I became famous in the entertainment industry by burning incense

Chapter 654 Taking on an Inspirational Movie (Seeking Monthly Tickets)

Jinli has a deep suspicion that projects that haven't even been officially approved need to have their script titles written clearly enough so that people can immediately grasp the profound core of the story.

She said somewhat helplessly, "Sister Fang, don't I have any dignity with this name... Okay, although I was indeed a bad student before I started live-streaming my studies."

Sui Lingfang laughed, and started chattering like a mother hen:
"Don't be fooled by the title 'The Underachievers'; after reading the script, I found it to be quite good and could be made into a youth inspirational movie."

Among all film genres, youth inspirational films are a must-see every summer, even though they are all poorly made and criticized by netizens.

But it's a regular feature during the summer movie season, and its box office performance hasn't been ridiculously bad; it occasionally even cracks the top three. This means that this type of film has a market audience.

The best part is that making youth movies is incredibly cheap!
Modern film sets don't cost much, require few props, and don't need special effects; the biggest expense is the actors' salaries.

Youth films are often used by investors to promote new actors, but these new actors are paid very little.

As long as the film isn't terribly bad, it should be able to recoup its costs.

If the box office results make it into the top five, no, let alone the top five, making it into the top ten during the fiercely competitive summer season, it's guaranteed to be profitable.

Jinli maintained a rational attitude: "I haven't read the script, so I don't know if it's inspirational or just pointless whining."

Sui Lingfang immediately said, "It's absolutely inspiring, and there's no romantic subplot."

Jinli looked over.

Fangjie said the next second, "But you will receive help from many people, including a cool and aloof academic genius who will tutor you."

But don't worry, I've asked the director repeatedly. This genius student is simply trying to help his neighbor's little sister out of pure kindness; there won't be any romantic development.

Jinli laughed: "Sister Fang, you don't need to explain too much. Nowadays, netizens can ship anything, even such an unpopular pairing as Lin Daiyu and Voldemort. I believe that even without a romantic storyline, they can create one."

There are all kinds of emotions in the world, and love isn't the only thing that can make people fight to the death. I haven't read the script yet, so I don't know how the screenwriter plans to arrange the plot.

If the plot develops naturally, I wouldn't mind adding some romance. At my age, I can't keep filming scripts without a romantic subplot forever.

Jealousy, madness, lust... these are all key elements in character development; clear-cut likes and dislikes can actually make a character memorable for viewers.

Sui Lingfang's eyes lit up: "So you're willing to take this role?"

Jinli shook her head and said calmly, "No, I'll just take a look. I won't make any decisions until I see how the plot is arranged."

Sui Lingfang: "I've also brought the script with me, you can read it now."

Jinli originally wanted to accompany Fangjie to explore the campus properly. Although Fangjie came to the school more frequently than the company's senior management, she always came and went in a hurry and never had a chance to properly appreciate the scenery on campus.

I finally had some free time today, but she dragged me into working overtime with her.

Jinli shook her head and found a corner to sit down.

It's a good thing that an agent is career-minded; they can accurately define the artist's style and won't randomly assign schedules.

Moreover, with the recent popularity of the TV series "The Ordinary Road," she took the opportunity to retreat to the campus for two months of rest, which was indeed quite a long break.

Besides, even if the script is finalized, filming can't start immediately.

The production team also had to attract all sorts of investments, make grand promises, and bolster the cast and crew.

It's already November, and even if the script is finalized now, it's not certain that the cast and crew will be assembled by the time winter break starts in January or February next year.

Seeing Jinli intently reading the script, Sui Lingfang felt more relaxed and went to wander around elsewhere.

Tsinghua and Peking Universities are indeed great places. The students here are only focused on their studies, there are no obsessive fans, and even if you bump into Jinli on the street, she won't ask for an autograph. Paparazzi can't even get in...

Suddenly, Sui Lingfang felt that Jinli was doing quite well at school, and it would be even better if she could stay at school forever.

Outside, there's the risk of being followed and exposed by paparazzi, while at school, the worst that happens is netizens asking if you're passing your studies.

On the other side, Jinli was looking at the script, and after reading half of it, she felt a little thirsty.

A shadow appeared in front of her, and when she looked up, Gu Cheng had shielded her from the direct sunlight.

He was dressed very neatly, wearing a basketball uniform, holding a basketball in his hand, with a little sweat on his forehead, wearing a headband, and his hair was a bit damp, which made his hair look very healthy.

