Huayu Chunqiu, starting from being adopted by a fairy mother

Chapter 427 The Four Beauties of the Legend of Sword and Fairy
The negotiations between Liu Jing and Xu Laoguai did not go smoothly; no, it should be said that Shi Nansheng's negotiations did not go well.

Although Xu Ke was known as the Old Eccentric, his temper wasn't actually that strange; it was within Liu Jing's acceptable range, after all, he was eccentric too.

Despite his easygoing nature, Shi Nannan is anything but easy to deal with when it comes to business.

"This is the final draft of the script. We're planning to start filming in October. Any objections?" Old Cai abruptly changed the subject, the two men's eyes sending chills down his spine.

"Filming starts in October? Mr. Cai, is this to accommodate Shishi's schedule? 'My Love from the Star' started filming in July, so the two dramas don't conflict. He really knows how to plan for Shishi."

She also knew about the feud between Yang Mi and Liu Shishi over the second female lead in "My Love from the Star," and a good show unfolded during the Chinese New Year.

Unfortunately, she wasn't in Yandu. By the time she returned, the play had already ended.

"My Love from the Star" was originally scheduled to start filming in May or June. Qin Shi wanted to invest in Sina, and the think tank discovered this show.

After more than a month of negotiations, the relevant details were finally finalized.

Then Sina assembled a technical team to develop Weibo, which was intended to be used for promotion of "My Love from the Star".

The screenwriters also quickly revised the script, adding Weibo elements and other internet advertisements.

At the suggestion of some big names, the male protagonist's identity was also changed. He is no longer a cultivator, but an alien from the original version who accidentally entered Earth in the mid-Ming Dynasty.

"I can never be too serious about a show that President Li values."

Old Cai's expression was indifferent; she now harbored a lot of resentment towards Bai Bing and was extremely wary of her.

Bai Bing wants to get involved in Sugarman's brokerage business, which is the foundation of Sugarman, and Lao Cai sees Bai Bing as a tiger.

Liu Jing had heard a little about the conflict between the two. He knew his assistant was trying to cause trouble, and he always sideped on the side of reason, not personal connections. He was sure his assistant was in the right.

"The title of 'Clothing the World' has been changed to 'The Weaver Girl at the End of the World'? This name change has instantly elevated its status." He handed the script to Bai Bing, who was eagerly waiting. Even before the script was finished, he felt the name wasn't very appealing and didn't have any suitable suggestions, so he didn't offer any opinions.

The assistant smirked, deliberately making noise as he flipped through the script. "Old Cai, you wouldn't let me see it earlier, but now the script's in my hands."

She flipped through the character introductions and immediately asked about the casting, "President Cai, have the roles been finalized? Is Shishi playing the female lead, Huang Qiao'er?"

"Old Li felt that Shishi was not suitable, and Shishi herself also felt that she was not suitable, so she took the role of Zhao Jiayi."

"Zhao Jiayi?" Bai Bing was taken aback for a moment, then quickly flipped through the character information. "She has a fresh and sweet appearance, but is a spoiled girl who doesn't hold back when it comes to teasing people. This role is suitable for Yang Mi, right?"

Old Cai sighed. The script had been written during the filming of "Chinese Paladin 3," and Zhao Jiayi really did resemble Yang Mi quite a bit. Unfortunately, the girl wasn't signed with Sugarman, so Old Cai certainly wouldn't give her the role for nothing.

It's good that Liu Shishi is leaving Zhao Jiayi; it will make things easier for her. As for the choice of the female lead, she wants to make the best selection or get some resources for Liu Shishi.

"President Cai, how about considering Tang Yan? I think she's quite suitable for Huang Qiao'er." Bai Bing was very clever; with a sigh, she understood a lot.

“I asked Tang Yan, and she’s not available in October. The start date for ‘Ip Man 2’ is uncertain.” Old Cai’s expression was subtle.

“I’m her agent, and I decide her schedule.” Bai Bing said assertively.

“We have invited Janine Chang, Ariel Lin, Qin Lan, Dong Jie, and Huo Siyan. Li Guoli prefers Janine Chang and Ariel Lin.”

