“Fan-made edits are a crucial driving force for sustaining a drama’s popularity.”
Ying Shi looked at the lively atmosphere on Wanshi TV and felt very satisfied with it.
【”Calm Seas, Clear Rivers” has been using cross-promotion with “The Legend of Medicine Maiden” to create the impression of two dramas going head-to-head. But the fact is, “The Legend of Medicine Maiden” is a TV drama — its real competition should be other TV dramas. What “Calm Seas, Clear Rivers” is doing is purely an attempt to elevate its own status.】
【And with this move of yours, the fans of “The Legend of Medicine Maiden” have all been drawn in by the fan edits, bringing the spotlight back to the drama itself.】
Ying Shi tilted her head thoughtfully. “Is it possible that I just simply wanted to create an editing platform…”
【……】
“You have no idea—editing software, image editing software, character footage, stock footage, plus music, visual effects, and so on—they take up so much storage! You could say one hard drive can barely hold it all…” Ying Shi shook her head with feeling.
Fortunately, with the system’s high technology, a 300 MB client could handle online editing and automatically save working files. It saved space and never lagged—it was practically a paradise for editing enthusiasts!
【I recall that you’re a film and television commentary blogger. Since when do you have insights into this kind of appreciative fan-made short videos?】
“Actually, I have a small editing account I used to run—I would make all kinds of character mashup edits. I only gave up on the small account when I started the Guanjun account.” Ying Shi sighed helplessly.
If it weren’t for the fact that commentary videos would definitely require importing external materials — let alone other things, a blogger’s own voice recording would need to be imported, right? Once they opened the door to material imports, it would be difficult to control copyright issues within the platform. So she could only reluctantly give up on that idea.
Ying Shi only thought about it for a moment before getting back to business: “So what drama should we make next?”
【“Calm Seas, Clear Rivers” is gaining strong momentum. Aren’t you going to do anything about it?】
Ying Shi was genuinely curious: “Isn’t my mission to produce and create outstanding film and television works? What do other dramas have to do with me? It’s not like the system has a mission requiring me to rank first among all dramas airing in the same period, is it?”
The system fell silent for a moment.
【So what drama have you decided to make?】
Ying Shi was amused. She often felt that the system was a person, because its emotions were so vivid.
Of course, the system itself couldn’t be explained by the understanding of her world. Even if it spoke in a mechanical voice, it might still be some kind of living being?
“Don’t worry. Both dramas are past the halfway point now, and the problems with ‘Calm Seas, Clear Rivers’ are gradually revealing themselves.”
Ying Shi said casually, her fingers tapping on the keyboard as she listed the types of dramas she could produce.
The problem with “Calm Seas, Clear Rivers” was the perfection of the male lead’s character and the addition of romantic subplots.
Ying Shi loved watching dramas. Whether they were bad or good, she would give them a look. If she found them interesting, she would watch more; if not, she would watch less. And those dramas where she could summarize several critique points after just one episode would become material for her videos.
“Calm Seas, Clear Rivers” had a total of sixty episodes and had now aired more than twenty episodes. This was precisely the time when the male lead was accumulating power.
But Ying Shi noticed that the male lead, Xue Jingrong, was showing signs of veering away from his established character.
A young prince who had been ignored by the emperor and bullied by the palace staff since childhood would either be timid and cowardly or patient and deep-thinking.
If he was destined to become a wise and virtuous ruler, then over the long years, as his state of mind gradually broadened and his original negative emotions faded, he still wouldn’t turn into a completely flawless, saintly figure.
But currently, Xue Jingrong was showing a tendency to become such a saintly figure, as if his earlier scheming and cunning had been erased.
Ying Shi even began to doubt whether the intrigues and plots mentioned in the trailers had actually been devised by him.
A person who gained power through disguise and calculation had now started treating his enemies with kindness. She couldn’t imagine how he could ascend the throne later—was he going to win over his enemies through the power of his “personal charisma”?
The romantic subplot was even more of a tangled mess. From the first twenty episodes, it was clear that Xue Jingrong’s main romantic interests were the palace maid Meng Xi and his fiancée Xu Zhiyi.
