When Spring Burns - Chapter 37

In Director Zhao’s eyes, this was practically a prearranged decision. The He Corporation’s advertising investment ranged from several million to tens of millions, any clear-sighted person would know which performer to choose for the television station’s opera program.

Though the term “prearranged” might sound unpleasant, preserving and promoting traditional Kunqu culture was no easy task. If someone could spread Kunqu culture to the world, inspiring global interest, not to mention a mere Dragon Boat Festival program, the entire television station could dedicate its broadcast schedule exclusively to her performances.

Yet, no one had achieved this so far. Intangible cultural heritage largely relied on state support, with almost no capital investment, for one simple reason: it wasn’t profitable.

Capital prioritizes profit, and the economic potential of these fading cultural legacies is limited. Now that a corporation was willing to invest in promoting this opera program, from the television station’s perspective, their annual revenue report would show notable achievements. There was no reason to turn them away.

Moreover, the Liqing Troupe had proven their merit through market validation and online popularity. Seizing the moment to promote Kunqu culture and capture the attention of younger audiences would maximize the program’s impact. There was even less reason to refuse.

Sheng Tingmian didn’t understand the complexities of commercial interests; she simply thought her sister was encouraging her to compete with her best effort.

Still, she thought, if she could perform on television during the Dragon Boat Festival, with her sister’s corporation’s advertisement airing alongside, it would be a joyous occasion.

Sheng Tingmian lowered her gaze to their interlocked hands, feeling the warmth of their palms pressed together. As the grip tightened slightly, then loosened, she sensed the pressure between their fingers and couldn’t resist squeezing back gently.

He Jianxue noticed the change in pressure and raised an eyebrow, only to see Sheng Tingmian suppressing a smug smile, much like a parrot proudly holding its own in a playful rivalry.

He Jianxue chuckled softly.

…

Not long after, the television station’s opera program selection competition began. Sheng Tingmian and Du Jingya, having regrouped, participated with renewed vigor. On stage, they performed “The Jade Hairpin,” captivating the judges below, who were left wanting more even after the performance ended.

For the first time, they realized Kunqu opera wasn’t boring at all.

Even without Director Zhao’s instructions, they would have chosen “The Jade Hairpin” for the program. If nothing else, the performers’ skill was undeniable, no wonder the contestant from the Jinyuan Troupe had risked ruining her reputation to prevent them from competing.

As expected, Sheng Tingmian and Du Jingya emerged victorious. Overjoyed, Sheng Tingmian ran to tell He Jianxue.

“Sister, we won first place!”

He Jianxue, infected by her excitement, smiled. “Well done. I always believed you could win. Are you happy?”

“Very!”

“Invite your friend along. Let’s go out for a meal to celebrate.”

“Really?”

“Of course.”

Sheng Tingmian immediately called Du Jingya, who agreed without hesitation.

The three dined at a Michelin-starred restaurant.

In He Jianxue’s eyes, these two were like budding youngsters with passions and hobbies, as an elder, it was only natural to support them.

But as the meal progressed, she began to sense something amiss. Why did these two seem to be growing increasingly intimate?

Sheng Tingmian accidentally got a bit of juice on the corner of her mouth, and Du Jingya quickly grabbed a tissue to wipe it off. Just as Sheng Tingmian was struggling with a particular dish she wasn’t used to, Du Jingya offered to eat it for her. After a few polite refusals, Sheng Tingmian finally gave in to Du Jingya’s reasoning of “no wasting food,” and Du Jingya ended up finishing it all.

“Sister, what are you looking at?” Sheng Tingmian noticed that her sister sitting across from her had been staring at her and couldn’t help but ask.

“Nothing.” He Jianxue’s gaze swept past Du Jingya beside her, her tone ambiguous as she remarked, “You two seem quite close.”

Sheng Tingmian didn’t catch the underlying meaning and thought she was being praised. “Du Jingya and I have been partners for a long time, Sister. Let me tell you, she even tells some really corny jokes. Last time when we were locked in the studio, she joked that Chen Miaochang and Pan Bizheng’s script might need an extra act called ‘Hanging by a Thread’, Hanging by a Thread in the Studio. It was so funny.”

