You Don’t Understand The Pain Of Being Popular

158: THE 158TH DAY OF BEING POPULAR

However, with this in mind, Yao Bianliang regained some confidence in her mission.

Since the reason for this outcome was the pandemic, it indirectly proved that her plans were not bad.

Having experienced the pandemic once, it couldn't possibly happen every time.

As long as she continued with the same principles and worked hard in this direction, wouldn't she be able to become popular quickly?

"Ding dong!" At that moment, her phone vibrated, and a friend request popped up.

The request note had four words written on it, which read "Kuiqian Entertainment."

"Finally, it's here!" Yao Bianliang's spirits lifted, and she quickly clicked to accept.

Yes, in this mission, she had a new good teammate who would work with her. Presumably, this mission would be more successful with their combined efforts.

[You have accepted the friend request from user "IReallyHaveNoMoney."]

[You are now friends. Start chatting!]

Yao Bianliang looked at the username and remained silent for two seconds.

Very well, it seemed that her guess was indeed correct. This person was truly the wealthy second-generation who made the post.

After learning this news, Yao Bianliang felt much more at ease.

Both sides had completely aligned goals, which saved her a lot of trouble for her subsequent work.

The other person quickly sent a message: "Hello, Teacher Yao, I'm Mo Yougan."

Surname Mo, Mo Yougan...

Yao Bianliang silently repeated the name in her mind and felt deep respect in her heart.

No Money, what a great name!

Truly worthy of being the founder of Kuiqian Entertainment. To come up with a name like that, Mr. Mo is undoubtedly talented.

She replied, "Hello, Mr. Mo, you can call me by my name."

Mo Yougan: (handshake .jpg)

The two exchanged simple pleasantries, said cliché phrases like "I've heard a lot about you," and then Mo Yougan directly sent her the script document.

It was evident that Mr. Mo was a person of few words. He wouldn't say a second one if something could be resolved with one sentence.

Mo Yougan: "This is the script for 'Spring Warmth, Dew, and Splendor.' Take a look?"

Compared to a short film, the script for a TV drama was much longer. Yao Bianliang glanced roughly and estimated that it was four or five times the length of a short film.

It would definitely take half a day to read through it completely.

However, fortunately, at the beginning of the document, the screenwriter thoughtfully provided a synopsis of the script, which was only 20,000 words long.

Yao Bianliang immediately started reading it attentively.

The story takes place in a fictional dynasty.

The female lead was once a young lady from a prestigious family, but her father was falsely accused and died in prison.

Subsequently, their family property was confiscated, the men were sent to the military, and the women were sold to brothels. The female lead became a courtesan.

During her years as a courtesan, the female lead coincidentally encountered the male lead several times. The male lead was a prince of the current dynasty, and their affection for each other gradually grew through these accidental encounters.

The other courtesans in the brothel envied and ostracized the female lead, subjecting her to exclusion and mockery. Unexpectedly, one day, the female lead turned the tables and was redeemed by the male lead, marrying into the royal palace. As a high-ranking consort in the palace, she retaliated against the other courtesans.

The queen had passed away many years ago, and after entering the palace, the female lead officially became the mistress of the household, overseeing the financial affairs.

Throughout this process, there were, of course, trials, ostracism, and scheming from other palace concubines, as well as betrayal from the maidservants by her side.

The female lead was framed multiple times and developed misunderstandings with the male lead. However, in the end, all misunderstandings were resolved. The female lead retaliated against the other supporting female characters and was eventually officially recognized by the male lead, becoming the queen.

In the final part of the story, the male lead becomes the regent and has three sons with the female lead, achieving a perfect ending.

After seeing the script sent by the other party, Yao Bianliang furrowed her brows slightly.

A handsome man and a beautiful woman falling in love, with the added element of slapping faces and tormenting villains. This drama had sweetness and satisfaction.

The female lead went from a humble woman of the brothel to becoming a high-ranking consort in the royal palace, eliminating numerous malicious supporting female characters, and her remaining sons achieved success in their careers. Ultimately, she walked alongside the male lead, enjoying wealth and prosperity.

If this script didn't have a market, that would be strange!

Yao Bianliang flipped through her chat history with Mo Yougan again and then became confused.

Where did this confidence of Mr. Mo's come from? Did he think that this kind of script would fail?

This was clearly the blueprint for a sensational hit!

No wonder this person wants to make a flop drama but can never succeed. It turns out he hasn't even grasped the most basic principles.

Unable to hold back her inner doubt any longer, Yao Bianliang asked the question that was on her mind.

Yao Bianliang: "Mr. Mo, may I ask why you think this script would be a flop?"

Mo Yougan remained silent for a moment and honestly answered, "This drama seems suffocating."

Most current popular dramas on the market are based on a tone of sweetness and happiness. Filming a suffocating period drama might lead to its failure in such a context.

As Yao Bianliang looked at his response, a question mark slowly formed in her mind.

Is this script suffocating? Is there a misunderstanding regarding the meaning of the word "suffocating"?

Mo Yougan quickly explained Yao Bianliang's confusion.

Mo Yougan: "The male lead has a corrupt character and continues to have affairs even after being with the female lead. He marries multiple women and even has a relationship with a maid. The female lead is constantly being cuckolded but forgives the male lead repeatedly, and in the end, they reconcile."

The storyline does seem suffocating.

Yao Bianliang: "..."

