This director is vindictive.

Chapter 217 Ever since I went mad, the world feels like a better place!

The moment this transaction price was announced, it instantly went viral online.

Previously it was just an intended price, but now it's the final transaction price.

At the same time, this web series quickly became one of the most anticipated shows by countless netizens.

After all, a 12-episode mini web series is unprecedented, as "The Untouchable" has not yet appeared.

"I'm so excited! I just want to know what kind of show they can make from such a short script!"

"Chen Mo's web series! Even if it doesn't reach the heights of 'My Love from the Star,' I hope it will be unique!"

"It's a package deal! Tencent Video isn't stupid. If the show wasn't good, it wouldn't be realistic to pay such a high price just because of Chen Mo's name!"

They were right about that.

The preview screening of this web series was quite a surprise to several video platforms.

Nothing special, it's just too unique!
The pacing is completely different from the current trend of bloated and long online dramas.

The mainstream online dramas nowadays are actually still following the same model as TV dramas, almost all of them consisting of dozens of episodes.

Many times, the plot is so badly weak it's appalling.

However, "I Am Yu Huanshui" has almost no redundant plot, and the pace is so tight that it is dazzling.

If other directors were to film this, the storyline could easily be stretched into dozens of episodes.

In fact, Tencent Video has subtly suggested that perhaps some padding could be added to stretch the series to around 20 episodes, as a short show isn't necessarily a good thing.

After all, many dramas accumulate popularity over a long period of time.

If you air two episodes a day, all 12 episodes will be over in less than a week, and you won't even have time to build up any popularity.

But Chen Mo would definitely disagree!

What makes this show so great is its tight plot. As for the concern about not being able to attract a large audience, Chen Mo is really not worried.

Just look at how much attention this show is getting right now.

Why is Chen Mo's name so valuable? This is the reason, okay?
"I Am Yu Huanshui" has officially announced its premiere date as January 1, 2020, exclusively on Tencent Video.

"This name is so bizarre, what exactly is it about?"

"A major drama to kick off the year? Only 12 episodes?"

"This name is so abstract, I can't tell what it means at all!"

Although this drama is adapted from the novel "If There Is No Tomorrow", there's really not much to promote, mainly because the original novel isn't that famous.

After the news broke, many netizens were completely baffled, as the name itself was quite abstract.

The promotion of web series is completely different from that of TV series and movies.

However, given the significant investment Tencent Video made, it's impossible for them to underestimate its importance.

So, even though it wasn't time yet, they put up banner ads on the homepage well in advance.

"The first web series directed by Chen Mo, a director with a box office of over 10 billion yuan! — I Am Yu Huanshui!"

Of course, there's more than one way to promote a product.

Soon, several edited trailers for "I Am Yu Huanshui," with trendy and eye-catching titles, began to circulate wildly online.

Zhao Lei is over thirty years old this year. In the eyes of outsiders, he has a good job and a stable income.

He has a pretty wife and a son.

They were quite happy and content.

But only he himself knew how lowly he lived.

At the company, although he was a long-time employee, in the IT industry, someone his age was still considered an old programmer, and he was always facing the fate of being laid off.

However, he has to pay the mortgage while also taking care of household expenses, his son's education, and so on.

So he was always very cautious because he really couldn't afford to lose his job!

The truth is, one cannot act recklessly, nor can one be carefree and unrestrained.

He was cautious in everything he did: he carefully watched the traffic lights when crossing the street, he ate cautiously for fear of choking, he worked cautiously for fear of losing his livelihood, he treated his family cautiously for fear of hurting their feelings, and he treated his friends cautiously for fear of being alone in the end.

For leisure time, let alone bars or other entertainment venues, even movies are something he can only accompany his son to see when his son wants to.

Even when buying bread, I have to check if there are any discounts for items nearing their expiration date.

My usual way of relaxing and relieving stress is to watch videos online.

Even when it comes to signing up for a membership, people have to check if there's anything cheaper or with a bigger discount.

In fact, he only had a little free time to watch videos during his lunch break each day.

