The Heiress's Game

On the day "Shining Life" was released, Wanyu Culture spent a lot of money on promotion and distribution.

They bought three or four trending topics, and their opening screen ads were all over major video platforms. The trailers were lavishly edited—an all-star lineup, top male and female celebrities, and all the clothing and jewelry were sponsored by international brands. They even changed more than twenty outfits just for the first episode.

Press releases flooded the media, each headline more sensational than the last:

"The Real Fashion Variety Show is Here," "How Much More Sophisticated Are the Brilliant Lives of Celebrities Compared to Ordinary People?", "Ma Hongbin: I Want to Make a Variety Show That Can Enter Fashion History."

Many people in the industry were intimidated by this spectacle. Several media professionals who had seen the trailer in advance privately said that Lao Ma might really be making a comeback this time, and Xingyao should be nervous.

On the night of the premiere, two middle-aged men sat drinking in a private room of a bar in Dahai City.

One is a senior entertainment media writer surnamed Fang, who has been in the industry for nearly 20 years and has seen all kinds of hit and bad content;

The other is Liao, the content director of a variety show production company. He has been in the industry for fifteen years and has produced two or three phenomenal programs.

Several skewers of grilled chicken skin and a plate of edamame were placed in front of the two people, and the TV on the wall was playing the show "Shining Life" on silent.

Fang, the chief writer, tossed a edamame into his mouth, chewed it a couple of times, and stared at the screen as a popular young actor showed off his wardrobe to the camera.

The wall was covered with Hermès bags and limited-edition sneakers, and the camera was zoomed in so close that it seemed as if it wanted to capture the leather texture of every single bag clearly.

"Old Liao, what do you think?"

Director Liao picked up his wine glass, took a sip, and put the glass down with a meaningful smile on his lips.

"The trailer was cut like a rough gem, but the actual movie was a huge mess."

Fang, the chief writer, almost spat out his edamame. He coughed twice, laughing between coughs, "Watch your mouth, what if the neighbors hear you?"

"So what if I heard it? Did I say something wrong?" Director Liao put his chopsticks on the table.

"So what if it's an all-star lineup? The first episode featured six celebrities, each with their own dressing room, and we filmed for almost twenty minutes, like we were filming a real estate agent."

No matter how gorgeous the clothes and jewelry are, the audience isn't there to see them in the shop window.

At least "Walking with Brilliance" has real character relationships and dramatic conflicts. Whether it's arguing or making up, the audience experiences emotional fluctuations.

What about this? Six celebrities sitting together having afternoon tea, and all they talk about is "This bag is so pretty" and "This lipstick is so good"—viewers get tired of this after ten minutes.

Fang, the chief writer, nodded and wiped the salt off his fingers with a tissue.

"You've hit the nail on the head. Back when Lao Ma was at Xingyao, at least what he brought out had a framework."

As a result, he switched to WanYu, probably feeling that he could finally roll up his sleeves and make a big splash – an all-star lineup, top-notch sponsors, and a top-notch production team.

And the result? They couldn't even copy properly.

What did he think the audience was watching "Walking with Brilliance" for?

It's for that real chemical reaction.

He didn't copy the core content, only the form, piled on a bunch of celebrities, and the result was all artificially sweetened saccharin.

"The kernel isn't something you can just copy."

Director Liao picked up a piece of roasted chicken skin with his chopsticks and chewed it with a crunching sound.

"And do you remember when Nan Zhenquan first took over Xingyao, everyone in the industry was laughing?"

And what happened? Nanzhen knew perfectly well that he didn't understand the content, so he delegated the content creation to someone who did.

What about Lao Ma? Lao Ma thought he knew everything, but he ended up making this mess.

That's the difference. To be honest, if I were an investor in WanYu, I'd want to storm into Ma Hongbin's office right now and throw his proposal in his face.

An all-star lineup, is that all? Even a random mid-tier influencer's daily vlog from a short video platform would be more interesting.

Fang, the chief writer, raised his glass and clinked it with his, then smiled and said, "Don't blame Lao Ma. I've seen plenty of people like him—they were just cogs in a successful project, and now they think they're the engine."

When he was at Xingyao, he was in charge of execution; his job was simply to get things done.

As he continued working, he began to think, "What's so difficult about this? I can do it too."

When he went out on his own, he discovered that all he had learned was how to tighten screws; he couldn't even read blueprints.

When he switched jobs, he must have made a huge promise to WanYu – “I have data, I understand the business model, and I know the secret to Xingyao’s success.”

The promise was too grandiose, and when it came out, it was half-cooked. Wanyu was thoroughly fooled this time, but they can't blame anyone else; their judgment was poor, focusing only on data and not on the person, so they deserved to be scammed.

On the television screen, "Shining Life" aired the segment where the celebrities chose each other as partners.

Several celebrities smiled and complimented each other in front of the camera, creating a harmonious atmosphere.

Director Liao glanced at it and sighed again: "Look at this partner selection process—there's absolutely no tension between the people."

It's all just smiling and mutual flattery; it's so boring I want to change the channel.

To be honest, this show can't even compete with "Walking with the Stars," it would be a miracle if it even made it past its first season without being canceled.

The roasted chicken skin is super delicious! Everyone should try it, especially the roasted chicken from Dehong, Yunnan – it's truly amazing.