Chapter 94
"Code Name: Dodder Flower" airs two episodes a day.
The ratings from Star TV are getting better every day, and the online discussion about the show is also getting more and more heated.
Can you believe it? My dad's watching this show! [laughing emoji]
- It's the same in my family. My mom usually controls the remote, but now my dad changes the channel at certain times. This is the first time I've ever had the same interests as my dad, haha!
-This show really has a wide audience. I even saw my boss secretly watching it in the office during my lunch break.
College students love watching it too; everyone in my dorm is watching it.
-The cheongsam is so beautiful! Could you please urge Eryuetian (a clothing brand) to add cheongsams to their stores? It feels so much more practical than Qing Dynasty palace attire!!!
- Same here, I really love the female lead's outfit in the drama.
All I want to say is, can we please update faster? Two episodes a day are simply not enough!
"Code Name: Dodder Flower" has only been airing for three days, and with six episodes released in those three days, the show has already become incredibly popular and well-received online.
That's too fast!
It happened so fast that even Star TV was caught off guard.
According to their plan, the ratings would only see a significant increase when the main storyline reached the scene of the couple getting married in the church.
But this is only the beginning. The female lead has only completed the first task assigned by the organization, and her nominal husband, Yang Boyuan, is still alive, yet the show has already become a huge hit.
This achievement is something to be proud of no matter where you look, so the atmosphere inside Star TV has been very cheerful lately.
"The poster needs to be redone!"
The staff in the publicity department turned on their computers and began to face their own sweet troubles.
Although their workload has increased, they are actually quite happy. The huge success of the TV series is a good thing, and they are more motivated to work than usual.
Xu Ying was also very happy.
The show "Code Name: Dodder Flower" became a hit, with word-of-mouth recommendations everywhere, and the situation was excellent. The production team no longer needed to spend extra money on marketing.
Strangely, Zhang Sandao remained completely still throughout this period.
The show has been airing for several days and he hasn't come to ride the wave of popularity. It seems he's really quiet this time. Xu Ying's heart, which had been hanging in suspense, was slightly relieved.
However, just when Xu Ying thought he had calmed down, the title of "Yan Yu Shan Hai Lu" suddenly appeared on the hot search list, pushing out "Code Name: Dodder Flower" which was originally in first place.
A leopard can't change its spots!
Before Xu Ying could even read the full content of the entry, she had already prejudged the issue and blamed everything on Zhang Sandao.
This time, she really misunderstood someone.
After all, being caught red-handed by the police for engaging in group sex is a shameful and disgraceful thing that no one wants to trend on social media.
Xu Ying only realized what had happened after clicking in.
"Gathering a group for illegal activities, reported, arrested..."
No wonder Zhang Sandao suddenly went silent, and the drama "Yan Yu Shan Hai Lu" on Jiaoyang TV did not air as scheduled. It turns out that the screenwriter and director of this drama had problems.
Everything makes sense now.
Xu Ying scrolled through the comments section, randomly clicked on a small picture, and then left with a look of disgust.
"Huh!"
What she just saw seemed to be a photograph of a naked, fat, big-eared man.
These days, netizens are incredibly resourceful; they can find any kind of picture. Zhang Sandao's nude photo when he was arrested actually appeared in the comments section, although the key parts of the photo were blurred out.
Even so, it was still an eyesore, and Xu Ying didn't want to watch any further.
Unfortunately, she didn't want to watch, but the various video apps on her phone wouldn't stop, pushing all sorts of news about the director and screenwriter of "The Legend of Misty Mountains and Seas" falling from grace as soon as she opened them.
In reality, Zhang Sandao and Sun Xiao are just two behind-the-scenes figures, and they shouldn't have attracted so much attention.
The blame lies with these two individuals who, from the beginning of the year until now, have been relentlessly using "Code Name: Dodder Flower" to promote and discredit it from all angles, from the director and actors to the investment amount and the broadcasting platform. As a result, many people outside the industry have believed it to be true and genuinely thought that the two dramas were of the same level.
In addition, "Code Name: Dodder Flower" was broadcast first and received such good reviews and popularity, so some people outside the industry subconsciously thought that "The Legend of Misty Mountains and Seas" was of a similar level.
This has led many viewers to genuinely look forward to the show's release.
Of course, there are also many people who are holding their breath and waiting for "The Legend of Misty Mountains and Seas" to be broadcast so that they can give a fair and square evaluation, such as the fans of the two leading actors of "Code Name: Dodder Flower".
These fans are most annoyed by people who try to take advantage of their older brothers and sisters. "The Legend of Misty Mountains and Seas" has run into trouble. The various attempts to take advantage of and criticize others over the past year have already caused several major battles between the two fan groups.
Just as "The Legend of Misty Mountains and Seas" is about to air, the director and screenwriter behind the show have suddenly been embroiled in a shocking scandal. It's a stroke of genius, and Zheng Fan and Qian Jingjing's fans immediately poured oil on them.
-Tsk, I can only say that some people are just not destined to be famous.
-Don't you even know who my brother is? All he does is try to provoke others beyond his station. Now look what's happened, hahaha!
-This show will probably have to be shelved for the rest of the year.
- I'm just a random passerby, why is it so hard to just watch a show...?
-A real passerby or a fake passerby?
-What does the director and screenwriter's problem have to do with the actors? This drama is only temporarily postponed and will definitely be broadcast later. I advise you not to speak too soon, or you might be proven wrong later.
-Yes, yes, I'll see what kind of show will be broadcast.
- Just attack the director and screenwriter, there's no need to keep targeting the actors. Those who engage in group sex aren't the actors.
- Don't portray them as so innocent; they all took advantage of the situation before the incident!
- The fans are still dreaming of becoming a huge hit.
- It's just a bluff.
......