"Why not invite Yan Danchen, Li Xiaoran, and Chen Zihan?" Bai Bing asked rhetorically.

“You know better than I why we didn’t invite them. For the sake of the Taiwanese and Southeast Asian markets, Sugar Man’s dramas have always been very popular there. With Taiwanese artists in the lead roles, we don’t have to worry about overseas sales. Janine Chang and Ariel Lin are the best choices.” Old Cai explained with a sullen face, secretly cursing Bai Bing countless times in his heart.

"President Cai, send an invitation to my Tang Yan. Maybe she's more suitable." Bai Bing knew the truth in her heart and cursed Old Cai for being petty.

"Alright." What else could Lao Cai say? She couldn't refuse in front of Liu Jing.

“I’ve asked Tang Yan to get ready to audition at Tangren in a few days. Didn’t you want to talk to the boss about ‘Chinese Paladin 3’? He has to go to China Film Group later, so he doesn’t have much time. ‘The Message’ just passed censorship, so we need to finalize the release date before we can start the promotional work.” Bai Bing smiled brightly.

"Hmm." Old Cai said with a straight face. If Liu Shishi had come to discuss these matters today, Bai Bing certainly wouldn't have dared to go so far.

Even if she didn't care about the monk, she had to consider Liu Jing's feelings.

Even if you don't care about the Buddha, you should at least care about the monk. Liu Shishi doesn't need to worry about Bai Bing's expression.

It seems we should give Shishi more responsibilities and let her get involved in some of the specific business of making sugar figurines.

"President Cai, please have some tea, the finest Qihong." Bai Bing poured the tea with a smile. She wouldn't dare treat other companies this way, but with companies in the Chunqiu Group, no matter how much you look down on me, you still have to give my boss some face.

During the Chinese New Year, she and Jing Tian spent every day together, and Fu Guihua entrusted Qin Huang's brokerage business to her management.

Bai Bing gradually developed other ideas. Qin Huang was the only one left, while there were many artists in the sugar figurine industry, including male artists such as Hu Ge and Yuan Hong, and female artists such as Sun Li, Liu Shishi, Guo Xiaoting, and Li Qian, and there would be more and more in the future.

Little did she know that her tentative advances would be met with a strong backlash from Lao Cai. Their previously good relationship took a sharp turn for the worse.

Old Cai felt that Min Zong and Liu Jing had promised not to interfere with the operation of Tangren. Were they going to go back on their word?

Bai Bing felt that Lao Cai was not loyal and had other intentions, so he made more probing moves.

"Wood, I've reached an agreement with Softstar Entertainment this time. They'll consider whether to license 'Xuan-Yuan Sword' and 'Chinese Paladin 4' to Sugarman based on the impact of 'Chinese Paladin 3' after its release and the benefits it brought to Softstar Entertainment."

Old Cai glanced at Bai Bing and said, "If I don't agree, you won't even let me drink the tea."

"And then?" Bai Bing asked, speaking for him.

"In the first round of broadcasting, we will not consider broadcasting on satellite TV. We will start with local TV stations and gradually penetrate the market."

"President Cai, you're going to take the strategy of encircling the cities from the countryside?" Bai Bing was shocked. Usually, if a production company dares to do this, they must have a lot of confidence in the film.

"good."

Bai Bing silently complained that on-the-ground promotion is slow to take effect, but if the quality of the show is excellent, the feedback will be significant and the benefits will be maximized.

But when you first arrived, Mr. Cai, what were you all saying, expressing how great it would be if it aired sooner?

Even if "Chinese Paladin 3" had aired a month ago, it wouldn't have made much difference to Liu Shishi.

Sure enough, he's a man of few words and he's wary of me.

"Our 'Chinese Paladin 3' is a period fantasy drama, not very popular, a niche genre. These TV stations tend to buy mainstream, urban dramas; fantasy dramas are riskier to broadcast, so they offer lower prices. 'The Heaven Sword and Dragon Saber' cost one million per episode in its first run, while the highest offer for 'Chinese Paladin 3' was seven hundred thousand, and that was based on the success of 'Chinese Paladin 1.' TV stations require more than half of the final payment after the drama finishes airing, and there's a serious problem with delayed payments. A year or two is nothing; many financially weak film and television companies have been driven to bankruptcy. Sugarman still has some money that hasn't been repaid yet, and you can't afford to fall out with them over this." Old Cai said bitterly, "It's not easy for companies that rely on TV dramas to survive; they can be pressured by both upstream and downstream."

