Chapter 70: I Don

In early January, Yan Li received partial screencaps of The Conquest from Gao Qunshu.

Yan Zong of Yi'an Film & Television was officially launched!

Formerly, Yan Zong was just an empty shell; now that he had a project, he couldn't go it alone.

He needed at least a financial officer—otherwise, the money from selling the drama would go straight into his personal account, which was unprofessional, and someone had to handle the accounting and taxes.

As a startup, Yan Li didn't demand much—he just needed someone who knew the business, or failing that, he'd hire freelancers to patch things together until the company turned a profit.

Also, hire one or two workers to handle tasks like preparing documents and contracts, coordinating with the production crew, TV stations, and media outlets.

Finally, there was Yan Li himself as boss, and his chief assistant, Lin Jiachuan, primarily responsible for PR and selling the drama.

After assembling the team, Yan Li didn't rent any office space—he found a small storefront in a residential building near the Beijing Film Studio, previously used as a matchmaking agency.

After cleaning it up, buying and renting secondhand office supplies, hanging up a sign, he opened for business.

Though open, there was still no work—so he had the staff clean up while he and Lin Jiachuan went out networking.

"Bro, isn't this a bit too shabby?"

On the way, Lin Jiachuan felt uneasy; Yan Li had handled most operations himself, and Lin, as so-called assistant, could only run errands and didn't fully understand the situation.

Even now, Lin Jiachuan only knew Yan Li had one drama and was currently pushing its distribution.

To Lin Jiachuan, a recent graduate who had barely acted in any dramas, Yan Li's business seemed overly sophisticated.

Already lacking confidence, seeing Yan Li's company in person only made him more panicked.

Several people were crammed into a tiny storefront; Yan Li, the boss, didn't even have a private office—just a cabinet partitioned off.

The company's staff: the boss was a novice, and the assistant hadn't been long either.

The accountant was part-time and rarely showed up; the two workers were greenhorns, one even a high school dropout who'd previously worked as a hotel phone operator.

Who would cooperate with a company even shoddier than a makeshift troupe?

"Don't judge by how shabby the company looks—we're in distribution, a light-asset business; we go door-to-door to negotiate deals. As long as we look presentable, no one knows our true situation."

"If something unexpected happens, there are plenty of short-term office rentals—we can just rent one to cover."

Yan Li himself was calm; with limited funds, he had to spend them wisely.

If he could've handled everything alone, he wouldn't have rented even this small storefront—he'd have worked solo with Lin Jiachuan.

"..."

Lin Jiachuan scratched his head, bewildered—could you really do it this way?

But even if the company didn't matter, how would distribution work?

Yan Li had told him the drama was taken over precisely because distribution had failed.

Lin Jiachuan had also asked Zhou Yi, who had acted in The Conquest, about Gao Qunshu and learned he was a veteran in the industry.

If even he was helpless, how could Yan Li possibly sell the drama?

"You don't need to worry—I've got my own tricks."

Yan Li spoke with absolute confidence; he wasn't an idiot—if he hadn't been certain, he wouldn't have signed a five-million-yuan contract with Gao Qunshu.

Just because Gao couldn't sell it didn't mean Yan Li couldn't.

Yan Li had already figured out exactly how Gao had operated.

Though Gao was a veteran in the circle, as mentioned earlier, he only made low-budget dramas; his only slightly influential work was Anshisan Sect, which was half a documentary.

Put more bluntly, to Yan Li's team, Gao was "Director Gao," but to others, he was just "Little Gao."

So Gao's network wasn't extensive—or rather, it was mostly drinking buddies who were good for meals and entertainment but useless for getting things done.

Otherwise, The Conquest wouldn't have required Gao to fund it himself, distribute it himself, and be mocked to the point where Yan Li almost cried from sympathy after hearing two sentences.

Compared to Old Gao, Yan Li's network wasn't much better—in fact, it was worse—but he had his own advantage—

Daily Intelligence System!

Ever since he started eyeing The Conquest, Yan Li had been figuring out how to cheat with the system.

At first, his idea was simple: daily self-reflection—"Which TV station will want The Conquest?"—then the system would list names, and he'd visit each one to pitch.

Later, he realized this request was too ambitious—the system triggered too rarely and was unreliable.

Yan Li saw that random searching was unrealistic, so he changed tactics.

Directly approaching TV stations with The Conquest had low trigger rates and poor accuracy.

But asking which TV station in a certain region preferred crime-themed dramas triggered results more easily—or visiting multiple stations and making direct contact with their acquisition departments could trigger relevant intelligence.

Then, once he identified promising TV stations and contacts, he'd deepen engagement, using the system to extract data, tailor his pitch to their preferences, and break them down one by one.

This strategy was impossible for anyone else.

These seasoned TV station veterans, after years in the trenches—how could anyone possibly uncover their true preferences and intentions without serious effort?

Some people pretend to be enthusiastic about a project; you think you've got a deal, but after meals, drinks, and entertainment, they'll invent an excuse or offer an unacceptable price and kill the deal.

After two or three such experiences, the time, energy, and money invested could drive you insane.

But Yan Li, using the system to research and screen contacts, then making brief initial contacts, could judge their sincerity and decide whether to pursue them—extremely efficient.

Others might take a week just to make initial contact with a regional station's acquisition officer.

Yan Li, in a week, could screen the entire Jingcheng TV stations twice, identify the highest-probability partners, and gather substantial information on them.

If things went smoothly, a few more days would let him screen the Tianjin stations too.

Forget half-baked Old Gao—even if you brought in a whole professional distribution company, Yan Li could still show them how it's done.

As long as he could sell The Conquest and get it broadcast.

Yan Li believed this drama, poised to compete for 2003's Top Ten Most Popular Dramas, would shine brilliantly.

Once The Conquest gained influence, Yan Li wouldn't need to visit stations one by one—TV stations would come to him, and he could sit at home counting money.

System cheat + future information

Combined, these two were the true source of Yan Li's confidence to sign the five-million-yuan contract with Old Gao—he knew he could sell it, and he believed this drama would become a hit, earning profits far exceeding five million.

Thinking of this, Yan Li's heart stirred with heat.

He had held the system for over half a year, always tinkering small, slowly accumulating—now at last he had found an opportunity; if he handled this well and earned his first pot of gold, his future days would be far easier…

(End of Chapter)