I'm not a drama freak, I can really see through the script

Chapter 266, I think, is not a case of starting strong and continuing strong, nor is it a case of starting strong and continuing weak, but rather a case of starting strong and ending strong!

Time begins to move backward.

At this moment, while watching the TV series, Li Xuan felt his thoughts drifting back to the past.

To others, this is a photographic work; to me, it's more like a journey, a memory of an experience.

Although many things have become blurred, the feeling of being at that time is still real and tangible.

At this moment, An Zaitian's thoughts were flowing.

Li Xuan also followed this emotional train of thought.

We returned to that ball.

Noble and elegant.

But at this moment, he was not An Zaitian, but Qian Zhijiang, a high-ranking official in Shanghai, dressed in Kuomintang military uniform.

His eyes were filled with the air of nobility, as well as the composure and rationality unique to intellectuals. Those eyes were a key focus for the director's shots.

Noble, possessing an aristocratic air that is completely out of place among the common people.
However, the background is the era of White Terror.

This is an era of unprecedented pressure, and Shanghai is undergoing an unprecedented purge.

If anyone is suspected, even a passing dog will get slapped.

As long as you seem to have even the slightest possibility of being on the same side.

They were to be dragged out and executed.

No evidence is even required.

It was a climate where anyone who was suspected could be shot, hence the term "White Terror."

The gray tone, unique to the conspiracy, simply echoes this plot point.

That terrifying and oppressive atmosphere.

For the audience, the change in atmosphere is considerable.

The first two chapters focus more on the humanities and background. Although they are equally oppressive, the greater oppression comes from the dogmas of the old era. The main battlefield has ended, and it is already the aftermath of the battle.

And the aftermath—only in this atmosphere can one be qualified to talk about the 'humanistic' environment.

This was the most intense and terrifying era of battle; everyone was a tool, a prop, and even a cheap one.

While Qian Zhijiang and Tang Yina were dancing the tango, right there at the dance, Kuomintang agents came in and, without hesitation, shot and killed one of their 'underground party' members.

Even the elegant Qian Zhijiang and the dancing Tang Yina, who were in the center of the stage, only glanced at each other before continuing to dance, without much of a ripple.

Dead, liquidation, stage.

The spy "Viper" is now dancing a dance of utter despair with death.

At this moment, Wang Jinsong looked at Principal Wang Fengsheng beside him and said.

"Qian Zhijiang and An Zaitian are father and son at the same time."

“Yes, indeed.” Wang Fengsheng paused and added, “And there are differences; you can tell them apart. They are two completely different individuals.”

The same face playing father and son isn't exactly a rare plot device, but it's actually quite difficult to create a sense of differentiation in the performance.

It's not a problem for father and son to look alike, right?

That's perfectly reasonable.

But regardless, they're not the same person, so if possible, let's try to differentiate them a bit.
The result is as differentiated as it is now; it has indeed been achieved.

Qian Zhijiang possesses an air of nobility and tranquility, even more stable and elegant than An Zaitian.

If I were a Kuomintang inspector, I would never believe that Qian Zhijiang, such a promising young military officer from a wealthy family, handsome and dashing, would be an underground party member who mingles with some peasants.

But he was one, and so was his wife, Luo Xue.

One was codenamed 'Viper', and the other 'Bull'.

An elegant and refined person gave a vicious animal a nickname, while a serene and graceful beauty gave a bull such a vulgar nickname.

Nobody knew that Qian Zhijiang and his family were all spies.

Dancing wildly beneath the blood-red blade.
"He's very handsome."

At this moment, Gao Yuanyuan was also watching TV and murmuring to herself.

The protagonist, Qian Zhijiang, is undeniably handsome; however, this handsomeness and elegance do not bring any sense of ease, but rather a deeper sense of oppression.

A deep sense of oppression, this handsome and elegant demeanor contrasts sharply with the oppressive atmosphere.

Combined, they create a sense of oppression, strangeness, and terror.

This feeling of immense terror.

Without using any additional shots, and even with minimal gunfights or combat scenes, the terrifying atmosphere was truly and completely conveyed.

Dark color scheme, handsome young man, intense tango, the feeling of dancing on the edge of a knife, and colleagues who are constantly being killed.

While few people died in the first two chapters, people kept dying in "Catch the Wind," with the father and son acting as undercover police dogs. When the father said, "He is my son!", the feeling was heart-wrenching.

It turns out that "catching the wind" doesn't mean the protagonist is catching the wind, but rather that the protagonist is trying to avoid being arrested.

