Depressive Screenwriter

August 12th, Monday.

Rurouni Kenshin's popularity is soaring on Sakura Net.

It even topped the trending charts for web series ahead of schedule.

The first episode of this series currently has 2.74 million paid views.

The second episode has 2.03 million paid views.

The third episode, having aired for exactly one week today, has set a new record for its first-week paid views, reaching 1.49 million.

If this were a web series with a dozen or so episodes, many media outlets would dare to predict that Rurouni Kenshin's final average paid views would exceed 4 million by the end of the summer season in September.

But unfortunately, Rurouni Kenshin concludes tonight.

In less than two weeks, its popularity will decline, paid views will struggle to grow, and eventually stagnate.

Although the paid viewing data for the first three episodes of Rurouni Kenshin is higher than Qing Feng's,

the media generally predicts that Qing Feng will still be the ultimate winner among all the Xia Guo web series this season.

And Rurouni Kenshin will be a close second.

Paid views will likely hover around the 3 million per episode mark.

But this prediction is by no means a disparagement of Kenshin.

If a small-budget series with four episodes and a cost of just over a million can achieve an average of three million paid views per episode,

that's 12. million in sales, with over six million going directly to the production company. Plus, Kenshin can sell some copyright fees and other revenue.

This work can already lock in a profit margin of over 700%.

In addition, with Kenshin's 9.4 rating, even the most critical film critics can't find any flaws.

At this moment, the comment section of Rurouni Kenshin on Sakura Net is filled with various opinions.

"Finally, this day has come."

"Tonight, we'll finally know the ultimate fate of Kenshin and Yukishiro Tomoe. The way this plot was cut off has made me feel uncomfortable all week."

"Looking forward to Kenshin storming the mountain tonight! What opposing forces, what disgusting schemes? They're all clouds in the face of absolute strength."

"Kenshin will definitely explode tonight, right? There wasn't a single fight scene in the third episode, and I feel like something's missing. Kenshin, give me some action in the fourth episode!"

"Kenshin promised Yukishiro Tomoe in the last episode that he wouldn't kill people easily anymore. How come you're all more bloodthirsty than Kenshin?"

"You have to think, Yukishiro Tomoe is still in the hands of Kenshin's opposing forces. How can he think so much? If my wife were in danger, I wouldn't care about any promises. Besides, Kenshin promised not to kill after the new era arrives. It's still early."

"Wuxia romance dramas ultimately need a gorgeous fight to end. I can already predict the plot of the fourth episode tonight. Kenshin storms the mountain. The process may be a bit dangerous, after all, the enemy must have ambushes, but what is Kenshin's strength? In the end, Kenshin is seriously injured, saves Yukishiro Tomoe, the two confide in each other, their knot is untied, and they finally live happily ever after until the new era arrives."

"Yes, from the first episode, the scar that Kiyosato left on Kenshin's face has been bleeding. Although I think the setting of a resentful knife wound that cannot heal unless the resentment is resolved is too superstitious. But it's a TV series, so I'll accept this setting first. The key to resolving Kiyosato's resentment must be on Yukishiro Tomoe. The fourth episode must clearly explain this setting."

"Brothers, Kiyosato's resentment is definitely not easy to resolve. Think about it, although Kenshin and Yukishiro Tomoe are indeed in love with each other. But what if you put yourself in Kiyosato's perspective?

He came to Kyoto full of vigor, and the situation was very good. He got his hands on the thigh of a high-ranking official, and success was just waiting for him to go home in the new year to marry his beautiful fiancée, and then Kenshin killed him.

His fiancée, Yukishiro Tomoe, then made a death wish to help Kiyosato take revenge. Unexpectedly, she fell in love with Kenshin during the process, and even did that with Kenshin. Kenshin also made a vow that he would no longer kill anyone after the new era arrives. Kiyosato is too miserable. He is definitely the biggest cuckold in the whole drama! How can his resentment be eliminated?"

"Ah?"

"This"

"Listening to you say that, if I were Kiyosato, I guess my resentment would be so great that I would become a ghost king."

"The most miserable in the whole drama, absolutely."

"Does Yukishiro Tomoe have to use love to influence Kiyosato's resentment?"

"I'm Kiyosato, and now I just want the world to be destroyed as soon as possible. I'm tired."

"Don't, this is too funny. The only way to eliminate the resentment of Kiyosato's knife wound is for Kenshin and Yukishiro Tomoe to be separated by life and death."

"Hahaha, how is that possible."

"Could the screenwriter be stupid enough to offend millions of our Rurouni Kenshin fans and come up with such a plot?"

"Kiyosato, or the resentful knife wound, are just fictional things in the TV series. But the resentment of our millions of Kenshin fans is real. I don't believe the screenwriter dares to have such an idea."

