Chapter 116: Tangled Loyalties in the Media Game

Haishi – Tianchen Culture

Yang Yuan leaned back in his chair, his eyes fixed unblinkingly on the computer screen where ‘Wulin Wai Chuan’ was playing.

After what felt like an eternity,

Yang Yuan finally straightened up, irritably shutting off the computer and casually lighting a cigar.

“Have you figured it all out?”

“Boss Yang, we’ve confirmed that Haofang Culture is deeply linked to Xu Hao!”

Liu Qing, seated across the desk, said bitterly.

If anyone is hit hardest by the sudden breakout success of ‘Wulin Wai Chuan,’ it’s undoubtedly their Tianchen Culture.

Before that,

their series ‘Chef Tan Hualang’ was meant to be a period light comedy, but now a similar high-profile drama has emerged. Once ‘Chef Tan Hualang’ airs, the audience will inevitably compare.

If it matches the quality of ‘Wulin Wai Chuan,’ it might pass, but if not, it won’t just ruin Tianchen Culture’s reputation—it could also topple the careers of the director and its two top actors.

In short, ‘Wulin Wai Chuan’ has put Tianchen Culture and its creative team in a no-win situation.

“Explain yourself!”

Yang Yuan rubbed his temples in frustration.

“Boss Yang, the legal representative of Haofang Culture—and the director of this drama—is Fang Hou. On the surface, he seems unrelated to Xu Hao, but I dug a little deeper: Fang Hou was Xu Hao’s college classmate!”

Moreover, this drama was filmed in Qixia Town, Xu Hao’s very own turf. Saying they’re completely unconnected is nearly impossible.

I even suspect that Fang Hou is just a figurehead; Xu Hao is the true mastermind behind it.

Liu Qing quickly relayed his findings.

“So are you saying Xu Hao deliberately orchestrated this drama to target us?”

Yang Yuan clenched his fist, only to slowly relax it moments later.

“Ninety percent sure!”

Liu Qing nodded with a bitter smile.

“At the time, our streamer Zhang Chi kept mocking Xu Hao live, suggesting that without a TV drama backing him up, maybe Xu Hao cared too much about his image.”

“Tell me, why did we ever mess with this kid?”

After a long pause,

Yang Yuan slammed the cigar butt into the ashtray.

Ever since taking over Tianchen Culture, every encounter with Xu Hao has left us at a disadvantage.

Our desert architecture project was completely wrecked by Mingsha Tourism, and now they’ve been steadily expanding their territory in the desert, soon to overtake Ning’an Cultural Tourism.

We barely managed to save face with our period drama, yet before it even aired, Xu Hao churned out another miracle drama that’s smashing ratings and reviews.

At this point, he was utterly exhausted—no longer willing or able to keep battling Xu Hao. Who knows what disastrous move Xu Hao might pull next to wipe out Tianchen Culture.

“Boss Yang, can I speak frankly?”

After a moment of silence, Liu Qing whispered hesitantly.

“Go ahead!”

Yang Yuan waved his hand weakly in dismissal.

“Boss Yang, I have a feeling Haofang Culture is even scarier than Mingsha Tourism. With ‘Wulin Wai Chuan’ blazing, the actors got their own Weibo accounts, and their fan numbers skyrocketed. Their official accounts all list them as Haofang Culture talents—this group alone is a considerable asset!”

Their subsequent appearances in events and ads promise significant revenue for Haofang Culture.

Rumor has it that Haofang Culture is already prepping a second drama.

If that second drama succeeds, Haofang Culture will undoubtedly soar to become one of Long Kingdom’s leading film production companies.

“A second drama?”

Yang Yuan leaned forward.

“Yeah, they say it’s meant to boost the credibility of their ancient buildings over there!”

“Back it up? One episode of ‘Wulin Wai Chuan’ isn’t enough? The internet is buzzing about heading to Qixia Town—does Xu Hao think he’s never satisfied?”

Yang Yuan glared sharply.

He would surely milk the ‘Wulin Wai Chuan’ hype for maximum profit before moving on.

Because shooting dramas is like a lottery—no one can guarantee the next hit.

“I heard that Mingsha County will host this year’s Su Province Cultural Tourism Festival, and Xu Hao seems to be taking it very seriously—even the desert guesthouses aren’t available for bookings.”

As expected, Xu Hao is likely leveraging the new drama to promote his new ancient building project.

Liu Qing smirked.

Now I really can’t bring myself to check on Mingsha Tourism—it only makes my heart sink further.

Compared to Mingsha Tourism, Ning’an Cultural Tourism and our Ancient Building Courtyard look like clowns—the gap is widening.

If the festival goes off without a hitch, who’ll want to visit Ning’an County after that?

“New ancient building, new ancient building—what has he cooked up this time?”

“That’s still unclear! Tourists can’t get in, and no short videos are circulating. But knowing Xu Hao, his new ancient building project won’t be any worse than Tengwang Pavilion or Qixia Town.”

From the drama registration info, Haofang Culture’s new series is titled ‘Snowy Blade Chronicles’ and is set to be a period wuxia drama.

Liu Qing shook his head.

Not only is he anxious, but even viewers eager to visit Mingsha County at night are frustrated—entry is impossible.

However, once word of Haofang Culture’s new project spreads, some doubt its quality, arguing they’re too eager to cash in on current hype. The announced cast is full of unknown newcomers, rushed into production.

“Cash in on the hype? Xu Hao is the kind of guy you want to mess with! If he dares to pull this off, he’s got all the confidence he needs.”

Yang Yuan rubbed his temples again.

Others might not know Xu Hao, but how could he not?

“I agree—Xu Hao’s moves are never that simple.”

“Enough. If we keep fighting, we’ll only bring more trouble upon ourselves. Let’s lie low until Xu Hao’s new drama airs, then reschedule our ‘Chef Tan Hualang’ with the TV station. We must dodge this ‘Wulin Wai Chuan’ hype no matter what.”

A long silence followed.

Yang Yuan wiped his face, mustering his strength as he spoke.

He’s backed down!

Truly, he’s given up—no longer willing or daring to battle Haofang Culture and Mingsha Tourism over traffic and visitors.

“Alright, Boss Yang. I’ll notify them right away.”

“Also, tell Zhang Chi who’s live not to mention Xu Hao anymore. And call Ziyun Live Stream Guild—tell them their anchors must refrain from criticizing Xu Hao, or else those top streamers may be in trouble.”

Just as Liu Qing turned to leave, Yang Yuan added one more reminder.

“Yes!”

Little did they know, just as Yang Yuan had completely backed down, someone else was showing extreme displeasure.

Ning’an County – Ancient Building Courtyard

Wan Shan, the director of ‘Chef Tan Hualang,’ squinted at a data sheet almost to the point of a slit.

“Terrible market! This is a prime example of a bad situation!”

After saying that,

he hurled the data sheet onto the nearby camera equipment case.