When he opened his mouth, his voice was like refreshing sparkling water, full of the taste of summer.

"Why are you sitting here reading? The sun is so bright, you look like a light bulb with a super bright spot."

Jinli chuckled and coughed.

Gu Cheng unscrewed the bottle of mineral water he was holding and handed it to her: "I haven't had any."

Jinli picked it up and found it was at room temperature, which was quite rare. They all liked to drink ice water when playing ball, even though they all knew that drinking ice water was unhealthy.

Jinli took a sip and felt much better in her throat before asking, "Aren't you going to drink some?"

Gu Cheng: "I've already had some."

Jinli glanced at the basketball in his hand. "Went to play basketball?"

Gu Cheng sat down in front of her. The two young lovers talked about very ordinary things and asked questions they already knew the answers to, which was also a kind of warmth in their ordinary days.

"Yes, there's a basketball game in the department today."

Jinli complained, "Why didn't you invite me to watch? I've never seen you play basketball before!"

Gu Cheng was even more innocent than her: "I didn't know I was going to play. I thought I was just going to sign in as a spectator and leave after I finished, but I was pulled into the circle and told that I was going to be a substitute."

Being a substitute was fine; sitting on the bench is a form of rest. But the starters were underperforming; they ran out of energy while running and jumping, and their shooting hands were weak. I had no choice but to step in.

He paused for a moment and said, "If I had known I would be playing, I would have definitely told you in advance and asked you to come and take pictures of me."

Jinli smiled gently, "You can tell me when you go to be a substitute."

Gu Cheng said somewhat arrogantly, "It's embarrassing to sit on the sidelines, I won't say that. Besides, you just finished the debate yesterday, I think you can have more time to rest today."

Jinli sighed and shook the script in her hand.

"I'm sorry to waste your good intentions. My agent dragged me out of bed early this morning to walk around the campus, saying that I've had enough rest recently and that I should quickly find a script. I said I hadn't seen any suitable scripts, so she just shoved a youth inspirational drama into my hands."

Although she had only read half of the script, Jinli already had a general idea of ​​the plot.

No wonder Sister Fang said this movie suits her, and no wonder she emphasized that it was adapted from her own learning experience.

That's absolutely right, this movie is about her story.

Gu Cheng asked curiously, "A youth inspirational drama, a campus film?"

Jinli handed him the script: "You can read it, after all, you'll be playing a role in it too."

As Fang Jie mentioned, that aloof male god will definitely seek out Gu Cheng. If it's not Gu Cheng, let alone whether Guangyue Media would agree, netizens would definitely not approve.

As one of only two celebrities taking the college entrance examination this year, and having already earned a degree from a prestigious foreign university, Gu Cheng is the one Jin Li would definitely choose if she needed tutoring.

Gu Cheng flipped through the scripts quickly, only looking at those that interested him, and soon locked onto a role. "The role of the aloof male god is perfect for me, but do I look aloof?" Gu Cheng pondered.

Jinli smiled sweetly: "Maybe your outward demeanor makes you seem aloof, but I know you're not aloof. If you don't take the initiative to pursue me, I won't be with you."

Gu Cheng smiled too, a smile crossing his handsome face.

"When I first saw you, I couldn't help but follow your news. Later, I found out that we were in the same industry. You have achieved great success. The media said that you have entered retirement life. I was afraid that you would leave, so I took the initiative."

He added, "If I don't take the initiative, I'm afraid my wife will quit the entertainment industry altogether."

Jinli opened her eyes slightly, her almond-shaped eyes large and round, and she was a little slow to react.

After a while, her ears turned a little red. She glared at Gu Cheng and took the script back. "I told you not to shout nonsense, I'm not letting you see it!"

Gu Cheng immediately stood up. "I'll go back and change my clothes first, then have lunch with your manager."

He stopped talking nonsense, even though Jinli looked beautiful when she blushed.

After she left, Sui Lingfang, who had been secretly observing, immediately ran over and asked nervously, "What were you talking about just now?"

Jinli countered, "What do you think?"

Sui Lingfang said without any attempt to hide it, "Why do I feel like it's a bit like flirting?"

Jinli thought for a moment: "It's not just a little similar, it's like it is."

Sui Lingfang: ...

So you're not even going to pretend in front of me anymore, huh?

She suddenly felt that Jinli should leave the school; there were wolves in the school that wanted to snatch away the little white rabbit!

While staying at school, Jinli's relationship is in jeopardy!

After reading the script, Jinli did not reply immediately. Instead, she took Fangjie to the canteen for a meal and "bumped into" Gu Cheng on the way.

