Chapter 101: The Signal

In the evening, after returning to the hotel, Liao Yuan opened his laptop and began working on his script.

But before creating the script, he needed to understand the current market environment. A great film, if not released at the right time, could suffer a fatal blow. Take "No Man’s Land" for example—besides its sensitive subject matter, it coincided with a political event that year, making it ill-timed and resulting in a government ban lasting four and a half years.

Simply put, one must gauge the timing, cater to audience tastes, and grasp market trends, rather than stubbornly indulging in obscure stories that attract no attention. Of course, even the best script won’t attract investment if it can’t guarantee profitability.

So, what type of films are currently most popular?

Liao Yuan checked the box office rankings on TV and saw that in recent years, most films leaned towards suspense and science fiction. Big scenes and large-scale CGI effects were poured in as if money was no object. As long as the story quality was decent, the average viewer would be satisfied.

However, the problem was that despite their popularity, most blockbusters were foreign films due to domestic CGI technology lagging behind.

These films, while hot in theme, were limited at the box office because they were foreign-language and subtitled, so few could dominate the market.

As a result, domestic films took a different path, delving deeply into the suspense genre.

After ten years, this category had become one of the most popular, and with relatively mature special effects technology, the combination basically guaranteed box office success.

But it also meant costs doubled.

If cost were no issue, the nearly 1.7 billion yuan box office hit "Mojin: The Lost Legend" would be Liao Yuan’s definite choice.

The problem was that "Mojin" had a budget of 250 million yuan.

Not only Liao Yuan, but even Fu Yuntao wouldn’t dare guarantee they could secure such a high investment.

“What about web dramas?”

Liao Yuan thought of the suspense drama "Day and Night" and opened the web drama popularity chart. Soon, he discovered a surprising fact.

Almost all web dramas, including those aired on satellite TV, rarely exceeded fifteen episodes; most had fewer than twelve, and some even fewer than ten.

This was because, apart from CCTV, the other four major television networks each had their own production companies. They sourced scripts everywhere and produced TV shows and variety programs, completely controlling both production and broadcast.

In other words, if the ratings were poor and the reception bad, the network would decisively cut the series.

Only if the response was good would the producer consider making a second season.

This effectively eliminated bad productions and allowed the market environment to flourish.

Recalling that "Day and Night" had over thirty episodes, how to condense the plot was a daunting thought that sent chills down Liao Yuan’s spine. Although "Day and Night" was undoubtedly an excellent suspense drama, some padding was inevitable.

In short, the current film and television market resembled the foreign market from his previous life.

Moreover, with strict regulation of actors’ salaries, even if a drama became a hit, actors rarely broke contracts to jump ship—unless, like in "Fast & Furious 8," where Paul Walker’s unexpected death freed them from contract obligations.

Apart from "Day and Night," short, sharp scripts were not uncommon in his previous life.

These low-investment, high-return productions, judged by quality, suited Liao Yuan’s taste perfectly.

“So, a suspense film…”

Liao Yuan stared at the blank document on his computer, slowly closing his eyes to carefully recall every detail still lodged in his memory.

He painstakingly sifted through the fog.

"Mojin really had a rough time. Finally started filming, but the 180 million yuan budget wasn’t enough. Filming’s been suspended. I heard the producers are bringing in two more investors, and the final budget will top 250 million yuan, haha. That doesn’t even count promotion costs. The name ‘Tianxia Bachang’ sure is useful."

“Ah Yuan, have you seen ‘Signal’ with a Douban score over nine? It’s a huge hit across Asia. Many countries are itching to remake it. Japan already bought the remake rights. Our company is negotiating with Korea. If we get the rights, you’d be perfect as the lead, haha!”

“‘Detective Chinatown 2’ finally broke 3.3 billion yuan at the box office. Perfect timing, location, and team—Chen Sicheng nailed it!”

“Wu Jing made a comeback! ‘Wolf Warrior 2’ has surpassed 5 billion yuan…”

“Ah Yuan, the ‘Signal’ script was sent to your email. Have you seen it? The famous screenwriter Chen Nunu wrote it personally. There are two director candidates: Hu Feng and Liu Jianguo. Which do you prefer?”

“‘Hello Mr. Billionaire’ delayed release by a month, but after 26 days in theaters, it earned over 2.4 billion yuan… Phew! Can someone tell me how this film differs from those ‘rich guy’ stories on Qidian Chinese novels?”

“Ah Yuan, where are you? Please respond quickly.”

A metallic scent filled his nostrils.

Drop.

Blood fell onto the back of his hand.

Liao Yuan suddenly opened his eyes, feeling short of breath.

He stood up but staggered and collapsed to the floor, white carpet soon dotted with small bloodstains. Struggling, he got up and ran to the bathroom to wash his face.

Looking up at the reflection in the mirror, the figure staring back was both strange and familiar.

“What the hell…”

Liao Yuan wiped away the fresh nosebleed, cleaned thoroughly, stuffed a tissue into his nostril, then tilted his head back and returned to the computer.

“‘Signal’? Did I ever take this drama?”

The scenes and information about "Signal" that popped into his mind left him confused.

[Psychological profiler Zhao Bin of the long-unsolved cases unit is a rebellious cop full of distrust for the police force. To make ends meet, he wastes his talent investigating celebrity privacy and selling it to the media—until an old radio from over ten years ago suddenly crackles to life…

Meanwhile, Hu Haiquan, a detective active in the 1980s, is a straightforward man who doesn’t play tricks but charges ahead. When Zhao Bin begins to communicate with Hu Haiquan across time via radio, one by one, unsolved cases buried in history are finally revealed.]

This Asian hit drama "Signal," whose remake rights were snapped up by many licensors, once scored as high as 9.5 on Douban in his previous life and was hailed as the best Korean drama of the year. It won Best Drama and Best Screenplay at the 52nd Baeksang Arts Awards.

At his agent’s recommendation, Liao Yuan had tried watching a few episodes but gave up due to a busy schedule. Only after the company paid a high price for remake rights did he get to see the final script.

In summary, the drama was full of suspense, with a twisting plot—truly a rare gem at the time.

Most importantly, it had low production costs, requiring almost no special effects, relying entirely on the screenwriter’s imaginative storytelling, and the series was about fifteen episodes long, fitting Liao Yuan’s current goals.

Yet, Liao Yuan couldn’t shake the feeling that something was off—he seemed to have no memory of ever accepting the role in "Signal."

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P.S.: Even if I die, my soul dissolves into the earth, I will use my last strength to shout: Please vote for me!!!