Rebirth of Chinese Entertainment, starting with the strategy of 95 flowers to counterattack

Chapter 161 New Variety Show "Fifty Kilometers of Peach Blossom Valley"

The promotional battle for films released during the New Year's Day holiday is in full swing, with film companies spending heavily to grab trending topics.

However, no one expected that the first trending topic to explode in 2018 would be #ChenDulingDancesLikeSheHasJustTaughtHerLimbs#.

At the premiere of "Miracles of the Namiya General Store", a direct-shot video of Chen Duling dancing to "Li Xicheng March" swept the entire internet with overwhelming force.

Netizens' scathing comments flooded the comment section:
"It is recommended that rare footage of early human limb domestication be submitted for approval."

"Effortlessly beautiful, yet dancing with tremendous effort."

"Gu Yang and Reba are dancing, Chen Duling is doing a glitch dance."

"I finally know which window God closed for her!"

Han Jie, the director of "Miracles of the Namiya General Store," was so excited that he was incoherent: "This dance is even better than the trailer we spent 800 million on!"

They immediately decided to add this behind-the-scenes footage to the movie's post-credits scene.

Meanwhile, Gu Yang, the instigator, was on a flight to Shenzhen, smiling as he looked at the "death threat" sent by Chen Duling on his phone.

He rubbed his temples, the scene by the lake last night still lingering in his mind.

The tranquil lakeside, the perfectly timed moonlight, even the night breeze that blew by at just the right moment seemed meticulously designed.

That place is deserted and quite safe!
It's pretty suitable for... well, you know... right?

But no matter how much he planned, he didn't expect that Dudu, who was usually aloof and reserved, would bite his lower lip when they kissed.

At the crucial moment, he actually fled in panic and ran away!

This……

The flight attendant brought him coffee, interrupting his reverie. Gu Yang took it, sipped it, and a bitter taste spread across his tongue.

We were still too hasty.

It was drizzling in Shenzhen when the plane landed.

As soon as Gu Yang turned on his phone, his assistant called: "Mr. Gu, the car from Tencent has arrived, and Mr. Sun is waiting for you in his office."

He hummed in agreement, his gaze sweeping across WeChat. Chen Duling's chat window was quiet, with no new messages.

Gu Yang chuckled and locked the screen.

No rush, he has plenty of patience.

……

When Gu Yang pushed open the door to the conference room at Tencent Video's headquarters, Sun Zhonghuai was already sitting inside waiting.

Sunlight streamed through the floor-to-ceiling windows onto the conference table, making Sun Zhonghuai's gold-rimmed glasses gleam.

"Brother, you've finally arrived!" Sun Zhonghuai stood up to greet him, shaking hands with just the right amount of force. "The collaboration on 'Qingqing's Daily Life' was very pleasant, and I hope we can continue our partnership this time."

Gu Yang smiled and sat down: "Mr. Sun, you're too kind. The last collaboration was indeed pleasant, so when it came to the online rights for 'Better Days,' Tencent was the first company that came to my mind."

Sun Zhonghuai narrowed his eyes slightly and tapped his fingers lightly on the table: "Director Gu's new film is receiving rave reviews. I heard that its offline box office has already exceeded 15 billion?"

“1.79 billion.” Gu Yang corrected him calmly, “As for online copyrights, I think Mr. Sun should understand their value.”

“Of course.” Sun Zhonghuai adjusted his glasses. “But Director Gu should also know that major platforms are currently reducing their content acquisition budgets…”

Gu Yang chuckled and took a folder from his briefcase: "These are the preliminary quotes for kiwifruit and Youku."

He deliberately left a corner of the document visible, saying, "But I think instead of comparing prices, we should talk about some more interesting collaborations."

Sun Zhonghuai's gaze lingered on the document for a moment, and the corners of his mouth turned up slightly: "Director Gu, do you have any new ideas?"

“Two parts.” Gu Yang leaned forward. “First, the selection of members for the Women’s Detective Club.”

"Secondly, a collaboration on a new variety show."

