Peninsula: The idol by the bedside refreshes randomly.

For the next three days, Chen Ran maintained a regular routine of going between the film set and home.

During the day, he familiarized himself with the film crew's operations.

It was his first time working with a film crew, and there were many things he didn't understand.

He often sought advice from Li Yingfu on various issues, and even learned a bit about camera scheduling.

In the evening, after returning home and solving his food problem, he still maintained his studious attitude and explored more positions with Kim Tae-yeon.

Over the course of two days, the crew's work proceeded smoothly, and the revenge that Chen Ran had been secretly guarding against did not occur.

That morning, the crew of "School 2013"...

"Card."

Director Lee Eung-bok called out a sound effect card, and Lee Jong-suk and Kim Woo-bin quickly snapped out of their acting mode and ran behind Chen Ran and Lee Eung-bok to check the effect of the scene they had just filmed.

"good."

Li Yingfu nodded, then turned to Chen Ran: "I think it's fine, Ran, what do you think?"

Chen Ran smiled and nodded, "I think it's okay too." Seeing this, Lee Jong-seok and Kim Woo-bin behind them couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief, and their shoulders slumped down a little.

Although they had only been on set for two days, they had already witnessed Chen Ran and Li Yingfu disagreeing on many occasions.

There were a few shots that Li Yingfu thought were good enough, but Chen Ran felt they could be even better.

He would talk to the actors about the psychological state the character should be in during the scene, offering more perspectives to help the actors better understand the character.

He would also communicate with the photographers and lighting technicians on site and make slight adjustments to the lighting and camera angles.

At first, the photographer and lighting technician were somewhat dismissive.

Because Chen Ran was a new screenwriter joining the crew for the first time, and was only a screenwriter.

When it comes to lighting and camera work, he's nowhere near as knowledgeable as these professionals.

However, since the other party is a screenwriter, they wouldn't completely disregard their feelings.

Although screenwriter Chen Ran seems quite mature, he is still a young man after all.

Young people joining a production team for the first time, especially in a core position like screenwriter, are eager to try everything and make a name for themselves.

They can understand this mentality. Once the other party has tried it once or twice, found that there is no difference, and lost face a couple of times, they will no longer offer any opinions on such professional matters.

Seeing this, some people around were actually just watching the show.

A newly graduated screenwriter, joining a production team for the first time, thought that by learning a few trivial things from director Li Yingfu, he could outperform the professionals?

However, because Chen Ran was the screenwriter, no one dared to show any disrespect on the surface.

But guess what happened in the end?

After Chen Ran made these small adjustments, the actors' performances were indeed a bit better than before.

It wasn't a major improvement, but after Chen Ran's adjustment, the image's sense of depth and focus had changed a bit since then.

To the untrained eye, this change would be difficult to notice without careful comparison, but those present were all professionals who immediately recognized it.

In an instant, everyone's gaze towards Chen Ran changed.

You said that you explain the character to the actors, which helps them understand the character more deeply and give better performances, and that's normal.

You're the screenwriter; it's hard to find an actor who understands the character better than you. But what's with your supposedly unique understanding of camera angles and lighting?

At first, some people thought Chen Ran was just taking a chance, but after Chen Ran offered effective suggestions a second and third time, resulting in a better presentation of the footage, everyone understood.

We've run into a truly talented player.

How can someone who has never been exposed to this kind of professional knowledge have such a unique understanding? What else could this be but a gifted individual?

Some people realized what was happening and felt a surge of envy, jealousy, and resentment towards Chen Ran.

Just a few days ago, the scene of the goddess's coffee truck and food truck almost stopping on set was still fresh in my mind, and now you have this talent again.

No, which window did God close for you?

Did Nuwa sculpt your body from seven-colored stones?

Even Li Yingfu, seeing this situation, couldn't help but pat Chen Ran on the shoulder and say:

"Xiao Ran, you'd actually be quite suited to be a director too."

In response, Chen Ran simply smiled and said, "I still prefer screenwriting; I'm not considering directing for now."

After Chen Ran demonstrated this talent, his prestige within the entire crew increased significantly. Talent earns respect everywhere, especially in a film crew where ability is paramount.

So now, after Lee Jong-seok and the others finish a scene, it's not enough if Lee Eung-bok thinks it's good enough; only when Chen Ran says it's good enough is it truly good enough.

Seeing Chen Ran nod, Li Yingfu turned to the nearby staff and shouted, "That take is done, get ready for the next scene."

Chen Ran got up from his seat, intending to go to the restroom.

