Chapter 121: Rivalries and Repercussions

Yang Yuan felt that Wan Shan’s sudden decision to air Wulin Wai Chuan at this moment was a direct challenge, so he used his influence to pull in the Director Association.

Thus,

the Director Association had one of its vice presidents subtly hint at the production chiefs of various TV stations. Who would have thought that Director Han from Yan City TV was such a hothead?

He exploded on the spot!

According to insiders at Yan City TV, they had been wavering about partnering with Haofang Culture, but this incident pushed them into immediately signing a full-scale cooperation deal with the company.

And that set off the internal outcry that followed!

They even mentioned a specific trigger,

which left Liu Qing feeling an indescribable grievance—Tianchen Culture had really suffered an unwarranted misfortune this time.

“Wan Shan and the Director Association have been spoiled by those attention-seeking actors. Do they really think everyone will line up for them? TV stations aren’t here to stroke their egos!”

Piecing together what had happened, Yang Yuan couldn’t find the words to describe his current mood.

“It’s mainly because several vice presidents in the Director Association hold positions in state-run art troupes. They wouldn’t easily smooth things over with Yan City TV,”

Liu Qing added with a sigh.

Nowadays many in the Director Association are veteran directors who haven’t shot a film in years, yet their status and influence have only grown.

So, they never worry about their ties with TV stations.

Even when they occasionally have to shoot a few tribute films, ratings and broadcast platforms are of little concern.

Their presence only fuels the arrogance of many directors. The culture of seniority disputes within the association has given birth to the so-called “unspoken rules of TV drama launches.”

“Sure, several vice presidents in the Director Association have state affiliations, but what about Wan Shan? He’s just a moderately well-known comedy director—does he really think no one would dare mess with him?”

Yang Yuan was truly at a loss for words.

Yan City TV had nothing they could do about those vice presidents, so why couldn’t they handle Wan Shan? The most exasperating part was that

Tianchen Culture now found itself caught in the middle—neither here nor there.

“Yang, what are we going to do now?”

After a long silence,

Liu Qing whispered.

In this situation, nothing seems right. If we try to explain to Yan City TV, we’ll definitely offend the Director Association. Yan City TV can risk it, but Tianchen Culture simply cannot.

“What can we do? For now, we have no choice but to grit our teeth and push ahead with airing Chef Detective. Once the show wraps, we can figure out how to explain things to Yan City TV.”

Yang Yuan leaned back in his chair and rubbed his brow wearily.

Even if Tianchen Culture’s board is filled with top capitalists, even they have to bow before a powerful system—and besides, he was just working for them.

Avoiding offenses is the best outcome!

“Alright, I’ll inform the team to act as if nothing happened!”

He took a deep breath,

and Liu Qing couldn’t help but murmur.

On the way over, he’d already guessed that Yang Yuan would take this stance; the matter had escalated beyond their reach. Even top-tier professional managers would have made the same decision.

“Mm!”

In front of Hongsha Gang Village 256, Oasis 2, and Tingchao Pavilion in Mingsha County, a crisp click marked the official wrap of today’s shoot.

“Haozi, I’m off to fetch the outdoor scenes tomorrow!”

Fang Hou stepped up to Xu Hao and said,

“Alright, but make sure to wrap up the outdoor shoots quickly. Our time is running out!”

He then stood up,

and while gathering his things, Xu Hao casually remarked,

“We just finished filming the pivotal scene where Jianjiu Huang subdues the Old Lake Demon. Aside from that, every scene involving Tingchao Pavilion is done.”

Next up are the outdoor scenes! As soon as we complete the sequences in Wudi City, the entire series will be finished.

“No problem! The locations for Longhu Mountain, Wudang Mountain, and the reed marsh ambush have already been arranged. We can shoot them immediately!”

Fang Hou nodded in agreement.

Lately, Xu Hao had been briefing him daily about the outdoor scenes—down to the smallest detail marked on the script. Finishing the shoot in a short span shouldn’t be a problem.

Most importantly, he’d brought along a formidable martial arts director he met during his early days on set, ensuring that the fight scenes would be spectacular.

“Great, then tomorrow I’ll set aside some time to build the Lu Family’s Outer Temple scene in Wudi City. You should be just in time when you get back!”

Xu Hao glanced toward Wudi City.

Oasis 2 was already taking shape, even seeming to outshine Oasis 1’s Tengwang Pavilion and Qixia Town in overall grandeur.

“Mm!”

“By the way, Haozi, over the past couple of days, Yan City TV and the Director Association have been in a frenzy over our drama. Several media outlets even called to ask what’s going on, looking for an interview.

Do you think we should release a statement in support of Yan City TV? They did us a huge favor this time.”

As they walked and talked, Fang Hou suddenly added,

“A statement? No need! As long as we finish the show flawlessly, the ratings after the premiere will be the best retort to the Director Association.”

Xu Hao frowned and immediately shook his head.

