The biggest problem with long-form video platforms is exclusive dramas, which leads to users needing more than one membership.
In his previous life, Wang Yi liked watching anime.
To support genuine content, he first purchased a Bilibili annual membership.
As a result, Bilibili's anime became less competitive.
Instead, Tencent's domestic animation caught up, with powerful content resources, so he then purchased a Tencent annual membership.
Later, wanting to watch iQiyi's Mist Theater suspense dramas, he had to get another iQiyi membership...
His partner wanted to watch variety shows, so there was no choice but to subscribe to Mango TV as well...
To watch classic dramas like "Empresses in the Palace," he had to get a Youku membership...
It was a complete family package!
One annual membership cost two hundred yuan.
Five of them combined, the annual video membership fees would be a thousand yuan!
This was just for mobile.
To watch on TV, he had to upgrade to a Diamond membership, which even after a discount, an annual membership would cost over 300 yuan.
If he subscribed to all five TV memberships, it would be close to two thousand yuan!
Later, Wang Yi directly gave up on other platforms, only keeping the Tencent TV membership which had the richest IP resources.
It was the same now.
In 2011, major video platforms' expenditure on buying copyrights became increasingly alarming, while advertising revenue showed a downward trend.
Left with no choice, major video platforms successively launched paid membership systems.
To attract more users, they also purchased many exclusive dramas.
Users would also face various choices.
However, not all users could afford to purchase several annual memberships.
On the contrary, most would give up renewing, and it would be good if they only kept one or two memberships in the end.
Which one to give up and which one to keep depended on whose resources were more robust and richer.
Like in his previous life, with the rise of Tencent Video's animation, Bilibili's user base was crushed, and Bilibili began a continuous decline...
Wang Yi kept his Tencent Video annual membership also because its content resources were the richest, its self-produced domestic animation was the strongest, and it performed well in dramas, movies, and variety shows, with no weaknesses.
Behind this, what appeared to be a competition of content resources was actually a competition of capital, and also a competition of investment vision!
Only with enough money could one purchase richer IP copyrights, acquire more exclusive dramas, and invest in more high-quality self-produced dramas, animations, and variety shows!
Similarly, for Xingyi Video to overcome other video platforms and break through in the current "Hundred Regiments Battle," it also needed to invest heavily in buying IP copyrights.
Among these, copyrights for old dramas were not valuable, nor were copyrights distributed by multiple parties.
Instead, the exclusive online streaming rights for popular new dramas were the most valuable!
Currently, it was still okay; popular new dramas cost only 200,000-300,000 yuan per episode.
Even a hit like "Empresses in the Palace" only cost LeTV 20 million yuan for six years of exclusive streaming rights, less than 300,000 yuan per episode, which was very cheap.
But Wang Yi knew that next year, this price would rise to 300,000-600,000 yuan per episode.
For a drama of "Empresses in the Palace" caliber, without 40 million yuan, exclusive online streaming rights were out of the question.
By 2013, it would cost 1 million yuan per episode, with a hit drama costing over 80 million yuan.
In 2014, exclusive online streaming rights for hit dramas would exceed 100 million yuan!
In his previous life, for "The Legend of Miyue" in 2015, 3 million yuan per episode for exclusive streaming was too expensive.
Tencent and LeTV each spent 1.5 million yuan per episode for distribution rights, for 81 episodes, totaling 243 million yuan!
In addition, two satellite TV stations each paid 3 million yuan per episode.
All combined, "The Legend of Miyue" sold for a total of 730 million yuan!
With such high costs and so much money spent, if it became a hit, several hundred million would be worth it.
At the very least, high ratings would lead to more satellite TV advertising revenue, breaking even.
Video platforms gaining many new members and high popularity also profited.
But what if the money was spent and the drama didn't become a hit?
They would truly lose everything.
For instance, "General and I" in 2017 was a typical case of being incredibly expensive and a complete flop.
"General and I" had a total of 62 episodes.
Mango TV paid 4 million yuan per episode for exclusive broadcast rights, spending 248 million yuan.
LeTV.com paid 7 million yuan per episode to acquire exclusive online streaming rights, spending 428 million yuan.
Due to issues like green screen acting, the drama's viewership ratings completely flopped, and its online viewership also collapsed...
It's easy to imagine that Mango TV and LeTV both suffered heavy losses, losing all their capital.
