Chapter 104

The internal screening of "Da Ming Dynasty" unexpectedly attracted people from Zhongyu, which was something Zhang Botian had not anticipated. He and Lin Zhongxu, who was standing next to him, exchanged a glance and both saw surprise in each other's eyes.

"Old Li is here," Director Wang of Jiaoyang TV greeted Li Hao.

"Why are you here too?" Li Hao's heart skipped a beat. "Didn't you say your TV station wasn't interested?"

Apart from Zhongyu Eighth Station, the others who came today were all directors of local TV stations.

In Li Hao's view, only the Jiaoyang TV station, which is under Director Wang's control, has any competitiveness. Regardless of whether he ultimately plans to buy the drama, the emergence of a strong competitor at this time is not a good thing.

"The TV station isn't interested, but I am! I'm just here to make up the numbers. You guys are the ones who are really here to discuss cooperation, hahaha!"

Through the collaboration on "Code Name: Dodder Flower," Director Wang and Xu Ying were somehow connected; otherwise, he wouldn't have dared to come and try it out without any prior cooperation.

"Come on, let's sit together, it'll be easier for us to chat."

Upon hearing that Director Wang wasn't there to discuss cooperation, Li Hao immediately lowered his guard and enthusiastically pulled him to sit down in the front row.

This internal screening only included three episodes, each over fifty minutes long, so the three episodes would take nearly three hours. Xu Ying and Zhou Xingyun sat in the back row together, and Zhou Xingyun whispered, "If the people from Zhongyu like it, we'll be set for life."

National platforms have the most regulations, but once you connect with them, they are the most stable, reliable, and prestigious.

"There's still a lot of hope. Even if Zhongyu doesn't work out, other TV stations should at least be fine."

Zhang Botian and Lin Zhongxu are the directors. They have watched the film countless times during the editing process, so they are very confident about "Da Ming Dynasty".

The directors of major television stations sat down in the front row, exchanging pleasantries.

On the surface, everyone appeared calm, but in their hearts, they quietly raised their level of attention to "The Ming Dynasty" several notches. After all, all the people from Zhongyu Eight Channels were here, so this drama must have something special about it.

On the screen, the first episode of "Ming Dynasty" officially began.

At the end of the Yuan Dynasty, society was in turmoil, plagues were rampant, and the people were suffering. It was at this time that the protagonist, Zhu Chongba, appeared. He appeared with the death of his parents and brothers.

Before he could even grieve, seventeen-year-old Zhu Yuanzhang ran to a landlord, hoping he could provide a burial place for his deceased relatives. Unfortunately, the landlord cruelly refused, leaving his family members with nowhere to be buried, their bodies wrapped in straw mats...

This is the first time Xu Ying has seen the full episodes. She has to say that the pacing of the plot is excellent, and the characters are portrayed well in just a few scenes. It's truly impeccable.

She glanced at Lin Zhongxu beside her without leaving a trace. Although she didn't know the division of labor in the editing of this drama, she knew that he must have been involved.

She had already experienced Zhang Botian's editing style during the "Empress Wu Zetian" period, but the pacing of this "Ming Dynasty" is clearly different.

*

The three episodes ended quickly, and the directors who had participated earlier were left wanting more.

"It's over already? I haven't had enough! The male lead has just arrived in the army and it's time for him to show his skills..."

The pace of "Ming Dynasty" is very fast. In just the third episode, the male lead has already entered the army and gained the leader's favor. The leader even has the idea of ​​giving him his goddaughter.

"It's really good, I think this show is good."

As they reach middle age, they are particularly interested in historical dramas, and "The Ming Dynasty," with its story of founding a dynasty and conquering the world, especially resonates with their hidden desire for thrills.

“Producer Zhou, I think we can have a good talk,” someone pulled Zhou Xingyun over to start a conversation on the spot. Zhou Xingyun didn’t hesitate and immediately started chatting with the other party.

Everyone was chatting and laughing, making the screening room quite lively. Only Director Li from Zhongyu No. 8 Station remained silent, fiddling with his phone, seemingly lost in thought.

Xu Ying felt uneasy when she saw his serious expression.

"Director Li," she greeted him, "What are your thoughts on this drama?"

Li Hao saw her nod and said, "Very good. It's clear that the production team spared no expense. Many scenes look very tragic and grand."

What he described were all carefully arranged by the props team.

Even though Zhu Chongba is the main character in the shot, every inch of him in the picture, even a beggar on the roadside, was designed by the props team and the director after discussion.

This design undoubtedly slowed down the production schedule, but now it seems that it was all worth it. The director, Li Hao, actually noticed these nooks and crannies at a glance through the camera lens.

"I am very interested in this drama, but the import of a drama is not a decision I can make on my own. I need to go back and discuss it."

Zhongyu TV has its advantages, but on the other hand, their disadvantages as a television station are also obvious.

He had just overheard the quotes from other TV stations, and considering the paltry sums he could offer, he suddenly felt ashamed.

To be honest, very few people who get on their TV station are there purely for the price.

This time, however, the situation was different. It wasn't that the other party came to him; he took the initiative to visit them. He felt a little embarrassed to offer them a low price, especially in front of his competitors.

