At the beginning of November, shortly after the midterm exams, Stella's novel adaptation into a TV series was finalized. Leoming Media moved at lightning speed—the TV series was already in pre-production, and it was set to be a major production.
Her editor, who was handling the copyright negotiations, praised her for her "thousand-mile horse meeting its Bole," her "good fortune and a great start," and her "meteoric rise." Stella's success in selling the TV adaptation rights was due to her hard work and a bit of luck, but the fact that it was going to be a major production was purely because the CEO of Leoming Media was her husband, Leo.
Stella naturally thought that since Leoming Media was a subsidiary of Leoming Group, she specifically asked Leo not to pull any strings with Leoming Media. She didn't want Chairman Leo to inflate the copyright fee. She figured it was all their own money anyway, and she didn't want to give away a portion of it.
Chairman Leo agreed readily and assured her he wouldn't interfere. However, right after she signed the contract with Leoming Media, Leo had Leoming invest several billion into the project.
"I didn't pull any strings for you," Leo said. "I just invested in a project."
Newbie Stella was obviously stunned by Leo's move.
For a TV project, having the funding in place essentially means having everything. Wasn't this pulling strings?
That was several billion! And he just threw it in like that.
Stella felt dizzy, unable to tell if she was more surprised or excited. In the end, she could only promise Chairman Leo that she would work hard on the screenplay, not be late, not leave early, not be afraid of hardship or fatigue, and strive to ensure that the project wouldn't lose money for him.
"I never do losing deals, so you don't need to worry," Leo said while eating fruit. "If you really want to thank me, how about tonight we…" He was cut off as Stella stuffed a strawberry into his mouth and left without looking back.
She thought her husband was a liar about the whole "three times a week" thing.
A week later, Leoming Media informed her that the production team was assembled and arranged a meeting with the director and producer.
On the scheduled day, Stella had a full morning of classes. Afraid of being late, she skipped lunch, changed clothes at home, and headed straight to Leoming Media.
She arrived at Leoming Media at 1:10 PM, twenty minutes ahead of the scheduled time. As a student who had never left the ivory tower, her first experience entering an office building with polished urban professionals was novel and exhilarating.
Leoming Media's office building had thirteen floors. Floors two to seven housed various functional departments, the employee cafeteria, and the employee recreation center. Floors eight and above were restricted areas, including the film production center, music and dance studios, and artist studios.
Stella showed her ID at the reception, registered, and received a visitor access card.
She took the elevator to the ninth floor, where the film production center was located.
After getting off the elevator, she went to the restroom to freshen up.
Before leaving home, she had chosen a pinstriped blazer that was formal but not too dull. She styled her hair in loose waves to tone down her student look and wore high heels to appear more professional.
When she reached the meeting room, she noticed a man already sitting at the head of the table. He was good-looking, well-dressed in a suit, and appeared to be in his late twenties or early thirties, not quite fitting the image of a director or producer.
"Are you Stella?" The man stood up to greet her, using a reader's tone to address her, his demeanor unexpectedly polite.
Not only was Stella surprised, but the others in the room were also taken aback by his attitude.
This man, sitting at the head of the table, was clearly someone important, perhaps a director, producer, or a high-ranking executive at Leoming Media. Yet, no matter how gentlemanly he was, it was unusual for him to be so courteous to a relatively unknown screenwriter.
Stella's first instinct was that this must have something to do with Leo.
Sure enough, the next moment, she heard the man say in a low voice, "Hello, sister-in-law. I'm Evan, a friend of the boss."
Evan, the general manager of Leoming Media, was also a college friend of Leo. Leo had told her that he had to inform at least one person about his wife working as a screenwriter at the subsidiary, and that person was Evan.
Stella hadn't expected him to be there today. She nodded and greeted him, "Hello, Mr. Evan."
Evan nodded back and invited her to take a seat.
"Wow, I didn't expect Stella to be so young. Truly accomplished at a young age!"
"Exactly! When she walked in, I thought she was a celebrity who walked into the wrong room. She's stunning!"
"She could be the lead actress."
Stella smiled politely. She knew these compliments were likely because of Evan, and she didn't take them to heart.
For the next two hours, the group discussed various aspects of the production, scriptwriting, and casting. Stella was determined not to miss any important details and recorded the entire meeting on her phone. By the time the meeting ended, her phone battery was nearly dead.
She glanced at the sign on the wall and headed towards the break bar behind the green plant wall, only to overhear a conversation about her.
"What's Stella's background? I've never seen Evan treat anyone so politely. Even last time, when that famous actress came, he wasn't like this."
"I've been saying this project is unusual. I've read Stella's novel, and it's good..."
"It's just that the company has bought IPs more popular than hers, but none have been treated with this level of importance. Even the director was specially hired. It's really strange."
"I have to admit, she has an air about her, like someone raised in a cultured, aristocratic family... Do you think she might actually be some big shot's daughter from EP City?"
"Don't be ridiculous. A big shot's daughter slumming it as a screenwriter? It's too exhausting and unglamorous."
"Well, she's got a pretty face and a good figure. It's understandable why she'd have good resources. That's pretty normal in this industry…"
Stella took a deep breath and walked away.
