Screenwriter Wang? He was discussing the plot of the script with me so I came with him to take a look.”

Guo Minsheng quickly got up from where he was sitting on the main seat of the sofa. “Young Master Shu, do you want to sit here?”

“How dare I grab the director’s seat?” Cai Yishu smiled, found a seat opposite Ji Li and lazily leaned back.

The screenwriter Wang Yongwei and agent You Meng sat beside him.

The three of them never looked at Ji Li and Yu Fuya from beginning to end. Their arrogance and contempt were vividly displayed.

Ji Li’s eyes darkened slightly and he signaled with his fingers for Yu Fuya to calm down.

Wang Yongwei put on an arrogant air and his voice rose slightly. “Director Guo, I heard that some people have opinions of the script?”

Guo Minsheng hesitated and his eyes shifted to Ji Li. “This…”

Ji Li opened his mouth. “Screenwriter Wang, I said it.”

He looked at the screenwriter and stated bluntly, “The number of scenes for the third male lead has been cut from 34 to only 12 and there are no highlight scenes. This results in a wasteful portrayal of the character.”

“As the screenwriter, you have never consulted me or my team.” He handed the new script to Wang Yongwei. “Please give me a reasonable explanation.”

The young man’s questioning wasn’t arrogant or humble. The sudden change to a fierce aura was very different from his gentle appearance.

Wang Yongwei was stunned for a few seconds before saying loudly, “I can see that you are an inexperienced newcomer at first glance. This is your first time shooting a movie, right? I’m telling you, it isn’t uncommon for the script to be edited before filming begins.”

“Some actors are about to finish shooting and they can still receive a temporarily changed script.”

Wang Yongwei flipped through the script on the table and stated in a perfunctory manner, “I was in a hurry to revise and delete scenes before filming. It is better to not shoot it than to have to do re-shoots.”

Yu Fuya couldn’t sit still and sneered. “Ji Li might be filming a movie for the first time but I have brought more actors and followed more film crews that you have. I have never seen such a method of editing.”

She paused and added bluntly, “I have never seen a screenwriter like you.”

“…You!” Wang Yongwei choked up and his expression became ugly.

He had been in the screenwriting circle for nearly 10 years and his previous works had been criticized and disliked by capital.

This was until two years ago when Jincheng Pictures approached him and asked him to be Cai Yishu’s exclusive screenwriter. To put it bluntly, it was to write scripts and add more scenes to the other person in the crew.

The other person was currently receiving the main support of Jincheng Pictures. The film and television works might be scolded for ‘adding scenes’ after the release but under the company’s non-stop marketing operations, his popularity had steadily decreased.

Wang Yongwei received money to do things and could get the co-writer’s credit when the work was released. His friends were envious of him.

In fact, Wang Yongwei had taken his original script to a film and television company some time ago and the result was still considered worthless.

Yu Fuya saw through his essence and pierced the shell of his hypocritical reputation with a single sentence.

Cai Yishu saw that his screenwriter couldn’t respond and gave his agent a cryptic look.

The latter understood and gave a thorny smile. “Sister  Yu, don’t say that. What characters have you brought in the past and who are you bringing now?”

Yu Fuya used to look after a movie queen. Even if it wasn’t to that extent, her other artists were powerful actors and popular actresses.

Now Ji Li was a small star with just over a million Weibo fans. At most, he had been on the hot search three or four times.

It wasn’t worth mentioning at all compared to Cao Yishu’s tens of millions of Weibo fans.

“It is just the third male lead. What is wrong with cutting out some scenes? Cai Cai is the male protagonist of the movie and will shoulder the responsibility of the box office in the future. Even if there is a highlight scene, it should be his.” 

“In the original script, the male protagonist only had a dozen more scenes than the male lead. If this was spread, I would think you guys were the ones adding scenes.”

Yu Fuya wanted to rush up and tear at this woman’s mouth.

Adding scenes?

It was really splashing dirty water.

Ji Li suppressed the anger in his heart and asked clearly, “So this script can’t be changed?”

Cai Yishi laughed and finally took off his sunglasses. “I forgot to tell you. Before I came here, I discussed the script with Teacher Wang again.”

He smiled mildly as he stared into Ji Li’s eyes. “You don’t have 11 scenes. There are only nine left.”

Two years after his debut, he finally got the first male lead in a movie. He must not let other male characters steal his limelight!

