1982 Started from Hong Kong

Chapter 474, "The Dragon King," is on sale.

"Short dramas?"

Outsiders were just watching the spectacle, but people in the film and television industry were all asking about this term that Zhai Yuansheng had hyped up.

Many people tried to contact friends at 91 Entertainment to inquire about what kind of project it was, but without exception, they were turned away.

It's not that we don't want to say it, but apart from Chu Yen-ping's team, other departments are completely unaware of the "Dragon King" series.

Want to ask Chu Yen-ping and the others again? They've already gone back to Taiwan for vacation.

Jiuyi Entertainment Group implemented General Manager Zhai's "flexible work rights" system, allowing employees to work when they needed to and relax when they needed to. The entire Spring Festival holiday lasted for more than half a month, which was even more outrageous than South Korea's later four-day work week.

Even his peers had to pay out of their own pockets to watch this legendary, groundbreaking series.

In Jiahe's conference room,

Several board managers solemnly placed the "Dragon King" disc into the VCD player, whispering among themselves as the disc read.

"It seems that the previous rumors about the Miss Hong Kong winner's explicit photos were just a publicity stunt."

"I figured it out a long time ago! But he went to great lengths for this drama, overshadowing the Lunar New Year films this year. I wonder what tricks he's up to now."

"In short, we'll take a look first before making any comments. If there's anything worthwhile, we'll follow up immediately."

The television screen lit up, and the conference room fell silent.

The senior executives of Jiahe, led by Zou Wenhuai, stopped what they were doing and focused their attention on one thing.

Compared to the elaborate efforts of using public opinion to promote Li Jiaxin, these industry professionals paid even more attention to Zhai Yuan's actions.

On the television screen,
The first thing to light up was the 91 Entertainment logo, with a line of small text below it.
UFO Studio.

"UFO is a newly established drama division under 91 Entertainment. It was also added when the previous drama 'The World' was re-released on DVD."

Someone from the marketing department explained.

Immediately, the screen changed from dark to a gradually brightening tone, and the first scene was Ekin Cheng eating braised pork knuckle rice at a street food stall. His outfit of a vest and shorts lacked any style, making him look like an extra at first glance.

At the fifteenth second, several flashy-looking gangsters appeared in front of the food stall.

Gangster: "Hey kid! The big boss of Southern Province, Master Gu, is coming tonight. He's sentimental and has his eye on this opportunity. If you know what's good for you, get lost!"

At the fortieth second, Zheng Yijian knocked several gangsters to the ground, and then a triad boss stepped in to stand up for his underlings.

The gang leader said, "So it was my men who offended us first. In that case, kneel down and kowtow three times, and I'll spare your life."

Zheng Yijian: "You've been with Gu Baoming for a while now, haven't you? Is this how he teaches you to do things?"

The gang leader said, "How dare you! Master Gu has dominated Southern Province for decades. He is the leader of Southern Province, personally appointed by the Dragon King. He has immense power and wealth. How dare you address him by his given name? No one can protect you today!"

Zheng Yijian: "Even if Gu Baoming stands right here, what can he do to me? Three minutes!"

At the 70th second, Zheng Yijian took out his elder brother's phone and dialed a number. The scene changed to the entrance of a commercial office building filled with luxury cars, where Taiwanese actor Gu Baoming followed respectfully behind Yan Qianwen, a special student at Chunqiu Academy.

Yan Qianwen's phone rang, and Zheng Yijian's voice came through.

Zheng Yijian: "Notify Gu Baoming to come to my stall in the southern suburbs within three minutes. If he fails to arrive on time, he will be expelled from the Southern Province!"

Yan Qianwen hung up the phone and looked at Gu Baoming.

Gu Baoming cautiously inquired, "What are your orders, Lord Zhuque?"

Yan Qianwen: "Your master gives you three minutes to get to the stall in the southern suburbs, or the Gu family will be expelled from the Southern Province!"

At the 130th second, Zheng Yijian was mocked by a group of gangsters.

Gang leader: "Kid, you're really courting death! Men, send him on his way!"

At the 150th second, the gangsters viciously pounced on Zheng Yijian. At the critical moment, a row of luxury cars stopped one after another in front of the dilapidated food stall.

Gu Baoming opened the car door: "How dare you! You have such audacity!"

Amidst the bewildered expressions of the gangsters, Ekin Cheng gave a wry smile.

The picture freezes.

The first episode of "The Dragon King" ended in just two and a half minutes.

There are no lengthy opening or closing credits; the film ends abruptly the next second, seamlessly transitioning into the second episode.

Then come episodes three, four, five, and six...

Half an hour later, Zou Wenhuai took a deep breath and pressed the pause button.

There was silence in the conference room.

"What are you trying to do?" Zou Wenhuai took off his reading glasses and wiped his face. "Did you buy the wrong tape?"

After confirming that the film playing on TV was indeed the official "Dragon King" distributed by 91 Entertainment, everyone fell silent again.

