Xu Zifan invited the director, screenwriter, male lead, second female lead, and third female lead to a teahouse for a meeting over tea in a private room. Xu Zifan took the script, glanced at each page, and flipped through it. The others remained silent, sensing that Xu Zifan was still in a bad mood after being reprimanded by Xia Shuangshuang, and no one wanted to provoke him. Only Yao Kexin, sitting next to Xu Zifan, occasionally refilled his tea and interacted with him slightly.
Ten minutes later, Xu Zifan had a general understanding of the script. He scribbled on the script and said casually, "Some people, the more drama they create, the more annoying they become. Xia Yi's character is well-defined as a strong, independent, and admirable woman; if the character is poorly defined, she's just a ruthless, hypocritical villain. Am I right? Look here, cut out the scenes where the Consort and Xia Yi are at odds, and change it to the Consort scheming to send the Consort to the Cold Palace, and then taking advantage of the Emperor's misunderstanding of the Consort, volunteering to go to the Cold Palace to mock and humiliate the Consort, causing the Consort to commit suicide. On the surface, it seems like Xia Yi finally got her revenge, which is satisfying, but actually, a well-acted Consort would be more appealing, while a scheming Xia Yi would be more off-putting."
"Look here, cut out the plot where Xia Yi gradually exposes the Empress, causing the Emperor to despise her. The Empress has always been clever, so changing it to the point where no one can find evidence of her wrongdoing is reasonable, or perhaps the Emperor, out of consideration for their past relationship, doesn't really want to investigate her. Have Xia Yi self-harm at a palace banquet to frame the Empress, forcefully throwing a pot of dirt on her, forcing the Emperor to punish her severely in public. The Empress, due to the Emperor's distrust, becomes completely heartbroken and cold-blooded, the two break off their relationship, vowing never to see each other again in all lifetimes. The Emperor, furious but unable to change things, suppresses his reluctance when punishing the Empress. After all, they were childhood sweethearts; making this part a little more poignant will definitely make the audience feel sorry for her. Xia Yi's deliberate framing will also become a stain on her record; finding evidence and framing are different."
"And here, change the scene where the emperor favors and trusts Xia Yi in his later years. Instead, have Xia Yi use Five-Stone Powder to make the emperor addicted, seeking revenge and causing his health to gradually decline. This allows her to collude with the prince to seize power. Ultimately, the emperor dies, the prince becomes regent, and Xia Yi uses her emotions to manipulate the regent, helping her son ascend the throne and rule from behind the curtain. This would significantly reduce the screen time of all three of you, making your fates much more tragic than in the original script, emphasizing Xia Yi's revenge. On the surface, it seems fine, but imagine yourself as a viewer. Wouldn't you feel uncomfortable watching this protagonist? Why are most protagonists in TV dramas kind? Because a ruthless protagonist makes people uncomfortable. Don't worry about the show's popularity; the exciting palace intrigue is there. What we should be considering is who is popular and who is disliked. What do you think?"
The screenwriter's eyes lit up. "This way, the characters are more three-dimensional, the conflicts are more intense, and it should attract more people. It's just that Xia Yi's personality is not very likable."
The screenwriter and director are most familiar with the overall script. From the screenwriter's perspective, they were the first to agree with Xu Zifan's revisions. The director considered the overall balance of the drama, its appeal, and the coordination among the main actors. After thinking for a moment, he smiled and clapped his hands, "Young Master Xu's revisions are brilliant!" He looked at Yao Kexin, Shi Xueman, and Meng Yunfei, "What do you three think? Although your screen time has been reduced, your characters are more fleshed out, and it's very likely that you can reverse some of the negative images from the early episodes. If you agree to the changes, filming should go very smoothly from now on."
Yao Kexin and the others naturally agreed. This was a trap for Xia Shuangshuang, not for them. Cutting one or two episodes of screen time would only mean a slight reduction in pay, but based on Xu Zifan's analysis, they were very likely to have a more prominent role in the end. They weren't worried about Xia Shuangshuang's reaction, because if Xu Zifan hadn't explained the purpose of the changes from the beginning, it wouldn't be immediately apparent that the new script was detrimental to Xia Shuangshuang. Revenge stories were popular in novels for a while, weren't they? But a TV series is a TV series; it has a wide audience. Thinking along the lines of Xu Zifan's point, the public might actually dislike Xia Shuangshuang.
The director was thoroughly fed up with Xia Shuangshuang lately, otherwise he wouldn't have readily agreed to the plan. Now, he was willingly on Xu Zifan's side, even if he suspected Xu Zifan was deliberately targeting Xia Shuangshuang; he still sided with Xu Zifan. With the matter settled, the next step was for the screenwriter to carefully refine the new script and incorporate the elements Xu Zifan had mentioned.
Xu Zifan glanced at his watch. "We've finished discussing business. It's dinner time, let's have dinner together. What would you like to eat? I'll have Liang Fei make a reservation."
The director joked, "Since it's Mr. Xu's treat, everyone should make their own choice and tell us what you'd like to eat."
Shi Xueman laughed and said, "Can we have a seafood feast? I just promised my fans during my live stream a couple of days ago that I would eat a seafood feast for them on live stream another day. If Young Master Xu treats me, I can save some money, and the ratings might even be higher."
Xu Zifan shrugged, picked up his phone from the table, and stood up. "For the sake of the live stream's ratings, I absolutely have to treat everyone to this seafood meal. What do you guys think? Is there anyone allergic to seafood or who shouldn't eat it?"
Everyone shook their heads. Xu Zifan then gestured to Liang Fei with his chin, signaling him to quickly find a room. He then led the way out of the private room and went to the parking lot with them.