Xu Ying didn't understand his meaning, but that didn't stop her from expressing her desire to have the drama air in Zhongyu.

"We are delighted that you could attend the preview screening of 'Ming Dynasty'. We hope that Director Li will speak highly of our TV series when he returns. Our entire production team is very eager to work at Zhongyu Eight Channel."

"Let's exchange contact information so we can get in touch if anything comes up."

The two exchanged phone numbers without hesitation, and Li Hao left without saying anything more.

Xu Ying waited patiently for the reply.

Li Hao didn't keep her waiting long; in less than a week, they called to inquire about the progress of the drama.

"Our TV station is interested in purchasing it, but as you know, we really can't compete with other platforms on price..."

Some well-known TV stations have plenty of funds and can simply spend money to produce TV dramas they like. But this isn't the case for Zhongyu TV and Channel 8. There are regulations on all aspects of their budgets, and they have to report any overspending, which is a very complicated process.

"I understand, I understand. Price isn't our biggest concern. What we care about more is that 'Ming Dynasty' can be broadcast on major platforms and reach a wider audience."

"Hahaha, great job, Xiao Xu, you've got foresight!"

*

The news that "Da Ming Dynasty" had signed a contract with Zhongyu Batai spread throughout the entire production team in the shortest possible time.

The crew's long-dormant work group chat became active again, with everyone asking if the news was true. After the director confirmed that the news was indeed true, everyone went into a frenzy.

A film is never finished once it's filmed; often, the aftermath of a film's production is related to the livelihoods of many people involved.

When everyone joined the production team, their best wish for "Ming Dynasty" was that the show would be a huge hit, and that all the staff, both in front of and behind the camera, would be able to take advantage of the show's popularity and get more work.

However, things are different now.

This is one of the eight major productions in Zhongyu, representing orthodoxy and authority. With this production as a foundation, their resumes will be exceptionally impressive.

The work group was in an uproar, and some rumors also circulated outside, but netizens generally scoffed at it, given the poor reputation of "Da Ming Dynasty" online.

Although the buzz surrounding Lin Zhongxu and Xu Ying has died down, they haven't forgotten about it. Now that it's suddenly been revealed that "The Ming Dynasty" is going to air on Zhongyu Eight Channels, very few people are willing to believe it.

-Where did you hear this news from? It's so outrageous!

-I suspect this news was released by the production team of "Da Ming Dynasty" to create hype. I might have believed it even if you had used a different local TV station, but you insisted on saying it was from Zhongyu Channel 8.

- Zhong Yu must be blind to watch "The Ming Dynasty".

Now that you mention it, I think it's quite possible. After all, Zhong Yu's eyesight is indeed not good, otherwise "The Moon Plays Among Flowers" wouldn't have been taken away so hastily, hahaha!

-A hellish joke.

- What a sharp tongue.

Not only did netizens not believe it, they also mocked "Ming Dynasty" online. However, after only a few days of mockery, Zhongyu Eight Channels announced the cooperation on its official account and announced that "Ming Dynasty" would be released during the winter vacation.

? ? ?

Netizens found it hard to believe.

Many netizens who had just seen the video preferred to suspect that the official announcement in the video was photoshopped rather than believe it was real. For a time, many people flocked to the official Weibo account of Zhongyu Batai just to see the truth.

Unfortunately, Zhongyu Eight Platforms disappointed netizens.

The latest update from Zhongyu Batai is a concept art piece for the TV series "Da Ming Dynasty".

I dare not open my eyes, hoping it's just my imagination.

- Zhongyu, you're so foolish! Haven't you learned your lesson from "The Moon Shines Among the Flowers"? Why don't you do a proper background check on "The Ming Dynasty" this time?!

February Sky is very talented, but this drama is really bad. If Zhongyu had acted sooner and landed "Legend of the Qing Dynasty" or "Empress Wu Zetian," I wouldn't have said anything. But why did it have to be the worst one, "Ming Dynasty"?

- Did they really do a proper background check? If they had just searched online for any dirt on this show, they wouldn't have bought it to be the main summer drama.

......

Although Zhongyu 8th Station has a high profile, its official Weibo account actually has less than 500,000 followers, which is a common problem for major TV stations.

They've been conservative for too long and have never been good at navigating the internet. But this time, thanks to "Ming Dynasty," Zhongyu Batai's account unexpectedly came into the public eye and became a minor sensation.

The staff responsible for operating the account were overjoyed.

Since the official announcement of "The Ming Dynasty" on Weibo, this account has been gaining followers, reaching over 100,000 by the evening, and it seems this trend is not going to stop anytime soon.

Hahahaha!

The staff member held her phone, overjoyed at the ever-increasing number of followers. Regardless of how these followers came about, as long as the number of followers increased during her operation, all the credit would be given to her.

"Thank you for 'Ming Dynasty'."

Outsiders say the show has a bad reputation, but in her opinion, it's great. She even thinks that netizens are just saying one thing but doing another; they say "Da Ming Dynasty" is bad, but they immediately start watching their TV station.