Translator: Exodus Tales Editor: Exodus Tales
Jiu Se was a multifaceted character. From the village to the uber rich to the authority. The layers were clear, the character progressed gradually. And the perfect thing was that she played an evil woman from the start to end.
She didn’t endure any humiliation and was arrogant all the way through. Such a characterization would no doubt delight the viewers.
It was a characterization that went along the lines of “I’ll make you despise me, but not only can you not do anything about it, you even have to bow down to my every whim and fancy.” It would resonate well with the audience.
Even though the film inherited Du Changrong’s attention to minute details and profundity, the characterization was a stark contrast to his previous films.
Especially the female protagonist. She tread the path of extravagance throughout the whole film. It wasn’t obvious during the early stages when she was in the village, but it became glaring later on in the film. The film might be a hit as long as the investment, portrayal, and scenes were done correctly.
Yun Xiangxiang felt like she had tasted a glass of fine wine after she finished the script. The taste lingered like wisp that left a joyful aftertaste.
“Director Du, I’ll accept Jiu Se,” Yun Xiangxiang had little to no hesitation.
Du Changrong was hyperventilating a little from excitement. His lips trembled slightly. The once sought after director in the TV circle during the past had really mellowed out in recent years.
“You have to think this through. If Jiu Se is botched, not only would your progress would be affected. Your whole standing in Huan Yu Century Entertainment could be dragged into it as well. Your image can also be damaged.”
“I understand,” She wasn’t really seventeen. It would be absurd to think that she couldn’t understand the difference between Jiu Se’s success and its failure.
It was like what she said. The audience loved straightforward content that didn’t require any thinking. Du Changrong’s stubborn belief that film was art was the reason for his decline. He believed that a film’s message should be indirect. He believed that they should have been like an aged wine that should be savored.
The audience would inevitably feel uninterested. Yun Xiangxiang watched his previous films.
However, Jiu Se’s characterization differed from his previous ones that needed some rewatch to make sense.
Even if Jiu Se’s character was a bona fide evil woman, Yun Xiangxiang would still be able to portray the side that the audience would love.
“Director Du, there’s a quote online that goes ‘Whatever you do is right, as long as you’re beautiful.’ I can’t guarantee the success of this film even if I do act in it. However, I can guarantee that it won’t affect me in the least, even if the outlook for it isn’t great.”
Because she was playing a beauty.
It was the kind of enchantress that could topple a nation just by her charm. The world usually gives more leeway to these kind of women.
She was playing with house money.
This character was challenging. She didn’t act in a historical movie before either. It was a chance to subvert her image. Or else she might be typecast as an actress that could only play youthful students.
“Alright then. I’ll leave the script with you. You should know about my circumstances. I can’t pay you much. How does ten percent of the total investment and a split of revenue sound?”
Du Changrong wasn’t sure about his offer. It was an uncertain situation. They might even lose money if they produced the film.
The film needed a bare minimum of nearly ten million yuan to even have its effects captured during shooting. Its costumes and props were different from a modern film after all. Ten percent would be equal to 800,000 to 1,000,000 yuan before tax. This was only a guarantee to Yun Xiangxiang that she wouldn’t work for nothing.
Its saving grace was that there was only one female protagonist for sure. Everyone else would be supporting characters. Like “University Dream,” it didn’t have any male protagonist. Du Changrong could find some actors through his network to play those characters. A lot of the actors who played positive characters didn’t cost much.
He sought Yun Xiangxiang out because she fit the role of the female protagonist that he had in mind. Besides, the female protagonist could shoulder a great responsibility..
Zhou Wei also mentioned that she didn’t care about material wealth. On top of that, Yun Xiangxiang had Huan Yu Century Entertainment’s support. It was impossible to think that they would allow Yun Xiangxiang to enter a filming team that was broke.
“I don’t really mind the pay. Just do as you wish. But I’ll have issues with the schedule. You know that I need to go to classes. Besides, I have other work too. I need to wait for Brother Wei to return and talk to you about the details of filming,” Yun Xiangxiang was still thinking about the character – Tiantian.
It was also unclear whether He Wei arranged anything for her winter break. There was also the issue of MonRoe.
“It’s okay. I can wait,” Du Changrong felt that anything else was secondary as long as Yun Xiangxiang accepted it. It wouldn’t be good for him to stay any longer, considering that Yun Xiangxiang was a girl. He stood up, “Then I’ll be going back. Here’s my number. Ask He Wei to contact me when it’s okay.”
Yun Xiangxiang didn’t ask him to stay and sent him to the door before turning around to call He Wei to inform him about this matter.
“You saw the script. I have faith in your judgment. But leave the follow-up to me.”
He Wei was a nice man. He didn’t blame Yun Xiangxiang for accepting the script on her own without prior consultation and even planned it out for her.
“Come to New York during the National Day’s celebration. I’ll be waiting for you here. Austin wants to see you in person. The company would put a different level of importance on your film if you could take the spot of MonRoe’s global ambassador.”
Yun Xiangxiang’s initial trepidation faded when she heard that, “Okay, I’ll book a flight ticket now.”
The National Day festival would start after the end of their seven day lessons next week. They didn’t know how long of a break it would be. It just so happened that going overseas wouldn’t delay her studies.
Naturally things like booking a flight ticket were given to Coco. Besides, Coco and Ai Li wanted to tag along with her too.
She sent the speech manuscript to her dean after she finished editing it as she got back to her room. Song Meng brought Yun Lin back just after that.
“Sister!” Three weeks had passed since he last saw his sister. Even though there were video calls, Yun Lin still missed her dearly.
“Your elder sister is going to the Big Apple during the National Day festival. Do you want to follow me?” Yun Xiangxiang patted her brother’s head, “You have grown taller recently.”
“I ate a lot when I was training with Sister Qianqian. That’s why I got taller faster,” Yun Lin didn’t just become taller, he also became much sturdier, “Will Dad and Mom go too?”
“They will,” Yun Xiangxiang nodded smilingly. Her parents haven’t gone overseas before.
Even though Su Xiuling was tempted to agree when Yun Xiangxiang called, she rejected the offer in the end. She considered the fact that it would be too torturous for the one year old Yun Ting to go on a flight of more than ten hours, so she wanted Yun Xiangxiang to send Yun Lin home while she went to New York herself. She would go when Yun Ting was a little bit bigger.
Yun Xiangxiang asked Yun Lin, “Dad and Mom won’t be going. Do you want to follow your sister or go home?”
“I’ll go back after the winter break. So I’ll follow sister,” He was addicted to training in martial arts right now. Only by following his sister could he train with Sister Qianqian.
Yun Xiangxiang let Yun Lin talk to their parents while she helped set the table for dinner.
Yun Zhibin and his wife felt very reassured about Yun Xiangxiang. They knew that she was there to talk about work. There had to be some company personnel there to keep them safe, so they let Yun Lin travel with her to expand his horizons.
Song Qian dragged both Yun Xiangxiang and Yun LIn to the training room after dinner.