Youmei Video.
All the directors gathered in the conference room for a meeting, where Yan Chaoxu was the primary target of criticism.
Although the data for *Bright Sword* hadn't been officially released, some internal staff had already caught wind of the numbers.
When Youmei's vice president saw the figures, his face turned ashen.
He had also approved the agreement with Li Zhilin's company.
But he never imagined that *Bright Sword* would perform so explosively!
Yan Chaoxu had been reprimanded once before when *Beginning* went viral. Now, because of *Bright Sword*, he was once again publicly berated by his superiors in front of the entire unit.
*What kind of idiot would sign such an agreement with Li Zhilin?*
After the meeting, Yan Chaoxu sat in his office, furiously smoking a cigarette, his face dark with anger.
*This is so frustrating! The CEO knew about this all along. I was just relaying a message for Xiao Zhi Entertainment—how is this my fault?*
He admitted that failing to secure *Beginning* had indeed been his fault.
This time, not signing *Bright Sword* left him feeling quite wronged.
As an operations director, what real power did he have?
Yan Chaoxu stared at the bustling posts on the *Bright Sword* Tieba forum, his frustration mounting.
Who could have predicted that Big Fei's dramas would all be such massive hits?
While the previous series' clash with Li Zhilin's was manageable, this time both were completely identical in genre. Who could have imagined *True Colors of the Anti-Japanese War 2* would bomb so spectacularly while *Bright Sword* exploded?
The internet was flooded with viewer demands for *Bright Sword* to be released on all major platforms.
Many who missed it on TV were desperately searching for it on video sites, only to find none had secured the rights. If Youmei could snatch the exclusive rights now, their performance would undoubtedly exceed expectations—perhaps even completing a year's worth of targets with this single drama.
Yan Chaoxu created a burner Weibo account and went to Li Zhilin's page to vent his anger.
*Damn Li Zhilin! Even a good curse doesn't feel satisfying enough!*
***
**SooRabbit Video**
Ten people sat in the office.
While other companies held grand leadership meetings, SooRabbit's setup looked rather modest.
Ji Tienan, the CEO of SooRabbit, spoke with palpable excitement, "Everyone, we have an opportunity before us."
"You've all seen *Bright Sword*, right? In just two days, its viewership ratings have surpassed 5!"
"This is a number even CCTV has never achieved. In just four episodes, it has already created a ratings phenomenon."
"You're likely familiar with the production company behind this drama—Liangyin Media, Big Fei's company."
"Their previous hit, *Beginning*, was already a major industry miracle. Unfortunately, as a smaller platform, we missed the chance to collaborate with them."
"But this time, I've obtained exclusive insider information: the four major platforms—Tianxun, Youmei, Qiyi Fruit, and Mango—have all signed strategic cooperation agreements with Li Zhilin. They will not be purchasing the rights to *Bright Sword*."
"So, our opportunity has arrived."
"If we can secure the rights to *Bright Sword*, we won't have to worry about funding for the next year!"
"Whoever among you can negotiate the deal for *Bright Sword* will receive a 3% commission on the show's profits!"
Ji Tienan was giving them a powerful shot of adrenaline.
SooRabbit Video was a small, unremarkable company, struggling to survive under the dominance of the four major streaming platforms.
Getting the rights to popular dramas was nearly impossible, let alone exclusive deals. Any production company with connections would avoid signing with SooRabbit.
The four major platforms now focused on exclusive content, cutting off all other partnerships once a deal was struck.
SooRabbit was forced to stick to animation, targeting the children's market.
When Ji Tienan heard about this opportunity, he saw it as a godsend!
If they could secure the rights to *Bright Sword*, it might just be the boost SooRabbit Video needed to gain traction.
After Ji Tienan finished speaking, a woman raised her hand.
"President Ji, I'd like to try. I'm a big fan of Big Fei and I'm even in his fan group."
The woman pushed up her glasses, her voice a little hesitant.
Ji Tienan nodded. "You can try. All of you can go—may the best person win. Whoever signs Big Fei gets the commission."
