The film and television city starts from the courtyard

Miki, from Qingdao, Shandong Province, came to Shanghai to study. After years of hard work, her grades remained abysmal. Out of desperation, she entered a third-rate university, studying a meaningless major. After graduation, she found it useless and lacking any marketable skills. After working as a receptionist in several small companies, she unexpectedly met Zuo Yongbang. She subsequently quit her job and now makes a living by swiping credit cards.

Seeing the somewhat somber atmosphere, Zhao Shucheng said, "Come on, let's do a multiple-choice question. The first one is a beautiful woman, very pretty, but she talks like an idiot, so idiotic that you'd want to strangle her."

Miki was eating when she suddenly looked up at Zhao Shucheng.

Zhao Shucheng said, "Miqi, don't misunderstand, I wasn't talking about you, please continue."

Miki, on the contrary, glared at Zhao Shucheng with gritted teeth. If Zhao Shucheng hadn't said that, she wouldn't have thought that he was targeting her. But now that he had said that, it was clear that he was angry at her.

"And then there's a talented woman, well-read, witty, eloquent, and cultured, but she's terribly ugly. Which one would you choose?"

Luo Shuquan said, "I won't choose either."

"We must choose!"

Luo Shuquan began to ponder, but Mi Qi looked up at Zhao Shucheng and asked, "So, according to you, there are no beautiful and talented women in this world?"

Hearing Miki's aggressive language, Zhao Shucheng smiled nonchalantly and said, "Of course there are. After all, a person with knowledge and learning naturally exudes elegance. In ancient times, there were Ban Zhao, Cai Wenji, and Li Qingzhao; and many modern female scholars, too numerous to list."

"But the issue we're discussing now is limited to the two types of girls I mentioned; there's no third option. After all, if there were a third type—a girl who's both talented and beautiful—I think everyone would choose the third one."

When Mi Qi heard Zhao Shucheng say that, she knew that continuing to talk would only be arguing for the sake of arguing. Besides, Zuo Yongbang had glanced at her. She was just a woman kept by Zuo Yongbang, so she naturally couldn't afford to offend her sugar daddy. She could only lower her head silently and remain silent.

Seeing that no one else spoke, Zhao Shucheng said, "Alright, then I'll add another limitation: you're on a deserted island with only these two types of women—one beautiful but speechless and impossible to communicate with, and the other ugly but funny. Which one would you choose?"

Luo Shuquan stated decisively, "I choose to jump into the sea!"

"And you?" Zhao Shucheng asked, looking at Zuo Yongbang, who remained silent.

Zuo Yongbang said with a wry smile, "Can I also choose to jump into the sea?"

"No! You must stay on the island."

Zuo Yongbang said, "Then I only have one choice: choose a beautiful woman, and hope that she will give birth to a good-looking child who can talk, so that I can talk to the child."

Zhao Shucheng smiled and said, "As expected of Teacher Zuo, but if you get a tubal ligation, or if your partner can't have children, what would you choose?"

"..."

Luo Shuquan never expected that Zhao Shucheng and Zuo Yongbang would keep adding so-called restrictions to such a trivial question. Looking at Mi Qi who was still eating silently, he could only hand her something with concern.

Seeing their interaction, Zhao Shucheng looked at Luo Shuquan with some suspicion. He knew that Luo Shuquan wasn't the kind of person who could be so close to a stranger. He wondered if they had met before.

After the meal, Zhao Shucheng and Luo Shuquan said goodbye to Zuo Yongbang and the others.

Luo Shuquan remained silent the entire way, until they arrived at his house, at which point he suddenly spoke:
"Xiaobai, don't you think he doesn't care much about that Miki?"

Zhao Shucheng looked at Luo Shuquan and said, "Really? I never pay attention to these things, but why do I feel like you're paying special attention to this Miki?"

Luo Shuquan's face suddenly froze. After glancing at Zhao Shucheng, he went into the house without looking back and slammed the door shut.

Zhao Shucheng couldn't help but shake his head, knowing that Luo Shuquan wouldn't listen to anything he said, so he turned and left.

Of course he knew that Zuo Yongbang didn't care about Miki at all; after all, in his eyes, she was just a canary he kept.

The next day.

Zhao Shucheng got up feeling refreshed, but there was an unread text message on his phone from Xiao Qin, asking about his copy of the book "Concepts".