Old Yanjing was speaking when he fell silent.

What kind of nonsense is this, coming from an old Northeasterner?

Speaking of old Hong Kong, what the hell are you doing with your old-fashioned ways?!
On February 2nd, the day "Dragon King" was released, Jiahe was not the only company that closed its doors.

Among their peers, TVB and ATV were the most apprehensive beforehand. Even a short drama series is still a drama series, and who knows what kind of mess Zhai Yuan would come up with.

After watching the original film, the reactions of the two representatives were exactly the same as those of Zou Wenhuai.

It turns out that the commercials that Zhai Yuan was inserting into his own TV station were either trailers or the main content!
2 month 3 day.

On the second day after the release of "The Dragon King", a few voices began to voice their pessimism.

First, some tabloids launched a verbal attack, hiring film critics from who-knows-where to denigrate the short film as utterly worthless.

Followed by,

Major newspapers and magazines followed suit, offering sharp critiques of Zhai Yuan's short drama as shoddy garbage.

Even film critics close to 91 had to admit that while innovation is commendable, quality must also be considered.

Within just three days, the reputation of "Dragon King" became similar to that of a certain card game in later years, with a flood of negative reviews.

So much so that the manager of Huaen Department Store called Xue Wan'en.

On the other end of the phone, Hua En's manager reported, "Ms. Xue, the public opinion about the drama 'Dragon King' is not very good right now. I'm worried that continuing the promotion will affect the company's image."

In a café located halfway up the mountain,
Xue Wan'en answered the phone and asked calmly, "Is there anything else?"

"No, but..."

"Then everything will remain the same." After hanging up the phone, Xue Wan'en's expression remained unchanged as she looked up at the two middle-aged men in Zhongshan suits sitting opposite her.

"Sorry, I just had some minor things to take care of."

Xue Wan'en pursed her lips, took a stack of reports from her secretary, and placed them on the table. She said, "These are the relevant materials from Guang Sheng Power Company from last year to the present. Although Guang Sheng cannot compare with Hong Kong Electric and CLP Power in terms of scale, as the only remaining independent power plant in Hong Kong, under the current situation, if we cooperate with local companies like China Communications and announce a joint venture with Daya Bay Nuclear Power to create a telecommunications business for the whole of Hong Kong, I believe it will alleviate the public's fear of nuclear power to some extent..."

…………

"These newspapers are really writing nonsense. Ah Yuan's TV series is clearly well made. The recently popular shows 'When Fortune Comes' and 'Du Xinwu' are not even worth mentioning. In my opinion, the TV station should replace them with 'Dragon King'."

On New Year's Eve, Zhao Meizhen was indignant when she learned that her son's drama series was being criticized in the news.

"It's a short drama, not a TV series," Zhai Yao explained to her mother. "I think it's pretty good too. I even recommended it to my classmates. Just now, a classmate called to ask me when the second season will be released."

Although Zhai Yao is twenty years old, she started school late, and her classmates are all teenagers.

In contrast, Hai Mei's cousin has a different reputation within the Chinese University of Hong Kong's social circle.

"Actually, it's alright~"

Zhou Haimei, who came to find her cousin halfway through her family's New Year's Eve dinner, glanced at Zhai Yuan's expression and saw that he didn't seem to care at all, before saying, "Many of my friends also think it's good, but others may have been influenced by the news, so their opinions aren't very good."

Zhai Yuan laughed and said, "Are there mostly boys?"

Zhou Haimei asked curiously, "How do you know? There really is this pattern. The female students are very engrossed in watching it and think Ekin Cheng is very handsome, but their boyfriends think he's just so-so."

Zhai Yuan smiled and nodded; the market was pretty much as he had expected.

The students in Zhai Yao's class are in this age group, and they haven't even seen cult films before. They are like blank slates, most easily accepting new things and imitating them, which in turn forms a childhood filter.

When these children grow up, even if they know that short dramas are fast food culture, they will still stubbornly find reasons to defend them.

We saw things differently back then!
The college students at Zhou Haimei's school were somewhat lacking in this regard.

They consider themselves cultured individuals, yet they are still in the stage of shaping their values, making them more susceptible to having their opinions swayed by media articles.

Boys in this age group especially love to be different and stand out. If there's a girl around, they're more likely to bite her.

You say short dramas are good? Then I have to tell you about Stanislavski!

Although this type of audience is small in number, their voice carries a great weight.
Back then, "My Love from the Star" was incredibly popular, wasn't it?

The male college students, led by Zhai Yuan, continued to scoff at it.

Zhai Yuan reminisced about his youth, shook his head with a smile, and thought to himself, "No one understands boys better than me!"
Even if I watch Korean dramas in private, I can't admit it.

My roommate walked in and said, "Oh! You watch soap operas?"
I had to deny it on the spot: No! I was watching porn!
However, neither Zhai Yao nor Zhou Haimei can represent the student population and cannot influence the market.