However, this was just a microcosm; such incredibly expensive and flopped phenomena were too common in the film and television industry!
They happened every year, in large numbers.
Therefore, long-form video membership platforms incurred losses every year.
In 2016, iQiyi lost over 2 billion yuan in one year, and other platforms were similar, or even worse.
It was precisely for this reason that the current "Hundred Regiments Battle" would become an "iQiyi-Youku-Tencent" three-way fight within five years.
It wasn't that iQiyi, Youku, and Tencent were formidable, but that the BAT giants behind them were rich!
Even if they lost money every year, other video platforms couldn't endure it, went bankrupt, or were acquired.
The BAT giants could also continuously burn money to support them, holding on until all other video platforms were worn out, and the survivor would be king!
Domestic internet companies that survived to the end might not be particularly powerful, but rather particularly wealthy!
The gap between people is limited, and the gap between enterprises is also limited.
The most fundamental difference is that of capital!
Now with Wang Yi's entry, the competition in this life would only be more intense, even brutal!
These things couldn't be helped.
However, Wang Yi's advantage was knowing which dramas would become popular.
When acquiring exclusive streaming rights, he could simply buy the right ones, not the expensive ones, or even produce them himself!
With Director Zheng and Noon Sunshine, producing a few hit dramas every year, and then casually buying some other exclusive streaming rights, would be enough!
This way, annual expenditure would be only one-tenth of other video platforms, while revenue would be several times higher than other platforms.
In this situation, it would be hard not to dominate.
What's more, Wang Yi also had Xingyi mobile phones, Xingyi tablets, and Xingyi TVs, all with built-in Xingyi Video APP!
And there were users, and fans!
With similar content resources, Xingyi mobile phone users would most likely choose to use the Xingyi Video APP.
Especially with Xingyi TV, the startup screen would be the Xingyi Video interface.
How could other platforms compete?
By then, Wang Yi would also introduce Xingyi device user privileges, offering a seven-day membership trial upon startup, or half price for the first month, 30% off for the first year...
Once users became Xingyi Video VIPs and developed a habit, it would be difficult for them to switch later.
Of course, in terms of copyrights, it also had to be the most comprehensive.
If users couldn't find anything they wanted to watch, no matter how many devices or how good the marketing, it would be meaningless.
The preparations to be made, besides acquiring copyrights for old dramas, also included strategizing for new drama copyrights.
"Empresses in the Palace" would premiere on satellite TV next March, so Xingyi Video could only air it simultaneously in March.
Wang Yi calculated the time; it seemed just right.
The development, testing, and promotion of Xingyi Video would all require time.
If development started now, it would be launched at the earliest by February next year, first to accumulate users.
In March, it would directly launch with "Empresses in the Palace," achieving instant success.
This would be perfect.
However, one "Empresses in the Palace" would not be enough; other popular dramas also needed to be acquired.
Otherwise, once "Empresses in the Palace" finished, users would not renew their memberships and would abandon Xingyi Video.
Thinking of this, Wang Yi looked at Ye Changpeng:
"President Ye, let's see which dramas will be released next year, and we can discuss which ones to acquire!"
"Okay."
Ye Changpeng immediately opened his laptop and pulled up the filing information:
"Boss, these are the new dramas that have been filed and are scheduled to be released next year. Some copyrights have been sold, some haven't. Some haven't even started filming yet..."
Wang Yi glanced at the list: "Palace II," "Empresses in the Palace," "Beijing Youth," "Beijing Love Story," "Xuanyuan Sword: Rift of the Sky," "Ups and Downs," "Cliff," "Invincible The Righteous," "Imminent Crisis"...
Wang Yi noticed that there were very few major hits with scores above 9 in all of 2012, but many dark horse minor hits with scores of 7 or 8.
Interestingly, "Palace," aired in 2011, was a big hit but was dramatically beaten by the dark horse "The Temptation to Go Home," coming in second!
And the second installment in 2012, "Palace II," saw a decline in quality, but maintained decent ratings due to the popularity of the first part, only to be crushed by "Empresses in the Palace"!
It could only be described as tragic.
"Empresses in the Palace" immediately secured the annual viewership champion title from the start, leaving all others far behind.
Now that the copyright was in Wang Yi's hands, "Palace II," which was several tiers lower in quality, would naturally not be considered.