After listening to Mo Yougan's description, Yao Bianliang went back and read it again.

It seemed... that Mo Yougan was right. The female lead starts as a concubine but eventually becomes the legal wife, and then the male lead continues to cuckold her, but she forgives him and they achieve a happy ending.

The problem is, that's not the focus of a typical period drama!

If any normal person read this script and saw the female lead defeat all the supporting female characters and achieve success, they would think it's a satisfying story.

However, Mo Yougan's thinking is eccentric. He interpreted the script from the perspective of the female lead being cuckolded and twisted the entire storyline.

Yao Bianliang wanted to explain it to Mo Yougan, but for some reason, after hearing his interpretation, she also became entangled in confusion.

Now, when she looked back at the script, nothing seemed right. The female lead was simply a pure victim.

Yao Bianliang pondered for a while and didn't know how to answer Mo Yougan's question. In the end, she could only explain the characteristics of a period drama and carefully point out the satisfying elements.

After listening to the explanation, Mo Yougan remained silent for a long time. "What a strange satisfying element."

To fight over a scumbag and succeed in snatching him in the end, what is there to be happy about?

Yao Bianliang massaged her temples with a headache and helplessly said, "Mr. Mo, although this script may not be great, this type of drama certainly has a market and a considerable audience."

"If we shoot according to this script, I can't guarantee a huge success, but it should at least generate some attention."

Yao Bianliang pondered for a moment, worried that Mo Yougan might not understand the current trends, so she listed a few popular period dramas from recent years.

"For example, the dramas 'Memoirs of the Palace,' 'A Journey of Colors,' and 'The Chosen Couple'... These dramas all have similar plotlines."

"Based on the current situation, audiences enjoy watching the conflict between the female lead and the supporting characters, with the female lead ultimately defeating the rivals and winning the male lead's heart. This plotline has gained popularity among many viewers."

"Moreover, the conflicts and misunderstandings between the male and female leads are major highlights of this genre. After the intense conflicts, there is a sweet resolution that can capture the hearts of many viewers."

Although Mo Yougan had a negative impression of this script, hearing Yao Bianliang's explanation made him realize the gravity of the situation.

Although he was a newcomer in the industry, he understood that personal taste and the market differed.

He had been too presumptuous, thinking that the script was simple.

With this in mind, Mo Yougan humbly asked for advice, "So, according to your perspective, if I want to shoot a flop drama, should I change the script?"

Yao Bianliang fell into deep thought.

Indeed, if the script didn't seem very good. The best solution would be to change it.

But the words that Mo Yougan had just spoken to her sparked an idea.

Mo Yougan said that when he read this script, he felt suffocated.

Although the feeling didn't quite align, the train of thought was absolutely correct!

The female lead being repeatedly cuckolded by the male lead aligned perfectly with her initial approach when choosing An Xincheng as the screenwriter for "The Physician." Suppression, suffocation—these elements would instantly discourage the audience and avoid all the hot topics in the market.

If it weren't for the pandemic, following this approach, "The Physician" would have undoubtedly flopped.

Now, she had the opportunity to act in an extremely suffocating period romance drama and continue this train of thought. Without the interference of the pandemic, shooting a flop TV series would be a sure thing.

With these thoughts in mind, Yao Bianliang's mind became active. "We don't necessarily have to change the script. Mr. Mo, the words you just said have given me a lot of inspiration."

She pondered momentarily and carefully chose her words, "You should know that if it weren't for the pandemic, my previous drama would have ended in a flop. So, we can continue with this mindset and transform 'Spring Warmth, Dew, and Splendor.' into an extremely suffocating and oppressive period romance script."

Mo Yougan was well aware of the situation with Yao Bianliang's previous drama.

As Yao Bianliang said, her drama would have flopped long ago if it weren't for the pandemic. The reason it became popular was purely bad luck.

Mo Yougan felt a tinge of regret upon learning the final outcome.

Who could have expected such a situation? If he were in Yao Bianliang's shoes, he would have probably been driven to illness from anger.

Therefore, when he heard Yao Bianliang's suggestion, he didn't doubt her abilities.

He quickly caught up with Yao Bianliang's line of thought. "Are you suggesting adding some suffocating plotlines to this script?"

Indeed, it was a good approach.

"Actually, modifying the script isn't difficult; we can leave it to the screenwriter," Mo Yougan said.

Even if he had to pay double the fee, the screenwriter probably wouldn't refuse this small request.

A slight curve formed at the corner of Yao Bianliang's lips.

She proposed modifying the script instead of finding a new one based on a new concept for a reason.

Every screenwriter has their own style and expertise.

If she searched for a screenwriter based on the tags of suppression and suffocation, she might end up with one who excels at writing abusive stories. That could lead to a beautifully written script with soaring ratings, which wouldn't be ideal.

However, the situation would be vastly different if she found a screenwriter who specialized in writing gratifying stories and had them write an extremely suffocating script!

Just imagine a screenwriter skilled at catering to the market and enthusiastic about creating stories that involve defeating and abusing villains—how could they write an extremely oppressive script? Forcing them to write it might result in an unreliable script.

And that was precisely the outcome she desired.

"Mr. Mo, if you don't mind, I can provide some modification suggestions," Yao Bianliang's inspiration burst forth, and she had countless ideas instantly.

By modifying certain elements, she could transform this face-slapping, sweet script into an extremely toxic script—a story that would poison all the viewers