Depressive Screenwriter

After the viewership ratings for "Strange Life" dropped from third to fourth place since its premiere, Su Yan initially thought that Ayumi Shinozaki, who was prone to anxiety, would definitely be too worried to sleep.

But weeks passed, and he realized that she showed no signs of this at all. Instead, she became increasingly adept at her work in both the "Strange Life" and "Cyberpunk: Edgerunners" crews.

Furthermore, Shen Liqian and Gu Qingyuan were not discouraged by the fact that the viewership ratings for "Strange Life" were deviating further and further from their initial goal of reaching the top.

On the night after the premiere of the fourth episode of "Strange Life," Su Yan and the others filmed the drama until midnight before wrapping up. A group of them gathered for dinner at a restaurant near the film and television production base. Su Yan, looking at the cheerful group, finally asked the question he was curious about.

Back when it premiered in April, these people were so anxious that they couldn't sleep at night, constantly checking online comments and discussing the approximate range of viewership ratings for the next day until one or two in the morning.

But now, with the viewership ratings of "Strange Life" not meeting expectations, they seemed even more relaxed.

"I thought everyone would be disappointed that the viewership ratings for 'Strange Life' weren't as expected. I even prepared a lot of comforting words for you, but I didn't expect you to be so calm."

"What's there to be disappointed about?" Gu Qingyuan understood what Su Yan meant and paused for a moment before saying.

"Being fourth in the quarterly viewership ratings is still considered a good result, no matter how you look at it."

"That's right. Although, seeing as it is now, the fact that there's no possibility of 'Strange Life' surpassing 'Shanghai Rain. Sequel' is indeed a bit disappointing." Ayumi Shinozaki put a piece of grilled beef into her mouth, her eyes looking at Su Yan.

"But an A-level drama with over 4% viewership ratings, and the best word-of-mouth and scores of the season, is something that no one in the production department of the top three television stations could find fault with, even if you put the current viewership ratings of 'Strange Life' on those stations, let alone Qingkong Television."

Su Yan thought about it carefully, and the reasoning was indeed sound.

"Teacher Su Yan, please try not to be so hard on yourself. Victory and defeat are common occurrences in war. 'Strange Life' just didn't perform as well as we imagined, but its results are definitely not a flop," Shen Liqian said, looking at Su Yan.

"I've even filmed A-level dramas in the past where the viewership ratings dropped to fifteenth place in the season. That was truly despair."

As soon as Su Yan heard this, he knew she was talking about the drama that caused a dispute between her and Sakura Television.

"Although it's a bit disappointing that the viewership ratings didn't surpass Sakura Television's 'Shanghai Rain. Sequel,' I bet that old bastard Akasaka Yoshishi is secretly laughing at us in his office... but," Shen Liqian clenched her fist slightly.

"Isn't the winter season not over yet? Maybe the second half of 'Strange Life' will see a reversal in its performance. And even if 'Strange Life' doesn't reverse its fortunes, we can always get our revenge with 'Cyberpunk: Edgerunners' next season."

Shen Liqian and Gu Qingyuan were both simultaneously involved in the filming of both "Strange Life" and "Edgerunners."

Both of them were fully aware of the plot of the second half of both dramas.

Especially "Edgerunners."

Shen Liqian and Gu Qingyuan both had great confidence in this drama.

After the two of them read the script for the tenth episode of "Edgerunners" last week, the extreme sense of depression they felt was no less than any of Su Yan's previous dramas.

The two knew that as long as the special effects for this drama were well-made, it would definitely be a blockbuster in the television market next season.

Even if Sakura Television and Shanghai Television were both preparing to launch an S-level drama each next season.

They didn't think "Edgerunners" would lose.

"But no matter what, the winter season isn't over yet. It's too early to admit defeat. We all know that the later episodes of 'Strange Life' are where it really takes off," Shi Peihua, who had been eating quietly beside them, said.

"Everyone knows the reason why the viewership ratings for this drama are increasing so slowly. There are a lot of crime and bloody elements in the plot, and the story is also quite heavy... But there's no doubt about the quality of the script. On the contrary, I think that from the fifth episode onwards, the viewership ratings for this drama will definitely see a wave of growth."

