Translator: Ink Hub

Editor: Yoog

“Teacher Lin, you’ve arrived!”

“Morning, Teacher Lin!”

The moment Lin Ji’s figure appeared at the Rice Grains Video building, he was greeted with a unanimous welcome from the entire staff.

Over the past few months, the overall appearance of Rice Grains Video had undergone a complete transformation. The explosive popularity of God of War Returns Home had carried the entire platform, causing it to soar from the bottom of the rankings to the number one spot in viewership.

Although there was only one work from Rice Grains Video on the charts, compared to before, this could truly be called an ascension.

As the reputation of God of War Returns Home fermented day by day, VIP sales for Rice Grains Video continued to grow. This quarter, Guo Rui and his department were receiving bonuses until their hands went soft.

No one would ever dislike their financial savior. To all the staff in the department, Lin Ji was their one and only “Gold Master.”

Lin Ji had come today to deliver a script.

He had spent a long time at home conceptualizing it before finishing the first few episodes of the short drama. In his previous life, Lin Ji was actually better at writing male-centric stories; he wrote fewer romance plots. However, in this life, both Secretly in Love with You and the new short drama were scripts from a female perspective.

The “moe” points and “poison” points of female audiences required careful research.

Guo Rui had long been looking forward to Lin Ji’s new script. The viewership for God of War Returns Home had remained at a high level and was almost approaching saturation. Although it could still bait some new viewers, it was time to add a new revenue growth point for the platform.

Regarding the concept of the short drama, Lin Ji had already communicated with Guo Rui before the trailer was filmed, so there shouldn’t be any conflict between the two sides.

However, this time, when he handed the script over, the other party flipped through it for a long time without saying a word. Lin Ji couldn’t help but ask, “What’s wrong?”

“Teacher Lin, sign an exclusive contract with us,” Guo Rui said with a serious face. “We’ll make you the vice president.”

Lin Ji replied, “…I remember that you aren’t even a vice president yourself, right?”

“That’s why you’ll be the one.”

I’m appointing my own leader.

Lin Ji was speechless. This was too casual; it looked like a scam at first glance, didn’t it?

Before Lin Ji arrived to deliver the script, Guo Rui had made a preliminary estimate. In his view, Lin Ji had already written two scripts, Secretly in Love with You and God of War Returns Home. Even if he was talented, the new script would likely be a tier lower than God of War Returns Home.

However, the moment he flipped to the first page of the script, he was captivated.

Guo Rui was a veteran. Although he didn’t have many opportunities to handle good scripts at Rice Grains Video, he could still distinguish the quality.

The new script was not only far from mediocre, but Guo Rui believed that as long as the plot could be filmed, it would inevitably be a masterpiece on par with God of War Returns Home!

What exactly was the structure of Lin Ji’s brain?

The more Guo Rui read, the more interesting it became. The new script used a female perspective, which would inevitably attract more female viewers. But even from his perspective as a male viewer, the new show was incredibly fun!

“Within half a month, I guarantee it will go online!”

Guo Rui excitedly ran off to discuss the plot with his colleagues. For the new drama, Rice Grains Video’s preparation work had already been completed; they were just waiting for the script to arrive to start filming. And now, the content of the script clearly exceeded his expectations, making Guo Rui wish he could see the finished product immediately.

Recently, some people had mocked Rice Grains Video, saying they were just lucky to have encountered God of War Returns Home. “If you’re so capable, try filming a thousand episodes,” they said. Guo Rui was initially quite angry, but then he figured it out—filming a thousand episodes wasn’t impossible.

Why don’t you guys film a thousand episodes? Is it because you don’t want to?

Oh, it’s because you don’t have a God of War Returns Home.

Could a good screenwriter be found just by luck? A show like God of War Returns Home that changed the landscape of short dramas was something every platform wanted, okay?

Regrettably for them, Rice Grains Video didn’t just have God of War Returns Home now; they were about to have another short drama.

The joy of possessing a new script was something Rice Grains Video naturally had to share with their fellow industry peers.

Rice Grains Video V: [Screenwriter Lin’s new script is truly exciting. Is there anyone who hasn’t received it yet?]

Other platforms: “?”

Chaoxing TV: [I’ll pay double.]

Rice Grains Video: [But you don’t have it. 0 x 2 = 0, thanks.]

Rice Grains Video: [Everyone, come and congratulate me!]

Other platforms: “…Heh.”

They couldn’t exactly congratulate Rice Grains Video’s new show on flopping, as that would clearly cause them to lose the possibility of collaborating with Lin Ji. How hateful!

“Dying of laughter. Does anyone else think that since God of War went online, Rice Grains Video has become incredibly petty and annoying?”

“At this moment, the person behind Chaoxing TV is frantically hitting the keyboard: +1+1+1+1+1…”

“They’re bragging way too much. I’m starting to get curious about what the new drama is like, too.”

“I’ve already watched Secretly in Love with You and God of War Returns Home until they’re worn out. When will Screenwriter Lin write another little sweet treat?”

“Awoooo! Ji Ning and Fang Ming are simply sweet to the point of exploding. That hidden, unrevealed sweetness makes me want to go back to high school, you know?”

Underneath this comment, Qike Video silently left a message: [Qike Video exclusively broadcasts Secretly in Love with You. Welcome to watch.]

Rice Grains Video V: [Scumbag.]

Chaoxing TV: [Scumbag.]

Rice Grains Video V: [The one above is pretty much the same. It’s only because our Screenwriter Lin is a good person.]

Who didn’t know that these two had screwed over Lin Ji? Especially Qike Video; they had suppressed Secretly in Love with You and refused to promote it before. Now that the drama had exploded, they acted all day like “Secretly in Love with You belongs to my family,” which was extremely repulsive.

