When Tang Congnan learned that Li Chu wanted to choose this script, he was very hesitant.
Admittedly, the script seemed interesting, but the director was unknown. While she had directed TV series before, none were particularly famous.
Moreover, the concept and structure destined it to be an expensive production. Special effects would be a significant cost, and as far as Tang Congnan knew, there wasn’t any strong financial backing. This meant the production budget might be very tight.
Li Chu could choose scripts based on her interest, but as her agent, Tang Congnan had to consider whether it was worth taking from multiple perspectives. A good production wasn’t solely dependent on a good story; many factors could influence its success.
“Your concerns are valid. Let’s find out more.” Li Chu understood Tang Congnan’s worries and asked him to get the director’s contact information so she could reach out.
Before contacting the director, Li Chu specifically looked up her information. She was a young beta director who graduated from a prestigious university. Her graduation short film had won an award, but the family drama she directed after entering the industry had received a lukewarm response, and she hadn’t produced anything since.
Li Chu still called her. She was genuinely interested in the story.
The woman on the other end of the phone was incredibly excited when she learned Li Chu was interested in participating.
“Teacher Li, can we schedule a time to meet for a meal? Whenever you’re free, I can adjust my schedule to yours.”
“Tomorrow noon at Yi He Ju on Qingnian Road. I’ll send you the specific time and location later. Is that okay?”
“Of course, of course!”
After ending the call, Li Chu turned her attention back to the script. She had the ideal co-star in mind, and that person was none other than her girlfriend.
However, before knowing if the project was reliable, Li Chu decided not to tell Ning Manqing yet. She could find out tomorrow at noon and tell her then. After all, Ning Manqing didn’t have any new film projects lined up recently. The recently completed Behold Me, Ling Shan had taken a lot out of her. She wasn’t a commercial film actress, so she didn’t need to constantly take on new roles.
Li Chu looked back at the script, reading the story. It was hard to say whether the two characters in the story were truly in love. If one said there was no love between them, it didn’t seem quite right. But if one said they were in love, that didn’t seem entirely accurate either.
Because of their title as the “Model Couple of the Century,” the protagonists lived under the spotlight. They attended various events together, appeared on post-marriage variety shows, did magazine shoots, and acted in movies together, becoming a very successful marketing example in the entertainment industry.
At the end of the story, they lived their lives this way, always the model couple in the eyes of others. They never appeared at odds in public, they didn’t cheat, they had a tacit understanding, and they would reveal their care for each other through subtle details.
However, when there were no cameras and no one else around, even when sleeping in the same bed, they never hugged or kissed. The alpha would regularly mark the omega, and during those times, they would have passionate moments. But when rationality returned and things cooled down, it seemed to carry a faint sense of boredom and emptiness.
Their relationship was like the solidified ash of a burnt-out cigarette.
Was this kind of feeling love? Li Chu thought not. Love should be passionate, surging, and romantic, like every time she and Ning Manqing were in sync. Even if they didn’t kiss or hug, when their eyes met, or with certain gestures from Ning Manqing, she could feel Ning Manqing’s affection.
Li Chu felt that the relationship between the protagonists was more like habit. Actually, if she hadn’t been in a relationship, Li Chu would have thought this kind of relationship wasn’t so bad, because many people might love each other but not trust each other.
The two protagonists in the story were so in tune that everyone who saw their actions would say they were a match made in heaven, that no one was more suitable for each other than they were.
But sometimes the spark of love wasn’t about suitability. Li Chu found the implications of this drama quite interesting.
If memory was the carrier of a person, when a person lost their memory, were they still themselves? Li Chu thought they were, just an incomplete version of themselves, missing a part.
But what if this person, while losing their memory, was also implanted with a new memory? Were they still themselves? Were they the original them, or the new them?
In this case, the situation seemed to be divided into three possibilities. First, they were still themselves. This view took the soul as the carrier of a person, hence the saying of past and present lives, three lives and three worlds.
Second, they were not themselves. They had become a completely new person at this point, because they had different experiences and different memories, so they were different people. This view could be extended to the concept of consciousness, which could spread to other areas. If memory was the carrier of human consciousness, then by injecting this memory into a robot, a clone, or another individual, would the “other” become “them?”
Third, a dialectical self. This view divided the situation into two perspectives. If the person recovered their memory, then they were themselves. If they didn’t recover their memory, they were not themselves.
These diverse and complex situations, combined with human emotions, seemed to be something that could never be fully theorized, because not everyone needed to figure it out, and not all feelings needed to be understood.
Just like Li Chu would never tell Ning Manqing that she was a transmigrator, because it was meaningless. She was Li Chu now, and Ning Manqing loved her, and that was enough.
Thinking of Ning Manqing, Li Chu’s heart stirred, and she sent Ning Manqing a voice message.
