Chapter 096
Tianhui Chairman's Office
Office supplies were scattered on the ground, and several empty wine bottles were lying on one side. Pei Yubai sat on the ground in a sloppy manner, leaning against the cold desk.
In his hand he held a bottle of whiskey, half of the clear yellow liquid already gone.
There was a conversation coming from outside——
"Aunt Feng, are you here to visit Mr. Pei?"
"Yes, my master was worried about him, so he asked me to make Cordyceps and Pigeon Soup and send it to him."
"Mr. Pei really cares about Mr. Pei!"
"After all, he is my grandson! He told me to tell you not to worry, he just lost the bet. There is Pei family behind Tianhui! This little money is nothing!"
"Yeah! I understand!"
Feng Meiyu smiled gently and walked into the office carrying a thermos bucket.
As soon as the office door closed, Feng Meiyu's smile disappeared. She glanced at the messy office and frowned.
"How did you ruin such a good company?"
"Mom..."
Pei Yubai was exhausted and struggled to get up, but because he had drunk too much, his legs went weak and he fell to the ground again.
Feng Meiyu quickly supported him and helped him to the sofa next to him.
On the tea table was Tianhui's recent financial report. Feng Meiyu rolled her eyes and became more and more shocked the more she read.
Pei Yubai has been forging ahead bravely in the past two years. The company has invested in many projects and the capital turnover has been tight. The good thing is that Tianhui has developed very quickly, but the bad thing is that once a project has problems and payment is delayed, other projects of Tianhui will be suspended.
With Zhou Qingyu's backup before, Tianhui had never had any problems.
But just a few months ago, Zhou Qingyu and Pei Yubai broke off their engagement, cutting off all resources provided by Zhou's company to Tianhui. Tianhui had a huge funding gap, which Pei Yubai failed to fill.
Later, in order to win back Zhou Qingyu, he spent a huge amount of money to buy Huang Zuan at a charity gala, and also spent a large sum of money to invest in "Seeking the Immortal", in which Ye Luoyi became the female lead.
Pei Yubai was already in debt of several hundred million. His father had sold some of his shares in Pei's company to help him fill the hole, but it was just a drop in the bucket in the face of such a huge debt.
And now, Pei Yubai still needs to spend money to repay the debt owed to Strawberry Video. He is already heavily in debt and cannot come up with the money at all.
Feng Meiyu felt her eyes go dark, and she slapped Pei Yubai on the face, trying to wake him up.
"Who asked you to make the bet? And you signed such a harsh betting agreement!"
If there is no gambling agreement, even if "Eat Fan" is not as good as "SP", it is still a variety show with good broadcast volume. It can not only break even but also make money.
But Pei Yubai happened to be playing against the opponent and played a good hand of cards badly.
Pei Yubai was helpless, "Mom, I have no choice! If I don't bet against it, no platform will be willing to accept my project!"
Pei Yubai knelt in front of Feng Meiyu, "Mom! Please help me! I beg you!"
Feng Meiyu was helpless, "What can I do?"
"I have other projects on hand! 'Shirazawa' is also a work with potential! It's just that the special effects are not yet completed. Can you lend me some money? As long as I sell 'Shirazawa', I can still revive Tianhui!"
"Mom, we can't live without Tianhui! Otherwise, what can we use to compete with Pei Hanli?"
Feng Meiyu closed her eyes in pain.
Yes, if Tianhui fails, their family will never be able to hold their heads up in front of Master Pei, and Master Pei will think that Pei Yubai is a useless waste, and will never hand over Pei's projects to him in the future!
Tianhui cannot lose!
Pei Yubai can't lose!
"I'll talk to your father for you," Feng Meiyu said, "He's useless. He's your grandfather's only son, but his own son has taken away the power of the company! Fortunately, he has Pei's shares. I'll persuade him to sell some and give them to you."
Pei Yubai nodded reluctantly, "But the bet debt owed by Strawberry Video... can't wait..."
Feng Meiyu took out a bank card from her bag.
She has been following Pei's father for these years, nominally as a nanny, but in fact she has saved a lot of money.
Feng Meiyu handed the bank card to Pei Yubai, "Don't let me down again! Do you understand?"
