Lin Chudong paid no attention to the attitude of the four platforms.
They hadn't yet seen the true brilliance of *Bright Sword*. Having hastily signed agreements before the television station's data was released, they would surely regret it once the ratings came out.
At that point, they would face two choices: either watch *Bright Sword* become a hit and gnash their teeth with envy, or breach their contracts, pay Li Zhilin's company a sum as compensation, and continue their partnership with Lin Chudong.
Once the data was released, they would come knocking on his door.
***
The next day, at 8:30 PM.
Huang Wei was in President Chen Deming's office at CCTV-8, reviewing the ratings data.
She looked puzzled. "President Chen, the ratings for today's animated series are a bit strange, aren't they?"
The sudden surge in viewership was alarming.
From 8:00 to 8:30, the ratings remained within normal range. But after 8:30, they began to climb noticeably.
It's rare for a show's ratings to increase midway through its run, especially an animated series. Many elementary school children would be asleep by 8:30, so viewership should have been declining, not increasing.
Chen Deming's eyes lit up. "I suspect these viewers are all waiting for *Bright Sword* to start!"
Huang Wei suddenly understood. *So that's it!*
She wasn't an ordinary viewer, so she couldn't grasp the way ordinary people watched television.
At this hour, most TV viewers were either putting their children to bed or cleaning up the kitchen after dinner.
The group that stayed up to watch TV at nine o'clock simply tuned to Channel 8 and waited for the show to begin.
Therefore, the surge in viewership was driven by viewers eagerly awaiting the premiere of *Bright Sword*.
Huang Wei asked, "President Chen, if the ratings for this episode of *Bright Sword* truly meet your expectations, will you really move the broadcast time?"
Chen Deming nodded. "Of course."
Although he had promised to give the animation its prime-time slot as a favor, Chen Deming couldn't ignore the potential of a hit drama.
On the surface, the difference between 8 PM and 9 PM might seem negligible, but prime time remained prime time. Moving the broadcast forward by an hour would undoubtedly yield better results.
"Then let's see how it performs today," Huang Wei said, her face lighting up with excitement and her eyes sparkling with anticipation.
***
Taiyuan University of Political Science and Law.
Hundreds of students gathered in the Multipurpose Classroom, each glued to their phones, rallying on the forum, and strongly demanding that the school equip every dormitory with a television.
Even a TV interface would suffice; students could buy their own TVs.
Now, TVs are cheap—just a few hundred yuan. If that's too much, a set-top box and a computer monitor would work.
Without a TV, they couldn't watch *Bright Sword*, and it was unbearable.
"Brother Hui, this is your starring drama! Do you even know which episode you appear in?"
Since his short videos went viral, Wang Hui's nickname had become "Brother Hui."
Before the drama even became popular, Wang Hui was already a school celebrity.
Wang Hui looked embarrassed. "I have too many scenes! How would I know which episode? Speaking of which, why hasn't this drama been released on video platforms yet? Having to camp out in front of the TV every night is so annoying."
These college students couldn't compare to stay-at-home moms; they didn't have that much time. 9 PM was prime gaming time.
The students had stubbornly applied to the student union for several Multipurpose Classrooms, gathering to watch *Bright Sword* together.
Every college student who acted in *Bright Sword* was eager to see their performance on screen.
Since they didn't know which episode they'd be in or how the director would edit the footage, they couldn't afford to miss a single scene.
"I created a *Bright Sword* Tieba forum. Everyone's posting there and demanding *Bright Sword* be released on Tianxun Video."
"I totally agree! *Bright Sword* airing on TV is so inconvenient for us college students."
"My mom said she saw me on TV yesterday, but I didn't catch it myself. I was so anxious I almost had a heart attack."
"I'm skipping today's e-sports finals to watch *Bright Sword*. If we wait for the rerun, we'll be in class and miss it again."
"Yesterday's two episodes were amazing! We were in the dark during filming—we had no idea what we were even acting in."
"..."
The students' enthusiasm was palpable, just as netizens had predicted. They were the primary audience for their own show, after all.
Under normal circumstances, why would college students watch a war drama?
These students were in school and didn't even have TVs at home, so they weren't even the target audience.