Who hasn't been gossiped about behind their back? And to be fair, she really was a "nepotism hire." But the thought that struck her was whether Leo's decision to invest billions in a newbie screenwriter had ever been questioned by the other executives.
Stella clenched her fingers, feeling a heavy weight in her heart. She had to work hard and prove herself so that no one would see Leo as someone who squanders money recklessly.
As she walked out of the Leoming building, she noticed it was snowing.
The first snow of the year in EP City.
Many people have a special attachment to the first snowfall. Every year, when it snowed in EP City, her social media would be flooded with pictures of snowflakes, people in the snow, and snow-covered landscapes from her friends.
Stella never quite understood this ritual. She was from a northern city at a higher latitude, where "thousands of miles of ice, thousands of miles of snow" were the norm. The light snowfall in EP City didn't impress her much.
But today, she might have to eat her words.
Because suddenly, she really wanted to see Leo.
With her phone dead and no money on her, she was grateful for her husband's company's employee benefits and facilities. Without hesitation, she hopped on the shuttle bus heading to the Leoming Group headquarters, feeling like she was going to secretly meet her Romeo. Her heart was pounding heavily. She didn't know where Leo's office was, if he was busy, or if he'd think she was being impulsive and childish. But the desire to see him was straightforward and strong, and she could only follow her heart.
However, she hit a snag as soon as she arrived at Leoming.
The headquarters' security was much stricter than at Leoming Media. Without an ID card or an invitation, she couldn't even get past the front gate.
After wandering around the entrance for about ten minutes, Stella approached a security guard who looked kind..."It's just that the company has bought IPs more popular than hers, but none have been treated with this level of importance. Even the director was specially hired. It's really strange."
"I have to admit, she has an air about her, like someone raised in a cultured, aristocratic family... Do you think she might actually be some big shot's daughter from EP City?"
"Don't be ridiculous. A big shot's daughter slumming it as a screenwriter? It's too exhausting and unglamorous."
"Well, she's got a pretty face and a good figure. It's understandable why she'd have good resources. That's pretty normal in this industry…"
Stella took a deep breath and walked away.
Who hasn't been gossiped about behind their back? And to be fair, she really was a "nepotism hire." But the thought that struck her was whether Leo's decision to invest billions in a newbie screenwriter had ever been questioned by the other executives.
Stella clenched her fingers, feeling a heavy weight in her heart. She had to work hard and prove herself so that no one would see Leo as someone who squanders money recklessly.
As she walked out of the Leoming building, she noticed it was snowing.
The first snow of the year in EP City.
Many people have a special attachment to the first snowfall. Every year, when it snowed in EP City, her social media would be flooded with pictures of snowflakes, people in the snow, and snow-covered landscapes from her friends.
Stella never quite understood this ritual. She was from a northern city at a higher latitude, where "thousands of miles of ice, thousands of miles of snow" were the norm. The light snowfall in EP City didn't impress her much.
But today, she might have to eat her words.
Because suddenly, she really wanted to see Leo.
With her phone dead and no money on her, she was grateful for her husband's company's employee benefits and facilities. Without hesitation, she hopped on the shuttle bus heading to the Leoming Group headquarters, feeling like she was going to secretly meet her Romeo. Her heart was pounding heavily. She didn't know where Leo's office was, if he was busy, or if he'd think she was being impulsive and childish. But the desire to see him was straightforward and strong, and she could only follow her heart.
However, she hit a snag as soon as she arrived at Leoming.
The headquarters' security was much stricter than at Leoming Media. Without an ID card or an invitation, she couldn't even get past the front gate.
After wandering around the entrance for about ten minutes, Stella approached a security guard who looked kind...
### Chapter 23: Sweet as Honey (Continued)
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Security Guard: "Hello, could you please help me ask the front desk if they can issue a temporary visitor pass? I can leave my ID here."
The security guard saw the young girl drenched by the snow and felt a bit sorry for her. He said, "Who are you here to see? I'll help you check if an appointment can be made."
"Thank you!" Stella quickly replied. "I'm here to see Leo Starr."
"..." The security guard was taken aback. "Who did you say?"
"Leo Starr."
The security guard's expression turned serious: "Please don't joke around."
"What? I'm not..."
Stella was anxiously scratching her head when she suddenly heard an exclamation from not far away: "Ma'am?"
Stella turned around and was overjoyed: "Ms. Johnson!"
The security guard looked at the young girl, then at the woman who looked like a worried mother, and was left a bit confused. By the time the girl thanked him, he still hadn't fully reacted.
Ms. Johnson pulled out a pack of tissues from her bag to help wipe the snow off Stella: "Why didn't you call Mr. Starr?"
"My phone died..." Stella said, embarrassed. "Thank you for bringing me in."
Ms. Johnson smiled and said, "It's my duty. I'll take you upstairs now."
Ms. Johnson sent a message to Leo's assistant, and as soon as Stella stepped out of the elevator, she saw the tall figure striding toward her.
First snow is wonderful.
Rituals are wonderful.
She felt foolish for not realizing it before.
"Leo!" Stella ran towards him.
Leo Starr caught her steadily, touching her wet hair with a frown: "How did you get so drenched?"
Stella, feeling dizzy with excitement, looked up at him and said, "Happy first snow, I wanted to see you."
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