Life countdown begins, ice queen bursts into security room

"A reward?" Jiang Fan sat in the boss's chair, looking at Song Siyi in his arms.

Song Siyi regretted her words as soon as they left her mouth.

"What I mean is..." She stood up and took a half step back, her lower back resting on the edge of the desk, "Could you give me a raise?"

She turned to the side, trying to slip away.

Jiang Fan raised his hand and braced it on the table beside her, blocking her in the middle.

"A raise is fine," Jiang Fan said, looking at her. "Let me first see if your work skills have improved recently."

Forty minutes later.

Song Siyi slumped down in the boss's chair, tucked a few stray strands of hair back into her ponytail, and took the tissue Jiang Fan handed her to wipe her mouth.

"We'll send out the painting submissions today." Jiang Fan zipped up his jacket and leaned back in his chair.

Song Siyi stood up, her legs still a little weak, as she used the handrail to support herself.

How much is the bonus?

"From one thousand to fifty thousand. We'll take as many good works as we can. We'll spend the money where it's needed. These original paintings, once selected, will directly become material for picture books."

Song Siyi wrote down the details in her notebook.

"How long is the recruitment period?"

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

"Hmm, I also want to add a hashtag to Douyin so that artists can directly post videos of their creative process. It's like every contestant is helping us beat the game for free."

Jiang Fan glanced at her.

"The salary increase has been approved."

Song Siyi's lips curled up slightly, and she lowered her head to continue writing.

At 9 p.m. that evening, Qitian Culture's official Weibo account posted an update.

[Qi Tian Culture's nationwide call for character illustrations from "Journey to the West" has officially begun.]

We are soliciting original paintings of Sun Wukong, Tang Sanzang, Zhu Bajie, Sha Wujing, the White Dragon Horse, and various demons from the public.

Selected works will be used directly in officially licensed picture books, and the authors will enjoy the right to be credited and receive generous prize money.

See the long image for details.

Song Siyi sat in front of her computer, looking at the backend data. She estimated that the number of interactions would be in the tens of thousands.

However, she underestimated the enthusiasm of netizens; half an hour later, the number of reposts exceeded 100,000.

What truly ignited the event was the renowned illustrator "Mo Jiu," who has millions of followers on Douyin.

At 1 a.m., he posted an update.

"I don't care about the prize money. But the right to be credited as an author in the officially licensed 'Journey to the West' picture book is what's truly valuable. I'm drawing it now. I'll submit the manuscript the day after tomorrow."

Fans flooded the comments section with messages.

"With Ninth Brother making a move, the first prize is a sure thing, right?"

"No, Ninth Brother, let me submit my work first. Can you draw it a couple of days later?"

"Officially authorized picture book credits! It's like having your name printed on 'Journey to the West,' something you can brag about for a lifetime."

Immediately afterwards, seven or eight well-known artists in the industry forwarded the announcement and participated in the competition.

The topic quickly rose to the top three on Weibo's entertainment chart overnight.

The "Draw Your Journey to the West" campaign has already received tens of thousands of creative videos.

A professor at the Shanghai Academy of Fine Arts changed the final assignment, requiring students to create a work based on the classic Chinese novel "Journey to the West".

All the works from the class of over thirty people were submitted at once.

The next morning, Song Siyi opened the backend and found that her inbox had received more than 4,000 submissions, and the Douyin topic had already garnered over 100 million views.

This low-cost marketing campaign has pushed the popularity of "Journey to the West" to a new level.

Times Media, Top Floor Conference Room.

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

Eight company executives and shareholders were seated on either side.

She wore a black business suit today, with her hair up in a bun, making her look very neat and efficient.

She pushed the documents in front of her forward.

"This is the cooperation proposal for the TV series adaptation of 'Journey to the West'. Please take a look."

Several shareholders opened the documents, and the only sound in the meeting room was the turning of pages.

Five minutes later, a male shareholder wearing glasses slammed the documents on the table.

"President Su, these conditions are unacceptable."

He stared at Su Yuyan. "Qitian Culture only provides the script and copyright, while we handle production and distribution. They take 70% of the profits, and we take 30%? What's the difference between this and working for them for free?"

A female executive next to her immediately chimed in.

"Moreover, special effects for mythological themes are very expensive. The initial investment is at least 500 million yuan. It's unreasonable for us to take such a big risk and only take 30% of the profits."

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

She didn't speak immediately; she waited until no one else spoke before she spoke.

"This cannot be judged solely by profit sharing."

She glanced around. "You can see for yourselves how popular 'Journey to the West' is right now. Once we secure the exclusive adaptation rights, you all know how Times Media's stock price will react the day the news breaks."

The bespectacled shareholder lowered his head, twirling the pen between his fingers.

"In the drama, apart from the main characters, all the supporting roles are played by newcomers we signed ourselves. The saved salaries, the increased viewership, how much is it worth to make a newcomer famous? You can do the math yourselves."

The meeting room fell silent, and the shareholders exchanged glances.

The female executive paused for a moment to think.

"That's true. But if we pour 500 million yuan of cash into the company and the viewership doesn't meet expectations, who will fill that hole? We're a listed company; we have a responsibility to our shareholders."

"That's right," another shareholder chimed in. "Qitian Culture is guaranteed to make a profit; all the risks are on our side."

Su Yuyan stood up.

The sound of her high heels clicking on the floor drew everyone's attention to her.

"Then let's sign a performance-based agreement."

Several shareholders looked up at the same time.

"If the total revenue after the series airs doesn't reach 1.5 billion, the difference—" Su Yuyan placed her hands on the table, her gaze sweeping over everyone, "I will contribute the corresponding shares to make up the difference."

No one spoke in the meeting room.

A revenue of 1.5 billion yuan. Very few domestic TV drama projects have achieved this figure.

The shares under Su Yuyan's name are the foundation of her business at Times Media. Using these shares as a bet is tantamount to gambling her entire fortune.

The shareholder who wore glasses took them off, wiped them, put them back on, and stared at Su Yuyan.

"Mr. Su, are you sure you want to gamble with this?"

Su Yuyan looked at him, a slight smile playing on her lips.

"I can afford to gamble."

"However, if it's completed, the portion exceeding 1.5 billion will be converted into shares and distributed to me. You can discuss it, and if you agree, then sign."

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

The door closed behind him, and he could hear hushed conversations coming from inside.

"But," she straightened up, "if it's completed, any excess will be converted into shares and given to me. You can discuss it, and if you agree, we'll sign."

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

The door closed behind him, and he could hear hushed conversations coming 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. "A profit of 1.5 billion, are you sure there won't be any problems?"

"No problem." Three words, crisp and decisive.

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

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

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

Each time, the results proved him right.

If the bet is successful, she will not only receive excess profits, but also have the opportunity to increase her shareholding in Times Media.

Jiang Fan is helping her consolidate control of the company.

"Come to my place tonight." Su Yuyan's voice softened considerably. "This bet is a bit too big; you need to give me a shot in the arm."