This is the truth behind the 'Wind Catcher' chapter.
The fate of Qian Zhijiang and Luo Xue, who were dancing on the edge of a knife, was already sealed. Those who followed the trail knew that Qian Zhijiang and Luo Xue had already sacrificed themselves when An Zaitian was very young.

Moreover, they all sacrificed themselves as 'comrades'.

To a certain extent, this is also the cause and effect that constitutes the belief in Anzaitian, but there is something strange about it.

The inscription on Qian Zhijiang's coffin reads "Nationalist Party officer," meaning that he did not reveal how he died.
At this moment, even Liu Yifei was watching the drama seriously. Originally, she wasn't that interested in this work. After all, the main audience for war dramas is not young people, and most of the other young people were attracted by Li Xuan's handsomeness.

There's one thing Liu Yifei has been secretly thinking about—the handsome guy you've been dreaming about day and night is right next to me right now.

I can see the most authentic real people, and I don't care about being confined to the people I see on screen.
But he's really good-looking.
At this moment, Liu Yifei quickly banished those thoughts and patted her face.

Let's watch a show!
This popularity inversion

Her image has reached a new level.

Qian Zhijiang's popularity completely overshadowed his son An Zaitian, overwhelming him in one fell swoop. In previous chapters, he hadn't held a particularly dominant position, but in this chapter, he completely seized the initiative.
His handsomeness and charm are now more mature, more dangerous—more aggressive.

All of Qian Zhijiang's actions are 'proactive'.

"We've finally reached the real 'espionage' part." At this moment, Mai Jia looked at Liu Guanglong beside him. Even the father of spy novels couldn't help but feel a little nervous, as this type of work of his was being adapted for the screen for the first time.

The story is filled with a combination of 'humanities' and 'idols,' and then the undercover work becomes the real essence of the spy drama.

In a sense, watching the wind and listening to the wind both involve taking responsibility for other people's lives. This is about responsibility and mission, but it is by no means about a sense of security. Therefore, the audience can discuss and analyze Huang Yiyi's personality and character, and will care about the personal fate of blind Abing, and even the humanistic discussion between him and his wife.

But in the "Catch the Wind" chapter, these things no longer exist.
This is the most brutal, bloody struggle between people. In a sense, this can be considered the main battlefield.

Liu Guanglong also used the same shooting style and rhythm. He filmed the earlier episodes as an idol drama and a humanistic drama, but it was in the "Catching the Wind" episode that the real bloodshed and the true "espionage" elements were revealed.

This chapter is meant to consume the popularity accumulated earlier.

Or perhaps we should aim for an even higher level?
Indeed, after Huang Yiyi's episode ended, the ratings dropped by 20%, which shows that this group of young viewers were not very interested in the war and spy drama itself, but were attracted by other elements.

The current viewership rating is 7.6, which is a very high average rating, even though it's not during prime time.

"We also have to thank Huayi Brothers and Guangying Media, the Beijing entertainment circle for their publicity and distribution efforts."

“They want to promote their own artists, so of course they have to do publicity.” Liu Guanglong knew this.

Neither Wang Baoqiang nor Chen Shu were considered promising talents cultivated by their respective companies, nor were they given sufficient resources. It can be said that "Plot Against" first made a splash, and then the two companies in the Beijing entertainment circle put in the effort to promote it and add icing on the cake.

They might not offer help in times of need, but they can certainly add to someone's existing success.
"You can do that?"

Wang Haiyang never imagined that Li Xuan would once again become the 'protagonist' of this chapter.
They even have this skill; it's a story from our fathers' generation!
He originally thought that the next part of the story would be about An Zaitian in his old age, still working hard to find the last spy, but the story went back to the past and told the story of his father's generation.

Moreover, Li Xuan's handsomeness was indeed retained in the third chapter, and even improved slightly. That noble air was sincerely expressed here, without the 'vagueness' of An Zaitian's character setting. This Qian Zhijiang was 'half real and half fake'.

The noble, elegant, and authentic self is oneself.

The faith of the underground D is also himself.

Now, in this chapter, the oppressive feeling of walking on thin ice, especially the oppressive, suffocating, and white terror atmosphere, left a deeper impression on Wang Haiyang.

This is the real 'spy movie' in my heart.

Because the atmosphere and art style are completely different from the previous two chapters.
The main climax of this chapter is when these people are locked in a small building, and Tang Yina, Qian Zhijiang, Mr. Dai, and all of them gather on this stage.

The plot revolves around uncovering who the undercover agent is.

damn it.

Li Xuan is someone we should be suppressing! What the hell is it that I'm contributing to his viewership ratings here?!

But even Wang Haiyang couldn't help but be drawn in by the plot itself, wanting to keep watching and following along.

