Langchao Reading's standard signing contract for works ran to a total of ten pages. It covered a wide range of detailed clauses and was extremely thorough, essentially encompassing all copyright categories related to an IP, while clearly defining the rights and obligations of both parties. From a legal standpoint, it was impeccable.
What Lu Chen focused on most were the copyright-related clauses. Broadly speaking, the profit-sharing in this contract was a fifty-fifty split: the platform and the author each took half. This included subscriptions, reader rewards, and derivative rights, among others.
If Lu Chen were to sign this contract, then aside from physical publication, 50% of the revenue from 'The Smiling, Proud Wanderer''s film, television, game, animation, and other adaptation rights would belong to Langchao Reading.
Lu Chen wasn't surprised by these terms at all. He had already dipped his toes into the online literature world and had a basic understanding of how things worked. Most platforms' contracts were broadly similar, with no fundamental differences.
Only top-tier authors had the leverage to negotiate contract terms with platforms.
In fact, this was much like the entertainment industry, artists signed to talent agencies often received far harsher contracts at the beginning.
That was only natural. Capital always sought profit; there was no such thing as a free lunch. Platforms provided exposure and resources, so it was only right that they pursued returns, otherwise, how would they answer to their investors?
But understanding didn't mean acceptance. Lu Chen had no intention of signing this contract.
He positioned 'The Smiling, Proud Wanderer', and his future wuxia works, as big IPs. There was no way he would carve up such significant interests just to gain a foothold in the web fiction world.
So he looked over the contract merely out of curiosity and replied:
Lu Chen: 'Editor An, I've read the contract. It differs greatly from what I expected, so I won't be signing it. Thank you.'
This response clearly caught the other side off guard.
An Xin: Could you be more specific?
Lu Chen: 'I won't be transferring the film, television, game, and similar rights. So… sorry about that.'
An Xin: 'That's really a pity. I've read 'The Smiling, Proud Wanderer', it's genuinely well written and already has a certain reader base. But only after signing can you receive the platform's recommendation resources. And realistically, film and adaptation rights only gain value once the book becomes popular. Do you understand what I mean?'
Lu Chen: 'I understand. But still, sorry.'
The editor from Langchao Reading fell silent for several minutes before replying:
An Xin: 'Alright then. If you change your mind, you can contact me anytime to sign.'
Lu Chen felt that this editor was actually quite decent. Even after being rejected, she didn't get upset and handled it with grace.
However, the platform's stance, represented by her, was firm. There was no room for negotiation in the contract.
"Recalling Ancient Times" was an unknown, insignificant author. There were thousands upon thousands of similar writers. For a top-tier domestic web literature platform like Langchao Reading to revise a contract for him would have been truly absurd.
Of course, if Lu Chen had revealed his real identity, then almost any condition could probably have been discussed.
He asked one last question:
Lu Chen: 'If I don't sign, can I still continue updating the book?'
An Xin: 'Of course. No problem. Goodbye.'
After ending the conversation with the Langchao Reading editor, Lu Chen chuckled wryly.
Thinking back, his original expectations had been a bit naïve. This outcome should have been anticipated. Still, it didn't really matter; he could treat it as a curiosity-satisfying experience. It had no impact on his larger IP plans.
Lu Chen uploaded all the drafts he'd accumulated over the past few days into the draft box and set them to auto-update.
Since he had chosen Langchao Reading as the publishing platform, he would continue posting there. Once the word count reached a sufficient level, it wouldn't be too late to promote it properly. At the very least, he owed that much to the 2,687 readers who had bookmarked 'The Smiling, Proud Wanderer',
And to the rewards they had given in support.
On July 5th, Lu Chen and Chen Fei'er, along with the 'Full House' production team, left Haijin and headed for Hangzhou.
Hangzhou was the second stop on the promotional tour for the new drama.
Over the next half month or so, they would travel across most of China, pushing this urban romantic comedy into the broader market with full force.
On July 15th, Xiangnan Satellite TV's summer flagship drama 'Vast Seas of Love' premiered in the prime-time slot.
On July 16th, Lu Chen wrapped up the promotional tour and returned to the capital.
"The ratings for 'Vast Seas of Love' are out."
In the studio, Lu Xi placed a thin printed sheet in front of Lu Chen, who had just returned.
Her expression was somewhat grave.
Lu Chen smiled and said, "Pretty good, huh?"