Zhao Shucheng didn't expect that Xiao Qin was so persistent. He also realized that the other party was doing it because of his script. Since he had dug the pit himself, he could only fill it himself. So he had to see if there was a book he wanted in the library.

Zhao Shucheng couldn't help but complain to Gu Xiaobai in his heart. Why did he have to add such an obscure book to the script? Couldn't he have included a slightly more popular book?
Unfortunately, this book is too obscure. Philosophy books are generally not read by many people, let alone a book like this that almost no one reads. Most libraries don't even have it.

After many twists and turns, just as Zhao Shucheng was about to give up, he suddenly heard a girl say:
You like this book too?

Zhao Shucheng turned his head and saw a thin girl standing next to him. She was holding a book, wearing black-rimmed glasses, and had an unremarkable appearance. She was looking at Zhao Shucheng with delight.

Zhao Shucheng smiled and said, "I guess so. I've been wanting to take a look recently. Do you know where I can buy or borrow one?"

"I thought I was the only one who liked this book. It's hard to buy, and I only managed to get my hands on it by chance."

"Could I borrow it for a look? It won't be for too long, just three to five days."

The girl lowered her head, remained silent for a moment, and then said, "I can lend it to you, but I don't have it with me right now. How about we add each other's contact information and I'll mail it to you later?"

"Sure, no problem!"

The girl wanted to discuss the book with Zhao Shucheng, but Zhao Shucheng wasn't very interested. If it weren't for filling in the plot holes for the original owner of this body, he probably wouldn't have bothered looking for this book at all.

The girl watched Zhao Shucheng's retreating figure with a hint of disappointment in her eyes. She had thought she had met someone who shared her ideals, but she never expected him to leave like this.

After Zhao Shucheng left, he went directly to Luo Shuquan's house. Unexpectedly, Luo Shuquan was on the phone and abruptly hung up when he saw Zhao Shucheng.

"You, why are you here?"

"What's so strange about me coming? But you, why are you acting like a thief? Are you hiding something from me?"

Luo Shuquan said nervously, "No, what could I possibly be hiding from you? By the way, you suddenly came here, it couldn't have been just to see me, could it?"

"Of course not, I have something to do."

Zhao Shucheng sat down, glanced at Luo Shuquan, and then went to the kitchen to wash and eat fruit.

Just then, Luo Shuquan's phone rang. He answered it, chatted for a few minutes, then turned around and looked at Zhao Shucheng with some puzzlement.

"What's going on? The delivery guy just told me he had something to deliver to me, and he's coming up now."

Zhao Shucheng nodded and said, "It's my book."

"No, why did you send your book here?"

Zhao Shucheng said, "I was looking for an obscure book today and met a girl who had it. But the way she looked at me was weird, and she wasn't very pretty, so for safety's sake, I had to take your phone number and address." Luo Shuquan glared angrily at Zhao Shucheng and said, "Are you even human?"

Zhao Shucheng said, "Oh, I'm just creating an opportunity for you. She's not my type, but she's intelligent and has a gentle, dependent demeanor; that should suit your taste."

"What nonsense are you talking about?"

Before Luo Shuquan could say anything more, he heard a knock on the door and stopped arguing with Zhao Shucheng, then went to open it.

The package arrived, and it was indeed the book the sender had sent. However, there were also a few sheets of manuscript paper inside, on which were written poems.

Luo Shuquan curiously flipped through "Concepts," then, somewhat bewildered, asked, "What on earth is this?"

"You don't need to worry about phenomenological concepts or some philosophical questions."

Luo Shuquan looked at the manuscript again. The poem written on it gave him a sense of déjà vu. He asked, "Why does this look so familiar to me?"

"Of course I'm familiar with it. It's a poem circulating on the internet, written by an unknown author."

After looking at it, Luo Shuquan asked Zhao Shucheng, "Why does this feel like a love poem written for you?"

"There's no way around it, your charm is too great, I can't resist it. Luckily, I left your name and contact information."

Before Luo Shuquan could jump up and settle accounts with him, Zhao Shucheng snatched the book and flew back home.

Before even entering the house, I saw Xiao Qin standing at my door.

"Xiao Qin, what brings you here?"

"Professor Gu, I just wanted to ask if there's any news about that book? Also, I have a few questions about the script that I'd like to ask you in person."

"No problem, the book just arrived, come in! Actually, you didn't need to come in person, I could have just sent it to you by express delivery."

