Chapter 142: High Stakes and Hot Deals

Right. Netizens are buzzing with high expectations for Haofang Culture’s third costume drama. If it fails to meet these demands, the hard-earned reputation could come crashing down!

Luo Peng was anxious to speak up.

Although Mingsha Tourism is set to invest big, it isn’t as challenging as expected.

The guesthouses are booked solid every day, and with revenue from the company’s own stores plus camels, ostriches, sedan chairs, and more, there’s at least five million yuan flowing in daily.

After covering operating costs, they net about three to four million yuan each day.

With land costs being negligible, cash flow doesn’t seem to be a major issue.

“General Zhu and President Luo, don’t worry. Today, a short-video platform reached out about a song copyright deal! Every time a user uses our track as background music, Haofang Culture earns a share – one dime per play.”

Fang Hou smiled and glanced at Xu Hao with nothing but admiration.

Earlier, when Xu Hao had him register the copyrights for those songs, he didn’t think much of it since they were bought from unknown musicians.

But who would have guessed? The songs turned out to be irresistibly catchy and became a huge hit! Don’t underestimate a dime per play – given their popularity, the earnings will be significant.

Even more, Xu Hao mentioned that there are many more hidden gems among those purchased tracks, promising even greater profits.

Who else has that kind of vision?

“But now is precisely the time for Haofang Culture to invest. Even if revenue comes in, platform settlements might still take a month or two.”

Zhu Qiang and Luo Peng still felt uneasy.

Word is that this time Haofang Culture plans to cast professional actors for their third big drama.

Undoubtedly,

this will be a significant expense.

The first two dramas featured Haofang Culture’s own contracted actors and members of the County Troupe, keeping costs almost negligible.

“And don’t worry about that! Have you heard of Tiger Leopard Band?”

Fang Hou waved his hand dismissively.

“Heard of it!”

Zhu Qiang nodded.

Kids these days might not know, but our generation certainly does when it comes to Tiger Leopard Band.

“Tiger Leopard Band’s lead singer, Li Yang, contacted our business manager. He wants the exclusive performance rights for the song ‘Passionate Desert’ – and if the price is right, they’re willing to pay in cash.”

Fang Hou replied.

After all, riding the wave of the tourism festival, Haofang Culture is truly benefiting from favorable winds.

A few hit songs alone could cover all preparation costs – not to mention the added revenue from increased tourist visits.

“Alright, it’s settled. This fund will be treated as a loan from Haofang Culture to Mingsha Tourism, to be repaid later.”

Xu Hao glanced at Zhu Qiang and Luo Peng and finalized the deal.

He often reviews Mingsha Tourism’s financial reports. Although guesthouses are packed these days, what about the future? Once the trending buzz dies down and the weather turns colder,

tourist numbers are bound to drop significantly.

“That works!”

Exchanging a look, Zhu Qiang and Luo Peng fell silent.

“By the way, Qiangzi, is there anything else we need to address? If so, speak now so we can resolve it; otherwise, we’re in for a busy stretch.”

After a brief pause, Xu Hao continued.

They had just divided the tasks: Xu Hao would oversee the reconstruction of the Protectorate of West Liang, Luo Peng would manage the grass lattice area, tree planting, and heating projects, while Zhu Qiang focused on preparations at Oasis 3 – laying foundations, replacing soil around Langya Pavilion, and extending the city walls.

Tourist services would be handled by several new managers brought on board by Mingsha Tourism.

“Brother Hao, there actually is a minor issue, but I doubt we have time to solve it.”

After a moment’s thought, Zhu Qiang hurriedly said,

“Explain it to us so we can see if there’s a solution.”

“Here’s the situation: Mingsha Tourism deals with many upstream and downstream partners, with countless business prospects coming by daily. Yet every time they arrive, they have nowhere to stay – it’s a real hassle,” he explained.

Zhu Qiang continued.

“Can’t they book a guesthouse?”

Xu Hao lifted his tea cup and took a small sip.

“Most of these business trips are on a short notice. They simply can’t compete with tourists for guesthouse bookings.”

“So you’re suggesting we set up a hotel exclusively for our business clients from the upstream and downstream sectors?”

“Exactly!”

Zhu Qiang nodded eagerly.

“Do any of you have a similar need on your end?”

After a moment of thought, Xu Hao turned to Fang Hou and Luo Peng.

“Take travel arrangements for tourists, for instance. Recently, several ostrich farms have approached us offering to supply ostriches and ostrich eggs, and a few deer farms are also looking to cooperate. Without proper lodging, however, they ended up staying in hotels in Wei City.”

Luo Peng immediately remarked.

“Deer? President Luo, are you even considering reindeer?”

Luo Peng might have let it go, but at that mention, Fang Hou’s interest was piqued.

As an insider, Fang Hou never imagined Luo Peng’s ideas could even include deer. If they’re really brought in, he’d definitely want to give it a try.

After all, riding a deer would be far more fantastical than any ordinary mount.

