Translator: Ink Hub

Editor: Yoog

“The God of War returns home, only to find his daughter living in a dog kennel…”

“Offend him, and our Zhou family will fall into ruin this time.”

“The weather is getting cold; let the Zhou Group go bankrupt.” (Note 1)

In the week that followed, whether on TV drama forums or social platforms like Weibo, lines like “Let the Zhou Group go bankrupt when the weather gets cold” and “God of War’s daughter actually lives in a dog kennel” spread like brainwashing madness. GIFs from God of War Returns Home were turned into meme stickers, circulating in every corner of the internet.

After the second episode of God of War Returns Home went online, the heat remained undiminished. Unlike the first episode, which no one cared about on its premiere day, the second episode easily broke a million views within just one hour of its release.

“Actually, the acting is really a bit exaggerated, but for some reason, I just can’t stop [Doge][Doge].”

“Can’t stop at all +1.”

“The weather is getting cold; when will my boss go bankrupt? Taking orders for one boss bankruptcy.”

“Taking orders for one boss bankruptcy +1.”

“Dying of laughter. So when is the next episode online? (Pointing fingers)”

“It feels like I’m cringing so hard I could dig out a three-bedroom apartment with my toes, but I can’t sleep without watching the protagonist act cool.”

Rice Grains Video’s official Weibo account had always been ignored. After posting two promotional videos for God of War Returns Home, the comment section practically became a team-building area for drama fans. Those urging for updates, quoting famous lines, and reaching out for meme stickers popped up crop after crop.

The staff running the official account had never experienced such a scene. They even started having “idol baggage” when posting images. Originally, they just had to post two fixed Weibo updates a day, sometimes lazily substituting them with “Good morning” and “Good night” since no one watched anyway. But recently, they had to search online for various jokes about God of War Returns Home every day just to keep up with the fans’ wild imaginations.

Rice Grains Video’s backend data refreshed its highest record every single day.

Guo Rui and his colleagues had been walking on air at work these past few days. The view count and attention for God of War Returns Home had reached the standard of a hit drama, and VIP sales had almost reached the highest point since the platform was founded.

The promotional posters for God of War Returns Home all carried the Rice Grains Video logo. With the high heat of the drama, netizens seemed to realize for the first time that besides Chaoxing TV and Qike Video, there was another website in the industry called Rice Grains Video.

“Record broken!!”

“Awesome, awesome!”

Liang Jinjin and his buddies on the webnovel forum never thought that a short drama they accidentally recommended would explode like this. Since the data for God of War Returns Home started climbing, someone on the webnovel forum had been recording it. They originally thought God of War Returns Home would at most be a small hit. Who knew the data would become more and more outrageous, heading straight for the single-episode view record?

The thread where Liang Jinjin recommended the drama had become the data record building for God of War Returns Home. Many forum members felt a sense of pride that they had excavated a treasure.

“The most confused right now are probably the crews of Silken Tresses and A Lifetime of Peace.”

“Dying of laughter. They agreed to a duel between the two, only to be beaten to death by a random third party with messy punches.”

Chaoxing TV and Qike Video were indeed very confused. Silken Tresses and A Lifetime of Peace were dramas heavily pushed by the two platforms recently, aiming to harvest more young VIP drama fans.

Objectively speaking, the quality of both dramas wasn’t bad, and they were historical idol dramas liked by young people nowadays. Chaoxing TV and Qike Video even borrowed TV station filming crews to complete these two dramas.

In this scheduling slot, it was possible for either Silken Tresses or A Lifetime of Peace to win or lose. Both platforms were mentally prepared.

But they never expected that the winner would be God of War Returns Home, which popped out from god knows what corner.

Chaoxing TV and Qike Video had never put Rice Grains Video in their eyes.

If God of War Returns Home just had a small victory, it would be fine. But looking at this development trend, God of War Returns Home clearly had the potential to become a phenomenal hit drama.

“Just this?”

