Chinese entertainment starts with Hong Shixian

Chapter 310 Schadenfreude: Teng Huatao Meets Qi Hui
iQiyi Headquarters, Zhongguancun, Haidian District
Gong Yu sat in the president's office with its large floor-to-ceiling windows, listening to his assistant report data.

The assistant was very perceptive and said directly what the president wanted to hear: "Yesterday, website traffic surged. Our monthly active users (MAU) increased by more than 100,000 in a single day, and our paying users increased by more than 40,000 in a single day, which is almost the growth data of a month last year."

"The total number of paying users, including joint members, has exceeded 450 million, representing a 175% increase compared to last year."

Normally, websites rarely compile daily data, but yesterday was different. A drama series purchased for 200 million yuan premiered, and iQiyi was paying close attention from top to bottom.

Gong Yu clenched his fist and slowly took a breath: "Leave the documents here, I'll look at them in a bit. You can go out now."

"Yes." The assistant put down the documents and quickly left.

Watching his assistant leave, Gong Yu excitedly pumped his fist, stood up, and looked out the window behind him, feeling a surge of pride.

After a while, my turbulent emotions finally calmed down a little.

Gong Yu picked up the document and flipped through it, then slowly breathed a sigh of relief, feeling that the 200 million yuan hadn't been wasted and the online commenters hadn't been hired for nothing.

Immediately, Gong Yu opened Weibo, Baidu Tieba, and forums to see how the audience felt about the show.

Although the data from the first day showed a significant increase compared to previous days, the key will be to observe the data from the next few days.

Whether or not paying subscribers can be retained depends on whether the audience likes the show.

However, upon opening Weibo, the top trending topic was: "[Premiere airs, a web series produced with 70 million yuan]".

"I watched the first two episodes and they were alright. It was worth the membership."

"Can't you watch the first and second episodes without a membership?"

"I guess the rich guy can't stand ads, so he bought a membership to remove them."

"Damn it! Where is Qi Hui going to put his hand?"

"Exactly! How dare he touch Jing Tian?! Cut him down! [Angry]"

"You beast, let go of that girl!"

"Damn, there was a bomb in the car?"

"How are you watching the show? Didn't they say that at the very beginning?"

"That passage from 'Canon' must be a timed device; the bomb was in the car?"

"The bus was empty; I guess someone brought it with them."

"Damn, where's episode three? Hurry up and release it!"

"Exactly, who can watch two episodes a day? Why don't you release them all at once?"

"I've got plenty of money, get me a VVVVIP membership, I want to watch it ahead of time!"

"Haha, I thought I'd say something when I saw the police, but I didn't expect that I would still reveal the loop."

"Hey upstairs, believe in the organization and the Party! Gambling and drugs will never end well!"

"Where's Huang?"

"Heaven above, gambling and drugs will never end well!"

"We, the descendants of Yan and Huang, swear that we will never coexist with gambling and drugs!"

"Damn, you guys are so stubborn!"

"..."

Gong Yu looked at the comments and nodded in satisfaction. Although the discussion had gone off-topic, the feedback from the viewers and users was still quite good.

At least there were no negative reviews.

That 200 million was well spent!
……

In the living room, Ma Yili held the remote control, then looked away thoughtfully.

She was trying to figure out who the murderer was and where the bomb was hidden.

Watching web series on a TV sounds like something that's a few years away, but in reality, smart TVs have been around for a long time.

However, its high price, sluggish operation, lack of content, and poor cost-effectiveness have resulted in a lukewarm response.

This thing is mainly about saving face, and it's popular in first-tier cities.

Elsewhere, it would be considered trash.

In the words of a few years from now, this thing is just a waste of money now.

But who is Ma Yili? She's not short of money; installing a smart TV is a piece of cake for her.

To make watching TV more convenient, she installed two TVs at home: one regular TV and one smart TV.

The house is spacious, so I can install whatever I want without being affected.

At this moment, Wenzhang walked over, and upon seeing the title of the drama on the screen, he was taken aback: "What do you think of this web series?"

"You even paid for a membership?"

"What's wrong?" Ma Yili didn't take it seriously. It was just a membership that cost a few yuan. What was wrong with that? Those few yuan wouldn't even be enough for her to buy a lobster.

