Jiang Nan Fang had never in her wildest dreams imagined that Ke Teng would propose such a condition.
Didn't he dislike her?
After the huge misunderstanding at their first meeting, he was now proposing to be co-stars with her. Wasn't this deliberately trying to pick a fight with her?
How ridiculous.
Who did he think he was? To manipulate others as he pleased, was he Zhan Bei Jue's brother?!
"Then start looking for other male leads tomorrow. Don't worry about the price; I'll pay."
Xu Yan Chuan didn't expect Jiang Nan Fang to be so wealthy, thinking she was just being naive.
"Do you know how much entertainment stars are worth nowadays? How much does it cost to hire just one?"
Jiang Nan Fang was indifferent.
"No matter how much, just do as I say and find someone. If I don't have the money, I'll find investors. I won't drag you down anyway."
Jiang Nan Fang had prepared herself to pay for the male lead herself.
Unexpectedly, less than an hour after she returned home, Xu Yan Chuan sent her a WeChat message saying Ke Teng had compromised.
"He's willing to be the male lead. I'll organize a script reading with the cast tomorrow, so please come."
Although there were some twists and turns, the outcome was good in the end.
The show was finally about to begin, and Jiang Nan Fang agreed to be there on time the next day.
The next morning, after sending off the children and Zhan Bei Jue, Jiang Nan Fang took a taxi to the studio.
To avoid being followed, she deliberately wore sunglasses and a mask and dressed in a neutral, utilitarian style.
Upon entering the conference room, Xu Yan Chuan and Ke Teng stared at her from head to toe as if she were a giant panda.
"What are you looking at?" Jiang Nan Fang felt uncomfortable under their gaze.
"The doctor said I can't be exposed to the wind, so I'm dressed a bit more warmly. What's so strange about that?"
Little did they know, they were simply captivated by her beauty.
Ke Teng whispered to Xu Yan Chuan.
"I told you this woman has a great figure and looks perfect for the camera, but you wouldn't believe me."
"To not use such a good female lead and go out of your way to find someone else? You must be crazy."
Xu Yan Chuan shot him a glare.
The scripts were handed out, and the three of them chatted for a while before other cast members gradually arrived.
However, the female lead was conspicuously absent.
Xu Yan Chuan made a few calls to urge her along. Finally, around nine o'clock, the female lead, accompanied by her agent and assistant, arrived fashionably late.
She was quite a pretty girl, but her airs were absolutely over the top.
She hadn't even made a splash in the entertainment industry yet, but she carried herself like an empress dowager the entire time.
After being helped to her seat, she spent time on makeup and drinks, and finally settled down. She only started offering her opinions after reading a couple of chapters of the script.
"This part isn't logical, and that line has a problem."
"This doesn't highlight the female lead's character, and she can't perform that difficult action."
In just half an hour, she managed to infuriate everyone.
Ke Teng reacted most strongly, directly throwing the script on the table in front of everyone.
"According to Miss Tang's wishes, the script should be written around you, tailor-made for you. Then we don't need to be here; we can just listen to you, right?"
"If that's the case, talk to your godfather, Mr. Hong, and ask him to invest more money. You can choose the actors, you can be the director, and rename this movie 'Miss Tang's Autobiography'."
Miss Tang wasn't stupid.
She immediately understood what he meant.
"Mr. Ke, what do you mean by that? Do you think I'm bossy and unreasonable, and my suggestions are all wrong?"
"I didn't say that. You're investing in the production, you have strong backing, and you're so influential that you don't even pay attention to the director. What can I say?"
After he had said such harsh words, she still claimed she had no opinion?
Miss Tang's face immediately fell.
"It seems Mr. Ke has a problem with me. I'm also not satisfied with the script. If that's the case, there's no point in continuing the reading today."
"When you've revised it properly and the male lead has learned to control his temper, then schedule another meeting with me. I don't have time to waste with you all. I'm leaving now."
Before she had even walked out the door, Ke Teng kicked the conference table.
"Damn it, what kind of person is this!"
Xu Yan Chuan was also angered by Miss Tang.
Relying on her beauty, she had found a rich godfather, and look how arrogant she had become.
The entertainment industry today was truly a mess.
Although this movie was adapted from a comic, Xu Yan Chuan was quite satisfied with the plot.
This was his directorial debut, and he hoped to make a big splash with it, so he naturally took it seriously.
Even if he were short on money, he wouldn't hire actors with such poor character.
"I'll discuss with Mr. Hong later to see if we can replace the female lead. If not, this collaboration might not proceed."
"One Young Master Ke is already enough trouble for me. If I have to deal with a delicate female lead as well, I might just die of frustration. Starting a business is really hard!"
Even though he was extremely annoyed, Jiang Nan Fang still had to ask.
"Have you signed a contract with Mr. Hong? If we terminate it now, do we have to pay a high liquidated damages?"
This question made Xu Yan Chuan even more frustrated.
They had already signed the contract, and if they couldn't replace the female lead, he would have to pay the other party ten times the liquidated damages.
Nothing had even started, and they were looking at losing tens of millions. What was all this about!
The meeting today had been utterly demeaning and frustrating.
Upon returning home, Jiang Nan Fang was dispirited. She didn't feel like writing the script anymore and simply sat on the balcony, lost in thought.
Zhan Bei Jue, worried about Jiang Nan Fang being home alone, returned from work early.
Upon entering, he saw her lying in a chair with her eyes closed and thought she had fallen asleep.
Just as he was about to carry her to the bed, Jiang Nan Fang opened her eyes.
"Although the weather is nice, it's easy to catch a chill lying here. Why don't you sleep in bed?"
Jiang Nan Fang didn't answer, instead asking why he had returned so early.
"I was worried about you, afraid you wouldn't eat properly when you're home alone, so I came back for a surprise inspection."
Zhan Bei Jue affectionately squatted down and stroked her face.
"Have you eaten? How are you feeling today?"
It felt so good to be cared for.
Jiang Nan Fang nestled her face into his hand and rubbed against it.
"I've eaten. I feel quite well physically, but I'm a bit upset."
"What's wrong?"
Jiang Nan Fang roughly recounted the troublesome matter Xu Yan Chuan had encountered to him.
"He's too eager for success to prepare everything before starting filming."
Zhan Bei Jue said, "Don't bother with him. If you're responsible for everything and invest all the money, and it fails, you'll be ruined."
"If it works, fine. If not, withdraw quickly. Don't associate with people who aren't prepared in the future."
However, it was her comic adaptation, and the script already had a rough outline. Jiang Nan Fang didn't want to give up now.
Zhan Bei Jue smiled at her.
"I didn't realize you had a dream of becoming famous."
"If you feel that this story is truly satisfactory and it would be a pity not to bring it to the big screen, I'll fund it."
"Tell Xu Yan Chuan to come to my company tomorrow. I'll discuss the specifics with him."
Jiang Nan Fang quickly shook her head.
"Whether it succeeds or not is still uncertain. As you said, if it fails, it will lead to ruin. How can I let you bear this risk?"
Zhan Bei Jue raised his eyebrows confidently.
"Don't worry. With the strength of my Zhan Group, losing ten or eight movies won't lead to bankruptcy."
"Consider it an apology for what happened before, a gift to you. Whether it succeeds or not is irrelevant."