Chapter 64: Chen Xiang at 6:30

The atmosphere at the dining table gradually grew lively.

The mushroom broth in the copper pot was rolling, and the rising steam blurred the boundaries between everyone.

Just as Jiang Ye picked up a chopstick of bamboo fungus, Qiu Qiu quickly moved the dipping sauce bowl in front of him closer. She then picked up a small pottery pot, poured some amber-colored liquor into his cup, and said softly, "Director Jiang, try this. It's Yanglin Fat Wine, our locals' absolute favorite pairing for mushroom hot pot. It has a hint of sweet medicinal aroma and cuts through the greasiness."

Jiang Ye picked up the cup and took a small sip. As the liquor slid down his throat, it left a warm, lingering aftertaste, prompting him to nod approvingly, "It goes down smoother than beer. No wonder it pairs so well with mushroom soup. Is there honey in this wine?"

"Indeed there is," Chen Xiang chimed in. "It's a recipe passed down from the older generations, infused with more than a dozen medicinal herbs. Back in the day, traveling caravan teams used it to warm themselves up."

"It's genuinely good!"

After three rounds of drinks, Chen Xiang was the first to lose his patience.

"Director Jiang, coming here this time, you certainly didn't just come to taste our mushroom hot pot, did you?" Chen Xiang set down his wine glass, his gaze locking onto Jiang Ye's face.

Jiang Ye paused his chopsticks mid-air, lifting his eyes with a perfect smile, "To be honest with you, I really enjoy watching short videos. Among so many teams, yours are the ones that can genuinely make people laugh out loud while still carrying a touch of warmth."

Chen Xiang took over the conversation, "We just shoot blindly, purely for fun. Director Jiang is knowledgeable and well-traveled; where do you think this stuff can go in the future?"

"I wouldn't dare claim to be knowledgeable and well-traveled," Jiang Ye waved his hand, "Though I do believe certain things are interconnected."

"Take Light Chasers Media, for instance. A friend of mine has recently been pushing a 'short-to-long' adaptation project, which means turning good short-video IPs into web movies or series."

"The neighborhood disputes and workplace mishaps you guys shoot—pile them together, and you've got ready-made scripts."

Chen Xiang and Runtu lit up, exchanging a glance.

"Besides, there are several teachers at the Beijing Film Academy who always complain that contemporary filmmaking is too detached and impractical, and they want to find more grounded content. If you want to polish your lens language to be a bit more professional, should I help bridge the gap for you?"

The broth in the copper pot was still bubbling away, the white vapor blurring Jiang Ye's expression, yet failing to conceal the weight of his words.

Chen Xiang picked up his wine glass and tilted it toward Jiang Ye, "Director Jiang's words have truly touched our hearts. We do want to take a step forward, but we just lack the connections."

"Connections are built by people," Jiang Ye clinked glasses with him. "When I was shooting *Go Princess Go*, I had neither money nor connections, relying entirely on the support of my friends."

"I suppose we can become friends in the future, too!"

The conversation that followed drifted into casual chat. Once things had reached this point, it was quite enough.

Everyone seated here was a smart person, and there was no such thing as a free lunch in this world!

Chen Xiang and his team also needed time to consider.

Doing business has never been about chasing after customers with offerings served on a platter.

They agreed to meet at the shooting location tomorrow, and Jiang Ye declined Qiu Qiu's offer to arrange a room for him.

He could see the ambition to get ahead shining in the young woman's eyes.

Actually, he wouldn't mind too much, but the prerequisite was knowing the person inside and out...

When traveling away from home, safety comes first!

The entertainment industry is deep, and no one can truly guess what kind of intentions the other party harbors in their heart.

Anyway, he had Sister Meng, and Dudu...

If push came to shove, Bailu wasn't entirely out of the question either...

Little Tian was still too young!

?????

Jiang Ye hurriedly shook Little Tian out of his mind, having no idea why he had even thought of that girl...

...

Stepping out of the restaurant, Jiang Ye didn't hail a cab immediately; instead, he strolled slowly along the street alleys.

