This director is vindictive.

Chapter 400 This script is poisonous; I'm afraid you'll die from it.
Although Feng Dagang's films in recent years don't seem to have had any particularly good performances.

But their qualifications and status speak for themselves.

This can be seen from the fact that Zhao Liying, the "princess of the entertainment industry," is quite proud of herself.

This is how Chinese people have always been. Despite the mixed opinions about Feng Dagang from the outside world, he is indeed a great director within the industry.

“I think it’s great. According to Director Feng, the main purpose of this film is to showcase a unique vitality from a female perspective, and to help the audience see the struggles and growth of those neglected groups in society,” Zhao Liying said.

"Sunflower" focuses on the special group of released prisoners and tells a story about redemption and rebirth.

He invited me to play the female lead, the white fox, in the film!
From prison to society, struggling to survive in the mire of life, and ultimately completing the journey of self-redemption.

This is a true reflection of marginalized lives, an artistic presentation of self-redemption, and a profound reflection on social reality.

"Wait a minute, if you think it's so good, then why are you still hesitating?" Chen Mo interrupted Zhao Liying's flattery.

Goodness, the movie hasn't even started filming yet, and you're already spouting all sorts of nonsense.

“Because…the content is a bit explicit! There are explicit scenes in it!” Zhao Liying said, glancing tentatively at Chen Mo.

"Then I won't answer," Chen Mo said calmly.

“But,” Zhao Liying said with some regret, “I’ve read the original novel, and it’s really a great subject matter.”

Chen Mo knew about the movie "Sunflower," but not much about it.

If Zhao Liying hadn't mentioned it, he wouldn't have even known that there was an original novel, or rather, he wouldn't have known that the movie was adapted from the novel.

"Ahem, the subject matter is indeed good, but if the content is too explicit, it's really not suitable. Could we use a body double or something?" Fan Binbin chimed in from the side.

Zhao Liying looked at Chen Mo.

Chen Mo remained silent.

Well, he hadn't seen this movie in his previous life. He'd only heard that it was quite explicit, but he'd heard even more that it had a lot of profanity and violence. As for XQ and such, he really didn't know much about it.

Clearly, Zhao Liying hesitated mainly because she was afraid Chen Mo would dislike her.

She herself was probably inclined to take on this role.

"How about this, isn't there the original novel? Let me take a look first! Did you bring it?" Chen Mo couldn't very well directly and force her not to take it.

After all, as Fan Binbin said, if Chen Mo doesn't like those scenes with explicit content, he can communicate with the other party, such as using a body double, or simply cutting them out.

"I brought it, I brought it!" Zhao Liying quickly took out a novel and handed it to Chen Mo.

The original novel is not called "Sunflower," but "The Story of Educational Reform"!
"This novel is being serialized on the internet, and the column has received millions of views," Zhao Liying said.

"You've seen it?" Chen Mo asked with a smile.

"Yes!" Zhao Liying nodded.

"Let me take a look first, and I'll give you an answer later, okay?" Chen Mo didn't look at it right away. After all, it was a novel, not a script outline, and he couldn't possibly read it all at once.

Zhao Liying stayed overnight.

Chen Mo is currently reading "The Story of Educational Reform".

Well, the story is actually quite simple: it's about several women who have been released from prison helping each other and eventually reaching a mutual understanding.

The book ends with the line, "Life is full of disappointments, but I'm satisfied as long as the three of them are safe and sound." The novel is quite well-written.

It expresses a resilient yet gentle strength, like water.

Although movies and novels are completely different things.

However, Chen Mo was still a little confused, as the novel did not show so many explicit scenes.

But why was the adaptation criticized as a film that exploits suffering and disrespects women?

Even the numerous vulgar lines in the film were a reason for the criticism.

Goodness, it's really hard to say when it comes to adaptations!
Chen Mo was actually quite curious about how the screenwriter rewrote the script.

"How is it?" Zhao Liying looked at Chen Mo with some anticipation.

"It's great! Of course, I'm referring to the novel!" Chen Mo said, closing the novel.

"Did Feng Dagang send you the script?" Chen Mo asked again.

"Not yet!" Zhao Liying shook her head, only telling me that the script was quite explicit.

Chen Mo pondered for a moment, then picked up his phone, found Feng Dagang's number, and dialed it directly.

Although the two didn't interact much, they did know each other.

Feng Dagang wasn't surprised to receive a call from Chen Mo, after all, he had invited Zhao Liying to play the female lead in his new film, and the relationship between Zhao Liying and Chen Mo was almost common knowledge.

After the call connected, Feng Dagang's slightly hoarse voice came through: "Director Chen? What a rare guest!"

Chen Mo cut to the chase: "Director Feng, I heard you're looking for Zhao Liying to play the female lead in your new film, 'Sunflower'?"

"Hahaha, that's right!"

Feng Dagang said in a warm tone: "I think Zhao Liying is very suitable for the role of the White Fox. My movie is adapted from the novel 'The Story of Educational Reform'. Since Director Chen is calling, you must have already read the original work, right?"

Chen Mo nodded on the other end of the phone and said, "Yes, the original work is indeed good. Focusing on this marginalized group is a good entry point. However, I heard from Xiao Zhao that the script is quite explicit?"

