Chapter 23 Part 2

In terms of spatial depth and three-dimensionality, it couldn't even compare to the operas Ji Shuangyu staged!

Realistic sets for new dramas were all the rage, yet Ji Shuangyu was denigrating them as worthless. But the members of the Spring Thunder Drama Club couldn't find a way to refute him. Those were indeed the shortcomings of painted flats. They had just thought the flaws didn't outweigh the merits, and they couldn't imagine anything better.

They had no technical personnel to begin with. Who understood perspective and lighting? Ji Shuangyu's advanced technical concepts were simply a landslide of persuasion.

—After using practice to prove that Huaxia opera didn't need to be judged by Western standards, this man was now, in turn, judging Western standards!

Yu Jianqing said with a pained expression, "Then are we to use xieyi sets as well?"

Ji Shuangyu said casually, "That won't be necessary. I'll do the realism myself."

Yu Jianqing: "?"

Seeing his expression, Ji Shuangyu laughed. "Didn't Zhou Baoduo just say, when one method is mastered, all methods are mastered. Let me tell you, if I didn't live in Small Drum Alley, if I lived around here, I would've come to help you with realism three months ago."

Everyone: "..."

Come to think of it, based on the examples he just gave, the man could even create that sense of space on an opera stage...

"Besides, are xieyi and realism necessarily in conflict?" Ji Shuangyu said. These people might be surprised, but in the future, the xieyi style would also have a reverse impact on the modern drama stage!

After all...

"Xieyi is the beauty of Huaxia. As 'Huaxia new drama,' if it lacks national characteristics, it will forever be just a poor imitation of a foreign import. Old opera emphasizes xieyi, yet it has also used new drama sets. New drama emphasizes realism, so why can't its stage reasonably borrow from xieyi? As long as it's appropriate!"

This concept was astonishing, and it carried a confidence that made them feel an involuntary yearning.

Yu Jianqing was completely immersed in this idea, standing there lost in thought.

Principal Sun, on the other hand, had a contemplative look on his face.

Someone asked the principal for his opinion.

Principal Sun murmured, "They all say that students acting in new dramas can train their public speaking skills. I think that by following Mr. Ji, their public speaking skills are bound to improve by a huge margin..."

The others: "..."

Ji Shuangyu, standing on the stage: "..."

......

The school cafeteria.

Not long after Ji Shuangyu and his group arrived, the school teachers also brought Ji Feifei and Ji Leizong to the cafeteria. They would have lunch here to experience the school's food.

The moment Ji Feifei and Ji Leizong saw Ji Shuangyu, they said in unison, "Big Brother, we've decided to choose this place. The teachers said our knowledge level is good enough to be admitted!"

Ji Shuangyu: "That's great! The teacher also said my technical skill level is good enough to be admitted!"

Ji Feifei & Ji Leizong: "??"

'We just went to a class, what has Big Brother been up to again...'

In the span of a single class period, Ji Shuangyu had already completed his verbal conquest of the crowd, directly making them give up on finding a foreign set designer and instead hiring him as the director. He was now urging them to draw up a contract.

Principal Sun did the math and said with a wry smile, "In that case, your younger brother and sister won't have to pay tuition. Your salary will already cover it."

Ji Shuangyu said with a bashful look, "Speaking of salary—how much do you plan to give me?"

His goal was so clear. Yu Jianqing became conflicted. This was mainly because it wasn't up to him. He didn't care about money, only about the final result. He was just afraid the school wouldn't agree, since the funds belonged to the drama club.

Domestic set designers hadn't reached a value of eight hundred yet. A monthly salary of four to five hundred was considered very high, even surpassing that of some university professors.

But Ji Shuangyu's theoretical level seemed very high, refreshing and eye-opening, and he had successful examples from the world of old opera...

Seeing his expression, Ji Shuangyu said with a relaxed look, "I think you should stop agonizing over it. Let's draw up a contract. If the public performance's box office is poor, you'll pay me a monthly salary of three hundred."

At the Changle Theater, Ji Shuangyu's monthly salary was already close to three hundred. This price was more than reasonable relative to his fame.

The members of the Spring Thunder Drama Club indeed looked very willing.

In the next second, Ji Shuangyu immediately said, "However, if the public performance is a success, you will calculate my pay at one thousand a month."

