YA Ch33: Going Home

The bullet comments went wild with laughter.

[Did Mr. Lu get hit?]

[He’s in trouble, his wife hit him!]

[Are they really in love? It doesn’t look like a contractual marriage.]

The final screen was filled with “hahaha,” but there were also some discordant comments interspersed:

[It’s all just an act. They’re going to break up soon.]

[Capitalists will do anything for money, even fake gay relationships…]

[Mr. Lu, this is fun! Take me with you, I’ll sponsor you!]

Amidst the excitement, Chenyu’s official account announced that today’s broadcast was over and would continue tomorrow.

The social media platforms were instantly filled with wails of dismay.

User A: How can they only broadcast three episodes? Is this a joke? Who does a live broadcast of just three episodes a day? This novel has 1,200 chapters, are they planning to broadcast for a whole year?

User B: But the first three chapters are each 5,000 words long, thanks to the explosive start by Han Di Ba Yu.

User C: That’s only 15,000 words, which is equivalent to the usual five chapters. They promised 50 chapters of content per day!

The uproar was so loud that the official account had to respond, explaining that today was the first day, still in testing, so they only did a trial broadcast. There would be more episodes tomorrow.

However, the fans weren’t satisfied and continued to howl under the official account, even marching over to Han Di Ba Yu’s account:

[Han Di Ba Yu, come out! You have the nerve to broadcast three episodes, come out if you have the guts!]

The explosive popularity was beyond everyone’s expectations.

It was the first time people experienced such a live broadcast, where a novel was transformed into a holographic plot game, allowing participants to join and interact with the characters. It was incredibly sci-fi, far beyond what people imagined current technology could do.

“Hua Wenyuan” unsurprisingly topped the trending searches, and those who hadn’t watched the broadcast in the morning were now begging for a replay.

However, Niao Shu, the social media platform, mainly served social purposes. While it had many features, the services it offered were basic. There was no replay function for live broadcasts; once broadcast, it was over. People had to rely on snippets recorded by users.

Lu Yu had just taken off his helmet and hadn’t had a chance to run to Ming Yan’s game pod to show his affection when the business director rushed in like a whirlwind, “Mr. Lu, Mr. Ming, several video platforms have contacted us, wanting to buy the rights to replay our broadcast. The prices they’re offering are quite considerable!”

“Prepare a detailed quotation. We’ll discuss it after lunch,” Lu Yu waved, pushing aside the eager Lao Yang and ran over to help Ming Yan remove his helmet and safety harness. He smoothed Ming Yan’s flattened hair and asked softly, “Are you tired? Are you feeling okay anywhere?”

Ming Yan shook his head but didn’t have time to speak before the advertising director came in, grinning from ear to ear. “We have new advertisers wanting to place ads, offering prices more than ten times higher than before.”

Lu Yu glared at him, but no one cared about his glare; everyone was excited.

The most excited person, however, was the brown-haired maintenance engineer, Felix. He was stunned after watching the entire broadcast and kept circling around Lal Yang like a donkey tied to a millstone, unable to stop. “Oh my god, how is this even possible? How can novel text be directly transformed into a holographic scene? Why do these characters seem to have autonomy?”

Yang Chen was getting dizzy from Felix’s circling and helplessly explained, “Because he’s a developing intelligent assistant. The protagonist’s data source is extremely large and isn’t just limited to the novel’s plot.”

Felix still couldn’t believe it. Their company’s machines could only play preset games, which wasn’t very complicated; it was just converting regular games into holographic ones. Shen Yu had turned a bicycle into a spaceship. “Mr. Yang, the equipment you modified is worth a hundred times more than the original. You really need a security system.”

“Don’t exaggerate. Stop saying such things,” Lak Yang quickly stopped the mindless praise. Their security system hadn’t been upgraded yet, and it would be disastrous if ignorant people thought the servers were extremely valuable and came to steal them.

Mentioning this gave Lu Yu a headache. He said to the tactless advertising director, “Discuss the ads in the meeting too. Accept a few more high-paying ones.” Everything needed money, and urgently so. He hoped that Hua Wenyuan wouldn’t be scared by his uncle suddenly reading advertisements.

After a short lunch break, a new round of meetings began.

Yawning, Lu Yu was dragged out of the bed by Ming Yan. It turned out that the novel’s CEOs, who only needed to fall in love every day, were all lies. Real CEOs were busier than dogs.

The business director was the happiest, unable to resist complimenting the data analyst sitting in the corner, “Engineer Lin’s predictions were spot on. Broadcasting only three episodes on the first day really whetted the audience’s appetite and gave our partners enough time to negotiate business deals.”

However, Engineer Lin only lifted his eyelids and said coldly, “If you’re this surprised, it means you didn’t read the analysis data I gave you before.”

