Have you ever been a celebrity? Why are you writing about entertainment?

Chapter 32: Insufficient funds, actors undecided, script not yet available.

It's impossible to find someone more capable.

It would be hard to find another person who perfectly meets Yu Wei's requirements and is willing to accept his condition of getting something for free...

"What do you mean by seeking someone else? You are my path to success."

"You even know about 'High Steps to the Clouds'?"

It's not that Qi Luoan looks down on celebrities. It's common knowledge that the entertainment industry is a cultural wasteland. Many artists, let alone having any cultural background, can't even speak fluently during interviews.

Her brother, Qi Yuan, is a typical example. He was teased by her for a year after mispronouncing a polyphonic character on a TV show.

"I did go to university."

The original dance academy was negligible; it was just a place to gild idols, where you could get a degree without even going to school. Yu Wei was referring to his previous university.

"I believe it."

Qi Luoan's words just now were merely a subconscious expression of surprise. Someone who can write two songs and is even planning to put together a script can't be illiterate.

"How could you believe that? Shouldn't you be vehemently criticizing my lack of culture at a time like this, and then I'll write two poems to prove you wrong?"

What kind of entertainment protagonist inexplicably recites poetry?
Fortunately, Qi Luoan is a loyal reader of entertainment novels, otherwise she wouldn't have understood the implied meaning in Yu Wei's words. They were evenly matched, like two equally matched generals meeting...

Unbeknownst to them, the awkward atmosphere of their first meeting had long since disappeared, and the distance between them had quietly collapsed like melted cream.

"Can I hear the song you sang on the show?"

As their relationship grew closer, Qi Luoan became much more open. Actually, she wanted to hear about it as soon as she saw it in the novel, but she was too shy to ask at the time.

Interpersonal relationships always involve a gradual process, from superficial to profound; they can't be as instantaneous as depicted in novels...

They're currently on a pretty good friendship level; they can joke around, but there's still a certain formality between them.

Yu Wei happened to have a rough cut sent by Hong Hui on her phone, so she simply sent her a copy, since she would be able to access it when the music video was being recorded in a few days anyway.

Without the shock and astonishment of the novel, Qi Luoan listened attentively after putting on the headphones, only nodding a few times in approval.

Looking at her brows, which were sometimes furrowed and sometimes relaxed, Yu Wei felt inexplicably nervous, as if he had returned to that afternoon when the teacher examined the slips of paper with suggestive words over and over again.

"I don't understand, but that's pretty impressive."

"?"

I don't understand why you're being so professional. You're nodding along as you listen; anyone who didn't know better would think you were doing a music appreciation session.

"Sorry, my music theory knowledge has regressed to the level of an eight-year-old. The contrast between stillness and movement in the sound of rain and human voices is quite good. The arranger is very talented."

It's not that she truly doesn't understand; it's just that she hasn't been exposed to it for so long that she's forgotten most of it. Even a fallen genius is better than an ordinary person.

"The thunderstorm sound effect with the drums and bass playing together was also quite well done."

Yu Wei casually added a sentence, which can be regarded as affirmation of Qi Luoan's evaluation. At the age of eight, she had this level. Was she being modest or boasting?

I initially thought she was one of those fallen geniuses, but now it seems she's Zhang Chulan; even after a ten-year hiatus, she's still formidable.

"The song is good, the music video can be made, but I need to see your script for the short film..."

Qi Luoan made her stance clear: she was willing to act for free, but she had to meet the quality requirements of the work; she couldn't do favors at the expense of herself.

She doesn't have much interest in acting, but people have to watch it, and she'd be embarrassed if the film she made was rubbish.

When will your script be ready?

"When it will be better." Yu Wei really couldn't say for sure. The relevant plot of the novel had only just begun to be written, and it would take at least five or six days. After it was finished, he would have to check the data requirements.

"Not enough money, no actors, no script yet, you're really bold."

Qi Luoan couldn't help but complain, "Others write the script first and then recruit actors, but he just gets all the actors he can for free before he starts writing."

She was about to chat a little longer when she glanced casually to the side and realized that it was already dark and the coffee in front of her was empty, with only a light brown rim remaining at the bottom of the cup.

We've been chatting for so long?
"I have to go back to school."

She suppressed a strange sense of reluctance in her heart and teased, "You haven't updated today either, go back and start writing early."

Yu Wei then belatedly realized that it was already 8 p.m., while they had entered the palace for the second time just after 3 a.m. Where had the time gone...?

The last time he got so engrossed in a conversation that he forgot the time was when he had a get-together with his roommates after graduation. They talked about whatever came to mind and the conversation lasted all afternoon.

"Do you want me to walk you to the school gate?"

This is purely a social formality. He was the one who invited him out, and it was getting late, so it wouldn't be right not to say something polite.

"Come on, big star, if you give me a ride, the whole school will probably stare at you."

I can't speak for Qi Luoan, but at least her three roommates have become fans of Yu Wei and have joined the authoritative "Little Squid" organization.

Wait a minute, if she films a movie with Yu Wei, will she still be able to stay in the dormitory?

……

"It's been a long time since I've updated at the right time."

At 23:58, Yu Wei finally managed to publish the new chapter before midnight. In the past, when he failed miserably, he had often teetered on the brink of death.

Actually, online novel authors aren't that busy; they just tend to cram at the last minute. Their author groups usually have 99+ comments a minute when chatting and joking, but after 10 PM every night, the whole group goes silent...

But today was an exception. He didn't expect that a chat would take so long, and he even felt like he had just started talking.

Overwhelmed with emotion, Yu Wei glanced at the novel's data. The lit-up numbers caught his eye, and his heart sank—it's over!
His reading count has dropped to just over two hundred. You know, when he redeemed "Hear the Rain" last time, his reading count was over three hundred. But as he wrote, the number actually decreased.

It's not the failure itself that's scary, it's the continuous writing that makes things worse, and the ever-decreasing numbers are a nightmare for people in this industry...

"How am I supposed to exchange this for the short film?"

In his panic, Yu Wei quickly realized the problem: many of his previous readers had come for the "song prophet" title, not because they really wanted to read the book.

When he wrote "Hearing the Sound of Rain," the novel was at its peak of popularity, and everyone was betting on whether the song even existed.

Now, more than ten days have passed and the song still hasn't been released. In addition, the plot of the short film is too vague, so they have lost interest in continuing to watch and are basically just observing.

"Don't let it die."

The process of building up a book's lifespan is still too terrifying. It's normal for readers to want to accumulate more books to read, but if authors don't receive positive feedback, their morale can easily break down, and then that's it.

However, Yu Wei is alright; the data for ordinary chapters doesn't really matter. What's crucial is the data for chapters related to the work.

He can redeem the item as long as the data for a specific chapter meets the requirements; the data for other chapters has little impact.

We need to find a way to lure readers in, otherwise he won't be able to get the short film...

I've got it! The chapter title will be "New Song," and everyone will think I've written a new song and will definitely click to read it.

It's not very ethical, but data is the foundation for new songs, so it's a virtuous cycle!
"I hope they won't be too harsh."

(End of this chapter)