Chapter 221: So Embarrassing
Yet, even though he was her eldest brother, Tan Jinqi had no idea how to repay her.
Director Liu was shocked when he heard about this and shook his head, laughing. "So, I'm not the first person she's gotten favors from,,."
The director was utterly surprised by Tan Mo's ability.
Professor Zhao, Professor Guo, and President Mu were some of the most respected men in their fields.
And, yet, all of them had recognized Tan Mo as a special individual, to the point where they were willing to do anything to get her to work with them.
If that wasn't proof of how amazing she was, then the director couldn't think of any other way to convince people of her worth.
"And here I thought I'd seen how amazing she was during the past two days. Who knew she is even more amazing than that?" Director Liu laughed. "If Professor Zhao, Professor Guo, and President Mu all agreed to her requests, then it means my agreeing to her request must be the right thing to do."
"So, what did she ask for?" Tan Jinqi asked, extremely curious as to what kind of favor Tan Mo had requested from the director.
From what he had seen so far, Tan Mo's requests were always within reason. Even though she was capable enough, she would never ask the other party to do things they weren't comfortable with.
"Your little sister literally helped prepare for your future. She knew that directing your first film as a rookie director would be full of a lot of setbacks. That's why she asked me to help you when needed." Director Liu smiled as he explained. If Tan Mo had been present, she would've been shocked to learn that the director understood the real meaning of her request. "But, I don't think the little girl really knows how much she has helped me. If it hadn't been for her, this whole production would've lost a lot of money. There's no way I could take advantage of such a sweet girl, is there? That's why I promised her that when you direct your first film, I'll be your assistant director."
"Whaaat?" Tan Jinqi could not hide his surprise. Never had he ever thought that Director Liu would make such a huge promise, and one that he had proposed himself instead of Tan Mo requesting it.
It showed how smart the director was.
The reason he told Tan Jinqi his promise to Tan Mo was for the young man to remember what he had done for him.
There was no way the director would let his chance to act like a good person go to waste.
"Don't put any pressure on yourself because of that," the director said. "Even though I did say I'm going to be your assistant director, I'll mostly be there just to make sure no one screws you over. I can also help you with the makeup and costumes if you can't find suitable people to do that. The actors will most likely empty their schedules for you if they see me as your assistant director. As long as I'm there, no one will try to mess with you."
Despite the director saying that there was not much he would do, Tan Jinqi knew that it was more than he could ever ask for.
It was basically unheard of for a hotshot director like him to become a rookie director's assistant.
"Thank you!" Tan Jinqi thanked him with a bow.
Seeing that the young man had understood what he had done, Director Liu smiled and encouraged Tan Jinqi to work harder before heading off to finish his own work.
...
Director Liu had arranged for someone to buy a laptop for Tan Mo and had it delivered to the hotel.
When the doorbell rang, Tan Mo had already moved away from Wei Zhiqian's arms but was still sticking to him as closely as possible.
She was munching on the fruits that Wei Zhiqian had had room service send up.
Naturally, this man felt that it was necessary to feed her.
Tan Mo was munching on a cherry when they heard the doorbell.
She pouted with her lips that were dyed red from the cherry and turned to look at Wei Zhiqian, telling him with her expression that she did not want to move.
Wei Zhiqian smiled and shoved a strawberry into her mouth.
What a lazy kid.
Then the man got up and went to open the door.
Director Liu's assistant jumped back in surprise when he saw a man behind the door. "Y...you are?"
"I'm Mo Mo's uncle," Wei Zhiqian explained and glanced at the bag in the assistant's hand. "You are here to deliver the laptop, right?"
Tan Mo had mentioned it to Wei Zhiqian while they were eating.
"Yes," the assistant nodded and peeked inside the room, wanting to confirm Wei Zhiqian's identity with her. However, he was also reluctant to invade her privacy.
Fortunately, Tan Mo shouted from inside the room, "Just give it to my uncle! Thank you so much!"
After hearing the confirmation from Tan Mo, the assistant let out a sigh of relief and handed the bag with the laptop in it to Wei Zhiqian.
"Please let Tan Mo know that if she needs anything else, she can just let me know," the assistant said. "She should have been added into the group chat by now."
Since Tan Mo was now the scriptwriter and the history consultant for the drama, she was officially part of the crew.
After the assistant left, Wei Zhiqian closed the door and handed the laptop to Tan Mo.
Tan Mo unwrapped the package and sighed. "Why do I have to work when Uncle has come to visit me? I want to spend more time with you..."
Wei Zhiqian smiled and patted her head. "All right, focus on your work. I'll stay here with you."
Tan Mo pouted but finally agreed to it.
Since it was a completely new laptop, she had to set everything up and download all the software she needed.
She couldn't help but yawn as she waited for everything to load.
She had already been tired from staying up all night writing the script, but had gotten too excited when Wei Zhiqian came to visit and had completely forgotten about being tired..
She didn't want to rest now as she had a lot to do and it would also mean that it would steal away the time when she would be able to look at Wei Zhiqian.
However, when she turned the laptop on, her fatigue struck her again.
"What? Are you getting tired just from turning on the laptop?" Wei Zhiqian laughed as he asked.
There was no way Tan Mo was going to tell Wei Zhiqian that she'd only slept for three hours the night before as he would definitely have made her take a rest right away.
That was something that she wanted to prevent. She didn't want to even close her eyes when Wei Zhiqian was around.
She secretly used her healing ability to remove her drowsiness and at the same time to remove the bags from under her eyes.
At the same time, she also removed the red scar on her hand that she had gotten that morning.
Since Wei Zhiqian was the only person in the world who knew that she had the healing ability, Tan Mo only did a minimum amount of healing on her hand when she got burned and did not remove the scar so that Director Liu and other people would not suspect a thing.
She had completely forgotten about the scar when Wei Zhiqian arrived since she had been completely captivated by him.
It wasn't until she used her healing ability that she noticed the scar and removed it as well.
When Wei Zhiqian noticed the scar disappearing from Tan Mo's hand, he couldn't help but gasp quietly at how amazing her healing ability was.
After removing her fatigue, Tan Mo began to create the script for the next episode. Wei Zhiqian pulled up a chair next to her and brought the plate of fruits with him as well.
As Tan Mo typed on the laptop, he would feed her fruits from time to time.
Almost half an hour had passed, and Tan Mo finally said, "I'm full. My belly is already bulging from eating too much."
Thinking that since they were alone and there was no need to hold back, Wei Zhiqian poked Tan Mo's belly and noticed that it was indeed puffing up. "Ha, ha,ha, you're right."
Unexpectedly, Tan Mo turned to glare at Wei Zhiqian as her cheeks reddened.
"Uncle! I...I'm still a lady, you know? How could you do that?" Tan Mo was completely embarrassed by what Wei Zhiqian had just done.
"Do what?" Wei Zhiqian looked at her dumbfoundedly as he thought it was normal for one's belly to bulge a little from eating too much.
"I mean...my belly has bulged from eating too much, and you still touched it. Don't you know ladies all like their bellies flat so they can stay pretty? This is so embarrassing!"
Chapter 222: My Waist Is Slim
She was a beautiful girl.
She was worried that her image could be ruined if Wei Zhiqian rubbed her belly.
HMPH! Wei Zhiqian scoffed in disdain. "Most women just suck their bellies in. Once they relax, their tummies become so plump."
Wei Zhiqian gestured as he spoke.
"How does Uncle know this?" Tan Mo moved her hands away from the keyboard. She turned around and asked, "Have you rubbed the tummies of other girls?"
Tan Mo seemed quite upset.
Wei Zhiqian: "..."
"I haven't!" Wei Zhiqian felt quite wronged.
It was almost as though he had been caught having an extramarital affair.
At that moment, his mind flashed back to her childhood days. Tan Mo had grabbed his face once and asked him if he had another little dumpling apart from her.
"Then how does uncle know?" Tan Mo wasn't someone who was easily fooled. She wasn't going to let go of this so easily.
"That's what Han Zhuoli told me," Wei Zhiqian explained. "You must be aware that the Han Empire controls the biggest movie company in our country. He is constantly graced by the presence of female celebrities. I asked him if their figures were really that perfect. He told me that they usually suck their bellies in when they are out in public."
Wei Zhiqian ruthlessly pushed the blame onto Han Zhuoli.
In actuality, Han Zhuoli hadn't told him this.
