Chapter 276

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Protagonist:

Shen Yao

"Then when will that be?" the system urged anxiously, urging her to quickly give birth and complete the mission.

Nowadays, the system was having the time of its life in this world, looking forward most to Shen Yao giving birth so it could stop caring about anything.

Shen Yao:...

Shen Yao was thoroughly exasperated by the system's train of thought—she hadn't even graduated from university after four years, Planet Film and Television had only just started, and in this state she was supposed to find time to marry and have children; it was simply absurd.

Too lazy to deal with the system, Shen Yao busied herself arranging her own work.

System:...

The system muttered quietly about what there was to arrange in work, since others were responsible for everything, and Shen Yao just sat in the studio signing documents.

Shen Yao:...

Shen Yao decided to give the system a long-lasting lesson; otherwise, the system wouldn't know good from bad, and the one affected would still be herself, after all, the system could hide in the sea of consciousness without showing itself, but she couldn't stay hidden in her shell forever without seeing anyone.

From then on, the system lived a life of utter misery where calling to heaven got no answer and calling to earth got no response.

Because Shen Yao held more than half of the system's temporary permissions, when the two faced off, apart from the beginning when Shen Yao suffered two losses due to unfamiliarity, without exception, everything afterward was the system suffering.

System:...

The system cursed and wept, but could not make Shen Yao soften in the slightest.

By the time the system had no choice but to lower its head and admit defeat, Shen Yao's palace intrigue drama, which had been placed with high hopes, had finished filming and officially entered post-production.

Campus and workplace dramas that finished filming earlier than this one were successfully sold to a website and a TV station respectively; not only were the time slots arranged, but the prices also exceeded Shen Yao's expectations, allowing Planet Film and Television to make a small profit.

Not bad, not bad; for now, apart from Zhang Tao's film project that had finished preparation and entered the filming stage, Shen Yao could breathe a sigh of relief.

One must balance work and rest; Shen Yao was now a third-year university student, and with half a semester left before starting her internship, while her school tasks were heavy and she also bore the pressure of finding a broadcast platform for the palace intrigue drama, starting new projects would not be worth it for Shen Yao.

Moreover, Planet Film and Television currently earned one per project made; the reputation sounded good but attracted covetousness, so she should slow down and let those watching closely lower their guard.

However, doing this probably wouldn't help; Planet Film and Television's money belonged to Shen Yao, and others would only grow more envious and jealous; making them stop was simply impossible.

Puffing her cheeks, Shen Yao came out of the university and saw Lu Xian waiting at the doorway in a car.

Lu Xian smiled and waved, handing the beverage he held to her, "What? Not happy?"

Nowadays, the campus and urban dramas were ratings hits; the campus drama had also sold broadcasting rights to other websites, and the urban drama caused Huai City Television's advertising insertion revenue to surge; it was said the other party intended to negotiate the broadcasting rights for Shen Yao's palace intrigue drama, with a per-episode price that was not low.

Shen Yao lifted the beverage to her lips and took a sip, at the same time shaking her head, opening the car door, and sitting in the passenger seat.

"I'm somewhat worried about the 'Lock Heart Legend' going to air; the few TV stations I've contacted lack sincerity," even Huai City Television's price still differed somewhat from the figure Shen Yao expected.

Shen Yao was considering whether to sell the broadcasting rights through a joint broadcast by several stations, first collecting some interest, and once this drama became a hit, she could continue to make money.

Lu Xian calculated the time and adjusted the car's air conditioner temperature upward, "Following your schedule, this drama will finish its process by March next year, and the official film release will have to wait until summer; it's only early December now, so there's time."

If sincerity was lacking, let the other party show more sincerity; Lu Xian drove the car around a bend, "There's a small gathering in the circle today; I'll take you to take a look."

Inside were several people from TV stations; they couldn't make the final decision on whether to buy the show, but they could help recommend someone who could decide.

Seeing Shen Yao so hesitant, Lu Xian simply gave up the decision for the two of them to eat alone, believing this arrangement would make Shen Yao happier.

Shen Yao:...

Shen Yao was indeed quite happy, especially after chatting with these several people from TV stations; Shen Yao felt that even if it was just socializing, she was willing.

To make money, after all, no half-measures.

Lu Xian:...

Lu Xian smiled with the corner of his mouth pressed down; he had a friend on his side, a producer, who had previously cooperated with Lu Xian to invest in several films, making and losing money, overall not a loss; this time, seeing Lu Xian and Shen Yao come together, he also joked with them a couple of times.

But this person was a clever person, "Manager Shen's Planet Film and Television has been very lively lately; the big shots all hope to be friends with Manager Shen."