Krystal Jung walked over and handed him her phone.

"Oppa, you're trending on social media."

"what?"

Chen Ran paused for a moment, then took the phone.

The phone screen is displaying a post on Naver.

There is also a line of smaller text above the post.

[Trending List No. 23: The Screenwriter's Looks]

The main text of the post is as follows: Please remember the only website address of the novel: "www.deqixs.org". The website owner has only this one website. Other websites will be discontinued at any time.

[Wow! Look what I found! I originally went to watch the opening ceremony of Jong Suk oppa's new drama, but I unexpectedly discovered another treasure! That's the screenwriter on Jong Suk oppa's drama team—he's so handsome!!! He's definitely the most handsome screenwriter!!!]

Below the text are several photos of Chen Ran taken on the day of the filming opening ceremony. Judging from the angle, they were probably taken privately.

Chen Ran raised an eyebrow. So this is trending?

He scrolled down to the comments section and took a look.

There are quite a few comments, more than 3000 in total.

Looking around, all you see are discussions about his appearance.

[Wow! This is a screenwriter?! Shouldn't screenwriters be balding middle-aged men? Are you sure this isn't the face of some new boy band?]

Wow! This is the first time I've seen such a handsome screenwriter! He's almost as good-looking as my Jong-seok oppa.

[I can vouch for this; this person is indeed a screenwriter. I discovered this gem in a reporter's report a couple of days ago. I originally wanted to enjoy it secretly, but I didn't expect it to be discovered so quickly t﹏t]

...

After quickly glancing at the top row of comments, Chen Ran frowned and muttered, "It's trending already? There's nothing particularly noteworthy about it, just a few photos."

Upon hearing this, Krystal Jung, who was standing nearby, said helplessly:

"Oppa, your face is a bombshell in itself, and your identity as a screenwriter breaks many people's stereotypes about the screenwriter profession."

"Moreover, this trending topic didn't just appear so easily. It seems that Jong Suk oppa's fans posted it online first, and then it was forwarded to fan groups. After a period of fermentation, it was forwarded to fan groups of other artists, including myself, and that's how it became a trending topic."

"Okay, got it."

Chen Ran smiled, returned the phone to Zheng Xiujing, and prepared to leave.

Krystal Jung was stunned when she saw this.

"That's it? Oppa."

"Otherwise what?"

Chen Ran blinked and asked in confusion, "Do I really need to create a separate account and have all these people follow me? I'm not a celebrity."

Krystal Jung also realized what was going on: "Um, that makes sense. So, are we just going to leave it like this?"

"Yeah, let's just leave it like this. It's a form of word-of-mouth marketing, and it'll let a lot of people know about our show. This kind of free publicity is pretty good." "Oh, right."

"Okay, go and get ready, it'll be your turn in the next scene."

"Okay, I understand."

Watching Krystal Jung turn and leave, Chen Ran also turned and walked towards the restroom, not taking the trending topic to heart.

Meanwhile, on the other side, inside SBS television station.

There was a knock on the door of an office, and after a "come in" was heard from inside, the male assistant walked in carrying a tablet.

The content displayed on the tablet was the trending topic that Krystal Jung had just shown Chen Ran.

---

A few hours later, somewhere in Seoul, in the backstage lounge of an event.

Jin Ruanruan, who had just returned from the restroom, opened the door to the lounge and walked in. She glanced around the room, her gaze finally settling on the figure on the sofa in the corner.

She pursed her lips and walked over.

He hesitated for a moment as he approached her, then slowly sat down beside her, his movements seemingly cautious. "Um, Soo-yeon."

Jessica Jung, who was looking down at her phone, looked up when she heard this and blinked at her.

"What's wrong?"

"Um, I wanted to tell you about the food truck incident a couple of days ago. It was really an accident. I didn't expect it to end up like that."

She reiterated that she really had no intention of getting involved.

She never expected that simply delivering a food cart would lead to such a misunderstanding, to the point that Jessica Jung might now think she's trying to steal Chen Ran away.

It's all Kim Tae-yeon's fault!

Why did you have to make me deliver a food truck?

Because she's been too busy these past two days, she hasn't had a chance to meet with Jessica Jung. Although she's already explained it over the phone, she feels it's still necessary to explain it in person to avoid any future problems.

Jessica Jung didn't react much to Kim Yu-yeon's explanation, and replied with a smile:

"I know you didn't mean that, and I know it wasn't your idea. I haven't misunderstood, so don't worry."