If Rice Grains Video was pushing a well-made serious drama or a currently popular idol drama, the two platforms would lose convincingly. But in terms of volume, cast, and quality, which point of God of War Returns Home could beat Silken Tresses and A Lifetime of Peace?

Their carefully planned long dramas were lost to Rice Grains Video’s short drama. Chaoxing TV and Qike Video were beyond aggrieved.

“Where on earth did God of War Returns Home come from?”

This wasn’t just the doubt of the two video platforms but also the doubt of the vast number of drama fans.

Fans casually dug around and found that the main creative team of God of War Returns Home all came from Rice Grains Video. The actors were newcomers; from the director to cinematography, it was exactly the same as the previous drama produced by Rice Grains Video. The only difference was in the screenwriter column.

Screenwriter: Lin Ji.

“The name sounds slightly familiar.”

“??? Is it the Lin Ji I’m thinking of?”

“Lin Ji, the Lin Ji from Snow in Early May?”

“I still remember the scene where I was traumatized by Snow in Early May until I vomited blood. I vote for the same name, same surname. With the rhythm of God of War Returns Home, he couldn’t have written a trash drama like Snow in Early May, right?”

However, there were only so many screenwriters named Lin in the circle, and the name Lin Ji wasn’t common.

Drama fans were very good at picking up clues. Before long, someone dug up that the Rice Grains Video official account had liked a Weibo post a week ago.

That Weibo post was impressively posted by Lin Ji.

Fans scrolled back. Lin Ji posted an average of one Weibo a day, all golden Buddha images plus @Xiao Cheng and several other screenwriters.

At first, quite a few people watched his Weibo, but gradually, the number of onlookers decreased. Recently, there were basically no comments or reposts. Logically speaking, if Lin Ji had no connection with Rice Grains Video, why would the Rice Grains Video official account like his post?

There were too many coincidences.

“It can’t really be that Lin Ji from Snow in Early May, right?”

“I’ve watched both Snow in Early May and God of War Returns Home. I can’t believe this is the work of one person.”

“Ah, this…”

“Be that as it may, Lin Ji has always emphasized that he shouldn’t take the blame for the flop of Snow in Early May. By the way, if he really is the screenwriter of God of War Returns Home, maybe there really is an inside story to the failure of Snow in Early May.”

…

Regarding the explosive popularity of God of War Returns Home, Lin Ji, the screenwriter, was somewhat slow to realize it.

“Morning, Teacher Lin.”

“Teacher Lin, have you eaten breakfast? We just went out to eat and brought you some baozi and dumplings.”

“Teacher Lin, your coffee. By the way, didn’t you mention a few days ago that your pen wasn’t writing well? I happen to have a pen on hand; you take it first.”

Lin Ji stared blankly at the fountain pen in his hand. He had just woken up. His brain cells had been consumed too much recently, and he felt his thinking wasn’t turning over very well.

He recognized the brand of the fountain pen; a basic model cost several thousand yuan.

This morning, for every acquaintance he met, he heard a sincere and emotionally rich “Teacher Lin.”

Lin Ji got along well with the Secretly in Love with You crew, but it was limited to the relationship between an ordinary screenwriter and the staff. After all, he had a “masterpiece” like Snow in Early May on his resume. Although the filming of Secretly in Love with You was smooth, it hadn’t been tested by the audience yet, so no one knew the true quality of Lin Ji as a screenwriter.

Lin Ji’s feeling was that he seemed to be doubly respected overnight.

While eating baozi, Lin Ji scrolled through his phone. WeChat and Weibo had received a pile of messages.

WeChat was full of various blowing-kiss emojis sent to him.

“Teacher Lin, you are my god!!!”

“View count exploded @Lin Ji, Teacher Lin, make a squeak quickly!”

“Daily views broke 50 million. Only one step away from the yearly crown. Annual membership purchase data increased by 4,000% compared to last month!”

