Spring Night of Misty Rain - Chapter 16

That same evening, Xu Luosu received Xia Sijue’s “gift.”

Two hashtags, #Qin Zhiyue TV Drama# and #Qin Zhiyue and Tang Qingyue Collaboration#, occupied the top two spots on the hot search list of “Big Eye” (Weibo), firmly suppressing Jintian’s production, Night’s End, Dawn’s Beginning, beneath them.

Qin Zhiyue already carried her own fame, and with Tang Qingyue’s A-list status added to the mix, the pairing sent Tang Qingyue’s fans into a frenzy of delight.

“I was just lamenting today that my sister didn’t get a role in Night’s End, Dawn’s Beginning. But looking at the male lead and the original novel, it’s just a ‘Mary Sue’ story designed to make the male lead shine at the expense of the female lead. It’s better that she didn’t take it!”

“I think collaborating with Director Qin is great. Her acting skills will improve significantly. I wonder what the genre is…”

“I heard it’s an original script—a Republican-era fantasy story?”

“A Republican drama? I’m looking forward to that.”

“I heard it’s not a Republican drama, but a modern urban fantasy. The screenwriter is Jin Ze…”

“Holy crap! Who was the one saying Jin Ze and Shang Qiuchi were blacklisted together? Who dug her out!”

“Jin Ze wasn’t blacklisted, was she? Her company is still active…”

As the discussions grew heated, someone asked timidly: “Have you noticed? In the opening ceremony photos, there are so many beauties…”

“Who is the producer? Zhoudu? Is that a new company? I’ve never heard of it…”

“Ah! Have any of you noticed that tall girl standing next to Tang Qingyue? She has such class—she’s gorgeous…”

While the fans spent the day discussing it on Weibo, the person involved, Qin Zhiyue, only learned of the hot search from Meng Fei after finishing work that evening.

She asked casually, “Little Boss, did you buy this hot search?”

Xu Luosu shook her head and explained, “It was likely a friend of mine. Since it’s my first production, she probably wanted to drum up some publicity for me.”

Qin Zhiyue nodded in approval. “That’s good. Keep a low profile in person, but a high profile in business.”

After offering that one comment, she refrained from critiquing any of the client’s promotional tactics.

Once filming officially began, the entire crew was swept up in a whirlwind of activity. Busy times always fly by; in the blink of an eye, it was June.

Shen Zeyu had only written the script for the first season of Ye Lan. According to the production plan, the first season consisted of twenty episodes, each roughly 60 minutes long. After the first season officially launched, they would decide whether to continue with a second season based on audience reaction.

By the end of June, Director Qin Zhiyue produced the first version of the trailer. As the owner, Xu Luosu took the trailer to various major platforms to negotiate the streaming launch.

In the office of the White Bear Group, Xu Luosu opened her laptop and presented her company’s data analysis charts to Ma Ge, the head of the film and television department. “Mr. Ma, according to our company’s projections, Ye Lan can bring your platform a total of 700 million in net profit through advertising and IP effects.”

“If you are willing to sign this project at less than 20 million per episode plus a profit-sharing model, you could add another 300 million to that base.”

“Wouldn’t it be more cost-effective to sign now?”

The young woman before him wore a professional suit and a sweet smile, yet she was an opponent not to be underestimated.

Ma Ge looked at the red indicators on the chart and nodded in agreement. “It is indeed cost-effective.”

Xu Luosu’s eyes lit up. “Then there’s no time like the present—”

Ma Ge let out a sigh of regret. “Miss Xu, you know as well as I do that IP adaptations rule the market right now. Original scripts without ‘traffic’ (famous idols) to support them are destined to flop.”

“The industry is in a winter period right now; everyone is struggling. I cannot take such a huge risk and let the company lose money.”

He reached out and pushed Xu Luosu’s laptop back toward her. “You should try looking elsewhere.”

Xu Luosu still wanted to argue. “I believe—”

Ma Ge no longer wanted to talk to her, adopting a weary, well-meaning expression. “Go on back now…”

Xu Luosu knew when to back down. “Understood. Thank you for your guidance, Teacher Ma.”

