Someone once said that taking character-styling photos is like taking wedding photos: they may look glamorous, but in reality, the process is quite exhausting. It took two full days for Lu Chen and Chen Fei'er to complete their character stills.
Yet neither of them felt the slightest bit of discomfort. Chen Fei'er even seemed to enjoy the process. In the end, she selected a batch of unedited originals, saying she wanted to post them on her blog for publicity.
Once the styling photos were wrapped up, Lu Chen and Chen Fei'er officially made their first appearance in the third episode of Autumn in My Heart.
What awaited them next was a two-month-long filming schedule.
What Lu Chen didn't expect was that his sister, Lu Xi, arrived in Jinling that very afternoon.
She wasn't alone. Accompanying her were Zhang De, General Manager of Qiande Brothers Films, and the Director of Programming from Haijin Satellite TV.
That evening, Lu Chen and Chen Fei'er hosted a banquet for the guests at a high-end restaurant near their hotel.
Strictly speaking, the only true guest was the representative from Haijin Satellite TV.
Autumn in My Heart was a co-investment between Qiande Brothers Films, Chen Fei'er's studio, and Lu Chen's studio. Haijin Satellite TV had sent someone to Jinling with the clear purpose of negotiating the first-broadcast rights for the show.
Both Qiande and Lu Chen's studios took this matter very seriously, hence the two general managers accompanying the rep to Jinling for a face-to-face meeting.
Zhang De, general manager of Qiande Brothers, was in his forties. He was short and stocky with a square face and thin eyebrows, exuding a sharp, shrewd aura. His tone carried a hint of Jiangsu (streetwise) flavor, but he was extremely polite and respectful toward both Chen Fei'er and Lu Chen.
When he met Chen Fei'er, he gave her only the lightest of handshakes, barely a touch and immediately released.
But when he shook hands with Lu Chen, it was with a strong grip and a hearty laugh:
"I've long heard of your great name, Mr. Lu Chen. Now that we're finally meeting, your reputation is clearly well-deserved. I really appreciate you giving Qiande Brothers this opportunity to collaborate!"
Lu Chen replied with a smile, "You're too kind, Chief Zhang."
Zhang De then said, "No need to be modest. Let me introduce our golden phoenix."
He motioned to the man beside him, Zhong Yue, the Director of Programming from Haijin Satellite TV.
Zhong Yue looked to be in his thirties. He had the tall, burly build typical of northern men, with a broad square face, thick brows, and deep-set eyes, the very image of a righteous protagonist in a TV drama.
To be sitting in such a position at his age, Zhong Yue was clearly no ordinary figure.
He was also very polite to Lu Chen, offering a few sincere compliments as they exchanged greetings. While Lu Chen was engaging in small talk with the two gentlemen, Chen Fei'er began chatting with Lu Xi.
Chen Fei'er had previously visited Lu Chen's studio and naturally knew Lu Xi. Though the two weren't close like sisters, they still shared some common topics.
However, today, Chen Fei'er was visibly more reserved than usual. Known for her easygoing and confident demeanor, she now appeared a bit flustered. A faint blush colored her cheeks, and she spoke cautiously, with more restraint than usual.
After introductions, everyone sat down, and it wasn't long before the discussion turned to business.
There are around 3,000 to 4,000 television stations across China, but only a little over 40 satellite TV stations, and Haijin Satellite TV was one of them, meaning it wasn't lacking in scale or qualifications.
However, among those 40+ satellite channels, Haijin's presence was minimal.
Put bluntly, their average viewership ratings were low.
Forget competing with juggernauts like Xiangnan Satellite TV; even when compared to some mid-tier regional stations in the southwest or northwest provinces, Haijin often came up short. They had no standout variety shows or breakout TV dramas to boost their status.
As one of the satellite stations from the four major municipalities in China, Haijin Satellite TV's underperformance had become a bit of an embarrassment.
Industry analysts attributed this to multiple factors. Aside from internal management issues, one major reason was geographic proximity to Beijing. With CCTV and Beijing Satellite TV dominating, Haijin often lost top talent to them.
Whether or not that analysis was entirely accurate, the weakness of Haijin TV was obvious. Without hit variety shows or top-rated dramas, they were often stuck broadcasting second-tier content.
In fact, just last year, Haijin had tried to break out with a flashy talent competition show, only for ratings to flop, the show was canceled midway through, and advertising revenue didn't even cover production costs.
So now, seeing the Director of Programming of Haijin Satellite TV personally flying to Jinling to negotiate for the rights to a TV drama, it was surprising, but not unthinkable.
Currently, other major broadcasters like Beijing TV and Zhedong TV had also expressed interest in Autumn in My Heart, but their offers were less than ideal and had not met the expectations of the three co-investing parties.
That wasn't surprising. If not for Chen Fei'er's star power as a selling point, even with Lu Chen and Qiande Films approaching first, these big stations might not have even entertained a meeting, or would have offered harsh contractual terms.
Every year, the number of newly produced drama episodes in China is staggering. Most of them are relegated to smaller provincial or city-level stations, fighting for limited time slots.
Major stations, which hold the best broadcast resources, are naturally selective, unless it's a superstar-driven, big-name director, or IP-based production, they don't bother lowering themselves to negotiate.
The reason Autumn in My Heart was even generating buzz on Wave Blog was thanks to Lu Chen's relentless promotion, but more importantly, it marked Chen Fei'er's first time as the leading lady in a TV drama.