Han Zhuoli certainly wouldn't know about this.
He had only said that to appease Tan Mo. He didn't want to be responsible if Tan Mo tried to diet and lose weight just like the female celebrities all did?
Tan Mo was already skinny enough.
"Uncle Han Zhuoli touched the tummies of female celebrities?" Tan Mo asked in shock.
Even though he had shifted the blame onto Han Zhuoli, Wei Zhiqian still had a conscience.
He didn't want to ruin Han Zhuoli's reputation completely. "No, probably not. Your uncle lives an honest life. He must have heard it from someone else."
Tan Mo didn't really care if Han Zhuoli had touched them or not.
She nodded her head and let the matter go.
Wei Zhiqian finally heaved a sigh of relief. Then he asked, "Are you envious of those people who wear clothes that expose their waists?"
Tan Mo felt that there was something Wei Zhiqian was trying to say that was coming out wrong.
"I'm not envious. I can pull it off too." Tan Mo straightened her waist. She even took a deep breath to suck her tummy in. "My waist is pretty small."
Wei Zhiqian nodded his head nonchalantly. "Right."
Wei Zhiqian pondered for a moment. Then he looked at her waist closely.
It did appear quite slender.
Wei Zhiqian surreptitiously measured her waist with his hands behind his back.
It was actually very small.
"Really!" Tan Mo sensed that Wei Zhiqian didn't appear convinced. She pressed her arms onto her waistline. "My tummy is a little bigger than usual today because I ate quite a lot. Normally my belly is flat. I don't even have to suck it in!
"Even so, I wouldn't wear clothes that reveal my waist." She was a prim and proper young lady. Wouldn't it be cheapening herself if the boys in her university ogled her?
Tan Mo had very fair skin. Her complexion was exceedingly beautiful.
"It's bad for your health anyway." Wei Zhiqian tried to sound more grown up. "If your tummy gets dirty or if it gets cold, you could get a stomachache."
Tan Mo: "..."
"If girls don't take good care of their bellies and protect them, they'll be more prone to cramps during their periods," Wei Zhiqian added.
Tan Mo: "..."
"Uncle, you're a man. Where did you learn this from?" Tan Mo asked in bewilderment.
"Since I have a niece like you, I had to educate myself on these things. What if you fell ill due to a moment of carelessness?" Wei Zhiqian explained as though his words were completely rational. He didn't think his actions were strange.
What's more, he wasn't even her biological uncle.
Even if he had been her biological uncle or even her father for that matter, few people would go to such an extent.
"You should have a good awareness of your health from the start. With a good foundation, it'll be more comfortable for you in the future," Wei Zhiqian went on. "I've done some research. Many girls fail to recognize the importance of such things early on. At the start, they never suffer from menstrual cramps. But once they didn't take good care of themselves, they started to get cramps every month. Even finding a remedy is difficult.
When Wei Zhiqian saw Tan Mo's lips twitch, he quickly spoke up before she could say anything, "I know you have healing abilities. But that doesn't mean you should stop caring about your health. Even if you use your healing abilities, it will consume some of your energy. In order to heal one part of yourself, you'll sacrifice another. It's analogous to tearing down the east wall to rebuild the west wall. You'll never be able to see the full results of your healing. Hence, you should start by staying vigilant and maintaining your health on a day-to-day basis."
If Tan Mo didn't reply soon, Wei Zhiqian would just keep on babbling.
"Understood." Tan Mo had no choice but to heed his words. "I won't expose my waist."
Wei Zhiqian was finally satisfied. "You said it. You have to stay true to your word."
Tan Mo pouted. "Uncle, you don't believe me? Since when have I defaulted on my promises to you?"
"I got it." Wei Zhiqian hastily quelled her brewing temper. "I have always believed in you."
HARRUMPH!. She finally dropped the matter and continued writing.
All the historical records were already etched in her brain.
For this reason, Tan Mo didn't need to waste time looking up resources.
Her productivity levels were many times higher than those of other people.
Before the computer arrived, Tan Mo had told Wei Zhiqian how urgent this scriptwriting task she was working on was.
So Tan Mo didn't take any breaks. Wei Zhiqian didn't keep nagging at her to take breaks either.
He knew that when things got busy, it would be unpleasant to have to hear someone nagging and telling them to take a break.
Imagine if the workload was too heavy and there was the possibility that you might not be able to complete it. And yet someone keeps asking you to stop working and rest.
That wouldn't be considered being helpful.
"How much will you be able to write today?" Wei Zhiqian asked her.
"One episode a day for now." Tan Mo's eyes didn't stray away from her screen. Her fingers continued to drum vigorously down on the keyboard.
Normally, an episode would entail about 10,000 words.
Whenever the camera panned on someone and the focus was on the small gestures made by the character, there wouldn't be a need for a script. Hence, she wouldn't need to write much for those scenes.
"Director Liu's proposal consists of 80 episodes," Tan Mo explained as she typed. She was able to multitask.
"Hence, no matter how hard I work, I won't be able to complete all 80 episodes before school starts," Tan Mo said. "I will probably be able to finish one to two episodes a day.
"School is starting in 12 days. I should be able to finish at least 20 chapters during this time so that Director Liu can start filming. Once I return to school, I'll continue writing and submit every episode to him once I'm finished," Tan Mo said. "Since I can complete more work now that I'm not in school, I am going to try to maintain a speed of one to two episodes a day. Once I return to school, I'll have to juggle my schoolwork, as well as my research work. I'll only be able to complete at most one episode a day.
"Even if I can write 80 episodes in this way, it'll still take a long time." Even if she churned out episodes at the rate of these first 20 scripts, it would still take her 60 days. That was two whole months.
However, this was honestly a conservative estimate on Tan Mo's part.
If she had enough time once school started, she could write even more, with one episode a day being the minimum.
Chapter 223: Is That so Hard to Understand
"The amount of time required to complete the drama will be long, but it'll be a better result than expected," Tan Mo said as she continued to write. "At least they can start filming according to schedule. Even if the filming is slightly delayed, Director Liu can explain to the investors that he's simply making improvements to the script."
Wei Zhiqian didn't utter a single word as Tan Mo explained what was going on, but the smile on his face had gotten wider and wider.
Without him realizing it, this little girl had already matured more than he could ever have imagined.
"I see. All right, that explains everything. I won't bother you any longer," Wei Zhiqian said. "I'll just be quiet. The earlier you finish the script, the earlier you get to rest."
...
As Wei Zhiqian was staying with Tan Mo as she finished the next episode, Director Liu's assistant returned to the studio after taking Tan Mo the new computer.
"Did you get Yuan Qishan's plane ticket?" the director asked his assistant.
"Yes. I'll head to the hotel to pick her up and take her to the airport later. The professor and Shen Jingyi will be coming with us as well. Their flight is around the same time."
"Good. Make sure you see Yuan Qishan go through customs with your own eyes. It would actually be better if you could see her board the plane yourself."
Director Liu was paying serious attention to this matter, as he was worried that the longer Yuan Qishan stayed around the studio, the more problems she would cause.
Even though he could not control her actions, there was one thing that he could do, and that was to purchase a plane ticket to make her leave.
Usually, he wouldn't care so much about it, but Wei Zhiqian had made it clear that she had to leave, so Director Liu really wanted to get rid of her now since she seemed like a ticking bomb.
If anything were to happen more, he would have to bear the responsibility for it.
That was why he was eager to send her away.
"Will do," the assistant replied.
Coincidentally, Tan Jinqi entered the room just seconds after the conversation had ended.
"Is Mo Mo okay with the new computer?" he asked the assistant.
"I didn't get a chance to ask her. Her uncle was the one who answered the door. I only heard Tan Mo's voice coming from inside the room."
Tan Jinqi's eyes widened as if he had been struck by lightning.
What the heck? Why is Wei Zhiqian here again? Isn't he busy? Doesn't he have classes and a ton of work to do at his company? Where does he even find the time?
Tan Jinqi was frustrated because he had thought that he finally had some time to spend with his lovely younger sister alone.
Director Liu only saw the surprise on Tan Jinqi's face. Little did he know that his assistant director was actually filled with jealousy and anger.
"Oh, right. I forgot to tell you that Young Master Wei got here this morning. He arrived just after we finished breakfast," the director explained with a smile. "I did not realize that he was so close to Tan Mo."
