Chapter 7

Yang An snapped his fingers: "If nothing goes wrong, it should be the one. Go tell Director Duan that the 'Men Marry, Women Wed' production team is willing to pay 500,000 yuan for promotion. As for the specifics... leave it to you to handle!"

Song Xiaomei let out an excited scream, gave Yang An a big hug, and quickly kissed his cheek, her face beaming with unrestrained joy: "Director Yang, you are amazing! So cool!"

This girl was so bold, daring to attack in public, not afraid of being accused of harassment!

Yang An touched the spot where he was kissed and chuckled: "Xiaomei, you are so enthusiastic. Can you do it a couple more times?"

Song Xiaomei rolled her eyes, swayed her hips, and walked away, huffing: "Dream on! I'll go tell Director Duan!"

"Heavens, 500,000 yuan sponsorship from a phone call?"

"Director Yang, you're not joking, right?"

"Our production team has sponsorship again! Director Yang, you are so capable!"

The colleagues, shocked, gathered around to chat and ask questions.

The once-popular 'Jianghu Laughter' was nearly out of funds. Two months ago, after the advertisement contract expired, the sponsor decided not to continue investing. The advertising liaison department was always worried about where to find money. Who would have thought that Yang An had this skill, securing sponsorship with just a phone call, and even from a guest!

The office was filled with joy, except for Li Yang, who was in a foul mood: "We haven't seen the money yet, and you're talking as if it's already in the pocket. Be careful, I might ruin it for you, leaving you with nowhere to cry!"

Seeing everyone fawning over Yang An, Li Yang felt as if he had swallowed a fly, and he threw the script on the table, storming out in a huff.

A few minutes later, Duan Haisan hurried over, holding Yang An's hand and exclaiming: "Little Yang, you are truly my lucky charm! This is like a gift in the snow, invaluable. With this money and your 'Slippery Laughter,' our 'Jianghu Laughter' will surely come back to life and even achieve greater success!"

Yang An humbly replied: "Director Duan, it's your excellent management and leadership. We are all your soldiers. As long as we all pull together, there's nothing we can't accomplish!"

Yang An's capable, calm, and humble attitude deeply moved Duan Haisan.

Duan Haisan gave Yang An a manly hug, wiped his slightly teary eyes, and announced loudly: "If the ratings for this episode return to above 0.3%, I'll treat everyone to a big meal!"

"Awesome!"

"Thank you, Director Duan, thank you, Director Yang!"

"We have the confidence to regain our glory!"

The office was filled with laughter and joy, which lasted for a long time.

For the rest of the day, Yang An kept an eye on the post-production team. He had to edit a perfect 'Slippery Laughter,' paying attention to every detail.

It was Friday, and everyone except the director and post-production technicians could leave on time.

Li Yang booked a private room at Happy Star KTV in advance, invited a few close friends, and called a few art school girls to accompany them. He gritted his teeth and ordered the most expensive wine and fruit platters to entertain the guests. He wanted to vent and release his anger today!

In the private room, they sang, danced, and played wildly. Zhang Mingde, holding a glass of wine, sat next to Li Yang and whispered in his ear: "I've smoothed things over on my end. As long as you apply for the transfer, I'll approve it. I can continue staying on 'Happy Saturday,' and I can also be the MC for 'Slippery Laughter,' without any conflict."

Li Yang said with a gloomy face: "I have a bit of trouble. Director Duan and Director Li both support that guy. He even secured 500,000 yuan in sponsorship today. It's not easy to deal with!"

Zhang Mingde was unhappy: "What's wrong with you? I put in a lot of effort and smoothed things over. How come you're the one who's failing?"

Li Yang felt frustrated: "I want to get rid of him as soon as possible, but Director Duan and Director Li have spoken. They gave him full control over 'Slippery Laughter,' making it an independent segment. I can't even see the proposal, let alone find fault with it! It's so frustrating!"

Zhang Mingde was furious, almost scolding Li Yang. He had seen a good program and spent a lot of money and effort to smooth things over. But the person causing trouble was backing down. This was playing with him! If you can't do it, don't try to bully and take over programs! What a lousy teammate!

However, he took a deep breath and held back, saying coldly: "Yangzi, I'm warning you. At this point, you only have one way out: fight him head-on and force him out. Once he recovers, he'll be the first to target you!"

Li Yang took a big gulp of wine, his eyes bloodshot, and said with hatred: "I know, let's see the ratings this weekend! I'll start looking for connections this weekend!"

...

For the 'Jianghu Laughter' production team, the program was completed on Friday night, reviewed on Saturday morning, and broadcast on the satellite station on Saturday evening, airing on Sunday.

Among the twenty provincial satellite channels nationwide, Red Maple TV was of medium to lower strength, with an overall average rating of 0.42% last year. The top-ranked Purple Onion TV had a rating of 1.85%, even surpassing most of the central channels.

The competition was fierce, no wonder the station had issued a strict order: any satellite program with a rating below 0.3% would be cut. Programs with ratings below 0.4% would be under the scrutiny of the station leaders, who would want to cut all the lagging programs.

