Chapter 113: A ray of hope

On the morning of January 3rd, the last day of the New Year's Day holiday, the cold winter wind whistled past my ears.

Today's cold wind is particularly noisy, but it cannot blow away the sadness of parting that permeates the air.

In front of the Dongci Hotel, the couple Song Ci and Liu Shishi were hugging each other tightly, as if time had stopped at this moment.

People who are sentimental have always been sad about separation. After a short reunion, they have to part. Their eyes meet, and their deep affection is filled with attachment and reluctance.

Song Ci gently stroked his girlfriend's smooth hair, his eyes were gentle as water, his voice was low and gentle, containing a hint of sadness: "Take good care of yourself in the crew, tell me if you have any grievances, see you at the end of the month, Shishi."

Liu Shishi nodded slightly and helped her boyfriend straighten his collar. Her eyes were moist and her tone was trembling. She said with deep concern and affection: "Well, dear, you have to take care of yourself too. Don't be so busy with work all the time."

Song Ci gently kissed Miss Liu on the center of her eyebrows, then reluctantly got into the car, not daring to look at Liu Shishi again, and told the driver to set off.

The car started slowly and drove away from the hotel. After a long time, Song Ci turned around and glanced at the blurry figure of Miss Liu through the rear window.

Sighing leisurely, Song Ci said self-deprecatingly: "Why have I become so sentimental now!"

Shaking his head, he suppressed his lingering emotions and asked the bodyguard sitting in the front passenger seat, "Tang Yue, what time is your flight?"

Zhang Zhao and his secretary remained in Hengdian to deal with the opening of a branch of Tengda Culture. They did not return to Peking with Song Ci. The matters such as chartering a car and booking tickets were temporarily handed over to Song Ci's bodyguard Tang Yue.

Tang Yue is a veteran with a strong sense of security and investigation. After being recruited and selected by Tengda Group, he became Song Ci's personal bodyguard.

When Song Ci and Liu Shishi were being affectionate in front of the hotel, he had been waiting obediently by the side and observing the surroundings. When he heard the boss asking, he quickly and respectfully replied, "Mr. Song, the flight is at 12 noon."

Song Ci nodded slightly and calculated the time. Even if the flight returned to Peking smoothly, it would probably be around three or four in the afternoon.

I suddenly had some new ideas about the development of the group next year and wanted to hold a meeting with Zhang Yong and others to discuss them, but it was not convenient to arrange any meeting in Beijing at this time.

It was a long journey, and Song Ci sat in the car with his eyes closed and thought. He was still hesitating about the company's plan to launch Weibo this year.

In 2006, the mobile Internet era had not yet begun. There were approximately 45.9 million Internet-connected computers in China and about 111 million Internet users. The scale of the industry was far smaller than in 2009 when Sina launched Weibo.

He still had to carefully consider whether launching Weibo three years in advance would be as successful as Sina in its previous life.

When Song Ci went to Hangzhou Airport, Jiang Tao, director of the Art Center of Beijing CCTV Building, was sitting in his office with a frown on his face, looking down at a document in his hand.

At the beginning of the new year, the TV station was very busy and all staff worked overtime.

Jiang Tao was no exception. As he had something on his mind, he came to the office excitedly early in the morning and couldn't wait to get the report from last night.

Last night, Wai Zhuan (Wulin Wai Zhuan) premiered on CCTV-8 during prime time. Jiang Tao was naturally very concerned about the project, which he had strongly advocated as the opening drama of the new year.

In addition, this TV series was the first time that CCTV tried a new model of paying the purchasing fee in segments based on the ratings. Jiang Tao was well aware that the success or failure of "Wulin Waijia" was closely related to his own career. If he messed up and was criticized, it might affect his promotion.

The premiere of "Wulin Waijia" had a viewership rating of only 2.25%, which can only be described as average. It's not eye-catching but acceptable. It's okay for normal times, but it's totally unqualified as a prime-time drama to open the year.

Jiang Tao sighed in disappointment. This project was all a failure. He rubbed his aching temples and began to think about how to deal with the adverse effects that "Wulin Wai Zhuan" brought to him.

Knock knock knock. Attracted by the knock on the door, Jiang Tao looked up at the assistant standing at the door.

The female assistant did not enter the office, but said from a distance: "Director Jiang, Director Wang wants you to come over."

"Got it!" Jiang Tao replied helplessly. He didn't expect his leader to come to him so soon.

Not daring to keep his leader waiting for long, after thinking for a while about how to respond, Jiang Tao picked up his notebook and pen and went to the office of Director Wang, the leader in charge.

Jiang Tao stood outside the director's office, feeling nervous and anxious. After tidying up his appearance, he gritted his teeth and knocked gently on the door.