The true audience for short dramas lies in the deep penetration of the entire lower-tier market; it's just that the medium has been changed from mobile phones to VCDs, and the ubiquitous information flow has been replaced by DVD rental stalls that can be found everywhere on the street.

Looking at the fireworks outside the window, Zhai Yuan smiled and said, "On the contrary, I think that short dramas are the real return to the essence of drama."

Zhou Haimei chuckled and teased, "But now those film critics are banding together to boycott you!"

Zhai Yuan shrugged with a smile and said, "They're old."

…………

No one knows how many people watched the short drama "Dragon King" at home on New Year's Eve, echoing the advertising slogan of 91 Entertainment to celebrate the Spring Festival together.

However, during the Lunar New Year period that followed, relatives, friends, and neighbors who visited each other in the housing estates shifted their focus from discussing the TV Lunar New Year programs to the short drama "Dragon King".

The kids imitated the catchphrases from the play, their unrestrained and bold voices ringing out.

The self-proclaimed mature gangsters have started imitating Ekin Cheng's style of dress. Although the character Chan Ho-nam has not yet appeared, Ekin Cheng's crooked smile has replaced his ear-picking gesture and become the new generation's 'gangster standard'.

During breaks from overtime work, white-collar workers often find themselves chatting about this show. The prime-time programs on TV are irrelevant to them, and watching a few episodes of a fast-paced short drama during their spare time has become the norm.

The uncles and aunties at the neighborhood herbal tea shop, besides watching the plot, also haggled over the prices.

"Four hours on one disc is longer than two movies combined, so of course it's a good deal!"

It doesn't matter what the show is about; it can be played as background noise in a mahjong room, and the length of the recording saves the time spent changing discs.

As a result, both the managers of Huaen Department Store and the owners of CD rental shops discovered a strange phenomenon.

Newspapers and magazines denigrated "The Dragon King" as worthless.
However, since the release of this short drama, VCD sales, which had been stagnant, have started to increase again.

Even older men and women walked into the store. Normally, people of this age wouldn't even be considered for electronics sales, but now they were proactively asking, "Young lady, my grandson said there's a game called 'Dragon King,' is it something we can buy here?"

The same applies to newsstands and CD rental/sales stalls.
At first, the owners were worried that the movies wouldn't sell, so they continued to put the most popular movies on the top shelf.

In just a few days,

The customers' tone changed from "Give me a copy of 'Dragon King,' I want to see how bad it is!" to "You son of a bitch! You don't even have 'Dragon King' and you're trying to do business?"

The silent majority began to emerge at this moment.

The 20th, after the Lantern Festival.

The September 1st Daily, which had been silent since the release of "Dragon King," once again published a poster for the short drama on its front page.

"The Dragon King craze sweeps through the Lunar New Year, with over 500,000 DVDs rented or sold, rivaling even the biggest holiday blockbusters."

Hong Kong VCD distributors thank the short drama "Dragon King" for boosting disc player sales, bringing its market share to par with theatrical releases.

Long queues formed at rental shops as DVDs of "Dragon King" sold briskly; stall owners joked they'd never seen such a bustling scene.

A low-budget short drama defied expectations and rose to prominence despite the creators' skepticism.

Cheng Yi-kin didn't become famous for his role as Chan Ho-nam, but instead became known for his signature crooked smile.

"Now we can deconstruct ourselves."

Zhai Yuan called the colleague in charge of distribution and publicity and instructed, "Is the deconstruction clear? It's a parody!"

"In the subsequent promotional materials, there's no need to analyze the drama in depth. The focus should be on hyping up the lines and actions of actors like Zheng Yijian, Li Liqun, and Gu Baoming. Everyone in the audience knows that Zheng Yijian's signature move is his crooked smile, so shouldn't he have a nickname? How about calling him the Crooked-Mouthed Dragon King!"

"Also, contact Chu Yen-ping to film two of our own spoof short films for television to continue promoting. How to film them? It's simple. Whenever Cheng E-kin makes a crooked mouth gesture, the villain immediately has to press down on the corner of his mouth..."

The final step in short drama marketing is self-deconstruction.

This is also a way to eliminate prejudice against so-called cultured people and highly educated people. Spread a relevant meme, and no matter how bad it is, it will eventually become mainstream. This is what is called "turning criticism into affection".

I won't give any examples.

This concludes the series of short dramas.

(Acha couldn't help but recall when she first got into short dramas. The investors gave her a novel to adapt, but at the time she had no idea what a short drama was, and there were no phenomenal works to learn from. In the end, the project fizzled out. Then, about a year later, the Dragon King craze swept in, and she regretted not seizing the opportunity...)

The market logic for short dramas certainly doesn't develop as easily as depicted in novels. However, since this is still online literature, we'll only discuss the ideas and feasibility. We can't actually write about CEO Zhai spending years operating, cultivating an audience, manipulating capital, and scamming investors to fleece them... that would become the history of Chinese short dramas.
(End of this chapter)