Entertainment: 1990

Chapter 77 Returning a Favor
If the first case was merely a clever trick that incited nationalistic sentiments, the second case by Tianjin Wei, which involved using a camera and two cakes to forge an alibi, was clearly much more interesting.

Viewers who initially found the TV series somewhat interesting were quickly drawn in by the unprecedented high-tech cases.

Chen Daoming's calm and collected demeanor, and his ability to point out the flaws in the camera footage, won him countless fans.

In the third case, although the quality of the case did not break through again, it became a hot topic of discussion among countless people because of the scene of Chen Hong appearing in a swimsuit.

Chen Hong thus earned the title of "Most Beautiful Policewoman".

Three cases, four days—while using various methods to promote Tianjin, the ratings and the popularity of the male and female leads also skyrocketed.

…………

The morning of June 6th.

Xu Fan, looking exhausted, boarded the crew bus and began to doze off with his eyes closed. "Da Sa Ba" is scheduled to air in January next year, and recently they have been working non-stop to catch up on the schedule.

Fortunately, it's nearing its end, and filming should wrap up in about two more days.

Just as he was feeling dazed and confused, he suddenly heard the makeup artist next to him say, "Xu Fan, isn't this Teacher Zhang who came to the set for a cameo the other day?"

Xu Fan opened his eyes abruptly, took the newspaper handed to him by his older sister, and the first thing he saw was Chen Hong fleeing in panic. Then he saw Zhang Yan standing not far away, with his arms outstretched to block the surging crowd.

The subtitle reads: "Chen Hong, the female lead of 'Tianjin Wei,' appeared at Tianjin TV station and was surrounded by enthusiastic viewers for more than 40 minutes, causing traffic to be paralyzed at one point."

Xu Fan paused for a few seconds after reading it, then handed the newspaper back to his older sister and asked casually, "Is this TV series very popular lately?"

Not to mention that she's been working day and night these past few days and hasn't had a moment to watch "Tianjin TV"—but even if she did have the time, she wouldn't want to see Chen Hong swaggering around on TV.

After all, that role was meant for her!

"Of course it's a hit! Although it's not quite as popular as last year's 'Aspiration,' young people are absolutely obsessed with it, and many young girls are imitating the female lead's outfits..."

Listening to the makeup artist's endless chatter, Xu Fan suddenly remembered that there were several hand-drawn outfit illustrations in the original script, which meant that even the clothes Chen Hong wore in the drama were designed by Zhang Yan.

This made her feel even worse.

If she hadn't quit the role, all of this would have been hers!
Jealousy and bitterness nearly overwhelmed Xu Fan's exhausted mind, making her wish she could contact Zhang Yan right now to take back what was rightfully hers.

However, Xu Fan ultimately held back.

Zhang Yan is currently in the prime of her life. If she were to rush over to him, how would she be any different from Chen Hong?
…………

Let's rewind to October 5th.

Urged on relentlessly by Chen Zhipeng, Zhang Yan finally brought the finished advertisement back to Tianjin.

As soon as she got out of the car, Chen Hong, who was with her, was recognized and immediately surrounded by a crowd. Some asked for her autograph, some asked about the upcoming plot, some inquired about her fashion tips, and some even publicly declared their love for her.

If Zhang Yan hadn't called in people from the TV station for help, Chen Hong wouldn't know how long she would have been surrounded.

Once inside the TV station, she clung tightly to Zhang Yan's arm, her face still showing a bewildered look of shock.

Seeing her like this, Zhang Yan asked with concern, "Are you alright? Do you want some water to calm your nerves?"

As if startled awake, Chen Hong suddenly looked up and asked with burning eyes, "Am I really famous now?"

"What do you say?"

Zhang Yanchong pointed outside the gate and said that there were still people guarding the gate and refusing to leave.

Although the constant praise from "Tianjin Wei" made the simple and honest people of Tianjin feel somewhat uncomfortable, and even sparked some controversy.

But despite the debate, most people genuinely like this show.

After all, this is the first time in more than forty years since the founding of the People's Republic of China that the people of Tianjin have had their own TV series—previously, only TV series with such a distinct regional character had been produced in Guangzhou and Shanghai.

Not to mention that every case is so exciting, and the methods used each time are refreshing, which is absolutely unique in today's TV dramas.

"Honey!"

Chen Hong glanced outside, then suddenly stood on tiptoe and kissed Zhang Yan on the lips in full view of everyone.

Zhang Yan was stunned for a moment, then quickly pushed her away and said, "What's going on? There are so many people watching."

"Let them watch!"

With a dreamy look in her eyes, Chen Hong said, "My dear, you are the best gift God has given me."

Drawn by the watery look in her eyes, Zhang Yan couldn't help but feel a little restless. He quickly pushed Chen Hong away and turned to ask Wei Liben, who was standing to the side, "Director Wei, where is Factory Director Chen?"

"Huh?" Wei Liben also noticed something was wrong and looked around: "Wasn't Factory Director Chen the first one to rush out?"

