Chapter 378 - 377: Quite the Artistic Temperament

"No problem. This is the only script my friend has right now. All he does is study the script and try to get funding.

He knows you’re interested in investing, so he’s available anytime. Even if you wanted him to come out at midnight to sign the contract, it would be no problem at all!"

Chen Chuan knew his friend’s personality. ’That’s definitely something he’d do.’

Yun Zijin nodded. "Alright, then you and your friend should schedule a time.

I might have classes from Monday to Friday, so please run the time by me before you and your friend confirm it."

Even though Yun Zijin didn’t have a nine-to-five job, that didn’t mean she was always free.

"No problem, I’ll message him right now!"

Chen Chuan took out his phone and quickly sent a message to his director friend.

As Chen Chuan messaged his friend, Yun Zijin also pulled out her phone and started reading the script he had sent her from the beginning for a second time.

On her second read-through, Yun Zijin noticed many more of the finer details. It was clear the writer had truly poured their heart into it.

It was only struggling to get funding because the subject matter was rather niche.

For that reason, the script’s quality rose even higher in her estimation. ’If my initial assessment was thirty million, I could probably raise the investment to fifty million now.’

But... even though she thought this, she didn’t tell Chen Chuan right away.

’Whether to actually increase the investment or not will depend on the director’s skill.’

’Looks like I’ll have to visit the film set from time to time.’

’It’s an investment, after all. Of course, I need to keep an eye on the project’s progress.’

Perhaps because Chen Chuan had just messaged him for the script, his director friend was paying close attention to his phone, as a reply came back in no time.

"Boss Yun, my friend says he’s free right now. He can be here in 30 minutes, tops.

Would you mind waiting for him?"

Chen Chuan didn’t know how long Yun Zijin planned to stay at the shop, which is why he asked.

"It’s fine. I’m here to keep my friend company today, so I won’t be leaving until she gets off work. Tell your friend there’s no need to rush."

She wasn’t some slave driver; she had time to wait.

Besides, Chen Chuan’s attitude was very polite, so Yun Zijin didn’t mind giving his friend a little extra time.

Hearing Yun Zijin’s words, Chen Chuan finally breathed a sigh of relief. "Boss Yun, thank you so much. If it weren’t for you, my friend’s script might have been dead in the water."

’With no money of his own and no investors in sight, it really would have been dead in the water.’

"It’s because your friend’s script is good. Otherwise, I wouldn’t be considering an investment."

Of course, Yun Zijin had no intention of accepting such flattery. ’If the filming doesn’t meet my expectations, I’ll consider pulling my funding.’

’She might be rich, but that didn’t give them a license to waste her money.’

Probably because he was so desperate for an investor, Chen Chuan’s director friend, who had said he would arrive in thirty minutes, showed up in just twenty-five.

When he entered the Wangyou Milk Tea Shop and saw Yun Zijin sitting across from Chen Chuan, his eyes lit up.

Gao Mi strode over to their table. "Hello, Boss Yun! I’m Gao Mi, a director!"

Gao Mi was dressed in work clothes, and his hair looked like it hadn’t been touched in days. In short... he looked a bit of a mess.

When Chen Chuan saw Gao Mi’s getup, which made him look like a homeless person, his heart sank.

’I told him he was meeting an investor, so why didn’t he clean himself up? Even if he doesn’t have decent clothes, couldn’t he at least have combed his hair?’

Yun Zijin looked at Gao Mi and blinked.

"Hello. Um... let’s move to a table for four."

Yun Zijin had originally picked a two-seater so as not to take up too much space.

Now that Gao Mi had arrived, the two-seater was obviously no longer suitable.

Chen Chuan, of course, had no objection. He picked up his Wangyou Milk Tea, stood up, and scanned the shop until he found an empty four-person table in the corner.

"There’s an open table over there. Let’s head over."

The three of them walked over to the corner table and sat down.

"Your friend... certainly has an artistic temperament, doesn’t he?"

"Heh heh... he was probably in such a hurry that he forgot to comb his hair before leaving."

’At least he doesn’t smell. I have to salvage his image however I can.’

Yun Zijin just smiled, not letting on whether she believed him.

"Would you like to try our shop’s signature Wangyou Milk Tea, Mr. Gao?"

Even though they were there to discuss an investment, it didn’t stop Yun Zijin from promoting her shop’s specialty.

"He’s had it before. I brought him a cup once."

The Wangyou Milk Tea was limited to 200 cups a day, and each customer could only buy one.

The cup Chen Chuan had given to Gao Mi was his own daily purchase, which he’d resisted drinking himself to bring it to his friend’s place.

"That’s too expensive, I’ll pass for today. Chen Chuan just messaged me. He said you were interested in investing in my script, *Mountain Children*?"

All Gao Mi wanted right now was to secure the investment as quickly as possible. Once he had the funding, he could assemble a crew immediately.

"Don’t worry, this one’s on me."

Chen Chuan knew Gao Mi could barely afford to eat, so he certainly wouldn’t be willing to spend 88 yuan on a cup of Wangyou Milk Tea.

’It wouldn’t be right to have Gao Mi watch him and Yun Zijin drink milk tea while he had nothing.’

’But having the investor, Yun Zijin, treat him would be even more inappropriate, so Chen Chuan decided to just pay for it out of his own pocket.’

He didn’t earn much, but he could still afford an 88-yuan cup of milk tea.

Yun Zijin hadn’t expected her offer to be rejected.

’After all, her impression was that the entertainment industry was an incredibly lucrative profession. Wasn’t it a common joke online that celebrities could earn millions in a single day? That was more money than most ordinary people could make in a lifetime.’

’It seemed she had some stereotyped views after all.’

Chen Chuan took out his phone and quickly scanned the QR code to place an order.

Yun Zijin paid no mind to Chen Chuan and looked at Gao Mi. "I am indeed interested in investing, but before we sign any contracts, let me lay out my terms."

Gao Mi nodded. "I’m listening."

"First, the production will not accept any nepotism hires who can’t act.

Second, I will be visiting the set periodically, and I expect the footage you shoot to meet my expectations for this project.

Third, I won’t interfere with your casting choices, but I reserve the right to veto any actor.

Those are my conditions for investing. If you aren’t certain you can meet all three, you can forget about my investment."

Yun Zijin was optimistic about the script, but not to the point where she felt she absolutely had to invest.

’These days, even job hunting is a two-way street. The relationship between an investor and an investee is no different.’

"I can agree to all of those conditions! As for the thirty million you mentioned, when would the funds be transferred?"

’With that thirty million, the project would be off to a good start.’

Yun Zijin arched an eyebrow. "Within three days of signing the contract."