Chinese entertainment industry has been booming since 2008.

Chapter 197 Playing the Fool

Tuesday, January 26, 2010!

Li Jianping arrived at Dolphin TV as usual. He had worked at Dolphin TV for twenty years, rising from a junior employee to the director of the drama acquisition center, all thanks to one word: stability.

Do not seek credit, do not act rashly, and do not make mistakes.

Over the past twenty years, he has handled hundreds of TV series, large and small, none of which have been super hits or flops. Just like him, he is ordinary and unremarkable.

Everyone at the station calls him "Li the Steadfast," a nickname that's both teasing and envious. After all, in a place like a TV station where personnel changes are frequent, being able to stay steadily for twenty years is a skill in itself.

But at this moment, Director Li, who is known for his prudence, had sweaty palms. There were just too many negative reviews about "Gu Jian Qi Tan" online. If the premiere ratings were not good, he might have to move to another company.

Upon entering the office area, Li Jianping felt the atmosphere was somewhat awkward, and his heart skipped a beat: Could it be...?

"Good morning, Director Li."

"morning!"

Looking at Li Jianping's nonchalant demeanor, Zhao Bin felt a deep disdain. He looked down on Li Jianping because he believed Li Jianping had taken his position.

Now things are really messed up. The online reputation of "Swords of Legends" is terrible. If the ratings flop, then Li Jianping will have to take responsibility.

So Zhao Bin was waiting for the ratings when, just then, the door opened and Director Chen from the variety show department arrived.

He greeted a few acquaintances first, then smiled at Li Jianping and said, "Old Li, 'Gu Jian Qi Tan' is very popular online. It seems the ratings are good."

Li Jianping smiled and said, "I'm new here too, so I really don't know what the ratings will be. I hope it will be good."

"Don't worry, Zhang Yang is a Midas touch in the industry. With him around, the ratings are guaranteed to explode!"

"Thank you for your kind words."

At this moment, Li Jianping's assistant, Xiaofang, hurriedly walked in with a form in her hand, her eyes searching around. When she saw Li Jianping, her eyes immediately lit up.

Xiao Fang rushed to Li Jianping's side and handed him the form: "Director, these are the viewership data for 'Swords of Legends'!"

Xiao Fang's words attracted everyone's attention. Li Jianping first hummed in agreement, then took the form, glanced at it, rubbed his eyes uncertainly, and looked at it again.

After seeing the ratings, Li Jianping couldn't help but exclaim in surprise, "Xiao Fang, you didn't pick up the wrong one, did you?"

Xiao Fang smiled wryly, "I'm sure I didn't take the wrong one. That's exactly how the people on the statistics side gave it to me."

Xiao Fang's words instantly piqued everyone's curiosity. Judging from her expression, could it be...?

Given the opportunity to stir things up, Zhao Bin wasn't about to let it pass: "Director Li, tell me, what are the ratings for 'Swords of Legends'?"

Upon hearing Zhao Bin's words, Li Jianping took a deep breath: "The average viewership rating for the first three episodes of 'Swords of Legends' is... 5.1."

What?

A viewership rating of 5.1?

Upon hearing this, Zhao Bin's eyes nearly popped out of their sockets.

He was still hoping that "Swords of Legends" would flop in ratings, and then Li Jianping would be fired so he could take his place.

These ratings are so fake!

Director Chen of the Variety Department was also taken aback by this result, staring wide-eyed in astonishment!

Not to mention everyone else, everyone who heard the ratings for "Swords of Legends" felt like they were hallucinating; no one could believe their ears!

An average viewership rating of 5.1? Are you sure this isn't a joke?

Yes, Zhang Yang has a lot of influence, but Dolphin TV isn't a platform like Hunan TV. Dolphin TV's core audience is just so-so. Even with Zhang Yang's strong appeal, the ratings are still ridiculously high.

A viewership rating of 5.1 is simply astonishing; it completely crushes CCTV's opening drama of the year, "The Myth."

In an instant, everyone's gaze towards Li Jianping changed. Director Chen of the variety show department joked, "Old Li, with such great ratings, you've got to treat us!"

"Yes, Director Li, you'll have to treat us this time."

"That's right, that's right!"

Li Jianping suppressed his excitement and said with a smile, "Please, I definitely will."

"Director Li is so magnanimous!"

"Director Li is so generous!"

"Director Li is awesome!"

Seeing Li Jianping being praised by everyone, Zhao Bin felt like grinding his teeth to powder.

After chatting for a while, Li Jianping went to his office, closed the door, walked to his chair, and leaned back. Only then did he realize that the back of his shirt was soaked with sweat.

