Depressive Screenwriter

In the quiet room, Song Na sat blankly, watching the soothing "To the Moon" ending BGM playing on the television.

The bottle in her heart seemed to shatter, all emotions flowing away, leaving only a mixture of感动 (gǎndòng - moved/touched) and sadness.

She understood everything, moved by the true meaning of "To the Moon."

But at the same time, she also realized everything.

This wasn't something happening in the story at this moment.

Instead, it was a memory fragment from the dying old man, Xu Han, before his death.

His wife, Xiao Xi, was already dead.

Until her death, Xiao Xi never heard Xu Han reveal the meaning of those paper rabbits.

Even the sandbag that Xu Han once gave to Xiao Xi was unintentionally thrown into the sea by him.

The platypus plushie that Xiao Xi had carried with her since childhood didn't awaken even a trace of memory in Xu Han until Xiao Xi's death.

This was the most tragic thing.

"Screenwriter, doesn't your heart hurt?"

Song Na, who thought she had built up all her psychological defenses, was still easily broken this night.

The "To the Moon" story, adapted into a TV series and performed by actors with superb acting skills, was ten times more impactful than the text-based game that Su Yan had played all night back then.

An unknown story doesn't mean it's bad, but rather that it needs a wider publicity channel.

Just like Su Yan's "The Legend of Sword and Fairy" series in his previous life, it was also a story-driven game, but it only became a household name and recognized as a masterpiece after being adapted into a TV series.

Before that, its influence was limited to a small circle.

"To the Moon" was also a niche game in Su Yan's previous life.

But this story, with the help of Sakura TV, had the opportunity to be broadcast throughout Xia Country.

Not only Song Na, but many more television viewers tonight either burst into tears on the spot or realized it belatedly after watching this episode.

Many more people didn't remember the previous plot as clearly as Song Na did, and instead waited until the seventh episode was broadcast before paying to watch it on Sakura.com, comparing it to the details in the first six episodes of the series.

But this behavior made the impact of the series even greater.

All the cryptic plots of the first six episodes now had answers.

Late at night, the comment section of "To the Moon" was occupied by all kinds of people.

It was basically a large-scale emotional breakdown scene.

"This episode made me cry to death. I finally understand why Xiao Xi was so angry when she heard Xu Han say that he approached her only because he thought she was cool in middle school."

"Yeah, Xiao Xi must have thought that Xu Han approached her because of their encounter that night. But Xu Han told her it was because she was cool in middle school."

"So from then on, Xiao Xi folded paper rabbits every day and always played with her platypus toy in front of Xu Han. That was the only way she could hint at Xu Han."

"But Xu Han never remembered."

"Why didn't Xiao Xi just ask him!"

"Didn't they say earlier? Xiao Xi has autism, she can't say it! She can't communicate normally with people. Or rather, it was already difficult enough that she didn't have any problems during that encounter with Xu Han in childhood."

"But precisely because she could communicate so fluently with someone for the first time, perhaps Xiao Xi fell in love with Xu Han."

"Sigh, I'm so sad now. If we forget or get lost, then we'll meet on the moon. Su Yan, you old thief, you really know how to stab people!"

"I'm a little afraid to watch it. How can the plot of this series develop later? It feels like it's already confirmed to be a depressing tragedy."

"It's not confirmed yet, right? If Xu Han really goes to the moon in the end..."

"What if he goes to the moon? Is Xiao Xi on the moon? No, there's nothing there."

"I cried so hard after I figured this out. Xiao Xi's last wish was to have Xu Han remember that night, but the result... he didn't even know about his and Xiao Xi's past. Even if Cheng Li and Shen Yi used the device to send Xu Han to the moon, what could he do? Xu Han couldn't really see Xiao Xi in a false dream. Two tragedies... sigh."

"Su Yan, you old thief, can't you have a little warmth in your head! I thought he had a change of heart in this series, but it's another tearjerker."

"I defended against everything, but I really didn't expect the knife to be here."

"How are such touching and虐 (nüè - heart-wrenching) plots created? I'm so sad!"

"Xiao Xi wanted Xu Han to remember that night all her life. Xu Han didn't react when Xiao Xi was by his side. After Xiao Xi died, even if he didn't remember his encounter with Xiao Xi, he inexplicably had the desire to go to the moon..."

"They both liked each other so much. But why is the ending so tragic? I don't even dare to imagine how heartbroken Xiao Xi was when Xu Han said that those were just ordinary paper rabbits."

"It's all the screenwriter's fault. Su Yan, stand at attention for me."

"No, I can't be the only one suffering."