Moreover, "Palace II" would be released in January, and Xingyi Video platform likely wouldn't be ready by then.
"Beijing Love Story" was considered a minor hit with a 7.5 rating, also released in January, so it was pointless.
Furthermore, the copyright was with Tencent, so it probably wouldn't be sold!
However, Wang Yi had some impression of "Hot Girl Soldier."
It would be released next year on Singles' Day, but its viewership ratings were very high, seemingly always number one, known as the female version of "Soldiers Sortie"!
Considering that most Meiyou users were female, a drama like "Hot Girl Soldier" would easily appeal to them.
Male users also liked it; Wang Yi's roommates watched it every day.
He simply said:
"I think 'Hot Girl Soldier' is pretty good. Go negotiate and acquire the exclusive online streaming rights for ten years!"
Ye Changpeng nodded:
"Okay, Chairman. I also think this drama is good, and this genre doesn't have high costs. The total investment is only 20 million yuan, definitely a small production. Filming only starts next month, so if we act early, the copyright fee certainly won't be expensive. For ten years of exclusive online streaming rights, three million yuan should be enough."
"That cheap?"
Wang Yi smiled; this drama was definitely a dark horse!
Even if it couldn't compare to "Empresses in the Palace," its viewership ratings were still number one during its run and ranked among the top few for the year.
"Try to negotiate. Four million yuan for permanent exclusive online streaming rights is also acceptable."
"Okay!"
For a drama with high viewership ratings like this, buying it out permanently for a few million is fine to stock the video library.
People will watch it every year, for nostalgia...
"The spy drama 'Dancing with Wolves' is also good. Acquire the exclusive streaming rights for that as well."
Wang Yi remembered this drama; its viewership ratings seemed to be number one in December:
"It will perfectly follow 'Hot Girl Soldier'!"
This way, the popular dramas in November and December would all be exclusively streamed on Xingyi Video, leaving other platforms with nothing.
"Also, sign that Liu Huangshu, who plays a supporting role in it. Let him name his own terms, and sign him for 20 years directly!"
"Liu Huangshu?"
Everyone in the room was stunned.
Wang Yi suddenly realized that the meme 'Keep playing music, keep dancing' didn't exist yet in this era.
"It's Yu Dawei, who plays the big villain. His acting is good, and he's worth investing in."
"Okay!"
Currently, Liu Huangshu was not yet a big star, so he could be signed directly, a top-tier veteran actor +1!
First, arrange for him and Gao Qiqiang to go to other dramas as extras to hone their acting skills.
Once their acting skills were perfected, arrange them as lead actors, and they would become instant hits!
Wang Yi had even thought of the marketing tagline,
"Gao Qiqiang, do you still remember Liu Huangshu, who used to be an extra with you all those years ago?"
A few years later, while other platforms were promoting sky-high-priced top stars, Wang Yi would arrange for these veteran actors to appear.
Their salaries would be only one-tenth of the top stars', yet their acting and viewership ratings would crush the competition!
It was to let capital know that in the face of absolute strength, top stars were nothing!
"Also, acquire 'I Am a Special Forces Soldier: Blade Out of Sheath,' which is coming out in October!"
This drama was also a hit during its period and sold well overseas.
"Acquire 'Fire Blue Blade' as well!"
Most of the dramas Wang Yi remembered were pretty good, and his roommates watched them every day.
"'Mu Fu Feng Yun' will be broadcast in June, acquire that too!"
Wang Yi said,
"Also, sign his screenwriter, Wang Juan!"
Xingyi Media having only great directors was not enough; top screenwriters also needed to be on board.
And Wang Juan was a top screenwriter!
In his previous life, the wildly popular "Young Blood 1 & 2," "Joy of Life," and "Sword Snow Stride" were all screenwritten by him.
For male-oriented historical dramas, he was the number one!
He naturally had to be signed.
"As for 'Xuanyuan Sword: Rift of the Sky'..."
Wang Yi was a bit conflicted.
This drama was very popular back then due to its cast, and its weekly broadcast format yielded decent ratings, indicating it had traffic.
However, compared to "Chinese Paladin 1," it was still far inferior.
Its Douban score was less than 7, far worse than "Fire Blue Blade" or "Dancing with Wolves."
And it was expensive!
It was a drama of six points for quality, eight points for traffic, and eight points for price!
If it could be acquired for five million yuan, Wang Yi would take it without hesitation.
