The Cannon Fodder Stole the Male Lead’s Script GL - Chapter 68

The project Qin Meng introduced was not some grand production. The other party was a young art film director who had only graduated a few years earlier and preferred to shoot realistic themes. Compared to the grand annual tributes of big-name directors, the production cost was minimal. But even so, without investors and funding, bringing a script to life remained an uphill battle.

When Qin Meng mentioned that someone was willing to invest, Jin Yucheng became so emotional that tears almost welled up in his eyes, although he hesitated the moment he saw Jiang Yun in person.

The young girl who wanted to invest looked far too young. She seemed like she had not even graduated high school yet. She probably thought making a movie was fun and simply wanted to invest for entertainment.

If she suddenly decided to stop investing midway through filming, the entire production crew would be doomed.

However, if he gave up this big opportunity, it might be a long time before he found another investor.

Unexpectedly, before Jin Yucheng could even find a reason to doubt Jiang Yun, she had already rejected him. In less than half an hour, Jiang Yun had finished reading the entire story.

She tossed the script onto the table and said, “This script will not do.”

Jin Yucheng was stunned as he found himself rejected before he could even speak. He grew agitated immediately. “What kind of joke is this? Do you even understand the script I wrote? Do you truly grasp the core of my story? On what grounds do you say it will not do?”

“I understand. The story is well written. The emotional connection between the male and female leads is moving. The family conflict is crafted with originality and avoids clichés. The visual portrayal in the script is both refreshing and heavy with emotion. The sentiments are delicately expressed.”

Hearing her evaluation, Jin Yucheng’s expression softened slightly. However, his sense of calm quickly gave way to a resurgence of indignation. “If you think the story is good, why say it will not do?”

“The market is too cold for it.”

Jin Yucheng’s expression changed.

In truth, Jiang Yun was not the first to say this. He had already sent out the script, titled ‘Love Letter’, many times before. Some companies rejected it outright without explanation. Others dismissed his level of experience. Most told him plainly that even if the film were made, no one would watch it. The profit margin would be negligible despite the low budget.

“Does the market matter that much? If all films were made to follow market trends, then every film would turn into brainless fast food entertainment. As a filmmaker with ambition, I will not be like you vulgar people, who only care about the market. I thought you were still too young to have been tainted but it turns out that even at your age you are already like this. We may as well end this meeting here.”

Jin Yucheng was so angry that his face turned red. He snatched the script from Jiang Yun’s hands.

But he did not leave immediately. Deep down, he knew how rare this investment opportunity was. He was trying to use his anger to intimidate Jiang Yun because of her young age. To put it plainly, he still hoped she would fund him.

The girl across from him remained completely calm.

Even when he rudely snatched back the script, she showed no anger.

“Having ambition while ignoring the market shows idealism, being able to follow the market demonstrates skill, but creating a script that can guide the market is what reveals true talent. Unfortunately, you only have ambition. I am a businesswoman. I invest to make money. If our ideas do not align, you are free to leave,” Jiang Yun said calmly while sipping her tea.

Jin Yucheng was so furious that he could not speak. This young girl was actually criticizing him for lacking skill and talent?

“What do you know? Do those random slapstick comedies count as real talent? Are those grand productions full of special effects real skill? You are just a little girl. You know nothing!”

Jiang Yun replied, “Your ability and level are not based on my opinion. They are reflected in your script. Although I may be young, I do understand that a truly excellent student not only solves difficult problems but also excels at the simple ones. A test paper that measures your abilities includes basic questions, not just the tough ones. So what are you really looking down on?”

Jin Yucheng nearly fainted from anger. He stood up to leave, but Qin Meng quickly stopped him.

“Director Jin, please do not be angry. She was just saying whatever came to mind.” Then she turned to Jiang Yun. “Jiang Yun, what are you doing? You were the one who asked me to find projects. Now that one is here, how can you be like this? Director Jin is a very promising director and also a good friend of mine. What you said makes things very awkward for him. I have seen the script myself, and it is touching. It is not nearly as bad as you made it sound. Besides, as long as it does not lose money, that should be enough. It is not like you really care about profits. You are not short on money, after all.”

Jiang Yun raised her eyebrows at that. “Qin Meng, just because I am not short on money, does that mean I am supposed to do charity? I asked you to help me find profitable projects. Did you miss the word ‘profitable’?”

“Ah?” Qin Meng was at a loss for words and what truly shocked her was Jiang Yun’s seriousness.

“Jiang Yun, are you really trying to make a lot of money?”

Jiang Yun could not help but laugh. “Are you joking? If I were not trying to make money, why would I go through all this trouble?”

