I don't know why I'm covering my heart.

The entire series of "Yan Ge Xing" consists of 40 episodes, with a total runtime of 1480 minutes.

Jiang Songhe, who had been fasting and abstaining from water for two days, was now leaning back on the sofa in the living room on the first floor of the Jiang family villa, with a notepad on his stomach, a pen loosely held in one hand, and his thumb pressed on the play/pause button on the remote control, staring blankly at the TV screen.

The notepad was covered in scribbles: "Final cut of 'Yan Ge Xing', episode number of Shen Zongli's appearance, appearance timecode/duration..."

The total appearance time of the character was supposed to be calculated by having Lin Duole mention it casually when he went to the post-production company to pick up the hard drive today, and to provide a detailed schedule. However, Jiang Songhe was worried about complications at this crucial moment, so he asked Lin Duole to pick up the hard drive and bring it directly to him.

Given his current state of thirst and hunger, Jiang Songhe was unable to go out to do any other work. So he decided to use the most basic and secretive method: Jingting lay there, counting the detonation points of the "exploding emperor" while killing time.

It takes exactly one day to watch the whole series.

By the time the 32nd episode aired, even when Jiang Songhe looked at Jiang Songyun's face, he felt a strange sense of unfamiliarity.

The phone rang, the timer app paused automatically, Jiang Songhe nodded slightly, raised the screen to make eye contact, and tapped the WeChat notification bar: GRACE requests to add you as a friend.

The other party's profile picture was a simple gray human figure outline, the default WeChat profile picture. There was no greeting message left. Jiang Songhe didn't remember ever having any contact with someone named Grace, so he ignored it, put his phone down, and pressed the timer and play buttons at the same time to continue watching the video.

At 4 p.m. the next day, the words "The End" finally appeared in the center of the television screen.

Jiang Songhe opened his palms and rubbed from his temples to the inner corners of his eyes to dispel the images lingering in his vision. Just as he was about to get up, his brain went blank, his calves cramped, and he slumped back onto the sofa.

My muscles were covered in cold sweat, which triggered a chain reaction, causing me to start shaking violently.

It rose sharply.

Jiang Songhe could only continue to slump weakly. After a long while, he shakily picked up his phone, opened the food delivery app, and selected "fastest delivery" and "closest distance" as the filter criteria.

Without even checking what the first shop that popped up after refreshing the page actually sold, I accepted the "You May Also Like" suggestion and placed an order directly.

Half an hour later, Jiang Songhe, who exercises regularly, enjoyed fried chicken with a sweet and spicy sauce.

After finishing the whole box, she felt nauseous and had to drink half a bottle of water to calm down. With her blood sugar and energy levels returning to normal, Jiang Songhe picked up her notepad from the sofa and wandered around the living room to digest her food.

Shen Zongli's role as the antagonist lasts a full 312 minutes, about one-fifth of the entire series "Yan Ge Xing". At the time, thanks to the influence of Tao, the second largest investor, and the fact that the project had an all-star production team, his final salary was 8 million yuan after tax.

Let's prepare for the worst and assume that Xu Qin used Shen Zongli's dirt to defect to Ciyi. The safest way to escape being controlled would naturally be to replace all of Shen Zongli's on-screen appearances.

Jiang Songhe checked the company's internal email and retrieved an attachment that Xu Qin had sent him two months ago, containing a detailed comparison table of real-scene reshoots and AI face swapping.

Reshooting on location, involving actors of similar caliber and a location team, would require intensive filming for half a month, plus post-production costs, totaling at least 15 million. Given the current situation, the cost of actors of similar caliber would likely add another 2 million.

AI face-swapping is more direct and easier to coordinate. It only requires signing image rights agreements with actors of similar caliber, and the rest can be handled by top-tier post-production companies. However, to ensure the final quality of the project, the highest tier at 70,000 RMB per minute must be chosen, meaning at least 25 million RMB.

The former requires less investment but has a longer cycle, while the latter has a shorter cycle but requires more investment.

Regardless of which option is chosen, Yunhe Entertainment, as the first-priority producer, has an obligation to inform other investors and even the three major streaming platforms before finalizing the decision.

A single hair can affect the whole body.

With a budget of 250 million, if other investors insist that Yunhe Entertainment is at fault and withdraw their investment to pursue breach of contract claims, even if Yunhe reveals its trump card of independently covering any form of remedial investment, the consequences would still be unimaginable.

Alternatively, they could prioritize securing a broadcast as soon as possible, before Ciyi exposes the concrete evidence of Shen Zongli's "domestic violence."

Before watching the film, Jiang Songhe had checked relevant cases on the company's public information website regarding Ciyi's usual "big fish eat little fish" tactic. Without exception, they all ended with the parties settling their disputes, and Ciyi acquiring high-quality projects that were outcompeted by the company at low prices.

Whether those projects can ultimately be broadcast depends entirely on Ci Yi's decision.

Jiang Songhe's purpose in establishing the company and making films has always been solely to pave the way for his younger brother, Jiang Songyun's, future. Fortunately, Yunhe Entertainment has always been solely responsible for itself, and all risks and consequences are naturally borne by itself alone.

Alternatively, Jiang Songhe could take the initiative to negotiate, slow down the push-and-pull process, and delay the filing time as much as possible.

Broadcast.

First, we need to present sufficiently compelling project highlights as leverage in negotiations with the platform to secure a spot on the annual film slate. Then, we can capitalize on this momentum with marketing, letting the data speak for itself and proving that "Yan Ge Xing" will undoubtedly lead to a win-win situation…

Jiang Songhe walked to the French windows and pulled open the tightly closed curtains.

