Huayu 2021: Isn’t he in the technology field?

Chapter 184 Gradually Becoming More Skilled, Melodramatic Plot
It was already past midnight when Jiang Qing returned to the hotel. As soon as she sat down, she made a video call to Zhou Ye.

They chatted the whole time for the second half of the trip.

Why did you suddenly call on video?

On the screen, Zhou Ye sat cross-legged on the large bed, and the faint hum of the air conditioner could be heard.

She deliberately held her phone up high, so that only half of her nose and messy bangs could be seen in the camera lens.

"It's 38 degrees Celsius in Hengdian today."

Jiang Qing unscrewed the mineral water bottle and looked at the girl in the video.

"Did Teacher Zhou suffer from heatstroke?"

"You're the one with heatstroke!"

The camera suddenly panned down, revealing the girl's puffed-up face.

"Let me tell you, while we were waiting backstage today, all the other actors were checking out the trending topics on social media."

She suddenly fell silent, grabbed the script next to her, and flipped through the pages rapidly.

The cover, printed with the words "Protect Your Heart," was crumpled and wrinkled.

Jiang Qing propped her phone up on the bedside table and casually unwrapped a mint.

Zhang Jingyi gave it to him.

"Mr. Li called me last night."

"Why is she looking for you?"

Zhou Ye suddenly looked up, his hair brushing against the lens and creating a frayed edge.

"I've already told her it's probably just a coincidence."

"They said a certain actress had to do seven takes today."

Jiang Qing smiled through her mouth, her lips trembling with a sweet taste.

"Because I'm always staring at my phone."

"No!"

Zhou Ye slapped the script so hard it made a loud thud.

"It's because Hou Minghao can't remember his lines!"

I told you in a message about how I got to know her.

"Okay, it'll be a chance encounter!"

Zhou Ye clutched the pillow in his arms and pouted.

"I didn't say I didn't believe you."

She suddenly brought her face close to the camera and imitated a broadcaster's voice in a high-pitched tone.

"Breaking news! A tech tycoon and a popular young actress were spotted enjoying a nighttime stroll around Xuanwu Lake, suspected to be..."

"Zhou Ye, classmate."

Jiang Qing flicked the camera with her finger, her smile mocking.

"You spilled your milk tea on the call sheet."

"Oh no! My schedule!"

The girl was frantically trying to salvage the papers when she didn't even notice the milk tea stains on her hair.

When I looked up after I finished getting ready, I saw the man on the screen laughing so hard his shoulders were shaking.

"Jiang Qing!"

She grabbed a cushion and pretended to smash it.

"You're just bullying people!"

Annoyed and embarrassed, Zhou Ye glanced at the time and groaned as he collapsed into a pile of pillows.

"Sigh... It's too late, I have to get up early tomorrow!"

She suddenly sat up, her eyes wide, and issued a warning.

"Next time something like this happens, please tell me in advance, so I don't start overthinking!"

"As ordered."

Jiang Qing raised his hand in a salute, which made the girl burst into laughter.

They talked for a while before hanging up the video call.

Zhou Ye has to get up at six o'clock tomorrow to do his makeup and styling; ancient costume styling is very troublesome.

After hanging up the video call, Jiang Qing remained silent for a few seconds, then shook his head and laughed self-deprecatingly.

When exactly did I become so adept at juggling relationships with several girls?
He recounted the three chance encounters and the same story he told Guo Qilin and the others at the barbecue stall that night to Xiao Ye. Although the girl was a little jealous that the other person had known her before her, she no longer had any doubts.

but……

If I were to accept the "lighter"...

Well... things will work themselves out. Let's just take it one step at a time.

Shaking off the jumbled thoughts in her mind, Jiang Qing looked at the phone on the bedside table.

"Thirteen."

He called out softly.

"Boss! I've been waiting for you for a long time!"

The screen lit up, creating blue ripples, and Thirteen's serious voice echoed throughout the room.

Jiang Qing picked up her phone and sat cross-legged on the bay window, tapping the Q-version of Thirteen on the phone screen with her fingertips.

The little figure in overalls is swaying back and forth, carrying a booklet taller than itself, just like a squirrel carrying pine cones.

"Have they found out about the investors behind the 'lighter and princess dress' incident?"

"Reporting to the boss!"

Thirteen slapped open the document booklet, revealing an investor structure diagram.