Tan Jinqi could only reply with a smile. There was no way he was going to tell the director that he was holding back an urge to beat up Wei Zhiqian.
"Another thing," Director Liu continued, "we're seeing Professor Zhao off at the airport later. Do you want to join us?"
Since Tan Mo was the professor's student, the director believed that Tan Jinqi would like to join them.
"Of course," Tan Jinqi agreed.
The main reason he wanted to go was that he was sure that Tan Mo would be there as well. He didn't want Tan Mo to spend all of her time with Wei Zhiqian alone.
The brother followed Director Liu to the hotel and found that Tan Mo and Wei Zhiqian were already in the lobby talking to the professor.
"Come on, you didn't have to come. You still have to finish the script," Professor Zhao said to Tan Mo.
"It's fine. I spent the whole morning working on it. I have the time to see you off. Plus, I can take a break to stretch and move around a little." Tan Mo smiled. "It's too boring staying in the room all the time."
Since Tan Mo was still very young, as well as cute, the professor treated her like his own granddaughter.
He didn't bother trying to persuade her any longer.
Tan Jinqi quickly walked up and greeted Wei Zhiqian with a question, "So, when are you leaving?"
The others couldn't believe what they had just heard, but Wei Zhiqian was used to it.
"Tomorrow at noon," Wei Zhiqian replied. "Just leave Mo Mo to me. I know you are very busy at the studio."
The brother glared at Wei Zhiqian in response, not wanting to exchange another word with the man.
After they had arrived at the airport and just before the departing party went through customs, Shen Jingyi said to Tan Mo, "I know you still have much to learn, so if there's something you don't quite understand, you can let me know. I'll do my best to help you out."
She wasn't about to give up just yet.
"Thank you," replied Tan Mo with a smile. "But I think it's best if I ask Professor Zhao. He's our instructor, after all."
Shen Jingyi's smile froze the moment she heard that reply.
Seriously, I know you are young and don't know how the world works just yet, but can't you just give me some help here? Heck, who knows, maybe one day, you'll need my help in the future? Isn't it better not to go this far? Is that so hard to understand?
Shen Jingyi still wanted to argue, but Professor Zhao urged her to move along. "Come on, let's go."
She didn't even have the chance to say what was on her mind.
After pushing his student past through customs, Professor Zhao turned to Tan Mo. "Just ask me if there really is something that you don't know. You can call me any time you want. I can even help save you time researching if it's something I know already. Also, remember that you're Director Liu's savior. You are already helping him by writing the script, so don't force yourself too much, okay? You're still young, and you need your rest. Since you've already written the first episode, they're able to start filming on time. You can write as many as you want before the semester starts. Your health comes first, you got it?"
Professor Zhao had almost fainted when he'd learned that Tan Mo had only slept three hours the night before so that she could finish the script for the first episode.
Even if she was young, she should not tire herself out like that.
Director Liu could only smile solemnly as he realized that Professor Zhao was directing those words at him, telling him not to urge Tan Mo to hurry too much.
"Don't worry. I'll make sure that she gets enough rest while she's here," Director Liu assured the professor.
"I know how to take care of myself too. I'm not going to torture my body." Tan Mo smiled.
Professor Zhao knew what kind of person Tan Mo was. She was the type who would laze around whenever she got the chance, but when she had a job to do, she would give her full attention to it.
The only thing the professor was worried about was whether Tan Mo would forget everything else if she was too focused on doing the script.
After seeing the professor and Shen Jingyi off, they all returned to the studio.
On the way back, Director Liu got a call from an unrecognized number.
The others did not pay much attention to the call as it wasn't their right to pry.
Both Tan Mo and Wei Zhiqian were in the same vehicle as well. The driver was going to drop them off at the hotel on their way back.
Chapter 224: A Little Humble
However, the next second, Director Liu's tone turned respectful. "Professor Guo! Nice to talk to you."
The others quickly turned to stare at the director.
Professor Guo? The Professor Guo of Beijing University?
That was the only person that the others could think of, and they quickly turned to look at Tan Mo.
After talking a while on the phone, Director Liu quickly gave his assurances to Professor Guo. "Of course. I'll make sure to take good care of Tan Mo. You don't have to worry about her."
"Liu...I can call you Liu, right?" Professor Guo asked since that was how Professor Zhao addressed the director.
"Of course. It would be an honor."
No matter how rich or famous he was as a film director, his standing was still far from that of both professors of Beijing University, who were hailed as their nation's heroes.
These two people were respected by everyone and their names were engraved in the hall of fame.
They were people who were invited to the most important events in the country.
Director Liu clearly understood the difference in their social statuses and that he had to show respect toward these two professors.
"I heard from Zhao that Tan Mo is helping with your script, right?" Professor Guo asked with a gentle laugh.
Just as I thought. He's calling to ask about Tan Mo. Director Liu thought to himself. From the moment the caller had identified himself as Professor Guo, the director knew that the only people around him that would have the professor's attention were Tan Mo and Professor Zhao. However, since the two professors had the same fame and standing, there was no way the caller would call to ask about his colleague.
The director's heart was racing so fast that he could even hear his own heartbeat. He couldn't believe how highly the two professors thought about Tan Mo, a 15-year-old girl.
"Yes." Director Liu nodded in affirmation. "If not for her, the drama would've been a disaster."
"That's how amazing she is. You have to thank your lucky stars for meeting her." Professor Guo laughed.
Director Liu stared blankly at his phone. I mean...you ain't wrong, but can't you be a little more modest... It makes me feel like I've done something terribly wrong.
"Tan Mo is my favorite student. Please take good care of her while she's there," Professor Guo urged.
"Of course." The director nodded his head. "She's now the key of our whole operation. Not only is she writing our script, but she's also acting as our history consultant. You don't have to worry about a thing. She'll get the best hospitality we have to offer. I'll bear all the responsibilities if Tan Mo ever complains to you about her time here when she gets back."
The reason for Professor Guo's call was so that he could make sure the crew would take good care of Tan Mo. Since he was thousands of miles away from her, this was all that he could do. He didn't want the people there to look down on Tan Mo just because she was still a teenager.
After hanging up the call, Director Liu let out a sigh of relief and said, "Tan Mo, your professors sure think highly of you."
"Why else do you think I became their student?" Tan Mo smiled. "The way they talk about me proves how amazing I am. You better make sure I am well taken care of here. You sure are lucky to have run into me."
Director Liu was speechless once again. Tan Mo was literally repeating what Professor Guo had just said, which only convinced him even more that she was the professor's student.
However, the more the director interacted with the little girl, the more he found her interesting.
Most people would act humble when they were praised, and the conversation would've ended right away.
Tan Mo was different than most people. Not a hint of modesty could be found in what she said.
"You sure aren't modest, are you?" The director laughed.
Since there was no sarcasm in the director's words, Tan Jinqi relaxed a little.
Tan Mo tilted her head and looked at the director with a cute expression.
"Being too modest is a form of arrogance," Tan Mo said. "Since the professors have showered me with praise, and they've even gone to great lengths to assure that I have the ability to help you, wouldn't I be embarrassing them if I acted humble and said they were just exaggerating? Instead, it's better to acknowledge what they said and thank them for their kind words."
"I finally see why the professors like you so much now." Director Liu shook his head with a smile and turned to Tan Jinqi, who was sitting next to him. "Your little sister sure is amazing."
They were sitting in a small van. When they went to the airport, Director Liu's assistant stayed in the same car as Yuan Qishan so that she wouldn't attempt an escape.
Now that Yuan Qishan was gone, the assistant had returned with the rest of the gang and was now sitting in a passenger seat.
"Not only is she smart at such a young age, but she has a high EQ as well." Director Liu complimented her.
When a person receives a compliment, their mind needs some time to react to it. Thus, most people's first reaction was to give a humble response, unlike Tan Mo.
Only Tan Mo could understand the compliment she had received and gave an appropriate response a few seconds later.
"You're right." Tan Jinqi nodded in agreement. "In the end, not many people can get a full score on the high school graduation exam and get into Beijing University at the age of 15 as she did."
This time, the director was even more speechless.
Is everyone from the Tan family like this? There's nothing wrong in being a little humble, you know?
The director even thought of saying how he wished his own son had half of Tan Mo's amazingness. Now, there was no way he could say it. He didn't want to help flame the Tan siblings' egos even more.
