Translator: Ink Hub

Editor: Yoog

Netizens silently filled in the melodramatic drama of a domineering little website chasing after its crush, the screenwriter: “You changed my destiny against the heavens, so I’ll dig out my heart for you.” → They particularly loved this kind of plot.

Even though Lin Ji’s persona wasn’t a “little white flower” (innocent/fragile) but more like a “bawang hua” (tough/badass flower).

In short, with Lin Ji stirring things up, the momentum of Xiao Cheng’s studio weakened significantly. The studio’s attitude toward other rookie screenwriters didn’t work on Lin Ji at all, and Lin Ji even had the ability to back up the other rookies.

Liang Jinjin watched as more than ten rookie screenwriters popped up in a single day to drop the hammer on Xiao Cheng and couldn’t help sighing with emotion. “Just how much has this guy angered both gods and men?”

Even if Xiao Cheng’s studio wanted to send lawyer letters, they probably couldn’t deal with so many people at once.

Xiao Cheng’s fans were still diligently trying to “wash the floor” (whitewash) for him, but their so-called explanations could only fool uninformed passersby. In terms of public opinion, it was already very difficult for Xiao Cheng to turn the tables.

* * *

The next day, Lin Ji received a long, sincere apology letter from another screenwriter of Snow in Early May.

Lin Ji had @ the other party so many times without a response. This time, however, disregarding the internal confidentiality agreement signed with the crew, the person confessed the inside story of the birth of the Snow in Early May script.

According to their description, the creation and revision opinions for the Snow in Early May script mostly came from Xiao Cheng. He and the other screenwriters only played an auxiliary role, specifically writing three or four episodes, but the final coordination and revision rights were all in Xiao Cheng’s hands.

As for Lin Ji, the newcomer, his role in the script was even more minuscule.

The decision for Lin Ji to take the blame was naturally also made by Xiao Cheng. The other party claimed that they and the other screenwriters “argued strongly on reasonable grounds,” but Xiao Cheng insisted on having his way. After Snow in Early May aired, the other party had been tormented by their conscience but could never muster the courage to confess to the public.

Lin Ji saw clearly in his heart: the other party was merely shifting the pot from themselves to Xiao Cheng. Right now, Xiao Cheng was a “broken drum beaten by ten thousand people” (everyone attacking him), so the possibility of this person being scolded was lower. But the audience was willing to buy this story.

Lin Ji didn’t insist on making things difficult for the other party. To some extent, that matter was indeed orchestrated by Xiao Cheng, and the responsibility for the failure of Snow in Early May largely belonged to Xiao Cheng.

Regarding this apology letter, Lin Ji didn’t mention forgiveness; he only maintained silence.

This was his signal to the other screenwriters of Snow in Early May.

Since Lin Ji didn’t say anything extra here, the other screenwriters spoke up one after another, “denouncing” Xiao Cheng for being unwilling to take responsibility as the head writer, acting recklessly in the Snow in Early May crew, and bringing shame to the entire screenwriting industry.

“Little Lin is really so miserable, so miserable.”

“For the hundredth time, rejoicing that God of War Returns Home became a hit. Otherwise, Lin Ji wouldn’t even have the chance to open his mouth… When God of War Returns Home first went online, I even mocked him. Now thinking about it, this wasn’t just a dogblood short drama; it was Lin Ji’s life and lifeline!”

“Sigh, I have long felt that God of War Returns Home and Snow in Early May were completely different in style. I didn’t expect the truth to be like this.”

“Honestly, Xiao Cheng is already financially free, right? Why must he stay in the circle to suppress other screenwriters?”

“Everyone, don’t forget. That Screenwriter Song criticized Little Lin ruthlessly before going to take a photo with Xiao Cheng. If you say he wasn’t instructed by Xiao Cheng, I don’t believe it one bit.”

“+1. Thinking carefully, Xiao Cheng is truly too shameless.”

Screenwriter Song, having been immersed in the circle for years, immediately deleted the photo with Xiao Cheng the moment he sensed something was amiss. Those articles in his column criticizing God of War Returns Home also vanished without a trace.

Xiao Cheng had always been good at manipulating public opinion, claiming to be the screenwriter with the most traffic in the entertainment industry. But from this moment on, he personally experienced the power of public opinion backlash.

Typing “Xiao Cheng” on Weibo brought up all his dark history from his time at the National Film Academy, dug up clearly. The National Film Academy’s official blog no longer showed any news related to him, and crews he had worked with previously also deleted his information one after another.

This wasn’t even what made him most uncomfortable.

What made him most uncomfortable was that the most authoritative screenwriters in the circle stood up one after another, declaring him a tumor in the screenwriting circle and cutting ties with him completely.

In the past, no matter how bad his situation was, it would absolutely not have become known to everyone—if not for Lin Ji’s article.

Because of Lin Ji’s article, the unspoken rules everyone defaulted to became the dark side. The higher-ups needed to see someone dealt with, and the circle needed to set up a target to take the blame for everyone. In the Snow in Early May crew, Lin Ji had the shallowest seniority and weakest reputation, so he was pushed out to take the pot.

At that time, Xiao Cheng was triumphant, thinking he had made a wise decision.

But now, he himself became the target, pushed out.

The feeling of being treated as a sacrifice and ostracized by the entire industry—he finally experienced it, just as Lin Ji had.

Lin Ji could turn over with God of War Returns Home, but Xiao Cheng knew himself. With his strength, it was absolutely impossible for him to write another hit drama.

If it were just a ruined reputation, he could still live a good life relying on his previous accumulation. But now, besides demands to terminate cooperation, crews that had signed contracts were demanding compensation for their losses.

The moment the agent mentioned compensation demands, Xiao Cheng sneered, “Didn’t they come to find me because they valued my fame?

