Chinese entertainment starts with Hong Shixian

Chapter 302 Qi Hui, the unscrupulous merchant, raises prices first and then offers discounts.

Company, screening room
Old Wang, Han Sanping, Wu Jing, and a group of representatives from the video website were all intently watching the screen.

Behind him, Qi Hui glanced at his watch, somewhat helpless.

This is episode 6. All these people have watched all 6 episodes, from morning to afternoon.

Qi Hui originally intended to watch one or two episodes before moving on to the negotiation stage, but these people were unwilling and insisted on watching more.

Having watched this for so long, Xiao Yang even had his assistant bring lunch to all of them.

“Elder, Xiaolong told me that he knows he was wrong, that he shouldn’t have run away…” Jing Tian’s elegant Tang Dynasty voice slowly rang out from the speakers.

On the screen, Ma Guoqiang, a melon farmer with a bald head and a weathered face, was first taken aback, and then a look of surprise appeared on his face.

He had been in an accident and served time in prison for manslaughter, which prevented his son from getting a better job.

Like Jing Tian, ​​Ma Guoqiang is also from Shaanxi Province, and Jing Tian's Shaanxi dialect made him feel particularly at home.

Hearing the familiar accent, Ma Guoqiang believed the stranger's words. He looked up, about to say something, but...

Boom!

A burst of flames followed, then another explosion, engulfing everyone.

A flash of white light, and we're back at the beginning of the loop.

The camera pans upwards from a low angle, revealing Jing Tian and Qi Hui asleep in the frame, while at the same time, Lao Jiao, carrying an old suitcase, slowly walks in.

This cycle will focus the elimination efforts on Lao Jiao and the woman in the gray suit who got on the bus with him.

The male and female protagonists wake up with a start, and this cycle officially begins.

Qi Hui, who plays Xiao Heyun, looks at Li Shiqing and says, "What you said just now was so good, it really moved me."

"I just felt sorry for that old man, so I casually mentioned his son, but I couldn't stop myself from doing so." Jing Tian, ​​who plays Li Shiqing, sighed.

Qi Hui raised his chin: "Now there are only two people left to be eliminated, and the bomb maker is between the two of them."

Jing Tian, ​​who plays Li Shiqing, nodded: "Moreover, they even got on the train at the same stop."

With that one sentence finished, the screen froze, and episode 6 ended!
"Ahem, everyone, shall we stop here?" Qi Hui spoke first, looking at the audience in their seats.

"do not!"

"The murderer will be revealed soon, let's watch one more episode."

"I finally got to cleanse my eyes, why are you only letting me see half of it?"

"Exactly! You have no idea how disgusting it was to see 'Dwelling in the Fuchun Mountains' before!"

Representatives from the video websites chimed in with their own opinions.

Qi Hui remained silent until they quieted down a bit before saying, "Everyone, look at your watches. It's already afternoon. If you keep looking, I'll have to keep you for dinner again."

If this continues, Qi Hui will have to call Xiao Yang over and have her run to tell the kitchen to make noodles so these big shots can eat before they go back.

Upon hearing this, everyone present snapped out of their reverie, pulled out their phones, and couldn't help but feel a little embarrassed.

Indeed, it's already afternoon, and if we keep watching, the whole day will be wasted.

They came here to work, but their work inexplicably turned into watching a show.

Old Wang and Han Sanping exchanged a glance, then took a sip of ice water to calm themselves down, feeling somewhat dejected.

Who is the murderer?

This topic has been puzzling them for a long time.

Almost all the actors on the bus knew Lao Wang, and a few of them were introduced to Qi Hui by him.

With everyone having roughly the same amount of screen time, he genuinely couldn't guess who the murderer was.

Han Sanping was similarly itching to find out who the murderer was.
However, at this point, he really shouldn't stay any longer.

He immediately got up, said hello, and left.

Seeing this, Wu Jing and the other two sighed in frustration and got up to follow Han Sanping and Lao Wang.

This feeling of unfulfilled desire is the most unbearable. We're about to find out who the murderer is, but Qi Hui won't let us know.

Damn it!
Seeing Wu Jing and the others leave, Qi Hui clapped his hands and laughed, "What do you all think of our 'Beginning'?"