The woman speaking was Lu Duoduo, a recent graduate who had joined the company not long ago.
On a larger platform, Lu Duoduo would have been just an ordinary salesperson. But at SooRabbit Video, she was already a team leader.
To be honest, Ji Tienan wasn't entirely confident in her ability to negotiate with Big Fei.
The group erupted in a lively discussion.
"Lu is too young and inexperienced. Big Fei has so many fans—you think you can sign him just because you're in his fan group? It's not that simple. Let me go."
"Exactly. Big Fei's company isn't a small one anymore. Even if their scale isn't huge, his popularity is undeniable. I should go."
"I'll try too. I'm really tempted by that commission."
"..."
Everyone was eager to take on the task. This wasn't a small sum of money; they all remembered the sales of *Beginning*. If it hadn't been taken down due to the lawsuit, that drama would have easily surpassed 100 million in sales.
Even a 1% commission would amount to a fortune!
Moreover, with a 3% commission this time, signing the deal would at least put them on the path to financial security, if not outright wealth.
The colleagues exchanged hostile glances, their competitive spirit ignited. This was no time for modesty; they had to fight for it.
Ji Tienan watched this scene with a satisfied nod.
*Under such a generous reward, there will always be brave souls.* Even if they earned a little less this time, they had to secure *Bright Sword* at all costs!
As soon as the meeting ended, Lu Duoduo immediately opened her phone and entered the QQ group.
She wasn't joking when she said she was a Big Fei fan. Not only was she a fan, but a long-time one at that. She had been a fan of Big Fei since his band days and remained an administrator in the fan group.
Opening the group chat, she contacted the group owner, 'Xiao Dengzi'.
"Group owner sister, I want to contact Big Fei. Do you have his contact information?"
***
Deng Siqing and Big Fei were lying in their hotel room watching TV after she finished recording a show.
She remembered Big Fei had tried to kiss her yesterday, but she'd been too engrossed in the show to notice his advances.
During a commercial break, Deng Siqing shyly said, "Big Fei, my mouth is a little dry."
Lin Chudong was startled. "I'll get you some water."
"No! You... come here!" Deng Siqing quickly interjected.
Lin Chudong leaned closer, still processing what was happening, when Deng Siqing suddenly wrapped her arms around his neck and planted a kiss that made his legs go weak and one grow stiff.
A few seconds later, a *ding* announced that Deng Siqing's phone had received a notification.
She broke the kiss and said, "Let me check my phone."
Lin Chudong was speechless. "Go ahead!"
*Which damn person had to interrupt at a time like this?!*
Deng Siqing opened her phone and froze when she saw a message from Lu Duoduo.
"Big Fei, look, this is the admin of your fan group."
"Huh? Why do I have a fan group I don't even know about?"
A smug expression crossed Deng Siqing's face. "Because I'm the group owner. I created it three years ago and usually organize activities in there."
Lin Chudong's mouth twitched. "My fan group holds activities without even inviting me?"
Deng Siqing rolled her eyes. "If I invited you, would you even come?"
"Well, probably not..."
"This is a disaster! Our whole thing is about not disturbing people."
Deng Siqing replied.
"I have Big Fei's contact information. What do you need him for?"
Of course, an artist's contact information couldn't be given out lightly, and the person didn't know that the famous group owner, Xiao Dengzi, was actually Deng Siqing, the "First Sister of CCTV."
When Lu Duoduo saw the message, she was ecstatic. She knew this mysterious group owner could reach Big Fei!
Although Liangyin Media's contact information was available on their official website, with the company's current popularity, contacting Big Fei's agent directly would leave her, a die-hard fan, with no advantage.
"It's like this, Group Owner Sister. I'm from SooRabbit Video. I want to talk to Brother Fei about a business partnership and was hoping you could pull some strings. I've been a fan for three years—I thought maybe being so close to you would give me an edge."
Deng Siqing held out her phone to Lin Chudong.
"Take a look. This is an administrator from the fan group. She's been here since the group was created—an old fan of yours."
Lin Chudong glanced at it and said, "SooRabbit Video? Get her phone number. I'll call her myself."