Pei Yubai took the bank card with great trepidation and nodded repeatedly.
Feng Meiyu left and Sun Qi walked into the office.
"Boss Pei, Strawberry Video is asking us to pay back the money owed under the gambling agreement. Also, the special effects company of the Bai Ze production team has been delaying the next step because our second installment has not arrived..."
Pei Yubai held the bank card tightly in his hand.
"What's going on at Xingyao?"
"Xingyao is warming up for "Bottom Line". This drama will be broadcast on Star TV and Haicheng Video will be broadcast during its prime time. At the same time, Xigua Video will also update the network simultaneously."
Sun Qi thought for a moment and said, "Mr. Pei, the most urgent thing is to deal with Strawberry Video and Bai Ze first! We can't take care of Xingyao..."
It’s hard enough to save yourself, so how can you have the time to care about your colleagues?
Sun Qi didn't know the relationship between Pei Yubai and Feng Meiyu, but he guessed that Feng Meiyu came on behalf of the Pei family, and her appearance should bring some good news to Pei Yubai.
After all, Tianhui’s funding gap is not a big deal in Pei’s eyes.
Pei Yubai stroked the bank card that Feng Meiyu gave him, which only had tens of millions of yuan in it.
The bet debt owed by Strawberry Video is enough, and Shirazawa can probably pay the second installment, and there will be about one million left.
He suffered such a big setback in Xingyao this time, why did he let Xingyao go and let them happily launch "Bottom Line"?
They wish!
"Doesn't the PR department have a bunch of trolls?" Pei Yubai asked Sun Qi, "Let them hype up negative news about "Bottom Line"! Don't let "Bottom Line" go online too easily!"
Sun Qi's heart skipped a beat. "But fabricated black material is not convincing at all!"
It is possible to criticize the quality of "Bottom Line", but Sun Qi thinks the quality of "Bottom Line" should be good. Sun Qi has read the script of the first three episodes of "Bottom Line". If this drama is filmed completely according to the script, coupled with Jiang Tao's directing ability, it will at most be a minor one, and it will definitely not be bad.
Moreover, Haicheng TV Station finally chose "Bottom Line", which shows that the quality of "Bottom Line" is better than "Shirazawa".
Crossing the "bottom line" now is nothing but deceiving yourself and wasting money.
Pei Yubai also considered this. He wanted to take revenge on Xingyao and Yanxi, but he was not stupid.
"Don't criticize it, praise it! Let the netizens praise it! Say this drama is the best of the year! It will definitely be a big hit! It will definitely win an award! Just keep praising it!"
——
Sometimes, praise is more terrible than slander.
When a TV series is praised highly, the audience's expectations for it will be unprecedentedly high. Once the quality of the feature film does not meet expectations, the audience will feel cheated.
There are dramas with good reputations every year, but hit dramas are rare. It would be great if the entire film and television industry could have one phenomenal hit drama every year.
Therefore, the tactic of praising someone to death definitely works.
When Wu Liao detected the online trolls, he guessed Tianhui's intention and immediately reported it to Yan Xi.
"I have notified Weibo, Tik Tok, Xiaohongshu and other platforms to delete these comments, but removing trending searches is more expensive than buying them. I conservatively estimate that Tianhui spent at least a million yuan to praise us. We have to spend more money to delete these marketing!"
Damn it, Wu Liao cursed in his heart, how could Pei Yubai have such a dark heart!
They have to spend part of the publicity money originally used for "Bottom Line" to control public opinion, so their funds will not be enough!
Yan Xi sat in the reclining chair, watching the online trolls' praises idly -
[Insider news! "The Bottom Line" is super good! Shen Xinghe's acting is comparable to that of the TV King! ]
[Boldly predict that "The Line" will be the best drama of this year, it will definitely be a big hit! ]
[I will feel sad for everyone who has not watched "The Line", ok? This is definitely the top 1 this year~]
[Compared to this, all other TV series this year pale in comparison! It would be a shame if "The Line" didn't get a grand slam! ]
Tonight is the time for "Bottom Line" to be broadcast. Because of Pei Yubai's praise, all major social platforms are now hotly discussing "Bottom Line", and everyone's appetite has been whetted.