"Come in." A familiar and steady voice came, and Jiang Tao pushed the door open carefully.

When I walked into the office with a red flag flying high and a solemn atmosphere, I saw Director Wang reviewing documents with his head down with a serious expression.

Jiang Tao walked lightly, not daring to make any unnecessary noise. He lowered his head and walked to the desk, saying softly, "Leader!"

Director Wang raised his eyes to look at Jiang Tao, stopped what he was doing, and said calmly: "Xiao Jiang, sit down."

"Thank you, Chief." Jiang Tao sat down opposite Director Wang, sitting upright, cautiously resting only half of his butt on the chair.

Director Wang got straight to the point and said, "You already know the ratings of the first broadcast of 'Wulin Wai Zhuan'."

It was indeed this matter. Jiang Tao felt helpless and nodded slightly in response: "I understand, leader. The 2.25% for the first broadcast is not very ideal."

“This drama probably won’t be popular. Once other TV stations start airing their big dramas at the beginning of the year, the market will be further squeezed and the ratings may even drop.

You have to have an idea in mind, prepare the materials in advance and report to the editor-in-chief with me, so as not to be caught off guard when the leader asks you about it."

After all, he was his trusted and beloved general whom he had promoted, so Director Wang carefully reminded Jiang Tao to do a good job in the aftermath.

Hearing that he had to report to the editor-in-chief, Jiang Tao felt distressed, but he did not dare to show it on his face. He replied seriously, "I understand, leader. Thank you for your concern."

"I remember when we purchased 'Wulin Wai Zhuan', the Art Center and the producer signed a gambling agreement. Can you tell me in detail about the signing of the contract?"

When the leader asked about it, Jiang Tao quickly used objective and cautious language to describe the scene when Song Ci came to CCTV that day and proposed the gambling plan.

When reporting, I also paid attention to Director Wang's expression and reaction, and adjusted my speaking speed and the details of the content appropriately. When talking about key data, I paused slightly to give the leader some time to think.

After listening to his subordinate, Director Wang pondered for a moment and said, "Based on a 2.25% audience rating, we only need to pay 15 million yuan for the purchase fee, right? It's a little cheaper than the original offer from the Arts Center."

"Yes, leader." Jiang Tao nodded. This was the only good news.

Director Wang nodded slightly and said, "Everyone misjudged the ratings, and the purchase of "Wulin Wai Zhuan" was also a collective decision of the Art Center.

It is not your sole responsibility if your grades are not good now, and the punishment from the station will not just fall on you. The betting agreement shows that you still have some ideas about your work.

You need to write it clearly in the report to the editor-in-chief, but don't worry, I will help you report it. We should criticize and reflect on mistakes in work, but we should also encourage and praise achievements. "

Jiang Tao breathed a sigh of relief, realizing that Director Wang wanted to make light of the matter of "Wulin Wai Zhuan" and help him. He couldn't help but express his gratitude: "Thank you very much."

Staring at his beloved general who had followed him for many years, Director Wang gave him a heartfelt instruction: "Xiao Jiang, Lao Li is about to retire, and you had a good chance of taking over.

But the opening drama of the year was not handled properly. You must seize the opportunity and use the remaining time to achieve some results in the Art Center so that I can speak for you in front of the editor-in-chief.

You have to strive to do better. You can't be complacent just because "Drawing Sword" achieved some success last year. It's not a good idea to rest on your laurels."

Jiang Tao had a lot of grievances. Seeing Song Ci's confident look at the time, he was bewitched and decided without a second thought to make "Wulin Waijia" the opening drama of CCTV Channel 8 in the new year. He never expected that "Wulin Waijia" would fail in ratings.

As a result, he was completely unable to straighten his back in front of his leader and could only bury his head in the scolding. He nodded to Director Wang and promised that he would be cautious in the future and work hard to achieve results.

"Then let's stop here. You are also a veteran in the station. You know how to do the job. Once you have written the report, send it to me for review first."

Seeing the leader lowering his head to review the documents again, Jiang Tao knew that Director Wang would not say anything else, so he stood up and said goodbye, bowed slightly to show respect, and then quietly left the office.

Jiang Tao walked back to his office frustrated that his future might be affected. He saw his top general, Mark, the director of the film and television department, wandering in the corridor in front of the door with a bleak expression.

Seeing Jiang Tao coming back, Mark hurriedly went to greet him, "Director Jiang, what did Director Wang say?"

After he arrived at work in the morning, he felt uneasy when he learned about the ratings for the first broadcast of "Wulin Waijia".

The premiere result of 2.25% was the worst opening drama of CCTV in recent years. When Jiang Tao came to the TV station in a hurry, he was told that his leader had been called to see the director.

Feeling heavy-hearted and having no intention of working, he waited for Jiang Tao to come back outside the office door.

