He Wasn't Forcing Anyone to Buy It—He Was Paying!

Gu Shiyan's heart skipped a beat, and his thoughts were unconsciously led astray by Chu Tian.

Following Chu Tian's train of thought, he had to admit that the temptation was enormous for him.

Before joining the production, the first version of the script he received had deviated slightly from the original novel, but the characterizations had still been fairly complete.

Yet after he joined the crew, the script had been altered beyond recognition in just a few days.

If he had not signed a contract and been burdened by debts he could not afford to break the contract over, Gu Shiyan would have lost his patience long ago.

Now, the director had been rushed to the hospital for emergency treatment, while the male lead, second male lead, and screenwriter had all been taken to the police station for questioning. The production was basically finished.

The rights were in Sun Bo's hands, so what was the point of Chu Tian's question?

"Don't worry about that," Chu Tian said with a confident wave of his hand. "I'll ask my brother to help figure out a way to get the rights. If I invest in this drama, would you be willing to play the male lead?"

Chu Tian knew where his weaknesses lay. If he went to negotiate with Sun Bo himself, he would only be treated like a fool and led around by the nose.

So, with remarkable foresight, he had gone to ask his brother for help. Chu Maoming had spent years dominating the business world—could he really fail to handle someone as insignificant as Sun Bo?

Besides, it was not as though he was forcing anyone to sell. He was paying!

"It's just that my funds are limited, so I can't afford any famous directors or screenwriters in the industry. The director I have in mind is still a fourth-year college student, and the screenwriter is his regular partner, who has just started his third year..."

The more Chu Tian spoke, the less confident he became. He did not even dare raise his head to look at Gu Shiyan's expression.

It might have sounded ridiculous, but he was serious!

After all, it was still too early in the planning stage. The two people who would one day send Gu Shiyan straight to the Best Actor throne were still students...

"Anyway, that's about it." Chu Tian decided to stop holding back. "You might think I'm talking nonsense, but I'm serious. Believe it or not."

"I believe you."

Chu Tian: "!"

[Wait, what... he believed me just like that? He isn't even going to question it?]

Hearing Chu Tian's shocked inner voice, amusement flickered in Gu Shiyan's eyes. "I heard that Second Young Master Chu treasures his limited-edition five-color iridescent sports car the most. Since you're even willing to sell it to invest in this drama, I believe you're serious."

Chu Tian: "..." Please, stop bringing it up.

The first time Chu Tian saw that five-color iridescent sports car, he had nearly been blinded badly enough to gouge out his own eyes.

Those flamboyant, attention-grabbing colors were as gaudy as a parrot. It had been the first ugly car he picked out, ordering Little Cai to sell it immediately.

According to Little Cai's estimate, that "parrot" sports car was a limited-edition commemorative model from a famous international brand. Since Chu Tian wanted it sold in full, the price would have to be discounted. If everything went smoothly, they could probably net twenty million.

Chu Tian instantly felt that his wallet had grown much fuller. Even his voice carried more confidence, and the parrot-colored sports car suddenly looked much more pleasing to the eye.

"Don't worry, I won't let you lose out." After thinking it over, Chu Tian gave Gu Shiyan a verbal promise to put him at ease. "We won't calculate your pay by episode. Eight million flat—how about it?"

Gu Shiyan fell silent.

Seeing him say nothing, Chu Tian immediately grew anxious and carefully explained, "It's not that I'm being stingy. Even the landlord has no surplus grain left. The rest of the money has to go toward the production team, the other actors, and everything else, so we need to be frugal. At worst... at worst, we can count it as you investing in the project, and once it makes money, I'll give you a share of the profits!"

Gu Shiyan gave a soft laugh, realizing that Chu Tian had misunderstood.

"It's not too little. It's too much."

He had only just debuted, and his only existing work was a variety show with extremely low pay.

Sun Bo's compensation for him had not been low—three hundred thousand before tax. That was only because they urgently needed someone to fill in, so he had been offered a high price.

Chu Tian was not only offering him the male lead role, but also a sky-high salary of eight million. It would directly raise Gu Shiyan's market value.

Whether this drama became a hit or not, Gu Shiyan's value would be set. Future roles would not need a bigger budget than this one, but they would not fall much lower either.

Gu Shiyan looked deeply at Chu Tian, as though weighing his true intentions.

Not understanding why, Chu Tian blinked his round almond-shaped eyes at him and declared with complete certainty, "You're worth it. You're more than worth it! Is eight million too much? Not at all!"

[This is the drama that'll win him the White Peony Best Actor award! Eight million is nothing. Giving Gu Shiyan such a low salary while he's still unknown is practically stealing a bargain!]

In the original novel, Gu Shiyan had only returned to star as the male lead in Nine Provinces Sword after acting in several hit dramas and gaining some fame.

The production had claimed that it spent an enormous thirty million to secure his appearance, making Gu Shiyan the highest-paid male actor of that year in one leap.

Gu Shiyan's gaze suddenly darkened.

White Peony Best Actor?

Chu Tian was even more ambitious than he was.

"I don't need such a high salary." Gu Shiyan looked at Chu Tian with a faintly teasing smile. "I also won't interfere with the director or production team. What I value more is the script itself."

He did not want to see another farce like today's.

"Don't worry. With me keeping an eye on things, I absolutely won't let the screenwriter stray too far from the original plot. We'll preserve the characterizations as completely as possible—there will be absolutely no butchered adaptation!" Chu Tian vowed. "The original novel's logic and characterizations are already excellent. Minor changes are fine, but major changes are a crime."

Gu Shiyan neither agreed nor disagreed. After this lesson, he would not blindly trust anyone's verbal promises before seeing the script for himself.

At the same time, he would demand that future contracts include a clause stating that the production could not drastically alter the original script for any reason without first obtaining the actor's consent.

Gu Shiyan and Chu Tian reached a preliminary agreement. Before they had even acquired the rights, they had already settled on the male lead.

Chu Tian was in high spirits. He was no longer so afraid of Gu Shiyan, and instead looked at him like a prized asset who was about to make him a fortune.

"Rest well during this time, and don't overwork yourself," Chu Tian gently reminded Gu Shiyan. "The moment everything is ready, I'll notify you to join the production. There's no need for auditions or makeup tests. As long as you show up, that's enough. Make sure you eat well and sleep well, and get yourself into the best possible condition, okay~?"

A chill ran down Gu Shiyan's back. He instantly felt that Chu Tian had been better off acting timid and afraid to lift his head in front of him. At least that had not made his skin crawl like this.

"Have you forgotten," Gu Shiyan stiffly reminded him, "that tomorrow is the day for the new livestream episode of Soul Shocker? Given our contractual relationship, it would be best if we went together."

Chu Tian froze, then quickly understood.

Right—they were a "couple" now.

It did not matter how distant they were in private or how much space they kept between themselves, but in public, they still had to act like a loving couple.

"Sure." Chu Tian readily agreed, then teased, "I have a car. Tomorrow, we'll leave the hotel together. What's mine is yours, so don't be polite with me, boyfriend~"

"Then I'll trouble you," Gu Shiyan said, narrowing his eyes and enunciating each word, "boy-friend."