Chapter 154: Stirring Up Trouble? I Can Do That Too!

"How much?" Upon hearing the price quoted by her assistant, Vice Station Head Wang couldn't help but gasp.

"Sixty million," the assistant repeated.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, I am."

"..." Vice Station Head Wang's lips moved, but not a single word came out. Her expression turned solemn. Suddenly, she felt the pressure. Sixty million! The previous record for a title sponsorship at the station had been only fifty million; they had just exceeded that by ten million in one go. While ten million wasn't a staggering amount for the station, this new record was something that could be heavily hyped. If the other team kept pulling stunts like this, the entire station would eventually believe their show had immense potential. Such information could easily influence the Station Head's judgment, and it would be a disaster if he, too, became convinced of the show's superior prospects.

Neither she nor her assistant noticed the strange look on Chen Qi’s face nearby. Sixty million? A new record? Uh... this was becoming a bit awkward.

"Have you finalized your title sponsor yet?" Vice Station Head Wang suddenly asked Chen Qi. The young female assistant also instinctively looked toward him.

Chen Qi looked at her with an enigmatic expression, struggling to keep from laughing. He nodded slightly. Seeing him nod, Vice Station Head Wang felt her nerves tighten. She asked cautiously, "How much?"

"Tsk..." Chen Qi made a pained sound, his expression peculiar as he said, "I’m almost embarrassed to say." After all, the other side had just set a record.

Seeing him act this way, the already anxious Vice Station Head Wang felt a pang of worry, but she tried to maintain an indifferent tone. "It’s fine, as long as the difference between the two prices isn't too outrageous."

Chen Qi looked at her, paused for a few seconds, and then said slowly, "...Eighty million."

"That's not so bad, only a difference of twenty million..." Hearing the price, Vice Station Head Wang breathed a sigh of relief, but halfway through her sentence, she froze. The assistant beside her widened her eyes in disbelief, staring at him.

Eighty million? Eighty million??? Did I hear that right?

"How much did you say?" Vice Station Head Wang asked, her face full of incredulity.

"Eighty million," Chen Qi repeated.

"Are you joking?" Vice Station Head Wang lost her composure.

Chen Qi smiled and said, "They’re coming over this afternoon to sign the contract and drop off some materials."

"Who?"

"Kuku Mobile."

Upon hearing the name of such a major brand, Vice Station Head Wang was even more shocked. She gasped and asked, "How did you manage to close that deal?"

"By using our viewership ratings," Chen Qi said with a smile.

"..." Vice Station Head Wang was stunned. It took a long moment for the realization to sink in, and she looked at him with a mix of laughter and tears. Right, she had forgotten that he still held the trump card of guaranteed viewership ratings. Even so, with a guaranteed average rating of 1%, eighty million was still a bit on the high side. But since Chen Qi had already secured it, she couldn't be bothered to ask about the specifics. Regardless, this was fantastic news.

"Alright, you go ahead and get to work." A radiant Vice Station Head Wang turned and walked away. The young assistant, who seemed not yet to have recovered from the shock, couldn't help but steal a few more glances at Chen Qi before quickly following her. Having remained silent throughout the exchange, she was truly shaken by the figure of eighty million.

Watching them leave, Chen Qi fell into deep thought. The strategy unfolding downstairs was rhythmic; first, they leaked rumors that no host was willing to join his show, and then they revealed a record-breaking sponsorship fee. One link after another, they were quite good at building momentum. And this was likely just the beginning; they would surely continue to release more information to hype their show—buying media announcements, promoting the addition of big-name stars, and so on. He could think of several methods, not to mention the ones he hadn't even considered.

He was only able to remain calm because he had confidence in his own show. If it were someone else, they might have suffered a total mental collapse under such a persistent, layered attack. He could already foresee that in a few minutes, news of this record-breaking sponsorship would spread throughout the entire station. By then, the staff of his own show would surely be discouraged and demoralized.

Chen Qi took a deep breath, his expression turning serious again. He couldn't let this continue. They wanted to stir things up? He could do that too. Big moves? He had those as well. Publicity? Momentum? It seemed that was quite necessary. After a moment of silent contemplation, he turned and walked toward the studio.

...

Chen Qi had guessed correctly. By the time he was talking to Vice Station Head Wang, news of "Play Happier" breaking the station's sponsorship record had already spread, and at an astonishing speed. Just like the rumor that no one wanted to host "The Singer," this news caused an uproar across the station.

"Wow!"

"Sixty million?"

"Is it really that high?"

The moment they heard the news, the entire station was buzzing with excitement. Exclamations echoed through the halls, and expressions of disbelief were everywhere. Sixty million! It was a truly heart-pounding figure, wasn't it? As Chen Qi had anticipated, the image of "Play Happier" instantly improved across the station. And just as he had predicted, after hearing about the record-breaking fee, many eyes turned to his team, which had remained silent. Those who loved to watch the drama unfold were eager to see how Chen Qi would respond to his competitor's bold moves.

...

"The Singer" production team.

The staff members soon heard the rumors. After an initial moment of shock, they couldn't help but feel a deep sense of envy. They were dying of jealousy! Compared to the action-packed "Play Happier," their own show was so quiet it was almost absurd.

At that moment, the staff members really wanted to offer Chen Qi some advice. Look at them! Look at how they do it! That’s what a mature, high-potential production team looks like! Can you make some big moves too? You produced "Unexpectedly," didn't you? Can't you bring back just a little bit of that shamelessness? Can't you let us have a moment of pride? We don't need much—just once is enough! The feeling of being constantly stepped on by others was truly unpleasant.

The staff were nearly at their wits' end. They were all programs at Beijing Satellite TV, so why was the treatment so different? However, they knew that their wish for a moment of triumph was unlikely to come true. They even began to doubt whether their director could withstand the mounting pressure. Setting aside the sixty million sponsorship fee, which was a mountain he couldn't climb, the fact that no host was willing to join the show was enough to leave him overwhelmed.

In that instant, they felt that Chen Qi was quite a pathetic figure. It was then that Chen Qi appeared before them.