"Kuzi Video and Ali Pictures are the main investors, Tangde Film & Television is a co-investor, and Dunqi Studio is responsible for production."

Jiang Qing watched as Ali's logo flashed at the top of the architecture diagram, and unconsciously ground her back teeth.

Why did it have to be Ali's project? I didn't give Mr. Ma a good look at West Lake last time, and the cooperation I just reached with JD.com has inadvertently suppressed Taobao, which is like adding insult to injury to their already strained relationship.

Jiang Qing raised her hand to rub her temples, finding it rather difficult to bring herself to ask Teacher Ma for help.

He wasn't worried that the other party would take the opportunity to make things difficult for him. After all, Teacher Ma probably wouldn't even know about the existence of this project, let alone care about it. If he could use this opportunity to tease him a bit and gain a favor, Teacher Ma would definitely be more than happy to do so.

Although the three video platforms all have the same backers, it's just a way to make me owe them a favor. But thinking back to how I didn't give them any face at the West Lake dinner last time, I feel a little awkward taking the initiative to go to them this time.

As for bypassing Teacher Ma and going to his subordinates to handle the matter, he never even considered it. As long as he asked, whether it was to ask other senior executives of Ali or people from Kuzi, it would be reported to Teacher Ma in no time. There was no need to go through all that trouble.

People really should keep a low profile!
With a sigh to himself, Jiang Qing turned his gaze to Thirteen.

"Tell me about the work 'Lighter and Princess Dress'."

Suddenly, the chibi version of Thirteen, who was holding a booklet on the screen, spun around in place. His overalls transformed into an old scholar's long gown, and he even had a pair of round-framed glasses perched on his nose.

"Reporting to the boss! After 72 hours of non-stop study of the original work..."

The little man's dark circles spread visibly into panda eyes, and he suddenly tripped over himself and fell on his bottom.

"Ouch! Too much data is making the CPU slow down!"

Jiang Qing suppressed a laugh as she watched it scramble to its feet, its glasses askew as it tried to maintain a serious demeanor.

Stop being sarcastic.

"okay!"

The screen immediately shattered into several split screens.

"First, please enjoy the mille-feuille-like collapse of Li Xun, the male protagonist of the domineering underachiever's entrepreneurial story!"

The pixel-style PowerPoint presentation starts playing automatically.

A stick figure with a golden mop-like head slides onto the screen from the left, followed by glowing titles such as "Provincial Champion" and "Computer Genius," before suddenly being smashed on the head by a red question mark.

"According to the 2021 curriculum of the Computer Science Department of Tsinghua University, the mathematical problem that the male protagonist solves in Chapter 3 requires three years of joint research by five international laboratories!"

A chibi version of Einstein peeks out from the top of the screen, shaking his head wildly while holding a neon sign that reads "Academic Fraud".

Jiang Qing raised an eyebrow as the scene suddenly changed.

A startup team with a Sims-like art style is having a meeting when a blond-haired character suddenly overturns the meeting table.

According to Qichacha's big data analysis, the survival rate of companies that treat investors coldly, give partners the middle finger, and tell employees to "take it or leave it" is only 0.03%!

The screen was filled with comments like "Ma Huateng ran away overnight with QQ Show" and "Lei Jun looked at it and exclaimed 'Are you OK?'"

Jiang Qing smiled, guessing that Thirteen had seen plenty of dirt on Boss Lei.

In the crime scene diagram, a stick figure is beating up an NPC with a keyboard, with a dialog box above his head displaying "Six years imprisonment".

A screenshot of a legal online program suddenly popped up on the screen.

"Real-world case studies show that 97.8% of internet entrepreneurs who cause serious injury in fights end up as quality inspectors on electronics factory assembly lines after their release from prison!"

Jiang Qing stared at the screen filled with "Prison Break" memes, her lips twitching as she took a sip of mineral water.

"Next up is a special episode of 'My Simp Girlfriend'!"

Suddenly, the screen was filled with pink bubble effects, and Zhu Yun's chibi-style image was chasing after the blond-haired guy with the title of "love-obsessed bomber".

"Please be aware of the unusual behavior of this top student from a key provincial high school!"

The barrage of comments suddenly exploded!

"Elopement despite parental objections? Article 1042 of the Civil Code is outrageous!"