Du Jingya sighed in exasperation, “Hey, Sheng Tingmian, why is your reaction time so slow? If you thought it was funny, why didn’t you laugh back then?”

That moment had been her peak of wit, and as the only audience member, Sheng Tingmian hadn’t reacted at all. Now, after all this time, she finally found it funny, what was the point?

Sheng Tingmian sensed her complaint and patted her shoulder with a sigh. “What could I do? I was too scared at the time to even think about laughing.”

Du Jingya shot her an annoyed glare.

The playful bickering between the two didn’t escape He Jianxue’s notice, and she couldn’t help but recall the scene she had witnessed when she arrived at the studio, her younger sister clinging tightly to Du Jingya’s arm, almost burying herself in her embrace.

He Jianxue emotionlessly cut off that memory and took a sip of the red wine beside her.

The meal was enjoyable, and on the way back, they sat in the back seat, chatting and laughing. When they dropped Du Jingya off at her home, Sheng Tingmian even said goodbye with a “see you tomorrow.”

Finally alone in the back seat, He Jianxue noticed her sister had suddenly grown quiet, as if she had nothing to talk about with her.

…

The television station finalized the program and personnel, then immediately began setting up the stage, recruiting a live audience, having the hosts draft their scripts, and preparing for recording.

Sheng Tingmian and Du Jingya even rehearsed a few times for this. During the actual filming, they only had to perform on stage while the director handled multi-angle shooting from below. They nailed it in one take.

After all the Dragon Boat Festival programs were recorded, they still had to go through editing, review, and sponsorship processes.

Sheng Tingmian heard that during the sponsorship phase, all the Dragon Boat Festival programs would be shown to investors. She was curious whether her sister had already seen the final cut of their performance of The Jade Hairpin.

“Want to know?” He Jianxue noticed her curiosity.

Sheng Tingmian nodded eagerly and placed the small cake she was holding on her sister’s desk, hinting, “Yes, I want to know if we sang well.”

Not only did she want to know, Du Jingya did too. In fact, it was Du Jingya who had asked her to come and gather some information.

Unexpectedly, her sister wasn’t falling for it and teased, “I’m not telling you. You’ll find out when the time comes.”

Seeing that her bribe had failed, Sheng Tingmian stomped off in a huff.

As she passed by the assistant, her adorable and charming demeanor made the assistant smile inwardly, thinking, Miss Sheng is overthinking it. With Chairwoman He around, how could the final cut possibly be anything less than perfect?

As soon as the TV station completed the editing, Chairman He was the first to review the final cut. She personally inspected Miss Sheng’s Kunqu opera segment for any malicious edits, strange special effects, and even meticulously checked the audio and visuals. Chairman He had preemptively eliminated almost every potential pitfall.

She hadn’t even been this attentive when the group invested heavily in hiring a global spokesperson for their worldwide advertising campaign.

For such a small program with a viewership rating of just a fraction of a percent, Chairman He’s level of concern was truly an overt display of favoritism, especially considering she was even planning to attach advertising sponsorship to the show.

“Chairman He, should we invest in a title sponsorship for this program?” the assistant asked, holding a report on the viewership ratings and audience analysis of other programs on Yanshi TV. The report indicated that nearly 80% of the audience for opera programs were elderly, and based on past ratings, viewership consistently dropped during opera segments within the lengthy program lineup. This meant very few people tuned in, especially compared to singing shows featuring celebrities and pop stars.

Generally, advertisers preferred to invest their money in such programs because the cost-effectiveness was relatively higher.

Before this, their group had also placed advertisements in those types of shows, as the consumer base was younger and had greater purchasing power.

But this year was different. This year’s program lineup included a Kunqu opera performance by Chairman He’s younger sister.

The assistant thought to herself: among the group’s numerous business ventures, none seemed to target the elderly demographic. Even if Miss Sheng’s fanbase consisted mostly of young people, who could guarantee that any of them would specifically turn on the TV just for her?

So, she suggested that it might be better to simply run a group title sponsorship to promote the group’s reputation.

He Jianxue glanced at the small cake on the table, it was her favorite kind, one that required advance reservations. She had only taken the girl there once, never expecting the young lady to remember. Her red lips curved slightly.