The next day, the viewership ratings data for the fourth episode of "Strange Life" were released. The 4.30% viewership rating still ranked fourth in the season.

The mainstream media continued to maintain a high evaluation of the plot of "Strange Life."

But Sakura Television, led by Shanghai Television, began their attacks.

The film critics who had good cooperative relationships with them published articles one after another, and the online broadcast platforms controlled by them, Sakura Net and Red Maple Net, were filled with articles ridiculing Su Yan.

【Genius Screenwriter Su Yan Reveals His True Colors, Viewership Ratings for 'Strange Life' Fall to Fourth Place!】

【There Are No Eternal Winners. Su Yan's Peak as a Screenwriter Was 'April'!】

【'Strange Life,' a Terribly Rotten Work. Bizarre Time Rewinding Abilities, Strange and Weird Interpersonal Relationships. Its Underperformance Proves That the Standards of Xia Guo Viewers Are Improving Year by Year!】

【Television Dramas Are an Art Form Created to Relax Viewers. A Drama Filled with Death, Shootings, Bullying, Suicide, and Discrimination Will Eventually Be Abandoned by Viewers!】

【Having Left Sakura Television, Su Yan's Standards Are Gradually Declining! From 'Strange Life,' We Can See That Su Yan's New Drama 'Edgerunners' Next Season Will Definitely Be a Rotten Drama Too.】

Su Yan's fans were naturally furious after reading these articles.

Even though the theme of "Strange Life" wasn't pleasing, it didn't deserve to be ridiculed like this, right?

Even if the viewership ratings weren't particularly high, the fact that this drama had the best word-of-mouth of the season was there. Who are you media outlets to slander Old Thief Su Yan like this?

In mid-February, Su Yan's fans had a major battle with this group of paid internet trolls and media outlets hired by Sakura Television and Shanghai Television.

The reason why China Summer Television didn't participate was that they were still giving Su Yan face.

After all, Su Yan's S-level drama "Edgerunners" would be landing on China Summer in a month or two. Wouldn't smearing Su Yan at this time be digging a hole for themselves?

But for television dramas, viewership ratings are the gold standard. Regardless of the arguments, the fourth-place viewership ratings of "Strange Life" ultimately lacked confidence.

Soon, time entered mid-February.

At this time, the filming of "Strange Life" entered its later stages.

At the same time, the filming and special effects production of "Cyberpunk: Edgerunners" entered a critical stage.

Su Yan, Shen Liqian, and Gu Qingyuan had to cooperate with the special effects company for various tasks at any time.

The money in Su Yan's company account could be said to be flowing to these special effects companies every week.

Under these circumstances, the sixth episode of "Strange Life" premiered.

The first five episodes of "Strange Life" explored the mystery of the disappearance of Xiao Yi's other close friend, Shen Qiu, from the perspective of Xiao Mai and Xiao Yi, two long-separated friends who had reunited.

In this process, they established friendships with Xiao Yi's stepfather, the security team captain at the university Xiao Mai attended, Shen Qiu's boyfriend, and Qin Ling, who was being bullied at school, and found certain clues from all parties.

Piecing these clues together, they would find that everything pointed to Li Sen, the rich second-generation student in their class who dared to shoot people in school in the first episode.

However, the plot took a huge turn in the sixth episode.

Because Xiao Mai's time-rewinding ability had evolved.

She was no longer limited to briefly rewinding time.

Instead, she could return to the era when the photo was taken, to the time when she was in the photo, by concentrating on observing the photo.

But after returning to that era, she could only control the body of her past self and move within the range captured by the photo.

Xiao Mai had always been concerned about Xiao Yi's father's car accident death.

It was because of her father's death and her mother's remarriage that she couldn't stand her stepfather, the security team captain who was her mother's remarriage partner. That's why Xiao Yi dropped out of school, met so many dangerous people, and her personality became so lonely and venomous.

So, what if Xiao Yi's father's death five years ago could be avoided?