But if it was twenty million, it wouldn't be worth it.
After all, "Xuanyuan Sword" was far inferior to "Empresses in the Palace."
"Go negotiate the price. If it's for distribution, buy ten years of distribution rights for two or three million yuan. If not for distribution, acquire ten years of exclusive streaming rights for under 10 million yuan. Give up if it's over 10 million!"
There was no way around it.
If you said its quality was average, its traffic was incredibly high and could bring in a large number of new VIP members!
Even if acquired for 10 million yuan, it could still break even.
But if the price got any higher, it wouldn't be worth it.
After all, ten million yuan could buy three "Fire Blue Blade" dramas.
"Okay!"
Ye Changpeng made a firm note:
"Chairman, what about 'The Magic Blade'?"
"'The Magic Blade'..."
This drama was somewhat similar to "Xuanyuan Sword," also having traffic but average quality, and even inferior to "Xuanyuan Sword."
Wang Yi waved his hand:
"Judging by the cast, it's probably average, not worth buying exclusive rights for. If the distribution price is right, buy distribution rights!"
For a traffic-driven drama like this, if other platforms aired it but Xingyi Video didn't, users would think Xingyi Video's capabilities were not good!
That wouldn't do.
Furthermore, for such a drama, the current distribution price, if four or five platforms bought it together, each would pay at most two million yuan.
Spending two million yuan on a traffic-driven drama was still acceptable.
"Okay!"
Ye Changpeng nodded:
"Then, should we buy 'Beijing Youth'?"
"'Beijing Youth'..."
Wang Yi had some impression of it.
The quality of this drama was similar to "The Magic Blade," around six points, and its viewership ratings after airing were also acceptable.
But seeing the cast, Wang Yi waved his hand:
"This drama is excellent, let's leave it for other platforms."
For no other reason than that several male leads were core guardians of the 'Knife-Stabbing Cult,' and several female leads were expert 'house-collapsers'... Wang Yi was genuinely uninterested.
They would crash sooner or later!
"As for 'iPartment 3,' its quality is probably not as good as the first two, but it still has popularity. Let's buy distribution rights!"
"Okay. For a popular drama like this, buying exclusive rights would mean a huge expense. Distribution is more cost-effective."
...
After reviewing the dramas on the filing list and finalizing several good ones, Wang Yi stopped:
"Let's leave it at that for now; we'll discuss the others later. Arrange people as soon as possible to acquire the copyrights for these dramas."
"Yes, Chairman, I'll arrange for people to handle it right away."
Ye Changpeng quickly instructed Xingyi Media personnel to fly to various locations to negotiate prices and purchase copyrights.
Wang Yi let out a long sigh:
"As long as we acquire these traffic-driven dramas and dark horse hits, it will be enough for next year!"
Especially those low-budget dark horse dramas, which seemed inconspicuous but ended up with exploding viewership ratings, all ranking first in their respective periods!
As long as they secured those exclusive streaming rights, they would definitely gain a large number of paying VIP members.
With these dramas as a foundation, it wouldn't be a big problem if Wang Yi's self-produced dramas only released one, or even none at all.
After dealing with this matter, Wang Yi went to the mobile phone department.
Zhu Changlin was very excited:
"Chairman, one thousand engineering prototypes are all undergoing testing. After nearly half a month of testing, the hardware is completely fine!"
Wang Yi nodded:
"Good, notify the factory to officially begin mass production, full speed ahead!"
"Okay!"
Zhu Changlin was extremely excited; Xingyi mobile phones were finally going to be mass-produced!
Wang Yi changed the subject:
"By the way, are there any empty workshops at the factory? Can we add more production lines?"
Originally, an annual production capacity of 20 million units was sufficient.
But now with the sponsorship of "Happy Camp" and upcoming advertisements, plus the launch of the video platform next year, promotional intensity would skyrocket, and traffic would surge!
By then, annual sales of Xingyi mobile phones exceeding 20 million units would not be a problem.
After all, next year alone, Wang Yi had prepared Xingyi Phone 1st gen, Xingyi Phone 1 Pro, and Xingyi Phone 2nd gen!
Xiaomi's hunger marketing strategy could sell over 7 million units of one phone model in a year.
Wang Yi, with open supply, three phones released simultaneously, and so much promotion, selling 9 million units of one model would be no problem.
