Huayu: I Have a Doraemon

Chapter 39 Taking Advantage of Someone's Kindness

The third floor of the Beijing Film Academy office building.

A man and a woman were sitting on the small sofa in the living room.

The man was in his early forties, wearing a dark gray jacket, his hair was neatly combed, and his leather shoes were polished to a shine, making him look very impressive.

Women are like forests.

She sat on the other side of the sofa, leaning back slightly and turning her head to one side, as if afraid to meet someone's gaze.

"Hello, Lin An."

The man stood up at the opportune moment, took out a business card from his inside jacket pocket, handed it over with both hands, and introduced himself with a smile:

"My name is Tan Lin, and I am the director of the planning department at Asia Pacific Audio-Visual. Ji Tao, whom you met last time, is my subordinate."

So it was that demanding boss... Lin An suddenly realized, took the business card, casually stuffed it into his pocket, then dragged a chair to the other side of the coffee table and sat down with his hands naturally on his knees.

The whole movement was completed in one smooth motion, making Zhang Hua's eyes twitch as he watched.

With that kind of air about him, anyone who didn't know better would think he was a production company representative there to negotiate.

"Lin An, we have some new ideas regarding the screenwriter credits for 'Internet Addict's Diary' and would like to discuss them with you."

Tan Lin sat down again, his tone gentle and his smile just right.

Lin An blinked: "A new idea?"

"That's right, the company thinks this script has great potential."

Tan Lin leaned forward slightly, his hands crossed on his knees, adopting a sincere and open posture:

"But as you know, the topics covered by the Spring Festival Gala are very sensitive, and if you're not careful, it can be censored and rejected. We want to help you get it approved and broadcast smoothly."

As he spoke, Tan Lin's gaze lingered on his face for two seconds, seemingly observing his reaction.

The young man's face was calm, revealing neither joy nor anger.

Tan Lin withdrew his gaze and continued:

"During this process, the company needs to invest additional resources and effort. Therefore, we hope to make some adjustments to the screenwriter credits: from the original screenwriter to literary planner."

"What's the difference?" Lin An was a little confused.

Lin Cong then interjected, "The literary planner has no ownership of the script, and the order of the credits at the end can be arbitrary."

She paused for a moment, then hinted, "You could even omit it."

Tan Lin frowned slightly upon hearing this, but said nothing.

Lin An pondered for a while, then couldn't help but say:

"Can I pay more?"

Huh? Now it was Tan Lin's turn to be a little confused.

What does "adding money" mean? Can the issue of attribution be resolved with money?

Tan Lin calmed himself down and realized that things weren't going as he had expected.

Lin An ignored Tan Lin's little scheme and started counting on his fingers, doing a serious calculation:

"Look, screenwriters get credits, but literary planners don't necessarily. I lost my right to be credited, which is equivalent to losing industry recognition, and that's a huge amount of income."

Zhang Hua adjusted his posture, trying hard to suppress the urge to look up at the sky and sigh.

Tan Lin remained silent for a long while before finding his voice:

"What's your price range?"

Lin An carefully held up three fingers, his eyes sincere, and said:

"Three thousand?"

"You're robbing me!" Tan Lin roared inwardly, his face tense.

Seeing that he didn't react, Lin An tentatively lowered himself a little:

"two thousand?"

Tan Lin's face darkened, thinking to himself that this kid must have gone mad.

Lin An was somewhat displeased when he still didn't react:

"A thousand is too little."

...Tan Lin took a deep breath, trying to calm the turbulent emotions within him, and gritted his teeth, saying:

"Five hundred at most!"

This kid really doesn't value money!

They keep talking about thousands of dollars; is that how you do business?

Just as Lin An was about to speak, Lin Cong suddenly said, "No need to argue, eight hundred."

She paused, looking at Lin An with a complicated expression: "Consider it a favor I owe you."

The office was silent for a few seconds.