"Are you interested in 'The Beginning'?"

Upon hearing this, the representatives from various video websites sat up straight, knowing that the real business was about to begin.

To be honest, "The Beginning" is very good, extremely good!
It's so captivating that you want to watch the next episode after watching the first one.

With the added appeal of a suspenseful, recurring plot, this show has reached a very high level.

The plot is tense, the pace is fast, and there is no dragging at all. Even people like them who often watch dramas and make content judgments can't help but get hooked on it.

One can imagine how the other viewers would react. Youku's vice president adjusted his glasses and slowly asked, "President Qi, I'd like to know, what was the total investment for this show?"

He had done his homework before coming, so he naturally knew about the public investment in this film.

But we still need to ask Qi Hui about his bottom line and see if he has changed his mind.

Upon hearing this, Qi Hui smiled and said, "Seventy million, I already said that before filming started."

"The Beginning did not exceed the budget; we controlled the costs very well."

Upon hearing this, everyone at the video website smiled. When doing business, they prefer to work with people who are decisive and efficient.

People who demand exorbitant prices, make constant requests, and cause all sorts of trouble are the most annoying.

Qi Hui is a good person!
Good ability and good reputation!

However... the representatives of these video websites didn't know that the figure of 70 million had actually been inflated long ago.

The total cost of "The Beginning" was actually over 40 million, a little less than the original plan of 50 million.

The figure of 70 million actually includes the salaries of Qi Hui and Jing Tian, ​​as well as Qi Hui's salary as director.

It's similar to raising prices before offering discounts during Singles' Day.

Having worked on construction sites for so long, Qi Hui naturally wouldn't let himself be taken advantage of.

"Seventy million..."

Upon hearing this, the representatives from the video websites looked thoughtful. It seemed that without a significant investment, they wouldn't be able to acquire "The Beginning."

The vice president of LeEco looked at the people around him and couldn't help but feel embarrassed.

Well... LeEco ran out of money.

A few months ago, they acquired Huayi Brothers Media and the TV series "Empresses in the Palace" for more than 800 million yuan in cash.

Adding the equity payment of over 70 million, the total cost is 900 million!

This acquisition nearly depleted LeEco's cash flow, leaving it with almost no money left.

Before coming here, Boss Jia thought that Qi Hui's ten-episode short drama, which was also a web series, wouldn't cost much at all.

Even if LeEco suffers a major blow, acquiring a small production like "The Beginning" is no problem at all.

The vice president also advised against it, saying that the investment in this film was not low.

But Mr. Jia was too busy to take it seriously.

He prefers long-running, big-budget dramas, such as "Empresses in the Palace" and later "The Legend of Mi Yue".

Seeing the reactions of various video websites around them, LeEco's people knew that they were likely to leave empty-handed.

Beside him, Sohu's vice president frowned.

They were the first video website to create a hit web series, so they have a certain understanding of web series.

Currently, the cost of "Beginning" has exceeded expectations, and the price is likely to be high as well.

Unlike other websites where vice presidents come, iQiyi's CEO, Gong Yu, came in person.

Seeing the various expressions on his colleagues' faces, Gong Yu pursed his lips, deciding to be lenient with his opponents.

Despite having ample funds, he dared not let his guard down.

Whether iQiyi can stand out from its many competitors depends on this acquisition.

We'll see how things develop this year!

The people from Youku and Tencent exchanged a glance and quickly sat down together.

The two families had discussed this beforehand, and now it's time to bring it up again.

Youku just acquired Tudou last year and is exhausted; it hasn't recovered yet.

Tencent, on the other hand, has focused on acquiring high-end British dramas in recent years.

Those foreigners are a real pain; they act like they're ripping people off, and their prices are outrageously high.

In addition, after the acquisition, there are still audits and certifications to go through, and Tencent's current funds are not as abundant as outsiders think.

Looking at the people on these video websites, Qi Hui clapped his hands and laughed:

"Everyone, if you have any ideas about our 'Beginning', feel free to come to the office next door and discuss it with me in detail."

As he spoke, Qi Hui pushed open the door, gesturing for the first customer to follow him.

Upon hearing this, those present were eager to make a move, but also wanted to observe the situation further and see how their competitors would react.

(End of this chapter)