“Did they come for my ability?”

What Xiao Cheng regretted most right now was watching coldly as God of War Returns Home went online on Rice Grains Video. If he had blocked it slightly before the short drama’s reputation fermented, things would never have developed to this state.

* * *

For Rice Grains Video, Xiao Cheng’s ruined reputation brought only benefits and no harm to the platform.

The more severely Xiao Cheng’s evil deeds fermented online, the more curious netizens became about God of War Returns Home. Many netizens even came to catch up on God of War Returns Home with a mindset of making amends.

“…Can’t stop at all!!”

“This believer declares: before clicking on God of War Returns Home, I never thought this drama actually took this kind of route.”

“Where is the next episode!!!!!! Update quickly!!!!”

“@RiceGrainsVideo, stop messing with your gossip, hurry up and make the drama!!!”

The view count of God of War Returns Home had long been number one across major platforms. The view curve for recent episodes had been very stable, but after the truth of Lin Ji being made a scapegoat was revealed, the view count welcomed another massive surge.

Rice Grains Video followed the “Screenwriter Little Lin is Number One in the World” simp route. In the past few days, they looped various gossip about Xiao Cheng on the homepage twenty-four hours a day.

Regarding the fans’ urging for updates, the platform didn’t turn a blind eye. In fact, the filming of God of War Returns Home had always been Rice Grains Video’s priority, with efficiency ranking the highest among all major projects at Rice Grains Video.

However, the filming speed of the series could never catch up with the fans’ viewing speed. One episode finished in ten minutes, and they wanted to see the next one immediately. Even if they rubbed the cameras until sparks flew, it couldn’t be done!

“If God of War Returns Home can’t be filmed fast enough, why not film a new drama?”

Rice Grains Video: “…”

Fans obviously forgot that before God of War Returns Home, Rice Grains Video was just an insignificant small website. Not only was the scale small, but in terms of resources, talent reserve, and audience trust, not a single item could compare to its competitors.

Actually, Rice Grains Video also wanted to film new dramas, but they worried about diverting traffic from God of War Returns Home.

#HaveMoneyButCantEarnIt,SoBitter#

#GiveScreenwriterLinMoreMoney,BegHimToGuideNewDrama#

* * *

On Lin Ji’s side, the filming of Secretly in Love with You finally reached its end.

When the last scene finished filming, Tian Yao and Wen Qing coincidentally showed relaxed expressions. When the series first started filming, their requirement was simply not to be too trashy, at least to attract some viewers, and not to be worse than the previous drama Tian Yao produced.

But after Lin Ji took over the script, their expectations for the series slowly grew higher. The closer they got to the end of filming, the more they looked forward to the audience’s reaction after the series aired.

This was the confidence Lin Ji’s script gave them.

“Finally finished filming.” Tian Yao sighed with emotion. “More than half a month faster than I expected.”

Mainly because Lin Ji’s scriptwriting efficiency was too high. He had sufficient speed while taking care of quality. Not only did he design the script’s logic to be interlocking, but he could even guide actors to give the most suitable performance in specific scenes.

Tian Yao and Wen Qing hadn’t positioned Secretly in Love with You as a boutique drama, but as they filmed, in their hearts, this drama had clearly become a boutique drama.

There was one thing Tian Yao didn’t tell Lin Ji.

Secretly in Love with You was a series Qike Video intended to sign. Initially, when the screenwriter ran away, Qike Video vaguely revealed thoughts of returning the goods. Later, when the screenwriter changed to Lin Ji, Qike Video sent a director over directly, stating that if the crew didn’t consider changing the screenwriter, Qike Video would resolutely not accept Secretly in Love with You.

Tian Yao was both aggrieved and angry at the time. What he thought then was, if worse came to worst, he’d sell it to Rice Grains Video. If that still didn’t work, he’d sell it cheaply to those nameless local stations. There were plenty of unsold dramas in a year; as long as he was willing to think of a way, Secretly in Love with You could always find a path.

The result was—just after Qike Video talked tough, God of War Returns Home aired.

The Qike Video director had just left on the front foot only to run back to the crew on the back foot. What was funny was that the tough words Qike Video spoke were heard by Chaoxing TV. Chaoxing TV also sent someone over. Both sides enthusiastically expressed that as long as it was Screenwriter Lin’s drama, they would naturally provide the best conditions.

Tian Yao was so inflated at the time he wanted to blast out a couple of famous lines from God of War Returns Home, letting Chaoxing TV and Qike Video be so shocked by his “Tyrant’s Aura” that they couldn’t lift their heads.

But he knew very well that the two platforms weren’t coming for him. In the TV drama circle, he and Wen Qing were the newest of newcomers, completely lacking the capital to bargain with the two platforms.

Both were coming for Lin Ji.

God of War Returns Home shattered viewing records, forcefully propping up the half-dead Rice Grains Video. Even if Secretly in Love with You wasn’t the short drama genre Lin Ji had proven himself in, as the first long drama handled by Lin Ji, it was enough for the broadcasting platform to market heavily.

Chaoxing TV and Qike Video’s focus was all on Lin Ji. As the producer, Tian Yao wasn’t jealous, because only by experiencing it personally would one understand how boundless a person’s talent could be.

Lin Ji was born for screenwriting.

NOTES

Bawang hua: Literally “King Flower” or “Overlord Flower” (Rafflesia). Slang for a tough, badass female character (or male, in this context), opposite of a “white lotus” or “little white flower” (innocent/fragile).

Wash the floor: Slang for whitewashing, covering up someone’s mistakes, or defending the indefensible.

Tyrant’s Aura / Wang Ba Zhi Qi: A trope in webnovels where the MC emits an aura of dominance that makes everyone submit instantly. Often used ironically.

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