Time flashed by, and the cast had been removed from Rong Dai’s foot.
Worried that the injury would affect her walking posture in the future, Huo Shao Ting had invited the best rehabilitation trainer in Shenjing to come to the Huo residence to help her recuperate.
Her injury was healing well. Although she still couldn't exercise vigorously every day, it didn't affect her walking, which made Rong Dai feel much more at ease.
Although the recent incident had been suppressed, it had also pushed Rong Dai into the spotlight, and Huo Corporation had received considerable impact. In the half month since, Huo Shao Ting had only come back twice.
Rong Dai felt a little disappointed, but she knew such thoughts were dangerous, and kept trying to restrain herself.
Taking advantage of the incident, Huo ShaoJie had dealt with the crazy online detractors from the audition. Although there were still people online questioning Rong Dai, they didn't dare to speak too harshly anymore. Things had calmed down.
"Sister-in-law, this is the script. You've never acted before, so you must practice the lines well. Take advantage of your recovery time to read the script more and get a feel for the character. If you have any questions, you can ask me. Once we find a good assistant, I'll arrange it for you."
Huo ShaoJie brought her a whole box of scripts. He looked tired; it was clear that he had been busy with preparations for the new drama.
Rong Dai nodded. She had deliberately found and read the original novel for this script, so grasping the character would be easy for her, since the circumstances of the original character were similar to her previous life.
"ShaoJie, are you planning to use a green screen for this drama?"
In addition to thinking about ways to earn money for herself these past few days, she also had many ideas about this drama. She had looked online and asked Huo MeiShu many similar questions.
"It's basically all green screen now. On-location filming costs too much," Huo ShaoJie nodded.
But Rong Dai couldn't help frowning. She looked at Huo ShaoJie earnestly, "If funds are lacking, it's better to delay production than cut corners. Since you want to make this drama wholeheartedly, you can't just follow the trend. The audience's eyes are always sharp. Even if you can fool them once, dissatisfaction will linger."
"I've seen the samples for the costumes and props you’ve already decided on. They seem meticulous on the surface, but are actually too extravagant. I also watched some hugely popular recent dramas, and the most important thing about acting is authenticity, so the audience can resonate with it."
She was confident in her aesthetic sense, and she had lived in that kind of environment in her previous life. So although Huo ShaoJie and Lu Ye were already very thoughtful, many details were still unsatisfactory.
Hearing her say this, Huo ShaoJie became interested, but he was troubled because this was a drama without historical records, so there were no costumes that could be used for reference.
He and Lu Ye had asked many costume and props teams, but nothing produced was very satisfactory.
"That's easy to fix. I studied design myself, and had nothing to do these past few days, so I sketched out some drawings. Why don't you take a look? These are just some of my ideas. You still need to discuss the specifics yourselves."
As she spoke, she pulled out a thick stack of manuscripts from her desk. The drawings on them were lifelike, with striking costume designs that were very meticulous.
"Sister-in-law, did you really design these?" Huo ShaoJie's eyes lit up. The timing of these sketches was perfect!
This drama was one he personally liked a lot, but the difficulty was that it was a historical drama without historical records, so all the historical background was fictional. This required them to expend tremendous effort to create that background.
Costumes were the most vivid part of that background. He and Lu Ye had agonized over it for a long time.
"Of course I did. These are just some of my ideas. If you're willing to listen to me, I can organize some things for you. Since this drama has a fictional history, we can be quite bold with many aspects."
"Since you're spending money on it, you should see results, not shoddy workmanship. That would be letting down your profession. If the quality isn't guaranteed, the audience might not buy it either."
Huo ShaoJie's eyes shone as he looked at the sketches. They were so timely!
"Great! As long as sister-in-law is willing to work hard, I'm certainly willing to listen. These costumes are coming at just the right time. Lu Ye and I struggled over this for a long time."
Rong Dai smiled lightly. She did have ulterior motives after all.
The costumes she had sketched were from the Upstream Kingdom. Naturally, drawing things that really existed would have more impact.
"Then give me two days or so. I've read the original work already, so these aren't big issues. The important thing is some details. I also like researching these classical things. I hope I can help you."
"Thank you, sister-in-law!" Huo ShaoJie was all smiles. These sketches were so timely!
"Leaving already?"
Huo ShaoJie had just turned to leave when he saw Huo Shao Ting standing outside the door, though he didn't know when he had arrived.
"Big brother." Huo ShaoJie's smile immediately faded.
Huo Shao Ting raised his hand and took the sketches from him. He only glanced at them casually, but surprise still showed in his eyes.
"Your sister-in-law studied design. These are her works. In other words, they're hers. If you want to use them, you need copyright permission, or pay to buy them. You're getting more and more shameless as a screenwriter, aren't you?"
Seeing him take the sketches, Huo ShaoJie's expression instantly changed. He hurriedly explained, "How could I extort sister-in-law? Of course I'll give her a contract! As long as she's willing, I'll buy the copyright!"
Rong Dai was astonished. She didn't know her few costume sketches could be worth money.
"Then use market price. Clear accounts between brothers. If your sister-in-law doesn't want to calculate it, I'll do it. You think she worked hard on these sketches just to give you a discount?"
Huo Shao Ting raised his brow, clearly unwilling to return the sketches without seeing a contract first.
Huo ShaoJie was at a loss for words. He had just been too excited for a moment. And this was family, so he hadn't thought that far at all.
He just happened to get caught red-handed.
"Big brother, let me explain..."
"Have the contract ready, then you can explain everything well." Huo Shao Ting's voice was indifferent. He looked completely impartial, making Huo ShaoJie want to spit blood.
"I'll prepare it right now!" Huo ShaoJie immediately rushed out like the wind.
Rong Dai was stunned for a long time. When Huo Shao Ting walked up to her, she finally regained her senses. "They're just a few sketches, really."
"Do you know how much these sketches would be worth if they could all be made into costumes? He was exploiting you, and you believed him? Copyright is important. These are your things. No matter how they develop in the future, your name will be tied to them."
Seeing her like this, Huo Shao Ting felt very helpless. He really couldn't see through this woman sometimes. Sometimes so smart, sometimes bafflingly muddled.
"Then...would they be worth enough to buy a hundred million jade pendant?" Rong Dai blinked innocently at him.
Huo Shao Ting: "..."
He pressed his lips tightly. His gaze was serious as he looked at her and said, "From now on, ask me first about these kinds of things. Huo ShaoJie won't cheat you, but others might not be so conscientious. When you can truly comprehend the value of your work, I won't interfere anymore."
He had to remind his wife not to be muddled when she should be smart. Although this amount of money was nothing to him, it was the fruit of her hard work and deserved reward.