Lin An looked at Lin Cong's eyes, which were filled with guilt, and nodded:

"OK."

To be honest, he wasn't really obsessed with the matter of being credited.

Let's not even talk about the fact that the script wasn't originally his.

The review risks that Tan Lin just mentioned are not entirely without merit.

He had a good impression of the main creators of "Internet Addict's Diary" and there was no need to fixate on the author's name.

If problems truly arise during the review process, then it will harm both oneself and others.

Lin Cong visibly relaxed, his shoulders slumping slightly, as if a heavy burden had been lifted.

She stood up, bowed slightly to Lin An, and said in a low voice:

"I didn't mean to go back on my word, I'm really sorry. There will be absolutely no problem with the credits for the scripts you write next."

Lin An waved his hand, "It's okay, I understand."

"Where you stand depends on where you stand," and as a director, it's perfectly normal for Lin Cong to prioritize the smooth broadcast of his work.

Lin Cong, however, was not comforted.

Feeling down, she didn't want to say anything more. After bowing to Zhang Hua, she got up and left without even glancing at Tan Lin.

The office fell silent.

Tan Lin sat on the sofa, unsure whether to leave or stay, feeling extremely awkward.

He coughed lightly, took out eight hundred-yuan bills from his wallet, counted them three times to make sure they were correct, placed them on the coffee table, and pushed them toward Lin An.

"Lin, we won't sign the contract."

He paused, carefully choosing his words: "These kinds of things... going through a contract would be too troublesome. You take the money, we do the job, and we each get what we need."

Lin An glanced down at the stack of banknotes, then looked up at Tan Lin, and said nothing.

Tan Lin felt a little uncomfortable under his gaze, and added:

"Don't worry, if you have any good manuscripts in the future, you can come to me directly. Asia Pacific's doors are always open for you."

After saying those polite words, he stood up, straightened his collar, and left.

The sound of leather shoes tapping on the floor gradually faded away in the corridor, finally disappearing at the top of the stairs.

Only Lin An and Zhang Hua remained in the office.

Lin An sat in the chair, looking down at the eight hundred yuan on the coffee table, and remained silent for a long time.

Zhang Hua picked up the thermos, took a sip, and said nothing.

Sunlight streamed through the window, falling on the coffee table between the two of them and making the stack of banknotes gleam.

"Aren't you wronged?"

Zhang Hua finally spoke, his tone flat, revealing no emotion.

Lin An shook his head.

"Aren't you really wronged?"

Zhang Hua asked again.

This time, Lin An neither shook his head nor nodded.

He reached out, picked up the eight hundred yuan, folded it neatly, and stuffed it into his pocket.

"I was just thinking about a question."

"What's the problem?"

Lin An raised his head, looked at Zhang Hua, and said seriously:

"It's just a name, can it really affect censorship?"

Zhang Hua remained silent for a few seconds, not giving a direct answer, but simply saying:

"This industry is far more complex than you think."

He paused for a moment, then continued:

"It's far more brutal than you think."

Lin An raised an eyebrow slightly, feeling that there was something more to the other person's words.

……

……

Lin An's doubts did not linger for long.

The next day, he learned the whole truth through gossip in the class.

"China's first online audition for TV drama actors was held on Sina.com!"

"The opening ceremony for the large-scale youth idol sitcom 'Internet Addict's Diary,' invested by Asia Pacific Film & Television, produced by Culture on China.com, and filmed by Ying's Film & Television..."

"Renowned director Ye Daying personally penned the script, which will be themed around the Spring Festival Gala, bringing the audience an unprecedented comedic feast..."

As Lin An listened to the chattering gossip in the classroom, his fingers unconsciously rubbed the edge of his notebook.

Ye Daying.

He personally took charge.

The theme of the Spring Festival Gala.

So that's how it is... A hint of understanding flashed in Lin An's eyes, beneath which lay a deep sense of dread.

He muttered to himself, "You guys are really pushing your luck..."