Chapter 79

A few days later, Mai Xiaoyu's guess was confirmed.

The cast of "The Return of the Pearl 3" was "accidentally" exposed, and among the main actresses, the role of Xia Zhenwei was to be played by the new rising star, Liu Qianqian.

Once the news broke, public opinion was in an uproar.

Some supported it, while others opposed it.

Opponents believed that the character of Xia Zhenwei, with her melancholic and sensitive nature, could convey deep emotions through every frown and smile, and Lin Xinru's portrayal had deeply touched the audience; however, Liu Qianqian's acting style did not match.

Although she also followed the path of a "yùnǚ" (refined and beautiful woman), Liu Qianqian leaned more towards an intellectual image, suitable for urban dramas, such as roles of pure female students or white-collar workers, but not for period dramas.

Liu Qianqian's fans, of course, spared no effort in supporting their idol. They believed that playing Xia Zhenwei would be a transformation from urban dramas to period dramas, which would help broaden her acting range and that she would definitely perform well.

The production team of "The Return of the Pearl 3" did not comment, nor did they confirm the authenticity of the leaked cast list. In response to interviews, they uniformly replied with official statements.

"Unclear."

"Unknown where that list came from."

"The official cast list will be announced in the future."

...

Actors like Lin Xinru, Zhao Wei, and Su Youpeng also dodged the issue, never directly answering the journalists' questions.

The less they responded, the more it fueled speculation and generated various topics.

The news about Liu Qianqian playing Xia Zhenwei became a hot topic, overshadowing the doubts about the necessity of "The Return of the Pearl 3" and the criticism that it was a poor sequel.

Is the promotion starting so soon?

I hope Liu Qianqian really plays Zhenwei.

Mai Xiaoyu smiled, closed the webpage, and opened his email to start organizing the "Ghost Blows the Lamp" manuscript.

Thanks to the Cultural Channel's opportunistic behavior, it provided excellent promotional material for "Ghost Blows the Lamp." Mai Xiaoyu decided to take advantage of the situation and publish "Ghost Blows the Lamp" early.

After several episodes were broadcast, "Ghost Blows the Lamp" had accumulated a significant number of loyal listeners. Since the night Li Xue resigned, the Cultural Channel stopped broadcasting "Ghost Blows the Lamp," and the "Whispering Fear" program immediately became the target of criticism.

Mai Xiaoyu couldn't access the internal data on the number of listeners who called, sent letters, or emails, so he could only gauge the listeners' reactions through the live message board on the radio station's website.

Well, the listeners' reactions were intense, so intense that on the third day, the website's message board was "temporarily unavailable due to system failure," the host of "Whispering Fear" was replaced, and the program faced cancellation...

As the saying goes, a wise man does not stand under a crumbling wall.

With no more peaches to pick, the deputy director's nephew and former host, Huang Junhui, naturally wanted to protect his reputation and said goodbye to "Whispering Fear," continuing to look for new opportunities.

The new host of "Whispering Fear" was the original host Wang, who was supposed to replace Jiang Yuan. He was the one who was scolded by Mai Xiaoyu that day, and he would now play the role of a temporary worker, facing a plummeting audience rating below 0.2% and the listeners' anger.

Time waits for no one!

With the situation looking favorable, Mai Xiaoyu decided to seize the opportunity and publish "Ghost Blows the Lamp" to make a profit.

Finding a publisher was easy; Feiyang Publishing was readily available.

"Is this Mr. Yang? This is Mai. Are you free this afternoon?"

...

The meeting place was still Yang Linfei's favorite shelter, the same private room, but Yang Linfei had changed.

When Mai Xiaoyu met Yang Linfei again, he clearly felt the change in him.

Previously, Yang Linfei was struggling to keep Feiyang Publishing and "Feiyang·Youth" afloat, and his demeanor reflected the hardships and determination he faced. Now, with "Feiyang·Youth" selling well and Feiyang Publishing out of trouble, Yang Linfei looked radiant and confident, his steps lighter.

"Mr. Mai, I'm really sorry. I should have taken the initiative to meet with you, but I let you contact me first. That was my mistake."

Reassuringly, Yang Linfei's attitude towards Mai Xiaoyu remained unchanged, always warm and friendly, without any hint of arrogance.

A single magazine had brought Feiyang Publishing back from the brink, and the one who had transformed that magazine was Mai Xiaoyu, with his "Flower Boy."

Certainly, one comic alone couldn't sustain a comic magazine, and "Flower Boy" couldn't instantly elevate "Feiyang·Youth" from hell to heaven, but it created a perfect opportunity for a turnaround.

Yang Linfei and his wife seized this opportunity. Leveraging the online buzz and the popularity of "Flower Boy," they decisively formulated a plan, publicly announced an increase in稿费 (royalties), and solicited submissions from comic artists.

With "Flower Boy" by the great Mai, "Feiyang·Youth" saw a rapid increase in sales, growing in popularity, with higher prices and increased royalties...

All these factors combined to make the submission process for Feiyang Publishing very effective. Many second- and third-tier authors submitted their work, significantly improving the quality of the submissions.

As the quality of the serialized comics improved, the magazine's sales naturally increased.

Time can solve any problem.

The battle among the three major Japanese comic publishers had ended with Kodansha's heavy losses. The "Mai Zhi" defense campaign in China had also gradually subsided, and the comic industry had returned to calm, but the sales of "Feiyang·Youth" did not plummet.

700,000 copies!

The current sales of "Feiyang·Youth" were stable at over 700,000 copies, with a peak of just over one million. At that time, Mai Xiaoyu was creating chaos online under a pseudonym, a period considered the most chaotic and darkest in Chinese comic history.

During those dark days, "Manga Love" also suffered, but with its substantial resources and deep roots, it still maintained its leading position in the domestic comic market.

The 700,000 copies sold by "Feiyang·Youth" were not enough to challenge "Manga Love's" position, but it had firmly established itself in the Chinese comic market, earning recognition from peers and tripling the magazine's advertising fees.

Yang Linfei was very clear that all the changes in his publishing house stemmed from Mai Xiaoyu. Without Mai Xiaoyu, there would be no good situation for Feiyang Publishing today.

He spoke enthusiastically about the changes in his publishing house and "Feiyang·Youth," showing great respect for Mai Xiaoyu.

"Mr. Mai, are you free tomorrow? The royalties in our previous contract were too low, which was unfair to you. I plan to draft a new contract, increasing your royalties by 20%."

Increase royalties?

By 20%?

Mai Xiaoyu smiled.

Old Yang is a good person. It was worth choosing his magazine to serialize "Flower Boy" for the sake of his daughter.

That little fox hasn't been in touch for a long time. I wonder what she's up to...

Mai Xiaoyu smiled without speaking, making Yang Linfei feel uneasy: "Mr. Mai, I know this increase in royalties is not much, but it's my sincere gesture. I promise to increase it further in the future. What do you think?"