Sun Zhonghuai became interested: "I'd like to hear the details."

"For the Deduction Club, I suggest focusing on Dilraba." Gu Yang opened his tablet and pulled up a set of data. "Her recent performance on 'Keep Running' has been outstanding. Her deduction skills are excellent, and her fans are very loyal."

Sun Zhonghuai feigned displeasure and said, "Brother, you're being too polite!"

"What are you worried about about the thing I promised you last time? What other candidates are there?"

"Li Yitong just proved her acting skills with her role as Huang Rong in 'The Legend of the Condor Heroes,' and her quirky and clever image is very suitable."

"Tian Xiwei, although a newcomer, showed amazing attention to detail on the set of 'Qingqing Daily'."

“Zhang Yifan, a former ballet dancer, can offer a unique perspective on body language.”

Sun Zhonghuai twirled his pen thoughtfully: "Won't it be too thin with all these young actresses born in the 90s?"

"So we need three big sisters to keep things in order." Gu Yang took out three more documents. "Thanks, the top hosts of Mango TV, their ability to control the situation is top-notch."

"Qi Wei has demonstrated amazing memory in 'Challenge the Impossible', and Zhang Yuqi has just made a stunning appearance in 'The Legend of the Demon Cat', bringing her own buzz."

Sun Zhonghuai neither agreed nor disagreed, but said, "Okay! Let's settle on these for now, and I'll coordinate the personnel."

"The rest are not a big problem. I'll just thank you here. Mango might not release him. We'll see."

"Ok!"

"Brother, I have another suggestion for you!"

"Oh? Tell me."

"When the director is filming, he can create some romantic pairings."

? ? ? ? ?

After hearing Gu Yang's suggestion, Sun Zhonghuai's pen fell to the table with a "clatter," and his glasses slipped down to the tip of his nose: "Wait... what did you say we should cook?"

Gu Yang said calmly, "It's a couple, Tian Xiwei and Li Yitong."

Sun Zhonghuai slowly took off his glasses and rubbed his temples: "Brother, have you been staying up all night editing videos lately and messed up your brain? Seven women, you want me to create a CP (couple pairing)? Create what? Create 'sisterly affection'?"

Gu Yang smiled slightly and pulled up a set of data from his tablet: "Mr. Sun, look, last year, 37 'dual female lead' mashup videos on Bilibili had over a million views, and the activity of the 'lesbian couple' super topic on Weibo increased by 210% year-on-year." Sun Zhonghuai narrowed his eyes: "So?"

"So, young people these days are no longer satisfied with just male-female couples." Gu Yang lowered his voice and said mysteriously, "Two beautiful women feeding each other sweet nothings, exchanging loving glances, and occasionally having some 'accidental' physical contact... fans can swoon over it."

Sun Zhonghuai's expression gradually twisted, as if he had opened the door to a new world: "But... but... can the two of them cooperate?"

"Don't worry," Gu Yang said confidently. "Li Yitong played Huang Rong before; she's clever and mischievous. Tian Xiwei is a newcomer, and she's obedient. We just need to arrange more 'double tasks' in the program, for example—"

He counted on his fingers: "When solving the puzzle together, their hands 'accidentally' touched; when they failed to deduce the answer, they comforted each other in a 'pitiful' state; and at some point, Li Yitong even 'came to the rescue' and protected Tian Xiwei behind her..."

Sun Zhonghuai was stunned. After a long while, he managed to stammer out, "...Gu Yang, what do you usually watch?"

Gu Yang looked completely innocent: "Market research, purely market research."

Sun Zhonghuai took a deep breath and finally nodded resignedly: "Alright, you can try it first... but if the fans don't buy it, I won't care."

Gu Yang smiled and closed the tablet: "Don't worry, Mr. Sun!"

Sun Zhonghuai sighed, "...I just hope the two of them don't start fighting on set."

Gu Yang said earnestly, "President Sun, times have changed. Nowadays, audiences just love to watch pretty women 'fight'."

