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"Fei'er-jie, I'm begging you!" Tian Tian clung tightly to Chen Fei'er's arm, her soft and delicate pleading nearly impossible to refuse.
If she had been begging Lu Chen, he might have surrendered on the spot.
Chen Fei'er reached out and pinched Tian Tian's perky nose, laughing, "Begging me won't work. Why don't you ask him instead?"
She pointed at Lu Chen, smiling like a fox that had just stolen a hen, her eyes gleaming with mischief. "As long as he agrees, this whole thing won't be a problem."
Tian Tian grimaced. "Asking Lu Chen is out of the question. I still owe him my life, I haven't even repaid that yet!"
"That's easy." Chen Fei'er laughed. "If you can't repay it, then just offer yourself to him. That would settle any kind of debt."
"Offer myself?" Tian Tian shot Lu Chen a sultry glance and giggled. "I don't mind, but what about you, Fei'er-jie?"
"I can't just steal my sister's man, can I?"
This former hostess of Zhejiang TV was a stunning beauty, with bright eyes and white porcelain skin. Her slightly tipsy expression lit up under the room's soft lighting, giving her a unique allure that could stir any heart.
Especially with such teasing and ambiguous words.
Lu Chen couldn't help but cough a couple of times. Ladies, can we mind the atmosphere here?
Chen Fei'er had also drunk quite a bit. She completely ignored Lu Chen's hint and reached out to pinch Tian Tian's chin, saying, "With your little face, you think you can steal my man? Hmph, at best I'd let you be a concubine!"
Concubine?!
Lu Chen was utterly speechless. Looks like she's had too much to drink too, talking all this crazy nonsense!
Tian Tian tilted her head and leaned on Chen Fei'er's shoulder. "A concubine? Hmm… not totally unacceptable."
Lu Chen couldn't take it anymore. "Miss Tian, 'Autumn in My Heart' had multiple investors. Plenty of networks are trying to get the rebroadcasting rights through personal connections."
"There are some relationships we can't just brush aside. Fei'er and I are in a difficult spot, too."
Naturally, he had to play the bad guy.
Once things turned serious, Tian Tian stopped joking and asked seriously, "Is it Capital City TV?"
In this situation, the biggest rival Zhejiang TV faced was undoubtedly Capital City TV.
Aside from its own strength, Capital City TV's biggest advantage was its local dominance; it was a true kingpin in the Capital. Anyone operating in the city had to show them respect.
Tian Tian wasn't some brainless bimbo. Before coming to Jinling, she had done her research thoroughly.
So she hit the nail on the head with a single guess.
Lu Chen nodded. "Fei'er and I do have a good relationship with Capital City TV."
Tian Tian's face fell. "I figured as much. I really had no choice this time."
Since moving from hosting to behind-the-scenes work at Zhejiang TV, Tian Tian's career hadn't gone smoothly.
First off, it was a professional mismatch; she majored in broadcasting and hosting, so she was at home in front of the camera. Going behind the scenes meant starting over, which was exhausting and challenging.
Tian Tian wasn't afraid of hard work. The real issue was the internal politics at the station. Plenty of people were eyeing her current role, and there was no shortage of gossip and backstabbing.
Being sent to negotiate the rebroadcast rights for 'Autumn in My Heart' was a great opportunity, but if she failed, even her current supporters might find it hard to speak on her behalf. It would put her in a very passive position.
Speaking of all this, Tian Tian's eyes began to redden.
She had entered Zhejiang TV purely through her own hard work and talent. She didn't come from a powerful background. Even though she had some admirers in the station, their support could only go so far.
Unless she achieved some eye-catching results, or latched onto a powerful backer.
But that last option had never been something Tian Tian would consider. Chen Fei'er shot Lu Chen a glare, as if all of this was somehow his fault.
Lu Chen knew better than to reason with women, especially drunk ones. After thinking for a moment, he said, "Actually, this can be easily solved. Why not have both networks purchase the rebroadcast rights jointly? There's no need to fight to the death over it."
"Also…"
He paused, then continued, "If this collaboration works out, then for my next drama series, I'll give the premiere rights to you two under the same terms, priority access."
Premiere rights could be sold exclusively or licensed to multiple networks. The same applied to rebroadcasting rights.
Big stations like Capital City TV and Zhejiang Satellite TV preferred exclusive deals, but it wasn't a hard rule.
Lu Chen's suggestion was clearly a smart compromise. Without sacrificing his own interests, it gave both networks face and made good use of their personal connections.
Before 'Autumn in My Heart' aired, his promise would've been worthless. But now, it carried real weight.
Tian Tian's eyes lit up instantly. "Really?"
She wasn't lacking in intelligence, just unfamiliar with these kinds of negotiations. With Lu Chen pointing the way, she immediately understood and felt much more confident!