The second male lead, Wei Lai was weak and inept. As for Ji Li who had a bit of popularity, what could he use to gain fans after his scenes were deleted?

Even if something happened, he was the legitimate male lead. Who would say that he added more scenes?

“Director Guo, the first scene is about to be filmed, right? I have to hurry and change my clothes. I will be going first.” Cai Yishu still added his best in front of Guo Minsheng.

Guo Minsheng was coaxed by his polite tone and nodded.

He glanced at Ji Li beside him. It wasn’t known where the confidence came from but he actually put on the airs of a director.

“Either shoot or leave if you don’t want to shoot. If it spreads out this close to the start of filming that you resigned, whose reputation is it that will be bad?”

Then he left with Cai Yishu and the others.

Yu Fuya kicked the stool abruptly and took two deep breaths. “What type of thing is this crew? I have not suffered from this type of anger since entering the circle!”

Ji Li rubbed his swollen temples. He was about to say something when Baozi sneaked in.

The latter saw the irritated expressions on their faces and said cautiously, “Brother Ji, I smuggled the original screenwriter into your lounge. Do you want to meet him?”

There was finally a glimmer of light in Ji Li’s eyes when he heard this.

The three of them hurried back to their lounge. The person in the room heard the movement and turned around while vigilantly holding the script.

“Brother Ji, this is the original screenwriter Mu Wang.” After hearing Ji Li’s instructions, Baozi had secretly contacted the original screenwriter.

Ji Li nodded. “Hello, Teacher Mu. I am Ji Li, the actor of the third male lead.”

“You don’t need to call me Teacher and Mu Wang is just my pen name.”

The man took off his cap and mask and revealed a young but haggard face. “My real name is Mu Suian.”

Ji Li and the others were inevitably stunned when they heard these words.

Ji Li met the eyes full of complicated emotions and felt slightly choked up. “You are the prototype of the third male lead in the script?”

Mu Suian nodded bitterly.

The script Time Lobbyist was a work that he wrote to heal himself when he was suffering from severe depression.

Ji Li glanced at his team when he heard this.

Yu Fuya and Baozi understood his gaze and tacitly left the lounge, leaving the two of them alone.

Mu Suian grasped the new version of the script and his words became hoarse and teary. “Mr Ji, can you help me? Our story isn’t like this. Ah Yu and Huaizi aren’t like this at all!”

Ji Li heard the nicknames and reacted quickly. They should be the ‘male protagonist’ and ‘second male lead’ in reality.

He took the initiative to pour a glass of warm water for the other person. “I read your script and expected there to be prototypes for the characters. I just didn’t expect it to be your personal experience.”

Mu Suian was only a few years older than Ji Li but his eyes had long lost the light of a young man.

Ji Li gave him time to adapt and didn’t rush to ask questions.

A long time passed before the pale-faced Mu Suian opened his mouth. “The producer told me that there was suddenly a film investment and also said that a nameless screenwriter isn’t qualified. He directly drove me out of the production team.”

Ji Li heard this and understood.

The producer took Mu Suian’s excellent script and the investment from Yuexing to enhance the cast.

Then he abandoned people after getting his goal. Mu Suian, the excellent original screenwriter,was driven away. The producer acquiesced to Cai Yishu, the first male lead, bringing a screenwriter into the crew and changed the good material into garbage.

It was ridiculous.

“Mr Ji, I know that you were the first actor willing to sign the contract. Please help me!”

Mu Suian was just a small screenwriter and it was impossible for him to defend his rights. His pleading became more obvious. “In reality, the five of us have separated. I really don’t want this story to be ruined.”

The perfect ending under the infinite reincarnation that he wrote in the script was the comfort he gave to himself. The reason he agreed to make the movie was to leave a memory for the beauty of the past.

“I sought out Wang Yongwei but he directly mocked me and told me to die.”

As a result, this group of people brought deeper despair. Mu Suian’s insomnia had become more severe in the past few days and he really couldn’t stand it.

To be honest, Ji Li originally planned to quit and leave. Now seeing the reality of ‘Xiang Suian’ and seeing the other person’s red eyes, the sour feeling in his heart spread out in an instant.

He had already put himself into this role as early as when he was studying the script.

Ji Li remembered the arrogant faces of Cai Yishu and the others and his eyes shone coldly.

A few seconds later, he handed the script that had changed beyond recognition to Mu Suian and solemnly instructed him, “Take this script to Shanghai and find someone.”

“Rest assured, I’ll make it so that he will see you.”