Reborn in the Hong Kong entertainment industry in the 1980s

The media professional who published the article was very famous in the industry, and it caused quite a stir after it was published.

When Qiu Lihua saw the article, he felt a chill run down his spine. Things had escalated to this point, and it was no longer just about the TV series "Fan Lihua." It had become a crisis for the entire television station, and he, as the general manager, had to bear all the responsibility.

If "Fan Lihua" were a production by the production department, his responsibility would at most be considered a management error. However, this was a production he fully supported and invested in on his own initiative, so the responsibility for this matter rests entirely on him.

Qiu Lihua couldn't imagine how much the consequences of this incident would affect him.

Enraged, he berated Wang Shasha: "Are you out of your mind? This is a big-budget production; even a pig couldn't have made it like this. What were you thinking, ruining such a great resource? How am I supposed to explain this to the board of directors?"

Wang Shasha was already panicking. She was full of confidence in her drama, but the low ratings after it aired made her despair.

In the past, Wang Shasha wasn't in charge of her dramas; she just followed the script and had someone to guide her, resulting in dramas with good ratings. But now, with "Fan Lihua," she's in charge, directing the entire crew, and everyone listens to her. Filming was great, but she never expected the final product to be so terrible.

But how could Wang Shasha dare to admit it was her mistake? She quickly said, "Can you blame me? I was just following the script. The script is so bad, what does it have to do with me as an actress? Blame the scriptwriting department, they deliberately gave me a terrible script."

Qiu Lihua thought it made sense. He had watched a few episodes of "Fan Lihua," and the terrible script and the morally reprehensible plot were not up to the usual standard of the scriptwriting department.

So, at the morning meeting, Qiu Lihua berated the scriptwriting department manager, accusing them of writing bad scripts that caused huge losses to the company, and demanding that the scriptwriting department take responsibility for it.

The scriptwriting manager was unwilling to be the scapegoat and take the blame for Qiu Lihua and Wang Shasha. "What does this have to do with our scriptwriting department? Did we direct this drama? Didn't you read the script beforehand?"

Seeing that the scriptwriting manager still dared to talk back, Qiu Lihua angrily rebuked him: "You guys actually came up with such an outrageous plot as Fan Lihua killing her father and brother, and you still dare to say it's irrelevant? Anyone with a brain couldn't have written such a plot. And all you do is talk about love and romance all the time. This is an action drama, not a romance drama! What kind of work is your scriptwriting department doing?"

The scriptwriting manager was furious. He ran back to the scriptwriting department, grabbed a bunch of stuff, and stormed back to Qiu Lihua. In front of all his colleagues, he opened the books, pointed to the contents, and said...

"President Qiu, Qiu Lihua, look carefully, this is how it's written in the original text. 'Fan's father stumbled and fell, hitting the tip of Miss (that is, Fan Lihua)'s sword, which struck his throat. With a thud, he fell to the ground and died.'"

And Fan Lihua's two brothers—open your eyes wide and see clearly: "The three siblings fought fiercely in the inner court. After thirty rounds, Fan Long was caught off guard and killed by Fan Lihua. Fan Hu was also killed by a single sword stroke." When we were writing the script, we even helped to change it a bit, making it seem like she accidentally killed the two brothers. It's been embellished; in the original story, Fan Lihua killed the two brothers.

The original story is even more outrageous. Fan Lihua's father and brothers die one day, and the next day she runs off to marry Xue Dingshan. When we wrote the script, we embellished this part, changing it so they were entangled for quite some time before finally getting married. And Xue Dingshan three times he divorced Fan Lihua and three times he invited her back—haven't you seen that? Haven't you even heard of it in opera?

Qiu Lihua flipped through the book, her vision blurring. "Can't you guys revise it again to suit the aesthetics of today's audience? If all you do is copy, what's the point of having a scriptwriting department?"

"Of course we want to revise it better, but you're rushing us day and night, acting like you're about to be reborn. Do you think scripts are so easy to write? A good script isn't something you rush out; it's something you polish out. We screenwriters are human too, not machines. We can't just work automatically with a single command." The scriptwriting manager even slammed a thick stack of original scripts onto Qiu Lihua's desk.

"Look carefully, this is the original script. It wasn't originally this absurd, but Wang Shasha kept changing the plot every few days, cutting all the action scenes and adding romance scenes to supplement the series. The later addition of the romance with Yang Fan and the Prince of Xiliang was also Wang Shasha's idea. The terrible special effects in the later stages have nothing to do with our scriptwriting department. Don't blame everything on our scriptwriting department. Our scriptwriting department isn't as absurd as you."

Qiu Lihua failed to find the fault of the scriptwriting department and was instead scolded in public, making her so angry that she almost vomited blood.

The others saw this and realized that Qiu Lihua was looking for a scapegoat. The production department, which was specifically responsible for producing TV dramas, was the first to be targeted.

Charlie and Linda exchanged a quick glance, then Charlie smiled and said in a friendly manner, "It's normal that Sasha didn't do well in her first major production. President Qiu, there's no need to be so angry. Our production department has produced so many dramas, and we can't guarantee that every one of them will be a hit."

Let me clarify in a few words: This is a drama between you, Mr. Qiu, and Wang Shasha; it has nothing to do with our production department.

Linda chimed in at the opportune moment, "President Qiu lost money on this investment, but he gained experience. He'll just be more careful when investing in Wang Shasha in the future."

Lu Sheng, seemingly oblivious to Qiu Lihua's dark expression, said to everyone, "Although the failure of the drama 'Fan Lihua' was solely Qiu's fault, we are all colleagues in the same company and should share the burden. Let's think of a way to help Qiu overcome this difficult situation."

Baozhutai has lost to us several times in a row, and they won't let such a good opportunity pass by to kick Baogangtai while it's down. If we can't handle this crisis, in addition to holding General Manager Qiu accountable, the board of directors will also be implicated.

When the others heard that they would be implicated, they began to look at Qiu Lihua with hostility.

It's outrageous that they should suffer the consequences of their own actions.

After discussion, everyone decided to stop broadcasting "Fan Lihua" to minimize the impact.

But the question is, after "Fan Lihua" is taken off the air, which show will take its place?

The rival show "Shangwu Spirit" is coming on strong, at its most powerful moment. With the support of public opinion, it has an aura of invincibility. They have no confidence in sending any show to the arena.

Charlie said first, "The earliest show I have on hand won't be available for another month, so I can't help you right now."

Linda didn't want to be a scapegoat and take the blame for Qiu Lihua, so she said, "My dramas are almost finished too, and I can't make it in time. Why don't I go through some of my old dramas and see if there are any that can be done?"

Isn't that obvious? What great drama would be stored away? Isn't it precisely because it's too bad to be shown that it's put away?

Housewife: A homemaker. In this context, it can be understood as the person who controls the television remote.