And as soon as he got this money, he could immediately go back and pressure Xu Xinyue to give him a raise. He had to squeeze at least a six-hundred-plus monthly salary out of that guy... After all, the Hanxi Troupe was full of professional actors, while these here were all amateurs, making them much harder to direct.

Ji Shuangyu put on that expression reserved for investors again. "You're not hiring a Western set designer for his nationality, but for the results. So if my results are better than his, isn't it only natural that I get paid more than him? Besides, I'm doing more than just the sets. A director oversees the entire production."

Listening to him, the members of the Spring Thunder Drama Club felt in a daze, as if they were getting a huge bargain by paying a thousand yuan.

But it made sense. They were biting the bullet to hire a Western set designer, paying a high price for technical skills. Learning those skills was a gain in itself. If the skills were there, even with a Huaxia set designer, the desired effect would be achieved.

"Also, I can introduce a venue to you. We can hold the public performance right at the Changle Theater. There's a lot of theater-going traffic there. The Changle Theater has no shows in the morning, so it can be used for performances, staggered with the opera." Ji Shuangyu was also planning for Xu Xinyue. If this worked out, he would have even more reason to ask Xu Xinyue for a raise.

Anyway, it was common for theaters to host a variety of performances now. Never mind new and old dramas performing in the same venue, some theaters even showed movies in addition to staging plays, competing in the same arena.

"I think it's very feasible—Principal Sun, what do you say?" Yu Jianqing looked at Principal Sun.

Principal Sun also gritted his teeth and looked at Zhou Siyin, "Baoduo, what do you say?"

Zhou Siyin: "..."

So, in the end, the financial sponsor had to bear it all?

Business was business. Although Ji Shuangyu and Kunlun Bookstore had a collaboration on the copybook, what the Spring Thunder Drama Club sought was not just money.

Zhou Siyin quickly calculated in his head, "I recognize the role of the new drama society's performances. If we use the Changle Theater's venue, and if the final play can run for ten days or more, we can basically earn back the costs of props, costumes, and the venue. So, let's set the benchmark at ten days. If it's ten days or more, even if we haven't earned enough to cover the director's fee, the school will provide additional sponsorship as encouragement. If it's less than ten days, it will be considered a failure to meet the agreement, and only a monthly salary of three hundred will be paid."

Both sides thought it over and felt it was appropriate. A preliminary agreement was thus reached, pending the drafting of the contract and negotiations with the Changle Theater about the venue.

......

The cafeteria at Jingming was very good, and both Ji Feifei and Ji Leizong were very satisfied. If nothing unexpected happened, the two would probably enroll here. After the meal, they went to see the dormitories, and only in the afternoon did Ji Shuangyu's group leave.

As they were about to walk out of Jingming Private School, Yu Jianqing chased after them to see them off.

"Director Ji, I've been thinking about what you said all noon. I remembered that during my student days, I wrote a short story centered on the rise and fall of a great house amidst the turmoil of the old and new eras, with characters that were slightly fantastical and absurd. I was thinking, could we enrich the plot, add some more conflicts and entanglements, and adapt it into a new play for the stage?"

'Quite sharp.' Not only was it a family drama, but it was also a feud between great houses. Ji Shuangyu looked at him and said, "Mm, I think that's a very correct line of thought. Let's talk again after I've read the manuscript!"

Yu Jianqing was overjoyed, feeling that his thinking was aligning with Director Ji's. It was truly a meeting of minds.

The two agreed to meet at the Changle Theater to discuss renting the venue and for Yu Jianqing to show Ji Shuangyu the manuscript. Then, Yu Jianqing left, happy as a clam.

Ji Shuangyu turned his head and said with a troubled expression, "What do you think a great house looks like? How am I supposed to design the set for that?"

Zhou Siyin: "???"

Zhou Siyin was in disbelief. To think he had even spoken up to help, that he had believed in Ji Shuangyu so much. "Don't you know how to do realism? How can you say you don't know how to design the set now—"

Ji Shuangyu was even more righteous than him. "I said I understand the realistic style, not that I understand today's rich people!"

Zhou Siyin: "..."

Ji Shuangyu: "But don't worry, I'll know how to design it once I take a tour of your house."

Zhou Siyin: "............"

Author has something to say:

Ji Shuangyu: Four younger siblings, the pressure to support the family is immense! Dear bosses, please help share the burden!