Chapter 129: Intrigue, Innovation, and Ratings

“A political intrigue drama? That’s fantastic! In a couple of days, I’ll have our team from the station come over to discuss an agreement with Haofang Culture. Each episode’s price will definitely be set at the top market standard.”

Upon hearing this, Han Lijun grinned. He never imagined his offhand suggestion would win such immediate approval from Xu Hao.

“Uncle Han, there’s no need to rush the contract. We’ll have our people handle it once our preparations begin – which could very well be after the New Year.”

Xu Hao was momentarily stunned and quickly interjected.

“After the New Year?”

Han Lijun looked surprised. Earlier, Xu Hao had mentioned kicking off after the Cultural Tourism Festival, so he assumed this drama would be handled like ‘Snowbound’ – filmed and aired in a rush. He hadn’t expected a delay.

“Well, it’s already October. Over at Mingsha Tourism, they must ramp up efforts on the grass lattice projects, or this winter will be a real struggle.”

At the mention of greening, Xu Hao’s expression turned notably grave.

With winter fast approaching,

the guesthouses would face even more challenges. Winter days won’t be as comfortable as summer ones, with issues like heating and sandstorms looming.

“On my travels, I’ve noticed that Qing Brick Avenue, Qixia Town, and Wudi City have all done an impressive job with greening,”

asked Han Lijun, unable to hold back his curiosity.

Standing outside the city gate, one could still see the exposed yellow sand, but once inside, it felt like entering an authentic ancient city, filled with historical architecture and lush lawns and trees.

“Uncle Han, what you don’t know is that those lawns were established using the eco-spraying technique recommended by Xiaoqing – though it’s only been applied around one or two Shadou areas near these buildings,”

Xu Hao explained. “Beyond those Shadou areas, it’s nothing but yellow sand!”

Xu Hao continued, “Don’t be fooled by the rise of Oasis 1 and Oasis 2. Even though it takes tourists at least a day to move around, the actual built-up area is very limited. Out of a 2,500 square kilometer zone, Oasis 1 and Oasis 2 together only cover about 3 to 4 square kilometers.”

“If that’s the case, we really need to invest heavily in the grass lattice projects. Otherwise, a sandstorm in the northwest desert could bury those expensive, eco-sprayed lawns in an instant.”

Han Lijun nodded in acknowledgment.

Clearly, he understood well just how fierce the winter sandstorms in the northwest desert could be.

“So this grass lattice project will be huge. We need to cover at least a 10-kilometer radius around each guesthouse. This way, even if a sandstorm hits, the areas immediately surrounding the guesthouses won’t be at risk.”

Xu Hao nodded in agreement.

“A 10-kilometer radius? That’s no small feat.”

Han Xiaoqing couldn’t help but glance toward the main hall.

“We just have to get through this winter. Plus, heating is another major undertaking,”

she remarked.

“Heating? What are you going to do – use air conditioners?”

“Air conditioners might work in the south, but in the northwest desert they’re useless. We plan to install water-based heating instead. At present, aside from the guesthouses at Oasis 1 and Tengwang Pavilion, which haven’t been pre-equipped with water heating pipes, all buildings along Qixia Town, Wudi City, and both sides of Qing Brick Avenue have them.”

Xu Hao sighed. “We thought of this problem when building Guesthouse One, but back then, we had neither the funds nor the manpower, so we had to make do.”

“With water-based heating, do we need to set up a heating station?”

Han Xiaoqing paused to think before replying,

“Not at all. Mingsha Tourism has already built a waste incineration plant in the northeast corner of the area. They plan to use its electricity to heat water.”

“Besides, adding a few large chimneys to the area would really spoil the tourist experience.”

Xu Hao shook his head,

“That’s a relief. By the way, has Mingsha Tourism registered in the carbon trading market yet?”

“Carbon trading market?”

Xu Hao paused, then looked toward Han Xiaoqing.

“Yes, as part of the carbon neutrality plan. A company like Mingsha Tourism, which not only plants trees in the desert but also generates power from waste, will have remarkably high carbon reduction figures. They can sell these credits to high-emission enterprises.”

“Several southern provinces have already implemented such measures. Although the northwest hasn’t mandated it yet, that’s likely to change soon – possibly by the end of this year or early next year.”

“In any case, early registration is beneficial. The sooner companies register, the more cumulative credits they can gather.”

“Really?”

“Absolutely. Every enterprise has an emission quota. Exceed it, and they must purchase credits from others. Initiatives like tree planting, hydropower, wind power, or clean waste incineration all count toward reducing emissions.”

“So how do they monitor the emissions?”

“It’s simple. Once registered, every enterprise will install sensors all around their premises to track CO2 emissions in real time.”

“Oh!”