"Six years of widowhood for her imprisoned boyfriend! The Women's Rights Protection Law is on its way with a knife!"

"Giving up a high-paying job overseas to become a free programmer? BOSS Zhipin has blacklisted this user!"

The screen suddenly switched to an "Animal World" scene, and Zhao Zhongxiang's voiceover began.

"Typical symptoms of female 'love-struck' individuals encountering PUA include selective blindness, logical system shutdown, and abnormally active self-CPU function."

Jiang Qing stared at the screen full of gibberish, then suddenly noticed a "Princess Pearl" Ziwei emoji hidden in the corner, captioned "Wake up, you guys!", and finally couldn't help but burst out laughing.

"This is the most amazing thing!"

Thirteen suddenly brought up the opening sequence of "Today's Talk".

"The villain Fang Zhijing killed the male lead's sister with just three sentences; the destructive power is comparable to Thanos' snap! Does Article 234 of the Criminal Law mean you have any manners?"

On the screen, a stick figure of a judge frantically pounds his gavel, while a stick figure in the defendant's dock wears a "get out of jail free" badge on his head, as if for the sake of the plot.

"okay."

Jiang Qing held her forehead, feeling a throbbing sensation in her temples.

"Take a look at the script they gave us and analyze the situation."

"Understood! Great Dr. Jiang! The script..."

Ten minutes later, the blue light on the screen gradually dimmed, and Jiang Qing let out a long sigh of relief.

To be honest, the adapted script has improved upon the original work in many ways.

In the original novel, Li Xun is an illegitimate child born in a rural area. He suffers from family discrimination from a young age, has an extreme and paranoid personality, and frequently changes girlfriends and behaves improperly.

The script simplifies the complexity of Li Xun's family background, changing it to his father's early death, his mother's death from cancer, and his older sister being his biological sister with a positive personality.

Li Xun's sharp personality was softened, and elements of family warmth were added, while his pride and talent were preserved and controversial behavior was reduced.

In the original novel, Zhu Yun comes from a wealthy family but has complicated family relationships. Her mother is estranged from her due to religious issues, and her father's image is rather vague.

The script strengthens the role of Zhu Yun's father, increases his positive interactions with Li Xun, acknowledges Li Xun's abilities, and weakens the mother's controlling nature, making Zhu Yun's independence and resistance seem more convincing.

Moreover, one adaptation point is quite good: Li Xun was punished by Zhu Yun's mother for cheating in high school. When the two first met, Li Xun had already met Zhu Yun, which foreshadowed their interaction in college and enhanced the rationality of their emotional development.

The script also downplayed Li Xun's extreme behavior in the original work, emphasizing the complexity of his "genius and vulnerability coexisting," and made Li Xun's growth more reasonable through the adaptation of his family background.

Zhu Yun's romantic tendencies are downplayed, highlighting her independence and rationality.

Furthermore, the script added more details about Li Xun's deep affection for Zhu Yun, such as secretly watching over and protecting her. Some of the scumbag behaviors in the original work, such as tree-hugging and unhooking her bra, have been deleted. Overall, it is quite commendable, and the screenwriter has obviously put a lot of thought into it.

However, the problem remains: the logic of Li Xun's business battle with the villain Gao Jianhong after his release from prison in the script is too far-fetched.

For example, after Feiyang Company crushed its competitors with capital, it then defeated them by setting up a scheme to steal source code. This behavior is too naive and does not conform to the reality of business competition.

There are many similar cases. Although the male and female protagonists have been modified, Zhu Yun's love-struck behavior is still too obvious, and Li Xun's arrogance and conceit are too annoying. Judging from the script, Gao Jianhong's betrayal of him later on was simply deserved...

Jiang Qing gulped down two mouthfuls of water and turned to look at the starry sky outside the window.

After reading the script for "Lighter," he realized how formidable the Noon Sunshine team was.

Although "The Beginning" also has many script loopholes, it's not a major problem. In contrast, "Lighter" is riddled with flaws. A comparison of the two scripts clearly shows the difference in quality.

Right now, he can only have Thirteen revise the script from beginning to end again.

He hadn't even considered whether the production company agreed or not.

Under the true hammer of capital, the so-called producers are nothing more than tools.

Only those with ability have the right to say no; if you don't, you can only obediently comply.

This has always been the way of the world.

(End of this chapter)