"This depressing masterpiece can't be buried like this. More people have to see it."

"Before the seventh episode aired, I thought that Su Yan might be a little lax after creating three scripts in a row, leading to a decline in his creative level, but it turns out he was just slow-burning and laying the groundwork."

"I'm going to promote this series on the forums of Xingxia, Hongsong, and Raccoon video platforms. I don't acknowledge that 'Blood-Colored Magician' or 'The Door' are better than 'To the Moon'."

"I'm going to make all my girlfriends watch 'To the Moon' tomorrow. I can't suffer alone, I have to drag them here to cry together."

"Su Yan, you old thief, my daughter watched this episode and was still sulking and wiping away tears at almost ten o'clock, constantly asking me if Xu Han could see Xiao Xi when he went to the moon. I don't even know how to answer her. If you don't even let him see Xiao Xi in his dream at the end of this series, you can wait to gain a lifelong hater!"

From the end of the broadcast of the seventh episode of "To the Moon" at ten o'clock in the evening to two or three o'clock in the middle of the night, the entire film and television review section of Sakura.com was completely occupied by fans of "To the Moon."

Whether they were fans of "The Door" or fans of other series broadcast on Sakura TV this season, they all looked at the "To the Moon" audience who were going crazy here late at night with astonished expressions.

Is it really that虐 (nüè - heart-wrenching)?

Why are each and every one of you using such exaggerated words and sentences?

I've watched so many TV series for so many years and haven't been moved to tears, but you guys are acting like you're dying?

Let me see what's going on.

Moreover, not only that, because Sakura.com collected the publicity fee from the "To the Moon" crew in advance, they directly promoted "To the Moon" on the entire website at a super high level after the broadcast of the seventh episode of "To the Moon."

Many TV series lovers were already experiencing a bit of a剧荒 (jù huāng - drama drought) this season.

Once the website promoted it, the fans also followed suit and recommended it everywhere.

Overnight, the rating of "To the Moon" on Sakura.com rose from 8.9 to 9.4.

The next day, the topic of discussion about "To the Moon" also greatly increased among many office workers and students.

At noon, the viewership data for the seventh episode of "To the Moon" was released.

Compared to the sixth week, it rose again, reaching 3.71%.

This result shocked a group of people in the television industry and film critics.

Is there such a thing?

Many media outlets who had肆意唱衰 (sìyì chàngshuāi - wantonly predicted the decline of) "To the Moon" with articles because the viewership of the fifth episode of "To the Moon" was only 3.1% in the previous two weeks also quietly deleted them, and now new film review articles have come out instead.

"To the Moon" Episode 7 Reveals Everything, Tear-Jerking Plot Causes a Fan Sensation!]

After Laying the Groundwork for Six Episodes, "To the Moon" Episode 7 Shows Viewers What Top-Notch Tear-Jerking and 致郁 (zhìyù - depressing) Are!]

"To the Moon" Rating Rises to 9.4, Becoming the Highest-Scoring Series Since the Beginning of the Year in Xia Country.]

"Rurouni Kenshin's" 9.6, "A Love Story of Madarin Duck's" 9.4, "To the Moon's" 9.4, Three Series by the Genius Screenwriter Su Yan Occupy the First Place in the Ratings of Their Respective Broadcasting Seasons for Three Consecutive Quarters!]

"To the Moon" Viewership Has Exploded for Two Consecutive Weeks, and with a Viewership of 3.71%, Its Ranking Has Reached Fifth Place in the Season!]

Another Disruptor in the TV Series Market, Screenwriter Su Yan Creates Another Masterpiece This Season, "To the Moon!"

The First Divine Drama of the Year! My Thoughts After Watching "To the Moon" Can Be Summarized in One Sentence. It Is the Number One TV Series of the Season in My Heart!]

A Love Story Spanning Decades, A Word Buried Deep in the Heart. "Then We Will Meet on the Moon, You Fool!" Is the Most Touching Line I Have Seen in TV Series in the Last Three Years. Thank You Su Yan for Presenting Such a Work to Us.]

A Boy Who Was Disliked by His Mother Since Childhood, A Girl with Congenital Autism. They Come Together, But They Show Us a Heartfelt Love Story.]

The Most Tear-Jerking TV Series in Recent Years! "To the Moon" Is Definitely a Must-See TV Series This Year.]

The Seventh Episode Moved Countless TV Series Viewers on the Night of Its Broadcast. In Just Two Days, the Number of Paid Plays of "To the Moon" on Sakura.com Has Exceeded the 6 Million Mark per Episode, Reaching the Fifth Place in the Online Broadcasting Market for TV Series Broadcast This Season.]

