Chapter 34: Did You Really Write This Script?
“I’ve even sold my soul, but why is the follow-up read still not enough?”
Yu Wei let out a failure’s roar in front of the computer…
Eight hours after the new chapter was released, the novel’s follow-up read was still only just over four hundred, still seventy or eighty short of redeeming Sound Mixer.
It seemed the filming plan would have to be delayed another day.
This time there was no rush, and Yu Wei didn’t plan to brush data anymore; natural growth in numbers would suffice.
Barring accidents, he could accumulate enough follow-up reads by tomorrow. Pulling an all-nighter, he could write out the script, since Sound Mixer wasn’t long.
When he properly started writing TV drama scripts someday, that would be real torment—dozens of episodes would total at least four hundred thousand words.
Yu Wei had just been about to arrange a script discussion with Qi Luo An when, by coincidence, her message came first.
“You totally deserved the scolding today.”
Clearly, Qi Luo An had seen the grand occasion in the new chapter’s comment section, and her evaluation was just one word: deserved!
She actually understood that Yu Wei didn’t want to spoil the script early, since it was original, but tricking readers with chapter titles was a bit underhanded…
Deceiving readers’ emotions deserved scolding, and Yu Wei knew it full well, but for a failure, wanting follow-up reads meant being the bad guy once.
Wait until they… forgive me…
“Are you free the afternoon after tomorrow? Let’s set a time for me to show you the script.”
After staying up all night to finish the script tomorrow evening, he’d probably sleep until noon; web novel authors’ vampire schedules were normal.
“I have a classical Chinese class at two, free after four.”
Familiarity breeds ease, so Yu Wei booked the same coffee shop as before; for work talks, convenience came first, not like dates needing variety.
He’d originally planned to send the script directly to Qi Luo An for online review, but she refused.
She said it herself: caution is key, even against her; what if it got plagiarized online?
Yu Wei had weighed it too; an entertainment industry heiress wouldn’t covet his little script, but Qi Luo An was considerate, prioritizing his concerns.
The next day, chapter thirty-six’s follow-up read finally struggled to five hundred; Yu Wei redeemed Sound Mixer as wished, feeling his head buzzing.
Perfectly mastering film and television works felt different from songs; film and television works had more details, with every shot and composition explained clearly.
The scariest was the acting skills info, not just for the lead actor—most major roles’ performance methods he could learn.
Yu Wei felt his current self was terrifyingly strong; he could even play two roles alone, self-Q&A for male and female leads’ opponent scenes…
Seems… not very useful.
Which star could handle all roles in filming? Could he manage?
Unless as director, personally demoing each actor’s role, overseeing the big picture.
By comparison, the Sound Mixer script took the least brain space; under ten thousand words, he could grind it out overnight…
At his failure peak, he could daily update twenty thousand words, not matching those ultimate octopuses but barely enough.
After coding the script overnight, it was already four a.m.; Yu Wei slept until eleven-thirty, waking with inhuman hair.
…
“To see you, I even specially washed my hair.”
As everyone knew, washing hair was guys’ highest etiquette for going out; Qi Luo An glanced at Yu Wei’s smooth hair, somewhat unimpressed.
Don’t say it like he skips washing for other meetings…
Qi Luo An’s outfit today was rebellious as ever: a deep blue off-shoulder short-sleeve knit top, cross-style neckline with design flair, perfectly exposing her snow-white right-angle shoulders.
But the lower half was cargo shorts, multi-pocket kind—elegant yet casual, still suiting her perfectly.
This time Yu Wei noticed her fair calves under the shorts: delicate, balanced, vibrant, very manga-like…
“Looks good, right?”
“You’ll know when you see it.” Yu Wei was a pro at playing dumb, smoothly handing over the freshly printed script from hours ago.
The script I mentioned, what’s that you mean?
Qi Luo An didn’t bother bickering; she urgently wanted to know what this mysterious script was about.
Amid the fresh ink scent, she opened the printed manuscript. She knew the short film’s name, but seeing “Sound Mixer” centered on the cover still dazed her.
He actually wrote it…
Those works glossed over in novels were really brought to reality by him; more than shock, Qi Luo An felt touched.
Hard to describe, like childhood dreams, those stories’ fantasies descending to her side.
After long silence, Qi Luo An solemnly opened the script: a piano tuner pretending to be blind.
Piano genius male lead, after competition failure, disguises as blind tuner for sympathy and work ease, peeking into others’ lives and privacy.
One day, tuning, he stumbles into murder scene: old woman just killed husband, corpse on sofa. To survive, male lead keeps pretending blind, tremblingly playing piano. But old woman sees through, nail gun at his back. Film ends on abruptly stopped piano sound suspense, fate unknown.
“So did the male lead die in the end?”
Qi Luo An’s first words after reading: not evaluation or plot analysis, but asking for the follow-up.
That said it all; good was a story’s best evaluation, then the rest.
“Guess why open ending is called open ending?”
Yu Wei’s reply was like none.
Qi Luo An said nothing, still dazedly eyeing the script, then glancing doubtfully at Yu Wei before her.
This was a story he could write?
Songwriting was fine, lyrics fragmented, but scripts were whole, reflecting screenwriter’s storytelling ability.
Yu Wei’s stories she’d read: classic web novel newbie fare, prose stuck at “glanced, paused, smiled, stunned, rubbed”…
This script’s style, depth, wording totally unmatched his novels; only comparing showed the rift.
“Did you really write this script?”
Qi Luo An stared straight, watery eyes solemn, as if seeing the truth.
“Why’s the gap between this script and your novel so big?”
“Why does a star write web novels?”
“Why put finished works into the novel early?”
“Why trick readers to your book, even taking scolding?”
Yu Wei was stunned by her machine-gun questions; life wasn’t fiction, style differences obvious to all.
His cheating discovered?
“Only one reasonable explanation.”
“You’re lying.”
Qi Luo An’s gaze sharp, Yu Wei not daring eye contact; having read so many entertainment novels, she could guess.
“I…”
“You write novels just to spite society, right?”
“?”
Qi Luo An’s laugh crisp and sweet, explaining: “See, your novel and script styles totally differ, clearly deliberate history-making.”
“Putting created works in novels to tease readers, tricking them to savor your history repeatedly.”
“Taking scolding to feed readers hot history? You rascal!”
Yu Wei stood dumbfounded.
Huh, am I that bad? He didn’t know.
“You know those video bloggers who don’t live broadcast, sell goods, monetize fans, or take ads, just pure abstract tormenting netizens?”
“Do you write books just to torment readers? Speak!”
