After Defying the System, I Became a Genius Director

Half an hour later.

Shao Yichen sat in the original owner’s mentor’s home, feeling somewhat awkward. After all, in her previous life she had attended a diploma mill that granted degrees simply for paying tuition fees, idling away her university years, and never considering graduate studies after graduation, so naturally she had no experience with academic advisors. Therefore, she feared revealing some inconsistency and appeared visibly uncomfortable. But thinking about her urgent desire to return to her original world, Shao Yichen steeled herself and put on a natural facade.

Indeed, her solution to the camera problem was to borrow a digital camera from the original owner’s mentor. This wasn’t a desperate measure, as she knew the mentor actually had a camera at home that would be sufficient for filming a shoddily produced low-budget horror film—it was a camera discarded by a TV station, still about 80% new and of reliable quality.

As for how she knew the mentor had a camera, this was thanks to the original owner’s memories. The original owner had completed her graduation short film in March—yes, she had finished it completely in March! Though they shared the name “Shao Yichen,” the original owner’s efficiency was clearly much greater than that of the reincarnated Shao Yichen, giving her a rare sense of shame. When the original owner completed her graduation short film, she had used the mentor’s camera, and at the time, the mentor had kindly indicated that if she needed anything, she could borrow from him directly.

Speaking of the original owner’s mentor, his surname was Zhao, given name Kang, broad-minded and portly, approaching retirement age, and a very approachable person. Before concentrating on being a mentor, he had made several films of solid quality and won some awards, though unfortunately the box office results weren’t very impressive, so he devoted himself to teaching and stopped making films that earned critical acclaim but not commercial success.

Shao Yichen sat on the sofa, watching the mentor’s wife place a plate of washed fruit on the table, smiling at her, saying: “Old Zhao is looking at our granddaughter’s report card. Her grades improved a bit these past few weeks, and he’s quite pleased, so he’s taking a little longer.”

Saying this, the mentor’s wife raised her voice and called out: “Old Zhao! Your student has come to see you, come out quickly!”

After about ten seconds, Shao Yichen saw Mentor Zhao Kang walk out of the room with a pleased expression. After sitting down, he wiped the sweat from his forehead and said: “Xiao Shao, borrowing the camera is no problem at all, just take it and use it! But what do you need the camera for? Didn’t you already finish your graduation short film? Are you planning to revise it?”

Shao Yichen quickly shook her head and explained her intentions to the mentor, and also mentioned that the script was ready but some of the actors hadn’t been confirmed yet, along with some other film preparation details.

However, she didn’t reveal the truth that the budget was only 100,000 yuan, nor did she mention that the horror film would be screened in theaters, instead implying that the script would be made into a web film for video platforms. After all, there was still some distinction between theatrical films and web platform films. This quality of camera would seem inadequate for a theatrical film, but was perfectly sufficient for a web film.

After listening to Shao Yichen’s explanation, Mentor Zhao Kang seemed thoughtful for some reason. While thinking, he said: “Web films aren’t considered very mainstream in our circle, but it’s fine for practice, especially since it sounds like just a small production. Go ahead and do it, and if you have any questions, you can come to me, and I’ll provide help as much as I can.”

Shao Yichen hurriedly expressed her gratitude.

Zhao Kang waved his hand: “No need to thank me, you’re the most talented student I’ve ever taught, so it’s only right to give you a bit more support.” (The nest-usurping Shao Yichen displayed a guilty smile upon hearing this.) “However, you just mentioned that some roles haven’t found actors yet… I have a student I’d like to recommend.”

Shao Yichen froze for a moment, about to find an excuse to refuse.

Although Zhao Kang wasn’t particularly famous, he did have some connections in the industry, and among his students were a few somewhat notable directors. A person recommended by someone like him would surely not have terrible acting skills, which would seriously impact her money-losing plans.

She had to kill any potentially profitable uncertainty factors in the cradle from the start!

But before she could speak, she noticed that Zhao Kang’s expression wasn’t entirely firm either, as if he was somewhat conflicted. He continued: “Actually, he’s an undergraduate student from our university’s performance department, only entering his senior year next semester, and I haven’t personally seen his acting skills…”

Shao Yichen’s interest was piqued, and she swallowed the refusal she was about to utter.

“But he’s really in desperate need of money lately,” Zhao Kang sighed, lowering his voice. “I’m not entirely clear on the specifics, but his family situation should have been decent, but he had some conflict with his father, and then his mother suddenly fell seriously ill. The surgery cost quite a bit, all paid from his own savings. Although the surgery was successful, recovery still requires additional expenses, and his mother is currently in the hospital, staying in the best ward, with him working various part-time jobs to pay the hospital bills… He’s been tutoring my granddaughter, and he’s an exceptionally responsible young man. Seeing how difficult his life has been recently, yet he refuses to borrow money from others, I wanted to recommend him to you… You could just let him do some minor roles in the film, paying him the salary of a crew member, whether as a lighting assistant or a set worker, he can do it all…”

As Shao Yichen listened, she began to understand. The mentor wasn’t really trying to recommend a talented actor to her, but rather a general helper to assist with the film crew and earn some wages. The reason for choosing her film crew rather than other crews where he had connections was likely because other productions would shoot for half a year, whereas her low-budget film was expected to take only a week, and since she lived in the university dormitory, the filming location would presumably not be too far away, making it very suitable for a student from the same university to work part-time.

This actually aroused Shao Yichen’s interest.

She was well aware that the mentor didn’t know the script only had two characters, nor did he know her budget was only 100,000 yuan. He probably assumed she had already negotiated terms with a web platform and would have a small work team collaborating with her. But with a budget of 100,000 yuan, this film wouldn’t have any staff members at all—she would likely handle everything herself from directing to camera work to editing, and the entire crew would consist of just two people—herself and the male lead.

But of course, she wouldn’t tell the mentor this. Insufficient crew meant a decline in quality, or in other words, it meant a terrible film. And the temptation to make a terrible film was something she couldn’t resist.

Moreover, although she had been a rich second-generation in her previous life, she wasn’t a heartless person. On the contrary, she could even be described as overflowing with kindness—as evidenced by the increasing number of neutered stray cats in her home.

In any case, the budget for the male lead couldn’t be saved anyway, so why not spend it on someone who needed the money more?

With this thought, Shao Yichen nodded to the mentor: “I trust your recommendation regarding his character… but I’d still like to learn a bit more about him first.”

Shao Yichen didn’t commit fully because she still had some concerns about his acting skills—what if he was an undiscovered acting genius?

Hearing this, Zhao Kang knew the part-time job was practically secured, and he also felt relieved. He smiled and said: “He’s in the inner room tutoring my granddaughter right now!”

Saying this, he looked at his watch, mentally estimating that this week’s tutoring time should be finished, so he raised his voice and called out: “Xiao Li! This week’s tutoring time is up, come out for a moment, I want to introduce you to someone!”

Shao Yichen: …Why does this sound so much like a blind date?

Author’s Note: The male lead is still partly concealed, like holding a pipa half-hidden behind a screen.

Even if he only appears in the mentor’s words, it’s still an appearance… I suppose.