Shattering the talent show script, sweeping the world film scene

When Xu Wenyi brought Nie Mingzhu to the newly renovated Huanyu Entertainment, after a brief exchange of pleasantries, Jiangxi Heng handed over the prepared script.

"Welcome, both of you. This is the script for 'Life and Death Loop.' Let's not talk about anything else for now. Ms. Xu, you can take a look at the script first."

Talking too much will only leave you with the impression of being "too talkative," so it's better to get straight to the main course.

Xu Wenyi's expression froze. She hadn't expected Jiangxi Heng to act so unpredictably. She took the script and first looked at the credits—there were no credits.

Could it have been written by some junior screenwriter?

"Which major IP is this adapted from?" Xu Wenyi asked casually.

Jiangxi Heng denied: "Original script."

Xu Wenyi's heart sank again. Good heavens, it was an original script that even the most hardcore fans in the Chinese entertainment industry wouldn't read.

It has no famous creators, no fans, and no market value; it's practically a product with no talent, no fame, and no market value!

The script in her hand seemed like a hot potato. Xu Wenyi was about to hint to Nie Mingzhu to keep quiet, but she saw him lean back in his chair, cross his legs, and happily flip through the script, his eyes sparkling with a "hunting eye".

"Okay!" A sudden shout rang out, and the suspended chair snapped back into place. Nie Mingzhu slammed his notebook on the table: "I'll take this script!"

Xu Wenyi gasped, "Nie Mingzhu!" Didn't we agree that you would follow my instructions after you came here?

Nie Mingzhu then realized that his agent was still beside him. He grinned and said with a determined tone, "Sis, I didn't greet Jiangxi Heng when I came in. I listened to you, but I like this script, and I have to take it."

Xu Wenyi: "..."

Jiangxi Heng raised his eyebrows. So this person had been looking around suspiciously, like a thief entering a den of thieves, just to avoid greeting him?

Xu Wenyi pressed her throbbing temples: "Let me take a look first."

Most of the scripts that Nie Mingzhu liked had their merits. Xu Wenyi was only worried that this person was acting impulsively, but she never doubted his cultural taste.

While Xu Wenyi was looking at the script, Nie Mingzhu raised her eyebrows at Jiangxi Heng. Seeing that Jiangxi Heng was ignoring her, she pulled out her phone with a sour face: "I already told you I ignored you just now because my manager was afraid I would affect this negotiation."

Jiangxi Heng's phone on the table buzzed twice. He glanced down at it, then looked at Nie Mingzhu.

Nie Mingzhu continued to chat animatedly with him.

Jiangxi Heng finally matched this person to his memory perfectly: unruly, rebellious, and a demon child.

How can a person not change much in five years?

Perhaps it's because I've always been protected while I've grown up.

Jiangxi Heng smiled and replied on his phone: 【Then why aren't you listening to your manager?】

Despite being separated by only a table, childhood friends and mortal enemies with a distant relationship are having a phone conversation.

Nie Mingzhu: [Who told me I liked this script? By the way, am I playing the male lead?]

Jiangxi Heng: [No, you're playing that policeman. Wasn't it supposed to be a cameo?]

Nie Mingzhu snapped out of his daze, his grin instantly turning sour as he demonstrated to Fang Weiyang and Chi Ziyou what it meant to change his attitude faster than flipping through a book. He stared intently at Jiang Xiheng, his fingers clicking rapidly: "[I'll play the policeman, who will play the male lead?]"

This time, Jiangxi Heng didn't type; instead, he stretched out his finger and pointed to himself.

Nie Mingzhu's breathing suddenly intensified, and he typed with the force of a fight: 【Damn you, Jiangxi Heng, you want me to be your supporting character?! !!!】

This script is entirely told from the male protagonist's perspective. There are two important female supporting characters: the male protagonist's sister and his sweetheart. Apart from these, everyone else is a relatively minor character.

That policeman, who had a lot of lines and a relatively positive image, had a very intense scene with the male lead, and his acting was indeed quite good.

If it's a big production, Nie Mingzhu is willing to play a supporting role to the veteran actors; but judging from Jiangxi Heng's current situation, whether he can even raise the funds to start filming is a question!

After pondering for a moment, Nie Mingzhu sent a message: "[You let me play the male lead, and I'll help you get investment.]"

His plan was quite good. If Fengmang was unwilling to invest, he would bring his own funding to the production. The savings he had accumulated from filming over the years were enough to make him a big investor.

Jiangxi Heng glanced at Nie Mingzhu, then lowered his head to type: [Don't worry about the money, I'll figure it out myself. This drama is the beginning of my return to the entertainment industry, so I can't give you the male lead role.]

Nie Mingzhu's expression instantly became complicated.

The reason he wanted to play the male lead was that he felt it would be a pity if such a good script were ruined by Jiangxi Heng, who was "lacking talent".

But Jiangxi Heng said that even the script was something he obtained through great difficulty from who-knows-where…

Nie Mingzhu sighed, deciding to give up.

After reading the script, Xu Wenyi suppressed her excitement and discussed with her artist: "We at Mingzhu want the male lead role."

Jiangxi Heng pushed forward the prepared contract: "I'm sorry, the role I prepared for Nie Mingzhu is that of a police officer."

Xu Wenyi's expression turned somewhat unpleasant: "Then who plays the male lead?"

"It's me." Jiangxi Heng handed over another pen.

Xu Wenyi pushed away the paper and pen, looking very resistant, and spoke in a rather stern tone:

"Mr. Jiang, I hope you will consider the bigger picture. You are not capable of taking on this role and you will ruin the script. I believe its creators would not like their hard work being wasted like this. Alternatively, we have another option: Fengmang can invest tens of millions to buy the script."

She didn't speak as bluntly as Nie Mingzhu, but she made the fact that "Jiangxi Heng is not as good as Nie Mingzhu" even more cruelly.

Jiangxi Heng raised his eyes. To appear more mature, he had specially worn a suit and work glasses for this negotiation. His casually tousled hair made him look even more mature and abstinent.

He tapped the table and said casually, "It seems I forgot to tell you both that I am the creator of 'Life and Death Loop'."

"puff!"

Nie Mingzhu, who was drinking tea, spat it out, wetting the contract on the table.

Xu Wenyi, however, ignored the artist's loss of composure and was also quite shocked.

A child star who was called a "useless failure" went to a talent show and came back to find that he could write screenplays?

"Did you really write this?"

"You can find the author's name in the copyright database." Jiangxi Heng had already registered the work. He gestured for her to proceed, and Xu Wenyi, who had brought her own computer, cautiously took it out and checked.

It really is!

Nie Mingzhu pulled the dirty contract off the table and threw it into the trash can: "No wonder you always told me that you didn't want to act anymore and wanted to be a screenwriter. It turns out you've really started creating."

His gaze was somewhat strange, even stranger than when he first heard that Jiangxi Heng had become a music composer—after all, as an actor, he didn't understand the value of music composition, but he did understand the value of scriptwriting!

Jiangxi Heng's eyes flickered.

The original owner said those things simply because of the immense pressure of filming; it was rambling nonsense as an escape, not because of any particular dedication or passion for the behind-the-scenes creative work.

But then he nodded and said, "I've figured it out over the past few years. I was always constrained and didn't have many choices, so I gradually grew tired of acting. But after I calmed down and started creating my own works, I rediscovered my love for acting. In the future, I plan to create and act in my own works."