Let's see what fate awaits Luo Xue and Qian Zhijiang, who have been mentioned repeatedly in the previous chapters, only briefly.

The suspense and anticipation of the plot come from the unpredictable fate of the characters, but the fate of Qian Zhijiang and Luo Xue is determined in the memoir that An Zaitian is writing. They are people who have already heroically sacrificed themselves at a young age.

Their fate was destined to be tragic. Yet, at this moment, the plot and the performances draw people in, inviting them to peek inside.

This was bound to be tragic.

In this chapter, Li Xuan is the absolute protagonist and the one who absolutely dominates the story.

Without hesitation, he 'deceived' Tang Yina, taking advantage of her affection for him to frame his rival, Yan Jingsheng.

And this executioner, with whom they had both old and new grudges, had the label of "Viper" pinned on his head.

So dirty.

So elegant.

That's awesome!

Even when he's using young girls or framing them, he's always so elegant.

At this moment, Wei Ming spoke.

"Look at this public opinion. When you did the same thing, your 'An Zaitian' was criticized many times."

Tang Yina and Huang Yiyi are not the same.

Can it be the same? ! !

Li Xuan just chuckled in response to his uncle's words.

First of all, Tang Yina and Huang Yiyi are worlds apart in popularity. Secondly, at this point, it's a matter of stance, and even their lives and safety are at risk.

The 'selfishness' and 'decisiveness' displayed at this time actually become part of the charm.

Because at this time, what's needed is your selfishness in order to survive.

For the audience, this back-and-forth confrontation, the deception-filled struggle, and the hidden guardians fighting with intelligence and information are all part of the story.
Rather than shooting an enemy in the head with a gun, this back-and-forth struggle is what constitutes a dispute.

It all depends on how Qian Zhijiang deals with Mr. Dai. As for who Mr. Dai is referring to.

Haha, neither the director nor Li Xuan knows!
But anyone who is a viewer of this show knows that.

The clashes between them were absolutely thrilling.

This is the true nature of "Plot Against" as a spy drama!
The covert war between people.

"The ratings reached eight points!"

"It's still soaring! My God, it's opening high and continuing to rise!"

At this moment, Wang Haiyang felt a bit annoyed as he listened to the news. The ratings information was flooding his mind, making him feel dizzy and his mind went blank.
Acting skills, script understanding, and outstanding performances
Li Xuan has all of these things in "Catching the Wind".
That's not what bothered him. What bothered him was that he had also devoted himself to the promotion and distribution of "The Plot"!
The large-scale promotion was done because Wang Baoqiang was involved. When "Listening to the Wind" ended, the investment was not withdrawn. After all, "Plot Against" is considered the first spy drama, and Huayi will also benefit. It can also be considered as giving a hand to a "colleague", Huang Yiyi of Guangying Media.

Similarly, Guangying Media did not withdraw its resources; on the contrary, they even felt that they were the biggest winners.

How popular is Huang Yiyi?
Based on quantifiable public opinion data—that is, data collected from active internet communities—Huang Yiyi is currently the number one female lead, even surpassing Tong Xiangyu from "My Own Swordsman." It's worth noting that Tong Xiangyu was incredibly popular before.

Chen Shu directly reached the top.
After that, Guangying Media will definitely invest resources in Chen Shu, promoting her as a leading actress.

So what's the result now?

The killer move in the 'spy war' genre is actually hidden in the third part, the purest and most authentic spy content. Due to the inertia of the two companies' resources, the final chapter of "Catching the Wind" was a feast for them.

It's one thing for Li Xuan to be a 'guiding' protagonist, but Qian Zhijiang has become the core figure, with all the resources being poured into him! Not a single bit less, not a single drop left over.

Indeed, An Zaitian is a guiding role, but Qian Zhijiang is the core character, and both are played by the same person.

This is the most painful part.

I see you as an enemy, yet you are using my resources to climb to the top.

At this moment, Wang Yuping from the marketing department, who resembled a foreign stand-up comedian, was yelling and shifting blame, making Wang Haiyang very uncomfortable.

"If this continues, its ratings will break 10! This spy drama could become a minor hit this year."

Jiang Li, standing nearby, looked at Wang Haiyang, her words likely containing more teasing undertones.
It can only be said that different departments in large companies have different KPIs and their demands may not be the same—at least Jiang Li and Li Xuan have no conflict now, and it's quite interesting to see Wang Haiyang getting such a humiliation.

After all, Wang Haiyang had mocked him back then.
I still hold my opinion.

Li Xuan is a talent with unlimited potential, and
He's so handsome.

Qian Zhijiang is so handsome.