Yan Xi put down the tablet in her hand and said, "Don't delete it, that's it.
Bar!"
Wu Liao was stunned. "What? If the broadcast is not as good as expected, these comments will backfire!"
"You have to trust Director Jiang!" Yan Xi said, "And I think "Bottom Line" is just that good."
In the novel, "Bottom Line" was also praised in this way. In the early days, fans were introverted and afraid of being disliked for praising the show, so they were more tactful. But after "Bottom Line" was bought by a TV station and broadcast on satellite TV, everyone began to praise it generously.
Pei Yubai's trick might work for ordinary hit dramas, but "The Bottom Line" is the best drama of the year in novels.
And "Bottom Line", starring Shen Xinghe, is the most perfect "Bottom Line" in Jiang Tao's mind, and it will only be better than in the novel.
"Bottom Line" airs at 8pm.
Because of the hype during the day, "Bottom Line" was on two trending searches, and as soon as the TV series started, the audience clicked in to watch it.
[No matter how many times I see him, Shen Xinghe is so handsome~]
[It's unjust to be so handsome without popularity! 】
[Wuwuwu, Xiang Fei has lost his memory! Oh my god, I’m so worried about the plot later! 】
[A police officer becomes a drug dealer? How exciting! ]
[I was so scared that I might end up being a drug dealer. I wanted to be a dinner show, but I was so nervous that I forgot to eat! ]
[Xiang Fei will definitely stay true to himself! Please, please! ]
[No wonder this is the best drama of the year! It's really good! ]
[The ost is also very nice! Is it sung by Han Shu? Her voice is really beautiful! ]
[I thought it was just a rip-off before, but I didn’t expect “The Bottom Line” to be of such high quality. I haven’t seen such a good drama in a long time! ]
[Jiang Tao and Xiao Yu are back! Looking forward to the next episode~]
【Why is there only one episode a day? I hate it! 】
"Bottom Line" exploded.
In the novel, "Bottom Line" was broadcast for a while after it was released, and gradually gained popularity through word of mouth. But this time, "Bottom Line" was broadcast simultaneously on the Internet and the TV station, and it was on several hot searches before it was broadcast. With enough popularity, the broadcast data of the first episode was very good.
Yan Xi never believed what people said on the Internet: "The show will be good after you get through the first three episodes," "The fifth episode starts to be very exciting," and "The first seven episodes are just a bit slow." These are just rhetoric used by the production team and fans to save face.
For a truly good drama, you don’t need to endure the boring parts at the beginning. You can feel its goodness from the first episode.
Tang Yi of Xigua Video was very excited. He bought the copyright of "Travel" from Xingyao because of Director Yu, who had produced several hit variety shows and had rich experience. Later, because of "Travel", Tang Yi signed a contract with Xingyao for "SP", and now for "Bottom Line".
It can be said that he is responsible for all the hit variety shows and TV series on Xigua Video this year!
Xingyao is simply his lucky star!
Haicheng TV Station was also very happy. The initial investment in "Bottom Line" was average, neither good nor bad. But after the first episode was broadcast, many advertisers came to insert advertisements. Because "Bottom Line" was a good show, the advertising sponsorship fees soared, but it still sold well!
I chose "Bottom Line" between "Bottom Line" and "Shirazawa", and it turned out to be the right choice!
Whether it is the producers, the broadcasting platforms, or the audience watching the TV series, they are all happy about the success of "Bottom Line".
Only Pei Yubai's face turned pale after learning that "Bottom Line" became a hit.
"Is it a scam that those viewers didn't think The Line lived up to its name and was not as good as it was marketed to be?"
Sun Qi replied in a low voice, "Many netizens sincerely think that "Bottom Line" can win the award... and think that the words we posted... are very pertinent..."
"Right...Right on point? Are they blind?!"
Pei Yubai's breath was stuck in his heart, neither going up nor down. He wanted to breathe, but it was difficult to breathe. He felt dizzy and his eyes went dark. His head fell heavily to the ground.
"Mr. Pei! Mr. Pei!"
