Wen Ying is a young author and screenwriter. Director Fan admires her talent, and her round face is instantly likable, giving people a sense of approachability. When chatting with Wen Ying, Director Fan feels relaxed.
Xie Qian has no status in the industry, nor does he wear a label proclaiming himself as “so-and-so’s young master”. By all accounts, Director Fan could overlook him, but Xie Qian has an almost mystical aura of leadership that makes him impossible to ignore wherever he goes.
When Xie Qian called him out, Director Fan instinctively straightened his posture, his demeanour becoming more serious. “Go ahead and ask, we’re all friends here, ask whatever you want!”
Xie Qian’s questions, no doubt, were Tianjiao’s questions, just ones Mrs. Wang couldn’t voice directly. Letting Xie Qian, the young man, speak left room for negotiation on both sides.
Director Fan was overthinking again.
Xie Qian didn’t care what Director Fan thought. His only reason for coming to Hunan was to ensure Wen Ying didn’t suffer any losses.
If Tianjiao suffered, it was, without rounding up, equivalent to Wen Ying suffering.
If Yu Tianlin’s side had produced a high-quality masterpiece to compete with *Starry River with You*, that would be fine, a clash of titans, healthy competition that could spark Wen Ying’s creative drive. Xie Qian looked forward to such a scenario.
But now, Yu Tianlin’s new drama wasn’t even appreciated by Director Fan. Xie Qian doubted he would appreciate it either.
A shoddy drama that highlights Yu Tianlin’s personal charm!
That was Xie Qian’s conclusion.
Such a shoddy drama, competing with *Starry River with You*, would have no positive impact on Wen Ying. Rather than being a worthy rival, Xie Qian considered it an insult to her. “You said Yu Tianlin’s side signed quickly with the station, so fast that Tianjiao didn’t even hear about it. No matter how fast, it couldn’t have been signed overnight last night, could it?”
That was Xie Qian’s first question.
Director Fan vaguely sensed what Xie Qian was getting at and gave an awkward smile. “Of course it wasn’t signed last night, it was three days ago.”
“Oh.”
Xie Qian responded with just that one word, making Director Fan shift uncomfortably.
Mrs. Wang finally snapped back to attention, her eyes gleaming. The 40-metre-long sword on her shoulder seemed to have found a new target. She smiled sweetly at Director Fan. “Director Fan, since Yu Tianlin signed with Hunan Satellite TV three days ago, how come Tianjiao didn’t hear a thing? Could it be someone deliberately kept it from us?”
Director Fan was speechless, his face showing embarrassment.
Wen Ying instantly understood.
Besides Yu Tianlin’s side wanting to catch Tianjiao off guard, the person deliberately hiding the news included Director Fan.
Director Fan knew Yuan Fenghui wanted the July slot. When Yu Tianlin’s side preemptively signed with the station, Director Fan couldn’t stop it. He feared that if Yuan Fenghui learned of this, she might choose not to work with Hunan Satellite TV in anger, which wouldn’t serve Director Fan’s interests. So, he chose to keep the news under wraps.
Since the deal was done, Wen Ying and her group would find out once they arrived in Hunan, and then they could discuss solutions together… that was likely Director Fan’s thinking.
It wasn’t that Director Fan was a bad person, everyone has multiple facets and prioritises their own interests.
But this put Tianjiao in a passive position.
For a moment, no one spoke. An awkward atmosphere filled the office. Before Director Fan could figure out how to respond, Xie Qian asked again, “For my second question, even if Yu Tianlin’s drama signed first with your station, I believe the scheduling decision is based on the quality of the drama, not the order of signing. Am I right?”
Tianjiao had been filming *Starry River with You*, with news released at the start and wrap-up.
With popular stars Li Mengjiao and Yun Chen teaming up again, plus the addition of pop diva Hu Man, the cast guaranteed ratings.
Moreover, Tianjiao had previously collaborated successfully with Hunan Satellite TV. Everyone knew *Starry River with You* would prioritise continuing that partnership. While Yu Tianlin’s new drama could attract some female viewers, Hunan Satellite TV had no reason to shut out *Starry River with You*. Ordinary people don’t complain about earning too much money, and TV stations don’t complain about having too many good dramas. Letting a hit drama slip away means losing a share of ratings, which means less money and strengthens competitors!
Xie Qian’s question was reasonable.
The order of signing proves nothing. Once Hunan Satellite TV secures the broadcasting rights, when to air it is their decision. Just because Yu Tianlin signed first, does that mean *Starry River with You* can’t overtake it?
That makes no sense!
It’s not an either-or situation. Hunan Satellite TV doesn’t have to choose, it can take both dramas.
“Xie Qian makes a lot of sense, don’t you think, Director Fan?”
Mrs. Wang, with her 40-metre-long sword, was eager to strike.
Director Fan couldn’t see the invisible sword, but the sweeter Mrs. Wang’s smile, the more uneasy he felt.
A seemingly amicable woman isn’t necessarily truly amicable. To be Tianjiao’s PR manager and work with Yuan Fenghui, she couldn’t be a simple character.
The smiling tiger Mrs. Wang, the sharp-tongued young Xie Qian, and Wen Ying with her clear gaze that seemed to see through everything without any blame.
Three people, three different kinds of pressure. Sweat rolled down Director Fan’s forehead as he stammered, unable to give a reasonable explanation. “In short, you arrived too late…”
“Unless Yu Tianlin’s new drama included a specific clause in the contract locking in the July prime slot as a condition, I can’t understand how Tianjiao arrived too late?”
Xie Qian cut off Director Fan’s flimsy explanation.
It was like solving a problem.
To test a candidate’s ability, the question setter includes traps in the problem statement, irrelevant details that can mislead candidates into approaching it from the wrong angle.
Stripping away those traps leaves the real question.
Just as now, Xie Qian used two questions to peel back the information Director Fan wanted to hide, exposing his selfish motives. Not to embarrass Director Fan deliberately, but to cut to the core issue. “So, you see, the key isn’t when Yu Tianlin’s drama signed with your station, but why your station rushed to schedule his drama for July. Your station lacks confidence in *Starry River with You*, and you personally aren’t that confident either, are you?”
Mrs. Wang’s eyes widened.
Director Fan lacked confidence in *Starry River with You*?
Director Fan was Tianjiao’s biggest ally at Hunan Satellite TV.
If even their ally lacked confidence in *Starry River with You*… had they known, why would Tianjiao have bothered making this trip? Giving up on Hunan Satellite TV would have been the better choice!
Director Fan’s hidden thoughts were exposed by Xie Qian. All three looked at him. If they didn’t clear things up today, a rift would remain between them, something Director Fan didn’t want.
With things laid bare, hiding was pointless. Director Fan steeled himself and candidly voiced his concerns. “It’s already May, and *Starry River with You* isn’t finished. We’ve all heard about Huang Yongjun ending his collaboration with Tianjiao. We don’t know what conflict happened between Tianjiao and Hu Man, but we care about whether *Starry River with You* can be completed on time… If it can’t, what will the station air?”