Qin Meng’s mouth hung open in disbelief. She thought, I assumed Miss Jiang was just playing around. The Jiang family is already so wealthy.

But she could tell Jiang Yun was holding back her temper, so she did not dare to say more. After considering Jin Yucheng’s script, she turned to him.

“Director Jin, maybe we should stop here for today. Jiang Yun is not targeting you personally. Please do not take it to heart. If we come across a better script, we can talk again. For now, how about you head back? I will walk you out.”

Jin Yucheng was speechless. Was this not a roundabout way of admitting his script really was not good?

His hands were trembling with anger as he picked up his script and left.

Qin Meng could not catch up, so she gave up. When she returned, she saw Jiang Yun eating. She sat down next to her, slumped in the chair, and looked sideways at Jiang Yun.

“Rich Girl, I think you have really changed. You never used to be this… this…”

“This what?”

“You never used to be this principled.” She actually wanted to say ‘picky’ but did not dare.

In the past, Jiang Yun was not exactly a saint, but she was definitely easy-going when it came to money. She was especially generous with friends. Qin Meng had even heard some of Jiang Yun’s playmates call her a “foolish heiress” behind her back.

But today, she seemed truly different.

“Rich Girl, I think you have become really sharp.”

Jiang Yun rolled her eyes and continued eating calmly. After finishing her meal, she put down her chopsticks.

“You are paying for this meal and also covering my travel expenses.”

“What? Why?”

“You said I am sharp, right? That is the price for wasting my time.”

“But I did not know you were seriously trying to make money.”

Qin Meng had really thought Jiang Yun just wanted to play around with film investments. So when she heard that Jin Yucheng needed an investor, she decided to play matchmaker. She never expected Jiang Yun to be so ruthless. After thinking it over, she realized she had been the one in the wrong. She had introduced a mediocre project without much care. Even if she had good intentions, she still set Jiang Yun up.

Jiang Yun might be rich, but her money did not fall from the sky.

“Fine, fine. It is on me. I admit I was careless. I will help you look properly from now on.”

“Screen them carefully before bringing them to me,” Jiang Yun instructed without hesitation.

Qin Meng did not mind. She did feel guilty toward Rich Girl.

“But if it really looks profitable, can I join in and earn a share?” Qin Meng asked with wide, hopeful eyes.

Jiang Yun burst into laughter and nodded.

“No problem.”

——

Qin Meng really was efficient, but her methods were incredibly flashy.

After returning from Feng City, news spread that Jiang Yun was planning to invest in a television or film project. Within just the few hours it took her to travel back to Yinchuan, her email inbox had been flooded with all kinds of scripts from various production companies and famous directors.

In reality, most of these people were not targeting her personally. They were aiming for the Jiang family’s wealth or trying to curry favor with her through their scripts.

Some directors were even trying to use their screenplays as a way to establish connections with the Jiang family.

But what they did not know was that even Jiang Yun herself found it difficult to meet her parents.

Jiang Yun read scripts until eleven o’clock at night before finally sorting them out.

Some scripts were good, but she could not afford to invest in them.
Some were terrible and clearly aimed to scam a naive young investor.

There were about a dozen that seemed suitable for her to consider.

She would need to consult knowledgeable people to evaluate them more carefully.

Setting the scripts aside for the moment, Jiang Yun went to take a shower. When she came out, she saw that there were many messages waiting for her on WeChat. Scrolling through them, she saw a Word document titled ‘Key Points 1,’ followed by several video call attempts. But she had been in the shower and missed them.

After calling a few times, the person had canceled the video requests and left several messages:

23:49:50 [What are you doing? Are you home? Are you asleep?]

23:49:52 [Alright, you must be tired. Go ahead and sleep.]

23:49:59 [I sent you the assignments. Remember to check them and send me your answers tomorrow.]

23:51:10 [Grandma started her first treatment session today. After her IV, she chatted with me for a bit…]

23:55:02 [Jiang Yun, I miss you so much… It is going to be a while before you come see me.]

23:55:58 [Looks like you really did go to sleep. Alright… I will go to sleep too…]

23:56:08 [Goodnight, Jiang Yun.]

With one hand drying her hair and the other holding her phone, Jiang Yun looked at the messages on the screen. She could not help but smile.

They had only been apart for half a day, but it already felt like a long time. She missed her little Zhan Rao too.

She glanced at the time. It was late. She did not want to disturb her.

Zhan Rao had spent the evening managing her grandmother’s treatment and still took the time to organize key study materials for her.

She must have been exhausted.

00:13:14 [Goodnight, baby.]