Chapter 137: The Script
That morning, Ning Fu didn’t meet Bai Qingyin at the school gate. It seemed Bai Qingyin wanted to invite her on the spot, which could also serve as content for today’s filming.
This left Le Yi with his team members, and the current progress seemed quite fast.
Students gradually arrived at school. Seeing the production crew at the gate, many were curious and gathered around to watch.
Qin Yue raised his hand to greet Gu Qinghuan. “Class president, morning!”
Zhan Chuchen also stood nearby, but she didn’t dare call out. When Gu Qinghuan looked her way, she simply waved back.
The basketball team had morning practice, so Qin Yue and Zhan Chuchen had actually arrived earlier than the production team. Now that practice was over, they came over to see the commotion.
“Morning,” Gu Qinghuan raised her hand to greet them.
“Class president, what’s your team performing?” Qin Yue called out.
Gu Qinghuan looked at Le Yi. He thought for a moment—since it was already decided, stating it outright might even help promote the program and attract a few more performers. On the other hand, taking the initiative could prevent clashing with other teams performing similar types of programs.
With that in mind, Le Yi nodded to Gu Qinghuan.
She understood his meaning and answered, “We’re preparing to perform a skit.”
“A skit? Great!” Qin Yue immediately perked up; he loved watching the excitement unfold!
If Gu Qinghuan had known what he was thinking, she would have replied: who in our class doesn’t like watching the excitement?
Le Yi studied Qin Yue’s face. “Are you interested in participating?”
Startled by the question, Qin Yue paused for a moment, then shook his head repeatedly. “No need, I’m busy.”
Class 3 still had to figure out how to force Ye Weiyu and Jin Ding into the gutter together; there was no time to join other programs.
Le Yi held his chest in mock sadness. He realized he always ended up failing whenever dealing with Gu Qinghuan or her friends.
Seeing more and more students gathering, Gu Qinghuan suggested, “Shall we go inside to discuss? It’s too cold out here.”
Le Yi agreed. If the students froze, after tonight’s broadcast, he’d be in trouble.
“All right, let’s find an empty classroom,” Le Yi said.
“No need, I have an office,” Gu Qinghuan replied.
About ten minutes later, Le Yi, along with the cameraman and follow PD, stood in Gu Qinghuan’s office.
The calico cat had curled up in the cat bed she made from an old cardboard box. Hearing the movement, it raised its upper body and fixed its gaze on the strangers at the door.
Le Yi looked around. “You actually have an office?”
“Yes, I’m a member of the Student Association.” Gu Qinghuan boiled a kettle of water. “Let’s use this as our base for now. But don’t go near that area.”
She pointed to the calico cat. “It’s aggressive; strangers who come close will get hissed at. Keep at least three meters away.”
Then she pointed to three dog beds along the wall. “The green one’s mine; the other two belong to my friends. You can lie down if you want to rest, but don’t touch my friends’ beds.”
Le Yi placed his briefcase on the table and laid the scripts on it. “All right, let’s consider which script to choose.”
Gu Qinghuan handed hot water to the cameraman and PD, then to Le Yi, before sitting across from him.
The PD took the lead in starting the discussion. “Shouldn’t we choose the actors first?”
Gu Qinghuan and Le Yi spoke in unison: “First, choose the script.”
“Time is tight, and we have to recruit actors ourselves. It’s better to finalize the script first, then recruit based on the script’s needs,” Le Yi explained.
“Invited students will immediately know what to do, saving a lot of time and allowing us to focus on rehearsals,” Gu Qinghuan added.
They exchanged a knowing glance, appreciating each other’s understanding.
Then they each picked up a script, reading and filtering as they went.
These scripts were prepared by Le Yi’s agent; he had only skimmed them before. Now they began careful selection.
He had intended to guide Gu Qinghuan on choosing a suitable script, but she read and commented with her own insights.
“This one’s funny, but the online memes are too many, some are vulgar. For a school New Year’s gala, better to be cautious.”
“This one’s ideologically sound, but too serious; having students perform it would feel awkward.”
“This one’s okay, lively, though some parts are disconnected from reality. Keep it for now; we can adjust later if needed.”
Le Yi pondered deeply. After Gu Qinghuan finished reviewing all the scripts, he asked, “Are you interested in being the producer?”
Gu Qinghuan realized she kept asking herself soul-searching questions: me?
She thought for a moment and calmly said, “You think I have that ability just because I’m the audience. I can select content students would enjoy from a student’s perspective, which makes me seem professional. But in other areas, like workplace dramas, I have no insight—it wouldn’t suit me.”
Le Yi nodded silently. Yet seeing her quickly analyze herself rationally and answer objectively impressed him; such a mindset would serve her well in any future career.
Working together efficiently, they finalized the script in less than a class period.
Although the filming and airing were on the same day, to keep the surprise for the gala, the script remained confidential on camera for now.
Gu Qinghuan liked the script. It told the story of a high school student who accidentally obtained a watch that could alter time. By turning it backward, he changed many events.
For example: after seeing exam answers, he retakes the test and scores high, enjoying praise from everyone; he tricks a disliked teacher, then rewinds to pretend nothing happened; he convinces his family to buy a lottery ticket, wins big, and buys a new game console.
The early part was full of humorous incidents.
But as the thrill faded, the student realized things weren’t that simple.
Problems he couldn’t solve before remained unsolved; when others asked for help, he couldn’t answer, as he had only memorized solutions.
He overheard teachers’ conversations while setting traps, learning they had good intentions.
After winning the lottery, his home became chaotic, no longer peaceful.
The student reflected and faced his true desires.
What did he really want? High scores, fame, or wealth?
No. What he wanted was recognition and the freedom to soar in a broader world.
To fly, he needed strong wings, clear goals, and firm determination.
Without real ability, it’s all castles in the air.
The temporary pleasures gained from manipulating time could not bring true happiness.
Ultimately, he turned the watch back to the day he first obtained it and chose not to use it, instead boldly moving toward his future.