——
On the Tianhui side, Pei Yubai fainted and fell heavily to the ground, with a bump on his head. Sun Qi hurriedly sent him to the hospital.
On Xingyao's side, Yan Xi was looking at last month's financial report when the system sent a message: [Ding! "Bottom Line" is a big hit, Zhou Qingyu gained 2 points of luck, and the current luck value is 96 points. ]
All the projects that Xingyao invested in before have improved. Yan Xi has been receiving reminders about her luck points recently. She is only 4 points away from reaching 100 points of luck points.
[Host, we will have Han Shu's album released, "Bottom Line" winning an award, "SP" finals, and "Crazy" will be released at the end of the year! ]
[Wow! Even if you do nothing, you have enough luck! ]
The turning point of Zhou Qingyu's fate happened after the New Year. In the novel, Zhou Yanci also died suddenly after the New Year. It's not too late now!
Who could have thought that a few months ago Yan Xi was still suffering because of the luck value of 0.1 points, and she didn't even give up the luck value of 0.1 points, but now she has been able to surpass 100 points of luck value!
The little light ball was crying and snotting, [Wuwuwu, it’s not easy, it’s really not easy! ]
Yan Xi was very happy. She used to think that changing the plot was the key to earning luck points, but now it seems that career is also the key. Perhaps the plot contains a hidden meaning - only by being strong can one overcome difficulties.
"If you reach 100 points of luck, you can easily escape the predetermined ending of the novel and have nothing to do with the plot anymore, right?"
[Yes!] The system said affirmatively, [With 100 points of luck, the plot will not affect her!]
"No other problems, right?" Yan Xi asked again. Just in case, she didn't want anything to go wrong after reaching 100 points of luck.
When asked this question, the system's head shrank.
It is a passerby system. Its favorite thing to do is to eat melons with the host. The passerby's counterattack is unprecedented.
Therefore, the system does not know what will happen after reaching 100 points of luck.
The little light ball felt particularly guilty and quietly checked its "Passerby System Manual"
[Let me take a look…]
[The manual says that any character whose luck value exceeds 100 points can escape from the plot and become irrelevant to the plot and outside of it.]
[However, when the character's luck reaches 100 points, it will affect the balance of the novel world, and thus produce some uncontrollable side effects...]
Yan Xi: ???
"Are there any side effects? What are they?"
The system wiped its sweat in fear and quickly checked. [Some characters will awaken to a certain extent due to the change in the world's balance, and know that the world is a novel...]
Yan Xi understood, "Like me?"
[Yes!] The system replied, [Newly awakened characters will know of my existence, just like you, and can also view the system message records.]
Yan Xi thought about it and realized that this meant that everything she was doing now would be known to the “newly awakened ones”.
The more worrying one is Pei Yubai or Ye Luoyi, after all, they are the opposite party. But now Tianhui is in a mess, it is difficult for Pei Yubai to make a comeback.
The same goes for Ye Luoyi. She wants to get back on her feet. She knows the plot is useless, so giving up Pei Yubai and starting over as an extra is more useful.
If Zhou Qingyu knew the plot, it wouldn't matter at all, because Zhou Qingyu was hers anyway.
Yan Xi breathed a sigh of relief, "It looks like there's no big problem!"
The system regained its vitality and jumped up and down. [Host, have you thought about the next move? ]
The current luck value is 96 points, and it will be full if we wait a little longer, but the system feels that the host is not someone who is willing to wait.
Yan Xi blinked her eyes. "Pei Yubai gave such a big gift to Bottom Line, how can I not give it back? I have been preparing for this gift for a long time! The final luck value depends on him!"
——
In November, the weather turned cooler.
Recently, due to the release of "SP" and "Bottom Line", the staff of Xingyao were very busy. As the company's current top management, Yan Xi, after getting the approval of the chairman, the eldest lady herself, gave red envelopes to all Xingyao employees.
At the same time, Yan Xi also paid out of her own pocket to treat her employees to a big meal.
The dinner was set at the Furui Hotel, a long-established five-star hotel in Haicheng that focuses on high-end business style and provides accommodation and food. Their buffet dinner is good, but extremely expensive.