Lu Xian, don't blame this brother for not reminding you; let Manager Shen say more soft words on a daily basis; this does no harm to you."

The people in the circle have this one flaw: whatever they do, they put on airs and act mysteriously.

After saying this, the person directly downed the drink in one gulp, finishing the wine in hand.

Lu Xian sneered, "Saying soft words isn't enough; what they want isn't for you to lower your head."

What they're eyeing is Planet Film and Television, this money-laying golden chicken; no matter how the golden chicken is arranged in the end, the eggs laid during this period must be split between them.

"Tsk, you've been in the circle for so long; don't you know what kind of virtue the people in the circle have?"

This person reached out and patted Lu Xian's shoulder, "Head-on collision won't have a good result; don't argue with them."

They're all people who want money but not their lives, relying on the connections behind them to enjoy benefits there; essentially, they bully the weak and fear the strong.

It's a pity they're just soft persimmons that are easy to pinch; head-on, they can't handle these people.

The more he thought about it, the angrier he got; this person turned his head and downed another cup of alcohol. Lu Xian's side hadn't done anything yet, but he himself was driven to rage by his own thoughts.

Lu Xian smiled helplessly, his gaze looking toward Shen Yao not far away who was pulling connections with others; he sighed to himself that living long meant seeing everything; this kind of shameless trick could only be pulled by people in the circle.

"Shen Yao"

Lu Xian called out Shen Yao's name, and when she looked over, he pulled her to a corner.

Because she had drunk alcohol, Shen Yao's complexion was still somewhat rosy, her eyes glistening with moisture, "What's wrong?"

Lu Xian looked up at the surroundings and told Shen Yao the inside information he had heard, "But don't worry, I'm still here."

No matter what, he would protect Shen Yao; why should the money he earned himself be split? Just because those people have background and backing? At worst, just flip the table and let no one have it.

Lu Xian's bones carried a hint of ruthlessness; it was just that he always liked to disguise himself, making others mistakenly think Lu Xian was a gentleman as clear and moist as jade.

Shen Yao nodded, "I'm not worried; if they want it, let them come and take it."

If they can take it, it's their own ability; if they can't take it, I won't obediently hand it over."

Getting slapped on the left cheek and still offering the right cheek—Shen Yao wasn't that shameless.

Lu Xian had a point: at worst, they'd flip the table and no one would play anymore; the filth hidden beneath the circle would one day be exposed to the sunlight.

……

This private gathering had yielded Shen Yao a rich harvest. Leaving aside the villains coveting Planet Film and Television, her primary goal was still to sell the "Lock Heart Legend" script in her hands.

"Lock Heart Legend" was a new title for that palace intrigue drama, though it did fit the drama's core: sealing the heart and locking love, never becoming emotionally involved.

The state TV station was out of the question; this palace intrigue drama was quite ruthless in its approach. Even though this world had few restrictions, the state TV station represented the nation's dignity, and broadcasting such a palace intrigue drama would have a bad influence.

Shen Yao also had to consider the cost of a single round of broadcasting, and felt the state TV station was unsuitable. She finally narrowed it down to several wealthier TV stations in the South.

Among them, Huai City Television was one of the backup options. Huai City Television had profited from Planet Film and Television's urban drama dividends, earning a tidy sum, and thus valued Shen Yao's palace intrigue drama's first-round broadcasting rights even more.

But no matter how much they valued it, when Shen Yao directly set the per-episode price for "Lock Heart Legend," Huai City Television could only choose to retreat.

Simply put, it was too expensive. "Lock Heart Legend" had eighty episodes in total, nearly one million per episode, and the whole series would cost half a small goal. Who could bear that?

Shen Yao wanted exactly that—them being unable to bear it. Once they were about ready, she would jump out again to discuss the possibility of joint broadcasting. Not only would the per-episode price drop, but the risk would also be reduced significantly.

"Qingjian, 'Lock Heart Legend' can be jointly broadcast by at most three TV stations at the same time.

Moreover, this drama also has online copyright, and E E Website has given it S-class treatment.

We need to consider whether they can make money," this meant wanting a long-term flow of profit, not the tactic of harvesting a batch of leeks and leaving.

You must know that the price this drama sold for was not low. If the buyers couldn't recoup their costs, then other hesitant buyers wouldn't purchase it.

Such expectations did not match Shen Yao's calculations, so she hoped the few stations that bought the drama could all make money, and incidentally not forget to make her drama popular.

"Nowadays life moves fast, the internet develops rapidly, everyone likes web dramas. Dramas broadcast on TV stations might be far worse than in previous years."

Even the urban dramas broadcast on Huai City Television, though achieving decent results, still looked inadequate compared to the data of this urban drama placed on a website.