The screenwriter and director got into trouble, but it was the fans of the actors on both sides who got into a fight. However, it turned out that the "Yan Yu Shan Hai Lu" side was in the wrong, and with the intervention of reasonable bystanders, the "Code Name: Dodder Flower" side ultimately won slightly.
However, fans can't fight indefinitely, and the controversy gradually died down after a few days.
However, just when everyone thought the matter was over, several senior executives of Coolcat were suddenly arrested for their involvement in money laundering.
The tool used for money laundering was this book, "The Record of Misty Mountains and Seas".
One stone stirs up a thousand waves.
The passersby's attention, which had been shifting away, was drawn back in. Countless people were curious about what had happened, especially the viewers who were genuinely looking forward to the show. They were furious and determined to find out the whole story.
After digging deep, everyone finally discovered that this matter was still related to Zhang Sandao.
Because Zhang Sandao was arrested, the police, during their investigation of him, unexpectedly discovered multiple large and unexplained sources of income in his account, and thus, following the clues, they arrested more than a dozen people.
Of course, Jiang Manni and Wang Zhixie played a crucial role in this, otherwise things wouldn't have progressed so smoothly.
Leaving aside the online buzz...
The situation at KuMao Video is already in complete chaos.
With several senior executives arrested in succession, the company's stock price has fluctuated, and the staff are restless. Nowadays, very few people can concentrate on their work.
Take advantage of your illness to kill you.
Taking advantage of this opportunity, Jiang Manni and Wang Zhixie seized several resources that originally belonged to KuMao. Even KaiShan Video, which had always been on good terms with KuMao, did not hold back this time and took a big bite out of KuMao.
There are also many projects in other countries that value the platform's reputation, so it's unlikely they'll consider cooperating with them again anytime soon.
KuMao Video suffered a severe blow after this incident.
“My dad was right, the business world really is like a battlefield,” Zhou Xingyun said with a sigh, holding his coffee cup.
Kuma Video was very successful a few years ago, and they always considered themselves the leader of video platforms in the industry. Now that they have fallen on hard times, countless feet from all directions have come to trample on them, as if they want to crush them into the mud.
“Little Jiang is really something. She seems quiet and unassuming, but she actually got the most benefits from this matter,” Zhou Xingyun said mysteriously as he leaned closer. “Don’t be fooled by the fact that Kaishan is still the biggest player on the surface. I dare say that as long as Little Jiang is around, Xilaiduo will eventually take down Kaishan and become the new boss.”
Xu Ying nodded in agreement.
"Jiang Manni is indeed capable and shrewd, but as a screenwriter, I still hope to maintain the status quo. It would be most beneficial for us if the four companies were to fight back and forth."
If Jiang Manni becomes the sole dominant figure in the future, then people like her will no longer have any say in the price of TV drama copyrights.
"Indeed, but you're overthinking it. Even if she wants to be the only one in power, she has to ask others for their consent. Being the only one in power is not that easy."
Zhou Xingyun waved his hand.
"Let's not talk about her anymore. Let me tell you something else. Do you know why Zhang Sandao was reported?"
"Why?"
Xu Ying turned to look at Zhou Xingyun.
This is indeed a bit strange. Zhang Sandao is certainly guilty, but he was having a party in his own villa, a quiet and secluded place where even the neighbors might not be able to hear the noise. So who would report him for no reason?
Unless someone is deliberately targeting him and secretly watching him.
Because of this, Xu Ying even secretly suspected that Director Liu Mingchun, unable to contain his anger, had someone report him.
"He's a head of an online troll army."
?
A completely unexpected answer.
Upon seeing Xu Ying's puzzled expression, Zhou Xingyun immediately became interested in sharing: "If you ask me, this matter has something to do with you."
"What does this have to do with me?"
Xu Ying pointed to herself, increasingly confused.
"Yes, the head of the online army and Zhang Sandao were originally in a cooperative relationship. He was the one who released all the dirt on you, including the dirt on 'Legend of the Qing Dynasty'."
But this Zhang Sandao is a scoundrel. People did things for him, but he felt that the shady dealings weren't effective enough, so he refused to pay them. Can you believe how infuriating that is?
So, in a fit of anger, the head of the online trolls started digging up dirt on Zhang Sandao, which led to this report.
"The report was done by online trolls?!"
Xu Ying's eyes widened; she hadn't expected things to turn out so dramatically.
“Yes, it was that online troll leader who did it. He even went to the police station to give a statement. There’s no doubt about it,” Zhou Xingyun said decisively, looking down on Zhang Sandao’s behavior.
"That's why you should never be petty. If you agree on a price beforehand, you should stick to it. Look at the mess this has made. If you had just honestly paid them the money, would this have happened?!"
"But......"
After listening, Xu Ying felt that something was not quite right.
"If the head of the online trolls really wants money, the best way is to take photos and then use those photos to blackmail Zhang Sandao instead of reporting him. What good will this scorched-earth approach do him?"
Zhou Xingyun was stunned for a moment.
Yes, what good would it do him to do that?
She wasn't really stupid; she hadn't thought about it deeply before. But now, after Xu Ying's words brought it to her attention, she suddenly realized the truth and quickly identified the person behind it all.
"Young Master Jiang?"
Judging solely from the outcome, Ms. Jiang benefited the most from this incident, so she is very likely the source of everything.
"Maybe the online troll's original plan was to take photos and threaten people, just like you said. It just so happened that he ran into Little Jiang, and Little Jiang saw that there was profit to be made, so he simply bribed him to do this."
"Maybe," Xu Ying said uncertainly.
There are too many twists and turns in this, it's giving her a headache.
Zhou Xingyun felt inferior: "Tsk, she's still better. It seems we should be more polite to this little Jiang in the future, otherwise we might offend her and not even know how we died."
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