The employees of Xingyao are very happy because the dinner is held on Friday night, which does not interfere with the weekend rest, and it is a free luxurious buffet. Normally, who would be willing to eat such expensive food? It would be a waste not to take advantage of the boss!
After Zhou Qingyu found out, she also joined the dinner.
Recently, because of Xingyao's success, Zhou Qingyu has been particularly prominent in front of Zhou's father. When she has nothing to do, she accompanies Zhou's father to play golf, and then receives unanimous praise and compliments from those elders.
Zhou Qingyu's tail is about to fly up to the sky~
Everyone said that she was willing to spend money on Yan Xi, but Yan Xi obviously earned more money for her! She bought Yan Xi bags and jewelry, which were only worth a million yuan. The most expensive thing was the big sailboat, which cost more than 20 million yuan, but Yan Xi took office as the Star Glory V
After P, it is conservatively estimated that she has earned 100 million.
——This does not include the money she earned after acquiring the M family!
Sure enough, raising a best friend makes more money than raising a man!
So, after learning that Yan Xi wanted to invite Xingyao employees to a dinner party at a high-end hotel like Furui, Zhou Qingyu also came.
How could I let Yan Xi spend money? Of course she will pay for it!
The two walked into the Furui Hotel arm in arm.
There are nearly a hundred employees at Xingyao, and Yan Xi specially booked an entire floor of the buffet at the Furui Hotel so that the employees can eat as much as they want.
As soon as we entered the restaurant, most of the employees had already arrived.
Not only that, Yan Xi also saw Pei Hanli, and...Song Zhile.
Zhou Qingyu was very surprised, "Why are you here too?"
Pei Hanli said calmly, "I happened to be discussing business nearby."
Song Zhile refused to admit defeat, "I just happened to be passing by! I knew you were here, so I came over right away!"
Yan Xi smiled secretly.
What? Song Zhile was dressed so formally, with her hair combed neatly. It was obvious that she didn't want to be outdone by Pei Hanli! She was so jealous.
On the other hand, Pei Hanli was wearing a three-piece suit meticulously and looked calm and composed. He didn't seem jealous at all because of Song Zhile's appearance. Yan Xi was quite surprised.
Zhou Qingyu frowned, "But today is our company dinner, it has nothing to do with you."
"I know," Pei Hanli said, "I won't bother you. Just have fun. I'll pay."
Song Zhile: "I can pay too!"
Damn it, how come Pei Hanli got to the top of everything? Song Zhile was so angry!
…
Sure enough, at the dinner table, Pei Hanli did not act up. He didn't even try to grab the seat next to Zhou Qingyu because he knew that was Yan Xi's.
Song Zhile wanted to sit next to Zhou Qingyu, but unfortunately Zhou Qingyu pulled Yan Xi to sit down. Song Zhile failed and was glared at by Zhou Qingyu.
Song Zhile: T^T
Afterwards, Yan Xi witnessed the battle between the father and the loyal dog.
When Zhou Qingyu wanted to eat ice cream, Song Zhile would persuade her, "Ice cream is too cold. Aren't you suffering from menstrual cramps?"
But Pei Hanli would ask the waiter to bring a cup of brown sugar water to warm Zhou Qingyu's uterus and relieve the cold.
When Zhou Qingyu wanted to drink, Song Zhile would persuade her earnestly, "Although the alcohol content of cocktails is not high, drinking too much is not good! You will have a headache after a hangover."
Pei Hanli asked someone to buy some yeast to make wine.
Yan Xi was munching on crab leg sashimi while discussing with the system.
"Song Zhile lost, and lost completely!"
[The main reason is that the villain's inner core is stable! He is not panicking at all! ]
Pei Hanli knew Zhou Qingyu very well. He even knew that Zhou Qingyu didn't eat onions, but she didn't like the small matter of there being no onions in the seafood soup to remove the fishy smell.
It seemed that he had been planning and preparing for a long time in order to get Zhou Qingyu back.
Song Zhile is not a bad person, he just cares too much about Zhou Qingyu and everything about her. He doesn't want her to feel uncomfortable at all, and his excessive concern will only lead to chaos.
