Chapter 246. Poor Ryoko is Being Toyed With
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One woman shouted. One woman laughed.
The former was true without a doubt.
As for the latter...
Seeing Kakyoin Ryoko's utterly shattered expression—hands tightly gripping her own shoulders and shaking herself violently as though she had just encountered a frog-like goddess of wisdom—Cujoh Jolyne was on the verge of bursting into laughter.
But if she laughed now, wouldn't that confirm she had done it on purpose?
Just imagining Ryoko badgering her with endless questions like, "Why did you do that?" was enough to make her regret it. Especially considering she couldn't reveal the existence of the system under any circumstances.
If she slipped up, this perfect start she had painstakingly waited for might end up like a certain content creator whose videos always start with, "Opening with a 9.2 rating, popping champagne!" only to conclude with, "Such a garbage ending, everything fell apart."
Jolyne Cujoh's obsession with losing money wasn't a matter of recklessness; it was all thanks to her System. The more money she lost, the greater the rebate she received. It was a shining example of the principle, "Lose your way to wealth, starting with film production."
She wasn't just some reckless spendthrift!
So, even though she wanted to tease Ryoko by saying, "I just wanted to see that look on your face.jpg," Jolyne could only suppress her conscience and pat Ryoko on the shoulder, offering a few consoling words:
"Calm down, Ryoko. Relax a little, alright?"
"Have you forgotten that proverb? 'A blessing in disguise.' Sure, I may have accidentally hit the confirm button thinking it was the cancel button, but who's to say this is a bad thing? You've got to look on the bright side of things!"
That's right—look on the bright side.
For Jolyne, one simple press of a button could net her a hundredfold return in rebates. She was practically raking it in! Why hadn't she thought of this sooner?
There was no need to hire someone like Akiyuki Shinbo, who might stab her in the back. She could just take on the role of director herself!
Her hesitation before wasn't due to laziness but simply a lack of understanding of how to oversee a production. And Kakyoin Ryoko certainly wouldn't let a complete novice like her take the reins.
That was why she resorted to hiring Shinbo and his crew, only for… !
Just thinking about it made Jolyne furious. It was more than just frustrating—it was infuriating!
She had meticulously reviewed countless resumes, specifically selecting a group of rejects that no one else would hire to staff Green Dolphin Studio. Yet Shinbo, the sly fox pretending to be a pig, still managed to infiltrate the crew!
This led to an astronomical loss of tens of billions!
(Here, Jolyne automatically calculated net profits based on the assumption that every project they produced was a total loss.)
But now, those concerns were behind her!
Although Shinbo had made it impossible for her to lose money back then, he hadn't been entirely useless. For instance, when she impulsively insisted on directing a single episode herself to guarantee a loss, Shinbo's presence as an assistant director ensured she ended up making a profit instead.
At the time, this was a disaster.
But in hindsight?
With Shinbo's reliability, no one opposed her when she wanted to direct. Her debut was a resounding success, leaving her momentarily wondering if she had the potential to become a famous director.
Eventually, though, she came to her senses—this was all Shinbo's fault!
Even so, she managed to grasp the basics of directing a project.
Now, as she pushed to direct "Diamond Is Unbreakable", the voices of opposition were far quieter than before.
Such is the power of a recognized name attached to a hit project!
Not only could she now play fast and loose with Diamond Is Unbreakable's production, but her newfound credibility even cowed Kakyoin Ryoko.
Faced with Jolyne's unwavering, confident gaze, Ryoko shifted from glaring furiously at her to nervously avoiding eye contact.
Her voice wavered with hesitation as she murmured, "But... what if—"
"There are no 'what ifs,' Ryoko!" Jolyne interrupted before she could finish. "Have you forgotten who wrote the script for "Stardust Crusaders"?"
Without waiting for an answer, Jolyne fixed Ryoko with her piercing, mascara-enhanced eyes, as though pressuring her to respond.
"... Director Pucci?" Ryoko stammered, her lack of confidence evident.
"Exactly! And who wrote the script for "Diamond Is Unbreakable"?"
"... Umm, Director Pucci again?"
"Correct! Since Pucci wrote both scripts, why would you doubt that he accounted for everything in this one?"
Jolyne declared righteously, carefully avoiding mention of the glaring plot holes in "Diamond Is Unbreakable"—most of which she had suggested herself.
She also glossed over the fact that "Stardust Crusaders" hadn't yet aired its pivotal Joseph-death scene while Pucci was drafting "Diamond Is Unbreakable". Not to mention the occasional unscripted improvisations from actors acting subconsciously... just a few minor issues.
"..."
Predictably, Ryoko was left speechless by Jolyne's barrage of questions.
Poor Ryoko, once again toyed with by Jolyne today.
"So, Ryoko, any more questions?" Jolyne asked triumphantly.
"N-No..."
"Great! Since there are no objections, let's get started! "Diamond Is Unbreakable", Episode 1, Scene 1, Take 1..."
With a dramatic flourish, Jolyne shouted, "ACTION!"
Finally, her long-awaited career of losing money was about to get back on track!
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