As the sun set, the sky blazed with fiery light, casting a blinding red glow over Jiang Songhe, yet he felt cold.

"We need to finalize the cooperation between Yunhe and TANG as soon as possible."

-

Clang.

Jiang Songhe took a shower and walked from the bathroom into the bedroom, where a square light illuminated the headboard.

GRACE requested to add Jiang Songhe as a friend again.

However, this time a greeting message was added: "Hello, I am the chief stylist of the WANTON WU Jingting fashion show. I apologize for bothering you, but I would like to discuss matters related to the runway outfits with you. Please accept my request."

Jiang Songhe frowned, only then remembering that Wu Fangsi's condition for helping him organize the meeting was that he agreed to be a crossover model for the other party's Jingting Fashion Show. So, reluctantly, he clicked "accept" and accepted the friend request.

They proactively added the other person to communicate, but didn't quickly address their needs. The chat window kept switching between "typing" and "GRACE" for almost a minute, and the other person still hadn't sent a single word.

Jiang Songhe grew impatient and sent a "hello" message first, indirectly urging him to hurry up.

The other party replied quickly: "Hello."

That's all.

The recent betrayal made Jiang Songhe even more vigilant. He clicked on GRACE's dull default profile picture and tried to verify the authenticity of his identity as a stylist from the content of his WeChat Moments.

On the timeline, only one photo was posted yesterday, and below that is only "——·——". Excluding the possibility of being blocked, it is obviously a newly registered account.

With too little information available, Jiang Songhe reluctantly clicked on the photo again.

In the photo, a woman with red lips, whose outfit is similar to the opening look of the female judges in the Star Show competition, has her hand on the shoulder of the person behind her. Although the person behind her is looking at the camera like the woman, her expression is not one of surprise, but rather one of lingering longing.

"..." It seems that he really was the stylist for Wu Fangsi's disastrous Valentine's Day show. Jiang Songhe released the photo, switched back to the chat box with GRACE, and typed, "Thank you for improving communication efficiency."

Before I could even click send, a message popped up on the screen: "Please send me your bust, waist, hip measurements, and shoe size so I can check if the clothes and shoes I've prepared for you fit and make adjustments as needed."

The unsent message seemed redundant, so Jiang Songhe deleted it and retyped it.

▉：108/73/94，46。

GRACE: What's your height?

▉：190

GRACE: Wow, you're so tall! [winking emoji]

Jiang Songhe clicked on the grayish-brown avatar again to confirm that the nickname was not "190 CEO's Leg Hair," and then went back.

▉: Do your stylists think 190cm is very tall?

The other party is typing...GRACE... The other party is typing...

GRACE: Oh, it's compared to other crossover models.

▉: What time do I need to arrive on February 14th?

The other party is typing...GRACE... The other party is typing...

GRACE: The show officially starts at 10 p.m., and as a crossover model, you can arrive at 6 p.m.

▉: So early?

GRACE: A rehearsal is required before the show begins.

▉：1

GRACE: The time wasn't arranged according to the attributes above and below. [Frowning]

▉：？？？

A message was retracted.

▉: Okay, I'll be there on time. (No further information provided)

GRACE: Just kidding, I was afraid you'd get nervous and break your promise.

▉: No. There's nothing else to discuss, get some rest.

Jiang Songhe locked the screen and tossed the phone into the foot of the bed.

He had just stepped onto the bed when his phone rang again. Jiang Songhe exhaled a deep breath and reached out to retrieve the phone.

GRACE: Are you not healthy going to bed so early?

Jiang Songhe clicked his tongue.

▉: Is there anything else?

GRACE: Of course, but the most important thing hasn't been discussed yet.

▉: Sorry, please continue.

GRACE: Don't you want to confirm what you'll ultimately wear to the show? What if you get there and realize you don't like it? Then there won't be a chance to back out! [shy]

▉: It doesn't matter whether I like it or not, it's just about returning a favor.

Remove the phrase "It was originally to repay a favor".

▉: It doesn't matter whether I like it or not. I trust Wu Fangsi's professionalism and will just follow the arrangements when the time comes.

GRACE: As you wish.

Jiang Songhe stared at the last four words in the chat box, raised her eyebrows and lost in thought for a moment. When she came back to her senses and saw that the other party was no longer showing any signs of "typing," she locked her phone, put it on the bedside table, and turned off the light.

-

The Hordorf Hotel.

In the presidential suite bedroom, wrapped in a silk quilt, Jonathan stared blankly at the long-unanswered chat box on his phone.

Click on the black square profile picture to enter Moments. "Friends only show Moments from the last three days."

Take a screenshot and forward it to a three-person group chat named "WTW, Yuanxiao": "Was I...?"

I searched my brain for porcelain-related terms, but to no avail. I then typed, "Blocked?"

The screen is filled with images and text, with strategists' comments on communication techniques for fashionable professionals scrolling upwards.

Yuan Xiao: Probably not.

WTW: He probably doesn't have any friends, so naturally he doesn't have anything good to post.

Yuan Xiao: "Quoting text," are all gay men this venomous?.jpg

Yuan Xiao retracted a message

Yuan Xiao: Which one did he choose? [Happy]

WTW: Give me a break.jpg

WTW: Which outfit could he choose? It must have been Janus who picked it for him, the most conservative, the most boring, and the one with the least amount of skin showing.

WTW patted Grace

WTW: I have no idea what you're thinking.

Five minutes later.

GRACE: He chose the GOGO set.

Yuan Xiao: ...

WTW:? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?

WTW: Mold.jpg