After realizing the true power of her ability, the female lead Xiao Mai didn't hesitate. She chose to return to that morning five years ago by using a photo taken at that time.

Then, through various means, she prevented Xiao Yi's father from driving out that day.

The world line was reversed.

Xiao Yi's father didn't die.

Xiao Yi's mother didn't remarry, and the stepfather she hated didn't appear in her life.

She was still the top student with excellent grades.

She successfully entered a key high school, and then...

When she graduated from high school, her father rewarded her with a car.

But she was paralyzed from the waist down in a car accident, and her life fell into despair from then on.

From the sixth episode onwards, the truly touching and heavy plot points of "Strange Life" began to unfold.

In the new timeline, Xiao Mai still lost contact with Xiao Yi five years ago due to moving, and then came to this city again to attend university.

However, Xiao Mai, who had crossed the timeline, couldn't wait to see her friend Xiao Yi, who had a new and shining life that was no longer a mess.

But when she opened the door, she saw Xiao Yi lying motionless in bed, only her head could move, smiling at her.

Xiao Yi in this timeline was indeed very gentle and a well-behaved girl.

She didn't drop out of school, but she couldn't go to school either.

She no longer knew a bunch of social hangers-on.

But she was paralyzed and didn't have a single friend.

Xiao Mai was the only person who had come to visit Xiao Yi in these years since she was paralyzed. She was her only... friend.

Although Xiao Mai changed the ending of Xiao Yi's father's death, she also caused Xiao Yi to suffer a heavy blow in her fate.

The so-called changing the fate of others is ultimately just arrogance!

In the sixth episode, Xiao Yi and Xiao Mai met after five years of separation, and they had a lot to say.

She asked Xiao Mai to push her in a wheelchair to stroll on the beach.

She had a lot of fun that day.

After returning home, because she didn't want her family to continue to worry about her medical expenses, didn't want her parents to live every day in fear of how to prolong her life and fearing her serious illness and death, and didn't want to burden her family anymore.

Xiao Yi in this timeline made the only request in her life to Xiao Mai, her only close friend.

【I really want to run around outside with you like when we were little!】

【Xiao Mai, please, let today's experience be the last memory of my life! Just adjust the medicine valve from four to eleven, and let me sleep like this... I'll dream about the scenes of us being together. Forever.】

She told Xiao Mai the location of the painkillers in the house and then asked Xiao Mai to inject the maximum dose into her body.

To end her life without pain!

Just like all the dramas in Su Yan's previous life that changed the world line, arbitrarily manipulating the timeline and wanting to change someone's fate often leads to another person encountering a more tragic ending.

"Strange Life" was also like this.

But Su Yan had a lot of dramas like this in his previous life, so the audience often had psychological expectations when watching these dramas.

But the viewers of Xia Guo...

Were directly devastated by the ending plot of the sixth episode.

The scene at the end of the sixth episode, where Xiao Yi in the new world line smiled and died in Xiao Mai's arms, closing her eyes peacefully...

Silenced the fans of Shen Liqian and Gu Qingyuan.

The foreshadowing of the previous five episodes had made the images of the two characters, Xiao Yi and Xiao Mai, deeply rooted in people's hearts. The friendship between the two and the faint, indescribable feelings between them moved the audience.

But after this scene appeared, everything was torn apart.

Before, everyone was saying that this drama was heavy and had depth.

But what did those things count for compared to the sixth episode?

This was too tearful!

After this episode aired, the word-of-mouth for "Strange Life" once again ushered in a big increase.

But at the same time...

The label of this drama having an extremely heavy plot also became completely famous.

Unlike the love-themed depressing dramas that Su Yan had created before.

This drama was depressing on a life level.

The shooting in the first episode, the bullying in the second episode, and the five episodes spent depicting the friendship between Xiao Mai and Xiao Yi.

But the sixth episode made Xiao Mai personally end the life of her close friend, paying the price for her arrogance in thinking she could change the fate of others!

Even if Xiao Mai could use her ability again to return the world line to its original state, the memory of personally killing her close friend would not disappear.

Thank you for the reward of Light Tone Fireworks from Super Electromagnetic Cannon, thank you boss!