Combined, there was hope to sell 30 million units.
For no other reason than that smartphones were just starting in 2011, and countless Nokia users needed to switch to smartphones.
It could be said that market demand was extremely large!
Therefore, increasing production capacity was imperative.
"Chairman, I've also considered this issue. I remember the factory buildings over there have a lot of space, and not many production lines are installed in each. After all, it was a state-owned enterprise before, and space utilization has always been low. I think adding more production lines is feasible. But we'll have to ask the factory director there for specifics."
Wang Yi smiled; having deep pockets and low utilization was a common problem for many state-owned enterprises!
"Ask, ask right away!"
"Okay!"
Zhu Changlin immediately contacted the person in charge there, and the call ended quickly:
"No problem, boss, we can add another half of the production lines."
"Then the total production capacity will reach 30 million units?"
Wang Yi smiled:
"Order equipment immediately, add production lines, and recruit people simultaneously!"
"Okay, boss!"
Zhu Changlin said:
"I will try my best to adjust, striving not to delay existing production while adding new production lines."
"Very good."
Wang Yi nodded with satisfaction.
Once production capacity reached 30 million units, Xingyi mobile phones would be sufficient.
Zhu Changlin, however, was a little worried:
"Boss, with a capacity of 30 million, can we sell that many phones?"
Wang Yi smiled:
"Next year, 30 million units of capacity will still be enough, but the year after next, 30 million won't be enough! And even if phones don't use up that much capacity, we can produce tablets."
"Since the hardware for Xingyi Phone 1st gen is fine, don't sit idle. Also, develop the Xingyi Phone 1 Pro and Xingyi Tablet! I'll send you the exterior design and main internal component standards later."
"Yes!"
Zhu Changlin agreed:
"Xingyi Phone 1 Pro has very minor changes, so it'll be easy to handle. Xingyi Tablet also presents no pressure."
Wang Yi patted Zhu Changlin's shoulder: "Try to push forward. Next March or April, launch the Xingyi Tablet and the quad-core Xingyi 1 Pro together! The Xingyi Tablet will first use the Xingyi 1 Pro's processor."
"Then, for the Nvidia processors, should we place an additional order? Five million units probably won't be enough!"
Wang Yi waved his hand:
"No rush. Tablet sales certainly won't be as terrifying as phones. Selling a million units in the first two months would be good. Two months later, with Qualcomm's 28nm quad-core release, Nvidia's 40nm quad-core won't sell anymore and will definitely see a big price drop!"
Zhu Changlin was full of admiration:
"Chairman is wise. If we place an additional order then, the cost-effectiveness will be higher!"
Wang Yi smiled without speaking.
In his previous life, Nvidia ended up so miserably, relegated to being tablet-exclusive...
No choice, who told them they didn't have a baseband...
Zhu Changlin thought of another problem:
"What if phone orders surge and our factory doesn't have extra capacity? What about the tablets then?"
"It's fine. If orders truly surge, then the Xingyi Tablet will be outsourced to BYD for manufacturing!"
Just in time, next year when BYD's stock price is high, Wang Yi would have to reduce his holdings of some shares to cash out and order lithography machines, etching machines, and other equipment!
By then, it would definitely attract external attention.
At that time, while Wang Yi announced partial share reductions, he could grandly present large orders for phones or tablets!
For example, a massive order for tens of millions of tablets to be manufactured by BYD!
Such extremely positive news could completely overshadow the negative news of Wang Yi's partial share reduction.
The outside world would only think that Wang Yi's partial share reduction was merely for Xingyi Technology's own development, and not because he was bearish on BYD!
The main point was risk hedging!
It all depended on how it was operated.
"Also, recruit some smart TV developers!"
Zhu Changlin was a little surprised:
"Boss, are smart TVs also launching next year?"
Wang Yi nodded:
"Of course. I've already spent hundreds of millions buying video copyrights and am building the Xingyi Video platform. If we don't launch smart TVs, wouldn't that be a waste of resources?"
"You're right!"
Zhu Changlin suddenly realized.
Originally, Wang Yi planned to make smart TVs in 2013, but now it seemed it had to be done in 2012.
No choice, making Xingyi Video was too expensive.
Even next year, it would require burning at least over a billion yuan.
In the years to come, billions per year were possible!
To recoup funds as quickly as possible, Xingyi smart TVs had to be launched as early as possible.