That noon, while eating lunch, I opened the Penguin Video app on my phone, just like I always do.

Why Tencent Video? Because he just used his China Mobile points to buy a one-month video membership.

Suddenly he saw a pop-up recommendation.

The title immediately caught his attention: "Director Chen Mo's first web series, 'I Am Yu Huanshui,': Since going crazy, the world feels like a better place!"

Why did it immediately attract his attention? He didn't care at all about big-name director Chen Mo or anyone else.

He was focused on the last sentence: "Since I went crazy, the world feels like a better place!"

Because he had thought countless times about breaking free from the constraints of life's pressures and going crazy!
But in the end, he still thought of his wife and children at home, and he never really went crazy!

I took a bite of food and then started watching.

In the very first scene, a man appears: Yu Huanshui, played by Guo Jinfei!
Subtitle: Getting scolded by my boss!
"Yu Huanshui, where the hell have you been? Why was your phone off yesterday? If you don't want to work here, just say so! Stop pretending to be all high and mighty!" A man who looked like a leader was cursing into the phone.

This scene gave Zhao Lei a strange sense of familiarity.

However, in the next scene, this seemingly trembling man suddenly went mad.

He launched into a tirade of profanities over the phone: "Damn it, Zhao Juemin, you son of a bitch, you son of a bitch, don't ever talk to me like that again, you son of a bitch, you bastard!"

For some reason, Zhao Lei suddenly felt a sense of relief!
Because damn it, he'd wanted to yell that at his department head for a long time!

Damn it, I'm always being made to do work that should be done by others. If I do it well, I don't get a reward, and if I don't do it well, I get scolded!

If he weren't worried about being eliminated, why would he always swallow his anger?

He also wanted to be like Yu Huanshui in the video, going crazy and cursing!

But in reality, he dared not, and could not!

So this part was really satisfying!
Keep reading.

The subtitles appeared again: "My friend owes me money and won't pay it back!"

A man dressed like a successful businessman sat there, and Yu Huanshui sat opposite him.

"This matter needs careful consideration!" said the man who looked respectable.

"I don't want to think about this anymore, just give me my money back!"

"Could you please keep your voice down?" the friend said.

"You think I'm too loud?" Yu Huanshui glared at him through gritted teeth.

At this moment, some nosy outsiders said, "Little Lü, there are all kinds of people these days, with no moral bottom line. Just consider it bad luck to have met the wrong person!"

The other party's sarcastic tone caused Yu Huanshui to completely explode.

He suddenly slammed the water glass down!
"How could I have met such a bad person? I want my money back! Did I meet such a bad person? Give me back my money!" Yu Huanshui roared.

Everyone looked this way.

Zhao Lei immediately felt refreshed and invigorated from head to toe!

That's how it should be! Kindness is often taken advantage of!

He thought of himself!
My colleague borrowed money from me years ago, and I've been too embarrassed to bring it up, but he's just acting like it never happened!
"Wait until I finish the art exhibition!" said Yu Huanshui's friend.

But this time, Yu Huanshui went berserk: "Enough nonsense! I want it now! Now!"

With so many people around, the other party finally dared not delay any longer.

"I'll give it back to you right now!"

The scene shifts again, this time showing the neighbor's renovations causing noise!

Yu Huanshui rushed in with a stool and started smashing things!

He grabbed a paint bucket and started splashing paint everywhere! A neighbor came over and caused trouble, saying he had injured the neighbor's dog and demanding compensation!
He bluntly said, "I have no money, but you can take my life! Here you go!"

As he spoke, he picked up a bottle and smashed it over his own head!

The neighbors were stunned!

For some reason, as Zhao Lei watched, he felt that today's meal tasted especially delicious.

The short film is still ongoing.

This time, it was a very stylish woman with the protagonist. They were clearly from completely different worlds. She held the wine and examined it.

"This isn't just any ordinary counterfeit liquor; it's the worst of the worst!"

"Your drinks are all real, but mine are all fake?"

"What do you mean? You're being ungrateful, aren't you?" the woman said, displeased.

