Literary Master: Starting with Refusing to Be a Child Star

Chapter 78 Record-Breaking Prices for Web Series

After filming wrapped up, post-production took another three months.

Luo Jinnian practically lived in the editing room. They chose a different ending theme song for each episode, using twelve different songs for twelve episodes—from "Little White Boat" to "Dancing With The Dead Lamb," from Queen Sea Big Shark to Joyside, and the copyright for each song was negotiated separately.

In his past life, this was director Xin Shuang's obsession with music. He even decided on the song to be used at the end of each episode before filming began, and the lyrics of some songs directly influenced the direction of the script. Now, Luo Jinnian doesn't have to worry about copyright issues.

Luo Jinnian sat at the editing table, going over the final version again. The route Yan Liang and Pu Pu took from the orphanage at the end of the first episode originally had no background music, but they ended up using an experimental electronic piece called "Multi-Person Dance Project." The eerie rhythm paired with the escape scene sent chills down your spine. And then there's "Little White Boat" at the end of the third episode, turning a nursery rhyme into a death knell.

For his first work as "Early Spring Culture," he had to ensure that every detail was top-notch.

On the day the final draft of the film was completed, Director Qin called from Beijing.

"The parties have started talks; please come over here."

Luo Jinnian flew to the capital overnight.

Representatives from kiwifruit, Xunteng Video, and Youku all came.

Director Qin chose a hotel on the East Third Ring Road as the venue for the negotiations, booking a small conference room. He deliberately avoided using any platform's location, maintaining neutrality—a calculated strategy honed over many years of experience in the industry.

When Luo Jinnian arrived, several people were already seated in the conference room. Director Qin sat at the head of the table, a laptop on his left and a thick stack of printed contract terms on his right. Across the long table sat Wang He, the director of the kiwi copyright acquisition department, a man in his early forties wearing frameless glasses, who looked shrewd and restrained. Next to him sat people from Tencent Video, and further down were people from Youku.

The fact that three companies sat down together to discuss the copyright of the same drama speaks volumes – everyone wants this drama.

"Old Qin, are you holding an auction?" Wang He joked with a smile, but his eyes swept over the stack of documents in front of Director Qin.

Director Qin smiled, ignored the conversation, and plugged the USB drive containing the finished film into the TV.

The meeting room fell silent.

As soon as the first episode started playing, Wang He leaned forward slightly. He'd watched countless films, and few could make him sit up straight. He frowned at the scene where Zhang Dongsheng pushed his parents-in-law off the mountain—not because he thought it was bad, but because he wondered if the content was appropriate for the platform. When the scene showed Zhu Chaoyang pushing open the door and entering the green-walled living room, his frown relaxed.

The production quality of this show is off; the high-quality production is ridiculously over the top.

Director Qin pressed pause.

"All twelve episodes, the complete series is here," he said. "To make a long story short, I'll give you a fixed price—thirty million."

Wang He's eyebrow twitched.

The Tencent Video representative spoke first: "Director Qin, this price for a twelve-episode web series..."

"This price isn't expensive," Director Qin interrupted him. "As you all know, this show's production cost is enormous. iQiyi had the highest per-episode production cost for a suspenseful short drama in 2012, while the cost of my production, 'The Hidden Corner,' was significantly higher than the industry average." He glanced at Wang He, his tone not harsh, but his words carried a hidden meaning. "The 30 million I quoted would barely cover the costs."

Wang He didn't respond, picked up his water glass, took a sip, and slowly put it down. "Old Qin, you know the format of short dramas. There's only so much drama that can be inserted in twelve episodes, so the popularity and buzz can't compare to long dramas. The platform has to consider the costs too."

Wang He didn't respond, picked up his water glass, took a sip, and slowly put it down. "Old Qin, you know the format of short dramas. There's only so much drama that can be inserted in twelve episodes, so the popularity and buzz can't compare to long dramas. The platform has to consider the costs too."

He was telling the truth. Currently, the sales model for online dramas is still the traditional "price per episode x number of episodes." A twelve-episode short drama naturally doesn't generate as much revenue as a thirty- or forty-episode long drama. Plus, with limited free slots, it's difficult for platforms to recoup their costs through free slots. But *The Hidden Corner* is different—its value lies not in its length, but in attracting new users. The revenue battle surrounding paid memberships is where this drama truly unlocks its profit potential.

The three families sat in the conference room for the entire afternoon, talking from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m., and no one left.

XunTeng's representatives stuck to a price of 22 million, arguing that "short dramas have limited advertising revenue." Youku's representatives were even more aggressive, offering 18 million, saying, "This subject matter is too hard, and the audience base isn't large enough." Wang He did offer 25 million plus a share of the revenue, but he demanded exclusive rights from Kiwi and refused to budge on the 12% revenue split.

Director Qin remained tight-lipped. His bottom line was clear—30 million, or 25 million plus 15% of the profits; he wouldn't budge an inch less.

"Let's call it a day then." Wang He was the first to stand up, buttoning up his suit jacket. "Old Qin, think it over again."

The people from XunTeng and Youku also got up one after another. Only Director Qin and Luo Jinnian remained in the conference room, with leftover mineral water and an untouched fruit plate on the table.

Director Qin leaned back in his chair and rubbed his temples: "These platforms all want to acquire it, but none of them want to pay a price."

"They will come back," Luo Jinnian said.

Director Qin glanced at him.

"There won't be a second season of a show of 'The Hidden Corner' this year." Luo Jinnian's tone was calm. "The first web series of the Mist Theater, 'The Long Night,' which Kiwi invested heavily in, had very mediocre results. If the second season is just as bland, the whole project will have failed. They will be back."

Director Qin didn't speak, but picked up his phone and glanced at the time: 8 PM. He was just about to ask Luo Jinnian out for dinner when his phone vibrated—Wang He had sent a message: "Old Qin, is it convenient? I'll come over to see you, we need to talk alone."

Director Qin turned his phone screen towards Luo Jinnian.

Luo Jinnian smiled.

Wang He arrived at nine o'clock. He came alone, without an assistant, carrying only a brown paper envelope.

Director Qin was waiting for him in the hotel room. Luo Jinnian sat in a chair by the window, holding a half-read book, looking as if he was waiting for someone, yet also as if he wasn't.

When Wang He entered, he glanced at Luo Jinnian with a hint of inquiry in his eyes. He hadn't paid much attention to the child in the conference room that afternoon, but now that they were meeting alone, and the child was sitting next to him, it meant that he wasn't just an ordinary kid "coming along to play".

"Old Qin, I'll get straight to the point." Wang He sat down and placed the envelope on the coffee table. "Twenty-five million plus a twelve percent cut is the highest price I can approve. But I can compensate you for the value of this project in another way—for the next three shows of the Mist Theater, Kiwi will have priority in purchasing works from your Early Spring Culture, at a price ten percent higher than the market price."

Director Qin didn't respond, but glanced at Luo Jinnian.

Luo Jinnian put down the book and said, "President Wang, I have an idea."