Chapter Sixty-One: What's Wrong with This Young Man?

After standing there in a daze for a moment, the refined man finally chased after him, looking utterly exasperated. To think a purchasing manager could be driven to this state—it was truly rare! But he had no other choice; those few episodes of the short drama were indeed intriguing. In today’s world, where content reigns supreme, he dared not risk letting such a promising project slip through his fingers. If the company found out that, due to his negligence, this series ended up on a competitor’s platform, he’d be in serious trouble.

He dashed all the way to the elevator, only to find that Chen Qi was already gone. “Damn! How could he run that fast?” Glancing at the numbers above the elevator, he cursed inwardly, then made a snap decision and bolted down the stairs.

He just couldn’t understand it—where did a newcomer get such audacity? Other rookies would be humble, doing everything they could to negotiate a better price for their work. But this one? He’d turned to leave without hesitation, and even walked away so quickly!

By the time he barreled down from the tenth floor to the lobby like a gust of wind, he caught sight of Chen Qi striding out of the elevator. “Mr. Chen!” he called out, rushing to catch him.

Startled by someone grabbing him, Chen Qi turned instinctively. Seeing the refined man, he paused, confused. “What is it?” he asked, slightly bewildered. Did he forget something?

“Let’s talk again, please,” the refined man said, his expression full of supplication.

Chen Qi’s eyes widened in astonishment. He was truly taken aback! What sort of melodrama was this? Not only was he acting out of the ordinary, but now they were too—chasing after him like this? Couldn’t these buyers maintain some dignity? He’d already been so disrespectful, and yet they still pursued him?

“Come, come, let’s discuss further. I’ll get our manager to join, everything’s negotiable.” The refined man gestured enthusiastically toward the upper floors.

Chen Qi looked at him, half-amused, half-exasperated. After a moment’s hesitation, he followed him back into the elevator. Since the other party was being so polite, he might as well continue the conversation; besides, he wanted to fish for more information.

Back in the office, the refined man asked him to wait a moment, then hurried out. Before long, he returned with a middle-aged man whose thinning hair betrayed his age.

Chen Qi guessed that this must be the purchasing department manager. The refined man had likely briefed him already, because after a brief greeting, the balding man, named Hong Youcheng, asked Chen Qi to open the series. He watched the first episode from start to finish without skipping a single frame.

Afterwards, he nodded thoughtfully and randomly selected another episode. A few minutes later, he asked, “There are only ten episodes?”

Chen Qi nodded.

“Any plans for a sequel?” the man inquired.

“No,” Chen Qi replied.

At this, Hong Youcheng frowned unconsciously. The series had potential, but without a sequel, its commercial value was limited; its influence would be marginal at best.

“What price do you have in mind?” he asked.

Chen Qi was about to answer, but Hong Youcheng raised a hand to stop him. “Don’t mention anything like three hundred thousand; that’s impossible. The series is interesting, but its value isn’t as high as you think.” He chuckled teasingly.

Chen Qi grinned, feigning naivety. “To be honest, I’m new to the industry—I really don’t know how much this is worth. What’s the highest price you can offer?”

At these words, the refined man’s lips twitched slightly. Seriously? That wasn’t what you said earlier!

Hong Youcheng pondered for a moment. “I’ll add two thousand to my previous offer.”

“Not selling,” Chen Qi refused without hesitation.

“This price isn’t low,” Hong Youcheng said seriously.

“At this price…” Chen Qi put on a pained expression. “I won’t even recoup my costs.”

“That’s perfectly normal,” Hong Youcheng said, unfazed. “For a newcomer, breaking even already puts you ahead of ninety percent of your peers.”

Chen Qi looked at him skeptically. Was it really that dramatic?

Hong Youcheng continued, “At this stage, someone with your potential shouldn’t worry about small sums. You should think long-term.”

Chen Qi blinked, a little lost.

“As a newcomer, your priority should be to build your reputation,” Hong Youcheng continued, painting a grand vision. “Once you’re known, making money will be easy.”

Chen Qi’s eyes brightened, as if enlightened.

“Think about it. Your series is clearly good, so why can’t you command the price you want? Because you lack fame! If you were famous, you wouldn’t need to come to us. Just a hint of your new work and every platform would be throwing money at you. Am I right?”

Chen Qi nodded along.

“So why aren’t you famous? Because you don’t have enough works! Your focus shouldn’t be on how much you can sell this series for, but on getting it aired on a major platform like ours. Once it’s out, and the audience likes it, your name will spread, and your next work will fetch a much higher price.”

