Translator: Ink Hub

Editor: Yoog

The news of the collaboration between Sunrise TV and Lin Ji did not initially cause any ripples within the industry.

Sunrise TV was merely a B-tier satellite station. The dramas it usually broadcast lacked hype and traffic. It was no exaggeration to say that even local viewers found Sunrise TV’s dramas unappealing, let alone the picky audiences from other provinces.

In other words, the hallmark of Sunrise TV was being “earthy” or tacky. Even its station logo was a hideously dull shade of yellow. However, Sunrise TV’s tackiness was different from the “earthy flavor” of God of War Returns Home or The Heiress. Those two shows were the kind that became more addictive the tackier they got, as if proving that the extreme of tackiness is trendiness. Sunrise TV, on the other hand…

It was simply earthy to the point of being obscure.

When celebrity fans ranked satellite stations, they were unwilling to even include Sunrise TV. Take Yu Muzi’s fans, for example; they would rather have their idol act in a Chaoxing TV drama than see her become the female lead of a Sunrise TV series.

However, many platforms and screenwriters were paying close attention to Lin Ji’s next move.

The lessons from Currently in Love and Siege Operation were too tragic. Major platforms all wanted to avoid any time slot where Lin Ji might air a show, or at least avoid the genre he was currently writing.

The industry certainly expressed immense disdain for the short dramas Lin Ji excelled at. But after various other platforms launched their own short dramas, they discovered that pacing and “cool points” were both indispensable. Currently, in this specific genre, no screenwriter could stand as an equal to Lin Ji.

Yet for the past few months, Lin Ji seemed to have evaporated into thin air. Neither Tian Yao nor Rice Grains Video had any news of him. Aside from drama fans mentioning him occasionally as the plot of The Heiress reached its climax, Lin Ji himself was being low-key to the extreme.

【Has anyone noticed that Lin Ji’s activity patterns are identical to “Big Rooster”?】

One day, a new thread suddenly appeared on the screenwriting forum.

“I think so too…”

“I’ve sent private messages to Big Rooster lately, and he hasn’t replied at all.”

“Previously, people felt Lin Ji couldn’t be Big Rooster. But have you noticed? Big Rooster never appears in threads that criticize Lin Ji.”

“Suddenly…”

“I feel Big Rooster should be a very senior screenwriter. But it is true that as soon as Lin Ji goes quiet, Big Rooster automatically disappears.”

The mystery of Big Rooster’s identity had long since spread from the forum to Weibo. Speculation that Lin Ji was Big Rooster had always existed, but because the personalities of the two were so different, it was hard for screenwriters who were used to Lin Ji’s dramatic performances to accept the reality that he was Big Rooster.

In the forum, Big Rooster was like a wise elder, familiar with all sorts of creative techniques and having screenwriting theory memorized by heart.

And Lin Ji?

He was the very definition of a “mad dog.”

But objectively speaking, the time Big Rooster was active on the forum truly was the closest match to Lin Ji’s active periods.

Furthermore, several screenwriters suspected of being Big Rooster had already come forward to deny it. Only Lin Ji had never issued a denial.

“I’d like to remind everyone that although Lin Ji loves to act out, don’t forget who wrote the article What is the Creative Orientation of a Screenwriter.”

The original poster of the thread appeared again: 【The reason I realized this is because I heard a piece of news: Lin Ji is currently collaborating with a certain satellite station. The genre is espionage.】

【If Lin Ji is Big Rooster, doesn’t writing a spy script suddenly become reasonable?】

“Espionage???”

“Tag Gu Lenian here. Is Lin Ji writing this specifically to slap Gu Lenian’s face?”

“Lin Ji writing a spy drama?!?! I wouldn’t be surprised if he wrote ancient idol or modern idol dramas, but a spy drama?!!! Can someone reveal which station it is? So brave! I’ll pitch my next script to them, too.”

