Chapter 999: Someone Who Needs to Be Calm

Translator: Henyee Translations  Editor: Henyee Translations

“It’s not that I want to say this, but Shi Jin has good acting skills and looks. If she acts well, her future will be bright. Why must she interfere with the script?”

“That’s right. I think Director Ji’s reputation is going to be in trouble.”

“Let’s see what Director Ji tells Shi Jin first. Perhaps he has already realized this problem.”

Zhang Xuelin smiled and said to Yue Shuxin, “Shall we go eat together?”

“Sure.” Yue Shuxin didn’t object. It was all work meals anyway.

They reached the canteen, took their food and sat down opposite each other.

Yue Shuxin said, “You saw the news on the Internet?”

“I did. I wonder who leaked it.”

“But, Xuelin, did you notice that when we were actually discussing the script, Shi Jin always made good points? She’s better than we thought.”

“Really?” Zhang Xuelin had preconceived notions, so when Shi Jin spoke, she did not listen in detail. She had always been skeptical about how capable Shi Jin was.

Yue Shuxin said, “I think it won’t be bad if we cooperate with her. To be honest, it’s not easy for women to survive in any industry. Her script can clearly show her compassion for women. Thinking about it, if we really cooperate with her, it will be quite exciting.”

“Shuxin, it still depends on Director Ji’s final choice. I think that no matter who is chosen, we can’t ruin the harmony.”

“Of course. Everyone knows that Director Ji is strict when it comes to choosing people. It’s not embarrassing if you don’t get chosen. When we meet afterwards, I hope we can still be like this.”

Zhang Xuelin smiled and looked down at her food.

***

Shi Jin sat in front of Ji Hanxue, who asked her: “What’s up? Have you decided who it is?”

After Shi Jin mentioned the names of a few supporting roles, she finally got to the female lead, “I think Yue Shuxin is more suitable.”

“Oh? Tell me what you think.”

“She trusts me more. Actors can distrust the screenwriter, but they can’t cooperate in the aftermath if they completely distrust them. Beyond that, she’s more capable than ambitious. And Zhang Xuelin is more ambitious than capable.”

Ji Hanxue smiled. “You saw everything on the Internet?”

“Something like that. I can’t think of anyone other than Zhang Xuelin who posted it.”

Ji Hanxue said, “More or less. That’s what I thought. My movie and your script needs someone who can keep their cool. Being too impatient is not a good choice.”

After their discussion, they went to eat together.

The other assistant directors had a lot to tell Ji Hanxue. Shi Jin could tell and said, “I have something to discuss with my manager. I’ll eat over there.”

She carried her plate and left. Before she could go far, she heard an assistant director say anxiously, “Director Ji, are you really going to use Shi Jin’s script this time? Her ability is not enough for this.”

“It’s not up to you to decide if it’s enough. Soon everyone will know why I chose her.”

“But Director Ji…”

“No need to say any more. Let’s all eat.”

***

Late afternoon.

In front of everyone, Director Ji said, “Let me announce the list of selected artistes. Our choice for the role of…”

From the supporting roles to the main supporting roles, Director Ji had personally chosen the candidates.

He had also chosen the male lead.

Those who had not been chosen were open-minded. They stood up and thanked Director Ji. “Thank you, Director Ji. I’ve learned a lot during this period. I hope I can have a chance to learn from you next time.”

“We’ll work together next time.” Ji Hanxue shook hands politely.

Next was the main event of the female lead.

Ji Hanxue said, “We’ve decided on Yue Shuxin this time. Shuxin, prepare to join the team.”

The news came so suddenly that Yue Shuxin was pleasantly surprised. “Thank you, Director Ji.”

Zhang Xuelin was stunned for a moment before she regained her senses. Her smile was forced.

She gritted her teeth. How could it be Yue Shuxin?

She had always been very confident in her abilities. In the past few days, she had been very outstanding, be it in terms of her surrounding studies or her understanding of characters. On the contrary, Yue Shuxin did not say much.

She could see how satisfied the rest of the crew was with her. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have taken a photo and thrown it to the marketing accounts to force Shi Jin out.

Yet this was the result…

“That’s settled for now. Everyone, go back and prepare. After that, we’ll officially start filming,” Ji Hanxue said.

Zhang Xuelin took her bag and got up. Yue Shuxin came over to send her off. “Xuelin, I hope what we said at noon is still effective.”

“Of course. Anyway, it’s either me or you. There’s no need to hurt our friendship over such a matter,” Zhang Xuelin said indifferently.

“That’s good.” Yue Shuxin nodded.

“But I don’t envy you that much. How good can Shi Jin’s script be? I’m afraid Director Ji will lose his integrity. You’re on your own.”

Yue Shuxin frowned slightly and said, “It won’t be like that.”

“Lowering your head to traffic and capital. Do you expect to produce fine goods?”

Seeing Yue Shuxin hesitate, Zhang Xuelin felt delighted.

“I’m off! I hope the next time I see you, it won’t be when everyone is giving the movie bad reviews.”

Zhang Xuelin went to the nanny van. Her face was slightly depressed.

She said to her manager, “Release the news that I chose not to cooperate because I don’t like Shi Jin as a screenwriter.”

“Understood.”

Not being chosen was one thing. An artist of her level had to redeem herself in front of fans and passersby.

Immediately, Zhang Xuelin’s studio posted on Weibo: “Xuelin is very willing to work with Director Ji, but she’s more willing to choose a better screenwriter to work with. Don’t worry, everyone. We will consider our work at every stage.”

The meaning behind her words was implicit and clear. Zhang Xuelin had given up on her cooperation with Director Ji because she looked down on Shi Jin.

The message sent by these words was actually specious, but the fans would definitely believe it.

And people like Director Ji would not care about these small problems, let alone say anything.

The fans were impressed. “Good for you, Xuelin. You have to say no to unprofessional people and things!”

“Even with Director Ji around, we can’t neutralize the unprofessionalism brought by Shi Jin.”

“Of course our Xuelin deserves a better script! We’ll always support you!”

“Good luck. May you never see such unprofessional scripts again in your life!”

“A script is a script. The root of a play. Of course it’s the most important thing. It can’t be handed over to just anyone!”

Soon, this matter became a trending topic. Many passers-by agreed with Zhang Xuelin and felt that she had done the right thing.