She packed her laptop and walked out of the White Bear Video office. Taking a deep breath, she headed toward another video site.

She visited several in a row—Kiwi, Mango, Little Fox—every famous video site in the country. Finally, with no other options, she returned to the Nanjiang Group to find her sister.

In the office of the Nanjiang Group, Xu Luosu tossed her laptop bag onto the guest sofa and sat down crossly. “I’m so mad! Those people are going too far!”

Behind the desk, Xu Qingyue, who had been processing company affairs, glanced up. her gaze was as calm as a still well. “What happened now?”

Xu Luosu turned to kneel on the sofa, leaning over the backrest to look at her sister with eyes full of fury. “Sis, do you know? I’ve spent the whole week negotiating with those platforms using our trailer, and not a single person will buy it!”

“This is a production by Qin Zhiyue and Jin Ze. Does that even make sense?”

Unlike her sister, who was in the prime of her youth, the thirty-six-year-old Xu Qingyue had long since shed her youthful softness. What remained was a refined bone structure and a regal, commanding presence.

Hearing Xu Luosu’s complaints, Xu Qingyue flipped through her documents and spoke in a flat tone. “I warned you before. Jin Yue was among the first wave of venture capital giants in this country. Most of the people in finance and internet technology have received angel investment from her.”

“If she wants to target someone in this industry, no one can save them.”

Xu Luosu knitted her brows, utterly perplexed. “She’s being too petty! She was the one who stole Shang Qiuchi from Senior Sister Shen. Senior Sister Shen should be the one hating her, so why is it the other way around?”

Xu Qingyue was incredibly busy, but since her sister was upset, she humored her with some small talk. “Perhaps it’s jealousy. Some people are like that—they love the person in front of them so much they wish their partner’s ex would just drop dead.”

Jin Yue was ten years older than her. When Jin Yue was already a legendary figure in the industry, Xu Qingyue was still a student; the two had no real overlap.

However, she had heard at banquets that Jin Yue was a person who drew very clear lines between love and hate. She was so vindictive that many lackeys seeking her favor would use dirty methods to clear away the thorns in her side for her.

Xu Luosu didn’t quite buy that explanation. “I don’t think so. If she really loved Shang Qiuchi, why wouldn’t she let her out to act?”

Xu Qingyue flipped to the last page of her documents and gave a perfunctory reply. “Maybe Shang Qiuchi just doesn’t like acting anymore.”

Having been around the industry for so many years, she had seen plenty of wealthy families who put their children in entertainment just to give them a “veneer” of fame before marrying them off to capital giants.

Jin Yue was nearly twenty years older than Shang Qiuchi and had weathered all sorts of storms; her oldest child was already twelve. The fact that she could have children with Shang Qiuchi now suggested that Shang Qiuchi was quite skilled in her own right.

But these were just things to say as gossip; it wasn’t their life, and she couldn’t be bothered to waste energy speculating.

Xu Qingyue reached the final page, signed her name, and stood up to stretch. “Mm…”

She walked out from behind the desk and said to Xu Luosu, “Get your laptop out. Let me see your trailer.”

“Oh…”

Xu Luosu obediently opened her laptop and played the trailer for her sister.

A flash of admiration crossed Xu Qingyue’s eyes. “It’s very well done. Did Qin Zhiyue edit this herself?”

Xu Luosu smiled and explained, “No, her editing team did it.”

“Mm… very good. If you maintain this quality and film seriously, you’ll have a place in the industry.”

This was high praise. Xu Luosu struck while the iron was hot. “So, Sis, do you want to buy it?”

Xu Qingyue thought for a moment, held up one finger, and said seriously: “Ten million per episode. I’ll buy it.”

Xu Luosu snapped her laptop shut with a thwack. “Sorry for the intrusion!”

Her sister was a total corporate shark; she should never have come home.

Xu Qingyue reached out in a mock attempt to stop her. “Don’t go! We can still talk. How about eleven million?”

Xu Luosu stuffed her laptop into her bag and hurried out, her teeth gritted. “Forget it! I’ll try somewhere else.”

Ten million? The cost of production alone was more than ten million. If she really sold it to her sister at that price, she’d rather let the project rot in her own hands!