“Are you busy?”
The reply came quickly, also a voice message.
“Yes, but I’m in the office. What’s up?” Ning Manqing put down the report she was looking at and picked up her phone, waiting for Li Chu’s reply.
The top left corner displayed “The other party is speaking…” When the voice message arrived, Ning Manqing clicked play.
“Ning Manqing, do you love me?” The young woman’s soft voice, carrying static, was transmitted to her eardrums, making Ning Manqing’s lips curl up slightly.
“Of course I love you.”
“Hee hee, I knew you loved me. I love you too.”
“Alright, Comrade Ning, work hard! I’ve got my eye on a script and I’m going to check it out tomorrow. If it’s good, I’ll show it to you.”
“Okay, take care and rest well.”
Li Chu listened to the voice message and put down her phone with satisfaction. She hoped her girlfriend wouldn’t be confused when she found out the content of the drama she wanted her to act in.
Because it really didn’t seem like something a couple in love would do. Other couples acted in sweet dramas when they were in love, while they were giving out knives.
Li Chu met with the director of Model Couple the next day at noon. She was a woman in her twenties wearing glasses. At first glance, she seemed introverted and a bit inexperienced, but as the conversation progressed and she relaxed, she came across as quite seasoned.
“I’m so surprised, Teacher Li, that you actually saw my script. I’ve been watching your dramas recently. Your acting is truly excellent, very powerful.” The director, Zhou Xinyuan, her eyes shining as she praised Li Chu.
Meeting a good actor was the happiest thing for a director. Zhou Xinyuan really liked the contrast between Li Chu on and off-screen. Although it wasn’t as exaggerated as having a “drama-throwing face,” looking at the youthful and cute Li Chu in front of her, it was really hard to associate her with Qin Mu in the drama.
“Thank you. We’ll have plenty of time for mutual compliments later. I’m very interested in this drama, so I want to understand your thoughts in depth.”
“Okay!” Zhou Xinyuan immediately got to the point, seeing Li Chu’s sincerity and straightforwardness.
When she heard Li Chu’s discussion about memory and soul, Zhou Xinyuan appeared a little embarrassed and shy.
“I didn’t expect Teacher Li to think so deeply. I didn’t think about so much when I wrote it. This makes me feel embarrassed, as if my intentions were superficial and vulgar.”
Li Chu waved her hand and said with a smile, “Not at all. I think I’m the one overthinking things. Love is actually quite mundane. There’s no use making it so profound and complicated. Everyone’s understanding of a story is different. Let me hear the original version.”
Zhou Xinyuan relaxed a bit, cleared her throat, and said, “Actually, the inspiration for this story came from when I broke up with my girlfriend. We met in college. She studied directing, and we got along really well, with very similar interests and hobbies. I thought our understanding of each other was unparalleled, and I thought we would be together forever.”
“But we broke up in the end. It was confusing. She felt that I didn’t love her anymore, that we weren’t suitable. I was puzzled. What does suitable even mean?”
“So I conceived this story and spent a long time perfecting it. I admit that I started with a bit of spite. I wanted this drama to air and become a hit so she could see it, and I wanted to know if this was what she considered ‘suitable.’ But later, I changed my mind. We both had our reasons for breaking up. Sometimes, it’s not just about compatibility. Some missed opportunities in relationships are just missed opportunities. But I still want to make this drama.”
…
Li Chu and Zhou Xinyuan chatted in the private room for nearly two hours, mostly with Zhou Xinyuan talking and Li Chu listening. Li Chu listened to her general filming concept, the essential points she wanted to include, how she wanted to expand the story, and what kind of message she wanted to convey.
Li Chu felt that this would be a good production.
“Have you decided on the other actor? Do you have anyone in mind?”
“No,” Zhou Xinyuan shook her head shyly. “I can’t afford any famous actors. Actually, I don’t even think I can afford you. The pay I can offer is very limited. I’m still trying to secure investment.” Zhou Xinyuan was truly strapped for cash. She had contacted Li Chu with a just-try-it mentality.
“If you don’t have anyone in mind, how about having Ning Manqing play the role?”
Zhou Xinyuan’s hands trembled, and she looked at Li Chu with a fluttering heart, saying, “I’m afraid that if I hire both of you, I’ll blow my entire budget.”
“Wait a minute.” Li Chu lowered her head and sent a message to Ning Manqing. A few minutes later, she looked up at Zhou Xinyuan and said, “Buy one, get one free. Interested?”
Li Chu pointed to herself and said, “Sign me, and you get Ning Manqing. You only need to pay me.”
Zhou Xinyuan thought she was dreaming. Incredulously, she asked, “R-really?”
Li Chu nodded with a smile. Teacher Ning had said, hand over your salary.
Huge thanks to Char for the support!
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