One was the young palace maid who had shown him the only kindness during his destitute childhood. The other was the ally fighting alongside him when he held power in his grasp.
In Ying Shi’s view, as long as the three of them were given some subtle, restrained plot developments, it would absolutely create a sense of tangled, anguished romance.
Unfortunately, in the subsequent episodes, several more female characters were introduced, all of whom—without exception—developed feelings for the male lead. And these feelings arose with absolutely no groundwork or foreshadowing.
At this point, these flaws were only just beginning to show, and they hadn’t yet affected the main storyline that had been set up earlier.
But after a few more episodes aired, the problems would only become more and more obvious.
Just as she had predicted, the subsequent plot raced wildly off course and finally veered away from its original trajectory.
[Wasn’t he investigating a corruption case? How did the male lead end up getting involved with the culprit’s daughter?]
[Seeing that Cousin Zhang constantly showing up in front of Xu Zhiyi to make her presence known, I can’t help but wonder—what is the point of this scene?]
[And Xu Zhiyi is also very strange, okay? In the beginning, she was just a pure cooperation partner. Then later, out of nowhere, she starts getting jealous, and her attitude toward Meng Xi changes too… It’s not that Xu Zhiyi can’t fall for Xue Jingrong, but could the transition be any more forced?]
[Aaah! Wasn’t this supposed to be about the battle for the throne and court politics? Why has the plot turned into the seventh prince radiating charm 24/7!!!]
[To the person above, let me add a note: that charm is visible only to the characters. The audience hasn’t felt an ounce of it…]
[This feels familiar. Haven’t FKY’s fans been spreading the narrative that Qiao Cheng was the one who changed the script for “For Your Sake”? If anything, this just proves that FKY really loves the “everyone loves me” character type…]
[What’s wrong with the “everyone loves me” type? The other drama has one too, but it’s not annoying at all—it even makes you want to join in (dog head).]
[Actually, the most jarring part of “For Your Sake” was the male lead’s “everyone loves me” attribute. If Qiao Cheng was really the one changing the script, why would she bother giving the male lead a script where everyone adores him?]
[Don’t even mention it. Fang Kaiyun’s fans are already saying Qiao Cheng added those scenes on purpose to set the male lead up for failure 🫣😂.]
[The recent plot of “The Legend of Medicine Maiden” really makes my heart ache for Du Zelan. TAT I never thought I would one day actually like a character played by Qiao Cheng!]
[Her father died of illness, her mother is hanging on by a thread from the plague, she’s single-handedly keeping the family business afloat while fending off the covetous looks of former “friends and relatives,” and in the end, she still manages to withstand the pressure, pour out the family fortune, and hold down the skyrocketing price of medicine… Watching that carefree, happy-go-lucky young lady from before lose her smile—the more I watch, the more I want to cry.]
[And the foreshadowing was done so well. It never feels abrupt or sudden that this willful young lady matures overnight. Her understanding of the family business, her ability to distinguish medicinal herbs, and her exposure to Sanxiu’s influence—learning about the struggles of the poor—all of this was hinted at in earlier episodes!]
[That long take was also incredible. On one side, Wang Yan is guiding the souls of those who died of illness to the afterlife; on the other, Sanxiu is feeding medicine to the gravely ill.]
[And there’s another scene—Sanxiu is drying medicinal herbs in the sunlight, while the plague demon sits resting in the shade.]
[The reason “The Legend of Medicine Maiden” is so good is probably because it tells stories that aren’t ordinary in a very ordinary, matter-of-fact tone.]
[I know what you mean. It feels like the director isn’t deliberately trying to create a tragic atmosphere, but it still ends up being heartbreaking. Everyone just seems so pitiful 😭.]
[Weren’t we discussing “Calm Seas, Clear Rivers”? How did everyone go off-topic?]
[What is there to discuss about “Calm Seas, Clear Rivers”? Discuss the melancholy prince and his ambiguous affairs with multiple female characters?]
[I even bought a Fruit TV membership just for this crappy drama “Calm Seas, Clear Rivers.” Now all I want to do is curse at them and demand my money back!!!]