“A thousand pieces of gold can’t buy my happiness. I’ve already arranged for the advertising matters,” He Jianxue said.

The assistant couldn’t help but wonder what kind of advertisement Chairman He had actually invested in.

…

On the day of the Dragon Boat Festival, Sheng Tingmian didn’t even watch the dragon boat races she usually loved. Instead, she kept the Yan City TV channel on, eagerly awaiting her Kunqu opera performance.

She even notified her fans on her social media account:

Sheng Tingmian: Tonight at 8 PM, Yan City TV. Don’t miss it! [Heart][Heart]

[Fruit]: Alright, alright, I’ll turn on the TV right away!
[Eating a Pineapple Raw]: So Tingmian’s performance is today?! So excited!
[I gnaw gnaw gnaw]: Happy Dragon Boat Festival, dear Tingmian!

As 8 PM approached, Sheng Tingmian hurriedly called He Jianxue and the assistant over to watch her program.

“Come quick, come quick! It’s about to start,” she urged.

He Jianxue sat down on the sofa. Sheng Tingmian curled her feet up, nervously staring at the TV. Seeing her sister sit down, she leaned over, linking arms with her as if that could ease her anxiety.

During the intermission, the host concluded the previous program and began the voice-over: “Next, please enjoy the Kunqu opera The Jade Hairpin, exclusively sponsored by GULAN Group.”

Hearing the international name of Sister Group suddenly mentioned, Sheng Tingmian was momentarily taken aback. The five-second voiceover ended, and a program preview popped up on the TV screen, showing highlights of her and Du Jingya. Outside the frame, the logo of Sister Group appeared, followed by the words “Exclusive Title Sponsor.”

The program preview was brief. Just as she thought her show was about to begin, the screen switched to a wristwatch commercial, which seemed to be from a watch company under Sister Group.

The wristwatch commercial was exquisitely produced, exuding a high-end and sophisticated vibe. The spokesperson was a top-tier mixed-race beauty with an outstanding aura. If she remembered correctly, the model was this year’s Oscar-winning actress.

Sheng Tingmian glanced at He Jianxue, and the assistant couldn’t help but sneak a look too.

After the commercial ended, it was finally time for her performance of The Jade Hairpin. Sheng Tingmian noticed once again that when the opening credits displayed the show’s title and cast names, the words “This program is exclusively sponsored by GULAN Group” appeared at the bottom.

Sheng Tingmian tightened her grip on He Jianxue’s arm and began watching her performance intently, checking for any flaws. After all, this was being broadcast to a national audience.

Fortunately, she felt she had performed quite well, and the final result was exactly what she had hoped for.

During a scene with no dialogue, where only the percussion ensemble created an intense atmosphere with their rhythmic beats, a small framed chocolate ad with a cartoon character popped up in the lower-left corner of the screen.

Sheng Tingmian was startled. This brand of chocolate seemed to be another high-end snack under Sister Group, widely exported overseas.

Every time there was a dialogue-free moment afterward, this ad would pop up again.

The assistant was also observing the ad, finding it hard to believe that Chairman He had even invested in a chocolate commercial. Although the ad slot for the chocolate was cheaper than the 30-second wristwatch commercial, this Kunqu opera program was airing during prime time, which significantly drove up the advertising costs.

Wait a minute.

The assistant recalled past TV program schedules for holiday specials. Opera programs had never aired during prime time before, they were always pushed to the end when viewers were already tired. At that point, audiences would typically switch off the TV and head to bed upon seeing an opera they couldn’t understand.

Even elderly viewers, who might enjoy opera, couldn’t stay up late and had to put down the remote to rest, waiting for the next day’s rerun.

So why had it been moved to prime time this year?

The assistant couldn’t help but glance at Chairman He. Only someone like Chairman He could pull off shifting an opera program to prime time.

Sheng Tingmian unconsciously bit her fingernails, recalling the earlier program schedule. It seemed that aside from her show, none of the other programs had as many ads as hers, some even had none at all.

She couldn’t shake the illusion that Sister Group was her secret patron, lavishly and relentlessly promoting her without a care for the cost.