How Will "To the Moon" End? Will Screenwriter Su Yan End It with Another Tragedy?]

For two consecutive days, after "To the Moon" caused a heated discussion on Sakura.com, it was reported in many aspects in the film and television industry and media.

And this is exactly the situation that Su Yan wanted to see.

The investment in "To the Moon" is so small, if you want the viewership to rise further, you can only rely on fans to promote it spontaneously.

Moreover, there is a better condition for "To the Moon", that is, these dramas this season are actually not very popular or of particularly high quality.

Basically, they are all mediocre, with an investment of more than 40 million, broadcast during a golden time slot, and then have a viewership of 4.1% or 4.2%.

This result is actually the daily routine of the three major TV stations.

TV series viewers watch whatever is available to pass the time, but they may not really think that these old-fashioned dramas are very powerful or good-looking.

There are truly爆火 (bàohuǒ - extremely popular) dramas in the Xia Country film and television industry that reach 5% or even higher viewership.

But just like Su Yan's previous life, "The Grand Mansion Gate", "Empresses in the Palace", the emergence of such爆款 (bàokuǎn - explosive hit) dramas requires the right time and place, and is not common.

Therefore, after the news media reported on "To the Moon", many drama fans in the film and television market naturally became very interested.

After all, screenwriter Su Yan has had bright results for three consecutive quarters.

Debuting for three quarters, three works each ranked first in the ratings of their respective quarters, and also just won the Best New Screenwriter Award, not some wild unknown screenwriter.

In this case, the market resistance and doubts encountered by the spread of "To the Moon"'s popularity are undoubtedly much smaller.

Thursday, "To the Moon" crew.

"The average paid views per episode on Sakura.com has reached 6.7 million. And the number of posts scolding you in the comment section has increased by tens of thousands in one day..."

Sasaki Ikumi has been staring at these data every day. In the case of "To the Moon", it is obvious that after the eighth episode is broadcast, the viewership will definitely increase on the scale of the seventh episode.

"You don't need to say the last sentence. What do you mean the number of posts scolding me has increased by tens of thousands? Those are the posts discussing the plot by the fans who were moved by 'To the Moon' that have increased by tens of thousands, okay?" Su Yan said.

"What's the difference? People who discuss the plot basically scold you a few words before discussing it," Sasaki Ikumi said with a smile.

"You have to be psychologically prepared for this kind of thing when you choose to create such a plot."

"What? The fans of 'To the Moon' only scold me, not you, the producer?" Su Yan asked curiously.

"..." Sasaki Ikumi's expression froze.

"But speaking of being scolded, in a few days, after the eighth episode of 'To the Moon' is broadcast, Gu Qingyuan will probably follow in your and my footsteps," Su Yan said.

"Then it will be the scolded trio."

"Don't think too much, Qingyuan is very precious in the fan base. 'Rurouni Kenshin' fans and 'A Love Story of Madarin Duck' fans have always protected her... Even if you make her character do some annoying things in the eighth episode, the audience will still come to scold you in the end."

Su Yan and Sasaki Ikumi discussed one sentence at a time.

This can be regarded as the daily routine of the two in the crew.

Soon, Su Yan checked the script of the last episode of "To the Moon", printed out the manuscript through the printer and handed it to Sasaki Ikumi.

"This is the script for the last episode of 'To the Moon'," Su Yan said with a smile.

"I hope this series can take advantage of the current popularity and the viewership will rise all the way, and then when the last episode comes, it will create a viewership result that these competitors this season cannot surpass."

"I hope? This doesn't sound like the words you would use. Shouldn't young people like you firmly believe that 'To the Moon' will be number one in viewership?" Sasaki Ikumi said with a smile.

"The set goal must be believed in. But the development of things is determined by many aspects," Su Yan said.

"My setting the goal of number one doesn't mean that I really think that the work I have produced is invincible and that there is no second work in Xia Country that can catch up. 'To the Moon' can cause heated discussion in the seventh episode, and the viewership can rise, other works also have this possibility... so..." Su Yan looked at Sasaki Ikumi.

"I can accept the appearance of unknown accidents, which does not contradict my set goal of number one!"

"Anyway, we have done everything we should do. Next, it's up to the market."

Sasaki Ikumi thought for a while after hearing this and agreed with Su Yan's statement.

After speaking, she opened the script of the tenth episode of "To the Moon" to check.

Now that things have come to this, she will no longer have the idea of letting Su Yan change the script.

Mortals should not interfere with the creation of geniuses.

But after a while, Sasaki Ikumi's expression...

Broke down again.