050

Ben was serious when it came to money-making projects, but choosing a youth drama wasn't really his thing.

After a few days of fruitless efforts, the task fell to his younger sister Meng Meng.

Meng Meng quickly joined her girlfriends' group chat and brainstormed with her sisters who loved reading novels. Within a day, they had identified a dozen online serialized novels with good reviews and popularity.

Ben felt overwhelmed by the list of these bright yet sad book titles, so he hired a professional to quickly read and summarize the plots. A week later, armed with plot summaries and corresponding online serial performance, he approached Jasmine, asking her opinion on which one was best.

Jasmine looked all of them:

...

"I don't think any of them are great."

Ben: ...

"These are some of the best works in the youth drama genre that we can buy with good reviews and popularity."

Jasmine deeply looked at him and said, "I may not be able to handle something so painful, with domestic violence, school violence, pregnancy termination, and fatal accidents, I can't do it, really can't. Let's go for a more refreshing tragedy, the kind with sweetness at first and bitterness later, can we do that?"

Another person might have scolded her for complicating things.

But Ben didn't.

He arranged for someone to re-select the novels, and after a few days, Jasmine didn't object this time. She suddenly remembered the saying that gambling always leads to losing, turned to Ben and asked, "Which one do you think is the best?"

"I think they're all about the same, my sister likes 'After You'."

"Has anyone read it? Can it be adapted?"

"We can't change everything, but we can make these adjustments."

"Then let's go with your choice."

Ben: ??? 

"You will play the female lead, and that's it?"

"Once we decide, I will make my requirements known."

"Isn't that faster for you if you make the choice?"

"Faster, and losing faster," Jasmine told him, saying that some people have bad luck and gambling isn't suitable for them.

Ben thought she was exaggerating.

"Let's play a little game," Jasmine took out a deck of cards from the drawer, shuffled them, and casually spread them out on the table with the back facing up, "You pick one, I pick one, we reveal them, and the higher number wins."

Ben picked a six of diamonds, not looking at the suit, thinking six was already a low number.

But Jasmine revealed a three of hearts.

Ben had an eight of hearts.

Jasmine showed a five of spades.

Ben then had a queen of clubs.

Jasmine revealed a jack of hearts.

...

They played several rounds, and Jasmine never won once, not even once!

Ben was so excited, with tears in his eyes, he wanted to go to the lottery store with Jasmine, but she refused and asked why.

"Let's go buy lottery tickets! You buy several sets of numbers that are all different, and leave me one set, if I win the jackpot, we'll split the money!"

Jasmine pushed his hand away, looking at him with disdain from head to toe.

"You are shearing the wool of the country."

"Then shall we go buy it from abroad?"

...

*

The dream of getting rich overnight never came true. Ben honestly chose a text, which was actually recommended by his sister, called "After You."

This novel is not long, just over 200,000 words, telling the story of a somewhat domineering high school boy who, after causing trouble once again, was sent by his family to a school with strict discipline.

Apart from him being a relationship-based student who bribed his way in, everyone else at that school were hardworking students who valued grades more than life itself, striving to enter the top universities in three years.

The female lead is one of them, a contradictory person at heart.

She doesn't like the competitive atmosphere, but her grades are the only thing she can be proud of and compare with others, as she has no other outstanding qualities.

Not outgoing, no special interests or talents, she only gets noticed after exams because she always ranks in the top ten.

So, even though she's a bit tired of it, she works hard to maintain this advantage.

Her life was supposed to be unremarkable. In her sophomore year, the male lead transferred to the school.

This boy was good at everything except studying.

He excelled in sports, played music, enjoyed all the trendy games, dressed fashionably with his family's wealth, and was handsome, standing out in the crowd.

Unfortunately, the teachers at this school disliked such a "sun" like him the most.

As soon as he arrived, he faced multiple setbacks.

While other students focused on their studies, the female lead was drawn to him and secretly helped him twice.

These two people who were not supposed to have any connection sparked a romance. They started interacting more and more, eventually dating in secret.

The boy showed the girl a world she had never known before.