The film industry isn't something you can just enter at will. Chunqiu was able to enter the film industry because it built its own cinema chain and acquired Golden Harvest.

Now Spring Autumn and Golden Harvest have a clear division of labor: Golden Harvest is responsible for film production, as well as overseas theatrical releases and distribution.

Spring and Autumn was responsible for the foundation of the film and television industry, including TV series production, mainland cinema chains, copyright operation, film and television investment, and providing domestic capital when Golden Harvest needed it.

Even before filming for "The Heaven Sword and Dragon Saber" was finished, several TV stations had already approached them, and the production costs were recouped in the first round. Fan Bingbing's "My Love from the Star" is even more astonishing; the project had barely been approved when the first-round purchase price and broadcast time were already largely finalized.

The initial budget for "Chinese Paladin 3" was 40 million yuan, with a total of 40 episodes. The actual cost was 60 million yuan, with a significant increase in screen time, resulting in 50 episodes after editing.

The initial budget was 700,000 per episode, which was far from enough to recoup the costs.

"President Cai, the local TV station isn't paying enough," Bai Bing said, puzzled.

“Although local TV stations have lower acquisition costs, with each episode costing at most tens of thousands of yuan, they can sell to many stations. We choose local stations with fast payback periods to quickly recoup our funds and avoid delaying the preparation of our next project. By broadcasting ‘Chinese Paladin 3’ on local stations, we can gradually penetrate audiences in different regions, generating positive word-of-mouth before airing it on satellite TV, where the price will definitely be higher. Even if it doesn’t reach that high, selling it for 500,000 yuan is still possible, maximizing our profits,” Lao Cai explained.

"That's how it was in 'The Legend of Sword and Fairy 1'," Bai Bing said, suddenly realizing.

"The local TV stations' initial forays into the genre created a space for the series to survive, and the subsequent explosion after being broadcast on satellite TV validated its market value. Fantasy dramas are still a marginal genre, far less popular than martial arts dramas and urban dramas. The TV stations felt that broadcasting directly on satellite TV in the first round was risky, and I also felt that it was quite risky. But I have confidence in 'Chinese Paladin 3,' and I'm sure this path will be smoother than that of 'Chinese Paladin 1,'" said Lao Cai confidently.

Back then, "Chinese Paladin 1" couldn't be broadcast on satellite TV due to policy reasons. It wasn't until last year, when the policy was relaxed, that it was able to air on major satellite channels.

What was lost on one front was gained on another; Lao Cai actually figured out a way out.

"In that case, let's do it your way." Liu Jing didn't notice anything wrong.

"I'd like to ask you if you have any good publicity plans?" Old Cai was very hopeful. Liu Jing was now regarded by many people as a genius in film and television publicity.

“Happy Camp has already given us a heads-up, and Yang Mi, Tang Yan, and Shi Shi are all ready. Just arrange your time, and you can record an episode anytime,” Liu Jing responded.

"What else?" Old Cai persisted; she wanted something unconventional.

“All of Softstar’s major games have launched promotions, what more publicity do you want? This method is unconventional.”

"Could you cooperate and create some kind of scandal with one of them, for example..."

"For example what? You want to die, but I want to live." Liu Jing interrupted directly, "You're just looking for trouble."

"Alright, let's go with Sisi's plan then," Old Cai sighed.

"..."

"Sisi graduated with a master's degree, and Yang Mi graduated with a bachelor's degree. They made plans to go out and have fun. It just so happens that we're going to promote 'Chinese Paladin 3,' and Shishi and Tang Yan will also be coming. The four beauties of Chinese Paladin traveling together is such a hot topic, much more interesting than any of the 'Four Little Actresses.' I originally wanted Hu Ge to go too, but Hu Ge said that if you go, he'll go too. If you don't go, he'll never go."

Bai Bing's expression was strange, and various scenes automatically formed in her mind.