"Who's being shameless?"

"I'm talking to you! You're asking for it!" "I'm willing to drink fake alcohol, I like drinking fake alcohol, get out of here!" With that, he dragged the woman out.

The next scene shows him being mocked by his colleagues at his workstation in the company.

"Why are you dressed so smartly today, and wearing sunglasses too? Are you going to go out with someone? Go ahead and go out with someone," a colleague mocked.

"Am I being too polite to you?" Yu Huanshui suddenly stood up.

Seeing that everyone was watching, the colleague became furious and stepped forward as if to hit someone.

"You believe me or not, I'll hit you."

But at this moment, Yu Huanshui went mad.

"Come on, you dare! I'll kill you, you believe me? You're all laughing at me, aren't you? I'll kill you all!" He pulled out a small knife and roared.

"Hahahaha!" Looking at his colleagues who were running around in fright, Zhao Lei suddenly burst out laughing for some reason.

This naturally attracted whispers and pointing fingers from those around him, but for some reason, he didn't care at all at the moment.

It just felt great!
The screen switches again.

This time it's Yu Huanshui and his wife.

"I have something to tell you, both of us!"

"Yu Huanshui, I'm not in the mood to listen to anything you have to say right now!" his wife protested.

"You have to be in the mood to listen to me. I'll say what I want to say!" Yu Huanshui said angrily!

His wife was stunned!

I arrived at the company again, and it was the same leader I had always worked with.

"Yu Huanshui, can we take off these sunglasses?"

"Don't pick them!"

"why?"

"The world is too ugly in my eyes!"

"Hehehe, humorous!"

"My principle now is simple: whoever messes with me, I'll do it!"

The boss was dumbfounded!

The subtitles appeared: "January 1, 2020, please look forward to 'I Am Yu Huanshui'!"

The video ended, but Zhao Lei laughed, getting happier and happier, and his laughter became more and more exaggerated.

But as he was laughing, tears suddenly welled up in his eyes.

This trailer really hit home for him. Watching Yu Huanshui go crazy and lash out at everyone and everything was indeed very satisfying and cathartic.

This applies to everything—leaders, colleagues, friends, wife, people, and things—if I'm unhappy, I'll do it!
That was so satisfying, so incredibly satisfying, but he couldn't do it!

This video is just a video; it's fictional!
Although he also felt relieved and satisfied just by looking at it, he knew that doing so would definitely feel great.

But he couldn't do it, he really couldn't, or rather, he didn't dare to.

For example, how similar was the scene with his wife in the video just now!

In recent years, my salary hasn't increased much, but household expenses have risen considerably, which has caused my once gentle and virtuous wife to change.

For example, he wanted to disregard his superiors and colleagues and just do whatever he wanted! But he knew that doing so would result in losing his job!

He can't afford to lose his job, because that would cut off his source of income!
But there is one thing he can do: collect debts!
He was worried that he might lose that friend over a little money, but after watching the video, he suddenly realized, damn it, that wasn't a friend at all! Would a real friend act like that?

After finishing the last bit of his meal, he threw the takeout container into the trash can.

Then, upon returning to the company, he immediately sought out his former colleague—the one from whom he had previously borrowed several thousand yuan.

"Old Li, I'm a little short on cash lately, can you pay me back?" Zhao Lei said.

He didn't try to hide it from people, but he still kept his voice relatively low.

When Old Li heard Zhao Lei's words, he looked around and said, "It's just a few thousand yuan, why are you talking about it here?"

"Yeah, it's just a few thousand yuan, but why the hell haven't you paid it back after all these years?" Zhao Lei's voice involuntarily rose a little.

Old Li was so frightened that he immediately went limp.

"Holy crap, are you out of your mind?! Did you have to say it here?"

"Aren't you going to pay it back?" Zhao Lei felt a sense of relief looking at Old Li's expression and continued.

"I'll pay you back when I get paid, okay?" Old Li said.

"No way! Pay it back now. You don't want everyone in the company to know you owe money and aren't paying it back, do you?" Zhao Lei said firmly.

