“Xiao Wen isn’t very talkative today, is she?”
Mrs. Wang and other acquaintances had long concluded in their hearts that Wen Ying and Xie Qian were a young couple, so it was normal for a young couple to exchange glances.
Director Fan didn’t understand, he just felt that Wen Ying’s state was a bit off today.
She spoke less, and her gaze was somewhat unfocused.
Invisible assumptions can be the most fatal, Director Fan naturally wouldn’t think that Wen Ying’s distracted state was due to “a young girl’s thoughts”. He assumed Wen Ying had already heard some rumours.
When Director Fan called out, Wen Ying quickly snapped out of her reverie. She couldn’t ask Xie Qian his thoughts right now, so she decided to focus on the task at hand first!
As for what Xie Qian really meant… at this moment, Wen Ying wasn’t a hamster, she was an ostrich.
“I don’t know the situation well, I don’t dare to give opinions casually, I’d like to hear your thoughts first.”
Director Fan’s expression was slightly serious. “We’re all old acquaintances, so I won’t beat around the bush with polite words. Let me first explain the current situation. I understand Tianjiao’s request, you want the prime July slot, right? I’d love to directly assign the July slot to you, our last collaboration was so pleasant!”
The ratings of *The Princess’s New Clothes* were part of Director Fan’s work achievements.
Since Director Fan was the first to contact Tianjiao and discovered their drama, both in terms of benefits and personal feelings, he was very close to Tianjiao’s side.
If Hunan Satellite TV was solely up to Director Fan, the July slot would have gone straight to *Starry River with You*, even though he hadn’t seen the sample yet, and the two sides hadn’t discussed specific copyright fees. That was Director Fan’s thinking, which showed his sincerity in collaborating.
“But…”
Director Fan’s tone shifted, and Mrs. Wang knew something bad was coming.
All three looked at Director Fan, who let out a soft sigh. “But, you arrived a bit late. Yu Tianlin’s drama finished filming and production earlier than *Starry River with You*. The station’s leaders watched the sample and were very satisfied, they decided on the spot to buy the broadcasting rights. Their contract is already signed. In terms of first come, first served, you’re behind Yu Tianlin, the July slot is his.”
At the screening of Yu Tianlin’s new drama, Director Fan was present, among the first to see the sample.
Was it good?
It was just okay.
A typical idol drama formula, Director Fan couldn’t see anything special about it.
Compared to Tianjiao’s hit *The Princess’s New Clothes* from last year, even *Jade Forest*, which was crushed by *The Princess’s New Clothes*, had better character designs and plot than Yu Tianlin’s new drama!
That was Director Fan’s personal opinion.
But the other station leaders clearly didn’t think so.
At the screening, a female leader was very excited, saying Yu Tianlin’s new drama would definitely be a ratings hit!
Director Fan was still puzzled about it. “With that plot, it feels like all the major scenes were given to Yu Tianlin alone, other characters had little presence, the plot development was illogical, how could the ratings explode?”
Director Fan knew what was going on with this drama.
The biggest investor was Mr. Jin, a coal tycoon, who spent a fortune to promote his mistress as the female lead. Yu Tianlin and Mr. Guan had fooled him thoroughly. If Mr. Jin’s mistress could become famous after the broadcast, Director Fan would be willing to write his name backwards!
But he heard Mr. Jin didn’t make a fuss, because the drama’s copyright was quickly sold, and Mr. Jin made a lot of money from this investment. Whether his mistress was happy or not didn’t matter, the money was enough for Mr. Jin to find several new mistresses.
They were late!
Mrs. Wang, a social butterfly, had anticipated many scenarios, but not this one.
After all, selling the copyright of *Starry River with You* to Hunan Satellite TV wasn’t a big achievement for Mrs. Wang, Tianjiao’s dramas never struggled to sell. Securing the July slot was Yuan Fenghui’s requirement for Mrs. Wang. Now that Yu Tianlin’s drama had signed with Hunan Satellite TV before *Starry River with You*, Mrs. Wang instantly felt the situation’s difficulty. It was as if she had arrived at the battlefield with a 40-metre-long sword, only to find the enemy had already fled, leaving her unsure who to strike!