Poetry Honey, Poet Immortal, Tang Poetry, Honey...

Two people fly together, three people play Dou Dizhu, four people play mahjong. I don't know if the topic will go viral, but my boss will definitely make it go viral.

Should I go with them and help cool them down? They are fire, and I can be ice.

They are four flames; one piece of ice won't do, we need two pieces of ice.

"Four Dan and Two Bing..." Bai Bing murmured, realizing that it could also mean this.

"Where are they planning to go?" Liu Jing really didn't know. He wasn't curious about traveling; he was more curious about what had happened between Qianqian and Yang Mi.

"It's not decided yet. Shishi wants to go to the US, Yang Mi wants to go to Egypt, Tang Yan wants to go to France, and Xixi wants to go to Australia..."

"It really is all over the world, except for Antarctica," Bai Bing muttered.

"Do you want to go?" Old Cai really hoped Liu Jing would go, so that with four beauties and two handsome men, there would be even more to talk about.

"I won't go." Liu Jing hesitated for a moment, then resolutely refused. What outsiders saw as a stroke of good fortune, he saw as a disaster.

If he doesn't go, the sisters' bond will remain strong, and everything will be fine.

If he were to come along, various films and television shows would begin filming.

There's no shortage of genres for palace dramas, spy dramas, melodramas, and suspense dramas; they can even produce martial arts dramas and supernatural dramas.

Old Cai was about to try and persuade him when Zhang Tianai knocked on the door and came in. "Young Master Jing, Sister Dong... Director Jiang Wen is downstairs. He's looking for Young Master Jing..."

Liu Jing's expression changed, and he abruptly stood up. "I have to go to China Film Group. There's something else going on at 'The Message.' Sister K, take your time with your tea, no rush. Xiao Jiao, just tell her I'm not here. Remember to clean up later and close the door."

"Boss, would you like two boxes of tea?" Bai Bing opened the cabinet, revealing a dazzling array of gifts, as if she were buying new stock.

"Need not."

Liu Jing walked in front, Bai Bing followed behind, and Zhang Tianai looked resentful. "How much does she not want to see me? I just came in and you're already leaving."

But he called me "Little Darling," which means he still cares about me.

Zhang Tianai, you must work hard, even if heaven doesn't love you, someone else will.

"Boss, Mr. Cai wouldn't deliberately sabotage things and not give the role to Tangtang, would he?"

"No, unless Tangtang is really unsuitable."

I could vaguely hear Bai Bing's complaints outside, and his expression wasn't very good. He must have let me hear it on purpose.

As the sound faded into the distance, Lao Cai fell into deep thought: what position would be best to assign to Liu Shishi?

The assistant caught up with the boss in a few quick steps.

"Old Cai isn't prioritizing Tang Yan. What excuse is he giving for his busy schedule? Does he have ulterior motives? Tang Yan is busy, but we still have Li Xiaoran, Yan Danchen, Chen Zihan, and Tong Liya. He didn't invite any of them." Bai Bing lowered her voice as she left the office.
"Don't worry about her. If she's obedient, keep going. If she's not, we can just replace her." Liu Jing didn't care. Chunqiu not only had shares in Sugar Man, but also controlled the upstream and downstream supply chains. Control methods weren't limited to just these two.

"Boss is so cool, I love you to death." Bai Bing's eyes were filled with longing, but Liu Jing pulled her back, saying, "Don't go banging your head against the wall."

“In ancient times, you would definitely be considered a treacherous minister. You better know your limits; Old Cai isn’t so easy to bully,” Liu Jing warned. His assistant hadn’t kept his little tricks a secret, but he had certainly whispered in his ear quite a bit.

“Boss, I’m good at knowing how to handle things, you know that.” Xiao Bai licked his lips.

"Stop being so cheeky, give Tangtang more roles in naive and innocent dramas in the future."

"Tang Yan is a naive and innocent girl? Are you kidding me? You've lost your mind. You might as well call me a naive and innocent girl."

"Chen Dong, you better pray you come back late today."

"No, I mean, are you saying Jing Tian is the real naive and innocent one? Like Mi Lai, a rich heiress, not very clever, naive and rich..."

(End of this chapter)