Chapter 20: “File Corrupted, Cannot Play”:

Han Ming’s “You and Me, That July” tells a love story—on the last day of college, the male lead wants to confess to the female lead, but due to an unexpected event, he misses his chance… Years later, at a colleague’s wedding, he discovers that the bride is none other than the girl from that day. He has been trapped in that missed moment all these years. Fueled by alcohol, he decides to confess again at the wedding. Though he knows it might fail, he wants closure… Unbeknownst to him, the female lead had secretly been in love with him all along.

“Everyone knows that microfilms, as a new format, primarily attract university students. If we start filming now, it’ll wrap up by July—perfect for a release when students are leaving campus,” Han Ming explained confidently at the podium. “After four years of college life, students about to graduate need an emotional outlet. A well-chosen film theme can resonate, becoming part of their youthful memories… Looking at past box office trends, pure love youth films and July are a perfect match.”

“I choose this one! I love this ending!” Guo Miao shouted. “The female lead abandons an arranged marriage for true love! That’s real love!”

“Not bad,” Mao Yi’s eyes lit up. “Han Ming’s theme is clever… and his analysis of release dates makes sense,” Fang Kuan added.

Only experienced directors would value such details. Kids like Shen Baizhou might not even realize it, and yet this is often a crucial point. For the first time, the three of them agreed—Han Ming’s script was promising.

“Old Han’s script is good,” said Wang Xiaopang in surprise to Zhang Xiaomei. “Way better than our ‘The Idle Wife at Home.’’”

“Seems like the top two are decided,” Zhang Xiaomei sighed. “Now the suspense is just whether our ‘Idle Wife at Home’ or Brother Zhou’s ‘The Tuner’ is worse.”

In the front row, Minister Sima asked Chen Xuanzuo: “What do you think of this one?”

“Although the logic is weak and the plot formulaic,” Chen Xuanzuo said, “Han Ming’s understanding of release timing, theme, and audience has merit…”

For someone with Chen Xuanzuo’s sharp eye, saying “has merit” was high praise.

“He’s also a veteran director, but his work in traditional markets has been mediocre,” Sima said.

“Microfilm is a new field; maybe this one will break through?”

“Yes, though flawed, it conveys emotion well and might be worth filming,” Chen Xuanzuo nodded rarely.

Sima and Huang Liang exchanged an excited glance. “Next up is Gu Chen’s ‘Blind Sword’.’”

“Great!” Chen Xuanzuo nodded. “I’m here to see him. His cinematography is excellent—you know his nickname: Xiao Xuanzuo!”

“Hahaha!” Chen Xuanzuo laughed heartily. In his youth, he was famous for cinematography. Many felt Gu Chen had his old flair. Today he came mainly to see Gu Chen in action.

“Here comes the handsome Gu Chen!” Guo Miao excitedly nudged Mao Yi. “Our guy is the company’s pride!”

“Of course!” Mao Yi grinned. “After watching the video, you’ll see what a real ‘dimensional drop’ looks like compared to the others.”

The previous participants were good, but the worst would be Shen Baizhou coming up next, Fang Kuan smirked.

Gu Chen, a slim, handsome man with sharp eyes and a cold expression, stood at the front. He skipped the usual PPT and played two fight scenes directly.

“We did some preliminary shooting to find the tone,” he explained. “A rain-soaked duel between a blind swordsman and a killer squad. Cold color tones…”

In slow motion, a Tang sword sliced through the rain, piercing a black-clad swordsman’s chest. Blood sprayed like a blooming winter plum in the silent snow…

“Impressive! Gu Chen delivers!”

“This is just a test shoot?”

“Look at his quality!”

Everyone was quietly impressed. Gu Chen’s work completely outclassed the first four. A cinematographer turned director, he handled visuals like Chen Xuanzuo.

Blind Sword had a simple plot: a hidden blind swordsman seeks justice after a girl is harmed. Ordinary story, but stunning visuals conquered the audience.

“A promising talent,” Chen Xuanzuo remarked unprompted. “Very skilled with the camera, deserving of the nickname ‘Xiao Xuanzuo.’”

“Thank you for your praise!”

Sima and Huang Liang were thrilled. Gu Chen had brought honor to JinXiu Media, earning Chen Xuanzuo’s recognition. Though the story was simple, Chen hoped he wouldn’t repeat his own mistake of prioritizing visuals over plot.

Meanwhile, Wang Xiaopang groaned, covering his face. “With Gu Chen’s quality, Baizhou will be a joke…”

“Impossible to compete,” Zhang Xiaomei said, frustrated. “It’s like me trying to outdo a billionaire!”

The group chat buzzed with criticism of Baizhou, planning to embarrass him in front of Chen Xuanzuo.

Unaware of all this, Shen Baizhou nodded to himself at his seat, impressed by Gu Chen’s technical skill. Yet, compared to his work, his script felt ordinary.

“Impressive? Ha!” Zhao Yishan frowned. “The more impressive he is, the weaker we look! At least I finished presenting Idle Wife before him; what will you do later? I worry for you!”

“I’ll just present normally,” Shen Baizhou said. “Plot-wise, I think I’m stronger than him…”

“Excuse me?” Zhao Yishan stared.

“Pfft!” Han Ming burst out laughing. “You’re not stronger in plot—you’re stronger in connections!”

Everyone laughed, giving Shen Baizhou disapproving looks. His scandal with Liu Susu was widely known.

“My connections?” Baizhou blinked, unaware of the gossip.

Huang Liang then introduced a special contestant: a recent university graduate with almost no experience, who wrote his script overnight.

The audience booed loudly.

“What? A nepotism hack!”
“Disrespectful!”
“Even Chen Xuanzuo gets dragged into this mess…”

Chen Xuanzuo frowned. “Sima, is this your company’s style? Just anyone can be made a director?”

Sima looked embarrassed but secretly satisfied—today was the perfect chance to show who really led the company: him, with connections, or the rebellious assistant, Su Hongdou.

In the booing, Shen Baizhou walked to the podium, confused by the sudden hatred. He pressed the PPT key…

“Ding!” A warning popped up: “File corrupted, cannot play!”

“Even the machine rejects you…” someone laughed.
“Seems like bribing people doesn’t work on machines!”

Shen Baizhou panicked. He had checked the PPT—it worked fine moments ago. Pressed again, same result: “File corrupted, cannot play!”

“What is this… so unreliable?”
“Let’s go… gotta pee…”

Huang Liang chuckled quietly in the front row.

Shen Baizhou stammered, “I’ll re-upload the PPT…”

“No time!” the audience yelled. “We have work! Not like you, living off connections…”

Chen Xuanzuo checked his watch impatiently. “Sima, I have other business. My votes go to Gu Chen and Han Ming. As for this nepotism hack, no time to see it. Hope your company’s creative environment can be a Xiao purer in the future…”