Chapter 142: They Started Arguing!

Hearing Chen Qi’s resolute tone, Zhao Qingqing nodded thoughtfully. Although she was in charge of the online platform, she deeply understood and fully supported Chen Qi’s decision.

Despite the rapid development of online platforms and the declining number of TV viewers, in terms of influence, television still far outshines the internet. The TV audience base is incomparable to that of online platforms. Only programs broadcast on television can truly create nationwide sensation. No matter how popular a show is online, at best it only makes waves across the internet, which is a far cry from nationwide impact.

More importantly, no matter how popular a program or drama is on TV, it does not diminish the viewership on online platforms. On the contrary, higher TV ratings often lead to substantial increases in online views. The TV audience and online viewers largely consist of different groups, with only minimal overlap. Moreover, many who watch a program on TV often choose to watch it a second or even third time online.

In short, whether for profit or other reasons, Zhao Qingqing sincerely hoped that Chen Qi’s collaboration with the TV station would proceed smoothly.

“Then…” Zhao Qingqing glanced at Chen Qi carefully, choosing her words cautiously before asking, “How do you want to cooperate?”

Though she was not optimistic about the program, she was curious about Chen Qi’s thoughts. To be honest, she had no interest in the show at all; the fact that she hadn’t even inquired about its format until now was proof enough.

Chen Qi shrugged casually when asked, saying, “I don’t mind. If you believe in this program, we can sign the contract for online broadcasting rights now. But if you’re not interested, we can wait and decide later whether to purchase it. Under the same price, I still prefer to cooperate with you.”

Zhao Qingqing was taken aback. She stared blankly at Chen Qi, struggling to comprehend. What did he mean by “don’t mind”? Wasn’t the purpose of his visit to discuss cooperation? After all this, he was simply here to sell the online broadcasting rights?

“Aren’t you here to discuss cooperation with us?” she asked, bewildered.

Chen Qi couldn’t help but laugh. “I do want to talk about cooperation, but are you interested?”

Zhao Qingqing was momentarily speechless. Frankly, they weren’t interested in a music show. But did that mean he wouldn’t even try to negotiate because he knew they weren’t interested? That seemed rather capricious.

From what he said, it sounded like even if he couldn’t find a partner, he would insist on doing the show himself. Was he really that bold?

Zhao Qingqing’s gaze grew complex. In that moment, she gained a new understanding of Chen Qi’s persistence. He seemed indifferent to others’ opinions; once he was convinced of something, external doubts didn’t sway him. She even suspected that his visit today was purely out of politeness.

“Director Chen, could you tell me what format this program will take?” Zhao Qingqing suddenly found herself interested.

Of course, her interest did not mean she was optimistic. She still harbored considerable prejudice against music-related shows. She was simply curious about Chen Qi’s imaginative and unconventional approach—how he intended to present this program. Given her understanding of Chen Qi, it was unlikely to be a conventional format.

But she never expected Chen Qi to smile and shake his head upon hearing her question.

“Confidential.”

“Con… confidential?” Zhao Qingqing stared at him, utterly shocked. Now she was truly dumbfounded.

She seriously wondered if Chen Qi had come just to tease her. How could one discuss cooperation without any sincerity? Even if he was only selling online rights, he should at least reveal some details about the program. Without any information, how could they negotiate? It was simply too much!

“Yeah, confidential,” Chen Qi smiled, nodding once more to confirm. Since cooperation seemed unlikely, he decided not to waste words and instead preserve some mystery for the program.

Zhao Qingqing was speechless. After a long silence, she asked, “What’s the budget for this program?”

Chen Qi thought for a moment and said, “Around 100 million.”

“100 million?” Zhao Qingqing was startled. This was madness! Making a music show was one thing, but investing such a huge sum into it? What if he really couldn’t find partners? Could he afford a billion yuan investment on his own?

Chen Qi nodded. “About that.”