Sun Zhonghuai: "..."

"Tell me about your new variety show?"

Gu Yang opened a beautifully designed PowerPoint presentation: "50 Kilometers of Peach Blossom Valley, a social experiment reality show."

An aerial view of a landscape of mountains, rivers, and fields appeared on the screen, with more than a dozen houses of different styles scattered among them.

"15 artists, living together in a closed community within a 50-kilometer radius for 21 days."

Gu Yang pointed to the screen and explained, "There is no fixed script, only basic rules: they need to solve their own problems of food, clothing, shelter and transportation, complete collective tasks, and ultimately build an ideal community."

Sun Zhonghuai's eyes lit up: "Sounds like an upgraded version of 'Back to Field'?"

“Not entirely.” Gu Yang switched to the next page. “Longing for Life is about a slow-paced lifestyle, while Peach Blossom Village is a real social experiment. Fifteen people with very different personalities are forced to live together day and night. There will be clashes, conflicts, and unexpected warmth.”

He presented several sets of simulated data: "We have conducted research and found that the audience is far more interested in real interpersonal relationships than in deliberately designed game segments."

Sun Zhonghuai seemed thoughtful: "What about the guest selection?"

"I recommend three: Meng Ziyi, Zhou Ye, and Yang Chaoyue."

Gu Yang paused for a moment, then said, "The other slots can be decided by the platform, but I suggest covering different age groups."

The meeting room fell silent for a moment.

Sun Zhonghuai stared at the PPT for a long time before suddenly asking, "Director Gu, how do you plan to split the profits from this project?"

Gu Yang was prepared: "Copyright 50/50, advertising revenue 30/70, with Tencent taking the lion's share. But I need to retain control over content creation."

Sun Zhonghuai shook his head: "Copyright is 60/40, advertising is 20/80. You can have the dominant position, but major decisions must go through the platform."

“Mr. Sun,” Gu Yang smiled, “I can give Tencent exclusive online rights to ‘Better Days’ at 90% of the market price. But for the variety show, I need more creative freedom.”

Sun Zhonghuai narrowed his eyes slightly: "15% off, plus priority investment rights for your company's next project."

"20% discount, but the investment rights are limited to the TV series." Gu Yang stood firm.

The two looked at each other for a moment, then suddenly burst into laughter at the same time.

"Deal!" Sun Zhonghuai stretched out his hand. "You're so young, how come you have so many clever ideas? And you're so experienced in negotiations?"

Gu Yang shook hands: "Likewise."

"Oh, right!" Sun Zhonghuai suddenly remembered something, "Since Meng Ziyi is participating in Peach Blossom Village, she's one of your people, isn't she?"

"Yes, your sister-in-law!" Gu Yang said calmly. "Brother Sun, please take good care of her next time!"

"You little brat! You got it!"

"By the way, I heard someone say she's a really good singer?"

"Did the single they released completely overshadow Jay Chou?"

"Why not let the good stuff go to outsiders? How about we let her sing the theme songs for these two variety shows?"

"Don't say that the older brother doesn't take care of his younger sister-in-law!"

"This..." Gu Yang's face turned red with anxiety, not knowing how to refute it.

"What do you mean, kid? You don't want to?"

"No... her singing might not be good enough!"

"What do you mean? Trying to fool me, bro? Why are you being so modest? Are you worried that your own people won't pay you?"

"is not what it means……"

"Alright, it's settled then! We'll do as you say, bro!"

Gu Yang: "..."

He was somewhat dazed, realizing that his Zhou Ye and Meng Ziyi always liked to sing in front of him.

Even Nan Nan, after going to a KTV and listening to their singing, seemed to find confidence again.

As soon as he came back, he said that his skill level was not much worse than that of professional singers.

Now, when I'm at the office, I like to sing a few lines in front of him, whether I have something to do or not.

Gu Yang was bombarded with the singing of these girls every day, and he was almost starting to have delusions.

He seems to have gotten used to it...

Sometimes I even think that they sing pretty well?

(End of this chapter)