"No... this belongs to Qi Hui. Why are you looking at this?" Wen Zhang scratched his head in annoyance and said somewhat angrily.

Spending money is fine, but we can't spend money on Qi Hui!

He was very unhappy and upset when he found out that Ma Yili was spending money on Qi Hui!
Ma Yili rolled her eyes: "If you have nothing to do, sweep the floor and don't bother me here."

"Oh..." The herald fell silent and picked up the broom.

He knew that his words had angered Ma Yili.

……

Wang Jinghua looked away from the screen, then called her assistant to check the relevant data, and then sighed in frustration.

Simply put, its popularity has skyrocketed.

The popularity of "The Beginning" has soared, as have the popularity of Qi Hui and Jing Tian. Even Qi Hui's company, Yixin Film and Television, has attracted the attention of its peers.

Wang Jinghua is not young and is a bit out of touch with the internet, but she understands the popularity of actors.

As expected, Qi Hui has gained both fame and fortune in this situation.

Thinking of this, Wang Jinghua felt a sudden toothache, and regret was useless now.

All she can do now is pray that Guo Fan's movies won't end up like that.

Otherwise, she will feel even worse!
After thinking for a moment, Wang Jinghua picked up her phone and dialed Xiao Yang's number.

"Hello? Sister Hua?" Xiao Yang's voice came from the phone, clearly surprised.

She was handling company affairs. "The Beginning" brought her both fame and fortune, and more people came to her, which she had to deal with.

"Siwei, does Qi Hui have time? I have a few dramas, and the producers say they want him to star in them."

Hearing Wang Jinghua's words, Xiao Yang was first taken aback, and then felt a sense of satisfaction.

Sister Hua's tone changed; it used to be commanding, but now it was more like a suggestion.

Although it wasn't explicitly stated, Xiao Yang could sense that Sister Hua was treating him as an equal.

Whether it's permanent or temporary, she feels great.

She wouldn't have dared to even think about this before.

"A favorable wind lends its strength, sending me soaring to the heavens..." These were the words Qi Hui had once spoken to Xiao Yang.

Sure enough, we're a perfect duo; together, we wreaked havoc!

"Well... I'm afraid Qi Hui won't be available," Xiao Yang said. "A war drama has already approached him, and it will probably take quite a while to film."

"In addition, Director Lu Yang is working on a martial arts film, and we invested in it. Qi Hui is also the male lead."

Xiao Yang could tell that Sister Hua's question was meant to probe for information, but she didn't hide it and told her directly.

These are all messages that have already been released and there is no need to conceal them.

"Oh?" Wang Jinghua's eyes lit up. She didn't mean anything by it; she just wanted to make money with Qi Hui.

……

the other side

The Wang brothers looked at each other, somewhat incredulous at the analysis data their assistant had brought them.

"Qi Hui actually managed to pull it off?" Wang Zonglei asked with a hint of doubt.

"Web series...shouldn't be underestimated either," Wang Zongjun said earnestly.

"Big brother, how about we try making a web series or something?" Wang Zonglei asked, his eyes darting around.

Upon hearing this, Wang Zongjun tapped the table, his expression showing some interest, but after a long while, he shook his head:

"Don't rush. We're not familiar with the internet. If we jump in rashly, we'll only end up getting hurt."

Moreover, they have a lot of projects in hand. For example, Xu Ke's "Detective Dee: Rise of the Sea Dragon".

The movie was filmed last year, but it has been delayed in its release.

Not only can it not be released, but the budget for special effects and such has already been exceeded!

Just thinking about Wang Zongjun makes me angry.

Seeing that his older brother looked unwell, Wang Zonglei, being the younger brother, quickly understood what was going on.

He immediately rolled his eyes and changed the subject: "Brother, Teng Huatao's movie premieres the day after tomorrow."

"Do you think his movie might be influenced by 'The Beginning'?"

"Oh?" Wang Zongjun raised his head, raising an eyebrow with a hint of amusement in his expression.
"I remember he and Qi Hui didn't get along very well, is that really a coincidence?"

(End of this chapter)