On Lin Ji’s side, his intention to cooperate with Qike Video was also the lowest. From the filming to the broadcast of Secretly in Love with You, Qike Video had been fickle. Even if the other party offered him a high quote, Lin Ji preferred a stable partner.

* * *

Guo Rui discussed with his colleagues for a while before excitedly running back to find Lin Ji to ask for his opinions on the filming.

He had previously seen an interview with the director of Secretly in Love with You, Wen Qing. According to Wen Qing, during the filming of Secretly in Love with You, Lin Ji had given a lot of advice, not only regarding the script but also about the filming techniques and the actors’ performances.

Therefore, the texture presented by Secretly in Love with You and the natural acting of the actors all contained Lin Ji’s personal ideas.

Recently, the dramas being prepared by major satellite stations, in addition to focusing on youthful sweet plots, had also adjusted their visuals to try to stay as close to the style of Secretly in Love with You as possible.

A group of people sat down and discussed for a long time; the new short drama was still primarily handled by the God of War Returns Home team. In the job of filming short dramas, the team members already had rich experience.

Lin Ji wrote the scene breakdowns very meticulously. The more meticulous they were, the more sense of imagery they had. Regarding how the new short drama should attract viewers, the group had more and more ideas, and Lin Ji’s notebook was filled to the brim.

During the discussion, Lin Ji sat next to Guo Rui, only speaking a sentence or two occasionally.

Other staff members couldn’t help but steal glances at his expression.

Every time they saw Lin Ji charging at the front lines on the internet, this group of Rice Grains Video staff who had interacted with him felt it was magical.

The real Lin Ji had a personality almost completely opposite to his online self. He didn’t speak much, there was no gloom between his brows, and he didn’t have the arrogance of someone who became famous at a young age. Instead, he carried a trace of scholarly elegance. When he sat quietly, his presence was very low; few people would associate him with the screenwriter of God of War Returns Home.

But whenever they talked about content related to the plot, Lin Ji could always hit the mark.

“Lin Ji, do you have any other opinions?” the director asked.

Lin Ji nodded. “Everything else can be changed, but the title stays exactly as it is in this version.”

The director wanted to say something more, but since God of War Returns Home had aired until now, every one of Lin Ji’s ideas had been proven correct, so he dropped the idea.

It was no exaggeration to say that everyone at Rice Grains Video now had a mysterious superstition regarding Lin Ji. It was as if as long as he sat here, everything would proceed in an orderly fashion according to his will.

As long as one had face-to-face contact with Lin Ji, they would know that his understanding of the crew was deeper than anyone imagined. Regarding all the details of TV filming, whether or not they were related to the screenwriting profession, a slight mention was enough for him to respond immediately.

The director couldn’t help but be puzzled. “Does the National Film Academy teach this meticulously now?”

“If they were this meticulous, a hack like Xiao Cheng wouldn’t have become famous.”

The director was instantly comforted upon hearing this. That sense of inferiority from being crushed by Lin Ji vanished into thin air. It definitely wasn’t that he was too incompetent, but rather that Lin Ji was too much of a freak—he should benchmark himself against Xiao Cheng.

If Xiao Cheng could become famous, it meant the world was just a makeshift stage, nothing more.

* * *

Rice Grains Video worked overtime. The creators invested themselves in the filming of the new drama with great enthusiasm. Lin Ji hadn’t even written much of the script before Guo Rui happily told him that the first two episodes were finished.

“So fast?”

“It’s just a matter of practice.”

God of War Returns Home followed a film-as-you-air model. Under the Rice Grains Video official Weibo, a group of fans urged for updates every day. As they urged, the crew’s filming efficiency grew higher and higher, even reaching the point where they could finish an episode in a day.

The new drama hadn’t aired yet, so the crew filmed more cautiously, and the progress was slightly slower.

After Lin Ji nodded, the Rice Grains Video official account posted a meme of a cat with its head held high that very day.

[Screenwriter Lin’s new drama is here! Two episodes go online tonight!! See you there!!]

“So, now it’s two episodes of God of War and two episodes of the new drama a week?”

“What I want to complain about is that Rice Grains Video is getting more and more arrogant. Who launches a new drama without a title or synopsis? Only the screenwriter’s name, right? Do you think I’ll buy it?”

“—I actually will. Booked. Put it on quickly.”

“GKD GKD! God of War updates too slowly. It wouldn’t be too much for the new drama to update ten episodes a day, right?”

Liang Jinjin, a die-hard fan of God of War Returns Home, naturally waited on Rice Grains Video at the first opportunity. Since God of War Returns Home became a hit, there were many similar themes in the webnovel circle, and Liang Jinjin had been having a blast reading them lately.

Once 7:00 arrived, Liang Jinjin only took one glance at the title and maintained his unblinking gaze for a full three seconds.

The Heiress Conceals Her Identity but Gets Dumped?

“??? Can it be any tackier?”

“Public notice: if you can’t come up with a name, you don’t have to.”

“God of War Returns Home was already tacky enough. Help! Rice Grains Video, did you spend a month just to come up with this kind of thing?”

“It’s hopeless. Is it certain this drama can become a hit???”

NOTES

Gold Master (金主爸爸 – Jinzhu Baba): Literally “Financial Savior Daddy.” Refers to an investor or the person who provides the funds.

GKD: Short for “gai kuai dian” (= should be faster). Internet slang used to urge someone to hurry up.

Makeshift stage (草台班子 – cao tai ban zi): A popular saying meaning that the world is run by people who are just winging it or are incompetent rather than organized professionals.

Moe / Poison: “Moe” points are things audiences love; “Poison” points are deal-breakers or tropes that make readers drop a series.

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