Chapter 37

Lo and behold, Song Shihua had indeed figured out Duan Qianji’s thinking .

Why else had Silver Wing splurged on and built such a massive team for its virtual idol project last year?

On one hand, it wanted to prove itself by producing a quality virtual idol . On the other, from a business perspective, the label also had its eye on the “Battle of the Century” endorsement deal .

The production studio behind “Battle of the Century,” Fiery Bird, released just one game every 10 years . Each game lasted for 10 years . It was a snobbish company, but at the same time, it was a force to be reckoned with .

Fiery Bird had been founded 100 years ago . Word was that the founder was a plane maker . Its first game revolved around spaceships . It was a huge global hit . It had never dropped out of the industry’s annual poll of top three games in the 10 years since its release . Ten years later, Fiery Bird released its second game, which became as big of a hit as its predecessor .

Duan Qianji didn’t care about anything else . She wasn’t a gamer . What she did know was that Fiery Bird’s previous release nine years ago, “Myth,” earned a profit in the tens of billions .

No one knew the exact number, but it couldn’t have been less than 100 billion . And that covered profits from the game alone and didn’t include earnings from related merchandise . Still, the main chunk of income alone had many competitors jealous . Everyone wanted a piece of the action . Not to mention every single celebrity affiliated with Fiery Bird in the past century had become a big star on a global scale .

Among the Big Three, why did people think that Neon Culture and Tongshan True Entertainment were stronger companies than Silver Wing? Virtual idols were the main reason . In terms of real idols, Silver Wing didn’t fall short, but when it came to virtual idols, Silver Wing did indeed pale in comparison . Both Neon Culture and Tongshan True Entertainment had landed Fiery Bird endorsement deals in the past . That was why, in terms of global influence, Neon Culture and Tongshan True Entertainment were superior to Silver Wing .

Virtual idols were a critical line of business that Duan Qianji always wanted to improve . Silver Wing had to produce a successful enough virtual idol to resolve its predicament .

But Duan Qianji had never revealed her thinking to Glifetz, or to anyone else for that matter . Maybe some of her colleagues had guessed what she was up to, but they’d stayed mum because they lacked confidence . Silver Wing had never produced a virtual idol popular enough to be a contender for the endorsement deal .

It just so happened that Fiery Bird was at the end of a 10-year cycle . They had announced the name and setting of their new title last year—”Battle of the Century,” set against the backdrop of the Period of Destruction . Duan Qianji had learned through her sources that the budget for “Battle of the Century” was even larger than the one for “Myth . ” From a businessman’s perspective, the more you invested, the great the returns you expected .

It was obvious that Tongshan True Entertainment was positioning Mi Yu—a virtual idol adored by youngsters—as a candidate for the endorsement deal . The virtual idol produced by the Silver Media team led by Glifetz last year, like Mi Yu, was also a female virtual idol with pretty looks and a seductive body . Unfortunately, it hadn’t been embraced by the market . Of course, this also had to do with interference by Tongshan True Entertainment, but the failure of the project couldn’t be attributed to underhanded maneuvers by their competitors alone . The inherent problems of the project were the key .

Mi Yu was already a big hit and her popularity had no sign of fading . The market didn’t need a similar virtual idol . That was why Neon Culture’s new virtual idol, in contrast to Mi Yu, sported a playful, lively, and adorable look .

The failure of last year’s project had put an end to Duan Qianji’s aspirations . Naturally, she wasn’t happy about it . Why else was Zu Wen so afraid of Duan Qianji? Because the tantrum she’d thrown last year was so scary . No one forgot what went down .

And just when Duan Qianji had given up on virtual idol production and the race for the Fiery Bird endorsement deal, she stumbled upon Fang Zhao’s Polar Light . That rekindled her competitive spirit . She even gave Fang Zhao free rein to launch an epic series over the strong objections of Flying Pegasus .

As long as Polar Light became a hit, money was not an issue . If the 50 million she budgeted wasn’t enough, she would divert funds from other departments .

Special perks were OK too . Bringing a dog to work? That was nothing . A private gym? No problem .

Gaming equipment? As long as the second movement was a hit, she would build a gaming room right away .

The timing of Fang Zhao’s appearance was so serendipitous, so terrific .

Now that they had a shot, she was counting on Fang Zhao’s performance .

On the 50th floor of Silver Wing Tower, even though the second movement had been recorded, no one ventured out, so as to prevent leaks and for various other reasons . They rested on the 50th floor instead . Besides, they had everything they needed there . You could work out and you could game . You wouldn’t get bored . Come Nov . 1, when the second movement was officially released, they could storm out and party . The prerequisite being that the second chapter was a success . If not, forget about partying—they could be out of work .

“‘Divine Punishment’ had hit 10 million downloads . The second chapter should do well too . ” Zu Wen wasn’t in the mood to game . All he did every day was monitor the download figures for “Divine Punishment” to psych himself up . They were going to make it . A bonus and gaming equipment—the two things he cared about most—were riding on the second movement .

How could you explain the fact that the first chapter, “Divine Punishment,” had managed to break the 10 million mark? Not every person who downloaded the song was a fan of epics . Some were followers, and others saw a good deal . But regardless of the reasoning, it had been a long, long time since a newcomer’s debut had hit 10 million downloads .

The media was all over the milestone, but industry insiders thought it was a bad strategic move .

Having chosen to release the song publicly, Silver Wing could no longer command high royalties for placing it in movies or video games . Plus, a public release seemed to cheapen the song’s status . Still, these insiders had to admit that they were surprised to see “Divine Punishment” surpass 10 million downloads .

There had been epic songs that received wide releases before, but their numbers hovered around 1 million downloads . In an impatient, fast-paced world, not many people were willing to slow down and truly appreciate a sophisticated piece of music .

But pieces like this typically found a more suitable home .

Quality scores were critical to certain video games, ads, and movies with large-scale scenes that couldn’t be carried by more earthly tunes . Hence, epic or quasi-epic pieces filled the void . Composers often earned millions or tens of millions through these commissions . Over time, this genre carved a rarefied niche .

Epic music had never been associated with a single virtual idol, not even in the golden era of virtual idols, the Reg Era . That was why Polar Light’s debut had sparked plenty of discussion and drawn attention .

The right timing, the right company, and the right combination of people—the stars had aligned for Fang Zhao . If he were missing any of these factors, he never would have achieved such success .

Regardless of whose side you were on, whether you were a fan or critic of Silver Wing’s strategy, everyone was glued to the calendar, waiting for Nov . 1 to arrive .

Oct . 31 .

After skimming the label’s marketing plan for November, Chu Guang, who had dropped to No . 4 on the New Pioneers Chart, was dumbfounded . Again?

Hey, wasn’t Fang Zhao’s debut a series?

Chu Guang had a hunch he was about to fall out of the top five .