Jiang Tao sighed, not wanting to put pressure on his usually dedicated subordinates, so he consoled them, "The situation is not bad, let's go in and talk!"

As soon as the two of them sat down, Mark couldn't wait to speak: "Leader, there is absolutely no problem with the procurement process of "Wulin Wai Zhuan", and the department's comprehensive evaluation is also optimistic. I just didn't expect the ratings to be only 2.25%."

"There's no point in saying more now. I just hope other TV stations don't produce any hits. If they all suck, I'll have an easier time explaining myself."

Mark still had a glimmer of hope in his heart, so he asked tentatively, "Boss, do you want to take a look at the ratings tomorrow? The feedback from below says that the reputation of "Wulin Wai Zhuan" is pretty good, so there may be a turnaround."

The ratings for the first episode are here. Even if they go up, how much can they go up? Although he didn't have high expectations, Jiang Tao still thought about it and gave his orders:

"Make preparations for both scenarios. It would be best if the ratings go up tomorrow. Your film and television department needs to issue a report that clearly explains the procurement process for 'Wulin Wai Zhuan'. As for whether the station will punish you, just leave it to fate."

"Well, I'll go prepare to report to the leader."

Jiang Tao nodded and watched Mark leave. Then he lowered his head to think about how to write his report.

The next morning, Jiang Tao went straight to Director Wang's office as soon as he got to work. His eyes were bloodshot and he looked exhausted.

Yesterday he was filled with anxiety and tossed and turned all night without being able to sleep. He finished the report in agony and was ready to give it to his leader for review early in the morning.

Holding tightly in his hand the work report that he had carefully prepared last night, he pulled himself together and knocked on the door of the director's office.

"Come in!" The voice was loud and full of energy.

"Leader, good morning. I'm here to disturb you again!" Jiang Tao greeted Director Wang who was fiddling with green plants.

"Xiao Jiang is here, please sit down." Unlike yesterday's indifference, Director Wang was gentle and kind today, he was like a completely different person compared to yesterday.

Station Director Wang sat back in his seat, looked at his subordinate in front of him, and said with a smile: "Xiao Jiang, the ratings of "Wulin Wai Zhuan" were good yesterday, which shows that you still have good vision."

As soon as Jiang Tao got to work, he went straight to his boss's office. He didn't know what the ratings of "Wulin Waijia" were yesterday. When he heard what Director Wang said, combined with the sudden change in his boss's attitude, he guessed that the ratings should have increased significantly last night.

Suppressing the joy in his heart, Jiang Tao asked expectantly, "Leader, how were the ratings of "Wulin Wai Zhuan" last night?"

Director Wang did not keep it a secret: "4.66%."

Jiang Tao couldn't help but exclaimed: "It's doubled!"

I was ecstatic. The ratings for the next day were 4.66%, an increase of over 100%. It is expected to surpass the opening dramas of previous years, "The Emperor of Han Wu" and "DA Division". At least I can give an explanation to my leaders.

Jiang Tao heaved a sigh of relief, sweeping away his previous decadence. He showed a happy expression on his face. He took out the results of last night's work and asked Director Wang for instructions: "Leader, this is the report material you assigned yesterday. Please review it."

Jiang Tao still sent the report to his leader for review. No matter what the ratings were today, he had to complete the tasks assigned by the leader yesterday. He had to show a serious attitude and said that he attached great importance to the leader's arrangements and completed the work without fail.

Director Wang nodded in satisfaction. Although he took the work report, he did not look at it.

"Xiao Jiang, 'Wulin Wai Zhuan' is gaining momentum right now. Please notify the producers and increase the publicity efforts. If the ratings can go up a bit, I will have more confidence to speak for you in front of the editor-in-chief."

Knowing the good intentions of his leader, Jiang Tao thanked him repeatedly: "Thank you for your trouble. I will arrange it immediately when I get back."

"I heard that you have met the newly listed chairman of Tengda?" Director Wang lowered his voice quietly.

There were few directors who didn't know about the big and small things in the station. Jiang Tao would not and dared not hide it, and said frankly: "Yes, Song Ci, the chairman of Tengda Group, came in person during the procurement negotiation that day."

Director Wang looked puzzled: "You know the attitude of the higher-ups towards that person. As the representative of the propaganda system, we at CCTV should also listen more to the opinions of outstanding young representatives."

Jiang Tao naturally understood what his leader meant: "I will start making arrangements right away. I will find an opportunity to invite several CEOs from Tengda Group to have a meal together to exchange ideas. I will report to you in a timely manner once the time is set."

Director Wang recalled some rumors that the young chairman of Tengda refused any media interviews, so he specifically reminded him: "Young people may be a little arrogant. It is understandable that they are young and promising. We should have a better attitude."

(End of this chapter)