During this period, he barely slept a wink, fearing that "Swords of Legends" would flop in ratings. After all, when the decision was made to produce "Swords of Legends," there were voices of opposition from the station.

Admittedly, Zhang Yang has a strong appeal, but that doesn't mean that "Gu Jian Qi Tan" will definitely be a success.

You should know that the first broadcast rights for "Swords of Legends" cost a whopping 110 million yuan per episode, which is simply outrageous. But if you don't want it, someone else will!

In recent years, Dolphin TV has really been declining year by year. In its early years, "Super Winner" dominated the variety show industry, and Dolphin TV also had its glory days.

Now, not only are variety shows failing, but the ratings for TV dramas are also declining year by year. The station has given the procurement center a strict order: they must acquire a major drama with the potential to become a hit, otherwise next year's budget will be cut in half.

Li Jianping spent more than half a year running around, contacting dozens of projects. Some dramas had ridiculously high asking prices, some had casts that were all show and no substance, and some had scripts so bad that he couldn't even stand watching them.

Just when he was at his wit's end, Star Entertainment's "Gu Jian Qi Tan" wanted to find a new platform to cooperate with.

Li Jianping read the script and sample footage overnight and flew to Beijing the next day.

To be honest, Li Jianping didn't understand anything about fantasy or IP, but after working in the purchasing department for so many years, he could still tell the quality of a TV series.

Therefore, after Li Jianping finished watching the costumes, props, and special effects of "Swords of Legends", he knew that the quality of the show was at least above average.

His idea at the time was very simple: he had to win over the "Gu Jian Qi Tan" franchise.

Despite opposition, he purchased the first broadcast rights for "Gu Jian Qi Tan". However, after the purchase, he began to live in fear.

What if the ratings are terrible? What if something unexpected happens during the broadcast?

So, he has been living in anxiety these past few days.

Now, the ratings are out.

5.1.

What does this number mean?

This means that Dolphin TV finally has a winning card, that Li Jianping can sit comfortably in this position for at least the next two years, and that he made the right bet.

But he still dared not be too happy too soon.

He knows this industry too well; there are plenty of shows that start strong but are later canceled.

Audiences are fickle, and competition won't let you have it so easy.

Sure enough, in the afternoon, different voices appeared online, all criticizing "Gu Jian Qi Tan" for plagiarizing games, altering mythology, and corrupting children, among other things.

The sounds started out faint, but gradually they grew more numerous and more synchronized.

Li Jianping read the articles over and over again three times, his heart sinking deeper and deeper.

He's very familiar with this style of play; it's not just ordinary netizens complaining, someone has actually stepped in.

He called Xiaofang in: "Go check the IP addresses of these accounts."

That evening, the results came out, and most of the IPs pointed to the same public relations firm, whose behind-the-scenes financier was surnamed Ye, Ye Weiming.

After learning who was behind it all, Li Jianping couldn't sleep at night, tossing and turning, trying to come up with a solution.

He'd dealt with similar situations before, but this time was different. In the past, when shows were unfairly criticized, he was just a buyer; the responsibility lay with the production company.

Things are different now. He signed the contract for "Gu Jian Qi Tan" against all odds, so if something goes wrong, he will be the first to be held accountable.

He could even imagine what the station director would ask: "Old Li, out of so many dramas to choose, why did you have to pick this one? How did you make the selection process?"

By then, he had no idea how to answer.

That night, several strands of Li Jianping's hair turned white.

The next morning, he arrived at the office with dark circles under his eyes. Just as he was about to call Xingchen Entertainment, Liu He from Xingchen Entertainment called first.

"Director Li, you saw those things online, right?"

Li Jianping tried to remain calm: "I saw it. What are your plans to do about it?"

"Mr. Zhang's meaning is very simple: no response, no entanglement. At the same time, we at Xingchen Entertainment have also arranged positive materials and topic guidance. Tonight's three episodes are crucial. As long as our reputation can be stabilized, these negative articles will not cause any trouble."

Li Jianping's hand holding the microphone trembled slightly.

No response, no entanglement—these six words sound easy, but those who can truly do them are extremely rare.

"Are you... confident?"

Liu He did not immediately respond to Li Jianping's words, but instead gave Zhang Yang's reply: "President Zhang asked me to pass on a message to you: Thank you for your trust back then. This drama will not disappoint you."

After hanging up the phone, Li Jianping sat in his office for a long time.

He hadn't heard the word "trust" for many years. In this industry, people talk about profits, risks, and stop-loss; nobody talks about trust.