Tides ebb and flow,

and before anyone knew it, it was October 11. Tourists eager to visit Qixia Town, along with other viewers, hardly cared about how the winter would be in Qixia Town or what a sandstorm might do to it.

These days, most online chatter focused on the rivalry between Yan City TV and Eggplant TV.

Over the last three days, whenever Yan City TV or Eggplant TV had even a brief break, they ran ads for their new dramas. Their aggressive promotion was impossible to ignore – even casual passersby couldn’t help but notice – overshadowing even the buzz of the Su Province Tourism Festival.

Debates raged online over who would ultimately triumph.

Some believed that Haofang Culture, capable of creating masterpieces like Wulin Wai Chuan, would deliver top-notch quality and perfectly timed releases.

Others argued that Tianchen Culture’s comedy films, backed by a renowned director and two top stars, would soar in ratings.

In short…

everyone had their two cents.

How is all this buzz generated?

By clashing opinions and heated debates!

By 7:50 PM, many viewers had already settled in front of their TVs with small stools. Since streaming platforms generally don’t offer premieres on the same day, the TV was the only option for those wanting to catch the action.

In reality…

those watching weren’t just casual onlookers. Several TV stations, including Su Province TV, were tuning in too.

In the Data Department, Director Zhang Ping had already grabbed a chair, with Production Director Chen Wei seated right beside him.

At that moment,

both men studied the large digital ratings screen intently.

All the major channels share a real-time ratings screen displaying current viewership numbers for every program.

“These numbers are off the charts!”

After a long pause, glancing at the screen, Zhang Ping couldn’t help but exclaim.

Even though the broadcast was still three minutes away and most channels were in commercial breaks, the ratings for Yan City TV and Eggplant TV had already exceeded 2.

Clearly, most viewers had locked in on those two stations.

Based solely on commercial ratings, Eggplant TV was slightly ahead, though the difference wasn’t dramatic.

“They’re incredibly high, but the real test will be the reviews. If both dramas receive average feedback, the ratings could drop quickly.

I’m betting Eggplant TV will pull ahead – after all, it’s a comedy with plenty of support.”

Chen Wei’s expression looked a bit forced.

Recently, many viewers from Lanshi had been leaving comments on Su Province TV’s official account. They complained that, although the drama was shot in Mingsha County, Su Province TV wasn’t supporting Haofang Culture by securing the premiere rights; instead, they had let Yan City TV steal the spotlight – something they found utterly baffling.

Other Su Province viewers argued that with the upcoming Su Province Tourism Festival, Haofang Culture should be supported wholeheartedly for the sake of regional development.

Faced with such criticism, Chen Wei could only feel helpless.

It wasn’t just that Su Province TV doubted Haofang Culture’s second drama; by the time the station sought to intervene, it was already too late – Yan City TV’s defiance of the Director Association didn’t mean Su Province was any less cautious.

Ever since Chen Wei received a call with advice from someone at the Director Association, he had completely given up on collaborating with Haofang Culture.

Deep down, he didn’t wish for Haofang Culture’s drama to succeed.

Any success would only make it harder for him to defend his position as Su Province’s Production Director. Moreover, the station head had once considered partnering with Haofang Culture, but Chen Wei had persuaded against it.

Then, apart from the pressure from above, the people of Su Province would soon unleash a torrent of criticism.

“Sigh!”

Zhang Ping exhaled deeply, keeping his thoughts to himself.

Within ten minutes, 8:00 PM arrived exactly on time. Yan City TV and Eggplant TV began broadcasting almost simultaneously, down to the very second.

“Huh?”

Typically, a drama’s ratings remain steady for the first ten or so minutes – even for notoriously poor shows, since initial criticisms aren’t enough to scare away the viewers.

But this time was different.

By 8:05, the ratings on both channels began fluctuating wildly.

At one moment one channel hit 3.0, then the other dropped to 2.9 – an anomaly that stunned even veteran media professionals.

“What’s happening?”

Chen Wei was visibly confused.

“It must be that viewers are switching channels to compare ratings. In about twenty minutes, things should stabilize,”

Zhang Ping said gravely, frowning.

“Either way, a premiere rating between 2 and 3 is extraordinary. Aside from Su Province TV’s annual Spring Festival Gala and daily news, no program on this station has ever reached such heights.”

Imagine if Su Province TV could compete with Eggplant TV in ratings – but unfortunately, Su Province TV simply doesn’t have that kind of viewership.

“That’s possible!”

Chen Wei took a deep breath.

Past 8:05 – at 8:10, 8:20 – on the digital screen, the two ratings lines stopped intersecting and began following distinct trends: one rising, the other falling. As time went on, the gap widened – the higher line peaked at 3.4 while the lower one dropped below the critical mark of 1!