Translator: Ink Hub

Editor: Yoog

The rookie screenwriters hadn’t even included the word “screenwriter” in their Weibo bios. Compared to Xiao Cheng, who had millions of fans and a bio spanning three full lines, their popularity and fame were several tiers lower.

But they still remembered every plot point they had written, recalling every transition and every line of dialogue in their scripts clearly.

More than once, they had asked Xiao Cheng for a writing credit, hoping he would give them a chance. Regrettably, that was nothing more than their own wishful thinking.

“Went to check. The dramas they mentioned indeed only have Xiao Cheng’s name…”

“As someone who’s been there, what these guys say mostly matches reality. It’s quite common for rookie screenwriters not to get credit. But locking people up to write scripts? Screenwriters can’t be completely cut off from the outside world, y’know?”

“Outrageous, truly outrageous…”

“So, his giving Lin Ji 8,000 yuan an episode plus a writing credit was really taking care of him.”

“I understand now. Xiao Cheng probably didn’t write a single episode of these dramas, and the ratings were just so-so. Snow in Early May was the one he actually wrote, and the ratings…”

With things fermenting to this point, most netizens already believed Snow in Early May wasn’t written by Lin Ji. After the ratings of Snow in Early May plummeted, Xiao Cheng hid behind Lin Ji and played dead. Few people paid attention to him then. But now, netizens discovered that Xiao Cheng was essentially a melon field—the more they dug, the more they found.

One rookie screenwriter posted Xiao Cheng’s revision notes for a certain scene during their accusation. Netizens who saw the content: “…”

“Ah, this… fortunate they didn’t film it according to his ideas.”

“Smelling a familiar flavor. Isn’t this the magical style that started from episode 5 of Snow in Early May?”

“Hard to imagine this level of skill allows one to swim like a fish in the screenwriting circle. @NationalFilmAcademy, is this the standard of your esteemed school’s distinguished alumni?”

There was no need to invite professional screenwriters; even netizens who watched slightly more dramas could see the anomaly. To some extent, Xiao Cheng’s style could no longer keep up with current audience tastes, remaining stuck in the era of his most popular work, Love in Summer Night.

“This reminds me of a rumor. Does anyone remember? When Love in Summer Night first aired, a classmate of Xiao Cheng mentioned that the script was conceived by the two of them together. But later, when Xiao Cheng sold the script, he kicked the classmate out and claimed it was his independent creation.”

“Oh oh oh, I remember. Did that classmate already quit the circle?”

“It’s normal for screenwriters to occasionally have such rumors, but this guy… why is it always him?”

“If God of War Returns Home hadn’t blown up, plus Lin Ji’s article, who would know about the things he did? Just used to taking shortcuts.”

Starting from Love in Summer Night, every drama Xiao Cheng touched was dug up repeatedly by netizens. Even if a drama was fully in the control of one screenwriter, various faults could be picked out, let alone someone like Xiao Cheng, who was only responsible for picking peaches (stealing credit).

* * *

The long Weibo posts from the rookie screenwriters triggered waves of discussion, yet Xiao Cheng never stepped out to respond. It wasn’t until late at night, when everything was quiet, that Xiao Cheng’s studio posted a lawyer’s letter, claiming they would use legal means to defend their rights.

“Translating the two key points of the lawyer’s letter for everyone: 1. Those who signed contracts, everything goes according to the contract; 2. If you still want to mix in the screenwriting circle in the future, shut up; 3. I’m going to sue you, wait to pay up.”

“So arrogant…”

Netizens online at this hour were the minority. Compared to the daytime situation where netizens overwhelmingly supported the rookie screenwriters, after Xiao Cheng’s studio sent the lawyer’s letter, a group of fans suddenly started attacking the rookie screenwriters—

“If you didn’t want to write, you could have refused. If you thought the price was low, you could go write high-paying dramas. Why didn’t you fight for attribution rights back then?”

“The production side valued Xiao Cheng’s fame. Who told you to be less famous than him?”

“Dying of laughter. Do you understand ‘doing things according to the contract’? Who dares to use a screenwriter fresh out of school? You should thank Screenwriter Xiao for giving you the chance to create scripts, alright?”

Every time netizens said a word for the rookie screenwriters, fans immediately refuted frantically in the comment section, one after another, filling netizens with doubt.

“Why do I feel… Xiao Cheng has more fans than A-list traffic stars?”

“Fans who disappear during the day and emerge at night. Definitely taking the underworld route.”

“But they aren’t wrong on one point. Although Xiao Cheng is excessive, the rookie screenwriters definitely signed contracts with him back then. The effect of accusing him online is indeed limited; it can only ruin Xiao Cheng’s reputation a bit.”

Facts were indeed as netizens predicted. After Xiao Cheng’s studio sent the letter, the voices of several rookie screenwriters became smaller than at the beginning and their attitudes less resolute.

Xiao Cheng had credits on more than just these few dramas. After these rookie screenwriters spoke up, netizens shouted out one after another, asking screenwriters from other crews to stand up and expose Xiao Cheng’s deeds.

Originally, a few rookie screenwriters planned to release the evidence in their hands, but once the lawyer’s letter came out, they gradually fell silent.

Only then did Xiao Cheng repost this Weibo from his studio.

Xiao Cheng V: “Justice is in the hearts of the people.”

All netizens: “…”

Although netizens weren’t clear on what kind of contracts the rookie screenwriters signed with Xiao Cheng’s studio, one could imagine the compensation would likely be an astronomical figure that ordinary people couldn’t bear.

“Being able to accept the price of five thousand per episode shows that the rookie screenwriters’ family backgrounds are very average. Xiao Cheng’s side did the screening long in advance.”

