EFB Chapter 45
Chapter 45
In the Tencent Video office, Wang Man received the data and slammed her hand on the table: "Great! Over 2 million views in 20 hours! Two hours faster than The Lost Tomb!"
She turned to her assistant and said, "Contact all major media outlets immediately and publish this news! The headline should be: 'The Beginning Breaks Records, Surpassing 100 Million Views in 20 Hours, Ushering in a New Dawn for Domestic Suspense Dramas!'"
"Then...should we buy a few trending topics?" the assistant asked.
"Buy it!" Wang Man said without hesitation. "We'll get all the hashtags #FirstViewBillionViews #FirstViewDetails #FirstViewTearsMeIntoCry, we need to make sure half of the top 20 trending topics are on it!" Her eyes gleamed. "I want everyone to know that a good drama can still be a hit without big IPs or top stars!"
Just as her assistant was about to leave, Wang Man called her back: "By the way, contact Fengrui Film and Television and ask them about their promotional plans for the movie 'Take My Brother Away.' We can collaborate and drive some traffic to the movie as well."
"Okay, Mr. Wang."
Looking at the poster for "The Beginning" on the screen, Wang Man couldn't help but smile. She had made the right bet this time; Raymond Lam was truly a treasure.
The afternoon sunlight streamed through the blinds into the office of Fengrui Film and Television. Li Yitong was organizing documents, her face still flushed. The thrilling scene that had just happened in the office was still making her heart race.
Lin Feng looked at her trembling eyelashes and smiled as he handed her a piece of candy: "Are you still angry?"
Li Yitong didn't answer, but couldn't help glaring at him: "If you do this again, I... I'll ignore you!"
"Okay, okay, I won't make a fuss anymore." Lin Feng stuffed the candy into her hand. "I'll cook for you myself as an apology."
When dinner was mentioned, Li Yitong's eyes lit up, and the corners of her mouth unconsciously curved into a smile: "That's more like it."
At 3 PM, the official Weibo account of Tencent Video posted that "The Beginning" had surpassed 100 million views in 20 hours, causing a sensation online. Hashtags such as #TheBeginningBreaksRecords# and #TheLightOfChineseDrama# quickly climbed to the top of the trending searches, and the comment section was filled with jubilation.
"That's incredible! That's faster than a rocket!"
"If you haven't seen it yet, go watch it now! If you don't like it, you can hit me!"
"Compared to a certain tomb raiding drama, this is truly a high-quality production!"
Attracted by the spectacle, passersby clicked on Tencent Video to see what magic this "record-breaking masterpiece" possessed.
Many users, as they learned from the comments, had clearly been heartbroken by "The Lost Tomb" and turned to "The Beginning".
Inside the conference room at iQiyi's headquarters, the atmosphere was as tense as if a storm was brewing. The person in charge slammed the report on the table, his face ashen: "20 hours to break 100 million? Tencent has gone mad! They've definitely inflated the figures!"
The operations manager next to him shrank back and whispered, "But... our data isn't entirely accurate either..."
"Shut up!" the manager roared. "Is this the time to talk about this? Think of a way! We have to bring back our lost users! No matter what it takes—buying trending topics, publishing smear articles—even if we have to trample 'The Beginning' into the mud, we have to maintain our viewership!"
The people below kept their heads down, no one daring to speak. They were all thinking to themselves: If the content isn't good, what's the point of all the fuss? The audience isn't stupid.
Lin Feng scrolled through the discussions on his phone, a smile playing on his lips. Li Yitong brought over a slice of watermelon and leaned in to look: "Right now, the whole internet is praising 'The Beginning'."
"That's normal," Lin Feng said, picking up a slice of watermelon. "Good things will always be noticed."
At 5 PM, Li Yi was discussing the pre-release promotion plan for the movie "Take My Brother Away" with her team. Lin Feng gave them a few instructions and then took Li Yitong home.
In the kitchen, Lin Feng, wearing an apron, skillfully prepared pork belly. Li Yitong leaned against the doorframe, watching him, the setting sun casting its light on his profile.
"What are you looking at?" Raymond Lam turned around and asked with a smile.
"Look at you," Li Yitong walked over and hugged him from behind, "I didn't expect you to be such a good actor and cook so well too."
"What man from Sichuan or Chongqing can't cook?"
Soon, braised pork, scrambled eggs with tomatoes, and shredded pork with green peppers were served.
The two sat at the dining table, eating and chatting. Li Yitong picked up a piece of braised pork, her eyes squinting with satisfaction: "It's so delicious! It's even better than what you get at restaurants."
"Eat more if you like it." Lin Feng served her a bowl of soup.
Halfway through the meal, Lin Feng's phone rang. It was a QQ message from Tian Xiwei, full of screenshots of her online arguments, captioned: "Brother Feng, look! I've driven away all those people who were criticizing 'The Beginning'! Pretty impressive, right!"
Lin Feng looked at the records of people arguing in Chongqing dialect and felt both annoyed and amused. He replied, "There's no need to take them seriously. Studying hard is the most important thing. Final exams are coming up soon."
A few seconds later, Tian Xiwei replied with a tongue-out emoji: "Brother Feng, all you do is make me study, it's so annoying! I'm ignoring you!"
Lin Feng smiled helplessly and put his phone down. Li Yitong leaned over to take a look and teased, "Xiao Tian really protects you."
"Childish temper."
After dinner, Li Yitong cleared the dishes, while Lin Feng leaned back on the sofa and scrolled through the latest comments on "The Beginning." Most of them were urging for more chapters, and some people even started the hashtag "Requesting More Chapters."
"Looks like no one's had enough." Li Yitong wiped her hands and walked over, sitting down next to him.
"The update will be next week." Lin Feng pulled her into his arms, letting her lean against his chest. "Are you tired?"
The two leaned against each other quietly for a while. Suddenly, Li Yitong felt the person in her arms move. She looked up and met Lin Feng's smiling gaze. The tenderness and passion in his eyes made her heart race instantly.
"Boss..." Her voice trembled slightly.
Lin Feng didn't speak, but simply lowered his head and kissed her forehead, his fingers gently tracing her cheek. Li Yitong's cheeks flushed instantly, and she instinctively snuggled closer into his arms.
She knew him too well; she knew what that look meant.
Sure enough, Lin Feng's hands began to wander, slowly sliding down her waistline. Li Yitong gently pressed his hand down, her voice barely audible: "Not here..."
Lin Feng chuckled softly and breathed into her ear, "Where to?"
His breath made Li Yitong's ears turn bright red instantly. Knowing that resistance was futile, she could only whisper, "Go...go to the bedroom."
Lin Feng didn't move, but just looked at her with a hint of teasing in his eyes: "What should the kitten call me at home?"
Li Yitong's face flushed red instantly. Remembering those embarrassing nicknames from before, she bit her lip and couldn't speak for a long time.
"Hmm?" Lin Feng gently pinched her chin, his eyes urging her.
"Lord...benevolence..." she finally whispered, her voice as soft as a mosquito's buzz. After saying that, she quickly buried her face in his chest, not daring to look at him.