Starting from the night before last, the group chat was occupied by a dense patch of exclamation marks. Lin Ji spent a lot of effort to extract effective information from thousands of messages: God of War Returns Home had really exploded.

Outsiders didn’t know Lin Ji was the screenwriter of God of War Returns Home, but the crew of Secretly in Love with You knew it all too well. Back then, the main creators were even worried he would be poached by the God of War Returns Home crew.

If Lin Ji were just an ordinary screenwriter, the crew naturally wouldn’t need to be so polite to him.

What exactly was the concept of 50 million daily views? The average daily views for the yearly champion drama of Chaoxing TV last year were less than 35 million. And that was an S+ level drama created by Chaoxing TV with all its resources. God of War Returns Home was just an ordinary short drama. Different platforms, different levels. Even if the quality of God of War Returns Home was good, the investment cost was perhaps only one-tenth of that S+ drama from Chaoxing TV.

One-tenth of the cost, yearly champion data. This was the achievement Lin Ji had created.

Even if short dramas were at the bottom of the drama hierarchy, no one could ignore a screenwriter who could create viewing records.

Before God of War Returns Home, Lin Ji only had one representative work, Snow in Early May. After Secretly in Love with You finished filming, the cast and crew probably wouldn’t have another chance to collaborate with him.

But that was before. Now, no one would underestimate the development potential of a “Yearly Champion Screenwriter.”

Now they could still cooperate with Lin Ji on equal terms, but one day in the future, perhaps they would have to rely on Lin Ji to eat.

Lin Ji finished the baozi and drank a cup of hot water. Tian Yao greeted him, then unceremoniously ate his dumplings. “Reporters are calling my side. Should I tell the truth?”

Lin Ji nodded.

Although there was plenty of evidence outside proving Lin Ji was the screenwriter of God of War Returns Home, since Lin Ji himself hadn’t spoken up, the news was ultimately hard to confirm.

Tian Yao ate dumplings while facing him, whereas Lin Ji looked at the fan private messages he received. Today’s private messages were particularly numerous, all asking if he was the screenwriter of God of War Returns Home.

Actually, Lin Ji didn’t need to explain at all, because when the third episode of God of War Returns Home went online, the Rice Grains Video official account directly @Lin Ji.

The heat of the first and second episodes had completely spread. After the third episode went online, Rice Grains Video didn’t even buy a promotional slot; God of War Returns Home climbed to the number one spot on the trending search list early on.

“With one command from the God of War, the richest man in C City wept bitterly.”

“Unlocked another wave of face-slapping famous scenes. Is the screenwriter’s imagination inexhaustible? I’m really curious who the screenwriter of this show is.”

“Dying of laughter, three episodes aren’t enough to watch, okay? Hurry up and present 30 episodes to this lord.”

“Replying to upstairs, the screenwriter is @Lin Ji.”

“No… Snow in Early May was that kind of stinky and long foot-binding cloth, while God of War Returns Home is fast-paced and cool. @Xiao Cheng, really need to ask, are you sure Snow in Early May is Screenwriter Lin’s work?”

Many drama fans still had impressions of the scene where Snow in Early May flopped. When the crew pushed Lin Ji out back then, drama fans didn’t think much of it. After all, Xiao Cheng and the other screenwriters were experienced hands. Even if they occasionally missed, they wouldn’t flop so tragically.

Lin Ji had no representative works, so fans naturally leaned more towards Xiao Cheng’s side.

But now, Lin Ji had left a deep impression on the audience with just three episodes of God of War Returns Home.

Even if Snow in Early May was his debut work and couldn’t show his true level, Lin Ji actually wrote an explosively popular short drama in just two short months. His standard shouldn’t fluctuate so drastically.

…

“The logic of this matter doesn’t make sense from the start. Which TV station would give a key drama to a rookie screenwriter? Qinglan TV isn’t that kind of sweet, naive fool.”

“Qinglan TV isn’t a sweet fool, but we audience members are.”

