The Secret Realm of Time, His and Her Life Through the Changes

Qi Qingnan had already connected her computer to the screen mirroring system, and the big screen displayed the playback data for the currently airing TV series "Wandering the World with a Sword".

"This is the playback data for the week..." Qi Qingnan began data analysis.

Jie Can said, "Judging from the data, the show has gained popularity, but it's only at the level of being popular; it's still far from being a blockbuster."

"The production team wants to make a final push. Besides increasing publicity, they also want to..." He glanced at Shang Yibo, who had remained silent, and continued, "use the dual male lead theme to create a buzz around the CP (couple) pairing."

Shang Yibo raised his eyes and shot a sharp look at Xie Can, saying, "I disagree."

"Yibo, after our evaluation, the production team's proposal is feasible," Qi Qingnan calmly analyzed.

"Look, this show has aired a third of its episodes so far. Although it has maintained its popularity and even topped the charts for three days, it has been declining for the past three days. A fantasy drama on the other channel is about to be released. If we don't take advantage of this now to further boost its popularity, our show will likely continue to drop when the two shows start competing. You all know the cast and production scale of that show, right?"

"The quality of the drama itself is good, so how could we not have confidence?" Shang Yibo said seriously. "We took on this role because we liked the script, the character's growth storyline, the three-dimensional and full character portrayal, and also because the investors are not troublesome and have no history of such issues."

Jie Can said, "Yibo, you're right, the quality of the drama is indeed very good. However, it's also true that the data has been declining for the past two days."

He added, "If the popularity continues to decline and another new drama airs on the other channel, our drama might be buried."

"The main thing is that it already has the potential to become a hit, and it's just a hair's breadth away from becoming a platform's most popular show. It would be a real shame if it didn't put in a little more effort."

Even the usually conservative Qi Qingnan couldn't help but persuade him, saying, "After all, this is Yibo's first fantasy-themed period drama. If the results are not ideal, it may have some impact on his future film and television resources."

"I don't mind," Shang Yibo said calmly. "I have done everything that was supposed to be done according to the contract."

Jie Can: "Yes, we've done everything we were supposed to do, it's just a bit of a pity..."

Zhou Yanruo listened to the argument in the conference room. The manager and publicity director were trying to persuade Shang Yibo to cooperate with the production team's requirements for hype. They were getting a little annoyed because they couldn't achieve the desired effect, but they kept quiet. If it weren't for Shang Yibo's status, they probably would have already lost their temper.

The atmosphere in the meeting room was slightly awkward.

Zhou Yanruo glanced at Shang Yibo sitting by the window. His face did not show any anxiety; instead, he looked calm and composed.

She thought for a moment, then slowly said, "May I offer my opinion?"

All eyes in the meeting room turned to Zhou Yanruo, and everyone's expression was different.

Shang Yibo looked at her expectantly, hoping she would stand on his side.

Ding Jiajia kept her head down while eating, trying to avoid the arguments among the big shots. When she heard Zhou Yanruo preparing to speak, she looked up, her eyes showing a pleading expression.

Qi Qingnan was eager to hear the opinions of this outsider.

Jie Can was trying his best to hide his indifferent expression.

"I'm still a novice in the film and television industry, so I wouldn't dare to presume to teach others," Zhou Yanruo said. "However, I'd like to share my perspective from an investor's point of view."

"I don't have much data on the entire film and television industry, but I did gather some data on the drama 'Swordsman' last night, which may differ from Qingnan's professional data collection perspective."

"I collected comments from ordinary viewers, as well as opinions from passersby I obtained through street canvassing during the platform's promotional activities."

Zhou Yanruo sent the information on her phone to Qi Qingnan, and then Qi Qingnan's information was projected onto the big screen.

"Let's first look at the general opinions of these casual viewers: [I've watched three episodes of 'Swordsman's Journey,' and it's quite good. I only found out about this show by chance.]"

[It's alright, I want to keep watching. I only started watching this show because a colleague recommended it to me; my colleague is a fan of Xu Nuo Lai.]

I haven't seen it, but from what you've said, it sounds pretty good. I'll check it out later.

[These kinds of martial arts dramas aren't very good anymore. They used to be okay, but now they're all tired tropes, just using martial arts to package a romance. You say this is a fantasy drama with two male leads, about growth and redemption? Well, I might check it out.]

[...]

"From the perspective of public opinion, this drama doesn't actually have much popularity; it's mostly just fan groups having fun on their own."

Although Zhou Yanruo's perspective was sharp, it had to impress the two veterans in the entertainment industry present.

The first to interrupt was Jie Can, who said, "Yan Ruo, what are your thoughts on the publicity and distribution?"

Qi Qingnan nodded in agreement.

"Don't rush, let's take a look at the investment return data of the film and television industry over the past three years. This data was temporarily pulled from the internet last night, and it may not be accurate, but it can still show the trend."

In response to Zhou Yanruo's speech, Qi Qingnan opened another document.

"As can be seen from the bar chart, the scale of film and television investment is showing a clear downward trend, while the rate of return is dropping rapidly like a cliff."

"Because the data is inaccurate, we won't do any specific analysis; we can just observe the phenomena."

"What does this mean? The investors have run out of money to invest?" Jie Can couldn't help but interject, asking.

"Yes, you could say that, but it can also be interpreted in different ways," Zhou Yanruo said calmly and confidently.

Shang Yibo looked at the unfamiliar Zhou Yanruo in front of him.

Is this still the same Zhou Yanruo who used to be indifferent to failing math exams, but was only distressed about not being able to get into an art school because of her poor academic performance?

Zhou Yanruo also glanced at Shang Yibo, who had remained silent.

She continued, "Unsatisfactory returns have made investors more cautious. Putting these two seemingly unrelated pieces of information together illustrates one point: now traffic is king. Only by increasing attention can we attract more advertisers, and this is the most powerful way to overcome investors' cautious investment."

In other words, "even the best wine needs to be advertised."

"In conclusion..."

"So, in conclusion, your opinion is that I should fully cooperate with the production team to promote the two male leads as a couple, right?!" Shang Yibo finally realized Zhou Yanruo's true intentions. "After all this time, it turns out that's what you're thinking."

Shang Yibo thought to himself, "You're willing to risk everything for the sake of popularity. Zhou Yanruo, you are the one most suited to develop in the entertainment industry. No wonder you've always wanted to enter the entertainment industry since you were a child. It turns out, you like sensationalism."

He said sternly, "I reiterate, I disagree!"

The meeting room fell into an impasse once again...