The vehicle took a detour to the hotel to drop Tan Mo and Wei Zhiqian off before heading back to the studio.
Despite being jealous of how close Tan Mo and Wei Zhiqian were, Tan Jinqi was also relieved that the latter was there to take care of her.
The only problem was that whenever Wei Zhiqian was there, there was no spot for him to shine. Even though his ranking as his little sister's favorite was about the same as Wei Zhiqian's, he knew that it would only take a few years for the gap to widen.
As for leaving Tan Mo alone with another man, Tan Jinqi wasn't worried about that because that man was Wei Zhiqian. He was confident that Wei Zhiqian was neither a pervert nor a pedophile and that his relationship with Tan Mo was purely as uncle and niece.
No matter how much the Tan family disliked Wei Zhiqian, they still had faith in his moral standing.
For the rest of the day, Tan Mo locked herself in her room, completely focused on completing the script.
Wei Zhiqian stayed close to her, not leaving her side for even a split second.
He even ordered a simple meal through room service for their dinner so that Tan Mo did not have to divert her attention from her work.
As for Tan Jinqi, he also worked at the studio until late at night. He was glad that Wei Zhiqian was also here so that he didn't have to worry if Tan Mo had had her meal or not.
Despite only having a simple meal, Wei Zhiqian made sure that the meal had all the nutrients Tan Mo needed.
The meal was something that the little girl could quickly finish but was still healthy.
Chapter 225: Wei Zhiqian Finds Out
At around 9:00 pm that night, Tan Mo finally completed two more episodes.
She had originally intended to finish just one-and-a-half episodes. However, after some contemplation, she gritted her teeth and powered on to finish the third episode.
After she'd finished writing, Tan Mo skimmed through it once more to check for any errors.
"Uncle, what do you think of these two episodes?" Wei Zhiqian had read the script while Tan Mo wrote.
The moment Tan Mo finished writing, Wei Zhiqian had also finished reading through her work.
"If I were the audience, I would definitely want to continue watching this show." Wei Zhiqian watched as Tan Mo saved the file. Then she sent it to Director Liu via email.
"You aren't saying that just to flatter me, right?" Tan Mo grinned happily at Wei Zhiqian.
Wei Zhiqian tapped the tip of her nose.
Judging from Tan Mo's expression, he could tell that she believed him. She didn't have any doubts.
"I never flatter people when it comes to such serious matters." Wei Zhiqian tilted his chin up slightly. He did so in such a candid manner.
"Judging from the script that I've read alone, I can tell that the show moves at a fast pace. The conversations between the characters are very well staged. Their conversations are meaningful, not at all superficial," Wei Zhiqian continued. "The conversations are also very appropriate for their relevant characters. None of the characters are too overpowering. As the leads probe and sound out each other, their doubts and misgivings are evident through their speeches. What's more, the decisions they make are firm and resolute.
"The manner in which the wives speak fits perfectly into the context of the time they are living in. Back in those days, the wives had to adapt to their times and environment. They also had to deal with all the changes around them, as well as the cruelty of war. Most important, they had to bear the responsibility of assisting their husbands. If they didn't adhere to all these rules, they could meet ruthless consequences.
"There aren't many productions like this. If it is filmed well, it will allow the audience to rediscover that particular era. Nowadays, most of the historical dramas are focused on the harem politics in the palace. Although they illustrate beauty, they lack vigor. They give the audience a misperception, and they might assume that women in historical times were merely involved in petty harem politics." Wei Zhiqian explained his point of view.
"However, the women in different time periods live in different kinds of environments. This particular series should be able to portray the capabilities of women well."
Tan Mo propped her chin up with her hand. "Uncle is the best."
He wasn't a misogynist who looked down on the female gender.
He was a capable and refined man. Yet he wasn't an arrogant and proud person.
Naturally, her three brothers and her father were such people as well.
If her future suitors were not like this, she wouldn't fancy them at all.
"I shall wash my face now. I'll take a shower tomorrow morning." Tan Mo yawned.
It had been such a tiring day.
She had slept a total of three hours the night before. Her remaining time had been spent engaging in work that required a lot of thinking.
Her work for the day was finally completed. Tan Mo relaxed and realized that her head ached a little. She was extremely fatigued and didn't feel like moving at all. She yearned for a good night's rest.
She wouldn't even have had the energy to wash up. However, she was worried that Wei Zhiqian would find her dirty and unhygienic.
"Go on." Wei Zhiqian closed her notebook. Tan Mo went to the bathroom to wash up.
It was just as Wei Zhiqian had said. If Tan Mo tried to use her healing ability on herself, it would be analogous to tearing down the east wall to build up the west wall: a futile effort.
In the end, she would merely be transferring her bodily reserves from one part to another.
Tan Mo was currently in a state of extreme lethargy. It was an aftereffect of the day and night she'd just been through.
Even the dark circles below her eyes had reappeared due to her current weakness.
While Tan Mo was in the bathroom, the doorbell to her room rang.
Wei Zhiqian went to open the door. Director Liu and Tan Jinqi were standing outside.
"I just received the scripts for the second and third episodes from Tan Mo." Director Liu strode into the room as he spoke. "She managed to write them so quickly?"
"After seeing Professor Zhao off, Mo Mo spent her entire day writing the scripts in her room. She sent them to you right after she finished writing them and checking them through." Wei Zhiqian sounded a little angry when he said this. His tone of voice became a little more solemn.
Naturally, he wasn't angry at Tan Mo. On the contrary, he was a little upset at Director Liu and Tan Jinqi.
For exhausting Tan Mo.
Especially Director Liu.
He had failed to oversee the script, allowing mistakes to slip through.
Now Tan Mo had to help pull him out of this mess. Good for him.
"Mo Mo said that she would try her best to write as much as she can before school starts. This way, you would be able to start filming" Wei Zhiqian did not forget to reveal how hard Tan Mo had worked.
Tan Mo did indeed receive compensation for being the adviser. She was also being remunerated for writing the script.
However, not many people would work as hard as Tan Mo, even if they were being paid.
Director Liu was exceedingly lucky to have met Tan Mo.
When Director Liu heard all this, his heart was moved. He instantly felt a sense of gratitude, appreciation, and guilt wash over him all at once. His feelings were rather complex, and he didn't know what to say.
"Originally, I'd intended to have at least three or four episodes worth of scripts prepared in advance before I started filming. That alone would have been marvelous," Director Liu said emotionally.
Tan Mo walked out in a daze. Because she was so exhausted, she had not heard their conversation.
Her bright eyes had lost their luster, and they appeared completely blank at that moment.
It was almost as though she had been hypnotized. Her eyes were staring straight ahead but her feet strayed sideways. Her shoulders bumped into the wall.
Wei Zhiqian and Tan Jinqi rushed over simultaneously.
They supported Tan Mo, one on each side.
"Why are you exhausted to such a degree?" Although Wei Zhiqian didn't know, Tan Jinqi and Director Liu were completely aware of the truth.
Director Liu blamed himself. "In order to rush the script for the first episode, she only had three hours of sleep yesterday. Yet, she did such intensive work today. This is why she is so exhausted."
Tan Mo snapped out of her stupor.
"I'm fine, I'm fine!" Oh dear! Wei Zhiqian shouldn't know about this.
She hadn't wanted him to know that she was hiding it from him. She hadn't dared to say it.
Even Tan Jinqi had kept it to himself.
"Is this how you're taking care of Mo Mo?" Wei Zhiqian interrogated Tan Jinqi icily.
Tan Jinqi sighed. "I failed to take care of her although it was my responsibility."
Wei Zhiqian harrumphed coldly. His face became frosty as he picked Tan Mo up.
He didn't need Tan Jinqi to hold her.
He placed Tan Mo on the bed. When Tan Mo caught sight of his unprecedentedly icy face, she quickly shot out her arm and tugged at Wei Zhiqian's clothes.
"Uncle, don't be angry." Tan Mo's tiny hand grasped onto his clothes tightly. Her voice was soft and mellow. "Those were special circumstances. It won't happen from today onward. I will start getting sufficient rest. I will sleep early and wake up early just like before.
Wei Zhiqian lowered his voice as he said, "You clearly knew that you were not well rested. Yet you still used your..."
Powers.
Wei Zhiqian didn't say this out loud.
But Tan Mo understood what he was trying to say.
Wei Zhiqian was angry about this.
