Yan Yan - Chapter 23

Chapter 23 – Wronged

It was not a secret that the second female lead, Lin Yiran, could join the crew because of the investors. Because there was a backer behind Lin Yiran, she didn’t hesitate to bring in her own screenwriters.

Su Yan was mentally prepared for this before joining the group, but she was very angry because of it. She thought that even if some actors hired their own screenwriters, it would not cause a huge problem. However, reality poured a basin of cold water on her, completely waking her up.

Actors bringing their own screenwriters into the group was definitely contempt and insult to them, as well as contempt and disrespect for their work results. But most of the screenwriters didn’t dare to speak out because the screenwriter’s status in the group was very low, and he or she had no right to speak at all.

A film crew was a small society; the top of the society was not the director or the leading actor with a large fan base, but the kind of people with capital and backing behind them; the screenwriter was the bottom of the society, both humble workers and hard-working tool people.

For the crew of “Watching the Moon in the West Building”, the second female, Lin Yiran, was at the top of society; even the leading actor and director had to give her three points of courtesy. If she wanted to change the script, she would simply rush into it, and no one dared to stop her. What Su Yan was most worried about was that Lin Yiran would add extra scenes for herself. If the additions could be made without changing much of the original script, she could accept them, but if the additions were too outrageous, it would make the outline very inconsistent. It would seriously accept the overall storyline and destroy the beauty of the script. The biggest problem would be that, when the drama was broadcast, if the audience was dissatisfied with the drama, all of them would blame the poor screenwriter at the end.

Su Yan’s worries started the first day Lin Yiran joined the group, and she spent more than a week in anxiety. Therefore, the actual situation was much more serious than she imagined—Lin Yiran’s method of adding scenes was not to add her own scenes but to snatch the scenes that originally belonged to the heroine and add them to herself.

This was the first time that Su Yan had encountered such a difficult problem after working in the industry for two years.

If it were another drama, the impact of doing this might not be too big, but “West Tower Watching the Moon” was a bit different. The heroine and the second heroine were sisters who fell in love with the same man. The second heroine played many tricks to win the heart of the male lead. She even planned to kill her sister, took her sister’s identity, and deceived the male lead.

On the wedding day of the male lead and the second female lead, the female lead came back domineeringly, exposed her sister’s conspiracy and lies in public, and regained her innocence and justice.

What Lin Yiran wanted to add to herself was a scene in which the heroine risked her life to save the hero on the battlefield and also changed the second heroine’s attempt to kill the heroine, which not only completely distorted the character design of the heroine but also seriously damaged the audience’s sense of involvement and empathy with the heroine.

As one of the screenwriters of this play, Su Yan couldn’t accept this kind of change that would destroy the story.

But what made her even angrier was that Lin Yiran did not discuss it with her at all before changing the script, and she only found out about it on the day the filming of the scene started.

Lin Yiran had only discussed this matter with the director and got the director’s support and approval, but the director didn’t inform Su Yan, the screenwriter, let alone come to discuss it with her. It clearly showed that the director hadn’t taken Su Yan’s position seriously and didn’t have any respect for her. Even if he didn’t respect her as a person, he should respect the fruits of their labour, right?

For a screenwriter, maintaining the completion of the script was the bottom line, so she must stop this matter. So Su Yan couldn’t just sit and wait for her hard work to be destroyed in other people’s hands.

After the filming of that scene, Su Yan went to find the director.

The director was sitting under the blue awning, watching the monitor intently, but the assistant, surnamed Yang, stepped closer to the director and said, “Director Zhou, Mr. Sun called you just now. As you are filming, I answered it for you.”

Hearing that the investor had called, the director immediately raised his eyes from the monitor. “What’s the matter?”

Assistant Yang: “The prince of the Haoyuan Group is coming to the film and television city for inspection soon. And he was going to come to our crew. Just now, the person in charge of the film and television city also called us and asked us to treat him well.”

The director’s eyes widened in disbelief. “R…really? Then let’s get ready to welcome him. Of course, why is he coming to our crew?”

This film and television city belonged to the Haoyuan Group. In order to attract investment and publicity, the film and television investment company under Haoyuan Group invested in many large-scale costume dramas and was given a lot of money. The only requirement they had was that the shooting base must be set in the original Film and Television City. Therefore, 70% of the costume dramas that were filmed in this film and television city were invested in by Haoyuan Films.

Assistant Yang pondered for a while before answering the director. “Maybe it’s because Lin Yiran is a relative of Mr. Sun, or is it because we have a big IP and a lot of investment?”

[TL Notes: The terms “intellectual property” and “IP” are frequently used in the Chinese entertainment sector today. A story or idea that could be turned into a film, television show, computer game, or other commercially derived items and applications is considered intellectual property (IP).]

“Which TV series filmed in this city has a small IP?” The director sighed again and said, “Forget it; make sure there are no mistakes. By the way, did Mr. Sun tell you when Mr. Bai would come?”

Assistant Yang: “No.”

Director: “You didn’t even ask?”

Assistant Yang looked aggrieved. “I asked, but Mr. Sun said he didn’t know either.”