Xiao Cheng and his studio seemed to be singing a duet. One posted “Justice is in the hearts of the people,” and the next immediately reposted, claiming they would absolutely not let go of the recent smears and rumors against Xiao Cheng.

Xiao Cheng’s relationship with marketing accounts had always been good. With these two posts from the studio and himself, marketing accounts and fans reposted one after another. Some even ran to the rookie screenwriters’ Weibo comment sections, laughing and saying they wanted to see their end.

And at this moment, a repost with a completely different style popped up.

Lin Ji: 【Oh, really?】

Netizens: “…”

Lin Ji’s style gave them the feeling that the Yin-Yang Master (master of sarcasm) had made his shining entrance.

【Waited half the day and no one came to threaten me. I had no choice but to go up first myself.】

“Hahahaha, wronging Little Lin.”

“When threatening rookie screenwriters, can you not forget our Little Lin every time? What does Little Lin count as in your eyes (loud voice)!”

“Little Lin: I didn’t break defense (get triggered), but a friend of mine is sweating a little.”

Next, Lin Ji @ the rookie screenwriters who had spoken up one by one. Without talking nonsense, his summary was only three words—Brother has money.

Lin Ji was one of the victims himself. In terms of fame, he had gradually broken away from the category of “rookie screenwriter.” Plus, with that article recognized by the big shot, it was enough for him to stand on the moral high ground and point fingers at Xiao Cheng.

Moreover, the fact that he had money was not fake at all.

God of War Returns Home single-handedly drove Rice Grains Video’s performance for a quarter—compared to before the short drama went online, Rice Grains Video’s VIP membership numbers and view counts skyrocketed in a straight line, recouping the profits of the past three years.

This quarter, Rice Grains Video ranked first in the industry for ad placement volume. The plot of God of War Returns Home leaned toward comedy and was naturally suitable for product placement. The platform had already snatched several major clients from Chaoxing TV and Qike Video.

More importantly, Lin Ji’s new short drama had captured the hearts of both the audience and advertisers, giving Rice Grains Video more prospects for future development.

As the creator of the script, Lin Ji took a considerable share of the profits.

Screenwriters in this world had the right to share in the profits of the series, but the share a newcomer could get was very limited. The share Rice Grains Video gave Lin Ji was significantly higher than the average newcomer. Not only could he take a share of the view counts, but he could also get a slice of the pie from ad placements.

If possible, Rice Grains Video wanted to tie Lin Ji down, ideally cooperating for more than 20 years.

“So, when can God of War Returns Home air three episodes a week? Two episodes a week simply isn’t enough to watch, okay?”

“If you have time to show off your money, why not hurry up and write the script? I’ve already watched the aired episodes three times!!!”

“Dying of laughter. Little Lin: Heh, what I want to see isn’t urging for updates; I want to see who dares to threaten me?”

The fact was, although Xiao Cheng’s fans threatened the rookie screenwriters in various ways in their comment sections, looking like they wanted to expel them from the entire industry, Lin Ji’s comment section was a picture of harmony, without a single threat in sight.

Although Lin Ji reposted the Weibo, Xiao Cheng’s studio didn’t give him a single word of response. If it were another screenwriter, they might have let it go. Unfortunately, Lin Ji never cared about prestige or put on celebrity airs. He ran directly to Xiao Cheng’s studio’s side and asked—

【When does the court open? Waiting to fight the lawsuit.】

【Are you suing me, or should I sue you here? If you’re not in a hurry to sue, I’ll sue first, mwah~】

“Xiao Cheng’s studio: Trembling in Fear series.”

“Xiao Cheng’s studio: Get lost quickly ahhhhh!! Adding ‘mwah~’ at the end, you think you’re cute?”

“I’m really going to die of laughter because of Lin Ji. Although I only watched one episode of God of War Returns Home today, the drama between him and Xiao Cheng can really be watched for three days and three nights nonstop.”

“+1+1+1, hahaha Lin Ji has the rhythm of fighting one hundred people alone.”

“Xiao Cheng’s studio probably just wanted to pretend to threaten the rookie screenwriters not to talk nonsense. How are they going to step down now?”

Lin Ji’s leaving a message on Xiao Cheng’s studio’s official blog was, of course, just talking tough. He was too busy recently; running to court was a waste of time. But since Xiao Cheng’s studio could use a lawyer’s letter to threaten rookie screenwriters, he didn’t mind giving a “lawsuit warning.”

Xiao Cheng’s studio remained silent on this, completely lacking the fierce appearance they had when threatening the rookie screenwriters—the studio simply had no means to threaten Lin Ji. Even if they fought a lawsuit, Lin Ji didn’t have to worry about paying money. Given how much Rice Grains Video valued Lin Ji, the platform probably wished Lin Ji couldn’t survive in the screenwriting circle so that he could follow Rice Grains Video wholeheartedly.

To some extent, Xiao Cheng’s studio’s thinking was completely correct.

Rice Grains Video probably saw from the trending search list that Lin Ji ran to Xiao Cheng’s studio’s comment section. While Lin Ji was asking here when the court opened, the official account actually followed and reposted, “Does Screenwriter Lin need a 20-man lawyer team? The kind that is on standby anytime.”

Netizens: “…”

Don’t lick too hard, thanks.

NOTES

Picking peaches: Idiom meaning to steal the fruits of someone else’s labor.

Yin-Yang Master: Internet slang for someone who is an expert at being passive-aggressive or sarcastic (“speaking yin and yang”).

Lick: Slang for sucking up to someone, bootlicking, or simping.

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