Although the multipurpose classroom only had a TV, it couldn't significantly boost viewership. Still, this was happening in every city.
Even the college students who hadn't acted in the show wanted to watch this drama, which had become a hit before it even aired.
A drama that became a hit thanks to its extras was truly a unique case.
Finally, 9 PM arrived, and the detested *Big Dog and Little Dog* cartoon finally ended.
"Do elementary school kids really watch this garbage now? It's worse than our *Calabash Brothers*."
"See? Each generation is worse than the last, all thanks to these cartoons."
"I don't understand why this trash is airing during prime time, especially on CCTV-8. It belongs on the Children's Channel!"
"Everyone should post their complaints on Tieba! I'm sure the creators, like Big Fei, will see them."
"..."
On the TV, the exciting plot had begun.
The students burst into laughter as they watched Li Yunlong and Kong Jie haggling over supplies, the scene on the screen sending them into fits of mirth.
"As everyone knows, Li Yunlong's personal decisions carry the weight of the entire regimental party committee."
Just after haggling with Kong Jie, Li Yunlong received a call from the Brigade Commander that instantly reduced his cavalry battalion to a cavalry company.
"Early days of telemarketing scams, haha."
"What can you do? The power system in this TV show is set up that way: Li Yunlong is greater than the Jade Emperor, and the Brigade Commander is greater than Li Yunlong."
"Why didn't I realize how hilarious this was when I was watching it? Teacher Li's acting is just too good."
"Exactly! So down-to-earth. I even have a photo with Teacher Li on my phone."
"Holy shit, you lucky bastard! You took a picture with the regiment commander?"
"It was a Tianxun Video call. When are you guys gonna buy the rights to *Bright Sword*? I want to watch it in my dorm while stuffing my face with snacks."
"Right! And the best part is you can pause it. You can't pause it here—I can't even go to the bathroom!"
"Alright, everyone, pay attention! The third episode is about to end. Please form orderly lines for the bathroom..."
The student council came to enforce order, but the students had never been this enthusiastic even in class. Their fervor for watching the TV show rivaled their desperation during final exam review sessions when the teacher was outlining the syllabus.
***
Li Zhilin was sitting in his office watching television, with Guan Lu beside him.
He was in a foul mood that day, and Guan Lu didn't dare try to get close to him.
The next day, when the broadcast began, the ratings for *True Colors of the Anti-Japanese War* had already plummeted below 1%.
This was a result Li Zhilin hadn't anticipated. The previous day, he had watched *Bright Sword* and recognized it as a truly exceptional drama.
Even the first two episodes had been captivating, with a male lead whose character was particularly striking.
Yet even so, how could it have stolen so many of their viewers?
Yesterday's market share had been nearly 10%, and they had hoped to break double digits today.
But today's market share had plummeted to just 5%, with a rating of 0.8.
With these numbers, Li Zhilin couldn't even face the boss.
Although Capital City Television had purchased the broadcast rights outright, the opportunity to collaborate with President Zheng and enjoy such preferential treatment had been personally guaranteed by their boss.
With such dismal ratings, how could they even consider producing another season?
*True Colors of the Anti-Japanese War 3* was already in the planning stages, yet the second season's performance was so disastrous.
Now, they couldn't even find sponsors.
Guan Lu asked cautiously, "Zhilin, will this affect the show's revenue?"
Li Zhilin replied grimly, "This particular show won't be affected. The money has already gone to the boss."
"Our show primarily relies on sponsor money. The few hundred thousand per episode we get from the TV station is barely enough to cover the costs."
"But with this show performing so poorly, we'll be lucky to get a sequel."
If a film company produces such a terrible show and faces no competition in the market, they might even film a third and fourth installment, continuing until no one watches anymore.
The heavy upfront investment is meant to accelerate later returns.
But now, with this show's quality so poor, and the concurrent release of *Bright Sword*—a much superior work in the same genre—completely dominating the market, those investors won't blindly throw money at you just because you're Li Zhilin.
If this show doesn't bring them a good return, they won't invest a single cent in your next project.
"Looking at the long term, Big Fei's competition has cost us at least several hundred million."