Her powers would consume her physical reserves.
Since her reserves were low and her powers had been consumed, it would only make her more lethargic. If she didn't take care of herself, she might even fall ill.
"Am I someone who would stop you when you're working hard?" Wei Zhiqian uttered in a low voice. "Everyone will have busy periods in their lives, and everyone might have to work overtime. Even I do. Even though you care about me, you certainly wouldn't stop me from doing my work. Naturally, I won't stop you either. Otherwise, I wouldn't have allowed you to attend school in the day and study with me at night back in the day."
Chapter 226: The School Spoiled Her
"You're still continuing your hard work even though you know that you're hurt..." Wei Zhiqian's voice was soft. "You don't know how to take care of yourself."
Tan Mo was supposed to be the one who understood him the most, but she didn't understand why he was mad. That only made him more angry.
She was hard to persuade.
SIGH... Tan Mo could understand Wei Zhiqan's point of view, and she even understood why he became frustrated when she seemed to not comprehend the importance of what he was saying.
She tugged on Wei Zhiqian's shirt. "I know, I know... It's not that I don't understand where you're coming from, it's just that my brain's a little muddled right now."
Tan Mo released her grip on his shirt and rubbed her temples softly. "My brain's not functioning well today, so I didn't give it enough thought."
HUMPH! Wei Zhiqian let out a frustrated sound. Here we go...
"Go to sleep." He tucked her in.
Since they'd been at the hotel the entire evening, Tan Mo had changed into fuzzy pajamas for maximum comfort.
This saved her the time and effort to get changed for bed.
Tan Mo closed her eyes immediately. She was exhausted.
She fell asleep as soon as her head touched the pillow.
Just look at how drained she was...
...
Wei Zhiqian and Tan Mo had been chattering away so privately. Director Liu and Tan Jinqi couldn't really hear what they had been babbling on about.
It seemed as if they had been talking about some secret between them.
Tan Jinqi was so jealous that his eyes started watering.
Then Director Liu's phone rang.
He picked it up at the first ring because he didn't want to wake up Tan Mo. He was planning to head out now anyway.
He then heard the person on the other end of the phone introduce themselves, and his shock was visible.
"Headmaster Mu!" Director Liu exclaimed, making sure to keep his voice low.
"I heard from Professor Zhao and Professor Guo that Tan Mo was joining your scriptwriting team? And that she's also not only handling the scriptwriting, but also the expert consultancy.
Director Liu didn't know how to respond.
Professor Guo and Professor Zhao had told Headmaster Mu about this?
"Ah, yes." Director Liu started to praise Tan Mo again.
With Headmaster Mu calling personally, of course he had to praise her again.
During the past two days, he'd praised Tan Mo so much that his mouth felt sore.
"I just wanted to make sure that she is in capable hands," Headmaster Mu said.
How many students would receive such care from Headmaster Mu personally? To receive a personal phone call?
First, it had been Professor Zhao, then it had been Professor Guo, and now it was Headmaster Mu.
Just exactly what position did Tan Mo have at Beijing University?
It definitely seemed as if the school couldn't spoil her enough, could they?
"Of course," Director Liu responded quickly.
"Did she have a good day today?" Headmaster Mu asked.
"Speaking about this makes me feel a little ashamed. Tan Mo quite literally pulled an all-nighter yesterday in order to write a script and then she wrote this entire day also. She has only just gone to sleep. She must be exhausted," Director Liu said. "I'll be supervising her from tomorrow onward. I can't let her drain herself like this every day."
"She's got plenty of knowledge in that brain of hers. Director Liu, you've got to take care of it." Headmaster Mu reminded him after hearing what he'd said.
Director Liu hurriedly agreed.
And, after hanging up, he began wondering if anyone else was going to give him a call tomorrow.
He was too naive.
He never would've thought that he would have been able to keep such a sweetheart.
He really had to look after her. There was no such thing as replacing Tan Mo. There was no replacement for her at all.
This was the best team he could assemble.
Director Liu left after his phone call to let Tan Mo get a good night's sleep.
Tan Jinqi made sure that Wei Zhiqian left too.
As reassuring as it had been to have Wei Zhiqian take care of Tan Mo, it wasn't as if he should be staying with her all night.
...
Tan Mo woke up at 8:00 in the morning the next day.
Since she had gone to sleep early, she was able to wake up at her normal time the next day.
After a good night's rest, she was in good spirits and in better writing condition too.
Wei Zhiqian didn't have to leave until 3:00 in the afternoon to head to the airport.
Tan Mo wanted to go to the airport to send him off, but Wei Zhiqian wouldn't allow it.
If Tan Mo were to accompany him to the airport, she'd have to come back alone. He was worried about that.
This was why he'd only agreed to have Tan Mo take him down to the hotel's entrance and watch him leave in his car.
No matter what Tan Mo said, she couldn't change his mind.
Wei Zhiqian sat in his car with the door still open. Tan Mo bent down to say her goodbyes. They couldn't bear to leave one another.
It was hard enough that Wei Zhiqian had come to see her, and Tan Mo had had to stay in her room almost the entire time, typing away. Even though he was beside her most of the time, it was still not any fun.
And they hadn't been together for so long before that...
"Go back inside." Wei Zhiqian ruffled her hair.
Tan Mo nodded and went inside the hotel. She watched the car drive away. Only when she couldn't see it any longer did she head back to her room..
Once she returned, she felt as if the room was empty.
Wei Zhiqian had been with her in the room, and, if she wanted anything, Wei Zhiqian was always at her service.
He didn't do anything else but focus on her.
But now, Wei Zhiqian wasn't around anymore.
Not only was the room empty, her heart had gotten a lot more hollow too. It was like something was missing.
She sat down and continued writing, but she felt as if something was wrong.
Every few minutes, she'd turn around to see if Wei Zhiqian was there.
But he was long gone.
She would turn around and all she would see was a plain wall.
Her shoulders sagged in disappointment as she pouted and got back to writing.
In her current condition, she'd be able to finish writing today's task. That was better than nothing.
During the next few days, Tan Mo wrote every day.
Tan Mo even participated in the opening work of the drama team.
She met the cast not just as a writer, but also as a historical consultant.
"Tan Mo, you've got three days before you have to leave. Do make use of these three days, and tell the staff about the mannerisms of the time, please. Our cast has to to know these things also," Director Liu said. "You can put down the script for a while."
Tan Mo agreed.
Director Liu then took her along and introduced her to the main cast.
The main cast was mostly full of actors who were experienced and in their 40s; there were even some in their 70s.
But, as in any drama, you couldn't have just experienced actors like these. You had to have at least a few young, fresh actors for some other roles.
This was why there was a relatively young cast around as well.
Some of their acting skills were already not that bad, while there were others who had room for improvement.
And those who were not that bad also had room to improve as well.
Tan Mo realized that if it had been just the younger cast performing, the show would still be watchable. But when the older cast were working, that changed the game. Their differences in skill were huge.
"Everyone, this is Tan Mo. Not only is she our scriptwriter, she's also our consultant. In the next three days, we'll be having Tan Mo explain to us the different mannerisms of the different people in the era we are filming. This includes greetings, body actions, drinking, dining, and so on. We can't have the crowd catching us making mistakes on these little details." Director Liu smiled as he explained.
Chapter 227: Deleting Your Lines
"Is she the scriptwriter or the consultant?" an actress asked as she looked at Tan Mo suspiciously.
Tan Mo had a vague memory of this woman. Her name was Xu Miaotong. She was an actress who was known to have a high level of sexual chemistry.
She was very well known to the public, and anyone who paid just a little bit of attention to the entertainment industry would know her name.
Her acting skills were decent, but she could be hired for less than popular A-list actresses.
Director Liu was a little embarrassed to tell Tan Mo about this, but Xu Miaotong had been brought in with the recommendation of the sponsors and managers.
Since there was already a strong cast, whether or not she performed well wouldn't be that important. That was the only reason why Director Liu had agreed to cast her.
Not everyone in the older and experienced generation was indifferent to fame and fortune.
Many already had their own connections, and those connections behind the scenes could account for more than their public reputations.
Those who wanted to surpass them by being pushed by the managers and sponsors would have a hard time trying to do so.
But Xu Miaotong could also rely on her own connections behind the scenes.
She couldn't afford to stir up any trouble with the big shots. Would she even be afraid of Tan Mo?
