Although Ye Zhou knew that “The Ark” could make a lot of money, he was in no hurry to cash in on it.
After all, even with the advantages of the golden fingers, it still took the protagonists in the novel nearly three years to complete everything, despite having no shortage of funds and talent. Three years was too long, with too many variables. Compared to “The Ark,” Ye Zhou was more focused on the low-budget “A Farce.”
Ye Zhou estimated that if everything went smoothly, they might be able to release “A Farce” in time for next summer’s blockbuster season. After putting away the organized information, Ye Zhou took a shower and had just stepped out of the bathroom when he heard the doorbell ringing outside.
Thinking it was the chef delivering dinner, Ye Zhou dried his dripping wet hair with a towel while clumsily tying the sash of his bathrobe with his left hand. He quickened his pace to open the door.
After the door opened, both the person inside and outside the door were stunned.
Ye Zhou was a little confused as he looked at the thin man with a gentle and delicate face outside the door. After a long pause, he tentatively asked, “Who are you looking for?”
“Excuse me, are you Mr. Ye Zhou?” The refined man’s voice was uncertain. Seeing Ye Zhou nod, he explained, “I’m a screenwriter from Jingzhe Pictures. My surname is Sun, you can call me Sun Hanbai.”
Hearing this, Ye Zhou was even more confused. “Are you looking for me?”
Sun Hanbai nodded. “Jiang Tingyuan asked me to come. He said you have a project here that needs rewriting.”
Ye Zhou was even more surprised when he mentioned Jiang Tingyuan.
Boss Jiang was simply amazing! Could he have some kind of monitor installed in his brain that could instantly read Ye Zhou’s thoughts? This was too thrilling!
What Ye Zhou didn’t know was that “The Pursuit,” in which Jingzhe Pictures had invested, was originally one of Jiang Tingyuan’s projects. Naturally, his people were also in charge of production.
Almost as soon as Ye Zhou left the crew, the producer called Jiang Tingyuan to report the situation. However, Jiang didn’t say much when he learned about this matter. This movie was an investment for Ye Zhou to play with in the first place. Since Ye Zhou didn’t like it, switching crews was no big deal.
And just like that, the screenwriter arrived that very night.
After welcoming Sun Hanbai inside, Ye Zhou handed him the novel version of “A Farce” that he had obtained at the auction yesterday.
“This is the one. Please take a look first while I go change.” Ye Zhou said before quickly heading towards the bedroom.
This was serious business. He didn’t want to discuss it while wearing a bathrobe!
Time was tight, so Ye Zhou tossed the towel aside and didn’t bother to dry his hair. He grabbed a t-shirt and pants from the closet and threw them on.
Before leaving, he quickly searched for Sun Hanbai’s name on his phone and was surprised to find that the screenwriter had worked on many productions, including several critically and commercially successful works. He had won the Golden Wing Film Festival’s Best Screenwriter award no less than three times.
He was a well-respected genius in the industry. It was said that just having him as the screenwriter meant the movie was already halfway to success.
Ye Zhou had collaborated with many famous screenwriters before, but even after going through all of them, he couldn’t find anyone on Sun Hanbai’s level.
Moreover, in Ye Zhou’s past life experience, screenwriters like Sun Hanbai could no longer be hired solely with just money.
Yet Boss Jiang had not only gotten him on board but also sent him right to Ye Zhou’s door.
Thinking of this, Ye Zhou couldn’t help but sigh in admiration. This must be what it meant to be a boss!
When Ye Zhou returned to the living room, Sun Hanbai was still engrossed in the novel, jotting notes in his notebook as he read.
Ye Zhou sat down across from him but didn’t interrupt. They sat like this for over two hours.
Finally, Sun Hanbai tore his gaze away from the book and looked at Ye Zhou with a smile. “This is a very interesting story.”
Seeing his approval of the book he had picked, Ye Zhou also smiled. “It seems we have similar tastes.”
The two discussed many details about the story, characters, plot, and direction for the script revisions.
After a night of discussion, the script revision, which he thought would be very troublesome, began to take shape.
This made Ye Zhou sigh with emotion. He had to admit Sun Hanbai’s formidable scriptwriting prowess.
As Ye Zhou saw Sun Hanbai to the door, he hesitated but finally couldn’t resist asking, “Teacher Sun, please forgive my presumptuousness, but I still want to ask…”
Sun Hanbai paused, turned around, and asked, “What is it?”
“Jiang-ge asked you to help me change the script, uh…”
For the rest, Ye Zhou was still deliberating how to ask more tactfully when Sun Hanbai chuckled softly first.
He looked at Ye Zhou, his gaze seeming to study him for a moment before returning to its former gentleness.
“You want to ask how much Jiang Tingyuan paid to get me to come over, right?” Sun Hanbai’s voice held traces of amusement as he completed Ye Zhou’s unspoken question.
“I’m Tingyuan’s childhood friend, so…it was free.”
“Though he did agree to one condition of mine. As for what that condition is, I’m afraid you’ll have to ask him yourself.”
As Sun Hanbai spoke, he waved to Ye Zhou and said, “Just send me up to here. After I finish revising the script, Tingyuan will contact you. Goodbye, Mr. Ye.”
Ye Zhou stood motionless at the door long after Sun Hanbai’s figure had faded into the night.
For some reason, Ye Zhou felt Sun Hanbai’s parting gaze was very…meaningful.
He didn’t know if it was his own misunderstanding, but he always felt that Sun Hanbai’s eyes held a hint of…pity when looking at him.
Before Ye Zhou could figure out what exactly it was, he suddenly heard the muffled sound of a car door closing, followed by faintly familiar footsteps.
Glancing up, Ye Zhou saw Jiang Tingyuan walking in through the gate.
That morning when he left, Ye Zhou remembered he was wearing a tailored black suit, but when he came back now, the suit jacket was draped over his arm. He only had on a light blue shirt.
The collar was unbuttoned, parted slightly to reveal a slender, fair neck. The sleeves were rolled up casually a few times, adding an air of casualness and laziness.
Ye Zhou tucked away his messy thoughts and took a couple of steps forward, intending to take Boss Jiang’s suit jacket for him.
Unexpectedly, as soon as he stretched out his hand, before he could touch the suit, he was held by a big, slightly cold hand.
Ye Zhou was a little confused. Just when he was about to say something, his whole body was pulled forward by a strong force before he could speak.
Before Ye Zhou could steady himself, he felt his lips press against something. Amidst the coolness was a faint aroma of wine.
Ye Zhou froze, halted like someone had pressed pause. But the person before him seemed unsatisfied with his reaction. The hand grasping his tightened.
The cool thin lips left his for a moment.
Ye Zhou’s lips briefly parted as he let out a sigh of relief when he felt the same lips firmly covering his again.
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