They enjoyed many activities in secret.

Had a happy time.

But as they say, too much happiness leads to sorrow. The female lead's grades dropped, and when the teachers investigated, her good friend secretly reported her relationship, exposing her early love affair.

Although it didn't reach the level of public criticism, the teacher put immense pressure on her, demanding a breakup, deep reflection, and insisting she must return to the top ten in the next exam...

They officially broke up, and the girl started to focus on her grades.

The boy felt neglected and annoyed, especially when he saw the girl frequently discussing problems with the class monitor.

He got irritated, and the female lead's good friend caused trouble for him again.

This girl had a crush on the male lead and caused mischief, including encouraging drinking until someone got drunk and ended up lying in bed for a staged photo, which angered readers.

There was a phase where the male lead was entangled with a supporting character, while the female lead remained oblivious, feeling guilty for neglecting her boyfriend due to focusing on studies instead.

Later, this friend pretended to accidentally let the female lead see that photo, exposing the truth.

There was a period of turmoil, wanting to give up but unable to, wanting to forgive but feeling resentful - the male and female leads tortured each other, until finally, the female lead tearfully let go.

She had seen a bigger world because of this boy, learned a lot, tasted the freedom she longed for, loved someone, but in the end, they didn't end up together.

In short, it was a bittersweet story that didn't leave a too negative impression, suitable for young girls to go to the movies and have a good cry. It also showcased the skill Jasmine had recently acquired.

This script may feel a bit diluted if given to other actresses.

But who is Jasmine?

Sweet as a peach on the surface of life, but towards the end, when the heart-wrenching moments hit hard, the old lady's skills are put to the test, making it quite heart-wrenching.

After deciding on this role, she subscribed to the original work and felt that youth should be a mix of sweet and sour, just tragic enough without going overboard.

While Jasmine was reading a novel, Ben went to inquire about the price.

He found that someone was already negotiating with great sincerity, and both parties were close to reaching an agreement.

He thought that this time he might have to spend more money to impress the novel's author.

At a critical moment, Meng Meng, his little sister, stepped forward.

"You, foolish with a lot of money, go somewhere else, just watch me."

What did this sister do? She created a fake account on Facebook to message the original author and asked: "[Dear, have you already sold the book 'After You'? If it's sold, it's a bit of a pity."

Soon after, the author saw the message and was confused.

You know I'm close to selling the IP, and instead of congratulating me, you come to express pity??? Am I selling it for two million and you still think it's a pity???

In her mind, the author complained but politely asked her what she meant? 

Meng Meng said: "Ben and Jasmine are collaborating to adapt a youth film and have recommended five or six IPs to them. Jasmine seems to like your book the most and even had someone evaluate if it can be adapted. Da Da, I'm telling you this because I like your book. If you're selling, it's more profitable to go with Ben; they want Jasmine to play the female lead."

The author: "Are you kidding me? Seriously? Are you saying Jasmine is interested in my novel? Wants to play the lead female role in it???"

Meng Meng: "Why don't you go check the website to see if anyone else has inquired about the price? "

...

Even though it seems a bit far-fetched, since she has heard about it, the author should definitely look into it.

She contacted the copyright editor. 

And received a reply that a second party was inquiring about the price.

Her heart was beating so fast, like thump thump it was about to jump out, her mind was blank, not even thinking about the two million copyright fee she had negotiated before, only Jasmine had her eyes on her novel to act as the female lead this time.

Jasmine, oh that's Jasmine!

A renowned figure in the industry, had a successful track record, with three hit TV series and a debut film that grossed twenty-seven billion at the box office. She's a treasure of an actress that many directors are eager to work with.

If Jasmine starred in a film adaptation of her novel.

It would undoubtedly elevate the original work's status,right? 

After the premiere, can't even imagine how much profit can be made? 

For the author, selling IP is usually a one-time deal, but if it becomes a huge hit, then it's a whole different story.

Letting Jasmine play the lead role was a guaranteed success, Who wouldn't be touched?

