Director Li

Biodata

Background / History

Director Li oversees Transform, Freaks!, a livestreamed rural variety show built around forcing scandal-plagued celebrities to complete difficult village labor. He deliberately selects humiliating or exhausting assignments, believing hardship, conflict, and punishments will both “transform” the guests and sustain audience interest 4 8.

The production films in Bright Village, where Director Li initially expects the cast to fail tasks, go hungry, and quarrel. Xie Chen repeatedly disrupts this design by finishing work efficiently, organizing the other guests, and turning the program’s camera coverage toward real village problems 11 18 22 29.

Following the first season’s success, Li continues producing increasingly ambitious seasons centered on children’s public-safety education, a horror-amusement-park “Courage” theme, eldercare and filial piety, and Six-Platform Mountain Taoist Academy. Although he consistently frames each season as a reform project, he readily exploits guests’ fears, family conflicts, romantic tension, and unexpected social issues for ratings 73 113 152 184.

As Xie Chen’s popularity, influence, and supernatural abilities become impossible to ignore, Li shifts from attempting to suppress him to treating him as the program’s essential attraction. He nevertheless continues looking for tasks capable of restoring his reputation as the show’s feared “Demon Director” 121 139 184 203.

Personality

Director Li is calculating, theatrical, and highly ratings-conscious. He engineers late-arrival penalties, hunger, unpleasant farm labor, and interpersonal clashes because he considers suffering and conflict essential entertainment for a program about “reforming” controversial celebrities 8 12 23.

He is easily provoked when guests undermine his plans, particularly Xie Chen, whose foresight repeatedly spoils prepared story beats. Nevertheless, he recognizes compelling footage when he sees it and eventually benefits from the cast’s unexpectedly effective promotion of Bright Village 12 18 48.

Around Huo Wenye, Director Li becomes markedly deferential. He avoids questioning Huo’s involvement, readily follows his demands, and changes production decisions when Huo objects 15 39 48.

Li is opportunistic rather than maliciously inflexible. When the show uncovers real problems—including Bright Village’s water dispute and abuse at an eldercare facility—he embraces the resulting public-service value alongside the enormous traffic it generates 55 85 152 175.

His confidence in his own authority is largely performative. He often boasts that only he can control the “villain” guests, but is repeatedly silenced by his wife, intimidated by Huo Wenye, outmaneuvered by Xie Chen, and forced to endure the same harsh conditions he creates for the cast 59 60 76 186.

Production Methods

• Uses strict time limits and withheld meals to pressure guests into compliance; he once gave them ten minutes to assemble or lose breakfast 12.
• Designs rural assignments to be physically unpleasant, including manure collection, plowing, rice sales, sowing, and fertilizing 8 15 21 38 48.
• Encourages cast disputes rather than immediately mediating them, expecting conflict to create dramatic footage and future punishments 9 11.
• Adds obstacles when the guests succeed too easily, such as requiring talent performances before they could eat the village chief’s chicken dinner 23.
• Assigns separate camera coverage to Xie Chen when expecting him to fail, only for Xie Chen to repeatedly overturn those expectations 12 18.
• Enforces task-based consequences, including denying lunch to Xie Ran and Xie Jinran after they fail to complete the rice-selling assignment 19.
• Holds guests accountable for careless work; he warns Xie Ran and Xie Jinran that they must compensate Bright Village if their improperly planted seeds fail 39.
• Uses guests’ personal weak points to secure compliance, including threatening to contact Luo Mingyu’s father when Luo protests difficult amusement-park rides 121.
• Turns legitimate public-safety instruction into entertainment, arranging an artificial-respiration demonstration specifically to provoke embarrassing interactions between Xie Chen and Huo Wenye 101.
• Uses relatives, friends, and visiting children as surprise variables to disrupt the guests’ usual behavior and compel them to complete tasks 73 74.
• Reframes emerging social issues as seasonal themes, including children’s welfare, elder abuse, and filial responsibility, while remaining frank about the publicity value of such topics 85 152.
• Attempts to conceal genuine supernatural events as special effects, pauses broadcasts when the risks of exposure become too great, and repeatedly urges Xie Chen to remain low-profile after official scrutiny increases 203 204 207 210.

Story Role / Major Arcs

Launch of *Transform, Freaks!*

Director Li is initially furious when none of the invited guests arrive on time for the livestream’s launch. Xie Chen’s sarcastic handling of his criticism and use of the contract to avoid a lateness penalty leave Li unable to discipline him as intended 4 5.

When the Xie Family forces Xie Ran onto the show through upper management, Li openly resents the interference. He expects Xie Ran to quit once exposed to the program’s high-intensity rural conditions 6.

Bright Village labor challenges

Li assigns the guests manure collection and refuses to rescue Xie Ran when Xie Chen redirects Xie Ran’s claimed farm experience into helping Luo Mingyu. He prefers allowing the conflict to play out on camera 8 9.

