Chapter 271: Good News
Xu Youyou: !!!
Her current look at Liu Xiangyi was like staring at a glittering money tree.
Along with the system notification came the news in the small group of company executives.
“‘Ex-Husband Forbidden’ has exploded overseas! The platform made 100 million US dollars in one day!”
Xu Youyou had no idea what Ex-Husband Forbidden was. Her head was spinning as she saw the “100 million US dollars.”
Piecing together the rest of the conversation in the group, she realized that Ex-Husband Forbidden was a short drama produced by the company. The drama didn’t explode in China; it was more of a small hit. But who would have thought that when it was adapted into an overseas version, it became a massive hit.
Xu Youyou started calculating how much money would be returned to China. Before she could figure it out, another piece of good news came through the group.
“Peak Showdown has been named the Best Game of the Year and won five awards at the TGA Awards! It broke records in the gaming industry!”
Xu Youyou was stunned. This game, which had been a hit since last year, had already made her and Peter a lot of money, and now it had suddenly won so many awards.
She couldn’t quite remember if there had ever been so many awards in her previous life, but the arrival of so many awards would likely boost the game’s revenue.
Good news kept pouring in.
“Xiao Song’s TV drama has broken viewership records! The ratings have topped eight! It’s the biggest hit in the past decade! Now his drama offers are pouring in like snowflakes!”
Xu Youyou was taken aback. The TV drama starring Song Zhi Bai was the modern idol drama written by Su Wanyi.
Compared to ancient idol dramas, modern ones hadn’t seen a big hit in a long time. The few hit dramas that had aired were mostly serious dramas.
Song Zhi Bai had previously shot to fame with a historical martial arts drama. Many people doubted whether he could maintain his top-tier status. Now, with this massive hit, the gap between him and other popular young stars was growing wider. The combined popularity of the last nine young stars in the top ten couldn’t even match his.
Now, Song Zhi Bai was at least three times more famous than Xu Youyou had seen in her previous life.
While Xu Youyou marveled at Song Zhi Bai’s soaring popularity, she couldn’t help but feel sorry for Su Wanyi from her past life.
A drama that exploded like this wasn’t just the result of one star’s effort; it was the mutual success of the script and the actors. Su Wanyi’s script was obviously a huge contributor.
Su Wanyi clearly had such talent, but in her past life, she had wasted away in a troubled marriage.
Xu Youyou immediately called Xie Ran: “Your classmate, Screenwriter Su, if she has a new script, make it a key project for the company. Increase her influence in the production crew, and try to make the project focus on the writer.”
Xie Ran, happy for his old classmate, couldn’t help but say, “Boss, right now, most domestic dramas are centered around big stars. It’s rare that you’re thinking like this.”
Xu Youyou said, “The script is the foundation. We do what we should. Don’t worry about what other companies do. As for those stars who only play diva roles, we’ll minimize collaboration with them.”
Hearing Xu Youyou say this, Xie Ran helplessly asked, “Boss, did you hear something?”
Xu Youyou raised an eyebrow but didn’t immediately respond. Instead, she said, “Tell me the details.”
Xie Ran explained, “There’s a star, a top female celebrity. She got a role in one of our company’s projects because the role suited her, but once she joined, she started throwing her weight around, demanding the scriptwriter to alter the script.”
Xu Youyou, always attentive to the company’s new projects, immediately thought of a name: “Is it Zheng Siyu? How did you handle it?”
Xie Ran said, “Since she violated the contract first, we had her removed from the production. We didn’t even need to pay her penalty fee. The problem is, she has so many fans, and they’re causing a stir on Weibo. It’s even involving Xiao Song… huh?”
Xu Youyou asked, hearing the surprise in his voice, “What happened? Are her fans still causing trouble? Don’t worry about them. No matter how big the issue is, it shouldn’t affect our crew’s normal shooting.”
Xie Ran’s tone was strange: “This is odd. We didn’t even do anything yet, and she’s already ruined her own reputation.”
Xu Youyou was stunned.
“She’s been reported for tax evasion, involved in a case worth two billion yuan. The authorities just issued an official announcement. Luckily, we only filmed for three days before removing her, so it doesn’t have a big impact on us. It’s just a pity for the two dramas she finished but haven’t aired yet,” Xie Ran said.
Xu Youyou couldn’t help but glance at Liu Xiangyi, who was clueless beside her.
Is this the power of the koi fish? I’m loving it!
“Next time something like this happens, follow the same plan. Our company is here to create high-quality projects. We can’t tolerate these pests,” Xu Youyou said.
Xie Ran asked, “Boss, what do you plan to have Liu Xiangyi do?”
Xu Youyou thought for a moment, then asked, “What position do I hold in the company?”
Xie Ran replied, “You don’t have a specific position. You’re the company’s director.”
The reason Xie Ran asked about Liu Xiangyi was because Xu Youyou placed such importance on her. Xu Youyou had personally urged Xie Ran to finalize Liu Xiangyi’s contract, and after signing it abroad, Xu Youyou quickly sent it back to China, instructing Xie Ran to handle her onboarding immediately.
In effect, Liu Xiangyi’s salary would start counting from today.
As an ordinary person, Xie Ran was curious about how Xu Youyou valued Liu Xiangyi and wanted to gauge the appropriate way to interact with her.
Xu Youyou said, “Let her be the assistant to the director. Arrange for her an independent office with all the necessary facilities, so she’s comfortable. Anything she can do, let her do it. But don’t make her work too hard.”
Xie Ran’s first reaction was “a connection.”
“Although this month is almost over, Liu Xiangyi’s salary will still be paid in full. I know this isn’t company policy, but I’ll cover the difference myself,” Xu Youyou said.
Xu Youyou’s company had generous budgeting. If an employee started in the first half of the month, they’d get full pay. If they started in the second half, they’d get half-month pay.
Hearing how much Xu Youyou valued Liu Xiangyi, and knowing she was abroad, Xie Ran couldn’t help but wonder if Liu Xiangyi had saved Xu Youyou’s life abroad.
“She’s about to return to the country. We’ll also arrange her employee dormitory… No, forget the dormitory. She’ll live with me, in my house at Tangchen Yipin,” Xu Youyou said, making sure every detail was covered.
Xie Ran now had a deeper understanding of how much Liu Xiangyi was valued.
Liu Xiangyi, listening nearby, was so moved that tears almost came to her eyes. She couldn’t wait to return to China and start her job.
The earliest flight back to China was in the afternoon, so after lunch, Xu Youyou planned to take the group to the airport.
She had also already planned to return to China herself.
But before they reached the airport, barely 2 kilometers from the hotel, Liu Xiangyi suddenly gasped in surprise.
“How could she be here?” Liu Xiangyi exclaimed, her face full of shock.