In front of their agent, the two dared not act recklessly and became much more obedient.

Sui Lingfang gave him a silent warning, telling him to "prioritize his career," and then emphasized the importance of "taking safety precautions" before leisurely leaving.

Jinli quickly left before Gu Cheng could speak.

If he doesn't leave, Gu Cheng will definitely take the opportunity to complain that he didn't do anything but his manager thought that way. So, should he really do it?
Tsk, what a scoundrel.

Jinli didn't follow.

Back in her dorm, she read the script again, this time paying closer attention to the details and noting the comments left by the production crew.

If she agrees to film this series, the copyright fee for adapting her personal experiences will be paid as a share of the box office revenue, with only the actors' salaries being paid upfront.

If she refuses to film, a copyright fee will be paid.

From this, she could tell that the production team was determined to film this story.

Even if she doesn't act in it, the show is already set to be filmed.

This is a true-life inspirational drama; Jinli uses her personal experience to tell everyone—

No one is born a bad student; even a bad student can succeed!

Only when you despise yourself will you bring yourself down to the dust!
Strive to become a better version of yourself!
However, at the same time, Jinli also had some doubts about whether to take on the role.

She remembered that her fans had said they wanted to edit together her live streams and make an inspirational movie.

She even responded at the time, saying that if the film's copyright was needed, she would handle the communication, and fans wouldn't need to pay copyright fees.

Summer is over now, but the movie still hasn't been edited.

Jinli is worried that if she takes on the role in this movie, will the plot of the movie overlap with the fan-made edits?

In addition, fans have already started editing. With fans contributing their love and support, is it still necessary for her to make a movie?
Should I take the picture or not?

That evening, Jinli returned to her apartment and video chatted with Gu Cheng.

Their apartments are right across from each other, but they don't talk directly to each other to avoid paparazzi.

Although the building has a good security level, it's still necessary to avoid any appearance of impropriety on the surface.

Gu Cheng thought for a while and said, "I think you can't consider this drama from your own perspective, but rather from the perspective of netizens."

"Do you think netizens need this kind of movie?" he asked rhetorically.

A look of confusion crossed Jinli's eyes. "I don't know."

Gu Cheng affirmed, "I think netizens need inspirational stories adapted from real people, and this can be seen through data."

“I took the college entrance exam at the same time as you, and my score was much higher than yours. It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to call me the top scorer, but I didn’t gain much career advantage from this exam.”

"Netizens prefer your story, and the media likes to use it as a selling point because you have a story of overcoming adversity. Netizens are tired of seeing the success of the rich and prefer to see people rise from the bottom."

"I've been on the trending topics list less than half as many times as you have, and I don't have as many endorsements as you, nor are they as prestigious. That's the difference."

Gu Cheng said calmly, "This world needs dreams, and ordinary people need them even more."

This is similar to how news of disabled people finding a way out through hard work is more moving; stories of people paying off their family's debts through social media get even more clicks; overly conventional and unoriginal content has already tired of netizens.

He pondered, "I've read the script and the crew's comments. Even if you don't agree to film it, they'll find someone else to film the story. So why not you?"

Jinli was silent for a while, then said with some regret, "It's not that I don't want to film it, it's just that the script used all sorts of learning methods, which I haven't actually used before."

I know very well that my good grades are not because I studied very well, but because I was focused and efficient, which is why I was able to get high scores.

But I know even more clearly that there is no one else like me in the world. I can use this method, but others cannot. I know my experience is inspiring, but I also know it is unrepeatable, and I don't want to deceive the public.

Gu Cheng's voice softened slightly as he said gently, "Jinli, creating dreams for others isn't deception. As long as it brings people the energy to strive, that's enough."

A thoughtful look flashed across Jinli's eyes.

A few days later, she called Sui Lingfang and agreed to take the role in the film, but she had to be prepared for a crisis in case the plot of the fan-edited videos were similar to the original.

Sui Lingfang: "Don't worry, leave it to us."

The company had taken this into consideration and had prepared a publicity plan in advance. Instead of making an official announcement, they let netizens vote to decide whether Jinli should star in an inspirational movie based on her own experience.

Just then, a video edited by Jinli's fans was also released!

The official announcement from Chenxi Entertainment, in conjunction with the video edited by Jinli's fans, continuously boosted the video's views and discussion, and even dominated Bilibili's trending topics for several days.

This, in turn, makes netizens even more eager for the full version of the movie.