Everyone has their own obsessions.
Wen Ying craved her parents’ approval, while Yu Tianlin yearned to outshine his former manager, proving his past choices were right.
A premiere rating of 2.99% made Yu Tianlin’s sacrifices worthwhile.
Liang Dan and the female executive at Hunan Satellite TV breathed a sigh of relief.
Their missteps had cost Hunan Satellite TV the broadcasting rights to *Galaxy and You*. With both dramas airing on the same day, if *Love Cruise* had lost to *Galaxy and You* in ratings, the situation would have been extremely awkward.
A 2.99% premiere rating, by conventional analysis, held the potential to break 5% at its peak—a result surpassing last year’s hit drama *The Princess’s New Clothes*.
Liang Dan was already planning a celebratory banquet.
The female executive, with her keen eye, spoke with newfound confidence at the station, especially when facing Director Fan, where she couldn’t help but show a touch of arrogance. Director Fan, unwilling to concede, retorted, “Only 2.99% for the premiere, and you’re still smug? If it had been—never mind, no point saying this now!”
Was 2.99% really that high?
With the massive buzz from Yu Tianlin and Hu Man’s scandal, the best provincial TV platform, and the prime July slot, they didn’t even break 3%. How could Liang Dan and her team be so proud?
In contrast, *Galaxy and You* achieved 2.12% on Eastern TV. If it had the same promotional push and platform as *Love Cruise*, its premiere rating could easily have exceeded 3%.
Comparing the post-broadcast feedback, Director Fan, if in Liang Dan’s position, would already be worried about *Galaxy and You* overtaking *Love Cruise*!
Director Fan even suspected Liang Dan and her team hadn’t watched *Galaxy and You*, or they wouldn’t be so confident.
Director Fan had watched every episode, growing angrier with each one.
This drama should have belonged to Hunan Satellite TV!
*Galaxy and You* on Hunan Satellite TV would have been a perfect match, like a hero wielding a treasured sword!
Words failed, and Director Fan had no patience for pointless arguments. This gave the female executive the false impression that Director Fan lacked even basic grace in defeat.
No one knew Tianjiao still held a trump card.
As for whether *Galaxy and You* could rely on word-of-mouth to overtake in ratings, Liang Dan wasn’t too concerned.
Perhaps it once had a chance.
But the four TV stations that bought *Galaxy and You*’s broadcasting rights, in their bid to compete with Hunan Satellite TV for the July prime slot market share, scheduled their broadcasts too closely together!
“*Galaxy and You* opted for a four-station simulcast. Eastern TV premiered on July 3, Zhejiang Satellite TV premieres tonight—just two days apart. The other stations follow closely. These four stations are deliberately ganging up on us, scheduling so tightly. This splits *Galaxy and You*’s audience. When two stations air the same drama, viewers naturally split, and with four stations dividing its popularity, how can it challenge for higher ratings?”
What’s this called?
Lifting a rock only to smash their own feet—outsmarted by their own cleverness!
Hunan Satellite TV pushed for “exclusive broadcasting rights” and invested in in-house dramas for a reason. In TV media, exclusivity draws viewers.
The four-station simulcast was a grand spectacle, benefiting the stations. *Galaxy and You* earned licensing fees and fame but couldn’t surpass *Love Cruise* in ratings.
As long as they held the ratings lead over *Galaxy and You*, Liang Dan and the female executive could answer to Hunan Satellite TV without facing blame for their negligence.
Audience feedback and reputation? Liang Dan couldn’t care less. Ratings and reputation often don’t align—a basic truth every media professional knows.
Cao Bo was especially thrilled.
His first time leading a production and investing in a drama had yielded such strong ratings. Cao Bo felt he was born for this industry!
With *Love Cruise*’s stellar start, securing future investments would be a breeze. Countless investors like Coal Boss Jin would flock to him. Cao Bo could laugh himself awake from dreams!
Due to the scandal with Xu Mei, the Cao family had faced negative press, and Cao Bo was sidelined by his family for a long time.
*Love Cruise*’s high ratings brought both money and fame. In recent days, some people praised Cao Bo’s promise in front of his parents, urging them to include them in his next project.
Cao Bo’s parents gained face and started looking at their son more favorably, even asking about his future career plans.
Cao’s father advised him, since he’d entered the industry and earned money and reputation, to manage it well. Cao Bo nodded eagerly.
With his career thriving, even Cao’s mother rarely asked about Xu Mei, “Your dad and I discussed it. In this industry, dating a celebrity can help. You said Xu Mei was clean when she started with you, so I won’t hold the media mess against her. But one thing: the Cao family has no precedent for daughters-in-law in the spotlight. If Xu Mei wants to join our family, she must retire after marriage!”
Cao Bo wouldn’t dare tell Xu Mei this. No one knew better than him how dedicated Xu Mei was to the entertainment industry.
If Xu Mei wanted to quit and marry, she wouldn’t have dumped her ex, who, Cao Bo knew, was also a rich second-generation heir.
But his parents’ shift in attitude showed one thing: they now saw Cao Bo as a mature adult, respecting his career and relationship choices.
In front of Xu Mei these days, Cao Bo spoke with extra confidence.
So what if you’re a famous actress?
I’m a top-tier producer!
Cao Bo wanted this favorable situation to stay, so he listened intently to Liang Dan’s analysis.
Hearing Liang Dan say *Galaxy and You*’s ratings would be diluted by the four-station simulcast, unable to surpass *Love Cruise*, Cao Bo was excited but still harbored a faint worry, “Sister Liang, I trust your analysis, but I’m curious. Is there really no chance for them to turn the tables? I mean, even if *Galaxy and You* has a slim chance of flipping things, can we find it and block it in advance?”
Liang Dan laughed, “There’s always a chance, like winning the lottery with tiny odds. The only way *Galaxy and You* could overtake our drama is if it’s exceptionally good, drawing viewers to rewatch it. Then, the close scheduling across four stations wouldn’t affect its peak ratings on one station!”
Liang Dan paused, looking at the others in the office, “Xiao Cao’s got a point. We’re in the lead, but we can’t be careless. Have any of you watched *Galaxy and You*? How’s it actually made?”
Cao Bo shook his head, Manager Guan shook his head. They wouldn’t watch *Galaxy and You*—that’d be contributing to the rival’s ratings!
Hu Man wasn’t there today, and Yu Tianlin had been unusually quiet. At Liang Dan’s words, he looked up, “I watched it.”
All eyes turned to Yu Tianlin.
Yu Tianlin watched it?
For a moment, Liang Dan didn’t know what to say. Cao Bo asked dryly, “…So, is it good?”
Yu Tianlin didn’t speak.
Silence sometimes means not knowing how to answer, and Yu Tianlin’s answer was clear.
Cao Bo’s heart tightened.
So Yu Tianlin thought *Galaxy and You* was good?
Was this a mistake? They were competitors!
Watching a rival’s drama should come with bias. If *Galaxy and You* was so good it overcame Yu Tianlin’s bias, that was terrifying.
—Damn, was this low-probability lottery win about to happen?!
