Lu Guifan was amused by his words.

“Is anything else missing?”

“Just a soft sofa! You know, when you’re tired from reading, and I’m tired from painting, we can both lie on the sofa and sleep!”

“Okay,” Lu Guifan nodded.

Jiang Ruotang really loved it here, because it was his and Lu Guifan’s secret base, a place that belonged only to them.

Dinner wasn’t a lavish feast; Lu Guifan cooked a simple tomato and egg noodle soup, but Jiang Ruotang ate it with great relish, looking adorable as he slurped down the noodles.

They made the bed together. Jiang Ruotang sang in the bathroom while showering, then put on Lu Guifan’s pajamas, rolling up the pant legs and sleeves. He then jumped onto the bed and rolled around several times. His fluffy short hair, beautiful neck, and fair ankles (due to not being exposed to the sun) stirred Lu Guifan’s emotions as he watched.

They hadn’t hugged each other in a long time.

Jiang Ruotang, still rolling around, felt the mattress sink down. Then he was pulled into a tight embrace. A restrained yet forceful kiss landed on his cheek, jaw, and neck. Jiang Ruotang hadn’t even clearly seen Lu Guifan’s expression before he was kissed into a daze.

Jiang Ruotang knew this was because Lu Guifan missed him.

After more than ten days apart, Lu Guifan wasn’t in a place that required full concentration like a laboratory. Military training didn’t allow him to focus entirely, so he thought about Jiang Ruotang almost every day. He worried if Jiang Ruotang would be sore and unable to walk after military training, like the first time he played badminton, or if the food at the training base suited his taste, and how he was getting along with his new roommates and classmates.

He was so lost in thought that the instructor even misunderstood, thinking he was too tired, and let the whole class rest.

Only Lu Guifan knew he wanted to be even more tired, so perhaps he wouldn’t miss Jiang Ruotang so much.

As Jiang Ruotang was about to be kissed to the point of breathlessness by Lu Guifan, he forcefully tapped Lu Guifan’s back several times. Lu Guifan reluctantly pulled away, looking at Jiang Ruotang’s flushed, gasping face, and stroked his hair.

“Silly, just breathe through your nose.”

“Your nose bridge is so high, it’s pressing on my nose!” Jiang Ruotang complained.

“Let me see.”

“See… see what…” Jiang Ruotang asked nervously.

“What else could it be? Of course, it’s the legendary abs you’ve developed through training,” Lu Guifan said playfully, poking Jiang Ruotang’s abdomen through his pajamas. “I’ll verify for Zhao Changfeng to see if you’re bragging!”

“No! Let me show you, I guarantee you’ll be so envious!”

At the mention of this, Jiang Ruotang was filled with a desire to show off, shamelessly exposing his belly. But he was ambushed by Lu Guifan, and all his defenses crumbled.

“Liar! You’re a liar! You said you’d only look at my abs!”

“I never said I’d only look at your abs.”

Jiang Ruotang genuinely suspected Lu Guifan had gone for further studies during their two weeks apart; he was completely unable to resist him.

Although the mighty ship of the Lu family wanted to enter the harbor, it failed to dock after several attempts because the harbor was too fragile.

Perhaps unwilling to give up, it lingered in the outer sea with such force that the waves it created almost submerged the harbor.

Jiang Ruotang’s head was buried in a pillow. He suddenly felt that Lu Guifan had planned this all along; otherwise, why would he have placed the pillow on the bed?

---

The first semester’s coursework was relatively light, mainly focusing on art theory, basic drawing, and professional techniques.

In his free time, Jiang Ruotang would take his roommates to watch Zhao Changfeng’s basketball games, or go sketching with them, and also immerse himself in Cai Cai’s new game designs.

He had thought that Lu Guifan’s first year would only consist of basic theory courses with no experiments, but unexpectedly, Lu Guifan gained quite a reputation among the professors and was highly valued, becoming the only first-year student in a导师 team.

As a result, Jiang Ruotang sometimes wouldn’t see Lu Guifan for several days. But whenever they did meet, Lu Guifan would “level up” completely, leaving Jiang Ruotang utterly defenseless and falling for him without resistance… In fact, Jiang Ruotang even started to look forward to it.

The filming and post-production of Drunken Immortal Platform were completed by the end of the semester and passed the relevant department’s review. They originally hoped that if all went smoothly, it would meet the audience during the winter break.

However, unexpectedly, the offers from Qilin Video and Yunfeng Video were not ideal. Major TV stations had tightened their quotas for costume dramas due to poor ratings of previously purchased Xianxia dramas. This was the result of the entire production team’s hard work, and Jiang Huaiyuan grew anxious.

At this time, online smear campaigns against Drunken Immortal Platform mysteriously began, claiming things like “pirated sets,” “clichéd plot,” and “male lead lacks traffic to guarantee ratings.” Zhao Yunshu saw this and immediately contacted some PR firms to handle it, but with little effect.

On Saturday morning, Lu Guifan and Jiang Ruotang slept in. Both were reluctant to get up. Jiang Ruotang lay on Lu Guifan’s chest, playing with his phone, and frowned when he saw the news online.

Lu Guifan observed Jiang Ruotang’s expression, sensing his little fox needed soothing, and asked, “What’s wrong?”

“Because of the genre quota, major TV stations currently have no intention of buying Drunken Immortal Platform. Then Qilin Video and Yunfeng Video want to bargain down the price, and there are even many negative press releases about Drunken Immortal Platform online.”