Deng Siqing nodded. After all, this was a genuine fan. If it were just a casual fan, she wouldn't have given it out so easily.
"Give me your phone. I'll talk to her... Hey! Don't look at my WeChat! Don't look at the chat history!"
***
"Send your number, and Big Fei will call you."
Lu Duoduo quickly grew excited and sent him her phone number.
Her face lit up with excitement. She never imagined that being a fan could actually help her career.
Before long, a Magic City phone number rang. Lu Duoduo pressed her hand to her chest and answered with a pounding heart.
"Hello..." Her voice trembled slightly. *This is Brother Fei! Even without business dealings, just being able to talk to Big Fei has been my dream.*
"Hello, this is Big Fei. May I ask your name?"
"Hello, Brother Fei! I'm Lu Duoduo, the content team leader at SooRabbit Video. I'd like to discuss the copyright issues for *Bright Sword*."
"Okay, add me on WeChat. Send me your company's profit-sharing details, and we can talk in detail."
"Of course, Brother Fei!"
After hanging up, Lu Duoduo's heart was pounding with excitement. *A real chance to negotiate!*
*This is it! The peak of my career!*
She added Big Fei on WeChat and casually glanced at the work group chat, which she had muted.
"Did anyone reach Liangyin Media?"
"We tried. The office line went unanswered—they're probably off for the day. No reply to the email either."
"It's too late now. We'll have to try again first thing tomorrow."
"Did you try asking for the agent's number? Does anyone have connections?"
"Our connections are all in the same industry. Who would tell us?"
"I heard Liangyin Media's agent is Big-Chested Sister, but I don't have her number."
"So you're all hoarding it? Send the number if you have it!"
"..."
Seeing the group's frantic state, Lu Duoduo smirked with satisfaction.
*You don't even follow Big Fei normally, and now you're scrambling at the last minute? Serves you right!*
***
Lin Chudong returned to his room and began discussing the matter with Lu Duoduo.
SooRabbit Video was very sincere, offering Big Fei the highest possible benefits and treatment, including the highest tier of revenue sharing for both membership and playback, matching Tianxun Video's top-tier standards.
However, SooRabbit Video itself had relatively low traffic, so even daily homepage promotion wasn't particularly valuable.
Lin Chudong replied, "The terms are acceptable, but there's one condition: no exclusivity. If you agree to this, we can sign the contract."
Without exclusivity, they could always add another distribution channel if they wanted.
Lu Duoduo hurried to President Ji Tienan's office.
"President Ji, I've secured the deal. Big Fei doesn't want to sign an exclusive contract, but he's willing to accept the other terms."
Ji Tienan froze in surprise. "You've secured the deal? So quickly?"
He hadn't had much hope for Lu Duoduo, but to his astonishment, she had been the first to close the deal!
Lu Duoduo nodded. "I spoke directly with Big Fei himself. He said if we agree, he can come sign the contract tomorrow."
"Then we can start broadcasting the episodes. The only catch is that our progress will be one day behind CCTV."
Ji Tienan slapped his thigh. "Sign it! All four major platforms have signed agreements with Li Zhilin, so they can't broadcast *Bright Sword*. If we secure it, what's the difference between that and exclusivity? Let's not waste any time. Agree to it quickly, and we'll head to Liangyin Media tomorrow."
"Understood, President Ji!"
Lu Duoduo hurried home from work. After getting ready, she lay in bed and checked the work group chat.
**Ji Tienan:** Don't worry about *Bright Sword* anymore. Lu Duoduo has already secured the broadcast rights. I'm leaving this to her.
"Holy shit, that was fast? Lu Duoduo, where did you get their contact?"
"I tried calling Liangyin Media, but they wouldn't answer."
"Lu Duoduo's got some serious connections! Hook us up, girl!"
"This calls for a celebratory dinner! I'm so jealous I can't sleep!"
"..."
Watching her colleagues' envious reactions, Lu Duoduo felt a smug satisfaction. She maintained her cool, ignoring their replies, and turned off her phone to sleep.