Recruiting people and developing now, if all went smoothly, it would be released in the second half of next year along with Xingyi 2nd gen!
Televisions, in terms of technical content, were not as complex as mobile phones.
To put it plainly, companies capable of making mobile phones could also make TVs.
But conversely, for companies capable of making TVs to venture into mobile phones, that would be hard to say...
Old Jia's grand strategy, Jia Yueting had no hope of achieving it, but Wang Yi could complete it for him, and do it better, more perfectly!
In a word, what Jia Yueting could do, Wang Yi could do better.
What Jia Yueting couldn't do, Wang Yi could also do.
But building cars was not something to be considered within a few years.
The future of gasoline cars was dim.
Even if Wang Yi worked hard, he couldn't compete with German and Japanese brands.
Engines, transmissions, and such things were too technically demanding.
Decades of technological accumulation by Europe and America in this area could certainly not be surpassed overnight.
But they could overtake by focusing on new energy.
However, new energy was difficult to scale up in the short term, unless there were breakthroughs in battery technology, costs came down, and range increased.
As for batteries, an early strategy could be made.
Next year, acquire a cutting-edge battery research and development institution, then invest funds, recruit talent, and conduct targeted research and development.
As long as there was a breakthrough in battery technology, they could exert effort in new energy, but it would be hybrid!
These days, pure electric vehicles were still not optimistic.
In his previous life, Xiaomi's focus on pure electric cars was a misstep, wrong from the start.
Before a qualitative breakthrough in batteries, pursuing pure electric vehicles would be difficult to achieve success.
Pure electric vehicles, limited by range and charging, were more suitable for short-distance commutes, for families with one gasoline car and one pure electric car.
But most families still only had one car, and gasoline cars and hybrids were more suitable.
For example, BYD's DMi and AITO's extended-range versions sold better than their pure electric counterparts.
Subsequently, Zhu Changlin went to the mobile phone factory to officially mass-produce Xingyi mobile phones.
In the evening, Wang Yi headed straight for Lin Shu's home.
Three dishes were on the table, and Lin Shu was still busy in the kitchen:
"Xiao Yi, you're here! Please wait a moment, one more dish is almost ready!"
"No rush."
Wang Yi smiled slightly.
Knowing he was coming, Lin Shu went to buy groceries, then stewed soup, having been busy all along.
So virtuous, it was my fortune to have her!
Wang Yi walked into the kitchen, stood behind Lin Shu, and embraced Lin Shu:
"Let me help you."
"You... you... you're getting in my way!"
In that position, Lin Shu's expression was a bit unnatural.
'This scoundrel is thinking bad thoughts again!'
"Haha, don't talk nonsense."
Wang Yi completely denied it.
"Hmph! I can't even be bothered to expose you!"
Lin Shu was a little speechless:
"The seafood noodle soup is ready!"
"Okay, I'll take it!"
Wang Yi turned off the heat, carried the soup pot out, and grabbed two bowls.
Lin Shu also finished the last dish, Diced Chicken with Chili Peppers!
Just as she was about to serve the dish, Wang Yi picked her up by the waist.
Lin Shu was startled:
"Oh, I need to serve the food, why are you carrying me?"
Wang Yi carried Lin Shu to the dining room and placed her on a chair:
"Shu Bao, you've worked hard. Just sit and relax, I'll serve!"
"Mhm!"
Lin Shu was in a great mood, feeling that Wang Yi really cared for her!
She gave Wang Yi a kiss on the cheek, then sat down obediently.
Wang Yi smiled slightly, walked into the kitchen, and served the dishes.
The two chatted and laughed while enjoying their meal.
Perhaps it was a simple life, yet it had a unique charm.
When Wang Yi went on business trips, there was nothing to be done.
When he wasn't traveling, he often worked at Xingyi Technology Park during the day and returned to Lin Shu's place at night.
Occasionally, he would go back to school, attend a few classes, and then return at night...
Lin Shu had already gotten used to this.
As long as Wang Yi came often, she was in a good mood.
Every time, there were four dishes and one soup, too much to finish, simply couldn't finish it.
"Xiao Shu, if this continues, I think I'll get fat!"
Wang Yi said with a laugh:
"People usually get fat in middle age, but I reckon I'll be fed fat by you before I'm twenty!"
"Oh, what should we do?"