Old Li was a little confused by Zhao Lei's sudden change of attitude, usually such a kind-hearted person.

But he was really scared!

He refused to pay back the money mainly because he thought Zhao Lei was easy to bully, but he didn't expect him to actually stand up for himself.

He then quickly transferred the money to Zhao Lei.

Seeing the money in my account, even though it wasn't much, made me feel really good!

Back at his workstation, Zhao Lei was still thinking about the drama "I Am Yu Huanshui." Although it was just a trailer, it was right up his alley.

Just then, someone walked over.

"Brother Zhao, have you finished fixing that program? The supervisor is waiting for it!" It was another colleague from the company.

"What's it to me!" Zhao Lei blurted out.

He found himself becoming a little crazy after watching that video.

"Wh-what?" The colleague was confused by Zhao Lei's words.

“I said, what’s it to me! Do you understand? If you can’t even fix that little thing, you might as well quit!” Zhao Lei said, looking at the other person.

I was about to get angry.

But Zhao Lei, for some reason, suddenly stopped buying it: "What do you mean, 'what do you mean,' am I wrong? Did you even pay me a salary? Why should I do your work for you? Get lost!"

His voice was quite loud, and it immediately attracted the attention of his colleagues.

The colleague who usually liked to ask him for help immediately turned pale and then purple.

But in the end, there was nothing they could do about Zhao Lei.

Zhao Lei was thrilled!

But soon, he couldn't enjoy it anymore.

Because it was his supervisor who approached him this time, the supervisor called him into the office and gave him another lecture.

He really wanted to curse at his colleagues like he did before, and like Yu Huanshui, but in the end he held back.

He could be assertive with his colleagues, but he really couldn't afford to lose this job!

Therefore, we have no choice but to compromise once again!
"Since I went crazy, the world feels like a better place!"

"A young man was misdiagnosed with late-stage cancer, but unexpectedly began his legendary life!"

"The nice guy in the workplace has successfully turned the tables! This move is brilliant, even the boss has to give him some leeway!"

Trailers with various titles were being shared wildly.

"I Am Yu Huanshui" doesn't follow the typical formula of a feel-good movie, but it does have its moments of enjoyment.

These were edited together and made into a trailer.

With the support of Tencent's massive promotional resources, it quickly swept across the internet.

Why did this web series become so popular? It's because many people saw themselves reflected in Yu Huanshui.

Zhao Lei is a microcosm of this, which is why many people were instantly drawn to these trailers.

"Holy crap, after watching the trailer, I actually had a fight with my boss today! Is this show cursed? I'm doomed!"

"I went back and told my wife, 'I'm going to say it, you have to listen,' and then I almost knelt on the keyboard!"

"That's so true, so satisfying! I want to do that too, but I really don't dare!"

"Everyone laughs at Yu Huanshui, but everyone is Yu Huanshui. Just based on this trailer, I'm definitely watching this show!"

"This show is absolutely addictive. Just watching the trailer made me feel like I was Yu Huanshui, because Yu Huanshui did the things I've always wanted to do but never dared to!"

"This trailer looks awesome!"

These trailers have given many people the illusion that "I Am Yu Huanshui" is a lighthearted and entertaining drama!
After all, what was edited out was all about Yu Huanshui's various outbursts and counterattacks.

One netizen's comment received countless likes.

"When people reach middle age, they have family burdens and are most afraid of being told that they have accomplished nothing."

Even a job with a guaranteed income regardless of drought or flood can force people to be subservient and willingly lose all their freedom.

"That's so true. We all want to go crazy, and we all know that the world will become a better place after we go crazy, but we dare not bear the price of that beauty!"

"If we can't go crazy in real life, let's watch the characters in a show go crazy for us!"

"Chen Mo is really good at this, damn, every scene, every detail is so touching! The title of the show, 'I Am Yu Huanshui,' is perfect!"

"Reality is full of disappointments, but we can't go crazy, so we can only vent on the internet. Perhaps this is why people are becoming more and more aggressive online?"

(End of this chapter)