Grateful, my foot!
The female leader wasn’t stupid. If Liang Dan had figured it out, how could she not?
Wen Ying let them into the venue with ulterior motives, using them to spur the TV stations into committing to buy *Galaxy and You*’s broadcast rights!
The female leader refused to admit she’d been played by a young girl. The mastermind behind this promotion event had to be Yuan Fenghui, pulling strings from the shadows!
“Sharp-tongued. I won’t waste words with you.”
“Can’t keep up, huh? Fine, I won’t hold it against you. A winner needs to have grace.”
This porcupine didn’t just prick hands—her words stabbed straight at the heart, hitting the mark every time.
The female leader’s face turned ashen.
She wanted to trade barbs with Wen Ying, but seeing her youthful face, she swallowed her words.
What’s the point of arguing with a kid? Even winning would feel like losing. The female leader suspected Wen Ying was deliberately left to rile them up.
“Let’s go,” she said, beckoning Liang Dan.
They still didn’t know which station Tianjiao would sell *Galaxy and You* to. Though the female leader had faith in Yu Tianlin’s new drama, seeing the unnatural enthusiasm of the TV representatives today sparked caution.
They arrived late, missing the start of *Galaxy and You*’s preview, catching only part of the second episode—right when Yun Chen appeared.
Yun Chen’s charisma was truly on par with Yu Tianlin’s.
Yu Tianlin built his presence by overshadowing other characters’ screen time, but Yun Chen’s male lead didn’t. A protagonist debuting in the second episode, exuding charm in every move, advancing the plot with every appearance.
Screen time isn’t about quantity—it’s about quality.
Bad dramas drain an actor’s vitality; great dramas elevate their artistry through meticulous crafting.
The female leader’s mind flashed with these thoughts but quickly suppressed them. They’re all idol dramas—there’s no need to elevate *Galaxy and You* so highly. That’s boosting the enemy’s morale and undermining her own!
Yun Chen’s charisma matched Yu Tianlin’s, but it was mostly due to his striking looks and aura. Plus, Yu Tianlin had long been established, while Yun Chen benefited from “freshness.”
Still, if other stations used *Galaxy and You* to challenge Hunan TV, they’d have to be on guard.
Losing a slot was common for ordinary stations, but not for Hunan TV in recent years. Being accustomed to first place, how could they settle for second? The station would surely demand accountability.
In a split second, the female leader was already planning how to shift blame.
It wasn’t her fault Hunan TV’s partnership with Tianjiao fell apart. Tianjiao always dealt with Director Fan. The breakdown was Fan’s failure.
With that thought, her mood lightened.
Liang Dan, ever in sync with the female leader, had the same idea: First, shift the blame to protect themselves and let Director Fan take the fall. Second, Yu Tianlin’s drama wasn’t just Hunan TV’s July prime-time flagship—it also had Liang Dan’s company’s investment. If it got overshadowed by *Galaxy and You*, they’d lose both face and substance!
They needed to seize the initiative.
Using Hunan TV’s viewership dominance, they’d squeeze *Galaxy and You* out of the July slot through aggressive promotion.
Both weighed down by messes to clean up, the female leader and Liang Dan were eager to leave. Moments ago, they’d seen Hu Man as an ally, but now they abandoned her to fight alone.
Hu Man’s fists clenched and unclenched in her sleeves, bewildered.
Why were stations clamouring for a drama that wasn’t even finished? Was she out of touch?
The word “outdated” made Hu Man hypersensitive.
A reigning pop diva doesn’t fall behind. At her peak, Hu Man’s hairstyles, makeup, and fashion set trends. Only a has-been diva would feel the desolate sense of being “out of touch”!
No, it wasn’t her falling behind—something was wrong with this situation.
Fresh off being roasted by Wen Ying, Hu Man didn’t rush to get roasted again. But she didn’t expect someone else to come tugging at the tiger’s whiskers.
Yun Chen’s trio arrived.
Seeing Hu Man, Zhang Yangning’s eyes lit up like searchlights. “Teacher Hu, booked any new songs yet?”
Hu Man: “…!”
She wanted to curse!
Surrounded by Tianjiao’s people, Hu Man scanned the room. One mouth couldn’t fight a crowd. She huffed, face taut, and stormed off.
At that moment, Hu Man wished she could sprout wings to flee, only to be stopped by the security guard at the door.
The guard, holding the autograph he’d cherished earlier, returned it to Hu Man with a pained expression. “You sing well, but you’re not a good person. I don’t want your autograph anymore!”
His long-admired diva’s image shattered, the guard’s heartbreak brought out his rural accent.
After years in the music industry, Hu Man had never been humiliated by a nobody like a security guard. She was livid.
Her assistant muttered about the guard’s ingratitude, snatching the autograph back and consoling Hu Man. “Sister Man, don’t stoop to their level. They’re all in cahoots.”
Yes, they were all in cahoots!
The reassurance gave Hu Man strength.
Surrounded by assistants fussing over her, Hu Man regained her diva aura, slipped on her sunglasses, and strode toward the elevator.
The guard was dumbfounded.
“Man, I learned something today. To be a diva, you gotta have thick skin! In cahoots with who? I’m just a temp hire!”
Hu Man’s high heel twisted, nearly tripping her. Thanks to her assistant’s quick reflexes, she avoided a humiliating fall at the elevator.
Li Mengjiao, chasing out, overheard the guard and praised him. “How much do you make as a security guard in Hunan? I’ll raise your pay if you come to Chengdu!”
Most guards were out-of-towners. Working in Hunan or Chengdu was the same, but Chengdu offered a raise. The guard, his “house” just collapsed, was thrilled. “I’m in!”
He didn’t even ask how much the raise was.
But who cares?
Unlike Hu Man, Li Mengjiao was approachable. The guard felt respected.
If the company’s big star respected people, how bad could the company be?
The guard excitedly discussed the new job with Li Mengjiao. Hu Man, fuming, boarded the elevator: Tianjiao’s people were all nuts! To spite her, even their artists stooped to buttering up a lowly guard!
…
“So, was the promotion event a success?”
With the annoying outsiders gone, Yun Chen spoke freely.
Wen Ying nodded. “Pretty much. Now it’s up to Aunt Dong to negotiate with the stations. Exclusive and joint premiere rights each have their merits.”
Xie Qian, usually reserved, had said little today. When Liang Dan tried to pick on Wen Ying, he didn’t intervene—Liang Dan could never get the upper hand.
When Wen Ying mentioned the pros of exclusive and joint premiere rights, Xie Qian spoke up for the first time. “Exclusive rights benefit the station most. They’ll pay more for it, meaning higher profits for Tianjiao. But I suggest joint premiere rights this time—four stations together to boost *Galaxy and You*’s reach. Losing a bit on fees doesn’t matter. Long-term, Tianjiao won’t lose out!”
Expanding *Galaxy and You*’s reach meant boosting Wen Ying’s influence.
A little less money was fine. Elevating Wen Ying, Li Mengjiao, Yun Chen, and Zhang Yangning’s profiles meant Tianjiao would come out ahead.
More importantly, to compete with Hunan TV in the July slot, they needed multiple stations’ combined strength.
None of the invited stations could take on Hunan TV alone—the viewership gap was too wide.
But if they teamed up, covering different regions and audiences, the results would be something to look forward to!