The business director choked and turned around to slap his own mouth. Why did he have to provoke this weirdo? Adjusting his posture, he turned back to discuss the platforms that wanted the replay rights, “Here’s the quote sheet. Most prices are similar, but Bajiao Video is offering the most, though they want exclusive broadcasting rights.”

Bajiao Video was one of the four major video platforms. Unlike others, it started as a live streaming platform and had a powerful live streaming feature—Bajiao Live. It was much more professional than Niao Shu’s live streaming platform, allowing for tips and even shopping cart sales.

“Other platforms also want live broadcasting rights, but it’s not a must, and they don’t demand exclusivity,” the business director added.

Other video platforms could also do live broadcasts, but their capabilities were not much better than Niao Shu’s. They mainly wanted the replay rights to make videos.

In summary, Bajiao was the strongest and offered the most money, while the other platforms were roughly the same.

The business department leaned towards selling to Bajiao, and others agreed it was reasonable.

“I have something to say,” a clear, pleasant voice rang out, silencing the noisy meeting room. Ming Yan calmly spoke, “We cannot give exclusivity.”

Lu Yu’s eyes sparkled as he looked at Ming Yan, who seemed out of place in the lively atmosphere, thinking he looked incredibly handsome at that moment.

Ming Yan glanced around, waiting for everyone to calm down before continuing, “We just gained some popularity. Switching platforms suddenly will cause us to lose viewers. Moreover, please recall our primary goal. Our ultimate aim is to sell intelligent assistants, not to produce a variety show.”

The people, who had been overwhelmed by the sudden influx of money from the entertainment industry, gradually regained their senses.

Indeed, they were an intelligent assistant manufacturing company, not a holographic game reality show production company. These extra earnings were just a minor addition compared to selling intelligent assistants.

“Exactly!” Lu Yu nodded, loudly agreeing, startling Lao Yang next to him. Then he turned and quietly asked Ming Yan, “A romantic variety show?”

Ming Yan shot him a glare.

His beautiful eyes, like little sparrows, looked stunning when they glared, as if snow had been stained with the glow of the sunset. The sight made Lu Yu beam with joy.

“I agree with Mr. Ming’s view,” Yang Chen ignored the flirting between the two and added, “Our product is going to be launched globally, and Niao Shu is a platform that synchronizes worldwide. Bajiao Live primarily serves the domestic market.”

The business director nodded, “Mr. Yang is right. Although Bajiao Live also has an overseas platform, it hasn’t developed much, and it’s not connected with the domestic one. We really can’t give them exclusivity, as it would affect our product promotion.”

Lu Yu decided, “Negotiate with Bajiao first, offer non-exclusive authorization, and allow a 10% tip-sharing. If they don’t agree, then cooperate with any of the other three major video platforms.”

After the meeting, all departments got busy, and Lu Yu followed Ming Yan like a tail back to the office.

Xiao Jiang knocked and came in, a bit embarrassed as he adjusted his glasses. “Mr. Lu, Mr. Ming, I have a small request.”

“What is it?” Lu Yu looked at Xiao Jiang’s suspicious blush with curiosity.

“If there’s a future broadcast with Mr. Shen, could I play a bystander?” Xiao Jiang uncomfortably adjusted his glasses again.

Lu Yu understood immediately and agreed promptly, “No problem.” Given the excellent live broadcast effect and Xiao Jiang being a die-hard fan of Mr. Shen, it would be surprising if he could stay calm.

“Thank you, Mr. Lu,” Xiao Jiang was particularly happy and placed two bags of gifts on Ming Yan’s desk, “Mr. Ming, the gifts you need to bring to the Ming family tonight are ready.”

Ming Yan was a bit surprised; he had forgotten about it.

Lu Yu asked with a smile, “Did Mr. Shen remind you again?” He secretly gave Xiao Jiang a thumbs-up, thinking that bringing up Ming’s family visit in front of him allowed him to ask to go along naturally.

Xiao Jiang smiled slightly and left the office, quietly taking pride in his accomplishments.

Lu Yu turned around, “You’re going home? Why didn’t you tell me? I’m angry.”

Ming Yan glanced at him, “Didn’t you know? I mentioned it during the video call that day, after the first live broadcast.”

Lu Yu propped himself up on the desk and pouted, “I don’t care, I’m going too.”

Ming Yan sighed, “What are you going for?”

Lu Yu responded confidently, “Our mom invited me to have roasted pigeon, and besides, you hit me today. I’m going to complain to dad.”

Ming Yan raised an eyebrow, “I thought you were going to complain to the teacher?”

“Parents are the first teachers of their children. I’m going to complain to dad the teacher, and ask him if he knows what ‘A father’s fault if the son isn’t taught’ means. You hit me, so you owe me two roasted pigeons,” Lu Yu snapped his fingers in rhythm. “Hey, it rhymes!”

Ming Yan sighed, “Alright, given your current state of mind, it’s probably best you don’t stay alone.”