"Director Liu, it's not that I'm shallow and looking down on those who are younger than I am. We can all admit that the older generation has better acting skills than we do. But with someone as young as Tan Mo being both the scriptwriter and consultant...is she really reliable?"
A child that young being her teacher? It was a bit odd.
And nervy too..
Director Liu wasn't angry.
He hadn't publicly stated Tan Mo's age either, just to try and prevent tension.
"Don't look down on her. She knows a lot more than you think. The industry has become so specialized now," Director Liu explained. "Tan Mo is from Beijing University. She's a student of both Professor Zhao in the History Department and Professor Guo in the Chinese Department. Both professors have personally told me just how accomplished she is. It was only by a stroke of luck that we are able to have her here.
"Even Headmaster Mu from Beijing University called me and said the same things, and he even requested that I take good care of her." Director Liu smiled. "With three seniors telling us this about Tan Mo's true potential and skills, do we really still need to doubt her?
"Miaotong, you should learn to be a bit more polite and kinder to other people. If you don't, what will happen if you drive the little girl away? That would be a huge loss for us. We might even have to halt production entirely. Don't think that Tan Mo's only working hard for money. She's here to save the day. Without her, I wouldn't know what to do."
If Tan Mo really were to leave, there wouldn't even be any issues of contract to discuss.
With Wei Zhiqian around, Tan Mo had no reason to be afraid.
Director Liu didn't dare to bring Wei Zhiqian up.
He was worried that once he did so, then everyone would really be scared of insulting Tan Mo and instead would try to mess with her in more subtle ways.
With the experienced ones working for him, Director Liu had learned to be careful about the different situations he encountered.
Anyone who worked in this industry had to struggle through h*ll. There was no such thing as bluffing your way through. Everyone knew that.
Xu Miaotong stopped complaining after hearing what Director Liu had said.
She looked at Tan Mo again and saw that she was laughing at her.
This laughter left a mark on Xu Miaotong's heart.
Then she noticed that this young lady seemed to have an expression that showed a liking for her. Her smile was wide, but also very careful.
And when Xu Miaotong looked over, she even waved at her.
Xu Miaotong's heart softened up a bit then.
How could she be so well behaved at such a young age?
As Tan Mo waved, she said, "I'm quite young, so I'm not really brave or suitable enough to be your teacher. Professionally, I can only help out a little. Professor Zhao entrusted this job to me and said that I could do as I saw fit. Ms. Xu need not worry. I won't be making any trouble for the team.
"Regarding the mannerisms, there's nothing much for me to teach or say. I'll just act it out once, and I'm sure everyone will get it in one go." Tan Mo smiled sweetly, and Xu Miaotong smiled right back at her.
Director Liu didn't say anything.
He hadn't expected Tan Mo to be so diplomatic. She really knew her way with words.
He'd initially thought that she was the one who was being spoiled at home, especially by Wei Zhiqian. At school too, with Headmaster Mu, Professor Zhao, and Professor Guo.
Tan Mo had only stayed to write the script.
With the three phone calls he'd received, it became obvious that, even if she didn't act spoiled, she'd at least have to have some form of a temper.
But little did he know, Tan Mo wasn't like that at all. She even knew how to flatter and appease the others.
Now Xu Miaotong had already been convinced to the point where she was practically lying on Tan Mo's shoulder.
Just like that, Tan Mo had already secured her spot in delivering her knowledge to the cast.
On the third day, a new actress joined the cast.
Tan Mo heard that she was called Ding Mengfei from Director Liu's assistant.
She didn't turn out to be as easy to persuade as Xu Miaotong.
Xu Miaotong was a blunt, easygoing person, whose personality was actually quite fun to be around.
As long as you said something that she liked to hear and acted humbly, she was easy to interact with.
But this wasn't the case with Ding Mengfei.
She presented herself as an easygoing, humorous person, but she was in reality a hard, serious worker behind the scenes.
On her first day, she didn't cut Tan Jinqi any slack.
She started telling him to do this and that.
And when Tan Jinqi relayed instructions from Director Liu, Ding Mengfei wouldn't cooperate.
She even started a little trouble with Xu Miaotong. "Did Xu Miaotong agree to this?"
"Xu Miaotong isn't doing it, so why should I?"
"That's a bit too high. I'm scared. Let my substitute do it."
Even though Tan Mo would never directly interfere with Tan Jinqi's work, she paid attention to Ding Mengfei's attitude.
Hee, hee, hee!
After she'd sat down at her computer, she started cutting Ding Mengfei's lines in the script.
If I let you keep all these scenes, that will be a loss... Tan Mo thought to herself as she kept on deleting the lines.
No other scriptwriter would dare to do so, but she could.
If Ding Mengfei wanted to complain, she should just go directly to Director Liu.
As long as Ding Mengfei had fewer lines, the faster the script would be finished. The time she spent with the team would decrease too.
And naturally, she wouldn't have to annoy Tan Jinqi any longer.
Perfect!
At last, Tan Mo was going to head back to school.
At this point, she'd already written 24 episodes.
And Ding Mengfei's time in the script had become very short.
Tan Jinqi asked for leave to take Tan Mo to the airport.
Director Liu had to stay behind shooting the series, so he was unable to go to the airport.
And that turned out to be great timing too. Tan Jinqi and Tan Mo could finally have some sibling time together.
"I've realized that Ding Mengfei's lines have been cut down a lot," Tan Jinqi said.
"So big brother did notice?" Tan Mo didn't hide it from him.
Tan Jinqi knew that it had been Tan Mo's doing.
"How could I not? She's already almost stopped annoying me at this point." He laughed.
"That's what I like to hear. That's the main reason why I wrote her fewer lines," Tan Mo admitted.
"There's no issue with that, then? Just make sure this doesn't affect the quality of the script." Tan Jinqi didn't mind this at all. "When you're out at work, things like this are bound to happen."
"But I've realized that if you can reduce such troubles, try to do so. But I'm sure there are other times I don't realize what's going on so it's fine," Tan Mo said.
Chapter 228: Backing
"Don't worry, big brother, I know what I'm doing. There aren't many historical records on the character Ding Mengfei is playing. I'm improvising based on the requirements of the plot. Hence, the amount of screen time I allot to her won't affect the quality of the production."
Tan Jinqi nodded his head and smiled. "I knew that you had things under control."
...
The moment she returned to school, she heard that Professor Zhao, Professor Guo, and President Mu were all on campus.
Tan Mo went to greet them, one by one.
Back when she had become part of the production crew, these three people had called Director Liu because they were worried about her.
Tan Mo would never forget the love and concern they had shown for her.
On the first day of school, Tan Mo reported to Professor Guo's research team first. Then she went to Professor Zhao's team to say hello.
Since it was the first day of school, most of the team was in attendance.
All the seniors on Professor Guo's team were present.
However, when she got to Professor Zhao's team, Tan Mo glanced around and realized that someone was missing. "Where is Senior Shen?"
Everyone's faces seemed to have unhappy looks.
Wu Jiazhen sighed and said, "She left the team."
"She left?" Tan Mo was shocked.
Wu Jiazhen seemed to be the most well informed regarding this matter. He explained to Tan Mo, "She became an adviser for the 'Legend of Wei and Jin' drama production team as part of her internship. Professor Zhao was the one who sent her there, but she didn't take it seriously. In the end, she caused the production crew to incur a huge loss, ruining Professor Zhao's reputation at the same time. Professor Zhao didn't want her to stay with the team.
"However, Shen Jingyi has been with our team for such a long time. She has also completed a fair share of work. Hence, Professor Zhao promised that he would credit her in the final paper.
"To be honest, she was only doing this internship to expand her future prospects. These accomplishments should be enough for her. Once her name is credited to our current project, it will be an outstanding line on her resume.
"What's more, she was once Professor Zhao's mentee. Although he is very disappointed in her, he will never leak news of this incident. Hence, it won't really have an impact on her. Although Shen Jingyi can no longer call herself Professor Zhao's dedicated mentee, she won't be lying if she calls herself one of Professor Zhao's students."
However, she will no longer be able to get Professor Zhao's recommendation letter in the future. This was her biggest loss.
Shen Jingyi's small mistake had cost her so much. Her gains would not make up for her losses.
Without Shen Jingyi on the team, Tan Mo was happier. At the very least, she would be able to complete her research in a more conducive environment.
