After the Divorce, I Could Hear the Voice of the Future-Chapter 136 - 135: Online Drama Series Becomes a Massive Hit
At noon, Lu Liang took a flight back to Modu.
As soon as he landed, he received a phone call from Li Ni. Crown Princess Consort was set to premiere online at 8 o'clock tonight. They planned to leverage the heat of Singles' Day and also, while at it, ride on Lu Liang's popularity.
"Okay, I'll help with the promotion when the time comes."
Lu Liang agreed with a smile, having decided that he would try not to profit from the A-shares market anymore; naturally, he didn't care about a surge in fame either.
That same evening, at 8 o'clock sharp.
He and Little Wang collaborated to promote Crown Princess Consort.
Their fans combined totaled over thirty million. Despite a high overlap, they hadn't bought any fake followers, so the quality was quite high.
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Lu Liang had even inquired out of curiosity; with their fan base, a single Weibo promotion would be worth at least 1.5 million RMB.
Considering the fame bonus and the fact that they weren't short on money and wouldn't just endorse anything, it could be worth at least 3 million RMB.
At midnight, four hours after the online series's two episodes were released, the average views had broken through 2 million, with comments polarized severely.
Some loved it to death, others hated it with passion.
"It's a drama, not utter nonsense; adaptations are not meant to be so disorderly. Was there ever such a dynasty in history?"
"Otherwise, why would they call it the Nanxia Dynasty? They've already said it's fictional. Moral crusaders, can't you just ease off, alright?"
"Panda really struck gold here. They just plonk that giant logo of theirs on the table, always getting those close-up shots, as if afraid people won't know they're the sponsors, right?"
"Speaking of which, am I the only one who noticed? This web series was also invested and shot by Lu Liang, and the neighboring Xia Luo's Worry has already hit 1.45 billion at the box office, hasn't it?"
"Damn, isn't this guy just too sick? Both the movie and the web series are massive hits; is his taste really that sharp?"
"It's indeed freaking sharp. ofo just finished its Series B funding, valued at 72 million US dollars, and Lu Liang should still hold 16.2% of the shares. Do you know how much he invested?"
"1 million, just 1 million RMB and he snatched 16.2% of the equity in a company valued at 72 million US dollars."
"My goodness, is ofo really that valuable now? That's like a seventy-fold increase!"
Netizens couldn't help exclaiming and discussing.
They were merely envious, not jealous, because venture capital or investing in film and television was too far removed from ordinary people, and they didn't feel it too profoundly.
Suddenly, Little Wang updated another Weibo status: "Lu Liang has a live streaming room at Panda, where he broadcasts from time to time. If interested, you can check it out."
If Bilibili and Crown Princess Consort could capitalize on Lu Liang's popularity, there was no reason he couldn't. With Crown Princess Consort receiving such a response, Panda was also getting ready for its Series A funding round.
As one of the shareholders, Lu Liang ought to do his part, to help raise Panda Interactive Entertainment's market valuation, and strive to sell it at a higher and better price.
"Darling, I really, really regret it."
As night deepened, Wen Shanshan made a call, speaking in her less than perfect Mandarin, and burst into tears with a sob.
Although Crown Princess Consort had polarized reviews, it was set to become this year's dark horse web series.
This was indeed a series with a strong female lead, with the plot revolving around her.
The opportunity was right before her eyes, ready for the taking, yet she had cast it aside as if it were worthless.
Now she was full of regrets, wishing she could fly to Lu Liang's side and eternally reach nirvana to properly apologize.
"Just focus on filming. That suspense drama should have potential too," said Lu Liang, his mind elsewhere, coolly taking a breath.
"Really?" Wen Shanshan asked, surprised.
"Hmm."
"Darling, I miss you. Wait for me. I'll be done in a month, and I will be back in Modu immediately."
"Hmm, bye-bye."
Lu Liang tossed aside his phone and closed his eyes to savor the moment.
After a while, Zhang Tian'ai emerged from the bedding, blinking playfully, her small nose covered in delicate beads of sweat.
She looked at Lu Liang's phone, puzzled, and he candidly said, "The role you have was originally meant for her, but she didn't want it."
"Such poor taste," Zhang Tian'ai muttered softly, sneaking a peek at Lu Liang to gauge his reaction.
"Indeed, poor," Lu Liang scoffed, pinching Zhang Tian'ai's cheek. "You've got better vision. Once Crown Princess Consort concludes, you should be able to ascend to the ranks of second-tier stars."
