Caught in Affairs with Superstar

Chapter 518: Chapter 394: The Bloom of Art (Part 2)

But every year, there are always highly anticipated films that disappoint, and films not expected to succeed that break through.

”Fine, I get it. Looks like I need to buy another ticket and fly over to you right away,” Zhou Lan said.

Zhou Yun knew she had gotten her way and her lips curled into a victorious smile.

What Zhou Yun didn’t expect was that right after she hung up the phone, Shi Luoqi came looking for her again.

”Sister Luo Qi?” Zhou Yun looked at Shi Luoqi standing at the door in surprise, ”You’re looking for me?”

Shi Luoqi nodded, smiled, and said: ”Xiao Yun, are you free? Let’s chat.”

”Sure.” Zhou Yun invited Shi Luoqi into the room, ”But I only have instant coffee here, Sister Luo Qi, would you like some?”

”Just pour me a glass of water,” Shi Luoqi shrugged, ”I’ve already had two cups of coffee today, if I keep going, I’m afraid my heart is going to race.”

Zhou Yun got Shi Luoqi a bottle of mineral water and said, ”You must be tired too, there must be a lot of things to take care of recently, right?”

Shi Luoqi nodded and said: ”What surprised me was that Xue Qin came up with an idea that I found incredible, and what I didn’t expect even more was that she told me that you support her idea.”

Zhou Yun showed a bitter smile and said, ”Sister Luo Qi, have you heard the detailed ideas from the director?”

”I have, and I’ve also seen the content of the screenplay she has written. It’s because of this that I came to talk to you about it; otherwise, I wasn’t even planning to.”

”I like this story, especially the fact that she’s willing to let me play her in the movie. To be honest, I’m really flattered.”

”It’s her first time making a film, and to tell you the truth, I’m not embarrassed to say that she holds a special place in my heart. I’ve watched her grow up. When she first entered the industry, she knew me and followed me and Director Chen Zian from one project to another, never complaining or showing signs of fatigue. I regard her as my little sister, so I’ve always hoped that she could take a slower, but steadier path. I know why suddenly she wants to use this one month to shoot another film. I don’t know what she told you, but I understand that she’s afraid this one-month hiatus will bring me significant losses. But to speak frankly, the investment in ’Falling Leaves’ isn’t huge. Although a one-month halt will cost a fair amount of money, I can accept it. No one could have predicted Luo Zhiheng’s injury; I’ve talked to the investors about this situation, and luckily, they are very understanding and don’t plan to pull out, willing to wait for us.”

Zhou Yun nodded.

Shi Luoqi said: ”Xue Qin is a very talented and gifted girl, you must be aware of this too. Of course, I’ve described you in the same way to her. I am relieved and glad that she has you on board for her first film. Your performance exceeded our expectations, but I don’t want to put too much pressure on this kid. One month’s time, writing a screenplay while shooting a film without any preparation, it sounds like a romantic adventure. But for a film, even projects with all sorts of contingencies are extremely risky, let alone an impromptu project like this. If something goes wrong with this new film, Xue Qin might not be able to handle the pressure.”

”Sister Luo Qi, do you not wish for Xue Qin to shoot this movie?” Zhou Yun asked in surprise.

”I hope she does, but I want her to shoot the movie steadily and finish ’Falling Leaves’ before tackling this one,” Shi Luoqi said.

”But we can’t shoot ’Falling Leaves’ right now unless we can conjure up two suitable male actors overnight,” Zhou Yun said, ”A month of downtime means we can’t do anything in this period. Everyone goes home to rest. After a month and into January, it’s nearly New Year’s. Can we really gather everyone back then? What if someone doesn’t return? We would have to replace them at the last minute,” Zhou Yun said. ”Xue Qin told me that she hopes that everyone can stay at the set calmly during this month and that we can start work as usual every day. That way, everyone’s minds won’t be scattered, and wages can be settled normally.”

Shi Luoqi was silent.

Zhou Yun said, ”You say it’s a romantic adventure, and I think you’re right. But to be honest, I am willing to join her in this romantic adventure. At worst, if we fail, what’s the worst that can happen? The project is half-finished, unable to continue, and abandoned. But that doesn’t matter because if we don’t take this risk this month, there’s nothing else to do anyway.”

Shi Luoqi opened her mouth, and with a look of helplessness, laughed.

”I didn’t expect you to stand on her side and speak for her.”

”It’s because she made me believe in her. Honestly, I probably would not have agreed if it were someone else,” Zhou Yun smiled, ”But she has that kind of power on her that makes me want to trust and take a risk with her. Moreover, apart from all that, based on those two pages of the screenplay, Sister Luo Qi, as an experienced producer who encounters many great projects yearly, honestly, such a story, wouldn’t you regret not letting her bring it to life? If we don’t shoot it now, in half a year, in a year, when this phase passes and we look back on it, the emotions of Xue Qin at that time will no longer be the same. The person will still be the same person, but the state of mind would have completely changed.”

Zhou Yun said, ”Perhaps the roles of director and actor are very different, but I think the essence of artistic creation is the same, isn’t it? Sometimes, creation is art that blooms in an instant.”