*Perfect.*
***
The next morning, Lu Duoduo arrived at Liangyin Media and waited for half a day.
Wang Zhi, the first to arrive,'s eyes lit up when he saw her.
"Hey, beautiful, are you here for a job interview?"
Lu Duoduo quickly replied, "No, I'm here to sign a contract with Brother Fei. I'm from SooRabbit Video."
Wang Zhi said, "Oh, you're here for a collaboration. You're a bit early. Have you had breakfast? We have a cafeteria upstairs."
Seeing such a pretty girl, Wang Zhi wanted to make a good impression. *Brother Fei's always got girls on his arm; I can't stay single forever, can I?*
"I've already eaten, thank you," she replied.
"I'm Wang Zhi, from the Cool Music Band..."
Lu Duoduo cut him off. "I know you. You're Brother Replay."
Wang Zhi's words caught in his throat, and his mouth twitched violently.
*She's going for the face!*
*Who even came up with the name "Brother Replay"? That's just too much!*
When they entered the company and saw the game department's office, Lu Duoduo was surprised.
"So this is the *Audition Online* development team? Impressive."
Wang Zhi puffed up with pride. "Of course. I drop by to offer guidance whenever I have time. Our company's games are really fun. You play? Give me your account, and I'll send you an exclusive skin."
"I don't play games," Lu Duoduo replied. "I just came to take a look."
"...Oh."
Lu Duoduo: "Brother Replay, you're the bassist, right?"
Wang Zhi: "Yep!"
Lu Duoduo: "Can you play 'Chengdu'?"
Wang Zhi: "Have a seat, miss. I've got work to do."
***
After signing the contract, Lu Duoduo returned to the company.
She was a little disappointed that she hadn't seen Big Fei that day.
Big Fei was currently on his way back from Yunnan, and the contract had been signed with Liang Yin.
Having already made the necessary arrangements, the signing process went smoothly. With Professor Zhang's supervision, there was no need to worry about the contract's terms.
Lu Duoduo obtained the film files and delivered them to the content team upon her return.
This time, she had received the uncensored version.
CCTV's censorship was quite strict, and some scenes had been cut. However, online platforms like SouTu Video allowed for slightly more leeway, so this version was considered the original cut.
Each episode was one to two minutes longer, which didn't significantly impact the overall plot, other than adding more graphic war scenes.
Even so, SouTu Video could use this to their advantage in their marketing.
Bright Sword Uncensored Version - Now Streaming on SouTu Video!
After CCTV broadcast three or four episodes of *Bright Sword* during the day, SouTu Video immediately released four episodes.
Lu Duoduo sat in her office, constantly refreshing the backend data. Although the numbers wouldn't be truly meaningful for at least three hours, she kept checking anyway, too impatient to wait.
***
"Finally, *Bright Sword* is available to watch! I missed the second episode the day before yesterday, I'm dying to see it!"
"Last time, my brother insisted on watching *True Colors of the Anti-Japanese War*, and I missed the first two episodes."
"You can always have another brother, but *Bright Sword* will only air once."
"My brother's already been beaten up, now I can finally watch it online."
"Anyone got a SouTu Video premium membership? Please share!"
"Just buy it yourself! Isn't *Bright Sword* worth thirty yuan?"
"SouTu Video must be related to Big Fei. How could such a badass show end up on SouTu?"
"..."
*Youmei Video*
Yan Chaoxu sat in his office and saw the news that SouTu Video was streaming *Bright Sword*. His teeth itched with jealousy.
*How could SouTu snatch such a good show?*
*What kind of company is SouTu?*
*A company on the brink of bankruptcy, trying to make a comeback with *Bright Sword*?*
Yan Chaoxu went to the vice president's office and said, "Boss, what if we break the contract?"
The vice president frowned. "Breach of contract? The penalty would be tens of millions. Are you prepared to cover that?"
Yan Chaoxu replied, "Tens of millions isn't unaffordable. Last time, *Beginning* brought Tianxun Video over a hundred million in profit. *Bright Sword* will definitely perform even better."