Hong Youcheng laid it out logically and convincingly.

After he finished, Chen Qi nodded earnestly, but kept silent.

Seeing this, Hong Youcheng was satisfied, giving him ample time to consider. Based on his experience, after such a speech, the other party would usually agree. He’d also observed Chen Qi carefully while speaking, and the young man seemed genuinely persuaded.

This deal was as good as sealed!

“Manager Hong, if you buy the series, will it be featured on your platform?” Chen Qi suddenly asked.

“Don’t worry, it will. We buy it to make money, after all.” Seeing Chen Qi ask about this, Hong Youcheng felt even more confident.

But just as he was feeling assured, Chen Qi spoke again, looking troubled. “But…I still think the price is too low.”

Hong Youcheng was stunned. What was going on? Had all his carefully crafted arguments been for nothing? Didn’t Chen Qi just nod along, agreeing?

“How about this—I’ll add another thousand. Twenty-three thousand per episode.” Hong Youcheng was a seasoned negotiator. Even though he was frustrated enough to spit blood, he maintained a calm expression.

Chen Qi forced a smile, more pained than before, and shook his head.

Now, Hong Youcheng was truly at a loss. He hadn’t expected that his tried-and-true routine would fail with a newcomer like this! Did the young man really grasp none of that easily understood logic? Or was the vision he painted not grand enough?

“In that case, I won’t push further,” Hong Youcheng said, suspecting Chen Qi was playing hardball. “This is the best price we can offer. Other companies probably won’t go higher—few have our deep pockets.”

Chen Qi just smiled, closed his laptop without a word.

A twitch flickered at the corner of Hong Youcheng’s eye.

Chen Qi nodded politely to them and left.

Hong Youcheng stared after him in disbelief.

He walked out?

He actually left?

“Manager…” the refined man hesitated.

“Forget it, let him go.” Hong Youcheng’s mind raced, but finally he abandoned the idea of chasing after Chen Qi.

“But the series is really good. If Simple Video buys it…”

“It’s fine,” Hong Youcheng waved his hand. “It’s interesting, yes, but without a sequel, it won’t make big waves.”

“Still…” the refined man was reluctant.

“The price we offered isn’t low. If his asking price is too high, Simple Video won’t buy it either. They’re not fools—there’s no need to invest too many resources in just over an hour of content.”

…

After leaving Youyou Video, Chen Qi checked the time and hailed a cab to Simple Video. He’d anticipated that negotiations might fall through, so he’d smartly scheduled an appointment with Simple Video that same morning.

After the earlier trial run, he had a rough idea of his series’ market value. Twenty-three thousand per episode could probably be pushed a bit higher, but not by much. Thirty thousand would be the ceiling, and getting that would take some effort. One thing was certain: the conditions of permanence and exclusivity were non-negotiable.

Still, he didn’t think those terms were excessive. Big companies always threw their weight around.

Over forty minutes later, he arrived at Simple Video. The building was just as imposing, with its name in bold characters visible from miles away. After announcing himself at the front desk, he was led to an office.

This time, his host was a woman in her thirties. “Hello, I’m Zhao Qingqing, purchasing manager at Simple Video.”

“Hello, I’m Chen Qi.”

Chen Qi couldn’t help but wonder if Simple Video was understaffed or something—he was being received directly by the purchasing manager. This gave him the impression that Simple Video wasn’t as large as Youyou. After all, Youyou had sent the head of a third team to meet a nobody like him, while here, he was greeted by the manager herself.

“Excuse me, are you the Chen Qi who made ‘Washing Mother’s Feet’?” Zhao Qingqing suddenly asked after their introductions.

In that instant, Chen Qi understood why the purchasing manager herself was handling him.

“Uh…yes, that’s me,” he replied, a little embarrassed.

“So it really is you!” Zhao Qingqing seemed a bit surprised. “When my team mentioned it this morning, I didn’t quite believe it.”

Chen Qi just smiled.

Thankfully, Zhao Qingqing didn’t press further. After a brief exchange of pleasantries, she asked him to open the series he wanted to sell.

Chen Qi complied.

Zhao Qingqing watched with great focus. Perhaps because she knew of his other work, she seemed particularly attentive. After the first episode, a look of amazement flashed across her face. She glanced at Chen Qi, then started the second episode.

Then the third, the fourth…

Unlike Hong Youcheng at Youyou Video, Zhao Qingqing watched all ten episodes straight through, not even skipping the credits.

…

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