You were asked to write a political intrigue drama, but you wrote "Da Ming 1566".

Chapter 109 Hollywood's Genius Screenwriter! My Legs Are Weak! (Part 1)

The fact that he could carve his hatred for Teacher Shuping into his bones like a stone tablet because of that trivial personal grudge from back then, which others would consider insignificant, and that it had not faded at all despite the passage of time and changes in the world, is enough to clearly show just how narrow-minded Guo Gang really is.

How could Chen Yu possibly let someone who values ​​hatred above all else, who can't stand the slightest loss, and who will hold a grudge against anyone who offends him for life, let him off so easily?

Not to mention having to lower their proud heads and grovel to join the Dragon Kingdom Screenwriters Association, which he controls with an iron fist, whose word is law, and which he manages like his own backyard.

Why would someone willingly walk into a trap that has already been laid, allowing themselves to be manipulated and controlled at will?

Chen Yu isn't stupid, nor is he a pushover. How could he possibly do something so incredibly stupid?

As for the official position and institutional rank represented by the so-called honorary vice president title of the Screenwriters Association, as well as the seemingly glamorous but actually useless benefits, Chen Yu never paid any attention to them.

These ethereal labels of identity, these so-called honors that require one to be subservient to others, will eventually come to you like a tide, as long as you have strong enough skills and your works are substantial and influential enough. There is no need for you to beg others for handouts.

Putting aside other matters for now, let's take the previously released TV series "In the Name of the People" as an example. It not only broke the viewership record for domestic TV dramas in the past decade and became a phenomenon that everyone was talking about, but it also impressed the leaders of the Zhejiang Provincial Anti-Corruption Bureau, who gave it unprecedented high praise. It was even directly listed as a must-watch learning material within the national procuratorial system, requiring all officers to watch it carefully and understand it deeply.

Now, "Da Ming Dynasty 1566," which Chen Yu poured all his heart and soul into and polished over three years, will surely become a classic script that various departments within the system will study and research, provided it passes the review smoothly and is broadcast on schedule. Its ideological depth, artistic value, and historical influence will only surpass "In the Name of the People."

When that time comes, those official positions and honorary titles that others would fight tooth and nail for will be delivered to you by the leaders of the relevant national departments, even if you don't actively strive for them or even if you refuse them in every way. So why bother going through Guo Gang to accept his pitiful little benefit that has a condescending connotation?

Moreover, accepting his favor would mean owing him a debt, forever placing him at a disadvantage and subjecting him to constant control. Chen Yu would never make such a losing proposition. Therefore, he instructed his assistant to politely and appropriately respond to all the cooperation invitations and honorary appointments from other social organizations and cultural institutions during this period, expressing his sincerest gratitude to them.

For example, the Dragon Kingdom Poetry Association, with its century-long history and profound cultural heritage, sent its executive vice president to visit Chen Yu personally, carrying a joint letter of recommendation from all the association's directors, extending the most sincere invitation to him to serve as the association's lifetime honorary advisor and guide the younger generation in poetry creation. In addition, top film and television schools across the country, such as the Dragon Kingdom Film Academy, the Central Academy of Drama, the Shanghai Theatre Academy, and the Beijing Film Academy, have also extended olive branches to Chen Yu, warmly inviting him to serve as a visiting professor at their schools, regularly sharing his creative experience and insights with students. Some schools have even proposed to set up a screenwriting studio in his name.

Chen Yu would not refuse these honorary positions that come without any conditions and are purely out of respect for his talent and recognition of his work, nor is there any need for him to refuse them.

They're genuinely giving you face, offering you a respectable and presentable identity that won't interfere with your own business and can bring you unexpected conveniences. Why pretend to be aloof and ungrateful, needlessly refusing to give them face and offending those who genuinely appreciate you? However, Chen Yu had absolutely no intention of giving face to the so-called "reconciliation invitation" from the Screenwriters Association.

Since it is now clear that the other party is a petty person who is vindictive, narrow-minded, and willing to do anything for revenge, the only way to deal with such a person is to be even more vengeful, ruthless, and merciless than him.