Chen Fei'er laughed. "Of course it's real. The moment you said you'd offer yourself to him, he agreed. Who could resist our charming Tian Tian?"
"Fei'er-jie!" Tian Tian blushed furiously and pounced on Chen Fei'er to tickle her, trying to cover up her embarrassment.
She had sobered up a lot by now and was thoroughly mortified by the nonsense she had just spouted. The two women giggled and tussled on the couch, completely forgetting Lu Chen was still sitting there watching.
Lu Chen was honestly at a loss for words, so he could only cough loudly a few more times.
He felt like he was about to get laryngitis.
Tian Tian was the first to react, apologetically saying, "Lu Chen, thank you. Let's talk about this in more detail tomorrow. I'll head back first."
Chen Fei'er pulled her back and refused to let go: "No need to go back. Stay here with me tonight."
Tian Tian's eyes widened. "How are three people going to sleep?"
Chen Fei'er was stunned for a moment, then quickly understood. Her pretty face flushed red as she pinched her: "You dirty-minded girl..."
Tian Tian hurriedly begged for mercy, "Fei'er-jie, I know I was wrong."
"I'm leaving now!"
Lu Chen really couldn't stay any longer. He quickly stood up and made his exit; if he stayed a moment more, he feared his heart wouldn't be able to take it.
Only now did he realize that this beautiful female host was actually a total wild child.
As he closed the door, he could still hear Tian Tian's timid voice behind him: "Fei'er-jie, how about I sleep here alone, and you go over there…"
Lu Chen was completely speechless.
The frustration he felt, there was simply no way to put it into words.
Still, frustrated or not, a promise was a promise. Lu Chen would always keep his word. He asked his sister, Lu Xi, to make the connections. Together with Chen Fei'er's agent and representatives from Qiande Film & TV, they invited delegates from two TV stations to sit down and negotiate.
All three parties agreed to simultaneously sell the rebroadcast rights of 'Autumn in My Heart' to Capital City TV and Zhejiang Dongnan Satellite TV. The exact contractual terms would be ironed out in further discussions.
At the same time, Lu Chen Studio promised that the premiere rights for the next drama series would be offered first to those two stations.
As for Tian Tian, it went without saying, this outcome was ideal for her.
Zhu Shaotai was a bit disappointed, but he knew that his side didn't have many bargaining chips. If they upset Lu Chen and ended up with nothing, even his own position could be at risk.
Most importantly, splitting the rights with Zhejiang Dongnan Satellite had its advantages, it helped share the enormous costs.
With just one month to go before the New Year, if the rebroadcast could coincide with the festive period, especially Valentine's Day, then high viewership would be all but guaranteed, and profits would come easily.
Not to mention the commitment for the next drama series.
Unless Zhu Shaotai had taken leave of his senses, there was no way he'd push a golden goose like Lu Chen into the hands of their competitors.
So after just a few minutes of thought, he agreed to the cooperation proposal.
As for Qiande Film & TV, they were laser-focused on getting a piece of the pie in the next drama. How could they possibly oppose an idea raised by Lu Chen and supported by Chen Fei'er? Their only sticking point was the price.
After initial negotiations, the two TV stations each offered a price of 1 million yuan per episode.
That meant a total of 20 million yuan for the 20-episode drama!
This price was definitely top-tier. But for 'Autumn in My Heart', a drama that had exploded in ratings, even this figure for rebroadcast rights wasn't too high.
Naturally, Lu Chen Studio, Chen Fei'er Studio, and Qiande Film & TV weren't fully satisfied. There was still some haggling to be done.
On January 9th and 10th, 'Autumn in My Heart' aired its ninth and tenth episodes on Haijin Satellite TV.
The national ratings reached 1.47% and 1.59%, respectively!
Just like that, the 1.5% threshold was broken with ease, and now hitting the 2% "phenomenon-level" benchmark was within reach.
At the same time, on WeChat Video, 'Autumn in My Heart' officially surpassed 1 billion views. Among all TV dramas on WeChat Video in 2015, it ranked in the Top 5.
And yet, 'Autumn in My Heart' was only halfway through its run, there were still 10 episodes left. Ratings and view counts were bound to hit new highs. It wasn't out of the question for it to set new records.
As the show continued to rise in popularity, more and more reporters began appearing at Jinling Film City, especially at the filming site of 'Autumn in My Heart'. As long as it wasn't a fully closed set, photographers with long lenses were always lurking around. Related stories constantly popped up in the entertainment sections.
Although it amounted to free publicity, the downside was that Lu Chen and Chen Fei'er had to be extremely cautious whenever they were outside the hotel. Even going out for meals required their assistants to tag along. Sneaking around for dates was completely out of the question.
On January 17th, as the twelfth episode of 'Autumn in My Heart' aired, the urban romance drama's intense two-month-long filming schedule finally entered its final stage.
(End of Chapter)