I Became an All-round Artist

Everything was ready—just waiting for the final piece!

The next day, Lin Yuan met with the producer that Old Zhou had arranged for him. Initially, Old Zhou wanted to help him select a director as well, but Lin Yuan firmly declined. He wanted full control over the choice of both the director and the actors. After some thought, Old Zhou agreed, not because Lin Yuan had some particularly high status as a screenwriter, but because everyone viewed Lin Yuan’s venture into filmmaking as nothing more than a playful experiment.

Since it was just a game, why take it too seriously?

But not everything was treated as a joke. At least the producer Old Zhou assigned to Lin Yuan was quite serious about the project.

The producer’s name was Shen Qing. Xingmang Entertainment already had a film department, and Shen Qing was a mid-level producer there. Recently, Xingmang had brought in a number of high-level talents from the film industry, including some experienced producers. As a result, Shen Qing’s role in the film department was quickly overshadowed by these new arrivals.

There wasn’t much Shen Qing could do about it either—these new hires were more qualified and capable than him.

After the company started preparing for the movie Thunderstorm, the production teams were dominated by these new recruits, and despite Shen Qing’s efforts, he couldn’t secure a spot in the team.

That’s when Lin Yuan decided to make a movie, so Old Zhou assigned Shen Qing, who had missed out on Thunderstorm, to Lin Yuan’s project. Although everyone assumed Lin Yuan’s movie was a frivolous project, Shen Qing saw it as his first real chance to lead a production. He took it very seriously—it was a rare opportunity for him to gain experience as a producer.

After all, he wasn’t going to be part of Thunderstorm anyway, so why not take this chance?

The night Shen Qing received Lin Yuan’s script, he immediately drafted a production plan and presented it to Lin Yuan the next day. But when Shen Qing first met Lin Yuan, he was shocked to find Lin Yuan sitting in his office, engrossed in a book titled Introduction to Filmmaking.

At that moment, Shen Qing felt the weight on his shoulders grow immensely. This Lin Yuan was truly an enigma.

"Hello, I’m Lin Yuan," Lin Yuan introduced himself, having already started learning some basics about filmmaking. The book had mentioned how crucial a producer was to the crew, responsible for overseeing preparations and production, organizing locations, and managing personnel—essentially, the producer was the overseer of the entire operation. Shen Qing, as the head of the production team, would essentially be Lin Yuan’s right-hand man, managing the day-to-day operations of the crew.

"I’m Shen Qing. Nice to meet you, Mr. Lin," Shen Qing replied. He didn't underestimate Lin Yuan, not just because Old Zhou had warned him, but because Shen Qing had read Lin Yuan's script. He couldn't believe that Lin Yuan was someone completely clueless about filmmaking. A person with no understanding of film couldn't possibly write a script like that.

This was Shen Qing’s immediate reaction after reading the Flirting Scholar script.

Leaving aside the quality of the story, the script was impeccably formatted and detailed. If there was any issue with the script, it would be that Lin Yuan had gone overboard with the details—he had even drawn out the storyboard in advance. And from a technical standpoint, not only was the storyboard professionally done, but Lin Yuan's drawing skills had left Shen Qing in awe.

It was hard to believe that someone known for composing music could sketch storyboards so beautifully!

This added to Shen Qing’s sense of mystery around Lin Yuan. On one hand, Lin Yuan seemed to be learning the very basics of filmmaking, yet on the other, he had produced a script that was highly professional. Not to mention, Lin Yuan’s ability to draw was more typical of a seasoned director.

Lin Yuan, meanwhile, was also surprised by the completeness of the script provided by the system. Every detail was laid out, from the narrative to the storyboards. All Lin Yuan had done was transcribe and illustrate what was already ingrained in his mind by the system. Writing was easy, especially with his speed. And drawing wasn’t hard either, as Lin Yuan was already a professional-level artist.

In fact, his drawing skills were likely better than 90% of directors out there.

After exchanging introductions, Lin Yuan and Shen Qing got down to business. But the first suggestion Shen Qing made was promptly rejected by Lin Yuan. Shen Qing had suggested making some changes to the plot.

"The current storyline is fine overall, but some of the elements feel a bit too…"

"Absurd?" Lin Yuan asked.

"Yes, exactly…" Shen Qing nodded.

In the context of their culture, “absurd” referred to something nonsensical or difficult to understand, where actions and speech appeared random and without a clear purpose, yet somehow maintained a loosely logical thread.

"That’s exactly the style of this movie," Lin Yuan explained patiently. He valued Shen Qing as an important figure in the project. "The whole film is built around this absurd world view. Older audiences might not appreciate it, but younger viewers will likely find it easier to accept."

Shen Qing, who was 38 years old, paused for a moment.

He quickly abandoned the idea of pushing for script changes. "And the director?"

"Do you have a list?" Lin Yuan asked.

"I have a rough list, but none of them are well-known directors. The more experienced ones have all joined the Thunderstorm team."

"Just give me the list," Lin Yuan replied.

For other projects, selecting the director might be a critical decision, but for Flirting Scholar, Lin Yuan simply needed someone who could follow the script he had meticulously prepared. His only requirement for the director was strong execution skills.

"Got it," Shen Qing said. Realizing that this project was fully controlled by Lin Yuan, he didn’t see the point in arguing. "As for the filming locations, should we stick to what we've planned?"

"Yes, and I’ll also need a list of potential actors," Lin Yuan replied.

"I only have a list of actors from within the company," Shen Qing said. "I'll send it to you. Of course, if you want to look outside, you can try inviting others, but with our limited budget, we won’t be able to afford any big-name actors."

"That’s fine," Lin Yuan nodded, uninterested in hiring any major stars. Big-name actors, just like big-name directors or singers, were often more trouble than they were worth.

"Alright then." Shen Qing stood up, feeling a bit conflicted. "I’ll send over the list of available directors and actors from our film department."

"Okay," Lin Yuan agreed.

After Shen Qing left, Lin Yuan opened his computer and logged into his email. His first task was to select a director—someone who could follow his directions to the letter.

A puppet director.

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