“Emmm… Screenwriter Xiao Cheng, you know, is very famous in our circle.”

“Seems like there’s melon (gossip). Leaving an ear to listen.”

“Placing an ear +1.”

In the conference room of Rice Grains Video, the main creators of God of War Returns Home were dragging Lin Ji to discuss the subsequent plot. Rice Grains Video also had a group of cooperative screenwriters who were called over this time to brainstorm for the follow-up story.

According to the current view count of God of War Returns Home, Rice Grains Video was bound to make at least a hundred episodes.

When Lin Ji submitted his manuscript, he mentioned he had plans for several other short dramas. At that time, Rice Grains Video didn’t take it to heart. Now, they wished they could sign a long contract with Lin Ji and hollow out all his inspiration.

Rice Grains Video executives were making impassioned speeches at the conference table, but Lin Ji silently switched to his alt account:

“His studio just raises screenwriters to write scripts for him. They take various projects and give them to the junior screenwriters below to do. Sign a long contract, a few thousand yuan per episode. Even if you don’t want to write, you have to write.

“Otherwise, how could he complete so many projects on time? Just open a recruitment website and see. His studio recruits screenwriter assistants year-round. Assistants are responsible for writing, and after writing, the credit is all his.

“For a certain project at Qinglan TV, Screenwriter Xiao directly ‘served the plate.’ What is ‘serving the plate’? It means another screenwriter finished writing this drama, and just as they finished, they were kicked out. Qinglan TV said let’s start a new project. The new project and the old project actually have the same content, but the screenwriter changed to Xiao Cheng. At this time, they would give the old screenwriter a sum of money, claiming they got inspiration from his creativity, but this project no longer has anything to do with the old screenwriter.”

Lin Ji’s fingers typed rapidly.

The original host was a good person, letting Xiao Cheng mold him however he wanted. But he wasn’t. Lin Ji didn’t think he was despicable. In this circle, it was hard for good people to survive; the original host’s experience was proof.

Lin Ji leaked some secrets in the tone of an insider, then switched to a new account to act as a hype man. “Real or fake? Went to look at the recruitment website, seems it really is like this.”

“Is that Qinglan TV project [Redacted]? That show was so ugly I thought it was money laundering.”

“No way? That show was also Screenwriter Xiao? He clearly has so many trash dramas, how can he still stay invisible everywhere, dumping the pot on others when he flops?”

The initial comments and the comments waiting to eat melon were all posted by Lin Ji. Netizens were always curious about various gossip, so his posts were quickly pushed to the top comments section.

Lin Ji did have thoughts of screwing Xiao Cheng over, but not a single word of the inside info he revealed was false; they were all things Xiao Cheng had done.

“Actually, I also wanted to say, Xiao Cheng’s looks are indeed passable among screenwriters, but he eats based on scripts, right? After all these years, isn’t it still just that Love in Summer Night?”

“Love in Summer Night was hyped into a hit later. I remember clearly, it was benchmarking against Silent Strings at the time, but the ratings were a big chunk worse than Silent Strings.”

“Insider here indicating that 80% of the upstairs’ speech is true. The remaining 20%… actually he treated Lin Ji not badly. After all, he’s a junior brother from the same school, didn’t dare to pit him too hard.”

“This is called not pitting too hard???? Leaving aside whether he paid or not, fortunately Lin Ji turned over with God of War Returns Home. Just look at the pot he dumped on Lin Ji after Snow in Early May ratings plummeted; Lin Ji almost couldn’t survive in the screenwriting circle, okay?”

“Lin Ji took the blame, and in Xiao Cheng’s speech, he made himself look so aggrieved, saying he didn’t guide Lin Ji well. I’m dying of laughter. Let him write a God of War Returns Home first and we’ll see.”

“…In a few days, it’s the National Film Academy’s 80th anniversary. Xiao Cheng is even returning to school as an Outstanding Alumnus…”

A group of people were chatting hotly when suddenly a comment popped up out of nowhere, “Paid. Eight thousand yuan an episode.”