Instead of seizing the moment when you have the greatest momentum, the biggest advantage, and the whole internet is on your side, you should take the opportunity to crush your opponent completely and leave them no chance to recover. Instead, you should be merciful and leave them room to lie low and seek revenge later. What kind of fool would you be?

"Eliminate evil completely, cut the weeds and eradicate the roots!" These eight words are the basic principles that Chen Yu has always adhered to in his conduct and dealings with others over the years.

He had seen too many examples of people who, out of momentary leniency, let the tiger return to the mountain, only to be bitten in return and end up disgraced.

Therefore, he would absolutely not allow such a thing to happen to him.

Then, the next moment, Chen Yu slowly picked up the latest model mobile phone placed on the coffee table in the living room, and his fingertips coldly typed a few words on the cold, smooth screen without any emotion.

"Since this apology wasn't issued by Guo Gang himself, there's no need to say anything more about it."

"Furthermore, the character and conduct of Guo Gang, the president of the Screenwriters Association, are evident to the entire screenwriting community."

"If Guo Gang doesn't step down, I, Chen Yu, will never join the Dragon Kingdom Screenwriters Association!"

When Chen Yu's earth-shattering, weighty response appeared at the top of Weibo's trending topics list with lightning speed, and ignited the entire internet within just ten minutes, all the netizens, industry insiders, media reporters, and even some leaders within the system who were closely following the matter were instantly stunned and their minds went blank.

Holy crap!

"The plot of 'Da Ming Dynasty' is already dramatic, thrilling, and explosive enough, but Chen Yu, you yourself are a hundred times more explosive than the plot!"

"Is this a complete and utter break with the president of the Writers Guild, a clear declaration of a fight to the death? They're leaving themselves and him no way out at all?"

"My goodness, an even bigger juicy story is coming! I'm grabbing a stool and a bag of sunflower seeds, ready to watch the show!"

"Chen Yu is awesome! That's a real tough guy! Unlike some people who grovel and fawn over others for petty gains!"

"Support Chen Yu! That old bastard Guo Gang should have stepped down long ago! He's controlled the Screenwriters' Association for so many years, and besides engaging in power struggles and suppressing newcomers, what decent things has he ever done?"

"It's over, it's over! The screenwriting world in China is really about to change! On one side is a newly emerging master screenwriter with two phenomenal works and the support of the entire internet; on the other side is a veteran bigwig who has dominated the industry for many years and has official resources and power. This battle is going to be interesting!"

,

It wasn't just the online gossip-loving masses who were utterly shocked by Chen Yu's reply. At that moment, in the Dragon Kingdom Screenwriters Association headquarters building in a prime location in Beijing, in the president's office—a lavishly decorated space comparable to a five-star hotel presidential suite—Guo Gang sat with his legs crossed in a large leather executive chair, leisurely sipping a freshly brewed cup of Longjing tea.

A confident smile played on his lips as he plotted how to manipulate and suppress Chen Yu after he accepted the invitation, showing him who the real boss of the screenwriting world in China was. However, just then, his secretary rushed in, pale-faced and trembling.

"Chairman Guo, something terrible has happened! Chen Yu... he replied on Weibo!"

Upon hearing this, Guo Gang's smile remained unchanged, even carrying a hint of disdain. He put down his teacup and slowly said, "What's the panic? Is the sky going to fall? It's just a reply, isn't it? I've already given him the position of honorary vice president, what can he say? Does he dare to refuse?"

With a mournful face, the secretary handed the phone to Guo Gang and said in a trembling voice, "You...you see for yourself."

Guo Gang casually took the phone and glanced at it. However, when he saw the three lines of text on the screen, the smile on his face instantly froze. His eyes widened like saucers, his mouth gaped open, and he stood there dumbfounded, as if frozen in place. He truly never dreamed that Chen Yu would give such a blunt and unambiguous answer. This shouldn't be happening! This is completely illogical!