"Hey! It's not that exaggerated. There are just some violent scenes, some swearing scenes, and some sexually explicit scenes, but there aren't many nude scenes. Otherwise, I wouldn't have invited Xiao Zhao," Feng Dagang said on the other end of the phone.

"Director Feng, would you mind if I saw the adapted script first?" Chen Mo asked. The movie hadn't been filmed yet, and usually, even actors rarely get to see the complete script, let alone an "outsider" like Chen Mo.

However, Chen Mo's identity is different after all.

We definitely have to give Feng Dagang face.

Moreover, his approach to Zhao Liying was, of course, driven by her popularity, and also by the resources of Shengshi Pictures.

After all, everyone knows about the relationship between Zhao Liying and Chen Mo. If Zhao Liying plays the female lead, Chen Mo will at least help her out, even if it's just to promote her.

Therefore, when casting for movies, it's often not simply a matter of whether the actor is suitable or not.

After all, movies are commodities too!
There was a brief silence on the other end of the phone, followed by the sound of papers turning over.

"What a coincidence, I just finished revising the final version."

Feng Dagang smiled meaningfully: "But Director Chen, if we want to make this film well and make it more impactful, some scenes need to be preserved in their original form. You're a director too, you should understand, right?"

Chen Mo replied noncommittally, "Could you send me an electronic copy? If it's fine, and it's just for artistic purposes, we can discuss using a body double or a camera trick."

"No problem! Director Chen, if you see anything that's lacking, please give me your feedback," Feng Dagang said.

Chen Mo just listened to those words and then ignored them.

Are you kidding me?
That's not his own movie, nor is it a movie invested in by Shengshi Pictures. It's Feng Dagang's movie. How can an outsider like him point fingers?

Chen Mo wouldn't mistake politeness for seriousness.

Soon, Feng Dagang sent over an electronic copy of the script.

Chen Mo started reading.

The more Chen Mo looked, the more he realized, "Good heavens, this isn't an adaptation at all. It seems to have absolutely nothing to do with the original work."

Besides being stories about female prisoners who have been released from prison?

Overall, it seems to focus on female mutual assistance, but Chen Mo couldn't help but want to complain about a few plot points in the script.

The reason why the female lead went to prison!

Gao Yuexiang was imprisoned for disseminating obscene materials, which, simply put, means engaging in online nude chats.

A mother went to jail for trying to make money to get her child a cochlear implant.

Chen Mo felt that this was a deliberate publicity stunt!

There's another plot point later on, or rather, the plot itself wasn't problematic, but Chen Mo didn't know what the screenwriter was thinking.

The plot revolves around Gao Yuexiang, who, after being released from prison, finds a job as a cleaner. A customer loses their watch, and the manager suspects Gao Yuexiang of the theft. When they search her bag but find nothing, the manager orders security guards to tear off her clothes and forcibly search her.

Most importantly, I don't know if the screenwriter was out of their mind, but they actually designed a scene where Gao Yuexiang asks, "Did you get paid?"

Chen Mo was completely dumbfounded when he saw this!
how to say?

This scene of undressing was originally a tragic one, but once this sentence was uttered, it instantly became intriguing.

Good grief? Did they pay?

No, Chen Mo just couldn't understand why the female lead would ask such a suggestive question.

What does that mean? They want to search you and pay me?

Think about it! What kind of lines are these?!
Furthermore, the female friendships depicted don't seem to be genuine female friendships. Instead, they transfer the male brotherhood relationships onto women, such as fighting or running away at the slightest disagreement. I completely don't understand the point of these scenes.

To be honest, this kind of script doesn't necessarily have to be written by a female screenwriter.

But at the very least, if you're going to tell a woman's story, you can't tell it from a male perspective, right?

There were also all sorts of profanities, a lot of them indeed!
Anyway, after watching it, Chen Mo was no longer able to be tricked.

"How do you feel now?" Zhao Liying asked, watching from behind.

Chen Mo turned his head and asked.

"Is it alright?" Zhao Liying hesitated for a moment.

"Hehe, alright? You should refuse, I'm afraid you'll get scolded!" Chen Mo couldn't help but say.

Zhao Liying nodded with some disappointment.

“Take this script for example. You’ve read it, didn’t you find any problems?” Chen Mo said, looking at her.

"Okay! I'll listen to you!" Zhao Liying finally said.

Clearly, she was still unwilling to accept it, but Chen Mo's judgment had always been famously accurate.

He wasn't optimistic about it, and even said that she would be criticized after the movie was released, so there was probably no way she would escape criticism.

"Forget it, I'll refuse for you!" Chen Mo said, picking up his phone and calling Feng Dagang.

Feng Dagang answered the phone with a smile and said, "Director Chen, how's it going?"

"Director Feng, I don't think Xiao Zhao is suitable for this role. The scale is a bit too large, so let's forget about it!" Chen Mo said.

Feng Dagang over there clearly hadn't expected Chen Mo to refuse so decisively.

"Oh, I see. Then forget it. It seems Director Chen doesn't think it's a good idea?" Feng Dagang said after a moment of surprise.

(End of this chapter)