He repeatedly loses control of the program’s planned pacing. Xie Chen completes the breakfast-voucher task, sells Bright Village’s rice stock before Li’s prepared buyers can appear, and leads the other guests to work together rather than collapse under the tasks 15 18 22.

Although Li often antagonizes Xie Chen, he publicly treats Xie Chen’s kick against Xie Jinran as self-defense after Jinran attacks first. He also later rebukes Xie Ran for suggesting Xie Chen should have been arrested despite Xie Chen’s role in exposing the neighboring village’s criminal activity 21 42.

Bright Village water dispute

Director Li initially follows Xie Chen to the village entrance because the confrontation with Biaozi promises better livestream material than slow farm work. He subsequently witnesses Xie Chen turn the show’s coverage into a public investigation of Bright Village’s water dispute 24 29.

When Biaozi’s group attacks Xie Chen and the cameraman at the water source, Li rushes to the scene out of concern for the cast and the production. He arrives to find Xie Chen unharmed and the attackers defeated 40 41.

The ensuing official attention secures action on Bright Village’s water supply. Although Li is initially frustrated that Xie Chen receives the public praise, Xie Chen credits the production for making the issue visible, allowing Li to accept recognition for the show’s first major public-welfare accomplishment 55.

Commercial success

By the final days of filming, Director Li confirms that the show has reached tens of millions of viewers. Bright Village’s agricultural-product links receive overwhelming demand, with preorders extending through the latter half of the year 48.

He continues to insist that tormenting the guests is “transformation,” despite his assistant directly characterizing the assignments as making things difficult for them 48.

After the first season, Li discovers that even scandals and online backlash can boost the program’s traffic. When Xie Chen personally joins an online argument, Li briefly considers ending the show, only to learn that the livestream has surpassed one hundred million viewers 53.

Children’s public-service season

Li develops a later season around children’s activities, emergency-rescue education, and legal awareness. He attempts to keep the Villain Group occupied with military-style exercises, intelligence quizzes, and child-centered tasks, but Xie Chen repeatedly redirects the schedule toward meaningful activities and completes Li’s planned material ahead of time 73 76 81.

Recognizing Xie Chen’s rapidly improving public image, Li enthusiastically relays CCTV’s interest in casting him in a public-service advertisement about children’s healthy development. He considers the opportunity a major breakthrough for both Xie Chen and the program, and is relieved when Xie Chen ultimately agrees to pursue it 85 90.

Li also arranges the CPR exercise that results in Xie Chen and Huo Wenye’s accidental lip contact. Although he maintains that the task is legitimate emergency education, he deliberately prolongs Xie Chen’s embarrassment for the cameras before revealing that training models were available all along 101.

During the subsequent CCTV filming, Li acts as an anxious intermediary between Xie Chen and the hostile Director Qin. He expects Xie Chen to be undermined by the difficult script, then becomes stunned and intimidated when Xie Chen memorizes it almost instantly and improves the final performance through improvisation 110 111.

Horror-amusement-park season

For the third season, Li establishes “Courage” as the central theme and sends the cast to the country’s largest horror amusement park. He hopes the extreme rides, horror-themed meals, and escape-room-style tasks will finally overwhelm Xie Chen and restore his own status as the feared “Demon Director” 113 121 125.

The plan repeatedly backfires. Li anxiously monitors Xie Chen for acrophobia during the giant-wheel challenge, only to find him laughing while the other guests become ill. Xie Chen then ruins Li’s horror-menu scheme by enthusiastically ordering food immediately after the ride 121.

Despite his frustration, Li effectively uses the cast’s popularity for commercial opportunities. He arranges an amusement-park endorsement after the owner specifically requests Xie Chen, bluntly dismissing Xie Ran’s demand for equal treatment on the grounds that their popularity and reputations are incomparable 137 139.

Eldercare-facility season

Li launches the fourth season at an eldercare facility under the theme of filial piety, openly admitting that the issue of elder abuse is both socially important and excellent publicity for the program 152.

Although he initially attempts ordinary volunteer tasks, Xie Chen’s investigation quickly exposes suspicious caregivers, restricted treatment rooms, and signs that abuse has been concealed. Li struggles to maintain control as the production becomes entangled in the facility’s scandal and as Xie Chen gains influence with residents, staff, officials, and the audience 155 156 175 176.

Li becomes increasingly resentful whenever officials seek out Xie Chen rather than the production director, particularly when the special-investigation team leader ignores him and immediately adds Xie Chen as a contact. Nevertheless, he continues coordinating the filming and supports the facility’s transition after the former administrator is removed 175 176.

Six-Platform Mountain and supernatural crisis

Li plans the final season at Six-Platform Mountain Taoist Academy in hopes that its strict courses and primitive lodging will finally make Xie Chen suffer. Instead, the production crew is subjected to the same candlelit rooms, pre-dawn wake-up calls, chanting classes, and cultivation rules as the guests 183 186 187.

His attempts to test Xie Chen collapse when Xie Chen flawlessly recites Daoist scriptures, draws superior talismans, summons overwhelming lightning, defeats the Academy’s disciplinary teacher, and is recognized as the reincarnated Daoist Patriarch 187 190 203 206.