On Sunday afternoon, after lunch, Yang An went to the screening department. The on-duty staff were busy, and the door was locked. He didn't want to disturb them by knocking.

It was still early, and 'Jianghu Laughter' wouldn't start until 3 PM. He decided to sit on the sofa in the reception area and watch TV.

At 2:30 PM, two staff members came out, standing by the window smoking and chatting.

Yang An approached them and offered them cigarettes: "Hello, gentlemen. I'm from the 'Jianghu Laughter' production team. I was wondering, after the program starts, can I check the real-time ratings?"

The tall one, looking alert, carefully checked Yang An's work badge, confirmed he was a station employee, and relaxed, asking: "Why are you concerned about this?"

Yang An smiled: "To be honest, I'm the producer of 'Slippery Laughter.' As you know, the first episode of the revamped show is about to air, and I'm a bit nervous. I want to know the real-time ratings to feel more confident."

The two looked at each other, surprised.

"You're the producer?"

"Wow, you're amazing! We were just talking about 'Jianghu Laughter,' and you guys are making a comeback!"

"Wow, how did you come up with such a great idea? You don't know how highly Director Zhang spoke of you after reviewing the episode. He said 'Slippery Laughter' is better than some segments of 'Happy Saturday.' If 'Happy Saturday' had this segment, their ratings would definitely exceed 1.3%!"

The two praised him, and Yang An felt comfortable, but he became alert: "Wait, did Director Zhang say he wants to transplant 'Slippery Laughter' to 'Happy Saturday'?"

The tall one quickly said: "No, no, no, that was just a hypothetical. We were just talking. The screening department doesn't manage your production team. It's almost time; let me take you in."

The two warmly led Yang An into the work area. They were the only ones on duty today.

The tall one sat Yang An at a computer and clicked the mouse: "Here, this is the real-time ratings monitoring system. You'll see it once the program starts, but the data is transmitted from CCTV with a five-minute delay."

Yang An thanked him, familiarized himself with the interface, and asked: "Can I print out the real-time ratings curve later?"

The tall one said: "Sure, but why do you need it? The station only looks at the average ratings for each program, not the real-time data."

Yang An chuckled: "It's the first episode, I want to keep it as a memento!"

...

Mu Jianmin was a die-hard football fan, playing since high school, through college, and even after starting a trading company and buying a large villa. He never gave up his love for sports.

On Sunday afternoon, there was an important Bundesliga match. He invited three or four friends who usually played football with him, bought roast duck, braised pork, and salted peanuts, and gathered in the living room to watch the 100-inch HD projector.

The men gathered to watch the game and chat, while their wives and girlfriends played mahjong on the balcony, and the children played video games in the children's room. It was a blissful day.

At 3:10 PM, during the halftime break of the Bundesliga match, the men argued about who should take the free kick, who was too slow, and who should be substituted in the second half.

Mu Jianmin, tired of the commentator's nonsense and not wanting to watch the ads, casually changed the channel to the local Red Maple TV, intending to switch to the next one.

"Wait! Let's stay on Red Maple TV!"

At the mahjong table, Mu Jianmin's wife glanced at the TV and called out: "These days, everyone is talking about 'Jianghu Laughter' on Red Maple TV. Let's see what they're showing. Eight ten thousand!"

"Chow, seven sticks! Sister Hui, you've seen the posts too?"

"How could I not? They're everywhere online. I used to love watching 'Jianghu Laughter' three years ago, but I haven't watched it in the past two years. I wonder what it's like now!"

The women continued to play mahjong and chat, while Mu Jianmin adjusted the channel and saw the end of the first segment, 'Laughter Guests.' He half-lay on the sofa, sipping beer, and lazily commented: "What's it like? Dead and dull! Red Maple TV hasn't had a decent program in years!"

His friends also agreed, having just criticized the football match, they now turned to bashing Red Maple TV.

The audience in the TV show was clapping, and the ads were about to start, along with a preview of the next segment.

"Yao yao, check it out!

A set of pancake rolls!

One egg for a yuan,

More flour for a crunchier bite.

..."

As soon as the child's cute voice came on, Mu Jianmin felt a tingling sensation down his spine, as if his soul was electrified. His eyes quickly scanned the subtitles on the screen, and he spat out a mouthful of beer, coughing uncontrollably.

"What the hell is this!"

"Yao yao, check it out? This rhythm... wow!"

"Jianmin, doesn't this voice sound as cute as your daughter? No wonder you reacted so strongly!"

"Ha ha ha! This person dancing on a slope, they won't fall over!"

"What! Brother Mu, you sprayed it all over my leg! How disgusting!"

The friends laughed and hurriedly wiped the beer stains with tissues.

"Quick, quick! This is what I was talking about! 'A set of pancake rolls,' it's so catchy!"

"Win! Let's stop playing and watch the show!"

The women, who had just won, turned to watch the TV, laughing at the clips.

The men stopped watching the football match and focused on Red Maple TV. Everyone, suppressing their immense curiosity, endured the three-minute ads, waiting for the show to start.