Shen Yao limited the number of broadcasting platforms and also stipulated that there could be no privilege of broadcasting first, all in order to keep people on the TV stations as much as possible and make the drama's audience broader.

Ma Qingjian nodded in agreement with Shen Yao's words. Nowadays TV stations were hard to run, and everyone preferred to take out their phones to download those website apps to watch movies, TV shows, and variety shows.

The convenience and popularity of the internet brought benefits to everyone, but also dealt a blow to some relatively traditional industries.

"Manager Shen, the price we've currently sold at is still within an acceptable range. If TV stations or websites themselves arbitrarily insert advertisements into the plot, those affected are still themselves."

The advertising fees they charge are extremely low. This is also a way for TV dramas and websites to recover costs. As for how much they can recover by relying on them, it depends on the operation.

"Mm, arrange manpower to follow up. Once the process is finished, we can temporarily ignore it.

By the way, how is the new drama's pre-production going? Planet Film and Television can't stay idle. For movies, we can't help much, but for TV dramas, we need to put in more effort."

Shen Yao held a ballpoint pen and tapped the tabletop, calculating in her mind how many new projects to initiate for this round of filming.

The burden of "Lock Heart Legend" was pretty much offloaded. Zhang Tao's side was calm and peaceful. It was time to keep grabbing directors to make money for herself.

Shen Yao scrolled back and forth, and pulled Director Zheng, who had been resting for nearly half a year, over again.

Director Zheng: ……

Director Zheng looked at the money in his bank card, then at the script Shen Yao handed over, and finally scratched his head to make a selection.

Being idle was indeed comfortable, but he was a director. Filming was work. He couldn't just lie around and not work forever, right? Where would he get money to support his wife and children?

"Manager Shen, let's choose this one. I haven't filmed a xianxia drama yet."

Director Zheng had pursued such a project before, but unfortunately the conditions weren't right, so he could only film ridiculous dramas.

Later, after being discovered by Shen Yao, he stayed by her side filming scripts. Now, after finishing three period dramas, Director Zheng wasn't interested in modern dramas. The range he could choose from was xianxia dramas and sci-fi dramas.

As for sci-fi dramas, the special effects in this world weren't very realistic, and Director Zheng didn't like pure fighting and killing. So he simply chose a xianxia drama.

Seeing that Director Zheng had chosen, Shen Yao reminded him that xianxia dramas belonged to the ridiculous drama market. Current xianxia dramas were all wearing xianxia shells while talking about love, and incidentally dressing in white or black robes to act out stereotypes.

The xianxia drama Director Zheng chose had a proper xianxia style. Inside, there were no love scenes. Everyone was cultivating immortality for the sake of cultivating immortality.

Mm, one could say it was a martial arts drama wearing xianxia skin. Compared to sci-fi dramas, it had more exquisite and beautiful makeup and styling. Remove these embellishments, and they weren't much different.

Director Zheng touched his chin. "Manager Shen, rest assured. I'll properly discuss with the screenwriter when the time comes." A xianxia drama should have the style and tropes of a xianxia drama. Talking about love? The evolved Director Zheng indicated these things didn't exist.

Shen Yao looked at Director Zheng's confident appearance and ultimately said nothing.

She just thought about the casting afterward. Mm, it seemed she could make use of it.

Not forgetting that her Planet Film and Television was being coveted, although she couldn't directly flip the table, she could cause some trouble for those people.

She called out to the system, which had already admitted defeat and stopped causing trouble. Shen Yao wanted a method to find several actors with varying degrees of black history, and had Ma Qingjian find the water army to divert traffic.

Don't misunderstand. Shen Yao wasn't a leaker. She just sold the news that Planet Film and Television would film a new drama. As for others, because they wanted to act in Planet Film and Television's dramas, they arbitrarily removed rivals similar to their style and route. That had nothing to do with Shen Yao.

System: ……

The system looked at the internet in a mess like porridge and secretly marveled that the Host really had methods.

Was this what was called revenge? Unbeknownst to gods and ghosts, and still able to shift the pot. No wonder she was a Host who could make it bow its head and submit.

Saying this, one didn't know whether it was praising Shen Yao or disparaging itself. The system itself was a bit confused, but it didn't matter. Anyway, it couldn't get out.

Shen Yao found trouble for these people according to her plan. After all, all she did was throw a bait into the fish pond. Whether the fish would bite the hook ultimately depended on these fish's abilities.

It was just that the bait Shen Yao used was too tempting. Everyone's human brain turned into a dog brain. You leak, I leak. In the end, whether there was material or not, everyone was dragged down. The water armies could no longer control the plot's direction. Under mutual attacks from all sides, the entire circle was completely detonated.