Zhang Tian'ai beamed with joy but didn't dare to take full credit: "If Mr. Lu hadn't invested and shot it, how could I have become the female lead of Crown Princess Consort?"
"Did you dab your lips with honey? They're so sweet," Lu Liang teased.
"I didn't put honey on, but I did put heather," Zhang Tian'ai said with a giggle, not waiting for Lu Liang to react before she hurried into the bathroom to brush her teeth.
Lu Liang figured something was amiss and let out a sly smile, as the scent of heather was quite peculiar.
After more than ten minutes, Zhang Tian'ai washed up, redid her light makeup, and gently laid beside Lu Liang, "Mr. Lu, Xitian offered to have me sign a new agency contract."
Xitian Media was her agency, and her original contract was the most basic, without significant resources or support, and the penalty for breach was very low.
Ever since Crown Princess Consort became a hit, her agent had been eagerly asking where she was, saying that they could secure a second-tier actress contract for her.
"I don't really understand your industry, so it's up to you. If you want to sign, go ahead," said Lu Liang.
Zhang Tian'ai hesitated for a long time, then said softly, "I don't really want to sign. I'd like to take some time to quietly improve my acting."
Xitian was a very domineering company; once a contract was signed, they would pile on resources like crazy until they had squeezed her dry.
But if she didn't sign, the entertainment industry was a tight circle; if Xitian gave other companies a heads-up, then no one would dare work with her.
So, she was in a dilemma.
Lu Liang couldn't help laughing, understanding what Zhang Tian'ai meant. He picked up his phone and called Wu Tianzheng, "Old Wu, do you know the boss of Xitian?"
"Then give him a shout. Zhang Tian'ai doesn't want to sign, don't pressure her. Just say I said so, as a courtesy."
Crown Princess Consort was a project he'd invested in with a dream team, and Zhang Tian'ai was selected from a casting call; she had no financial ties with Xitian.
So, there wasn't any question of betrayal or turning her back, defending her position, and thus, speaking up for Zhang Tian'ai wasn't an issue.
"Alright, thank you for your help."
Lu Liang ended the call and turned to her with a smile, "You should be alright now; they won't make things difficult for you."
Zhang Tian'ai beamed with joy, her eyes sparkling as she hugged Lu Liang's arm tightly, "Mr. Lu, you've been so good to me."
At that moment, she experienced what it was like to have a strong backing – it was incredibly comforting.
Suddenly, Lu Liang asked, "Do you really want to improve your acting, or do you just not want to sign with Xitian?"
"It's really to hone my acting," Zhang Tian'ai hurriedly explained. She wanted enduring fame, not to fade away like a shooting star.
"How about going to Happy Mahua then?"
Lu Liang had seen Xia Luo's Worry and thought the actors of Happy Mahua had pretty good acting skills—at least they weren't cringeworthy.
He'd also watched Crown Princess Consort and felt that Zhang Tian'ai's acting was a bit awkward, flaws covered up by the plot.
If she was willing, he might as well go all the way and help her to the end.
"Is that possible?" Zhang Tian'ai's eyes widened in disbelief.
There was a pecking order in the entertainment world, with web series, TV series, and movies, but above all was stage drama.
Stage drama could be considered the pinnacle of the food chain—highly nuanced and exceptional.
"Of course, Zhang Chen would probably be quite happy to have a free second-tier star."
"I'm willing, Mr. Lu~~" Zhang Tian'ai looked at him with seductive eyes, unable to repay his kindness, she could only offer herself in return.
...
The next day was Double Eleven, with various e-commerce platforms setting new records and trending online, Crown Princess Consort became a unique presence.
In the past 12 hours, the first two episodes had already broken the ten million view mark, with each episode reaching five million views.
Lu Liang didn't pay much attention, as the numbers were fake at this stage — it was only after the sixth episode that the membership ratings mattered.
Even if an episode broke a hundred million views,
it was meaningless if it didn't hit the required number of new members.
After a busy period, it was time for Lu Liang to focus on making money; the next two months' net worth was crucial to the smooth launch of the second-phase private fund.
Tesla was at 90% position, with a stock price of $245, valued at $232 million, currently profiting $82.4 million.
He had $22.81 million in available funds,
total assets of $254.21 million.
Earnings from the heavy investment in BYD were negligible, as the new energy index had not yet recovered from the soaring market.
At the very least, individual stocks were not expected to fluctuate much until the new energy policies were officially implemented.
The earnings over the past ten or so days, if calculated, meant the private fund's net value was only 3.35.
With a comparative increase of just over 10%.
