"We're still in the negotiation phase. Initially, we planned on Lemon TV, but their drama schedule is already full, and as you know, they don't really value small-budget projects like ours that are just testing the waters..."

Hou Yichuan didn't finish his sentence, but Chu Tian understood immediately.

The first season of this drama in his previous life had an investment of only a few million. Even in this world, if he wanted to make it slightly better, it still cost just over six million.

Compared to those productions easily costing tens or hundreds of millions, this definitely belonged to the minor league.

Top-tier stations like Lemon TV certainly wouldn't be interested. That would be devaluing themselves, wouldn't it? With all sorts of big-budget dramas lining up for selection, why would they bother with a small production like this one?

"Alright then, this drama is mainly for testing the waters. Let's start with finding a station to air it; it doesn't necessarily have to be top-tier. Second-tier stations could also work, but let's forget about the really small ones—they have no potential whatsoever."

In his previous life, this drama was also underrated and had emerged from a third-tier station.

But that was because he'd had no choice but to settle for a third-tier station, although it eventually made a name for itself and became a hit.

If possible, a bigger platform would certainly be better.

In the end, it all came down to the company's lack of strength.

The company had little influence, so others didn't bother to pay attention. If the investment in the drama was small, it was even less likely to be taken seriously.

There was no way around it for now. The company had to wait and gradually increase its influence as it developed.

Through Hou Yichuan's introduction, Chu Tian gained a general understanding of the company's current situation.

It seemed the key for now was to keep enhancing the company's influence. Only with real strength would others take them seriously.

"Okay, I pretty much get it now. You've been working hard these days."

"Hey, it's not like I've only started working hard today or yesterday..."

After saying this, Hou Yichuan glanced at Chu Tian, as if he had a lot to say but found it difficult to express.

"What do you mean by that? Are you hinting at something?" Chu Tian asked.

"No, not at all! How could I dare to directly hint at you like that?"

"Alright, I get it. You just keep working overtime."

This guy, acting all passive-aggressive. He's been getting pretty cocky lately, Chu Tian thought.

Originally, Chu Tian had intended to stay late and help him out, but not anymore. He might as well go back and sleep.

"Hey, hey, don't go! You're unbelievable..."

Seeing Chu Tian looking as if he was about to leave, Hou Yichuan was speechless. What kind of person was he dealing with?

"By the way, I have some news here."

Chu Tian hadn't really wanted to leave. Since he was already there and everyone else was working late, he didn't have the cheek to leave just like that.

"What news? If you're going to say it, say it. Otherwise, I'm going home to sleep."

"What's the rush? Sit down for a bit longer. Once you sign these documents, we can grab some late-night food together."

"Late-night food? Just spit it out!"

Chu Tian took the documents and glanced through them. They were mostly contracts, some of which required his signature for confirmation.

As he looked them over, he spoke casually, "Actually, it's nothing major, and it's not really related to us. But you were pretty interested in that singer, Xu Qingqiu, before, weren't you?"

"Is her concert coming up soon?"

They were all from the same circle. Even though Unlimited Entertainment hadn't ventured into the music sector, some news still caught their attention.

"Yes. If you have something to say, just say it."

"Here's the thing: I've heard that quite a few people are planning to release albums soon, and two of them are specifically targeting Xu Qingqiu."

"Two of them?"

He had known for a while that people were releasing albums, and a series of recent strategic moves had been made precisely to counter their publicity efforts.

But as far as he was aware, most others were just muddying the waters, hoping to make a quick buck.

Wasn't Qin Xiao the only one truly targeting Xu Qingqiu?

How come there were suddenly two? Who was the other one?

"You didn't know? One of them is Qin Xiao, whom you tricked last time, and the other is Jiang Haoyue."

"Jiang Haoyue? Does he have a grudge against Xu Qingqiu?"

Jiang Haoyue was just a fresh-faced pop idol, wasn't he? Chu Tian didn't recall any feud between him and Xu Qingqiu.

"Let me tell you, it's quite complicated..."

Seeing Chu Tian's interest piqued, Hou Yichuan's gossipy nature burst forth. With a sly smile, he said, "Our company has been sorting through some forces within the entertainment industry recently, and we've noticed a few companies. The biggest of which is Habes."

He paused, waiting for Chu Tian's reaction. Unfortunately, Chu Tian remained expressionless, making Hou Yichuan inwardly sigh.

"Originally, Habes was a top media company in America, locally known as High Tone Entertainment. Lately, other record companies have either been declining or transitioning."

"Only Habes seems to be taking a different path. They've always focused on the music industry, but unfortunately, when competing with Weide Media in America, it seems they didn't prevail."

Chu Tian furrowed his brow as he listened. None of this seemed to get to the point. Although he wasn't clear about these details, they seemed irrelevant to him.

"Get to the point. What does this have to do with us?"

Hou Yichuan was not pleased. He had spent a long time investigating to find out these things.

"How can it be irrelevant? I'm getting right to that part. What's the rush?"

"Habes is different from other companies in their expansion. They've chosen to continuously take control of various companies to grow their influence. This method is not only fast but also very covert."

"From what I know, Baise Entertainment, the one you didn't think much of before, is one of them. Additionally, there's Idol Mutual Entertainment, which, as I just mentioned, is Jiang Haoyue's company."

"There are several other entertainment companies involved, covering movies, television, music, variety shows, and more!"

At this point, Hou Yichuan took a deep breath and, looking at Chu Tian seriously, said,

"Chu Tian, you need to take this seriously. The ambition of this company is immense. They're aiming to create a world-spanning, multi-disciplinary entertainment behemoth!"

"If they actually succeed, to be honest, the whole of East Asia will be overshadowed by them!"

"I don't know what you think, but as a Chinese person, I can't help but suspect their motives with the utmost malice."

"If possible, we should thwart their plans. It would be for the best—for you, for me, and perhaps even for our country!"

Chu Tian looked at Hou Yichuan with some surprise. He hadn't expected him to exhibit such strong patriotic sentiments.

He had thought that as someone who had studied in Silicon Valley, Hou Yichuan would be more indifferent to these matters, but his reaction was quite strong.

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