Lin Shu frowned slightly:
"Getting fat might affect your health. From now on, you'll do Pilates with me!"
"Pilates?"
Wang Yi waved his hand decisively:
"No need for that. I'll just let Wu Shuang teach me a few moves! Whether they're useful or not, it's always good to practice more!"
"That makes sense. I also need to pick up my Sanda again. If I encounter a bad guy, I'll beat him up."
"Awoo!"
Saying this, Lin Shu made a playfully fierce expression at Wang Yi.
"Haha."
Wang Yi laughed so hard he couldn't straighten up; Xiao Shu was too cute.
Song Sining was more of the sexy and mature type, while Lin Shu was cute, playful, and gentle, with a sweet smile.
"By the way, Xiao Shu, are you still watching 'Mo Dao Zu Shi'?"
"I'm watching it, but it updates too slowly. I'm chasing it every day!"
Lin Shu became interested, then frowned slightly:
"The plot is very exciting, I just feel like between the two male leads... it's strange, something I can't quite describe, not normal!"
Wang Yi smiled; it seemed Lin Shu didn't like Boys' Love style.
In the outline of "Mo Dao Zu Shi," the Boys' Love style had been avoided as much as possible, and Yu Wanwan was also circumventing this issue.
But this script was originally a Boys' Love drama, and after its final release, it would be considered a Boys' Love adaptation.
There was no male-on-male passion, but there was still a bit of that kind of feeling...
It was like suspecting something was happening, but having no proof!
This way, whether it was made into a drama or an anime, passing review would not be a problem.
"There's another problem, the updates are too slow, only 4000 words a day! That author isn't putting in enough effort!"
Lin Shu pouted and complained.
"Haha."
Wang Yi was amused.
With Wang Yi's detailed outline, Yu Wanwan didn't need to conceive the outline and basically updated 6000 words daily, submitting 6000 words every day.
But the website only updated 4000 words, saving the rest as drafts.
For no other reason than that Meiyou Novel relied on "Mo Dao Zu Shi," this hit, to attract traffic.
Naturally, the longer it updated, the better.
If it updated 6000, or even 8000 words daily, it would probably finish in a few months, and then it would be difficult to attract traffic later.
It was better to update 4000 words daily, a slow but steady stream, ensuring maximum and most lasting popularity.
Wang Yi opened his phone and looked at the data for "Mo Dao Zu Shi," a little surprised: 420,000 collections!
Wang Yi was utterly shocked!
Within half a month of its release, "Mo Dao Zu Shi" collections surpassed 300,000, and in three weeks, it exceeded 420,000!
Such an achievement could only be described as terrifying.
Of course, a large reason was Wang Yi's promotion in front of numerous media outlets, which brought in terrifying traffic.
Another reason was that Meiyou Novel was just starting, with fewer than a hundred books having average subscriptions over 3,000, and fewer than ten S-tier books with over 10,000 average subscriptions.
It could be said that the entire platform's traffic was concentrated on these hundred books and ten hit titles, making it difficult for collections not to be high.
Coupled with the excellent quality of "Mo Dao Zu Shi," which could handle this wave of traffic, it completely exploded!
After dinner, Wang Yi checked the backend data.
"Mo Dao Zu Shi" had an initial subscription of 35,000, and its current average subscription exceeded 50,000!
This achievement was already legendary!
The comment section was absolutely on fire.
There were also many "Mo Dao Zu Shi" posts on the Meiyou forum.
Some people even started writing fanfiction, even Boys' Love and "fujoshi" style fanfiction.
Even if Wang Yi particularly controlled the Boys' Love elements, those fans still persisted.
For girls, when it came to Boys' Love, they either scorned it or were loyal to it until death.
Couldn't say.
Wang Yi then checked the data for other books.
Currently, across the entire Meiyou Novel website, there were a total of nine books with average subscriptions over 10,000.
Five books had average subscriptions between 10,000 and 30,000, with three of them produced by Meiyou Studio.
There was no choice.
With hit outlines + skilled writers + full guidance from senior editors, in this "gu-raising" model, it was hard not to produce hits.
It could only be said that this model was very successful.
Two books had average subscriptions over 30,000, written by two highly skilled "great gods" poached from other sites.
There was only one SS-tier hit with average subscriptions exceeding 50,000: "Mo Dao Zu Shi."