Seeing the staff behind him nodding, Wei Liben hurriedly instructed, "Send a few people to see if Director Chen is still outside!"

A moment later, Chen Zhipeng, who had sprained his ankle, hopped in on one leg with a grimace, supported by two staff members.

"Director Chen."

Wei Liben asked gloatingly, "Can you still hold on? Should I have someone take you to the hospital first?"

When Chen Zhipeng volunteered to become the deputy director of Guangming Flour Mill, Wei Liben secretly laughed at him, saying he must be out of his mind.

Who knew that within a few months, all the tertiary industry companies were merged into the flour mill, and five hundred employees gathered together. They also acquired two second-hand production lines from other places, tripling the overall scale. Naturally, Chen Zhipeng, the factory manager, also rose in rank and became very popular.

"can!"

Chen Zhipeng gritted his teeth and said, "It won't make a difference if it's just a little while longer!"

He could hop in from the outside on one leg, but getting up to the third-floor media room wasn't so easy.

Luckily, he now holds a high position of power and has plenty of people willing to fawn over him. In the end, a few young men practically carried him up to the third floor.

The scene on the third floor is much grander.

The station director and three deputy directors were all present, as were more than half of the middle-level managers.

Upon seeing Zhang Yan and Chen Hong approach, the station director clapped first, and soon the applause was deafening.

However, when they saw Chen Zhipeng being carried up from behind, the leaders were startled and hurriedly asked what had happened.

"It's nothing, I just sprained my ankle."

Despite the pain, Chen Zhipeng urged, "Director, let's hurry up and watch the finished commercial. I need to go to the hospital later—there's so much going on at the factory, we can't afford to delay!"

The station director took the opportunity to praise Chen Zhipeng a couple of times before leading everyone into the audiovisual room.

As soon as they sat down, seeing Zhang Yan hand the advertising film to the projectionist, Deputy Director Ma Yuan hurriedly stood up, bent down, and asked the director, "How about I summarize our achievements first?"

The station director looked around and said, "Then please let Deputy Station Director Ma say a few words to us."

As he spoke, he led the applause once again.

Chen Zhipeng wanted to say something, but the applause drowned him out. He could only rub his feet and secretly grimac.

Ma Yuan, full of vigor, walked in front of the screen, took the microphone handed to him by a staff member, and said in a strong voice: "Respected leaders and comrades, in accordance with the deployment requirements of the municipal government, and under the supervision and leadership of the station director..."

After a lengthy introduction, he finally got to the heart of the matter: "Currently, in areas where the signal can be stably radiated, we are far ahead during prime time, surpassing CCTV and leaving Beijing TV far behind!"
In addition, a series of sister stations, including HEB Provincial TV Station, Tangshan City TV Station, CZ City TV Station, LF City TV Station, BD City TV Station, and Shijiazhuang City TV Station, successively sent letters requesting to rebroadcast "Tianjin Satellite TV".

Just recently, our station received a call from CCTV's purchasing center—comrades, I'm sure you all understand what this means!

Although his speech resembled a rigid, formulaic essay, and although most of the audience had already heard about what he was saying, it was still interrupted by applause several times.

The final rhetorical question elicited a heated response that lasted for more than twenty seconds.

As soon as the applause subsided, someone shouted, "What about Beijing TV? Why didn't they send a letter requesting to broadcast it? In the past, we were always eager to broadcast any good TV dramas they had. Now is the time to give back to Beijing TV!"

A burst of laughter immediately erupted from the room.

The station director nodded seriously and said, "Indeed, Deputy Director Ma, you should call Beijing TV later and ask if they need the broadcasting rights for 'Tianjin TV.' After all, we should reciprocate their kindness."

Immediately afterward, he waved to Ma Yuan and said, "Take a look at the advertisement."

Ma Yuan quickly sat back down in his original seat.

As the lights dimmed, Chen Hong's elegant, poised, and radiant image appeared on the screen.

"Some people can imitate my beauty, and some can imitate my noodles, but you can't imitate my taste—Bright Instant Noodles, original meat sauce packet, that's the taste!"

The 15-second advertisement ended quickly, but it left a deep impression on everyone present.

Most television commercials today—especially in the north—are still at the level of simply reciting scripts, but the commercial shot by Zhang Yan and Guan Hu is lighthearted, playful, fashionable, and stylish.

Moreover, they firmly grasped the highlights and pain points of Bright Dairy instant noodles, promoting themselves while also delivering a powerful AOE attack to their competitors.

The applause this time was unprecedentedly enthusiastic. After all, no matter how well a TV series is made, the benefits will only go to a few station leaders, but the Guangming Flour Mill is becoming more and more prosperous, and the benefits are for everyone.

After the applause subsided, the station director slowly stood up, turned to Zhang Yan with a smile, and asked, "Xiao Zhang, would you be interested in taking on a few more commercials?"

(End of this chapter)