A New Script

[The host had strict standards for himself. Special high-tier chain quests have been issued.]

[Quest 1: Write a movie screenplay.]

[Quest reward: A-rank talent: James Cameron's Special Effects Techniques.]

[Quest 2: Host must shoot and complete a movie.]

[Quest reward: Choose one S-rank talent.]

[Quest 3: Host's work must win an international award.]

[Quest reward: Choose one S-rank talent.]

Well, these rewards were generous.

Two S-rank talents of his choice meant he could select the talents he wanted most.

Take the Rubber Man Talent, for example. It was certainly useful.

But in Lin Chuan's eyes, it was nowhere near as powerful as telekinesis.

Besides, the first two quests weren't difficult.

There were no strict standards.

Even if Lin Chuan slacked off, wrote a garbage screenplay, and then released it, he'd still receive the quest rewards.

Strictly speaking, the third quest wasn't that hard either.

Lin Chuan could simply enter himself in some obscure, no-name award.

He'd still complete the quest.

After a moment's thought, Lin Chuan figured out the answer.

So this high tier meant a high degree of freedom.

Lin Chuan could slack off and claim the quest rewards.

Or he could hold himself to a higher standard, write a quality screenplay, make a movie audiences couldn't get enough of, and win a major award.

Lin Chuan chose the latter without hesitation.

If he chose to make a good movie and failed, he could still receive the quest rewards.

But if he chose to make a lousy cash grab and succeeded, all he'd have done was produce a piece of garbage.

Of course, Lin Chuan knew there were no completely clean awards in this world.

It was like when Game of the Year hadn't gone to Black Myth: Wukong.

Instead, the award had gone to Astro Bot.

So Lin Chuan figured he could "work" the awards angle a little, too.

Lin Chuan had already decided what screenplay to write at the wrap party.

It was a sci-fi thriller.

MOON

In the future, a miner employed by a lunar energy company worked alone at a moon base, extracting energy. Desperate to return home, he was involved in an accident and unexpectedly encountered another "himself," leading him to uncover the company's dark secret.

In Lin Chuan's view, the movie had a strong sci-fi feel.

And its exploration of human nature was profound, too.

At the press conference, Lin Chuan had promised Ren Hang that he'd give him an important role in his next movie.

MOON had only one human actor: the male lead. That was important enough, right?

Of course, the role might be a challenge.

The actor would have to play multiple characters with completely different personalities.

If Ren Hang couldn't handle it, Lin Chuan would have him play the protagonist's only companion in MOON, the intelligent robot.

That was an important role, too.

After settling on the screenplay, Lin Chuan began typing with his mind.

He had to admit, the feeling was unbelievably damn satisfying.

Lin Chuan could sit on the sofa, sipping an ice-cold soda, or lie on his bedroom bed.

As long as he put his laptop three meters away, it would type out line after line of text according to his wishes.

The screenplay for MOON was short and tight.

It came to only around fourteen thousand words.

Lin Chuan finished it in just over forty minutes.

He also added a few of his own touches.

For example, he made the protagonist ethnically Chinese and overlooked in America.

Some of the advanced equipment was actually made in Huaguo.

And so on.

After finishing the screenplay, Lin Chuan's imagination ran wild.

He asked the system in his mind:

"System, is there any way to throw Lin Gege onto the moon to play in the dirt?"

The system didn't reply for a long time.

So Lin Chuan continued:

"If you ignore me, I'm going to lose face~"

The system's response appeared.

[Transporting Lin Gege to the moon would be too difficult. She would also need water and food, making it not worth the effort. The system recommends abandoning the quest.]

Lin Chuan sneered. "Why would I need to provide her with water and food?"

After completing the quest, Lin Chuan heard the system's crisp notification in his mind.

[Congratulations, host. You have completed the quest: Write a movie screenplay.]

[Quest reward: A-rank talent, James Cameron's Special Effects Techniques, has been delivered.]

James Cameron was a highly influential director in America.

Titanic, Avatar, and the Terminator Series

were classics that defined a generation's memories.

Lin Chuan didn't really agree with the values promoted in this director's movies.

Terminator was all right. Lin Chuan enjoyed watching it.

But he really didn't like Avatar.

Wasn't that movie just American liberals beautifying their country's colonial past?

Of course, even if Lin Chuan didn't agree with the movie's values, he had to admit:

its special effects were truly top-tier.

And the guy had gone to extraordinary lengths to create the best effects possible.

To shoot Titanic, he'd spent a fortune building an almost full-scale replica of the ship.

Of course, Paramount had paid for it.

Lin Chuan had watched a documentary about Titanic.

Even many years later, when Paramount's bald executive remembered how James Cameron had repeatedly gone over budget while filming Titanic,

he still couldn't help scratching his shiny head.

His face was full of lingering fear.

Besides frequently exceeding the budget, the guy's dedication to special effects was unlike anything most people could match.

Of the top ten deepest dives in the world, nine had been made by industrial workers involved in marine exploration in various countries.

Only the person in second place was an odd one out.

That person was James Cameron.

After absorbing James Cameron's special-effects techniques,

Lin Chuan's understanding of special effects had reached the highest level in the world.

At the same time, he began to wonder whether he should make some patriotic films.

Maybe he could bring The Wandering Earth forward.

But after thinking it over, Lin Chuan dismissed the idea.

A school of thought needed both "face" and "substance."

The same was true of a country.

Patriotic movies were a country's face.

America was the best example.

Take Forrest Gump, which had won six Oscars. It was a patriotic movie.

The original novel had actually been satire.

It had alluded to the dark history of America conscripting intellectually disabled men into the military.

Who knew Americans would turn it into a symbol of the American spirit, calling it the American Dream? Unbelievable.

Lin Chuan felt that with enough effort and the system's help, he could absolutely become Huaguo's "face."

But then he wouldn't be free.

Audiences would instinctively connect a director's work with his character.

If Lin Chuan made patriotic movies and became the country's "face,"

he'd have to watch everything he said and did.

He couldn't let his words bring the country into disrepute.

That wasn't what Lin Chuan wanted.

Lin Chuan loved horror movies. Every movie he'd made so far had a touch of horror in it.

And there would be more to come.

Rather than standing in the spotlight, with his image bound tightly to the country's,

Lin Chuan would rather stay behind the scenes and be its "substance."

He'd make whatever damn movies he wanted!

Besides, substance didn't necessarily have to rank below face.

Their relative standing depended on their abilities.

Lin Chuan made up his mind.

"Looks like I need to nurture a new generation of directors~"

"I wonder where Guo Fan and Jiaozi are on Blue Star right now..."

Friday, October 4.

It was the fifth day since Happy Family had opened in theaters.

Its box office had already topped two hundred million.

The current box-office total was 238 million yuan.

Holding the screenplay for MOON, Lin Chuan went to find Ren Hang.

"Take a look at this screenplay. Tell me what you think. If you like it, you can play the lead."

Ren Hang took the screenplay and opened to the first page.

He swallowed unconsciously, then continued to the second page.

In the quiet room, Ren Hang turned the pages one by one. At some point, cold sweat had soaked through his back.