The supernatural displays bring record-breaking traffic but also damaged equipment, official warnings, and fears that professional viewers will recognize the supposed “special effects” as genuine. Li pauses broadcasts where necessary and repeatedly implores Xie Chen to conceal his abilities, increasingly worried that the final season will be censored or shut down 203 204 207 208.

When authorities reveal that Xie Chen may need to return to Harvard to investigate overseas evil cultivators, Li serves as the practical messenger and worries about how the show can continue amid the growing danger. He later negotiates a Harvard livestream arrangement, treating Xie Chen’s academic return and Huo Wenye’s accompanying enrollment as another major promotional opportunity 209 231 233.

Relationships

• Xie Chen — A frequently frustrated director-versus-guest dynamic. Li attempts to impose hardship and discipline, but Xie Chen repeatedly uses competence, contracts, and unpredictable decisions to overturn his plans. Li later defends Xie Chen in public and privately acknowledges his importance to the show’s success 5 12 18 21 42 46. By later seasons, Li treats Xie Chen as both his greatest source of stress and the indispensable foundation of the program’s ratings, regularly seeking his help with casting, public-service opportunities, and guest recruitment 85 152 184 231.
• Huo Wenye — Observer, investor, and powerful figure whom Li treats with conspicuous respect. Li avoids pressing Huo for answers, seeks his approval of Xie Chen’s actions, and follows his warnings about potentially improper broadcast content 10 15 29 39. Li is acutely aware of Huo’s possessiveness toward Xie Chen and often retreats or alters plans rather than risk provoking him 81 118 154 181.
• Xie Ran — An unwanted guest imposed by the Xie Family’s pressure on upper management. Li is impatient with his poor performance, gives him no special protection, and later rejects his attempt to cast suspicion on Xie Chen 6 9 19 42. Although Li occasionally tolerates Xie Ran for ratings or investment considerations, he openly mocks Ran’s willingness to return despite public hostility and rejects his attempts to dictate production decisions 137 184 200.
• Xie Jinran — A later guest whose confidence in Xie Group’s influence does not impress Li. Li denies him lunch for failing the rice task and reprimands him for carelessly sowing seeds 19 39.
• Bright Village Chief — The chief assists with assigning and explaining agricultural work, while Li’s production ultimately gives Bright Village major exposure and a surge in product orders 8 15 48.
• Villain Group — Li regards the core guests as difficult but commercially valuable troublemakers. He uses their parents, relatives, and personal fears as leverage, while repeatedly finding that their loyalty to Xie Chen prevents him from controlling them as intended 73 121 173 183.
• Production planner and assistant — Li’s closest on-set subordinates and frequent comic foils. They help devise escalating tasks and monitor traffic, but are regularly blamed when his plans fail or when the crew is forced to suffer alongside the guests 76 81 186 203.
• Director Liu Ci — A fellow director and collaborator on Journey Through the Sword Domain. Li introduces Xie Chen to Liu’s project, agrees to advocate for Li Jingfei’s casting at Xie Chen’s request, and later receives Liu’s request to borrow the show’s apparent “special-effects team” 193 203.
• Director Qin — The strict CCTV director who initially clashes with Xie Chen during the public-service advertisement shoot. Li attempts to mediate their conflict and is astonished when Xie Chen’s performance wins Qin’s approval 110 111.
• Director Li’s wife — An off-screen but formidable influence over him. Li becomes immediately submissive when she calls, and her preferences can affect his editing choices, especially regarding additional Xie Chen and Huo Wenye footage 60 118.

Notable Quotes

“This Little Xie really is rebellious.” 23

“I'm clearly helping them transform!” 48

“I'm the director!” 84

“Director Li is risking his life to win back his pride?!” 121

Trivia

• Director Li envies Xie Chen after Bright Village’s residents reward him with several old hens; he tries to hint that he wants some, but Xie Chen mistakes his blinking for an eye problem 42.
• He is unable to decide whether Xie Chen is selfish, clever, ruthless, or kind after reviewing Xie Chen’s rice-selling strategy 18.
• Despite styling himself as an “upright, brave director who feared no power,” he becomes conspicuously flattering whenever Huo Wenye appears 48.
• He claims to be the only director capable of controlling the villain guests, only to overhear them admit that contractual restrictions and their families—not his authority—kept them on the program 59.
• He is married and becomes noticeably frightened whenever his wife contacts him, particularly when she threatens to make him kneel on durians or break his legs 60 118 231.
• He repeatedly calls himself the show’s “Demon Director,” but Xie Chen’s appetite, competence, and popularity consistently destroy his carefully arranged punishments 121 139 184.
• During the Six-Platform Mountain season, Li becomes so overwhelmed by genuine cultivation techniques that he asks for blood-pressure medicine after learning the next task involves sword flight 208.
• He initially mistakes Harvard’s president for an ordinary university staff member when the man personally comes to collect Xie Chen at the airport 233.