"But the producer of Rurouni Kenshin is that Shinozaki Ikumi! That Shinozaki Ikumi who produced Sakura Island Elegy!"

"Damn it. Don't remind me of the crappy drama Sakura Island Elegy! Scary!"

"Don't say it, it's impossible. Absolutely impossible. If that kind of plot really happens, Shinozaki Ikumi and Su Yan will be on my drama blacklist, I will hate them for life!"

On her way home from work, Gao Mengwen was scrolling through her phone, looking at the comments of Rurouni Kenshin fans on Sakura Net, with a pleasant smile on her face.

The greatest joy of watching dramas is not in the plot itself, but in discussing the future development of the plot with a bunch of fans afterwards.

This week, she has been thinking about how Kenshin and Yukishiro Tomoe will end their story and eventually live happily ever after.

That's right, happily ever after.

She doesn't believe the predictions on the Internet that the fourth episode will have a tragic development.

If Rurouni Kenshin was a series that was filmed all at once, that would be uncertain.

But why are Xia Guo TV series filmed while writing the script?

That is to give the screenwriter time to weigh the direction of the market, what kind of plot the audience wants to see, so that they can be modified in time.

Would Su Yan deliberately disgust the audience by writing a slutty plot?

How is that possible.

Su Yan has the ability, has the time, and has fully obtained market feedback to fully consider the plot direction of the fourth episode.

How dare a rookie screenwriter like him be artistic and engage in a tragic ending?

No matter how the screenwriter hints at the end of the third episode that there will be a big wave in the fourth episode.

Gao Mengwen knew that it was just a feint, a trick to whet the appetite.

This girl saw through it at a glance.

Back home, Gao Mengwen first took a shower, blew her hair, and then listened to music to relax, waiting for the launch time of the fourth episode of Rurouni Kenshin in the most perfect state.

Soon, the time came to eight o'clock in the evening.

Gao Mengwen smiled and opened the computer webpage, taking a look at the title name of the fourth episode of Rurouni Kenshin.

[Rurouni Kenshin Episode 4: Cross-Shaped Scar]

Cross-Shaped Scar?

What is that?

The name of each episode of Rurouni Kenshin is full of meaning.

Killer, Stray Cat, Yosato Mountain

All implicitly contain the mental journey of the two protagonists, Kenshin and Yukishiro Tomoe.

The cross-shaped scar in the fourth episode.

Heh, I'm too lazy to guess.

Gao Mengwen took a deep breath and clicked the play button.

The picture continues from the end of the third episode.

"The traitor is Yukishiro Tomoe, she and her accomplices are in the Buddhist hall on the opposite mountain!" Iizuka said to Kenshin.

"Get rid of her!"

Gao Mengwen has God's perspective, so naturally she knows that Iizuka is the traitor, and not a single word he says can be believed.

But what about Kenshin?

This is the first order that the organization behind Kenshin issued to him after he fled Kyoto.

Or let him return to his original job and continue to kill.

Moreover, the person to be killed is the person he loves the most, Yukishiro Tomoe.

The fourth episode does not drag its feet at all. With two sentences, the plot is introduced into a difficult choice for Kenshin.

Is it to disobey the organization's order, let go of the traitor, let go of the traitor who exposed the hiding place of the organization members, and then cause chaos in Kyoto, everyone flees and hides, countless deaths and injuries "Yukishiro Tomoe"?

Or end her life with his own hands.

Snowflakes are falling, and the blood on Kenshin's face keeps dripping, wetting and staining his collar along his cheeks and chin.

Kenshin has a sword at his waist.

He is holding the scarf that Yukishiro Tomoe once wrapped around him, but he said at the time that he couldn't bear to let it be stained with blood.

Kenshin's eyes are blank, walking on the snowy mountain road, every step sinking deep into the snow.

In his mind, the picture of killing Kiyosato at the beginning and the picture of Yukishiro Tomoe being alone and without a smile when they first met are intertwined.

The plot atmosphere becomes depressing and abusive.

The scarf in Kenshin's hand slipped unconsciously, he looked back.

A hallucination appeared, he saw the scarf as Kiyosato's body lying in a pool of blood.

"This mental stress is too great." The smile on Gao Mengwen's face disappeared.

She saw it.

Kenshin went up the mountain not to obey the order to kill Yukishiro Tomoe.

But to apologize to Yukishiro Tomoe, to apologize for killing Kiyosato and ruining Yukishiro Tomoe's happiness.

Kenshin lowered his head and picked up the scarf.

Fresh blood dripped on the scarf.

The scarf that he cherished so much, even saying that he couldn't bear to let it be stained with the bloody aura on his body and wanted to return it to Yukishiro Tomoe, was stained for the first time.

From the resentful knife wound from Kiyosato, the blood dripped from his cheeks.

This shot is too ironic and symbolic.

Gao Mengwen had some bad premonitions rising.