In truth, he wasn’t sure of the exact amount; it was safer to quote a higher budget. Programs with bigger budgets always sounded more prestigious. As the saying goes, you can’t lose face in terms of momentum. Whether he could really spend that much was another matter, but it was always better to overstate.

Zhao Qingqing stared at Chen Qi in disbelief. After confirming he wasn’t joking, she asked incredulously, “Are you really that confident in this program?”

Chen Qi just smiled slightly without making any grand claims.

Seeing his calm demeanor, Zhao Qingqing fell silent. She knew that until the program was made and tested in the market, all talk was just empty words. No one would believe it yet.

When Zhao Qingqing didn’t respond, Chen Qi guessed she might be struggling to find a polite way to decline. After a moment, he smiled, stood up, and said, “Director Zhao, I have some other matters to attend to, so I’ll take my leave. You can take your time to consider the online broadcasting rights. There’s still some time before filming starts.”

With that, he waved and turned to leave.

“Wait!” Seeing Chen Qi about to leave, Zhao Qingqing suddenly grew anxious. She decided to consult her superiors.

Though she wasn’t optimistic about the program, she believed in Chen Qi. Others might not know, but she was aware of all the major achievements Chen Qi had accomplished over the past two months: the widely praised public service ads on CCTV, the nearly nationwide viral KUKU mobile ad, “Unthinkable” (Wan Wan Mei Xiang Dao), and the song he had recently composed that quickly climbed to the top charts.

She admitted there was an element of gambling, but she wanted to take that gamble. She believed in Chen Qi’s ability.

She also knew how challenging it would be for Chen Qi to get this program off the ground. Beyond the massive budget, his lack of experience would surely cause many difficulties during production.

Rather than adding to his success, she preferred to offer help when he was struggling.

Even knowing that the company would likely never invest in this program, she thought it was still worth trying to secure the online rights contract early. Signing the contract now would provide Chen Qi with a significant sum of funding, which would be a form of support.

Among the resources she had developed, Chen Qi was one of the most valuable and promising talents. She didn’t want to miss this chance to strengthen their relationship.

“Director Chen, please have a seat. I’ll discuss this with my superiors and won’t be long,” Zhao Qingqing said, then hurried upstairs to the general manager’s office.

She got straight to the point, succinctly explaining the situation.

“A music program?” The general manager found it somewhat laughable upon hearing Zhao Qingqing’s proposal for a music show investment. He refused outright.

“Impossible! The company will never invest in any music-related program.”

“Even aside from the music aspect, the company won’t invest in any program. He lacks experience and resources. How can I believe he can produce a qualified show?”

“Yes, I know ‘Unthinkable’ was his project, but strictly speaking, it isn’t even a real drama. Whether he wants to produce a program or even a proper drama now, I don’t believe he can reach ‘Unthinkable’s level.”

“It’s not that I underestimate Chen Qi or doubt his ability, but the market is harsh. Investing in him is extremely risky and almost guaranteed to fail.”

The general manager’s refusal was blunt and absolute. In the current environment, producing a music show was already daunting enough; now Chen Qi wanted a program with a budget over 100 million? That was courting disaster.

No way! Absolutely not!

“General He, I insist!” Zhao Qingqing refused to give up.

“You insisting won’t change anything,” the general manager waved dismissively. “This matter is not up for discussion.”

“Then can we at least sign the online broadcasting rights first?” Zhao Qingqing offered a compromise.

The general manager still shook his head. No! There was no need to pre-sign for such a music program.

Seeing his continued refusal, Zhao Qingqing grew anxious. “General He, I want to sign it.”

“No!” The general manager cut her off sharply. “That’s the end of it. Don’t say anything more.”

Undeterred, Zhao Qingqing continued to argue.

Then the general manager lost his temper.

Soon they were shouting, their voices loud enough to be heard outside. Passersby stopped, surprised, and stared at the office with wide eyes.

“Get out!”

With the general manager’s angry command, many saw Director Zhao storm out, clearly frustrated.