A small web series that can't even secure prime time in the domestic market dreaming of grabbing prime time on the world's largest streaming platform is nothing short of wishful thinking. But the producer overlooked one crucial factor: the time difference. They only needed to leverage the overseas platform while their target audience remained domestic viewers.
Prime time in China is 8 PM, which corresponds to 8 AM on overseas platforms—a time slot that's generally overlooked. Unless a show producer suddenly loses their mind, no one would compete with this little web series for that time slot.
Of course, if the series were directly licensed to an overseas platform or a satellite TV channel, it would mean giving up the domestic online streaming viewership and revenue.
Qin Ran didn't care about this aspect: "All the money needed for lawsuits and the expected revenue—I'll cover it all. You don't have to worry about explaining things to the sponsors either. We didn't expect you to make money in the first place."
In fact, many of the sponsors that followed 99 Entertainment were companies Qin Ran had purchased abroad, which was why they were so compliant. As for the remaining companies that were just following the trend, Qin Ran wouldn't let them suffer losses. They believed in Yu Shuman's drama, so it wouldn't be fair to make them lose money.
Even if this drama doesn't make a profit, she'll find other ways to make sure they earn big through partnerships.
After saying this, the producer looked even more pleased. He rubbed his hands and muttered, "How can I accept this..." but his eyes were saying, "Go for it!"
"Alright, you don't have to worry about this. We definitely won't let the production crew suffer."
The producer left with numerous expressions of gratitude. As soon as he walked out, Qin Ran called Assistant Wu in and asked her to arrange for the legal team to communicate with TV stations and overseas platforms. Assistant Wu inquired, "Regarding TV stations, do you have a preference?"
"Since we're not signing an exclusive deal, contact the five TV stations with the largest viewership."
These five stations were Mango TV, Oriental TV, Beijing TV, Jiangsu TV, and Happy Blue TV—two directly governed municipal stations and three provincial stations. Among them, Beijing TV had previously had a small collaboration with Yu Shuman in the variety show where she debuted.
Assistant Wu nodded in understanding. Her first target for negotiation was also Beijing TV. Simultaneously, the suspense drama production crew sued the streaming platform for not scheduling according to the contract, under the reason of "randomly changing the broadcast time."
As soon as this news broke, netizens went wild. People had seen cases where streaming platforms sued production crews for breaking exclusive agreements, but it was the first time a crew sued a platform. Weren't they afraid of being blacklisted by the major streaming platforms?
Streaming platforms have grown to a triopoly, and web dramas have no choice but to sell to one of the three. However, these platforms can pick and choose, with their own media companies producing web dramas, essentially monopolizing the domestic web drama market.
In this context, a suspense drama suing a streaming platform seemed like a death wish.
People rushed to get the scoop and started digging into the drama's background, soon discovering it was the same drama Yu Shuman had been involved with in previous news.
Netizens started buzzing:
[What's going on? Is this madness contagious? 99 Entertainment passed it on to the crew?]
[No way, but why isn't Yu Shuman going crazy?]
[Speaking seriously, this drama got guts; going after a streaming platform. That's impressive]
[As expected from a suspense drama; it's suspenseful even before it airs.]
Netizens are indeed resourceful, unearthing not only the deep connection between the production crew and 99 Entertainment but also more behind-the-scenes news:
[A well-known paparazzo revealed that the suspense drama has started communicating with Big F and might be directly broadcasted there]
[Not just that. I have a friend at Beijing TV who saw 99 Entertainment discussing broadcasting rights there in the past two days]
[Can you believe that? The show hasn't even aired online yet and is going straight to TV. Can it really get on satellite TV?]
The internet turned into chaos, and no one expected this crew to have the audacity. Since the streaming platform didn't give them the prime slot as promised, they decided to ditch it. The domestic exclusive rights were indeed signed with them, but nothing was decided about overseas or TV broadcasting. Even if they got tangled up in a lawsuit over the online streaming rights, they'd go ahead and push the show through other channels.
[I don't get it. What's 99 Entertainment doing? Are they giving up on domestic online streaming?]
[They want it, but the platform won't give it to them]
[Uh... While 99 Entertainment does seem wealthy, can this drama really make a profit after all this?]
While the public was impressed by 99 Entertainment and the production crew's audacity, they were still skeptical. Overseas broadcasting meant a significant number of viewers wouldn't be able to watch the drama online, and most people weren't used to watching TV these days. Moreover, the TV stations currently have limited slots for dramas, with weekends mostly filled with variety shows, making it hard for dramas to secure good time slots.
