Li Tian was also very satisfied with his operation.

He hadn't expected it to have this effect, but now it seems that being impulsive once in a while isn't so bad!

The phone rang soon after, and Li Tian saw that it was Ye Feng calling, so he immediately answered it.

"Hey Dad, you're really something! You got an 8.6 in just one day!"

Li Tian was somewhat pleased to hear this, although that was not his original intention.

But now, hearing my son's praise, I still feel quite proud.

"Well, it's nothing, just some underhanded tricks!"

Sneaky tricks?

Night Breeze didn't think this was some underhanded trick.

You should know that when the scores came out yesterday, Ye Feng felt very guilty, believing that his acting skills had lowered the scores.

This was my dad's first TV series, and the rating of less than six points must have been a big blow to him.

But after seeing what his dad did today, Ye Feng was completely impressed.

As expected, experience matters; the old fox spotted the problem immediately.

In just one day, the rating reached 8.6. Who can argue with that?

Li Tian was in a great mood after hanging up Ye Feng's call.

The phone rang again immediately, this time from Huang Yin.

"Congratulations! It's now at an 8.6 rating, which has exceeded your expectation of 8!"

Li Tian had previously told Huang Yin that his expectation for this drama was at least 8 points.

The current rating of "The Smiling, Proud Wanderer" has reached 8.6 points, which has completely exceeded Li Tian's expectations.

"Well, I guess I've accomplished a small goal! Haha..." Li Tian was quite satisfied with this.

"I have a question now: how did you discover that there were paid trolls making malicious comments?"

Li Tianxin said, "Is there even a question? Jin Yong's works are far superior to Canglan Wuxia dramas."

This is a complete dimensional reduction attack on myself!

"Hmm, you can tell just by looking at the reviews. With a little trickery, these people will take the bait, won't they?"

Huang Yin also sighed, "This is really Li Tian. He's a professional at digging traps for people."

"Yes, my husband is the best!"

Hearing Huang Yin praise him, Li Tian felt even more proud.

"So-so, third in the world, haha..."

Not long after I hung up the phone, Gao Yang called to congratulate me on "The Smiling, Proud Wanderer" achieving a rating of 8.6.

Ah Xing then called to celebrate and praised Li Tian for his skills, saying they were as good as ever.

After that, Li Tian received more and more phone calls, most of which were from actors who had starred in "The Smiling, Proud Wanderer".

What Li Tian heard most often was praise for his performance during the day.

The situation changed drastically when he received Ye Lan's call.

"No wonder I have to say it's you! You've really figured out how to use everything around you. Using millions of netizens as pawns, you truly deserve to be called the most insidious old fox in Canglan!"

Li Tian found this very awkward; what did he mean by "the most insidious old silver coin in Canglan"?

Where was I cunning? Where did I resemble an old silver coin?

"You can eat anything, but you can't say anything. I was just playing along!"

"I understand, I understand. Oh, and I have some good news for you!"

"What news?"

"The third episode today had a rating of 12.9 in the same time slot, and the fourth episode had a rating of 12.8. This shows that many viewers are attracted to this show, and the audience is very engaged!"

Such high viewership ratings?

Li Tian was also surprised by the viewership ratings.

He had heard Ye Lan say that an average viewership rating exceeding 10 and a score exceeding 9 were already considered ironclad rules.

It seems that 8.6 is not the final rating for this show.

"Hmm, it was indeed a bit beyond my expectations. So, how about it? Now no one's questioning whether you wasted your money, right?"

Ye Lan laughed and said, "You know, this is a rating we haven't seen in nearly thirty years. Last year, when we spent 8 million per episode to buy 'The Blade of the Sky,' the highest rating was only 7.8. Now, who dares to question me?"

Upon hearing Ye Lan's domineering words, Li Tian's first reaction was not to be happy for Ye Lan, but to feel that he had lost out.

"Why do others get 8 million per episode, but you only pay me 5 million per episode? Ye Lan, that's not fair!"

"Who do you think you are? You're a newcomer and you're making 5 million per episode, what more could you want!"

Ye Lan retorted irritably, "You're like a dog biting Lü Dongbin, not recognizing a kind heart."

Ye Lan was under a lot of pressure in order to pay Li Tian 5 million per episode.

That makes sense, and Li Tian lost his temper after hearing it.

After all, I've only just started in this industry, and I can't compare to those famous directors.

Ye Lan felt that what she had said earlier was a bit too harsh, and said, "If you can produce a high-quality drama like 'The Smiling, Proud Wanderer,' I'd be willing to pay 10 million per episode!"

If you make 10 million per episode, and you film 40 episodes yourself, wouldn't that bring in 400 million?

Thinking about it this way, Li Tian felt that it might be time for him to copy out "Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils".

Although I don't remember this drama as completely as I remember "The Smiling, Proud Wanderer", I still remember the general plot.

Furthermore, "Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils" differs from "The Smiling, Proud Wanderer," the latter of which does not specify a particular dynasty.

However, "Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils" takes place during the Northern Song Dynasty, so I need to adapt it properly based on the history of Canglan.

"Yes, I already have some inspiration, but I won't be directing this film myself..."

My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!