Huacheng's night breeze was laden with the fragrance of flowers, the shadows of the roadside parasol trees swayed gracefully, and the distant cries of night market vendors echoed occasionally.

He raised his head to look at the sky; the stars here were much brighter than those in Yanjing, and the air was noticeably fresher.

At the street corner, several young people were holding up their phones to shoot short videos, giggling as they repeated the exact same movement.

Jiang Ye paused to watch for a moment, the corners of his mouth lifting unconsciously.

The value of Chen Xiang's team was immense, far beyond a simple investment.

This team was already too mature, ranging from Runtu the scriptwriter's grassroots humor, to Uncle Sister's dramatic foundation, all the way to Qiu Qiu's effortless audience appeal.

They had long since forged a highly efficient working mode through countless rounds of practical combat, requiring no tedious guidance or training from him whatsoever.

Even more importantly, it was their style.

A dash of absurdity and nonsense wrapped in comedy, a trace of warmth hidden within the absurdity, coupled with Qiu Qiu's occasional fanservice—they were tailor-made for web series!

Or rather, micro-dramas!

He needed to rapidly build his own team!

The history of web series can be traced back as early as 1995.

The American web series *The Spot* was the world's first internet series.

A group of American youngsters filmed beach life, achieving the continuous release of episodic series via the internet platform for the very first time.

Its distribution format relied entirely on the web, which is regarded as the defining characteristic of a web series.

Meanwhile, domestically, our first web series was *Primary Colors*, produced in 2000 by five college students from the Changchun Institute of Posts and Telecommunications.

As for the previous viral sensation, it must have been Hu Ge's 2005 production *A Bloody Case Caused by a Steamed Bun*...

Which completely triggered Director Chen the poet!

However, that couldn't strictly be considered a web series.

The earliest ones to break out of their niche were Youku's *Hip-Hop Quartet* released in 2008, LeTV's *Northeast Past* in 2012, and Sohu's *Diors Man* by Da Peng.

There was also *Surprise* created by Call-Beast.

During this phase, web series were predominantly sitcoms and spoof content, and they were still generally regarded as "low-tier shows."

Yet in 2014, the State Administration of Press, Publication, Radio, Film and Television reiterated the review standards for overseas film and television dramas, prompting platforms to pivot toward self-produced content.

Major industry giants increased their investments, launching a total of 205 web series throughout the year with viewership figures surpassing ten billion views.

This came to be known as the "Inaugural Year of China's Internet Self-Produced Dramas"!

And the subsequent year, 2015, served as an even more comprehensive turning point for the explosion of capital in web series.

Because the BAT giants (Baidu, Alibaba, Tencent) made a aggressive entrance into the market!

Tencent established Tencent Video in September, securing the copyright to all 8 novels of the *Candle in the Tomb* series in one fell swoop, and announcing partnerships with premier producers like Hou Hongliang.

In the same year, Alibaba completed the full acquisition of Youku Tudou, incorporating it into its massive digital entertainment empire. Youku subsequently bought out the internet copyright of *Spring风十里不如你* at twice the price of satellite television stations.

Baidu's iQiyi solidified its market position through the success of *The Lost Tomb* and launched high-production series like *The Psychological Sins*, forming a competitive landscape alongside Youku and Tencent.

Competition also represented opportunity.

As long as he maintained a continuous stream of breakout hits, he could hop onto the fast-moving train of platform development.

Major companies were fighting over IPs and special effects, throwing around investments totaling hundreds of millions.

He, Jiang Ye, couldn't afford to play that game right now, but...

Micro-dramas......

This was his breakthrough angle!

With so many micro-dramas and adaptation materials stored in his mind, if he paired them with an exceptional, mature team, added the technical support from the Beijing Film Academy, and leveraged the distribution channels of Light Chasers Media......

Not to mention the newly connected Tencent platform!

Low cost, short cycles, and fast results!

Perhaps he could rapidly forge a batch of web series!

Even if it failed, this investment would still yield a profit.

If it succeeded, his starting momentum would accelerate by leaps and bounds!

Time was of the essence!