During the meal, Shi Xueman indeed started a live stream, capturing the entire table full of seafood. Meng Yuncheng was sitting next to her, and when the video captured a glimpse of him, sharp-eyed fans immediately recognized him, excitedly sending gifts and flooding the screen, asking if it was Meng Yuncheng sitting next to her.
[I bet a hundred spicy strips that it's definitely Meng Yuncheng! Ahhh, my crush is having dinner on a date, I'm so happy!]
They're sitting so close! Under what circumstances would they sit so close?! Ahhh, I'm so excited!
Are you guys only looking at the people? All I see is a screen full of seafood! My keyboard is drooling, I really want to eat it! Manman, why are you posting food porn so late at night?
Don't you love us anymore?!
[I just saw chopsticks in another direction, so it must be a group of people at a table, right? I suddenly wondered if it was a film crew dinner? Are there any other celebrities here, Manman? Can I watch this? Can I? Can I? Can I? Can I?]
Shi Xueman saw their comments, smiled, and asked for everyone's opinion, "Can everyone show their faces during the live stream?"
The group naturally looked to Xu Zifan for his opinion first. Xu Zifan nodded casually, "Sure, what's the big deal?"
[Wait! I heard my idol's voice! Zifan, Zifan, Zifan!!!]
[Is that Young Master Xu? Manman, you're actually having dinner with Young Master Xu? What the heck!]
Shi Xueman shoved the selfie stick into Meng Yuncheng's hand and laughed, "Young Master Xu is our investor, you know. Today, we happened to catch Young Master Xu treating us to a seafood feast, so I asked him to treat me. Wasn't I clever?" She patted Meng Yuncheng's arm and told him to start by shooting Yao Kexin into the frame, introducing, "There are several of us today: Kexin, Young Master Xu, the director, the screenwriter, and Xiao Chengzi."
Every time she introduced someone, Meng Yuncheng would skillfully point the camera at that person, and that person would naturally smile and greet the screen. The screen was immediately flooded with comments, and a large number of new viewers joined in.
[Ah, I see a beautiful young woman! I remember her, she played the imperial concubine, her name is Yao Kexin!]
[It really is Young Master Xu! He looks so handsome today, getting more and more handsome! Is there some good news lately? He looks so energetic!]
[Xiao Chengzi, hahaha, only Manman can call Yuncheng that. They're so good together! Please, please, you two get together! No one is more perfect for each other!]
[Xiao Chengzi, hurry up and hold up Manman's selfie stick so she can eat the crab with her hands free!]
[Xiao Chengzi and Manman are such a perfect match, they're so incredibly affectionate, I love you two so much, you absolutely have to be together!]
Am I the only one who saw Mr. Xu and that pretty girl? They look so perfect together! The girl is so beautiful, could she be Mr. Xu's new girlfriend?
[I've seen Kexin's stills; the arrogant and domineering imperial concubine is completely different from her current role. Her acting must be top-notch. I really want to watch it! By the way, she, Manman, and Yuncheng are all actors chosen by Mr. Xu. Why? Mr. Xu, tell me quickly, do you have a girlfriend?]
While eating crab, Shi Xueman watched the comments on the screen. She looked helplessly at Xu Zifan and said, "Young Master Xu, they're all asking you why you chose the three of us to act. They're asking if you're looking for a new girlfriend. They're so concerned about your love life."
Meng Yuncheng pointed the screen at Xu Zifan. Xu Zifan glanced at the comments, swirled his wine glass, and said, "Isn't dating all about mood? I've been busy with my career lately, doing Zifan Live, so I don't have time for this. The reason I chose these three is simple: their acting is phenomenal. They are the best actors I've seen in this generation, so of course I want to invest in them."
Shi Xueman exclaimed, "Young Master Xu, are you praising us or trying to tarnish our reputation? We don't deserve it, the other actors are all excellent."
Xu Zifan raised an eyebrow. "You'll find out the specifics when 'Xia Yi's Story' airs. Remember to watch it!"
This advertising campaign was a solid success.
[The promotion is great. This is Xu Shao's first investment in a drama, and he's being treated like a baby. If he invests in more dramas in the future, I guess we won't even see him on set anymore.]
[Definitely watching, I'll watch it for Xu Shao and the good actors. Although I don't like Xia Shuangshuang.]
[Did Xia Shuangshuang offend you? Xu Shao and Xia Shuangshuang have already reconciled, what are you doing jumping around like this? You're just a clown!]
[Stop arguing in Manman's live stream, focus on Manman, don't mention anything else. Xu Shao, please invest more in Manman, her acting is superb, she just needs a little more opportunity.]
Xu Zifan curled his lips and raised his glass to the screen, "Don't worry, I'm always willing to invest in the people I admire."
Shi Xueman spoke up at the right moment to express her gratitude, "Then I'll thank you first, Young Master Xu. Look how supportive my fans are, even while watching the live stream they don't forget to help me get resources. Okay, everyone has seen the seafood feast and the boss of Zifan's live stream, so I'll turn it off now and focus on eating! Remember to support Zifan's live stream, anything hosted by Young Master Xu can't be bad."
[Zifan, look how awesome Manman is! Let Manman be our spokesperson!!!]
Xu Zifan chuckled and said, "Xueman, your fans this year are too amazing. Okay, I'll grant your wish and let your Manman and Xiaochengzi be spokespeople together."
[Ahhhhhh]
[I'm so satisfied and happy! Thank you so much, I'm completely in awe!]
[I'm so satisfied! I suddenly understand what makes Xu Dashao so charming. No wonder he has so many fans. Love you, love you, love you!]