He recalled that twenty years ago, when he was a newcomer to the industry, he had learned from a veteran employee of Dolphin TV. After they became familiar with each other, the veteran employee patted him on the shoulder and said, "Xiao Li, in this industry, you have to be careful in your work."

He didn't quite understand at the time. Later, when the senior employee who mentored him was transferred, he finally understood many things. Then, he climbed up step by step to where he is today.

Over the past twenty years, he has handled more and more roles, and each time he has been weighing the pros and cons, avoiding risks, and trying to be a qualified and reliable actor.

But today, he suddenly felt that sometimes, being a little radical might not be such a bad thing.

The crew of "Brotherhood of Blades" has wrapped up filming!

Zhang Yang stretched and muttered, "Phew, finally finished work, so tired."

click!

The sudden shutter sound startled Zhang Yang, who thought he had been secretly photographed by a sasaeng fan. But when he looked in the direction of the shutter, he was surprised to see that it was Liu Shishi. He breathed a sigh of relief.

"Shishi, what are you doing? Why are you taking pictures of me without my permission?"

Staring at her with Zhang Yang's "death gaze," Liu Shishi wasn't afraid. Instead, she waved her phone with a half-smile: "Haha, Zhang Yang, I'm going to keep this photo as a souvenir."

"Delete it right now, or I'll ban you!"

Zhang Yang's vicious threat was met with Liu Shishi's defiant flick of her finger.

Since he couldn't persuade her with words, Zhang Yang decided to do it himself. However, as if she had anticipated Zhang Yang's attempt to snatch the phone, Liu Shishi shoved it into her collar.

Zhang Yang was completely at a loss.

Seeing Zhang Yang freeze, Liu Shishi proudly puffed out her otherwise unremarkable airport logo and taunted, "Hmph, I won't delete it. If you're so capable, come and take it."

Zhang Yang's hand remained frozen in mid-air, a helpless expression on his face. He took a deep breath and said speechlessly, "I... I'm truly impressed by you!"

"Mr. Zhang, the car is ready."

The speaker was Xu Wen, Zhang Yang's bodyguard.

"Okay, let's go!"

As Liu Shishi watched Zhang Yang turn to leave, she suddenly called out to him, "Zhang Yang, wait, wait."

Zhang Yang slowly turned around, looking at Liu Shishi with a puzzled expression: "What's wrong? Is something the matter?"

Liu Shishi looked at Zhang Yang with her beautiful eyes, hesitated for a moment, and then said, "Director Zhang, I think I sprained my leg during filming. Could you give me a ride?"

After she finished speaking, she blinked, as if hinting at something.

It's only because Jing Tian wasn't there that she would have cursed him out: "You shameless bitch! Don't you know Zhang Yang belongs to me?"

Zhang Yang was well aware of Liu Shishi's hints, but under normal circumstances, he would have gone along with it. However, Jing Tian was waiting for him at the hotel, and he dared not go against the grain.

"Sorry, I have a meeting to attend later!"

Since Zhang Yang has clearly rejected her, even if Liu Shishi has other ideas, she can no longer pester him.

Looking at Zhang Yang, Liu Shishi smiled awkwardly, and Zhang Yang returned the apology before heading towards his nanny van.

Once inside the van, Zhang Yang was startled. He hadn't expected Jing Tian to be there. Damn it, thankfully he resisted the temptation, otherwise, he really wouldn't know how to handle the situation now.

Seeing Zhang Yang's wide-eyed shock, Jing Tian said with amusement, "I see you're having a good chat with Liu Shishi. How about I get out of the car and make room for her so you two can continue your conversation?"

Zhang Yang quickly stepped forward and hugged Jing Tian, ​​kissing her on the pretty face: "Tian Tian, ​​you're so good to me, if I were to flirt with other people, it would be too unfair to your sincerity."

97

Jing Tian glanced in Liu Shishi's direction, his lips slightly parted, and asked meaningfully, "Hmph, good that you understand!"

"drive!"

As soon as Zhang Yang finished speaking, the driver stepped on the gas, and the car slowly started moving.

Half an hour later, Zhang Yang and Jing Tian arrived at a relatively private hotel. After entering the room, Zhang Yang said with a smile, "Tian Tian, ​​it's getting late, let's go to sleep early."

Jing Tian gazed into Zhang Yang's eyes, her cheeks flushed, her ears turning red with embarrassment, and she stubbornly said, "You'll sleep by yourself tonight!"

"No way, Jing Tian, ​​I loved you so much, and you treat me like this? I don't want to be alone in this empty room, waaaaah!"

Watching Zhang Yang clown around, Jing Tian couldn't help but burst out laughing, then said seriously, "Zhang Yang, I want to ride a big horse!"