"Phew, that's good, that's good." Seeing that Jessica Jung's expression didn't seem fake, Kim Ruanruan felt a huge weight lifted off her shoulders.

That would be best if Jessica Jung didn't misunderstand her.

But she didn't notice that Jessica Jung's eyes flickered slightly at that moment.

Jessica Jung knows that Kim Yuen-yeon might not really have that intention.

but...

It's always good to be cautious.

Jessica's words to her, "Be careful not to let Jin Ruanruan beat you to it," echoed in her ears many times.

Because of the food truck incident, Jessica Jung's previously completely dispelled wariness towards Kim Yeon-yeon has resurfaced.

Although it may not seem threatening, it is still something we must be wary of.

Who knows if Jin Ruanruan might suddenly do something drastic and steal her house?

Beside her, Kim Yuen-yeon smiled easily, wanting to say something more to Jessica Jung.

But a louder voice rang out first in the lounge. "Huh, why is Chen Ran suddenly trending on Weibo? There are several trending topics."

Tiffany's loud voice instantly attracted the attention of Kim Yuen-yuen and Jessica Jung.

The two got up and walked to Tiffany's side.

"What's trending?"

"Look, there are several trending topics about Chen Ran on Naver's trending list, and they're all quite popular."

Kim Yuen-yuen and Jessica Jung took a closer look.

There are indeed several trending topics about Chen Ran on the hot search list.

The one that comes first is the third one.

[The pinnacle of screenwriting looks]

Then, those ranked eighth and tenth are:

[Senior screenwriters publicly boycott Chen Ran]

[Chen Ran's Nationality] Upon seeing the entry about the senior's public boycott, both Kim Yuen-yuen and Jessica Jung frowned.

Jessica Jung reached out and clicked on the entry, then looked at the details.

The cause of the matter is actually quite simple.

It was that trending topic from this morning, "The screenwriter's most attractive face," that somehow got into the screenwriter community.

Around 10 a.m., a screenwriter named Park Ji-ho posted a screenshot of this hashtag on his social media, along with the caption:

Am I just getting old and out of touch with the world? Since when did screenwriters become famous based on their looks instead of their work? Can anyone call themselves a screenwriter these days?

The post quickly went viral.

Then, as if by prior arrangement, several senior screenwriters also began posting on social media to publicly support the screenwriter named Park Ji-ho.

The text is also full of mockery and criticism of Chen Ran.

There was even a screenwriter named Lee Sung-min who publicly stated:

[I, Li Chengmin, hereby publicly condemn this screenwriter named Chen Ran.]

The post quickly gained popularity, attracting a large influx of netizens to participate in the discussion. Most people were asking:

"Who is this Chen Ran?"

Then, as if it were deliberately arranged, a whistleblower appeared and released Chen Ran's basic information, including his date of birth and the university he graduated from.

Whether intentionally or unintentionally, the person seemed to have deliberately highlighted Chen Ran's nationality.

This point immediately attracted the attention of many netizens.

"What's going on? What's so special about one Chinese person that we should discuss?"

"So, Chinese people can now be screenwriters in our country? Can't the Peninsula Screenwriters Association do something about this?"

"Speechless. After all this time, he turns out to be Chinese."

This sparked another round of discussion about Chen Ran online, causing the term "Chen Ran's nationality" to become a trending topic.

What brought this matter to a head was a post on social media by a screenwriter named Chen Xiuwan.

This Chen Xiuwan is far superior to those unknown screenwriters like Park Ji-ho.

He is the screenwriter of the recently concluded hit drama "The Moon Embracing the Sun," and is currently enjoying immense popularity within the screenwriting community. This renowned screenwriter posted on social media:

[The screenwriting circle on the peninsula isn't for just anyone. I don't like someone who relies on their looks to increase their fame without producing quality work.]

His post was like an instant death sentence for Chen Ran.

Immediately, the screenwriters who had spoken out earlier and a large number of netizens voiced their support in the comments section, and public opinion seemed to be overwhelmingly in favor of the former.

Jessica Jung and Kim Yeon-yeon frowned as they looked at the online comments.

Just as they began to worry about Chen Ran, some people in the shadows were already smiling, ready to see how Chen Ran would handle the situation.

A new SNS post suddenly appeared at the center of public opinion, like a boulder thrown into a rippled lake.

Kim Eun-sook: [I think the scripts my students wrote are quite good; I like them.]

P.S.: Sorry, everyone.

I have something to do at home today and don't have time to write 6k words, so I'll just post 4k words for now and make up for it later.

A 180° bow!