“Some things are better explained in person. But Teacher Gu, your house is so hard to find! The taxi driver didn't know the way at first, and then he drove around and around. I even went into the wrong doorway after I got out of the car…”

"So it's fine to just send it to you by courier."

"Is this how I show my sincerity? After all, things that are hard to come by are precious, right?"

Zhao Shucheng looked into the other person's eyes, which were clear yet held a strange light.

"Yes, what would you like to drink?"

"Sparkling mineral water will do."

Zhao Shucheng said, "I really don't have any here. My usual drinks are just tea, coffee, and plain water."

"Whatever!"

Zhao Shucheng nodded and said, "Okay, you sit down first, I'll go get it."

After Zhao Shucheng entered the kitchen, Xiao Qin wandered around the living room and saw that the bookshelf was half books and half toys.

"I thought screenwriters lived in houses full of books!"

As she was speaking, she saw the Terminator doll and tried to reach for it. Zhao Shucheng came out of the kitchen but didn't have time to stop her. Before she could stop him, the doll that she had carefully arranged fell to the ground with a crash.

"Do they not welcome me?"

Zhao Shucheng said, "It has nothing to do with you. I was planning to set up an array, so the placement was rather haphazard. Anyone who touches it without knowing what's going on will experience this. By the way, this is the book. Take a look at it first."

Zhao Shucheng looked at the toys scattered on the ground and shook his head helplessly. These were all Gu Xiaobai's treasures. If Gu Xiaobai were here, he might have been tempted to kill her.

However, Zhao Shucheng himself didn't care much about these dolls, since he didn't have the habit of collecting them and at most thought they were just toys.

Xiao Qin looked at Zhao Shucheng with remorse and said, "Teacher Gu, I didn't mean to. How about I make it up to you?"

"No need, it's not broken anyway, I'll fix it later."

"That won't do. It's all my fault, and I should make amends. But I'm just a small-time actor now, I don't have much money, so..."

"It's okay, it's not broken."

"No, since I said I would compensate, I must keep my word. But I have no money, so I can only pay off my debt with my body. I hope Teacher Gu won't mind?"

Zhao Shucheng watched as Xiao Qin approached step by step and said, "Xiao Qin, I think you should wake up. I'm just a screenwriter, not a big director. Even if it's a matter of unspoken rules, it won't help you, will it?"

Xiao Qin said, "Teacher Gu is joking. How could I be thinking of taking advantage of you? I genuinely like you, Teacher Gu, I like your writing, I like you as a person. Is that not allowed?"

Zhao Shucheng said, "Have you thought this through? I'm not some saint, and I won't give you extra attention just because we have a close relationship. Are you still willing to accept this?"

Hearing Zhao Shucheng say this, Xiao Qin stopped in her tracks and asked, "Teacher Gu, are you really that heartless?"

Zhao Shucheng said, "I'm a person who keeps public and private matters separate, and I never let personal feelings affect my work. Otherwise, why don't I tailor-make scripts for my friends who are also actors?"

Upon hearing Zhao Shucheng's words, Xiao Qin's smile gradually faded, and he said, "Teacher Gu, are you really not going to show any mercy at all?"

“We’ve only met twice, and you don’t hold me in that much of a relationship yet. Besides, if our relationship were purely transactional, it would be illegal. I need to make a living in this industry, and I can’t risk my career.”

Xiao Qin glared angrily at Zhao Shucheng, then picked up her bag and left without even taking her books.

Zhao Shucheng couldn't help but shake his head. In fact, he knew that Xiao Qin had come prepared when they first met.

After all, Zhao Shucheng is not Gu Xiaobai. Even when he is on the phone, he is aware of his surroundings. But Xiao Qin rushed straight to him, which does not seem like a coincidence.

Besides, even if Xiao Qin was really in a hurry, it was impossible for him to not look ahead and just crash into Zhao Shucheng. He would have to be going so fast that he wouldn't be able to stop in time.
Zhao Shucheng was simply playing along to see what the other party was really up to. Now that he knew, Zhao Shucheng had no habit of feigning compliance, and besides, he didn't want to provoke someone who would do anything to climb the ladder.

After all, he didn't want to become the subject of her media gossip one day, nor did he want to suddenly be plagued by scandals. Although Zhao Shucheng was currently working behind the scenes, he didn't want this to affect his reputation, and even less did he want his future woman to dislike him because of it. (End of Chapter)