Chapter 113: High Stakes and New Projects

The moon set and the sun rose. Even in August, Mingsha County’s temperatures remained scorching, yet that didn’t stop Mingsha Tourism’s construction projects from running 24/7.

Creak!

Fang Hou squinted as he opened the window.

These past few days, he’d been fully immersed in launching a new project—securing funding, casting actors, and a slew of other tasks. He was utterly overwhelmed.

Busy as he was, Haofang Culture still faced countless ongoing challenges that needed solutions.

“What are we going to do?”

After some thought, Fang Hou finished his morning routine and walked to the nearby guesthouse to knock on Xu Hao’s door.

“Haozi, are you up?”

“The door’s unlocked!”

Xu Hao’s voice quickly responded from inside.

When Fang Hou entered, he found Xu Hao already done with his morning routine, busy organizing blueprints and related tools.

“You’re up so early?”

Fang Hou himself went to make a cup of hot water.

“No choice. The Tingchao Pavilion project is at a critical stage—we’re setting up the main beam today!”

Xu Hao replied offhand, “What’s the rush this morning?”

The production of Wulin Wai Chuan had been fully handed over to Fang Hou. Two days ago, he had selected some actors from the Mingsha County Troupe, and with a few contracted earlier, the cast was nearly complete.

Once the project proposal was approved, Wulin Wai Chuan could officially start filming.

“Haozi, I came by today to discuss a loan,” Fang Hou said hesitantly.

After a brief pause, he continued.

“A loan?”

Xu Hao was momentarily stunned.

“Yeah. The two million needed for filming Wulin Wai Chuan has already been spent. Without a loan, our new project is in serious jeopardy.”

Fang Hou took a deep breath.

Although part of the lead cast came from the County Troupe and Mingsha County offered its support—with the troupe members being in the system so extra fees weren’t required—there were still standard subsidies to cover. Otherwise, who would ever help out again?

Moreover, the series involved multiple locations. The desert scenes were endless, and shooting on location was no small expense.

Haofang Culture’s accounts were dry. The company’s finances were completely separate from Mingsha Tourism’s, and even the cost of housing actors in Qixia Town was strictly calculated. As a result, they couldn’t and wouldn’t dip into Mingsha Tourism’s funds.

“We’re broke. Oh man, my brain’s like a monkey today. And you might have to head to Yan City again,” Xu Hao remarked.

Understanding Fang Hou’s intent, Xu Hao patted his head in realization and hurriedly asked,

“Go to Yan City? For what?”

“Last night, the director at Yan City TV called saying he wanted to buy the exclusive satellite broadcasting rights to our Wulin Wai Chuan—two million per episode, if I remember correctly. This series has about eighty episodes!

And then it hit me: Haofang Culture is in desperate need of cash, so let’s sell! Besides, we still have streaming rights with a video platform lined up.”

Xu Hao explained.

“What? Two million per episode? But didn’t we sign a revenue-sharing agreement with Yan City TV? Without any extra ad income, we wouldn’t actually profit.”

Fang Hou sprang to his feet abruptly, his eyes nearly popping out in shock.

“Yesterday, Director Han mentioned our ratings were solid and that they wanted to buy the exclusive rights outright!”

Xu Hao nodded in agreement.

In truth, Xu Hao was also surprised that on the first day Wulin Wai Chuan aired, Yan City TV was already eyeing exclusive rights. Although the series was a hit on Earth, he wasn’t confident it would catch on here in Lanstarr.

So he had taken a cautious stance, not pinning too much hope on the ratings.

Now, it seemed that the tastes of Lanstarr’s viewers were not so different from those on Earth.

“The ratings are good, but—they were aired in the wee hours. What are the actual numbers?”

Fang Hou started rambling, almost losing his train of thought.

Like Xu Hao, he hadn’t pinned his hopes too high on Wulin Wai Chuan. For a new company, just getting a series on Yan City’s satellite TV was a success. They hoped to build their credibility and secure better projects down the line—so last night, after a quick glance at the broadcast, he went straight to bed without following up.

Unexpectedly, Director Han hadn’t given specifics about the ratings. He implied they wouldn’t be low, after all—a two million offer per episode wouldn’t come if they were terrible!

Xu Hao shook his head.

“Alright then. I’ll book a flight right away! With eighty episodes at two million each, we’ll have enough funds to pull in top-tier talent—even A-list stars.”

Snapping back to the moment,

Fang Hou rubbed his hands together in excitement.

“Yeah, do what you think is best.”

Ding-dong. Just as Fang Hou was about to add something, the phone rang suddenly.

He checked the caller ID—an unknown number.

After a moment’s thought, Fang Hou signaled to Xu Hao and answered the call.

“Hello, may I speak with Mr. Fang? This is the Operations Director from Qixiong Video. I’d like to discuss something with you.”

A middle-aged man’s voice echoed from the phone.

In the internet age, information travels at lightning speed.

In the following days,

following the official signing of the exclusive contract between Yan City TV and Haofang Culture, Yan City TV shifted the airing of Wulin Wai Chuan to prime time—igniting a meteoric rise in its popularity.

There was nothing else to it.

Wulin Wai Chuan proved not to be a show that started strong and then fizzled out; it was a high-energy series that left viewers craving another watch.

Aside from soaring ratings, it amassed an enormous fanbase and sparked widespread debate. The social media accounts of its lead and supporting actors also saw their follower counts skyrocket. Qixia Town in Mingsha County even became a hot spot on screen.

Not only did audiences from other provinces notice, but viewers from Su Province itself were astonished that such a brilliant historical sitcom was filmed in the newly built Qixia Town of Mingsha County.

It was the power of popular demand.

Overnight, Qixia Town and Tongfu Inn became two of the hottest destinations, rivaling even the wooden Tengwang Pavilion in terms of tourism appeal.

No—its fame had already eclipsed most of Su Province’s attractions.

Anyone who loved or had seen Wulin Wai Chuan couldn’t help but mention, “When you get the chance, you have to visit Qixia Town and Tongfu Inn.”

As a result,

Mingsha Tourism’s support hotline was bombarded with calls, and its official social media followers skyrocketed by one million in just a few days—a testament to its overwhelming success.

Su Province, the provincial capital, Lanshi,

and in the office of Su Province TV’s director, a man in his fifties studied the ratings report and couldn’t help but hammer his desk in frustration.

The man’s name was Zhang Ping,

the director of Su Province TV.

“How did we miss out on this series? It was shot right here in our province, and both Old Dong and Lao Feng had personally recommended it to me!”

Zhang Ping felt as if his very home had been stolen from him.

“Boss, maybe back then the leaders didn’t explain clearly. They only mentioned it was a way to promote the new Qixia Town in Mingsha County. Had they elaborated further, this series might have made it onto our channel.”

Across the desk stood another middle-aged man, whose embarrassed expression made him look even more awkward than Zhang Ping.

“Guys, it was originally scheduled to air at noon today but was abruptly postponed to the early hours of the first. A midnight mega-launch to showcase a massive production.”