Chapter 743: Trending Short-Form Dramas
May, in the sixth year of Chongzhen's reign.
Zijing Liang, Wang Ziyong, succumbed to his wounds and illness after being struck by a stray arrow during a battle in Henan against Deng Qi, the Grand General of Sichuan.
The mantle of commander-in-chief of the rebel forces passed into the hands of Chuǎng Wang (Gao Yingxiang).
Upon assuming leadership, Chuǎng Wang immediately implemented Chuang Jiang (Li Zicheng)'s strategy, actively planning a cross-river offensive.
They first feigned an attack on the west, creating the impression they were retreating to Shanxi, thereby luring the imperial forces to heavily fortify their western defenses. Then, the rebels suddenly unveiled a vast collection of pre-staged boats and bamboo rafts, rapidly crossing the Yellow River at a ferry point north of Kaifeng.
In a single stroke, they completed a crucial strategic redeployment.
In the early morning, Li Daoxuan rose with the sun and, with a contented sigh, tucked into a fried dough twist soup he'd ordered from a food delivery app.
Just then, his QQ messenger suddenly flashed with a message from "Queen of a Thousand Faces M": "Xuanzi, we made money, hahahaha, we made money, we made money!"
"Huh?" Li Daoxuan replied, "I haven't checked in on our short series in days. Was it a success?"
"Hmm, that's not bad," Li Daoxuan commented.
Accustomed to the enormous sums generated by his diorama projects, the figure of just over three million didn't particularly impress Li Daoxuan.
For Queen of a Thousand Faces M, however, it was a resounding triumph.
"As per our contract, I take twenty percent and you get eighty," Queen of a Thousand Faces M explained. "I'll transfer 2.656 million to you shortly. Don't forget to declare it for taxes on your phone!"
"Alright, sounds good," Li Daoxuan replied nonchalantly.
"Huh? You don't seem very excited," Queen of a Thousand Faces M noted. "You made so much money, and not even a peep out of you?"
Li Daoxuan sighed. "I see other short dramas—the 'revenge fantasy,' the 'soldier king returns,' or the 'domineering CEO falls for me' tropes—they all pull in hundreds of millions at the box office. Ours only made a little over three million. There's nothing to get excited about."
"Oh, come on, that's entirely different!" Queen of a Thousand Faces M countered. "Our 'Mu Guiying' project was based on such an old story. Everyone already knew the plot, so there wasn't much novelty. The only reason we pulled in a few million was the sheer realism of the fight choreography."
"Oh, right," Li Daoxuan murmured.
"If we want to earn more, we need a better script," Queen of a Thousand Faces M continued. "Let me give you an example of the kind of plot we need: You're the son of the world's richest man, a mega-rich heir. One day, you decide to experience life as a commoner, so you get a job as a car washer at a car wash that's a sub-sub-subsidiary of your family's conglomerate. Then, a stunningly beautiful rich heiress pulls up to your station in her Ferrari."
"What the heck?" Li Daoxuan exclaimed. "What kind of ridiculous rich kid goes to those lengths to 'experience life'?"
"Hold on, just listen," Queen of a Thousand Faces M insisted. "While you're polishing the heiress's Ferrari, she gets a call. It's her parents, pressuring her to get married. They tell her that if she isn't wed within a month, she'll lose her inheritance to her cousin."
"What kind of unhinged parents are those?" Li Daoxuan muttered.
"So, the heiress, pushed to her breaking point by her parents' ultimatum," Queen of a Thousand Faces M explained, "suddenly spots you, the handsome 'poor boy' washing her car. An idea sparks. She grabs your arm and says, 'Hey, handsome, how about making some quick cash?'"
"No!" Li Daoxuan declared instantly.
"That's not how it works, you'll derail the plot!" Queen of a Thousand Faces M exclaimed. "You're supposed to look utterly flummoxed and ask, 'How do you mean, 'make money'?' Then, the heiress says to you, 'Let's get married! But first, we need to sign a prenuptial agreement: my money is mine, your money is yours, and neither of us will lay claim to the other's wealth.'"
"Isn't that just insulting the audience's intelligence?" Li Daoxuan deadpanned.
"Anyway," Queen of a Thousand Faces M pressed on, "you end up marrying the heiress. She, oblivious to your true identity as the world's richest man's son, still believes you're just a humble car washer. She takes you to experience 'the finer things in life.' Then, her cousin shows up. Because of you, he was cut out of the inheritance, so he absolutely despises you. He decides to leverage his own company to pressure the car wash into firing you."
"Alright, alright, I already know where this is going," Li Daoxuan interrupted. "I'll flash billions of yuan, completely humiliating the cousin, right? The heiress will be absolutely dumbfounded to learn I'm rich, right? And then she'll meekly follow my every command, right? I'll even teach her how to run a business, managing her parents' inheritance with incredible acumen, helping her company skyrocket to success, right? And from then on, the heiress will be utterly devoted and eager to please, right?"
"You finally understand!" Queen of a Thousand Faces M cheered. "That's precisely it!"
"Please excuse me," Li Daoxuan deadpanned, "I need ten minutes to recover from that."
"Hey, hey, don't be like that!" Queen of a Thousand Faces M chided. "Whether the plot is awkward or not doesn't matter; what matters is that people are paying to watch! If you want a box office hit, you have to embrace the cringeworthy!"
"No thanks," Li Daoxuan firmly stated. "I'll stick to my action blockbusters."
"Fine, fine, action blockbusters it is," Queen of a Thousand Faces M conceded. "Truthfully, I'm thrilled with making a few million for a single film. My twenty percent cut alone is over six hundred thousand—more than I've made in the last two decades! Xuanzi, please film something else. I'll take care of the editing, special effects, and marketing. We make such a great team!"
"Alright, I'll be in touch once I've got something shot," Li Daoxuan promised.
Closing QQ, Li Daoxuan felt a mix of amusement and despair. *Are all popular short-form dramas like this now?* he wondered. *How absolutely dreadful.*
The thought of short dramas inevitably brought the "Stars Performing Arts Agency" to mind. So, while finishing his fried dough twist soup, he decided to observe its operations.
He clicked on Puzhou, shifting his view to hover above the agency, then used the "focus" function to peer inside...
As his perspective settled, he saw Tie Niaofei standing before Lao Nanfeng, respectfully presenting a thick stack of papers with both hands. "Here, Lao Nanfeng," Tie Niaofei announced, "these are the plots Master Sun Chuanting has designed."
Lao Nanfeng chuckled. "Sun Chuanting, isn't he that scholar from Daizhou who's so adept at writing stories? You've mentioned him a few times."
Tie Niaofei smiled. "Although Master Sun currently dedicates his time to writing at home, his military strategies are truly exceptional."
Lao Nanfeng merely smiled, offering no comment. As a veteran military officer on the front lines, he had no interest in debating the combat capabilities of civilian administrators. He took the thick stack of papers and, opening the first page, read the title: *A Junior Soldier of the Dalinghe Border Army*.
After skimming the contents, the dismissive smile on Lao Nanfeng's face slowly vanished. "This story..." he mused, "it's about events that happened two years ago. Zu Dashou's surrender, He Kegang's death... and the protagonist is a junior soldier under He Kegang? That's quite interesting."
"Exactly!" Tie Niaofei confirmed. "The Battle of Dalinghe, two years ago. The Heavenly Lord said that this time, the film should be set closer to the present day. That way, it will truly resonate with the common folk."
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