However, although Professor Zhao would not leak this incident, Director Liu might not keep silent on this matter.
Director Hou Yuehai had just finished a production. So he had been taking a break.
He had taken the opportunity of the break to visit Director Liu on his production set.
He wanted to see an old friend and check on the performance of his student.
Naturally, he was also doing this to support Tan Jinqi.
He wanted everyone to know that Tan Jinqi was his student. He wasn't a lone director who had popped out of nowhere trying to seek success. He wasn't some pitiful lad who didn't have a good background or backing.
In actuality, the fact that Ding Mengfei had been making trouble for Tan Jinqi had reached Director Hou Yuehai's ears.
Hou Yuehai didn't inform Director Liu that he was coming. He just made a sudden appearance.
"Assistant Director Tan, are you using public resources to avenge private issues?" Ding Mengfei held the script and waved it in front of Tan Jinqi.
The script almost hit Tan Jinqi's face on many occasions.
Even Ding Mengfei's assistant and the production crew did not dare to say anything, in fear of bringing trouble on themselves.
"What are you talking about now?" Tan Jinqi remained composed. Even though the script had come close to hitting his face numerous times, he didn't even bat an eyelid. He continued to speak patiently, and there wasn't a hint of anger in his voice.
"Why has my screen time been reduced so much?" Ding Mengfei exclaimed in anger.
"Miss Ding, I'm not the person you should be asking if you don't have much screen time. I don't know why either," Tan Jinqi explained calmly.
"I heard that the scriptwriter, Tan Mo, is your younger sister," Ding Mengfei said. "She is the one who is manipulating official matters for a personal grudge. She intentionally reduced my screen time."
"Where did you get this idea?" Tan Jinqi asked in bewilderment. "Miss Ding, my sister left the moment you joined our team. She has never interacted with you before. How can she manipulate official matters for a grudge?"
"She's doing this to avenge you," Ding Mengfei said angrily.
"And why do you say that? Miss Ding, is there an issue between us?" Tan Jinqi retreated a few steps backward. He smiled and asked, "Why would you think that? Have you offended me in any way? Or have you wronged me in some way that I am unaware of?"
Ding Mengfei was momentarily stumped by Tan Jinqi's words.
Was he expecting her to say that it was because she had made things difficult for him?
She couldn't say these words out loud.
Even though the whole production crew was aware of this, she could not say it.
If she did so, it would be equivalent to admitting to it.
"Give me your sister's contact details. I want to have a chat with her," Ding Mengfei said.
"My apologies." It was fine if Ding Mengfei made things difficult for him.
To him, Ding Mengfei was just an irritating bug.
However, Ding Mengfei could not drag Tan Mo into this.
Tan Jinqi couldn't be bothered to continue acting this out with Ding Mengfei.
"I will not give you my sister's contact details," Tan Jinqi said coldly.
"You've finally stopped pretending? Decided to stop acting?" Ding Mengfei raised her voice angrily. "Do you think it's fine to withhold her contact details from me? If you refuse, I'll go straight to Director Liu."
"You guys are merely assistant directors and scriptwriters. Do you really make yourselves out to be important people?" Ding Mengfei scoffed icily. "Ignorant!"
"What's happening? Why are you guys arguing?" Director Liu had caught wind that Tan Jinqi and Ding Mengfei were arguing. So he had hurried over.
Director Hou had introduced Tan Jinqi to him. What was more, Tan Mo was an extremely important member of the production team.
He could not ignore this matter.
He was not unaware that Ding Mengfei had been making things difficult for Tan Jinqi.
However, everyone in this line of work would have to experience this one way or another.
Ding Mengfei wasn't stupid. In order to make things difficult for others, she had brought up various reasons to excuse herself. It was quite hard to intervene since she could always explain herself.
When Ding Mengfei noticed Director Liu, she was about to speak up.
At this time, a familiar voice rang out. "Runlin, how are things? Is the filming going smoothly?"
Director Liu glanced over in surprise. "Yuehai!"
Director Liu quickly went over to welcome him. "Why have you come? You didn't even inform me!"
"I did it to surprise you! At the same time, I'm here to check how Jinqi is performing. I was worried that he would purposely perform well if he knew that I was coming. I'm here to see him in his natural state." Director Hou Yuehai chuckled.
They were all veterans who were very crafty by nature. Hou Yuehai wouldn't have been able to hide his intentions from Director Liu.
This man was obviously here to show his support for Tan Jinqi.
Director Liu had not expected Hou Yuehai to treat Tan Jinqi like his personal protégé.
Chapter 229: A Young Cruel Girl
"Aren't you being too strict? You're literally like the homeroom teacher hiding in the hallway checking up on his student." Director Liu laughed.
"Isn't it natural to be strict with my student? I want him to be able to work on his own as soon as he can and produce a good film. At least my name won't be tarnished." Director Hou scolded him.
It made Director Liu raise his eyebrows. He hadn't expected Hou Yuehai to have such high hopes for Tan Jinqi.
"Seriously, don't you trust your own disciple?" Director Liu sighed. "He's doing well and working really hard here. Not only can he complete his job perfectly, but he can do it efficiently as well. What's more, he's willing to learn everything, and he doesn't give up any chances to learn something new. Heck, I am so jealous of you for having such a good student. Stop trying to boast, you old fart."
Hou Yuehai let out a laugh and walked toward Tan Jinqi.
Being a director for so long, all he needed was to look at the production and he knew Tan Jinqi was doing a good job. In all honesty, there had been no need for him to ask Director Liu.
Tan Jinqi also spotted Hou Yuehai and jogged toward him.
"Master," the young man exclaimed, "why are you here?"
"No reason, really. I'm just here to check up on you." Hou Yuehai patted his disciple's shoulder. "I heard from Director Liu that you're doing a pretty good job. It looks like you aren't embarrassing me."
Ding Mengfei had followed Tan Jinqi and was surprised to hear the conversation. "Director Hou, is he really your student?"
Since Hou Yuehai wasn't teaching at a university, it would mean that this student must be one who was following along by the side of the director.
Ding Mengfei started experiencing mixed feelings now. Never had she ever thought that Tan Jinqi would have such an influential person backing him up.
"Yup. I just finished my last drama and am resting now. Since there's nothing for Jinqi here to do while I rest, I introduced him to work with Liu instead," Hou Yuehai said. Then he frowned. "I think I heard you two arguing about something just now. Is something wrong? Why don't you tell me what he did wrong, and I'll punish him for you."
Of course, there was no way Ding Mengfei would say anything now that she had learned that Tan Jinqi was Hou Yuehai's disciple. She quickly made up an excuse to dismiss the question.
Since it was already lunchtime, Director Liu put his arm over Hou Yuehai's shoulder and said, "Come on. Let's go have lunch. It's been quite some time since we last met."
The director then turned to a few other actors and invited them. "Zhang, Chen, Gu, you guys wanna come? It's my treat!"
The three actors were only playing minor roles in the drama, but, nevertheless, they were still famous actors with wide connections in the field.
Director Liu had his reasons for inviting them along.
Ding Mengfei could only watch as they left. Since Director Liu had only invited those three actors, there was no way she could follow them.
All of them drove toward a restaurant that Director Liu frequented near the studio.
Since they still had more to film after lunch, they decided not to order any alcoholic beverages.
"Director, there's a question that has been bugging me for quite some time. Where did you find the young scriptwriter? The script is plain amazing," Zhang Kangwang suddenly asked. "It has been years since I last saw such an interesting plot and story. It's completely different than the one you showed me before. To be honest, that one might have sold well once the drama aired, but it would never have become a classic. It wasn't something that people would talk about years into the future and definitely not something people would watch over and over again. But this one is different. I can tell confidently that this will still be talked about years into the future. This version is something you don't come across every day."
Now that the script had officially changed, Zhang Kangwang could finally give his real opinion on the previous version.
"To be honest, luck was just on my side." Director Liu sighed and told them the whole story now that he had the chance.
After that, Director Liu warned everyone about Shen Jingyi. "Remember, if you ever run into her in the future, don't employ her as your scriptwriter. Heck, I would've lost everything if I continued using her for this drama. Remind everyone around you guys as well. We have to make sure that things like this never happen again."
That was the main reason he'd invited the three actors to lunch, to warn them about what Shen Jingyi had done.
After learning of what had really happened behind the scenes, the three actors decided to take action as well. They planned on sending the message to all of their friends in the industry once lunch was over.
