You Don’t Understand The Pain Of Being Popular

Inside the narrow staircase, the light in the corridor was somewhat dim.

An Xincheng made his way to the rooftop and casually found a step to sit on.

He looked at the manuscript in his hand and lit a cigarette for himself.

This was already the fortieth time his manuscript had been rejected.

At first, he sent his work to several major domestic companies, but after being rejected, he had to settle for other companies.

However, without exception, they all turned him down.

His script had a realistic theme, which was already difficult to sell. Now, An Xincheng was almost losing confidence.

"Hey, I've been looking for you for a while. So, you're here," a young man walked over quickly, a cigarette dangling from his mouth.

"I just saw a post on a forum. There's a production team looking for a screenwriter, and the pay is pretty good. Do you want to take a look?"

The friend didn't mind the dirty floor and sat down next to An Xincheng.

The two of them sat side by side on the deserted rooftop, illuminated by the pale moonlight, which made the surroundings clear.

An Xincheng scratched his hair, showing no interest at all.

"Forget it. In my situation, I can't even sell my manuscripts at the lowest price, so how could I join a production team?"

He was currently grieving over his rejected manuscripts, let alone turning the script into a TV drama or even becoming a screenwriter on a production team?

That was too far-fetched, simply impossible.

The friend laughed and showed a set of white teeth. "You should take a look. I think you have a chance."

An Xincheng couldn't muster any enthusiasm, but he couldn't brush off his friend's good intentions either, so he reluctantly opened the link his friend had forwarded.

As soon as the interface opened, his eyes fell on a line of prominent text:

[Hodi Entertainment Studio is actively seeking a screenwriter]

[Payment starts at 500 yuan per thousand words, with no upper limit. Payments will never be delayed and will be credited as soon as the same day. Accommodation and meals will be provided for the screenwriter during the filming period, separate from the salary.]

Just by reading these few lines, An Xincheng felt a bit discouraged.

Given these conditions, he was definitely out of the picture!

The friend nudged his arm and urged him, "Don't worry. Look at the requirements first before making a decision."

An Xincheng felt a bit helpless but continued reading.

[Requirements:

1. We hope the screenwriter is not influenced by the current mainstream market. The script should be highly innovative and cater to niche themes. Priority will be given to scripts that are not favored by the market.

2. We hope the screenwriter has enough personal style that is unaffected by the general environment. Therefore, priority will be given to screenwriters who have not participated in any filming projects.

3. Priority will be given to those who have not produced successful works, have not sold any scripts, and have been consistently rejected without having any published works.]

[The total investment for this production is estimated at one million yuan, and the treatment is excellent. Salary is negotiable.]

As An Xincheng read through each requirement, he went from being shocked at the beginning to gradually becoming confused.

Was this studio really sincerely looking for a screenwriter?

Could it be some kind of joke?

The first requirement, on the surface, seemed to emphasize innovation, but the key point was that the script should not be favored by the market.

It was basically heading straight toward failure.

Looking at the second requirement, on the surface, they wanted a screenwriter with a personal style.

In reality, they wanted to hire an inexperienced novice without any relevant experience as a screenwriter.

And the last requirement didn't even bother with basic disguises.

It was practically telling job seekers that those writers who couldn't find work in other production teams, had extremely low skills, should hurry up and come to their studio.

It was like searching for a scapegoat!

An Xincheng felt dumbfounded as he read through it.

He even felt that someone might be deliberately playing a prank. Perhaps this was all just a joke.

"Whose celebrity studio is this, after all?"

An Xincheng couldn't help but scroll down to the last page and look at the introduction of this studio.

Hodi Entertainment Studio was a certified and legitimate studio.

Although it was recently established, it had a registered capital of two million yuan.

Moreover, the studio's address was at the Athis Office Building in B City.

In the photo, the sign with the words "Hodi Entertainment" was quite prominent, indicating that it wasn't a fly-by-night company.

As for other details, An Xincheng couldn't discern much.

He was just a low-level screenwriter who occasionally wrote articles on various websites.

He relied on sporadic manuscript fees to make a living.

Due to his lack of job-hunting experience, he couldn't determine whether this studio was reliable or not.

He could only wait for further information to make a judgment.

At the bottom was a line with small font.

[Studio Overview: A newly established studio with staff shortage and in urgent need.]

[The production team will officially start next week. Interested individuals can directly submit their resumes. Interviews will begin in two days.]

The time is tight?

An Xincheng's expression slowly became dull, and he turned his head to look at his friend beside him.

The friend wore a smug smile and said, "So, how about these conditions? Not bad, right?"

Although it was a newly established studio that hadn't produced any dramas yet, it didn't have much impact on screenwriters.

For a low-level screenwriter, being able to earn 500 yuan for every thousand characters was already quite a good price.

Anyway, they didn't need long-term development in the studio.

As long as the other party was willing to pay the fees and not delay payments, it would be sufficient.

As for whether the production could be completed, whether it would fail or go bankrupt, that had nothing to do with them.

An Xincheng took a deep breath and felt his heart pounding rapidly. "I can't believe such a good thing exists."

Even now, he couldn't understand how a boss could come up with such bizarre requirements.

Oh, wait.

This was a celebrity studio.

Perhaps the person who posted the job advertisement wasn't necessarily a business-savvy boss but rather a celebrity's manager or even the celebrity themselves.

But... even if it was a celebrity, something was off.

Which celebrity would do such a strange operation? It was like hoping for their own downfall!

An Xincheng looked at his friend, feeling a bit puzzled, and gave him a questioning look.

The friend shrugged. "I think this thing was probably created by a very unique second-generation wealthy individual. Who knows, this might be the small company they casually registered to experience the entertainment industry."

Indeed, that second-generation wealthy individual had quite a unique personality, but their brain didn't work quite well.

An Xincheng thought for a moment, and indeed, that was the only explanation that made sense.

"But... can I really do it?" An Xincheng still couldn't fully believe it.

Seeing his complete lack of confidence, the friend felt a bit frustrated.

"Let me ask you, is your theme niche enough? Is your script not favored by the market?"

"Um... yes."

"Do you have any successful works? Have you participated in any filming projects? Have you sold any scripts?"

An Xincheng: "..."

Of course, he didn't.

The friend chuckled and raised his chin slightly. "Well, then tell me, how many times have your manuscripts been rejected?"

An Xincheng opened his mouth and after a while, he stammered, "Fourty..., forty-five times?"

"That's it!" The friend patted his shoulder excitedly. "They said priority would be given to those who have been consistently rejected without having any published works. You've been rejected more than forty times, you're definitely among the top candidates!"

"With your track record, you'll definitely outshine most of the competitors. If you apply, you'll surely make it!"

An Xincheng: "..."

So it could be understood this way?

An Xincheng fell into silence.

He pursed his lips and carefully recalled all the requirements of this company.

It seemed... that being a loser actually had some advantages?