Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
“Oh?” Yan Zhengxing really didn’t know about this. “When did this happen?”
“Just a moment ago. The official Weibo of ‘Nine Heavens’ also released the publicity for their official broadcast premiere date,” Tan Mo said, “I think the production team of ‘Nine Heavens’ is pretty good as well. It’s just that the themes and broadcast dates of the two dramas have clashed. No matter which drama has better viewership, the other drama will inevitably be compared to it. The moment the comparison starts, it would only make the losing series appear worse. Then not only would they lose their reputation, but they would also lose all their investments in this series.”
“But I’m just curious because Kefeng Films is definitely more professional in this aspect than me. How could such an unprofessional mistake be made? It shouldn’t be a good thing for Kefeng Films if either series were to lose,” Tan Mo said calmly before adding with a chuckle, “Unless… Kefeng Films have other plans?”
“After all, I’m not a professional, so my considerations aren’t as comprehensive and I’m not that knowledgeable about the industry. Did Kefeng Films think of some gimmick that can maximize the profits of the two dramas? Is there anything we can cooperate with? If there is, please let us know. We will cooperate with you with all our might.”
Yan Zhengxing did not know whether Tan Mo was being serious or being sarcastic.
Yan Zhengxing chuckled bitterly and said, “You might not believe what I’m saying, but I really don’t know about the matter with ‘Nine Heavens’. I have been following up on ‘Broken Continent’ the entire time, from its development, promotion, approval, to broadcast. Especially after the incident with Feng Ke’er, I have only followed up on ‘Broken Continent’ to ensure that there won’t be any other problems.”
“The other series has their various departments doing the work for them. Even in the past, I wouldn’t follow up on these things.” Otherwise, what was the use of having those departments?
Each department had its responsibilities, and had its things to do, just like the parts of a huge machine.
“The Operating Department is in charge of arranging the broadcast schedules,” Yan Zhengxing said. “They make the arrangements for the various series to be broadcasted online. However, just as you said, there are situations where the two series collide. But it would undergo preliminary evaluation by the Marketing Department before it is broadcasted. If they can’t stagger the broadcast timing, then the S grade drama would be broadcasted simultaneously with a B grade drama. This is just an example.”
“‘Broken Continent’ and ‘Nine Heavens’ are both S+ grade projects. Logically speaking, they should not be broadcast together as it will cause the resources to be scattered. This arrangement will not be able to maximize the resources provided by Kefeng Films and will be too wasteful.” This was not a good thing for Kefeng Films.
Previously, ‘Broken Continent’ was assessed as an SS+ grade series based on the investments pumped in it.
However, the director and the cast line-up for it was barely an S+ grade.
It was just that with the investment, overall, it could still be rated as S+.
It would be better for Kefeng Films to air different high-quality dramas each season than to broadcast all of them at the same time.
Yan Zhengxing knew that it would be too wasteful to be broadcasting “Broken Continent” and “Nine Heavens” at the same time. It was not a wise decision.
However, at the same time, Yan Zhengxing was truthfully a little apprehensive about “Broken Continent”.
“Broken Continent” had too big a framework. The worldview that Tan Mo had constructed, as well as the storyline, had exposed not only her bold ambitions but Tan Jinqi’s too.
Tan Mo and Tan Jinqi had developed such an extensive worldview framework that Yan Zhengxing didn’t know if they could handle it.
It would be terrible if the good idea was undermined because the outcome couldn’t match up to standard. They might even be very different from what was imagined.
There had been many examples like this before. When the audience watched the drama, they could see the director’s ambitions with the ideas and themes in the show. However, because the director wasn’t good enough, the show either ends up meaningless or overly complicated and the audience couldn’t see what the director wanted to express at all.
Yan Zhengxing had also watched the finished product. Although he felt that it was not bad, he could not grasp the audience’s thoughts well.
Compared to “Broken Continent”, “Nine Heavens” did not have such a big imagination or structure in its plot. It was a classic mythology-themed romance drama that audiences preferred.
In addition, the male and female leads had a large number of fans, so there was already an advantage for its viewership.
This kind of drama doesn’t require much thinking and is focused on appealing to the emotions, so it was easy for the audience to resonate and immerse themselves in its plot.
It would undoubtedly be more relaxing to watch than “Broken Continent”.
“No matter what, I didn’t know about this. It’s all my negligence. I’ll go and ask what’s going on immediately,” Yan Zhengxing immediately said.
“President Yan,” Tan Mo said, “I’m not here to complain. I’m just curious about the reason for this arrangement. Now, both official Weibo accounts had already announced their broadcasts, Kefeng Films have also posted the preview clips on its Weibo too. It’s not good for either of the two dramas to have to change their broadcast schedule. I also have no intention of asking them to change their dates. I simply want to know the reason for this arrangement.”
“Could you help me arrange for an appointment? My brother and I will go to Kefeng Films to ask about it ourselves,” Tan Mo said. “There’s also no need to let anyone else know that I have contacted you today.”
Yan Zhengxing had a feeling that Tan Mo was up to something.
He hadn’t interacted much with Tan Mo, and only met her during the meetings that were held in the preliminary preparations.
Tan Mo gave him the impression that she was young and full of youthful vigor.
This was why she was able to shed all pretenses with Manager Wu and make a bet with him even before filming began.
The stakes for both parties were not small.
It was Manager Wu’s career against the millions in losses that the Tan family would have to patch up.
In addition, he also felt that Tan Mo was a little domineering.
It was understandable why she would hog the position of the chief screenwriter.
After all, it was Tan Mo’s idea.
She did not even form a screenwriting team and insisted on completing it herself. It was a little overbearing to refuse to let others join in, and take all the credit on her own.
However, Yan Zhengxing felt that it was understandable for Tan Mo to have such a character.
She had grown up and was doted on within a wealthy family. And she had Wei Zhiqian’s support.
No one dared to compete with her for anything.
Furthermore, she had achieved impressive results at Beijing University despite her young age.
She did indeed have the right to be overbearing.
However, everyone only knew about her achievements through the publicity and nothing about the other students from the same school. Was it because she was also so overbearing at school that no one else was allowed to participate in those projects?
Yan Zhengxing shook his head again.
He was an experienced middle-aged man after all. He felt that he had been thinking too much, so he reminded himself not to judge Tan Mo so quickly based on their few meetings.
Since he did not know much about Tan Mo, there was no need to make groundless guesses.
Hence, Yan Zhengxing asked again, “Tan Mo, what are you planning to do? Could you tell me in advance? Otherwise, I can’t feel at ease.”