...
Ding Mengfei was munching on her fat-free diet lunch while studying the script in her trailer.
"We can't let this go on like this," she said to her manager. "The reason I joined this drama was to boost my popularity, but look at what's happening now. I barely have any scenes. How am I supposed to include my sponsors now? It's literally impossible to forcefully add the same thing over and over again into what's left of my lines, and the viewers will definitely get annoyed. Also, I have more than one sponsor. What am I going to do now?"
At first, she hadn't been worried that she was playing a minor role as she could still capture the viewer's attention with her looks. It would have the same effect as playing the female protagonist role, and, if things went well, she could even land her own leading role after doing a couple of minor roles.
But now, all her plans had been ruined.
Even her manager was anxious now, as only when the actress she managed got famous would she succeed.
"Hmm...say, even if Tan Mo did write an amazing script, she's still a nobody, right?" Ding Mengfei suddenly asked. "I wonder what would happen if the sponsors learned about this? Wouldn't they think she's unreliable?"
"Are you going to inform the sponsors?" Lin, Ding Mengfei's manager, asked with a frown.
"What? Of course not. Who am I to directly contact them? Even if I could, there's no way I could speak to the one who's really in charge." Ding Mengfei sighed as she put her chopsticks down. "If I could do that, do you really think I would still be here trying to make a living?"
Lin nodded. She'd almost thought that Ding Mengfei had gone out with some rich man behind her back. It wasn't as if the manager was against that, but, at the very least, she needed to know what her actress was doing. If anything were to happen because of the actress's actions, she needed to be able to react appropriately.
"But, what if people learn about it online?" Ding Mengfei suddenly whispered, afraid that if someone overheard the conversation, she would be out of the business for good. "All we have to do is let those scandal websites know about the situation, and once word gets out, the sponsors would definitely question Director Liu for making Tan Mo the new scriptwriter. I know even if I do this, I won't be able to get more screen time, but I'm not going to let that Tan Mo off the hook just like this. How can such a young girl be so cruel? She's literally trying to ruin my future!"
Chapter 230: Bad Situation
"What I didn't expect is that Tan Jinqi is backed by Director Hou... There's no way I can cause him trouble now unless I do it behind everyone's backs."
If Ding Mengfei had only known that not only was Tan Jinqi Hou Yuehai's student, but he also came from a rich family, she would never have gone through with what she had just planned and would have tried to charm her way with him instead.
Unfortunately, she didn't know that. And, when she would learn about it in the future and realize that she had just given up a good chance to marry a rich kid, she would be devastated by her own choices.
"All right. Just leave this to me," Lin said and took out her phone to make a few calls.
Inside her phone were the numbers of a dozen paparazzi who would do anything to get their hands on a scandal.
It was normal for people in her line of work to be in contact with these people.
...
As the sun set, Tan Mo came out of Professor Zhao's research room and headed straight to the canteen. She quickly finished her dinner and headed to the library to complete the rest of the script.
Before she started working, she opened the group chats for the crew to see if there were any updates, and the first thing she saw were a few screenshots from social media.
"According to our sources, one of the historical dramas that's currently in the filming process that claims to have accurate historical content has hired a greenhorn scriptwriter with no prior experience. Not only that, but the scriptwriter is also the historical consultant of the drama. Will we be able to see a truly historically accurate drama?"
Under the text were a few screenshots of the conversation from the said sources.
The news was all over the internet, and everyone had the same conversation screenshot, proof that the source was, in fact, genuine.
"Who the heck leaked this?" Director Liu's assistant yelled. "The scriptwriter working as the consultant as well! They're literally talking about us."
The only thing the news did not mention was the title of the drama, as these scandals tended to avoid doing so because it might cause them a lot of trouble.
Also, people could easily tell what the news was referring to.
Since it was all obvious guesswork, no one could blame the news agencies.
"I'm not sure. Our crew is huge, and we also have a lot of extras as well. Any one of them could have leaked that..." replied Staff A.
"But, all of us have signed an NDA, including the extras. It's clearly stated that we can't expose anything happening in this production to the public," Staff B said.
"Still, there's no way we can find out who leaked the information as long as they remain anonymous..." sighed Staff C.
There was no way Tan Mo could ignore the situation. She quickly hopped onto her social media account, only to find that the netizens' reactions were pretty much one-sided.
"Isn't the post literally talking about one particular drama? "The Legend of Wei and Jin"! They've been promoting the drama as a historically accurate one. I really love their casting. Let's just hope that the script won't ruin the whole thing."
"Right? There are a lot of dramas now that are ruined because of a bad story. Even hiring the best actors won't save them."
"Aren't they treating this like child's play? Who the heck is the scriptwriter? Are they really giving the most important job of such a huge project to a nobody?"
"Usually, they would hire the best in the business for something like this. Also, is no one going to talk about the fact that the scriptwriter is also working as a consultant? Is the director in his right head?"
After closing the app, Tan Mo quickly left a water bottle on the table to tell the rest of the students that it was taken since the library was usually crowded and it would be excruciating to find another empty seat again.
She then grabbed her bag and left the library to call Director Liu.
It took a few tries before she could reach him. Tan Mo could guess that the situation was literally giving the director a headache.
"Tan Mo?" Director Liu answered his phone.
"Director. I just saw the posts online. Are you getting any trouble from the sponsors?"
Director Liu was once again amazed by how smart the young lady was, that she could understand what was going to happen when the scandal got out.
"Don't worry about it," Director Liu sighed, trying to assure Tan Mo even when there really were some problems with the sponsors. "The sponsors don't know what really happened yet, and they haven't read the actual script. It's normal for them to have some questions. All I have to do is explain the situation to them. There's no way we are changing you. You're like the soul of this drama now. Without you, this drama wouldn't even happen."
"I see... Then, I won't bother you again. Just let me know if there's anything that I can do."
"Will do. But, there's no way I'm going to let a little girl help take care of my problems." Director Liu laughed.
After hanging up with Tan Mo, the director quickly called the sponsors to explain the scandal.
As for Tan Mo, she quickly dialed her brother's number.
Tan Jinqi also told Tan Mo not to worry about it.
"I'm not worried. If the sponsors really want to withdraw, then we can just sponsor the drama ourselves instead." Tan Mo wasn't even worried as her father had more than enough money to sponsor the whole thing.
However, Tan Jinqi was speechless. Sister...don't you have to talk to Dad about this first?
"With Director Liu directing the drama and me producing the script, I'm sure that this drama will be a hit as long as nothing goes wrong with the other parts," Tan Mo said, full of confidence.
Luckily, she was alone at the end of the corridor, or else someone would've laughed at her for boasting.
"It's definitely a win for anyone who sponsors the drama." Tan Mo's confidence wasn't going down in the slightest.
"You're right." Tan Jinqi nodded. Perhaps because of Tan Mo, even he was full of confidence now. "Are the sponsors really going to back out on such a huge opportunity? Well, it sucks for them if they do."
However, unlike Tan Mo, who was alone, Tan Jinqi wasn't. He was surrounded by Director Liu and all the other producers and creators, and everyone turned to glare at him before letting out deep sighs, wishing that they had his confidence.
In the meantime, Ding Mengfei was enjoying her time surfing through the comments in her trailer.
People were starting to wonder if the crew was actually putting their efforts into creating the drama and were starting to question who the scriptwriter actually was.
The main problem everyone seemed to have was the fact that the crew had hired an inexperienced scriptwriter for a challenger for the drama of the year.
The job wasn't for someone who didn't have about 20 years of experience.
"You know what? This is the times we live in. I'm sure the scriptwriter just gave the studio a lot of money to land this job. Otherwise, how could a greenhorn manage to work for such an important project?"
"Maybe the sponsors are just trying to boost the popularity of their own celebrities? They don't really give a damn about the script."
"But, doesn't that defeat the purpose? No one's going to watch it if the script is bad."
"Seriously, can't they just focus on making a good drama? I can't even find a decent one recently. What are these studios even thinking?"
"Agree! Remember "Burial Mountain"? I was so hyped for that, but the drama was such trash because they were trying to boost the popularity of some nobody. Heck, that guy had 30 minutes of screen time in every episode despite playing a minor role, and the main actor only had like about 15 minutes."
People were discussing "The Legend of Wei and Jin" so much that it became the most searched topic instantly.