Additionally, there were twenty-three A-tier books with 5,000 average subscriptions.
There were sixty-one B-tier books with 3,000 average subscriptions!
Books with 1,000 and 2,000 average subscriptions were all over a hundred titles.
Such results couldn't compare to major websites, but for a newly established novel website, it was still very good.
Of course, the biggest reason was that female-oriented novels had fewer words and were listed quickly.
A book was typically around 300,000 to 1,000,000 words.
It had to be put on shelves at 50,000 to 70,000 words.
With fewer words at listing, average subscriptions grew quickly.
"With so many hits, Meiyou Novel can be launched."
Thinking of this, Wang Yi sent an email to Song Sining:
"Sining, issue an announcement. A new product launch conference will be held at Xingyi Technology Park in three days..."
To maintain sufficient popularity, a monthly press conference was standard practice!
That night, this news made it to the trending topics, once again attracting widespread attention across the internet.
"After waiting for over half a month, Xingyi Technology's press conference is finally coming! What will be released this time?"
"Don't know, could it be the Xingyi mobile phone?"
"Possibly! So excited, so looking forward to it!"
"Probably Meiyou Novel, 'Mo Dao Zu Shi' has been too popular recently!"
"Who cares, there's definitely good stuff coming, keep following!"
"Yeah, every time Meiyou releases powerful new products, I'm really looking forward to it."
"As a Meiyou fan, my wallet has been emptied by Chairman Wang!"
"Meiyou's bare leg artifact is truly amazing; the effect is fantastic."
"That's right, ever since I bought the bare leg artifact, I wear dresses every day now."
"Hope this time, there will also be a hit product like the bare leg artifact!"
...
For Meiyou's new product launch, numerous users and fans were excited.
But Lei Bus was silent:
"A mid-November press conference, could it be for the Xingyi mobile phone?"
"This speed is too fast, isn't it? What will Xiaomi do?"
"Sigh! The chip problem hasn't been completely resolved yet!"
A while ago, to increase phone production and acquire components, all of Xiaomi's top executives flew to major suppliers to negotiate orders and place additional orders.
To solve the chip problem, Lei Bus even personally flew to the Empire to talk with Qualcomm.
But unexpectedly, he was turned away!
In his previous life, without a big client like Wang Yi, Lei Bus was Qualcomm's honored guest.
But this time, with Wang Yi's super large order of 25 million chips, Lei Bus's order for hundreds of thousands of chips was simply not enough to merit attention, so they naturally couldn't be bothered.
TSMC's chip production capacity also prioritized Xingyi Technology's orders.
Left with no choice, Lei Bus waited for two days, and only then was he received by Jacob.
Lei Bus pleaded tirelessly and with great sincerity, finally convincing Jacob to agree to produce an additional 500,000 application chips + 500,000 baseband chips for Xiaomi.
But the delivery date would be at the end of January!
Lei Bus was very displeased about this.
He was offering money, begging the other party to increase the order and ship early, but they were unwilling.
Being controlled by others, there was simply no way.
He could only comfort himself, telling himself that the end of January was better than February...
"But relying on Qualcomm entirely is still not good enough. We must learn from Chairman Wang and also place bets on Nvidia! This way, if Qualcomm fails us, we still have Nvidia!"
That night, Lei Bus thought a lot and felt very melancholic.
Also unable to sleep was Bosideng's old chairman:
"Meiyou is holding another press conference? What are they going to do this time? Compete with Bosideng?"
Two days later, Song Sining arrived in the Imperial Capital, still busy with press conference rehearsals.
Once a month, she was already very familiar with the routine!
She was busy until seven in the evening before Song Sining, dragging her tired body, returned to Wang Yi's apartment.
"You've worked hard, Sining!"
Wang Yi embraced Song Sining.
"I must have owed you in my past life,"
Song Sining said with a smile, collapsing onto Wang Yi, exhausted, truly exhausted.
"Come, let me give you a massage to relieve your fatigue."
"Okay."
Song Sining was in a great mood and followed Wang Yi to the bedroom.
At first, the massage was really comfortable, but soon enough, things took a different turn.
"Ah!"
"Scoundrel!"
"If I ever believe your nonsense again... I'll... stop being a Song!"
The lights flickered, and Song Sining's screams could be heard.
A short separation makes the heart grow fonder, like a new marriage.
(End of Chapter)