Although full-scale promotion hadn't even begun, Haijin Satellite TV clearly wanted to seize the opportunity early, hoping to secure a gem before the competition caught on.
Soon, the dishes and drinks were brought out, and the group began eating and chatting. The mood was warm and relaxed.
In Chinese business culture, it's customary to discuss deals over dinner and drinks. After a few glasses of wine, strangers become friends, and sensitive matters become easier to broach under the influence, it's a unique tradition in the Chinese business world.
Amidst the clinking of glasses and laughter, Lu Chen finally learned Haijin Satellite TV's initial offer...
Zhong Yue, on behalf of Haijin Satellite TV, offered a buyout price of 300,000 yuan per episode for the exclusive first-broadcast rights of Autumn in My Heart.
With 20 episodes in total, the full offer came to 6 million yuan.
As an exclusive buyout deal, the price was undeniably on the low side, perhaps even a little too low.
After all, just Chen Fei'er's appearance fee alone was worth several million yuan. If you added Lu Chen and the rest of the cast, that 6 million would barely cover talent costs.
Of course, this exclusive was for TV rights only; online streaming rights could still be sold separately.
Additionally, if the premiere performs well, the rerun rights could fetch an even better price. In fact, many TV dramas in China turn a profit primarily through selling rerun rights.
Still, compared to offers from Capital City TV and Zhedong TV, Haijin's proposal held no clear advantage in terms of upfront payment.
However, the very fact that Zhong Yue personally made the trip was a sign of Haijin's sincerity and intent.
Beyond the base price of 300,000 per episode, Haijin Satellite TV brought one more thing to the table—a conditional performance-based pricing agreement, something that neither Capital City TV nor Zhedong TV would ever agree to.
The Terms:
A ratings-based bonus clause.
Using a national average viewership rating of 0.25% as the benchmark, for every 0.10% increase, the buyout price per episode would increase by 100,000 yuan.
In other words: If the 20-episode drama aired on Haijin Satellite TV and the average national viewership rating stayed below 0.25%, Haijin would pay 300,000 per episode.
If it hit 0.35%, that would mean 400,000 per episode.
And there was no cap on the upside.
Additionally, regardless of the final ratings, Haijin Satellite TV guaranteed a baseline payment of 6 million yuan.
It was precisely because Haijin made such a sincere, high-risk, high-reward proposal that both Zhang De, General Manager of Qiande Brothers Films, and Lu Xi (Lu Chen's sister), accompanied Zhong Yue to Jinling to this meeting.
Because this kind of revenue-sharing deal was something Capital City TV and Zhedong TV simply wouldn't offer.
To outsiders, that might seem puzzling. After all, this kind of profit-sharing model based on performance sounds like a clear win-win; the higher the ratings, the more revenue from advertising. So why wouldn't other stations agree?
The answer was simple: For companies like Qiande, or artists like Lu Chen and Chen Fei'er, they didn't have the clout to propose such terms.
In this industry, rules and hierarchy matter. Not just anyone can walk in and suggest a profit-sharing model.
But Haijin Satellite TV, being a lower-tier player in the TV landscape, was willing to lower itself to play a different game, they were hungry.
And offering a 6 million yuan guaranteed base payout, plus an uncapped performance bonus, showed just how eager they were to take a gamble.
For a weekend drama, hitting a national average rating of 0.25% is no small feat. Even a 0.1% increase is considered a big jump, and can significantly boost advertising revenue.
Once Lu Chen and Chen Fei'er fully grasped the terms of Haijin's offer, the two exchanged a glance.
Chen Fei'er's eyes silently conveyed to Lu Chen:
This offer is definitely negotiable.
Lu Chen felt the same. But even though he was very satisfied inside, he maintained a calm, composed expression, and raised his glass to Zhong Yue:
"Director Zhong, let me toast to you—thank you for your interest and support in our drama."
"It's just that I'm still quite young and not well-versed in business. Why don't we watch the rough cut tomorrow and then continue the discussion?"
Business negotiations weren't Lu Chen's strong suit. Professional matters should be handled by professionals. If he were to reveal his hand too soon, it could complicate future negotiations and put their side at a disadvantage.
Both the base price and the performance clause were still open for further negotiation, and that would be the job of Zhang De and Lu Xi.
Zhong Yue's eyes gleamed with appreciation as he raised his glass to clink with Lu Chen's, smiling: "Mr. Lu, you're being too modest. That's no problem at all!"
Far from feeling slighted, Zhong Yue was secretly impressed, this young man truly had depth.
Not only Zhong Yue, but even Zhang De was looking at Lu Chen with newfound respect. Just moments ago, he had been worried that Lu Chen, being young and impulsive, might jump at the offer and agree on the spot, which would have made negotiations harder.
But now, it was clear:
Lu Chen was far more mature and strategic than he appeared.
Lu Chen then smiled and added,
"Also, Fei'er-jie and I will be recording the theme song tomorrow. Director Zhong, you're more than welcome to drop by and offer your guidance!"
Zhong Yue was moved,
"I absolutely will. That's an opportunity I can't pass up."
Though his primary mission was to negotiate the deal, Zhong Yue also needed to get a feel for the actual filming progress, and this just happened to be perfect timing.
The whole table burst into laughter, and the atmosphere at the dinner grew even more warm and lively.
(End of Chapter)
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