Though he was busy every day, he hadn’t entirely lost touch with the outside world—Han Xiaoqing had already called to update him on the fallout from Yan City TV’s announcement.

To him, neither Wan Shan nor the Director Association mattered. When it came to comedy, there are so many great films that could effortlessly outdo Wan Shan. Once the Cultural Tourism Festival is over, Wan Shan’s glory days will be behind him.

As for those vice presidents with official ties in the Director Association? Xu Hao couldn’t care less!

Not to mention, his own status was already high. Once the poverty alleviation project wraps up, he’ll officially be recognized as a Senior Ancient Architecture Researcher, opening even more doors.

Why should we fear them using their positions to find fault with Haofang Culture?

“Alright, I’ll do everything I can to capture every detail you mentioned!”

After a moment’s thought, Fang Hou nodded and said,

“Mm!”

As tides rise and fall and the winds of change blow, the feud between Yan City TV and the Director Association was soon overshadowed by newer hot topics. However, one thing was clear: interest in Mingsha County’s Cultural Tourism Festival was only growing.

And rightly so.

The 80-episode series Wulin Wai Chuan was still in reruns!

As long as Wulin Wai Chuan continued to air, audiences and the public would know that in Su Province, Wei City, and Mingsha County there was a scenic area featuring Qixia Town, with Tongfu Inn at its heart.

For drama fans who’d never had the chance to visit Tongfu Inn, the festival was an irresistible lure!

After all, everyone knew that during the festival, Qixia Town would definitely open its doors to the public.

From August 30 to September 1 and September 10, before you knew it, it was already September 20—leaving less than a month until Su Province’s Tourism Festival, yet there was still no word on Qixia Town’s official opening.

Thus,

many people grew anxious. When netizens couldn’t get the answers they wanted on Mingsha Tourism’s official Weibo, they started leaving comments on the Su Province Tourism Festival’s website.

At 9 a.m.,

Peng Yuan, the top official at the Su Province Tourism Bureau, had just entered his office when a staff member knocked and stepped in.

“Director, our website is about to crash. Netizens are asking when Qixia Town in Mingsha County will open. Many have even booked tickets to Su Province—if it doesn’t open, isn’t that consumer fraud?”

At that moment,

the staff member’s face was etched with nothing but helplessness.

He had worked at the Tourism Bureau for over ten years and had never seen so many people so fixated on a Su Province scenic spot—or, rather, a guesthouse.

“When will it open? It will be open soon! Just tell them to follow Mingsha Tourism’s official Weibo for updates.”

Peng Yuan leaned back in his chair, rubbing his brow wearily.

On his way here, he had called the relevant officials in Mingsha County, who assured him that everything was proceeding as planned. There would be no delay for the Tourism Festival, but the guesthouse’s official opening still required further discussion with Mingsha Tourism.

In short,

they said something, though it felt like nothing was really said.

To be honest, Peng Yuan had been completely drained these past few days. All he could think about was regretting his choice of Mingsha County for this pilot Tourism Festival!

The original plan was for Mingsha County’s festival to set the standard so high that Su Province’s own festival would gradually fade into obscurity. Instead, Mingsha Tourism, backed by a two-million-yuan fiscal subsidy, managed to generate ever-increasing buzz—first a hit ancient costume comedy put Mingsha County on the map,

followed by Haofang Culture’s maneuvers that completely sidelined the Su Province Cultural Tourism Festival. This festival’s momentum now far surpassed any previous Su Province event.

It could even be said to outshine any Tourism Festival in the Long Kingdom.

And that wasn’t all.

A few days ago, a senior official from the Long Kingdom Tourism Department called to offer support for developing impoverished western counties and to personally endorse this festival.

When Peng Yuan received the call, he was utterly stunned.

During the first Su Province Tourism Festival, they had invited a senior official from the Long Kingdom Tourism Department, but he had declined, citing other commitments.

This time, they hadn’t even bothered inviting him—and yet he called on his own! How could that not astonish him?

The facts proved that

Mingsha County’s situation was far more complex than anyone had imagined. Initially, he was only supposed to travel over to give a brief speech at the opening, but now, even top provincial leaders were expected to attend.

With such treatment,

even Su Province’s renowned scenic spots didn’t receive such honors.

What frustrated Peng Yuan even more was that

in recent days, whenever leaders who had once doubted his choice as the festival’s host caught sight of him, they’d give him a thumbs-up and say that selecting Mingsha County was the wisest decision—so farsighted, so admirable!

Faced with such praise, he could only smile in return. But deep down, he thought that had he known Mingsha County would pull this off, he would have never allowed them to host the festival.

That was that.

Once Mingsha County wraps up this festival, how will they manage the next Su Province Tourism Festival? Can any other scenic spot in Su Province generate such buzz? Even with a huge budget, they’d hardly reach this level.

Mingsha County has unwittingly elevated the festival to new heights—who can possibly live up to that? If not, the next Su Province Tourism Festival is destined to become a farce.