Although this caused an initial uproar, the subsequent negotiations with TV stations and overseas platforms and the legal process would take time. The internet isn't known for its patience with news that requires waiting, so this soon faded from the public's mind.
Only in the Super Topics of the actors' fan clubs did anticipation linger. Yu Shuman's Super Topic was especially lively since this was her second drama, and everyone was eagerly awaiting its release. Qin Ran's wealthy fan account held another raffle for perfumes. After she switched from giving out red envelopes to physical items, many fans speculated she might be shifting to a career in product endorsements. But it turned out that this rich fan simply found giving out red envelopes too boring and started raffling physical items instead.
Qin Ran had invested in those companies, and their products were high-quality. Fans who received them provided positive feedback, which helped boost sales.
Soon, Qin Ran's routine of shuttling between her three regular spots ended because she was on summer vacation. On the first day of vacation, she packed her bags and flew to Yu Shuman's filming set. Recently, Yu Shuman had been filming horse-riding scenes on the grasslands. Qin Ran hadn't expected that playing an empress dowager would require horse-riding skills. However, it made sense considering the character's backstory: the empress dowager was a general's daughter who had often ridden and hunted on the grasslands as a child.
After becoming the empress and later the empress dowager, the palace's confinements clipped her wings, turning her from a free-spirited eagle into a power-hungry snake. In this scene, the young emperor is taken out hunting by ministers, and the empress dowager mounts a horse to bring down the game herself.
When Qin Ran arrived at the filming site, she saw Yu Shuman dressed in a traditional male riding outfit, her long hair tied high, with the curled ends adding a touch of exoticism. Sitting astride a tall steed, her fiery red riding attire made her fair skin even more striking.
Yu Shuman, playing the empress dowager, held the reins lightly. Her eyes, usually filled with sparkling starlight, now appeared slightly subdued. However, when she occasionally turned her head, one could still see the ambition and determination in her gaze.
Dragging her suitcase along with her assistant and bodyguard, Qin Ran first went to the hotel to drop off her luggage. When she arrived on set, this was the scene she witnessed: Yu Shuman riding on a horse, galloping with the grace of someone who truly grew up on horseback. However, Qin Ran knew that according to Xiao An's reports, Yu Shuman had worked hard to get on that tall horse and had nearly fallen twice.
When Qin Ran learned of these incidents, she almost wanted to drop everything and rush to Yu Shuman's side. Work, studies, none of it mattered as much as Yu Shuman. But Qin Ran held herself back. Yu Shuman wasn't a delicate flower nurtured in a greenhouse; she was a wildflower growing in a crevice, weathering the elements. If she rushed over at the first sign of trouble, it would make Yu Shuman seem weak in the eyes of others.
She could only call Yu Shuman on video late at night, softly complaining and urging her to take care of herself.
Yu Shuman's efforts paid off. The director had suggested using a smaller horse or even a stunt double, but Yu Shuman refused. The empress dowager in the script by February was a general's daughter and a political figure with ambitions. It would be ridiculous for her to ride a small horse in a scene meant to show off. As for using a stunt double, Yu Shuman believed that unless it involved difficult stunts, using a stunt double for a simple riding scene would be an insult to her profession. Otherwise, why bother being an actor? Why not let a stunt double do all the acting?
Now, the results matched the director's expectations. Qin Ran stood on the side, simply watching Yu Shuman laugh heartily, feeling overjoyed. This scene was supposed to show the empress dowager asserting her royal authority, intimidating ministers who wanted to make the young emperor look bad. But as she galloped freely on the horse, the empress dowager relived a bit of her childhood freedom.
"Right here, Manman, don't mess this up," the director muttered to himself as he watched Yu Shuman from behind the screen.
When the empress dowager calmed down and realized where she was, an emotional storm brewed within her. She was no longer the carefree girl under her father's and brother's protection; she was the empress dowager, the most noble woman of her time, and soon...the most noble person.
But she had to maintain an outward calm, while her eyes revealed her inner turmoil.
This kind of scene was challenging for a young actress. How to mobilize facial muscles and express emotions through the eyes was something that most young actors found difficult.
Yu Shuman tightened the reins and let out a "whoa." The horse reared up, its front hooves in the air before slowly landing. The smile on her face tightened and then Qin Ran saw her nostalgia, her struggle, and finally, her resolve. In the end, only ambition remained.