211: Chapter 211 Su Yuyan bets her entire fortune

"A reward?" Jiang Fan sat in his executive chair, looking at Song Siyi in his arms.

Song Siyi regretted her words the moment they left her lips.

"What I meant was..." She stood up and took a half-step back, her lower back pressing against the edge of the desk. "Could you please give me a raise?"

She turned sideways, trying to slip away.

Jiang Fan raised his hand and pressed it against the desk beside her, trapping her in the middle.

"A raise is possible." Jiang Fan looked at her. "But first, let me see if your work performance has improved lately."

Forty minutes later.

Song Siyi slumped on the floor by the executive chair, tucking a few loose strands of hair back into her ponytail, and took the tissue Jiang Fan handed her to wipe the corner of her mouth.

"Send out the art solicitation notice today." Jiang Fan zipped up his trousers and leaned back into his chair.

Song Siyi braced herself against the armrest to stand up, her legs still feeling a bit weak.

"How much should the prize money be?"

"Between one thousand and fifty thousand. Take as many good pieces as we can get. Spend what needs to be spent; once this batch of original art is selected, it will serve directly as material for the picture book."

Song Siyi noted the details in her notebook.

"How long should the solicitation period be?"

"Two weeks. If it drags on too long, the hype will die down. Write the copy and post it on our official Weibo account tonight."

"Understood. I also want to add a hashtag on Douyin, encouraging artists to post videos of their creative process. That way, every participant will be helping us advertise for free."

Jiang Fan glanced at her.

"Your raise is approved."

Song Siyi's lips curled up slightly as she lowered her head to keep writing.

At nine o'clock that night, the official Weibo account of Qitian Culture posted an update.

[Qitian Culture × journey to the west Character Art Solicitation Officially Launched.]

We are soliciting original artwork of The Monkey King, Tang Monk, Zhu Bajie, Sha Seng, the White Dragon Horse, and various demons from the general public.

Selected works will be used directly in the officially licensed picture book, and authors will receive credit and generous prize money.

See the long image for details.

Song Siyi sat at her computer, watching the backend data. She estimated that the interaction count would reach a few tens of thousands.

But she had underestimated the enthusiasm of netizens; half an hour later, the number of reposts exceeded one hundred thousand.

What truly ignited the event was a post by "Mo Jiu," a famous artist on Douyin with tens of millions of followers.

At one o'clock in the morning, he posted an update.

"I don't care about the prize money. But the credit in an officially licensed journey to the west picture book—that is the truly valuable thing. I'm already drawing. I'll submit it the day after tomorrow."

Fans flooded the comments section below.

"With Brother Jiu making a move, the first prize is a foregone conclusion, right?"

"Don't do this, Brother Jiu! Let me submit first, can you wait two days before drawing?"

"Official picture book credit! That's equivalent to having your name printed on journey to the west—the kind of thing you can brag about for a lifetime."

Following that, seven or eight other famous artists in the industry reposted the announcement, declaring their participation.

Overnight, the topic's popularity surged into the top three of the Weibo Entertainment Ranking.

The [Draw the journey to the west in Your Heart] topic was flooded with tens of thousands of creative videos.

A professor at the Shanghai Academy of Fine Arts changed the final assignment, requiring students to create a piece based on the theme of journey to the west.

The works of the entire class of over thirty students were all submitted at once.

When Song Siyi opened the backend the next morning, the solicitation inbox was piled with over four thousand submissions, and the Douyin topic had already surpassed one hundred million views.

This low-cost marketing campaign pushed the popularity of journey to the west up another level.

Times Media, top-floor conference room.

Su Yuyan sat at the head of the long conference table.

Eight company executives and shareholders sat on both sides.

She was wearing a black professional suit today, her hair tied in a bun at the back of her head, making her look very sharp.

She pushed the documents in front of her forward.

"This is the partnership proposal for the television adaptation of journey to the west. Everyone, take a look."

Several shareholders opened the documents, and the only sound in the conference room was the rustling of pages.

Five minutes later, a male shareholder wearing glasses slammed the document onto the table.

"CEO Su, these terms are unacceptable."

He stared at Su Yuyan. "Qitian Culture is just providing the script and copyright, while we handle the production and distribution. They take seventy percent of the profits, and we take thirty? How is this any different from working for them for free?"

A female executive next to him immediately chimed in.

"And special effects for mythological themes are very expensive. The initial investment is at least five hundred million. We are taking on such a huge risk; taking only thirty percent of the profits is unjustifiable."

Su Yuyan leaned back in her chair, her hands crossed in front of her.

She didn't rush to speak, waiting until no one else was talking before she addressed them.

"This account cannot be looked at solely in terms of profit sharing."

She scanned the room. "Check the internet yourselves to see how high the popularity of journey to the west is right now. As long as we secure the exclusive adaptation rights, everyone here knows how Times Media's stock price will move the day the news is released."

The shareholder with glasses lowered his head, spinning his pen between his fingers.

"The show has dozens of characters. Except for the leads, we will use our own signed newcomers for the supporting roles. Calculate for yourselves how much money is saved on casting fees and how much value is brought by making a newcomer famous."

The conference room went quiet, and several shareholders exchanged glances.

The female executive thought for a moment.

"That may be true. But if we sink five hundred million in cash flow into this, and the ratings don't meet expectations, who will fill that hole? We are a listed company; we have to be responsible to our shareholders."

"Exactly," another shareholder added. "Qitian Culture is guaranteed to make a profit without any loss, while all the risk is on our side."

Su Yuyan stood up.

Her high heels clicked on the floor, and the attention of the entire conference room focused on her.

"Then we will sign a betting agreement."

Several shareholders looked up simultaneously.

"If, after the show airs, the total revenue does not reach 1.5 billion, the difference—" Su Yuyan pressed her hands on the table, her gaze sweeping over everyone, "I will use my own shares to cover it."

No one in the conference room spoke.

1.5 billion in revenue. Projects in the history of domestic television that have reached this figure can be counted on one hand.

The shares under Su Yuyan's name were her foundation at Times Media; using them to bet was equivalent to staking her entire net worth.

The shareholder with glasses took off his glasses to wipe them, then put them back on, staring at Su Yuyan.

"CEO Su, are you sure you want to bet this?"

Su Yuyan looked at him, her lips curling slightly.

"I can afford to bet."

"However, if it succeeds, the portion exceeding 1.5 billion must be converted into shares and distributed to me. Discuss it among yourselves; if you agree, we will sign."

With that, she turned and walked out of the conference room in her high heels.

The door closed behind her, and low murmurs could be heard from inside.

Su Yuyan returned to her office and closed the door.

She took out her phone and dialed Jiang Fan's number.

The phone rang twice before being answered.

"Your calculations are spot on." Su Yuyan leaned against the edge of her desk. "1.5 billion in revenue—are you sure there's no problem?"

"No problem." The three words were crisp and decisive.

Su Yuyan stared at the skyline outside the window for two seconds.

She didn't know where Jiang Fan got his confidence.

But this man had never said anything he wasn't sure of in front of her.

Every single time, the results proved he was right.

Once the bet succeeded, she would not only get excess profits but also use the opportunity to increase her shareholding ratio in Times Media.

Jiang Fan was helping her consolidate control of the company.

"Come to my place tonight." Su Yuyan's voice softened significantly. "The stakes are a bit high this time; you need to give me a shot of adrenaline."