The eldest daughter is a proud cat. She only responds to soft words and not hard ones.
Yan Xi shook her head, "Dad, that won't work!"
The cell phone rang, it was a message from Zhou Yanci.
【When it's over, I'll pick you up. 】
Yan Xi replied happily: [Soon! ]
Zhou Qingyu leaned over to take a look and snorted, "Oh, the stench of love!"
The old man has been very attentive recently. He personally picks up and drops off Yan Xi to and from get off work every day. He even goes from Zhou's house to Haicheng University. After sending Yan Xi to Xingyao, he goes to work at the group.
As a result, Master Zhao has been out of work recently and is afraid that he will lose his job.
Yan Xi teased, "Why are you blaming me? You have two more here!"
Zhou Qingyu held her chin up, "Isn't it normal for me to have men competing with me? I'm so pretty, if you don't like me, you'd be blind!"
"But you, aren't you having trouble with Zhou Yanci? You have nothing to do at school except for the weekly group meetings, so why don't you come back to live with me at Zhou's house?"
"Too far!"
How can a non-corporate slave like Miss understand? Although Xingyao doesn't punch in, it's not good to go to work too late! Yan Xi can sleep half an hour longer by living in the school, which is very important for a corporate slave!
Zhou Qingyu thought for a moment and said, "Then I'll buy you a suite!"
"puff--"
I almost spit out all the bubble water in my mouth.
"No, no, no!" Yan Xi waved her hands repeatedly.
The housing prices in Haicheng were too expensive, especially in the city, where the prices could easily reach tens of millions. She didn't lack the luck points of giving gifts, so there was no need.
As a result, Pei Hanli and Song Zhile both smelled the scent of Xian Chenqin.
Song Zhile: "I designed the villa opposite the Ocean University. The client gave me a set. Qingyu, I can give it to you!"
Pei Hanli: "I have a flat near Xingyao that I can give to Yan Xi."
Yan Xi: “…”
Help, it's not necessary!
Pei Hanli's plan hit Zhou Qingyu even harder, because she didn't need a house, but Yan Xi did. Pei Hanli even prepared floor plans and photos of the real scene, and showed them to Zhou Qingyu on the spot.
"This large apartment is 500 square meters and has a gym, a video room, a study, and three bedrooms. You and Yan Xi can live in the same room or separately..."
Yan Xi was pushed aside.
Zhou Qingyu has already decided to give her an apartment. Whether she wants it or not... is not important.
Song Zhile was also thrown aside.
His luxurious villa fell out of favor.
This was probably the first time that Song Zhile felt so lost. He had been an excellent student since he was young and was the center of attention. He joined a well-known architectural design company at a young age, and his family also ran a five-star resort hotel.
He has never tasted the bitterness of failure since he was a child.
However, he repeatedly ran into obstacles in front of Pei Hanli.
Song Zhile was still sulking. He drank a large glass of whiskey and got up to go to the bathroom.
The cool water splashed on his face, and he felt a moment of clarity.
He didn't want to give up Zhou Qingyu, he knew very well that he still liked her. But he also realized how powerful Pei Hanli was.
Pei Hanli was very thoughtful and always considered everything. Compared to him, the architect, he could actually come up with the floor plan information of the large flat faster.
Song Zhile had a deep feeling of powerlessness.
He walked out of the bathroom.
Suddenly, a middle-aged man and woman passed each other.
Both of them were wearing masks and their faces could not be seen clearly.
Song Zhile had a very good memory. He remembered the identities of the two people at a glance.
Pei Zhiyuan, Pei Hanli's father.
That woman should be the Pei family’s nanny, her surname is Feng.
——The Pei residence was designed by teacher Song Zhile. When the design was done, Song Zhile participated as well and even followed the teacher to the Pei residence to inquire about the client’s design requirements.
So Song Zhile knew Pei's father and had also met Feng Meiyu.
They were all from wealthy families, and due to his upbringing, Song Zhile instinctively wanted to greet Pei's father politely.
But Father Pei acted quickly, holding Feng Meiyu's hand and walking into the elevator. As the elevator door closed, Song Zhile saw Father Pei reach out and pinch Feng Meiyu's butt.