Genius Playground

"This... this is just too ridiculous..."

In the coffee shop.

Jiang Ran stared at the string of zeros on Xu Yan’s phone, in utter disbelief.

He counted them. It was indeed an eight-figure number.

million yuan.

’This world is crazy.’

’Would someone really spend that much money on a little script adapted from my middle school fantasies?’

Xu Yan told Jiang Ran...

In the morning, before the list of winners was announced, the organizing committee had called her. They told her that their film, *Genius Playground*, had originally won the Grand Prize.

But because a film company wanted to buy the script’s copyright, they hoped she would agree to withdraw from the award, destroy all materials related to the short film, and preserve a sense of mystery for the future movie’s release.

Of course, they guaranteed they would be fully compensated and would offer a price she’d be happy with.

"To be honest, I refused at first."

Xu Yan took a sip of her cappuccino.

"After all, didn’t our East Sea University Film Club put in all this effort just to win an award?"

"It’s not just my dream, it’s the shared dream of everyone in the club. So I turned them down flat. I thanked them for the kind offer but said we’d rather have the film festival’s Grand Prize."

"And then... guess what?"

"What happened?" Jiang Ran pressed.

’Why is she drawing it out like some kind of storyteller? Does it have to be so dramatic?’

"And then, a few minutes later, the head of the film company called me himself!"

Xu Yan continued.

"The owner was very sincere. He said he absolutely loved the script and told me the name of the director, who really is one of the top directors in the country. He also said that if we weren’t satisfied, we could pick another one—even a director from Hollywood."

’For real...?’

The more he listened, the more absurd it all sounded. He was starting to suspect Xu Yan was just messing with him.

’This plot is straight out of a power-fantasy novel. Do people even dare to write stories this ridiculous?’

"And that’s not all!"

Xu Yan added with a smile,

"I was surprised by their attitude, too. Then they made a direct offer: 12 million for a complete buyout of all rights. They also wanted everyone involved to sign an NDA and destroy all related materials."

"That includes the script, the storyboards, the lines, the rough cut of the video... everything. It all had to be completely erased, leaving no trace behind."

"Honestly, I was floored by the price. If one of the heads of the film festival committee hadn’t vouched for them, I would’ve assumed it was a scam call."

"But the funny part is, they must have thought I was hesitating, because they immediately added that the price was after-tax—they would cover all the taxes. And that if I wasn’t satisfied with the price, it was still negotiable."

...

Jiang Ran listened in silence, his lips pursed in a skeptical frown.

’Honestly,’ he thought, ’it feels like I’m listening to a power-fantasy novel. None of this feels real.’

If he hadn’t seen that string of zeros in Xu Yan’s mobile banking app with his own eyes, he would have already stood up and walked out, done listening to what he thought was utter nonsense.

But...

Xu Yan might be lying.

...the 12 million yuan in her bank account couldn’t lie, right?

According to Xu Yan.

That big-shot director and the film company wanted this script so badly they were practically willing to bet the farm, get on their knees, and beg for it...

’It’s too fake.’

’It’s just too unbelievable.’

Although Jiang Ran prided himself on having written a decent script, there was no way it was good enough to warrant this kind of absurd reaction.

"I told them I needed to go back and discuss it with the club members, since it wasn’t just my own project, after all."

Xu Yan gave Jiang Ran a light punch on the arm, telling him to stop spacing out and listen carefully.

"Then they immediately said they could provide job offers from major corporations to all our club members. If anyone was interested in joining the film industry, an offer was absolutely guaranteed."

"If they were interested in major corporations in other industries, they’d help coordinate that too and guaranteed it wouldn’t be a problem. They even said this could all be written directly into the contract, and they would honor it after graduation, even for the freshmen in the club."

"They even said that if anyone wanted to start their own business, their parent company has an Angel fund and would guarantee them investment..."

Uh-huh, uh-huh.

Uh-huh, uh-huh.

Jiang Ran listened, bored out of his mind.

He stirred his coffee with a spoon, nodding mechanically.

When Xu Yan finally finished,

he looked up.

"At that point, why not just have them give you the whole company... Are you sure this wasn’t a scam call?"

"Even if the money in your account is real, could it be money laundering, or some illegal offshore funds?"

Seriously.

When he first arrived, Jiang Ran had thought the whole thing was plausible.

But now...

...the more he listened, the more suspicious it all sounded!

What kind of film company would go to such great lengths for a single script?

And let’s say, for argument’s sake, it really did get made into a movie and became a huge blockbuster.

In the current film industry slump, how much could it really earn?

When all was said and done, would the film company’s cut of the box office even cover all the promises they’d made to Xu Yan?

If every single member of the film club decided to start a business, would the parent company really give every one of them an Angel investment?

Xu Yan waved her hand dismissively.

"Jiang Ran, you don’t take me for an idiot, do you? What do you think I was doing all morning?"

"I met with the company’s owner and that big-shot director... They are taking this incredibly seriously. They came all the way from East Sea to Hang City just to meet with me."

"Afterward, we went to the state notary public office to have everything notarized. It’s all real. I know it might be hard for you to believe, but it’s the truth."

Xu Yan told Jiang Ran that when she shared the news with the film club members, every single one of them had agreed to the deal.

After all, compared to a college film festival award, things like job offers from major corporations and Angel investment for startups were concrete, tangible benefits.