"But *Beginning* was an exclusive deal," the vice president countered. "*Bright Sword* has already aired on television and is now available on SouTu Video. Buying it again might not yield the same results. Tens of millions in costs, plus alienating Xiao Zhi Entertainment—it's not a worthwhile investment."
Yan Chaoxu sighed. The vice president had valid points.
If it were still an exclusive deal, breaching the contract might have been worth considering.
But now, *Bright Sword* is available everywhere. It's free on TV, and even faster than your platform. Who would pay for a membership?
A sense of helplessness washed over Yan Chaoxu. He felt like he'd missed another hit, and a wave of frustration surged through him.
***
Tianxun Video.
Mei Xinghe had also received the news and obtained the TV station's data. He was now filled with regret.
He quickly called Huang Wei.
"Xiao Huang, how are things at CCTV? Is everything going smoothly with your work?"
Huang Wei had no patience for pleasantries. "Get straight to the point."
Even when they had worked together at the same company, Huang Wei had never been one to coddle him, even when he was her superior. Now that she was at CCTV, she had even less reason to be polite.
Huang Wei had left Tianxun Video precisely because Mei Xinghe had made her life miserable.
Mei Xinghe's face flushed with embarrassment, but since the call was audio-only, she couldn't see it. He forced himself to remain calm and said, "Xiao Huang, this is your old company, and I was your former leader. Could you help me negotiate with Big Fei? I want exclusive online rights."
Huang Wei was taken aback. "SouTu Video has already started streaming the show. Didn't you see?"
"I saw it," Mei Xinghe replied, "but Big Fei could breach the contract. We'll pay the penalty."
This time, Mei Xinghe was determined. The contract with Xiao Zhi Entertainment carried a hefty penalty. If he also had to pay Big Fei's penalty, the total cost would easily exceed a hundred million yuan.
Big Fei's production budget wasn't even this high. For a video platform to dare invest so much money, it shows they truly saw the potential of *Bright Sword*.
Huang Wei said, "You're overthinking it. Big Fei won't break his contract for you."
"Although I've left Tianxun, I still have some affection for the place. Let me give you an idea."
"After the TV broadcast ends, approach Big Fei about buying the rights outright. Give him a lump sum, and you'll be responsible for all subsequent profits and losses. That might still have a chance."
"Alright, I'm hanging up now."
After hanging up, Mei Xinghe frowned deeply.
*Buying the rights outright?*
Tianxun Video did offer buyout options, but they were always exclusive and the prices were low—otherwise, they'd lose money.
The TV stations were likely paying Big Fei over a million per episode. For thirty episodes, that's thirty million. Add the penalty to Xiao Zhi Entertainment, and the total cost would be a hundred million.
Mei Xinghe shook his head. *This is absurd. Spending a hundred million on a non-exclusive, non-premiere broadcast? It's bound to lose money.*
Not only would they lose money, but they wouldn't even gain any publicity.
This was a losing proposition. Let SouTu handle it themselves.
He didn't believe that a struggling platform like SouTu could possibly turn things around with *Bright Sword*.
***
While *Bright Sword* was soaring in popularity, Zhang Yiran's new song had already been out for three days.
This time, she was aiming for the top spot on the hot song charts. Despite her company's intensive promotion and chart-boosting efforts over the past three days, the song had only reached third place.
The new track, "Sisterhood," had been a major investment for Zhang Yiran. She had hired top songwriters and considered it her flagship song of the year.
Yet even with such meticulous planning and resources, she had been overshadowed.
No, she had been overshadowed by two songs.
First was Big Fei's "Friends," which he had performed on *Longing For*.
Second was Yang Han's "Dear, That's Not Love."
Both songs were immensely popular, especially Big Fei's "Friends."
After its performance on the variety show, its popularity had skyrocketed. Even with Zhang Yiran mobilizing her fans to spend money on tips and boost the charts, she couldn't surpass it.
It wasn't enough that Big Fei had crushed her in the variety show's ratings; he was crushing her song too?
After losing to him on *King of Singers* all those years ago, was she doomed to be forever outmatched?
Had her years as a diva been for nothing?
-----------------------
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