Guan Lu's small mouth hung open, her eyes wide with astonishment.
"Big Fei is such a menace! Did he deliberately make this show to make things difficult for us, or was it just a coincidence?"
Li Zhilin said coldly, "I heard it was deliberate. Apparently, Channel 8 specifically hired Big Fei to compete with Channel 13."
Guan Lu said angrily, "I never thought that bastard would actually amount to anything."
When Big Fei was first kicked out of the band, they saw him as a pushover, someone anyone could easily bully.
Yet in just one year, he had grown to this extent.
He had at least established himself in the music industry and was now so close to CCTV that people were calling him CCTV's "favorite son"—a label that wasn't without reason.
Li Zhilin gritted his teeth, his jaw clenching with rage. "That bastard—I'll make him pay."
"He cost me money, so I'll cost him money."
"This cutthroat competition is ultimately a battle of financial strength. With that ragtag operation of his, how many rounds can Big Fei really last against me?"
"If this drama fails to make money, he won't be able to invest so heavily in his next project."
Although Big Fei's dramas aired on television and performed well, TV broadcast could only bring him fame; actual profit remained elusive.
He had merely ridden the coattails of his previous success with *Beginning*. This time, he aimed to achieve fame on television before partnering with the four major streaming platforms.
But Li Zhilin had already cut off his escape route.
Without the streaming platforms' revenue sharing and with no sponsors, the drama would be lucky to break even.
Li Zhilin's decision yesterday was absolutely the right move. To challenge him? Big Fei was still too small-time.
***
"Let me tell you, I can let you have your way most of the time. But when the guns start firing, the entire regiment has to listen to me!"
"Lao Zhao, why don't you dare pick a fight with the Brigade Commander?"
"Blind Cheng of the 772nd Regiment! He dared to compete with me for the main attack? The nerve!"
"Brigade Commander, thank you. Heh heh, thank you, Brigade Commander. I'm kneeling to you, Brigade Commander."
***
"Little Prince of Sayings, who says Lao Li isn't cultured? Kong Jie's scolding left him speechless."
"Lao Li is definitely the entrepreneurial type, able to bend and stretch as needed."
"He's got a mouth full of rhymes. Lao Li, are you studying for your master's?"
"His skill is one against two."
"My hands are clumsy when it comes to fighting, but I love spouting rhymes."
"Yamazaki stared at the sky full of grenades, lost in thought."
"This episode is legendary! I'm definitely following this show to the very end!"
"I saw myself! Did you see me? The Japanese soldier Kong Jie just stabbed was me!"
"Me too! I made an appearance too! I was chopped down by the monk's blade!"
"You're all too weak. I died by Commander Li Yunlong's gun!"
"Haha, your acting is too good! It doesn't feel like acting at all. I suggest investigating whether your ancestors had any Japanese blood!"
***
Capital City Television, Channel 8 office.
Chen Deming's eyes lit up as he stared at the data before him. "Xiao Huang, hiring you was a brilliant decision."
"This drama is going to be a miracle in the film and television industry!"
Huang Wei felt a tingling sensation on the back of her neck. When she saw the peak rating had reached 5, she was completely stunned.
This drama was truly miraculous. With a peak rating of 5 and a market share exceeding 20%, these terrifying numbers hadn't been seen in the industry for a decade.
Especially in the age of smartphones and short-form video, fewer and fewer people were watching traditional television.
Most people were scrolling through short videos or streaming on video platforms.
*Bright Sword*'s performance was nothing short of a miracle.
Huang Wei, having seen the drama, knew that the story was far from its climax. The current ratings and market share were still below their peak.
"President Chen, do you think *Bright Sword*'s rating could break 10?"
The current peak rating was already 5%. If the show reached its climax, a 10% rating wasn't impossible.
Chen Deming nodded, a faint smile playing on his lips.
"You don't need to flatter me. Rest assured, I'll make it happen. Tomorrow, *Bright Sword* will air at 8 PM!"
"Let's move the animated series to 6 PM."
6 PM was still a decent time slot for the animated series.
Tomorrow at 8 PM, *Bright Sword* will definitely create a miracle!
-----------------------
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