[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-the-intelligence-king-of-chinese-entertainment":3,"chapter-the-intelligence-king-of-chinese-entertainment-the-intelligence-king-of-chinese-entertainment-chapter-76":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","The Intelligence King of Chinese Entertainment",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},2260379,4411,"Chapter 76: Small Tricks of Distribution and","the-intelligence-king-of-chinese-entertainment-chapter-76",76,"\u003Cp>On the first day of the New Year, Qin Lan went around the village paying New Year’s visits and playing; on the second day, she visited her uncle’s house and relatives on her mother’s side.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On the third day, Yan Li began attending to serious matters.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In a certain residential area, Chen Jianjun, deputy director of Zao City Television Station, returned home from social engagements; no sooner had he opened the door than he saw his wife and son talking with a young stranger in the living room.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing him enter, his wife happily introduced him: “Lao Chen, come here—our relatives have come to visit.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“This is…?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chen Jianjun was uncertain—he was at that age, rarely moved about, and didn’t recognize distant younger relatives.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“This kid’s name is Yan Li. His maternal great-uncle is my second brother’s sister-in-law’s cousin’s father-in-law.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chen Jianjun: “...”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Damn, how the hell did they trace this connection?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of course, it was traced through the intelligence system; in a small city like Zao, two locals could always find some distant kinship through seven twists and eight turns, though the ties varied in closeness.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Since learning of Chen Jianjun, Yan Li had triggered the intelligence system to uncover related connections, and unexpectedly stumbled upon this kinship.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For Yan Li, this was good news—no matter how distant the relation, it at least gave him a reason to visit and made building rapport easier than dealing with a stranger.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You’re Yan Li, right? What do you want from me?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chen Jianjun was a system insider, experienced and well-traveled; hearing this distant relative had come calling with gifts, he immediately understood the situation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Director Chen, here’s the thing—I’ve set up a film and television company in Beijing...”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yan Li explained the general situation; with the kinship as a foundation, many things became easier to say, outcomes were easier to manage, and crucially, someone was there to speak on his behalf.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Before Chen Jianjun could respond, his wife chimed in to plead his case.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Lao Chen, you’ve got to help—he’s all alone in Beijing, struggling hard.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chen Jianjun couldn’t help glancing at his wife—he’d never seen her so enthusiastic before; clearly, the gifts were substantial.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet inwardly, Chen Jianjun did find Yan Li’s “Conquest” somewhat intriguing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Putting kinship aside for now, Chen Jianjun was primarily interested in the subject matter.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For a city-level TV station with limited funds, trying to snatch scraps from big-network offerings made subject choice critical.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Crime and detective dramas had a solid audience base—dramatic, attention-grabbing plots, with a consistent main thread of police catching criminals, ensuring high viewer retention, making them a perennial favorite among local stations.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Moreover, another key factor: Chen Jianjun learned multiple TV stations had already purchased this drama.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Among them were provincial capital stations like Jinling and Xi’an, as well as provincial channels; with these stations backing it, Chen Jianjun naturally took “Conquest” more seriously.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yan Li, of course, knew this well—he emphasized how enthusiastically several stations had endorsed the drama.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Having personally handled the distribution of a TV drama, Yan Li had learned many tricks.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The hardest part of any venture is the beginning—the most difficult hurdle is securing the first reputable TV station.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But once you break through, everything else becomes smoother; the more stations you secure, the easier future deals become.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It’s a bit like herd mentality—once viewers see so many stations have bought it, they assume it must be good and follow suit.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And there’s another unspoken rule here: TV stations spend public money when purchasing dramas.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So, compared to the drama’s actual quality, many decision-makers care more about whether the spending is justifiable and defensible to their station.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That’s why dramas with stars sell better—and at higher prices.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The star’s fame provides a solid justification; even if the drama flops, it’s merely a misjudgment, understandable, no suspicion of foul play.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Similarly, “Conquest” has no big stars, but it’s selling well.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If other stations are buying it, then our station buying it makes perfect sense too—equally justifiable.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With justification solidified, Yan Li’s distribution difficulty dropped dramatically...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If Yan Li had merely shown up with this distant, eight-removed kinship and some gifts, Chen Jianjun might not have taken the bait.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But “Conquest” had subject-matter advantages plus backing from multiple stations—purchasing it was normal business, no one could object, and it might even earn him some face; Chen Jianjun’s attitude naturally changed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>————\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Here, Uncle-in-law, let me toast you.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With mutual interest, by dinner time, the distant relative had become “real family.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Besides the “Conquest” matter, Yan Li also received news from Chen Jianjun.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Shandong TV’s Shanying Productions intended to spearhead a new TV adaptation of “Railway Guerrillas.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zao City strongly supported this; the government even considered partnering with the drama to build a film and television city—both to support filming and to develop tourism.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yan Li’s expression shifted: “Uncle-in-law, do you think I could join this project?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With Shanying leading, local support, and a famous red classic, this drama would sell easily; with luck, it might even air on CCTV.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chen Jianjun glanced at him and doused him with cold water.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Do you know the film and television city alone is projected to cost over a hundred million? This drama’s budget is at least twenty to thirty million—can you afford it?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I can’t afford it alone, but I can find partners. Besides, aren’t there usually subsidies and support for main-theme dramas?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yan Li was well-informed—he understood the industry’s inner workings better than many seasoned veterans.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Shanying could invest some, subsidies could cover part, the local government could add more—Yan Li had the confidence to fill the remaining gap.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It’s not as simple as you think.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chen Jianjun shook his head; Yan Li saw profit, but others weren’t fools—many were watching this project.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet Yan Li believed he could compete—he could leverage connections, and crucially, he had one advantage.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He was a native of Zao City!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Raised hearing stories of the Railway Guerrillas, growing up on the very land where the wartime heroes fought, he could truthfully claim, in promotional terms, to be a true inheritor of the Railway Guerrillas’ red legacy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At least Yan Li believed that, under equal conditions, Zao City officials would favor him, a local son.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And for regional red-themed projects, local official influence still carried weight.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With hometown backing, even if Yan Li couldn’t secure the entire project, he’d still have a chance to join.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After listening, Chen Jianjun pondered and thought it had potential: “You can try.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yan Li raised his glass earnestly: “Uncle-in-law, I admit I have personal ambitions for this project, but I truly want to make a great “Railway Guerrillas” drama—to honor our hometown’s ancestors. If I’m lucky enough to get this chance, I’ll give it everything I’ve got.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I believe you.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chen Jianjun raised his glass and clinked it with Yan Li’s; after a moment’s thought, he said: “I can pass your message along to the city, and I have an acquaintance at Shanying...”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>(End of Chapter)\u003C\u002Fp>",1166,"2026-06-19T16:16:52.605Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","66b6f8692022d13b812ddee98c82629a1a5c74070d3f44f91c12578e6c0e8c3b","the-intelligence-king-of-chinese-entertainment-chapter-77","the-intelligence-king-of-chinese-entertainment-chapter-75",405,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fthe-intelligence-king-of-chinese-entertainment-cover.jpg"]