Hadn't I already given him enough leeway? Hadn't I given him enough face? To get him to accept the invitation, I even disregarded the objections of several other vice presidents in the association, and insisted on giving up the honorary vice president position that so many people dreamed of. This position could allow Chen Yu to rise to the top in one step, directly entering the system and possessing a legitimate official status and corresponding rank and benefits! An opportunity that so many people would fight tooth and nail for their entire lives, and I just handed it over to him like that.

Chen Yu was completely unmoved by this, and instead insisted on a life-or-death struggle? He publicly declared online that he would never join the Screenwriters Guild unless I stepped down?! How could there be such an ungrateful, arrogant, and utterly inconsiderate person in the world?!

After a brief moment of stunned silence, an uncontrollable, nameless rage surged from the depths of Guo Gang's heart to the top of his head, burning away all his reason. He clenched his fist tightly and slammed it hard on the heavy mahogany desk, producing a dull thud that made the teacups on the desk jump and spill tea all over the table.

"Chen Yu!" Guo Gang roared through gritted teeth, his voice hoarse with anger, "Don't think you can act with impunity just because you wrote two hit dramas and achieved some success!"

"Trying to force me out of office? You're dreaming! I, Guo Gang, have been in the screenwriting industry for so many years, what storms haven't I weathered? Do you think I'd be brought down by some greenhorn like you?"

"You want to fight? Fine, I'll fight you to the end! I even managed to bring down that highly respected, widely respected Xia fellow back in the day, ruining his reputation and causing him to die in despair. How could I possibly fail to defeat a mere brat like you?! You just wait, I'll show you what happens when you offend Guo Gang! I'll make sure you can never survive in the screenwriting world of China again!"

Meanwhile, on the other side of the ocean, in the top floor of a skyscraper in Hollywood, Los Angeles, in an extremely luxurious office overlooking the entire Los Angeles night view.

A middle-aged man, dressed in a well-tailored Italian bespoke suit and wearing an expensive Patek Philippe watch on his wrist, was holding a glass of 82 Lafite, his eyes slightly narrowed as he looked at an entertainment news item from China on his computer screen. His fingers tapped lightly on the table, and a thoughtful expression appeared on his face.

"Chen Yu, a 21-year-old master screenwriter from China." The middle-aged man spoke slowly, his voice deep and magnetic. "To achieve legendary status with just two works right after his debut, breaking my record for the fastest time to achieve legendary status?"

A barely perceptible look of surprise crossed the middle-aged man's face. He picked up his wine glass, took a small sip of red wine, and continued, "I thought that with the stagnant and conservative artistic environment of China, the record I set back then might not be broken for another ten years. I didn't expect that with such a large population, China could still occasionally produce one or two true geniuses."

This middle-aged man is none other than Xiao Tuo, who left an indelible impression on the film and television industry of China ten years ago and was hailed as a "once-in-a-century screenwriting genius," the most dazzling and sought-after new screenwriting star back then.

No one expected that after winning all the screenwriting awards in China and enjoying all the top resources and honors China gave him in just three years after his debut, he would resolutely change his nationality to the United States at the peak of his career and plunge into the embrace of Hollywood.

That's not all. What angered the Chinese people even more was that after he arrived in Hollywood, in order to please the American capital and audience, he actually participated in the creation of several scripts that contained elements that seriously insulted China, distorted China's history, and vilified the image of China's people.

His actions thoroughly broke the hearts of the Chinese people, earning him widespread contempt and making him a pariah. However, Chautau himself believed that everything he did was worthwhile. He felt that only in the free creative environment of Hollywood could he truly realize his artistic value and pursue greater artistic heights.

Upon seeing the news about Chen Yu, the initial surprise on Xiao Tuo's face quickly faded, replaced by deep indifference and a hint of condescending pity. He shook his head and chuckled, saying, "Indeed, a once-in-a-century genius. However, in the oppressive, rigid, and rule-bound environment of the Chinese arts scene, even the most dazzling genius can only achieve long-term success."