diymy Chapter 1: I'm so eager to improve!
Chapter 1: I'm so eager to improve!
In 2012, Beijing was still warm after the May Day holiday, and the weather was just right.
In a room at a chain hotel in the HD district, Zhu Zhu slowly opened her eyes and turned her head to look at the sleeping man beside her.
Tsk, that face.
With clearly defined brow bones and a straight nose, his nonchalant air faded when his eyes were closed, revealing instead a rare sharpness.
She couldn't help but reach out and gently trace the lines of his jawline with her finger. His bone structure was truly excellent; no wonder he could make a living as a print model.
Qi Yue was awakened by the subtle touch, and he opened his eyes groggily, their eyes meeting.
"Good morning, Director Qi." Zhu Zhu smiled, revealing two signature dimples. "Did you sleep well last night?"
Qi Yue was stunned for a second, then rolled out of bed and hurriedly went to find his pants.
"What, you don't recognize me after waking up?" Zhu Zhu lay on the pillow, her voice still languid from just waking up. "I'm not going to eat you."
Qi Yue paused in his actions, walked over, and put his arm around her shoulder. "I have to go to school today for my graduation defense. My advisor has scheduled it for nine o'clock."
"What's the rush?" Zhu Zhu's hands slid restlessly over Qi Yue's body. "It's only a little past seven."
Qi Yue held her wrist, lowered his head and kissed her forehead. "Sweetie, business is important."
"What important matter could be more important than me?" Zhu Zhu looked at the man getting dressed, and there was a strange sense of contrast about him.
He has the face of a male idol who could make a living off his looks, but his behavior is as shrewd as a seasoned veteran who has been in the industry for over a decade.
The information clearly states that she is a 24-year-old recent graduate of the Directing Department of Beijing Film Academy, and her resume is as clean as a blank sheet of paper, except for a few print shoots.
What an interesting man, I really want to bite him again.
"That web series project you mentioned before," she suddenly asked, "how much is still needed?"
Qi Yue paused in fastening his belt, then looked up at her. "What, Miss Zhu, are you really going to invest?"
"It depends on my mood," Zhu Zhu walked over and straightened his collar. "But I still want to remind you, in this environment, web series? It sounds unreliable. Platforms, content creators, and audiences are unlikely to approve of it."
"It's precisely because no one recognizes it that it presents an opportunity." Qi Yue said calmly, a glint in his eyes that Zhu Zhu couldn't decipher.
"Once everyone accepts it, how can it be the turn of newcomers like us with no background or resources?"
"Us?" Zhu Zhu laughed. "Director Qi, you're including me in this?"
Qi Yue held her hand, his thumb gently stroking the back of her hand. "You said last night, 'I've never misjudged a person.' What, Miss Zhu, are you going to take back what you said?"
Zhu Zhu stared at him for a few seconds, then suddenly leaned in and bit his lip.
"Money is negotiable," he said, taking a half-step back, his eyes gleaming with a predatory light, "but I have one condition."
"you say."
"When you become famous," Zhu Zhu said, enunciating each word clearly, "you'll ask me to be your leading lady."
Qi Yue smiled; it was the first genuine smile of the morning.
"make a deal."
Zhu Zhu was satisfied. He turned around to get his security card and pulled out a gold card.
"There's 500,000 in here, consider it my investment."
She said it so casually, as if 500,000 yuan was no more than 50 yuan to her.
"Aren't you afraid I'll run away if we don't sign a contract?"
"You've already let me sleep with you, why would I be afraid you'll renege on the agreement?"
Qi Yue looked at the gold card in his hand, his fingers slightly burning. So, he was the one who got seduce?
Zhu Zhu put on high heels, instantly becoming almost as tall as Qi Yue. "If you really want to thank me, then go and get it done—you'd better not disappoint me."
After saying that, she picked up her bag, walked to the door, and glanced back at him.
In the morning light, a young man stood beside a messy bed, dressed in a T-shirt and jeans—the simplest of outfits—yet he exuded a certain tension poised to be unleashed.
Like a knife hidden in its sheath.
Zhu Zhu's heart stirred again for no apparent reason. She had met too many people, whether they were scions of wealthy families, promising young talents, or those beautifully packaged idols in the entertainment industry, but none of them were like him, who, despite having nothing, seemed to hold everything in their hands.
"Oh, right," she said, her hand on the doorknob, suddenly remembering something, "you were talking in your sleep last night."
Qi Yue raised an eyebrow: "What did I say?"
"You said..." Zhu Zhu tilted his head, as if recalling something, "Teacher, I really want to improve."
She laughed: "What sweet dreams are you having, Director Qi?"
The door closed gently.
Qi Yue stood there, the smile on his face gradually fading.
He went to the bathroom, turned on the tap, and splashed cold water on his face.
Looking up at myself in the mirror—a 24-year-old face, but my eyes seemed to have gone through an entire cycle of reincarnation.
Yes, he was born again.
In his past life, he was a police officer working on the front lines of criminal investigation, witnessing too much of the filth and scheming behind the glamour, which ultimately came to an abrupt end in an inexplicable accident. When he opened his eyes again, he found himself back at this age, harboring dreams of becoming a director but constantly hitting roadblocks.
However, in this life, he has some memories of the "future" in his mind, as well as... something that suddenly bound him to one day.
[Director's skill point system has finished loading]
[Host: Qi Yue]
[Current Skill Level: Script Insight (Elite)]
The virtual interface seemed to be imprinted deep within his retina, visible only to him. Skill tree, attribute panel, quest prompts... and that simple, brutal core rule: recharge, as long as you recharge, you can improve all director-related abilities.
Simple and straightforward, but very practical.
Qi Yue stared at the light screen for a few seconds, and a slow smile appeared on his lips.
He turned off the tap, wiped his face with a towel, and walked out of the bathroom. The room still lingered with Zhu Zhu's perfume—a cool, slightly aggressive floral scent, much like her.
Downstairs, Zhu Zhu got into a black sedan. She rolled down the window, glanced up at the window where Qi Yue was sitting, waved, and the car slowly drove away.
The phone vibrated in his pocket. Qi Yue took it out, but before he could speak, Guo Fan's loud voice rang out.
"Qi Yue, are you up yet?"
"Just woke up, what's wrong?"
There was a pause of a few seconds on the other end of the phone. "Qi Yue, I've mortgaged my photo studio."
Qi Yue was stunned. He thought that mortgaging the photo studio was just Guo Fan talking, but he didn't expect him to actually do it.
"Hey Van, aren't you afraid your old man will come knocking on your door and demanding an explanation if you mortgage the building?"
"I can't worry about all that now. I've made up my mind. I won't die in peace until I've chased this movie dream!"
"Brother Fan, we're filming a web series; the movie is still a long way off."
"It's a web series, I'll transfer 300,000 to your account right away. How much do you still owe?"
Qi Yue thought for a moment. With 300,000 yuan, Zhu Zhu's 500,000 yuan, and his own savings from filming GG, it would probably come to a million yuan.
But even if they only filmed a web series, no matter how simple or rough it was, it couldn't be less than three million.
Where can we find the remaining two million?
Qi Yue glanced at the time and thought to himself, "This is bad."
It's already 8:15!
He has a graduation defense waiting for him today!