【Sunrise TV.】

“This proves Lin Ji hasn’t been favored by mainstream satellite stations yet. Gu Lenian can rest easy for now; the time for him to be face-slapped can be delayed a bit.”

“If the drama is on Sunrise TV, you don’t even have to think about the ratings for now.”

“Doesn’t this combination feel bizarre? If Sunrise TV asked Lin Ji to write a romance drama, the ratings would definitely soar. If Lin Ji sought another platform to write espionage, his fame could grow further with the platform’s help. But this current pairing… It’s a bit hard to describe.”

After Lin Ji produced two back-to-back hit short dramas and one hit “sweet” drama, the industry was speculating whether he could achieve a fourth hit. Fellow peers were guessing his next work would be an idol drama; who knew Lin Ji would take a turn to write a serious drama?

In terms of ratings, idol dramas possessed a natural advantage over serious dramas. However, for a satellite station’s image, high-quality serious dramas were more beneficial.

Currently, the recognized A-list satellite stations were Dajiang TV, Qinglan TV, and Xingzhou TV. The reason Dajiang TV sat firmly in the top spot was precisely because of the reputation it built through serious dramas.

No one was optimistic about Lin Ji switching to serious dramas.

Short dramas were Lin Ji’s comfort zone. If writers like Gu Lenian and Zhao Jing, who were used to serious dramas, competed with him there, they naturally couldn’t win. But serious dramas were the comfort zone for Gu Lenian and his group. If Lin Ji rushed in blindly, he would likely only be crushed.

* * *

Lin Ji was too busy to go online. In the screenwriting profession, when one lacked inspiration, they couldn’t write anything decent for days. But once inspiration arrived, it was like a dam breaking—it couldn’t be stopped.

Of course, blindly writing like a madman wouldn’t work either. A screenwriter must know how to release and restrain their creativity.

“…A black sedan drives out of the building guarded by sentries. Inside the car, the newspaper reporter Lou Zhi speaks in fluent Japanese with the Section Chief of the Kwantung Army Military Police Headquarters…”

“…”

“Lou Zhi lights a cigarette and ponders how to transmit the news of Liu Yunong’s betrayal to the organization…”

Lin Ji already had nearly ten episodes of the script on his laptop. During the writing process, he even envisioned what kind of soundtrack should be used for each scene and what effect the visuals should present.

Lin Ji lacked a deep understanding of the current acting circle. The actors he knew were all from Snow in Early May and God of War Returns Home. These actors naturally couldn’t handle the role of Lou Zhi. Lin Ji had some ideas about what kind of actor should play Lou Zhi, but Sunrise TV might not necessarily consult him.

As a screenwriter, Lin Ji hoped his portrayal could make the character of Lou Zhi distinct. With the help of the script and a suitable actor, the character of Lou Zhi would inevitably become more vivid in the audience’s hearts.

He wrote all the way to episode 13 in one go, working until he lost track of day and night. By the time he freed himself from this state of immersion, he discovered he hadn’t left his house in half a month.

Around the time he wrote The Heiress, Lin Ji moved to a new home. His previous apartment was too small. While he could write in a small space, the cramped environment gave him a feeling that his thinking was being compressed. A larger space allowed his thoughts to be more open.

His brain was a bit stuck at the moment, so Lin Ji planned to relax by finding some films and books.

His new home was packed with books and discs. Physical discs were still selling quite well in this era and hadn’t been completely replaced by video websites. Lin Ji didn’t have the patience to buy memberships for every site or download a bunch of apps; he preferred to see the films he wanted immediately.

He organized his books while reading. Moving books was also a form of exercise.

Previously, he was so busy writing that he couldn’t attend to it. Now that he looked around, there was almost no place left to step in his house.

Transmigrating had its benefits. Lin Ji loved reading in his previous life, and he had basically read all the classics on the market. While new books occasionally had good works, low-quality ones were more common. In this era, all books and films were brand-new to him. Lin Ji felt as if he had returned to the state of reading during his student days.

It truly felt great.