Now, it's just that the author is most troubled at the moment not knowing whether the person who inquired later was Ben. Uncertain of the identity of the second inquirer, Ben contacted the author under Meng Meng's guidance, and things fell into place.

The deal was sealed at two million, This IP was grabbed by Ben. After he got the rights, he quickly found a director who excelled in youth art films, hired a screenwriter, and then announced the casting call for actors.

Director: Lin Nan,

Screenwriters: Liang Ying,Tang Wan

Leading lady: Jasmine

Other roles are pending.

These two screenwriters, one is great at writing sweet scenes, the other excels at writing intense scenes. As for the director, let's not even mention it, a veteran of art films. When the news was made public, the most exciting part was the name following the female lead -- Jasmine.

On the day the news came out, many who had worked with her before came to inquire, asking, "Isn't this a namesake? Did she really sign up for this film?"

How many people came to ask?

So many that Jasmine couldn't reply to each one individually, so she posted a message on her social media to let them know it was true.

And then, the social media exploded.

There were people waiting for her to announce her next project. Everyone guessed she would continue making movies, but no one expected it to be a youth film.

Why?

Why did she take on this role?

Some pondered this question, while others were too busy reading the original novel, trying to see if they could envision themselves playing any of the characters. Many were eager to join Jasmine's crew to gain some fame.

Even Jasmine, who wasn't close to many, couldn't keep up.

But Yu Yang and Chi Yan she must reply.

After Yu Yang learned a bit about the movie, he ran over and said, "My fans say the character of the male lead in your new film fits me perfectly, I must play this role, it's a perfect match!"

"I play the female lead, you play the male lead, and we hold hands, hug, and kiss. Do you think the audience will accept it? Our dogie sibling pair really strikes a chord with people, if you play them, it will definitely ruin the show."

After hearing this, Yu Yang was speechless.

They spoke over video call, and Jasmine saw him sulking: "I thought I could step on the next person with this... You just poured cold water on me, you only take him with you, so biased!"

"...Brother, can we have a serious conversation? I'm getting goosebumps."

Yu Yang intensified his sobbing.

He looked like a very aggrieved puppy. (˚ ˃̣̣̥᷄⌓˂̣̣̥᷅ )

Jasmine, feeling helpless, said, "Our auras just don't match up, and even if they did, the director wouldn't use you, you're too expensive."

"I can lower my price."

"Forget it, it won't work out. We'll have a chance to play siblings together in the future."

Right after dealing with Yu Yang, Ben messaged to say that Chi Yan had inquired about playing the male lead and seemed interested.

Jasmine was exasperated by this.

She took the initiative to find Chi Yan and asked, "[Brother Chi, do you want to audition for the male lead in my movie?]"

— "[I happen to have the time and experience in playing the male lead in youth films.]"

"[But you just starred in a male lead role in a 2.7 billion movie, isn't this a step backward? If you take on more films, you can quickly move away from being labeled as just a popular idol.]"

It would be foolish not to tell the truth at this moment, he hesitated and said they didn't have enough collaboration last time, and he wanted to act alongside Jasmine.

"[Brother Chi, if you want to have fun, I can privately rehearse with you. Think carefully about taking on a role. Honestly, I don't think continuous collaboration between us is a good idea. Our production team doesn't plan to invest too much in the male lead, we just hope he's handsome and has good acting skills.]"

...

Chi Yan had been rejected before, but in the realm of youth films, as long as he wanted a role, he could usually get it.

It was rare for him to be turned down.

Jasmine's words were all painfully true.

Being continuously tied to A-list celebrities was indeed not ideal, as it could easily lead to scandals.

His image and that of the male lead were like night and day.

Once he joined the cast, he would steal the spotlight from the female lead.

Plus, he was expensive.

What used to be an advantage had now turned into a disadvantage. Hearing Jasmine's words, Chi Yan couldn't be stubborn and could only agree to help her rehearse.

※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※

Yu Yang: "I can take on this role!"

Jas: "No, you can't."

Chi Yan: "Let me give it a try."

Jas: "You can't either."