Netizens: “That’s still higher than the price of a screenwriter assistant by one…???”

They didn’t pay attention when this person commented, but looking at the Weibo name and clicking into the bio, it was impressively the protagonist of the gossip center, Lin Ji.

“…Bro, you should have an agreement with the Snow in Early May crew, right? Is it really okay to post this?” — (This one was also posted by Lin Ji.)

Lin Ji replied with his main account, “[Smile][Smile][Smile] Made money recently, can afford the breach of contract penalty.”

“Clearly just emojis, but I see someone cursing.”

“Cursing + shouting in the street. Dying of laughter. The main character personally coming down to tear it up. I love watching!”

“So Little Lin wrote God of War Returns Home not entirely to vent his anger, but also to make money, right? Little screenwriters are truly too miserable; having been wronged, they have to earn money themselves to seek justice.” — (Also from Lin Ji’s hand.)

…

Lin Ji felt he was practically schizophrenic. After a flurry of activity, the meeting still wasn’t over. Rice Grains Video had never experienced crushing an opponent in view counts, so everyone from senior executives to mid-level managers was a bit excited.

At the end of the meeting, Lin Ji still contributed two short drama inspirations. He spent a few days writing the scripts for the first two episodes and handed them to Rice Grains Video.

Facts proved that Rice Grains Video was already immersed in this atmosphere of success. Lin Ji somewhat underestimated the driving force of success on people a few weeks after submitting the script; when the new episode of God of War Returns Home aired, Rice Grains Video released a trailer for a new drama.

“She is the daughter of the richest man, concealing her identity to date a high-achieving boyfriend, only to be mocked by a manipulative rival.”

In the trailer, the boyfriend’s mother was arrogant and bossy. “Our So-and-so has an annual salary of 500,000. He could even marry the chairman’s daughter, but he chose someone from the countryside.

“What? You live in Houhai? That place is in the suburbs!”

In a top-tier wealthy district of Houhai, inside a luxurious villa, the female lead sighed faintly on the sofa. “How about I go buy an apartment in the city center?”

Her mother glanced at her. “How crowded is it to live there? It’s hard to park the plane. Isn’t it convenient to park on the company roof now?”

Viewers who saw the trailer: “…”

Is this screenwriter going to carry “acting cool” (zhuangbi) to the very end?

“Dying of laughter. Where does he get so many dogblood brainholes?”

“I’m a bit curious. The female lead of The Wealthy Daughter Can’t Be Bullied is the daughter of the richest man. What happens if she meets Liang Beichen from God of War Returns Home? Although the weather hasn’t turned cold yet, the Zhou Group has already gone bankrupt.”

“Tacky/earthy (tu), but love watching. Silently clicked follow for updates.”

“Follow for updates +1.”

“Is Rice Grains Video not giving other platforms a way to live? Also, one hit isn’t enough for Lin Ji; does he want to produce another new hit?”

“Little Lin wanted to take the serious drama route at first. Helplessly, some people were too pitiful. While he [Xiao Cheng] went back to his alma mater as an Outstanding Alumnus, Little Lin was scolded almost to the point of quitting the circle.”

NOTES

The weather is getting cold… : A very famous meme from a Chinese CEO webnovel. The CEO says, “It’s getting cold. Let the Wang Group go bankrupt.” It mocks the unreasonable power of fictional CEOs.

Cringe… three-bedroom apartment: Internet slang for extreme second-hand embarrassment or cringe. You cringe so hard your toes curl and dig out an entire apartment.

Serve the plate / Duanpanzi: Industry slang. Imagine a chef cooking a meal, but right before serving, someone else takes the plate out and claims credit for the dish.

Foot-binding cloth: A Chinese idiom describing something (usually speech or writing) that is “long and stinky” (boring, dragging, and unpleasant).

Eat melons: Internet slang for watching drama/gossip from the sidelines (like eating popcorn).

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