Lu Xi shot him an annoyed look. "Take a look for yourself. Feeling the pressure now?"
What upset her was that earlier, Lu Chen hadn't discussed things with her before boldly declaring to reporters that 'Full House''s ratings would peak at 4%. That statement had, to some extent, put the studio in a passive and pressured position.
Lu Chen had spoken too confidently, and as a result, the pressure on the studio was immense.
Moreover, Lu Xi felt that a 4% target was set far too high, that would mean breaking a brand-new record!
Now that their strongest opponent had struck first, she couldn't help but worry about how things would end later on.
She really wanted to knock on Lu Chen's head with her phone and ask: Have you gotten carried away, kid?
And now that 'Vast Seas of Love''s premiere ratings were out, he was still smiling so casually, completely unconcerned, it truly made Lu Xi furious beyond words!
Lu Chen raised his hands in a gesture of surrender, then picked up the printed sheet.
'Vast Seas of Love'
Episode 1 ratings: 1.35%
Episode 2 ratings: 1.43%
Average ratings for the two episodes: 1.39%
This kind of ratings performance was extremely dazzling, even exceeding Lu Chen's expectations.
No wonder Lu Xi looked the way she did.
For a TV drama, breaking 1% ratings on premiere was basically the prelude to becoming a hit. In fact, every year an enormous number of TV dramas were produced domestically, yet most of those that actually made it onto television hovered between 0.1% and 1% in ratings. Breaking 1% was already considered a major success.
An average of 1.39% for the first two episodes, 'Vast Seas of Love' had truly seized the initiative and opened with a massive bang.
One had to remember that last year, 'Autumn in My Heart' only achieved 0.22% and 0.26% ratings for its first two episodes.
Although Xiangnan Satellite TV had made a huge splash with its early promotion and the drama had gathered a large cast of stars, making high ratings inevitable, no one expected them to be this high.
Lu Chen didn't doubt the authenticity of 'Vast Seas of Love''s ratings at all. That was because domestic TV ratings surveys were conducted independently by New Vision, a subsidiary under ****, a state-owned, third-party authoritative institution. Their data's credibility was beyond question.
Now the pressure on 'Full House''s premiere had grown even heavier.
On the 22nd, 'Vast Seas of Love' would also air its third and fourth episodes, directly clashing with 'Full House' head-on in the battle for ratings.
The only advantage 'Full House' had was that it would premiere simultaneously on Capital City TV and Zhedong Satellite TV, which could boost its combined ratings to some extent. Even so, facing such a ferocious opponent, the situation still felt precarious.
Lu Xi frowned and said, "We still have one week left. Let's talk with the other parties and increase the promotional investment. No matter what, we have to suppress their momentum!"
If they compared early-stage promotion, 'Full House' was already a step behind 'Vast Seas of Love'. This would be a case of trying to mend the fence after the sheep were lost.
Lu Chen thought for a moment, then decisively shook his head. "No need. Maintaining our current pace is enough."
Over the past half month, he, Chen Fei'er, and the 'Full House' production team had toured seven major cities nationwide for promotions. They had also invested heavily in advertising across both traditional and new media platforms, the budget was already close to exceeding limits.
The early-stage promotion was more than sufficient. To achieve noticeably better results, the investment would have to at least double.
That simply wouldn't be worth it.
Moreover, TV dramas were different from films. With their long broadcast cycles, word-of-mouth among viewers mattered far more than pure publicity.
Lu Chen trusted the quality of 'Full House'. There was no need to fight Xiangnan Satellite TV to the death on the promotional front.
Only those who laugh last are the real winners.
However, Xiangnan Satellite TV's thinking was clearly the complete opposite of Lu Chen's.
After 'Vast Seas of Love' secured high ratings for its first two episodes, they immediately launched a new wave of promotional attacks.
The drama's lead actor Hu Yang promptly updated his blog, using "1.39%" as the title and posting a photo of himself popping champagne in a hotel room to celebrate with friends.
At the same time, Hu Yang frequently interacted online with the other cast members, his smug satisfaction practically spilling off the screen.
By contrast, Lu Chen's blog fell into a brief silence.
This couldn't help but give people the illusion that the confrontation between 'Full House' and 'Vast Seas of Love', between Lu Chen and Xiangnan Satellite TV, between Lu Chen and Hu Yang, had already been decided.
(End of Chapter)