As Tianjiao’s PR manager and temporary agent, Mrs. Wang claimed she didn’t want to work, but she was always keeping an eye on industry trends.
She had seen the news about Yu Tianlin’s drama wrapping up.
But she genuinely didn’t know it had already signed and sold its copyright to Hunan Satellite TV!
“When did this happen? How did we not hear anything?”
“It happened just before you arrived. From screening to signing, the process was very fast, I didn’t even have time to tell you.”
It was so fast that even Director Fan didn’t react in time. The female leader liked it, Liang Dan actively pushed it, the screening was held in the morning, and the contract was signed in the afternoon.
As a seasoned veteran, Director Fan understood at a glance. Yu Tianlin’s side had already negotiated terms with the station’s leaders in advance. The so-called screening was just a formality, both sides had already agreed on the slot and copyright fees, so the signing was naturally quick.
Hearing this, Mrs. Wang understood too.
Yu Tianlin’s lightning-fast signing was to prevent Tianjiao from interfering.
Yuan Fenghui wanted to block Yu Tianlin’s new drama, but Yu Tianlin also wanted to block *Starry River with You*!
Tianjiao’s disadvantage was that the female lead, Li Mengjiao, was a high school student, so *Starry River with You* had to accommodate her schedule, slowing down the filming progress compared to Yu Tianlin’s side, giving Yu Tianlin ample time for private manoeuvring.
But to say Yu Tianlin’s new drama was so impressive that it left the station’s leaders in awe, eagerly signing and scheduling it as if they’d never seen anything like it, even a half-insider like Mrs. Wang found it hard to believe.
A drama that added so many scenes it drove the original screenwriter Zhang Guangzhen away, how absurd must the plot be?
Zhang Guangzhen would rather forgo the remaining payment to escape, driven to collapse by Yu Tianlin’s group. Forced to cling to Tianjiao for support, relying on Yuan Fenghui’s influence, Zhang Guangzhen later received the final payment but repeatedly stated in private that he refused to acknowledge himself as the screenwriter for Yu Tianlin’s new drama.
Mrs. Wang didn’t understand, but Wen Ying thought for a moment and made a guess. “You said the screening sample highlighted Yu Tianlin’s individual scenes, with all other characters reduced to his supporting cast?”
“Yes, that’s exactly how it felt to me!”
Her guess confirmed, Wen Ying gave a wry smile. “Then I understand why the female leader at the station is so optimistic about Yu Tianlin’s new drama.”
It wasn’t entirely some under-the-table deal.
Yu Tianlin’s drop-dead gorgeous looks didn’t matter, the industry wasn’t short of handsome men. The female leader was more likely considering ratings. A drama Director Fan thought was bad, the female leader found good, not because she was dazzled by Yu Tianlin, but because their tastes genuinely differed.
Some TV dramas can unify the tastes of men, women, young, and old, becoming national hits.
Such quality dramas might not even appear once a year.
Most dramas succeed by capturing their target audience. Wen Ying had just discussed this with Mrs. Wang on the plane.
Yu Tianlin’s drama didn’t focus on the plot but on his personal charm. The entire plot and supporting characters served him alone, that character must be an unbeatable “super domineering CEO”!
Even years later, many female viewers still had no other demands for idol dramas, only that the male lead be handsome enough!
Yu Tianlin was, of course, very handsome, or he wouldn’t be popular.
A drama that fully unleashed Yu Tianlin’s personal charm, even amplifying it, was bound to capture a large portion of female viewers who didn’t care about plot logic. From this perspective, Yu Tianlin’s drama was precisely targeted at its audience.
Wen Ying shared her analysis, Mrs. Wang’s heart sank, and Director Fan tried to recall Yu Tianlin’s scenes in the sample. From his perspective, the character was exaggerated and awkwardly acted, but if female viewers liked it, Yu Tianlin’s success wasn’t just luck!
Xie Qian, usually reserved with words in front of outsiders, had a sharp mind but restrained himself from showing off. When he spoke, he hit the key point. “Director Fan, I have two questions, and I hope you can clarify them for me.”