At this point, Wang Haiyang still harbored some illusions. Perhaps, in the later stages of the scriptwriting process, the director lost control and things went wrong? Or perhaps his popularity collapsed? Any of these were possible, after all, this was a filming method that no one had ever done before.

Was Qian Zhijiang's logic flawed in his handling of the matter?
At this point, Wang Haiyang was already prepared to 'mend the fence after the sheep are lost'.

The breakthrough lies in the plot itself.
As long as Qian Zhijiang ultimately manages to transmit the intelligence...

Frankly speaking, based on the plot itself, Wang Haiyang didn't think Qian Zhijiang could pass on the information. Even if he could, it would definitely be through 'plot assistance'.

Especially now that Director Dai has realized that Qian Zhijiang has problems.

Sending intelligence was absolutely impossible.
As long as you find a loophole in the plot's logic and point it out.

The news was circulated on the grounds that "although the third chapter was excellent, the performance of the main characters was slightly inferior."

The higher you stand, the harder you fall—that's acceptable.
"Sigh, when will Huang Xiaoming's 'The Return of the Condor Heroes' be released? I don't want to see him so popular anymore."

At this moment, Wang Haiyang was vaguely agitated. It was just Li Xuan.

It's just Li Xuan! Why is he making me so annoyed?
In an instant, the ant becomes a wasp. You can still kill it, but it takes more effort, and it might retaliate and hurt you.

It hurts!

"The ratings are about to break 10 points. It will definitely be one of the top dramas of the year, and it's a new genre. This genre is more likely to win an award or something."

At this moment, Wei Ming clicked his tongue and said, "That's amazing."

If we're just comparing viewership ratings, the neighboring show "Young Warriors of the Yang Clan" is almost at the point of being overshadowed. Despite having a higher investment and a more attractive cast, and although its peak viewership rating still broke 10%, its ratings subsequently dropped.

It opened high and then fell.

Moreover, they used more and higher promotional resources. Tangren invested a lot of money in this work, after all, this is the second work of their own pillar, Hu Qu, as an idol male lead.

Already a near-top-tier idol, he needs two more works to solidify his status as a true top-tier idol in period dramas.

At that time, it will become Tangren's ruthless money-making machine.

As a result, there was a slight setback here, especially for idols, whose most important asset is their viewership ratings.

But Hu Qu is actually quite innocent too.

The young generals of the Yang family in the Song Dynasty were loyal and admirable, but the court and emperor were utterly despicable.

The Song Dynasty is not a good historical period.

However, in terms of historical dramas, the neighboring "Zhu Yuanzhang," which was rougher, more rushed to film, and had worse costumes and props, has surpassed it in terms of reputation.

Dynasties are truly different.

If you're going to make a film about the Song Dynasty, just stick to making films about forensic officials and doctors. Taking it up to the court and the state is just a terrible subject.

Actors and scripts complement each other.

The fault doesn't lie with Hu—but there's a saying that choosing a script is one of the essential elements of an actor's ability, or rather, the responsibility of the agency. If the script is bad and the actor plays a bad role, you can't blame anyone else.

The steady rise in viewership is a testament to the excellence of "The Plot," and it also indirectly proves the power of high viewership ratings.
质量
"I don't want to say anything right now. I just want to see how your work ends," Gao Yuanyuan paused and said. "My parents are also watching your drama. They both say that under your circumstances, it's absolutely impossible for you to escape the small building. If we follow the logic of the plot, it's really, really difficult."

The enemy is very strong, desperately strong.

Many 'miracle dramas' downplay the enemy, making them seem like idiots in order to highlight our own might, but that's a kind of blasphemy—at least Li Xuan thinks it is.

That would be a disservice to the sacrifices and blood shed by our predecessors.

Different positions do not mean that abilities are particularly superior or inferior. Our side has heroes, and the enemy side also has strong figures.

The enemy is also cunning and powerful, especially this acting director, who was an enemy that existed in history.

Because they knew how powerful this enemy was,

That's why we should know that it is very difficult to escape and defeat this enemy.

Perhaps it is destined to end in tragedy.

The failure to transmit intelligence led to the defeat and casualties, which is consistent with the pattern of the previous two chapters of the assassination.

That is, it is not perfect. It leaves behind failures and regrets.

However, it would be somewhat incorrect to have failures and regrets.

It makes one curious about the final outcome of this work.
Is this a case of starting strong and continuing to rise, or starting strong and then declining?

At this moment, Li Xuan chuckled and shook his head. Spoiling the plot here would be the most unkind thing to do.

Let the bullets fly here for a while.

It's unlikely to open high and then fall, or open high and then rise.
This original ending is even different from the original novel.
I think it will start strong but then fizzle out.

(End of this chapter)