[Just now, I was still being attacked by FKY’s fans, saying that only someone incapable of love would reject the romantic subplots of this drama…]
[Laughing to death. The “everyone loves me” type of male lead isn’t uncommon in older dramas either, but back then, they didn’t skip over the career storyline just to focus on romance, did they? You have to choose between the romantic subplot and the main plot. The first twenty episodes lure the audience in with the main plot, and then the rest is just you and a bunch of beautiful women entangled in love and hate?]
Seeing the online comments, Qiao Cheng and her agent An Lin looked at each other in bewilderment.
Recently, the plot had reached Du Zelan’s most brilliant moment, and Qiao Cheng had also seen the messages her fans were leaving for her, which made her confidence soar.
Now, Qiao Cheng’s fans had completely abandoned their pre-release skepticism and were joyfully listing Du Zelan as one of her representative roles.
Qiao Cheng herself was naturally very satisfied. Although the filming process had put her through a lot of hardship, the final result was gratifying—at the very least, she never expected her own acting to be this good.
Seeking praise and validation, Qiao Cheng often went online to search for what netizens were saying about her.
But as she was browsing, she ended up seeing news about Fang Kaiyun. What terrible luck.
“He keeps pulling stunts like this, and his sugar mommy is okay with it?” Qiao Cheng didn’t understand. If it were her keeping a pretty boy, she certainly wouldn’t be willing to let him have a harem in his drama.
Wasn’t that just openly slapping his sugar mommy in the face?
An Lin just smiled. “The rich lady is fine with it, but here you are getting angry on her behalf…”
“As a member of the rich lady club, I really do feel offended—”
Qiao Cheng sighed helplessly. “This pretty boy’s messy relationships with women are practically an open secret. Now he’s even blatantly adding harem-leaning plotlines into his scripts, and the rich lady backing him still indulges him? Isn’t that just pure idiocy?”
At first, Qiao Cheng had only vaguely heard rumors about Fang Kaiyun. It wasn’t until they worked together on “For Your Sake” that she developed a complete aversion and disgust toward him.
Qiao Cheng had never bothered to hide the fact that she was a rich second-generation heiress. After she joined the cast of “For Your Sake,” Fang Kaiyun had been fawning over her in every possible way. Initially, she thought he was just being sycophantic—until his behavior became increasingly inappropriate.
In the end, Qiao Cheng publicly mocked him with a barrage of cold, sarcastic remarks, and the two completely cut ties. Only then did the matter come to an end.
“We can start releasing some of Fang Kaiyun’s negative information now. The reason I advised against it before was because ‘The Legend of Medicine Maiden’ was airing on television, and since the other side wasn’t directly provoking us, we shouldn’t stir up trouble either. Now that your reputation has improved, we can try to move on from the ‘For Your Sake’ incident.”
An Lin was explaining the follow-up work arrangements to her when she noticed Qiao Cheng staring wide-eyed at her phone screen.
“What’s wrong?” An Lin couldn’t help but feel a jolt of tension.
Qiao Cheng said, “Boss Ying just posted a ‘Calm Seas, Clear Rivers’ viewing experience video…”
An Lin processed this for a moment. When she finally realized what it meant: “…”
“Let me see… It seems that Fang Kaiyun’s fans blamed Boss Ying for the increase in negative reviews of ‘Calm Seas, Clear Rivers’…” Qiao Cheng read the netizens’ explanations. “And then Boss Ying directly used her Guanjun account to upload a new episode of her commentary series. She said she herself is a super popular marketing account, so she would personally lead the discussion and wouldn’t waste a single penny buying bots…”
Out of professional instinct as an agent, An Lin felt dizzy just hearing about this approach. Then she remembered that Ying Shi wasn’t her client, and only then did she manage to recover.
But when she looked up, she saw Qiao Cheng’s eyes sparkling, her face full of admiration, which made her feel dizzy again.
“This is the kind of role model I, as a rich lady, aspire to be! All those despicable little men and monsters can just scatter!”
If Qiao Cheng’s expression right now were turned into a manga illustration, it would probably be her with stars sparkling in her eyes.