The director sighed again. “All right, all right, go and inform the whole crew, tidy up everything, raise your spirits, pay attention to your words and deeds from now on, and make a good impression on Mr. Bai.”

Yang Assistant: “OK.”

While the two of them were whispering to each other, Su Yan had been standing by the side and waiting anxiously. Finally, assistant Yang went to arrange other things, and when Su Yan got the chance to talk to the director, the male screenwriter surnamed Wang, who was brought by Lin Yiran, came and complained to the director. “Director Wu, there are still some problems with the script; I need to communicate with you here.”

Anyone who heard screenwriter Wang’s words could understand the meaning behind them: The script needed to be modified again.

Su Yan was very furious and immediately said decisively, “Director Wu, I also have something to discuss with you.”

“What’s the matter with you?” Director Wu asked with an annoying tone after looking at screenwriter Wang.

“How did the heroine become the second female lead? Most of her important roles have been shifted to the second female actor.” Su Yan couldn’t accept such things.

The director also expected that she would ask such a question and said impatiently, “Those scenes are more suitable for the second female lead.”

Su Yan was about to refute, but the screenwriter surnamed Wang interrupted her. “Those scenes are more suitable for the second female lead, and the role of the second female lead has nothing to do with the heroine.”

Su Yan understood that the director and the screenwriter Wang had held hands to force her to stop pursuing this matter, but her professional ethics did not allow her to give up, so she argued with reason. “But this scene is fundamentally wrong. It’s not suitable for the second female lead. It also destroys the heroine’s design, and it will also destroy the overall storyline.” Su Yan knew that as a person without any background, her words would offend many people, but she was not afraid of offending people. She was only concerned about the damage that could happen to the script.

“Hah… Who are you? If you know a lot, why don’t you be the director?” The director’s angry words echoed around them.

Su Yan: “That’s not what I mean, I mean…”

“Then just shut your mouth!” The director interrupted her with a roar.

Crew members on the set were shocked by the director’s roar, they all stopped their work and looked at Su Yan.

Strange eyes burned her face like clusters of fireworks. Su Yan was extremely embarrassed and wronged to the extreme; her eyes turned sour, but she knew that she couldn’t cry, and crying would be even more embarrassing, so she clenched her hands tightly, allowing the nails to embed deeply into the flesh of her palms. She used the pain to resist the urge to cry.

The screenwriter, surnamed Wang, glanced at Su Yan coldly. “It is important to have self-knowledge. I have seen a lot of small screenwriters like you who don’t know the heights of the sky and the earth. After writing two or three scripts, they feel that they are the best in the world. Actually, it’s not as good as bullshit. Disgusting people don’t know their level!”

Su Yan was angry and aggrieved by those yin and yang theories. She took a deep breath to maintain her composure, speaking neither humbly nor overbearingly, and said, “Director Wu, we four worked together to make this script for three months. I know that no one is perfect, and the script cannot be perfect everywhere. I can accept criticism and correct the imperfections of the script. However, it is unacceptable for me to transfer the heroine’s play to the second female lead, which not only destroys the outline but also destroys the character design, which is destroying the script and the work.”

Director Wu patiently listened to Su Yan this time and then asked blankly, “Are you finished? Pack up your things and get out of here, and don’t even think about messing around in this industry in the future.”

Su Yan: ” …”

The screenwriter surnamed Wang said, “Oh, some small screenwriter who doesn’t even know her level. Who do you think you are?”

Tears rolled into the eye sockets, and Su Yan gritted her teeth again. “Even if you fire me and block me, my attitude will not change; the script just can’t be changed like this!”

Director Wu said viciously, “Get out!”

If there was no background or connections, it was hard to survive in the entertainment industry, and Su Yan was aware of this, but when things happened to her, she still found it hard to accept.

She bit the tip of her tongue fiercely, using the pain to push back the feelings of grievance and humiliation, and gave the director a last look with stubborn and unyielding eyes, then turned and left.

As soon as she stepped out of the awning, she felt tingling in her head, face, neck, and arms. But this tingling sensation came not only from the scorching sun above her head but also from the eyes of the people around her.

She hated the look of sympathy mixed with gloating or disapproval, because this kind of look could instantly remind her of that nightmare wedding.

Shame, embarrassment, grievance, anger, and other negative emotions rushed into her heart in an instant, but she was powerless. She could only order herself not to cry; it would be embarrassing to cry in public, and she would only be laughed at.

Su Yan just wanted to leave the set quickly, just like she escaped from the wedding that day, and she cried loudly when she escaped to a corner where no one was around.

However, before taking five steps, Su Yan froze suddenly because a tall man suddenly appeared on the set.

The man was wearing a white shirt and light blue jeans.

His appearance also caused a commotion; the crowd cast inquiring glances at him one after another, as if some top male model had come to join the scene.

Bai Xingfan found Su Yan in the crowd at a glance, slightly bent his eyes, walked towards her step by step, and gently opened his lips, saying, “Miss Su, long time no see.”

Su Yan stared blankly at Bai Xingfan; her eyes became sorer and sorer, and the grievances in her heart flooded inexplicably, like a kindergarten child who was bullied finally saw her parents, finally couldn’t bear it anymore, and cried “Wow”.

End of chapter 23

Have a nice day!