“Yes, the contract for deer has been signed with the deer farm. Additionally, we’ve coordinated with several alpaca farms and some elephant breeders in Xishuangbanna. Training is already underway, and we’ve even sent our own personnel for further instruction.”

Luo Peng added.

“Reindeer, camels, elephants – President Luo, you sure have a wild imagination. When can we start operations?”

Fang Hou couldn’t help but ask.

The more Luo Peng spoke, the more eager he became. In the Long Kingdom, no attraction offers such a variety of travel options; most opt for old, oil-powered boats just to earn fast cash, avoiding investment in unique mounts.

Even as an insider, he believed that once Mingsha Tourism launches this service, it will attract plenty of out-of-town visitors.

“The preliminary plan is to kick things off after the New Year, though if needed, we can adjust to coincide with Haofang Culture’s next fantasy wuxia production. With a fantasy twist, the unique mounts will be even more alluring to tourists. And the longer the training, the better.”

“Oh!”

Fang Hou couldn’t help but give Luo Peng a thumbs up.

“As for updating the mounts, there’s no rush. I’ll mull it over these next few days, and if need be, we might even set up a historic hotel.”

Xu Hao nodded in agreement.

Luo Peng had already mentioned the matter of new mounts – his capabilities in this area are truly unmatched. With him in charge, there’s no doubt everything will run smoothly.

“Alright!”

“By the way, Brother Hao, should we formally respond to the online rumors? It seems someone is trying to pin something on us.”

After settling the historic hotel matter, Zhu Qiang inquired,

“A formal response? There’s no rush!”

Xu Hao shook his head.

“Then, once the storm dies down, we’ll respond openly. That way, Mingsha Tourism keeps its momentum. With free traffic coming our way, we might as well use it to our advantage.”

“Sounds good!”

Both Fang Hou and Zhu Qiang agreed.

As night deepened,

in Yan City, neon lights flickered; although it was already 9 PM, the Yan City TV office building still shone brightly.

Inside a meeting room, Han Lijun and Ren Long, among others, were gathered.

In stark contrast to the relaxed atmosphere at Mingsha, the mood at Yan City TV was noticeably serious.

“Boss, someone is definitely trying to frame us against Haofang Culture!”

After a long silence,

Ren Long looked at Han Lijun.

The station had once marveled at the discovery of the Yeguang Cup in Mingsha County. Who would have thought that by noon a single news flash would have netizens bombarding Yan City TV with questions about their New Year’s Eve gala, along with heaps of praise?

Given that, how could the station stay calm?

“Exactly, Boss. Not only are people praising Yan City TV’s New Year’s Eve show, but they’ve been lavishing the same adoration on Haofang Culture and Mingsha Tourism. It seems they came prepared to ruin us with flattery!”

Ren Long finished, and another middle-aged man joined in.

With some individuals intentionally steering the narrative, matters have become increasingly tricky. Accepting the praise now and failing later would expose Yan City TV’s hard-earned reputation to ridicule.

But flatly denying it would make netizens accuse us of lacking strength and leeching off the hype.

“Most likely, it’s the Director Association and Eggplant TV pulling the strings.”

Han Lijun tapped his fingers on the desk, calm and composed—unlike Ren Long and the other man.

The long-standing feud between Snowy Series and Tan Hualang certainly won’t be resolved easily.

“Boss, what should we do now? Netizens’ demands are getting more outrageous, even suggesting that our New Year’s gala should feature original songs like those at the Mingsha Tourism festival. How is that even possible?”

Ren Long quickly added,

“Have Mingsha Tourism or Haofang Culture responded yet?”

Han Lijun glanced at Ren Long.

“No!”

“Since there’s been no response, we don’t need to address it deliberately. We’ll just stick to our original plan and move forward.”

“But Boss, our current plan for the New Year’s gala falls far short of what the netizens want. Even if we double our efforts, it wouldn’t meet their expectations.”

A nearby middle-aged man couldn’t help but remark.

The success of our two hit dramas has accustomed us to the audience’s praise; if a New Year’s gala is botched due to rushed planning, it would cost more than it’s worth.

“Right. Maybe I should contact Mr. Fang from Haofang Culture to see if they have any extra resources.”

Ren Long added,

“Forget it. Haofang Culture and Mingsha Tourism are already riding high; reaching out to them now would only burden them further.”

Han Lijun waved his hand dismissively.

Given the situation, netizens have elevated Haofang Culture and Mingsha Tourism so high that they’re under much more pressure than Yan City TV. How can we possibly beg them for help?

“Then,”

Ren Long and the middle-aged man exchanged a glance.

“Start contacting top-tier stars and renowned artists tomorrow. Boss, schedule the New Year’s gala as planned. Today is only October 23, and we have two months until New Year’s Eve – plenty of time!

And if the audience asks, just say that we’re already preparing for the New Year’s gala and will repay them with our utmost sincerity.”

After some thought, Han Lijun finalized the arrangements.