Therefore, it was three weeks later when Lin Ji finally saw the pointed words from Gu Lenian.

The matter started when news of Lin Ji writing a serious drama spread. Reporters hadn’t contacted Lin Ji, but Sunrise TV had given a definite answer.

Shortly after Sunrise TV revealed the news, Gu Lenian posted a passage on his Weibo homepage:

“It is certainly a good thing for fresh blood to join the screenwriting industry. However, we must not only encourage the spirit of adventure but also remind those young people who are always wandering on the edge of the abyss: creation must rely on the soil of reality. Respect reality, respect the era, and respect the characters.”

“Hahaha, the famous screenwriter is so good at being passive-aggressive.”

“Gu Lenian: Kid, don’t trip and fall.”

“Gu Lenian: I want to see what kind of nonsense Lin Ji will make up this time.”

“The famous screenwriter is naturally angry. He can only write dramas for Maple Leaf TV now. I guess this is a ‘strong-strong’ alliance, right? [Dog head][Dog head][Dog head]”

“I have a strong premonition: Gu Lenian’s next drama might run into Lin Ji’s again.”

Lin Ji hadn’t been online, so his combat power wasn’t displayed. Consequently, Gu Lenian’s comment section gathered many voices that weren’t optimistic about Lin Ji.

Gu Lenian held a deep grudge against Lin Ji. In his view, Siege Operation was just a script he hadn’t put much effort into. Even if the view count lost to The Heiress, Lin Ji’s victory was “unfair.”

Comparing actual creative levels, how could Lin Ji possibly beat him?

Yet he was now reduced to writing for a B-tier satellite station, while Lin Ji was collaborating with Sunrise TV on the back of his high viewership.

In the eyes of an old-school writer like Gu Lenian, the status of satellite stations was still special. Even if Sunrise TV was obscure and he looked down on it himself, Gu Lenian still felt Lin Ji was unworthy.

* * *

Lin Ji strolled over to Gu Lenian’s Weibo homepage.

There was actually nothing wrong with Gu Lenian’s passage; he agreed with the “three respects” viewpoint. However, Gu Lenian’s interactions with his group of screenwriter friends in the comment section were quite an eyesore.

What did he mean by “young people love to take unconventional paths,” or “he’ll understand once he hits a wall and bleeds”?

Gu Lenian was even there, acting the part: “Sigh, I have good intentions, I only fear he won’t listen.”

This time, Lin Ji didn’t take the “literary youth” route. The outdoor temperature was still over 35 degrees; it was scorching.

Early the next morning, as soon as Gu Lenian opened Weibo, he found the notifications @-ing him were skyrocketing.

When he clicked in, he saw the source was Lin Ji.

Lin Ji had taken that moronic plot from Siege Operation, re-dubbed it with new background music, and put it on loop. The caption read: “Respect your brain.”

As for the specific visual effect, just refer to a rotating model of a DNA double helix.

The key was that Qike Video’s official account reposted this.

Qike Video’s accompanying image was the single-episode viewership of Siege Operation. The average viewership for the series was mediocre, but the sixth episode with the moronic plot was leading by a wide margin, far exceeding the other episodes.

Qike Video’s caption: “A Gu Lenian Work.”

This was the 132nd “Gu Lenian Work” comment or repost from the official account. The account was dedicated to finding every post that criticized this episode and solemnly reminding the person: this is a “Gu Lenian Work.”

#ActingOutIsContagious#

#Madmen x2#

#TheFirstYearOfGuLenianWorks#

NOTES

Earthy (土 – tu): Used here to describe Sunrise TV’s low-budget, unrefined, and unfashionable image.

Three Respects (三个尊重): Respect reality, the era, and the characters. A standard academic phrase in Chinese literary criticism.

Respect the brain (尊重脑子 – zunzhong naozhi): Lin Ji’s retort, implying that Gu Lenian’s “realistic” writing actually lacks basic logic and insults the audience’s intelligence.

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