These issues weren’t difficult for Jiang Ruotang to solve, but the thought of Jiang Huaiyuan being upset and Zhao Yunshu busy with PR made Jiang Ruotang very unhappy.

Jiang Ruotang was very clear about his father’s attitude and abilities as a director.

Jiang Ruotang had even watched the sample with Lu Guifan, bringing Jian Sha and Cai Ji along as his “jury.”

Jian Sha was skilled at pacing a story, and Cai Ji’s special effects aesthetic was also on point.

They all believed Drunken Immortal Platform had blockbuster potential and were eager to see the full series.

TV stations always had many restrictions when acquiring films. After all, summer was a peak time for Xianxia dramas, one after another. There was even a document from higher authorities stating that a variety of genres should be maintained to prevent monotonous themes on screen due to the pursuit of popularity.

Major TV stations, however, always interpreted these directives in a cut-and-dried manner. With younger audiences shifting to online video platforms, TV audiences might no longer be the target demographic for Drunken Immortal Platform.

Lu Guifan listened quietly as Jiang Ruotang described the current situation. Although this wasn’t his area of expertise, as an outsider, he could still see some underlying issues.

“TV stations aren’t entirely out of the question, but the broadcast schedule might be very long. That would mean Drunken Immortal Platform would be shelved for a long time, and by then, audience anticipation would decrease, or other new hot topics would emerge, which wouldn’t be good for Drunken Immortal Platform‘s ratings. But the attitude of these two video platforms is very suspicious—no matter what, your father is a renowned director in the industry, and audiences have expectations for his works, with a favorable bias towards actors he has trained and mentored. Why would they suddenly drive down the price for Drunken Immortal Platform?”

Jiang Ruotang explained, “It’s because of Idols, Please Step Forward.”

“Isn’t that a variety show? It’s not in the same league as a TV drama.”

“My blind guess is that Idols, Please Step Forward has exorbitant marketing costs, probably eating up a significant portion of Qilin Video’s budget. But it has high traffic, attracting many paying users and advertisers to the platform, so Qilin Video’s focus is probably not on dramas. Moreover, Han Ming is one of the producers of Idols, Please Step Forward, and he probably hasn’t given up on suppressing Ling Song.”

“Additionally, your father opposed the film and television investment in ALEN at the Huanyu Pictures shareholders’ meeting, making Qin Zhanchao feel that he wasn’t on the same side as the Jiang family. Perhaps he’s also thinking of putting pressure on your father. He’s also a producer and investor in Idols, Please Step Forward.”

“Yunfeng Video is also easy to understand. It was impacted by Idols, Please Step Forward, losing a large number of users. It’s said that their financial reports haven’t looked good for two consecutive quarters. On one hand, they’re eager to collaborate with Han Ming and Qin Zhanchao to create a similar variety show to save face. On the other hand, they’re probably desperate to save funds. As long as Drunken Immortal Platform doesn’t seem likely to surpass Idols, Please Step Forward in popularity, they don’t want to spend a lot of money to buy it.”

Lu Guifan looked into Jiang Ruotang’s eyes and asked, “But aren’t there other video platforms besides Qilin and Yunfeng now?”

“Yes. But in many people’s minds, Little Sweet Fruit is a gathering place for the anime community. Drunken Immortal Platform won’t have an audience on Little Sweet Fruit.”

“So, what’s your plan?”

“Of course, it’s to seize the opportunity to transform. Our goal has always been a comprehensive entertainment platform. This is a chance to draw over the drama users from Qilin and Yunfeng, and cultivate our own users’ demand for dramas,” Jiang Ruotang said, propping his chin in thought.

Lu Guifan leaned back against the headboard. This side of Jiang Ruotang reminded him of something Jian Sha once said—a man who’s serious is doubly attractive.

Jiang Ruotang still called to comfort Jiang Huaiyuan and told Zhao Yunshu that he would find a way on Little Sweet Fruit’s side.

Then, Jiang Ruotang got up and rummaged through Lu Guifan’s section of the wardrobe.

“What are you looking for?” Lu Guifan asked, amused.

“Your suit, shirt, and tie? Let me borrow them. I have a video conference with Little Sweet Fruit’s shareholders in a bit; I can’t exactly wear pajamas or a round-neck T-shirt, can I?” Jiang Ruotang turned back and smiled at Lu Guifan.

Looking for your boyfriend’s shirt first thing in the morning was quite enticing.

“I’ll find them for you; you go wash up.” Lu Guifan gently hooked the collar of Jiang Ruotang’s pajamas. The mark on his neck was already fading.

Jiang Ruotang yawned and went into the bathroom. While brushing his teeth, he saw something under his collar. He pulled it up to look, then turned and poked his head out, saying to Lu Guifan, “I told you not to kiss me in such an obvious spot! Last time Ding Bing and the others saw it, they were making fun of me!”

“Can’t kiss in an obvious spot… but if I kiss in a less obvious spot, you’d be done in less than a minute.” Lu Guifan’s smile was incredibly sexy.

Jiang Ruotang grumbled to himself. Good thing Lu Guifan wasn’t an emperor, or he’d truly be “sleeping in and missing morning court” — and all because of Lu Guifan, this hypocritical traitor…

Once he had washed up, Lu Guifan also made a simple breakfast: egg and beef sandwiches with vegetables and milk.

Jiang Ruotang took a delightful sip of milk, and a white mustache appeared on his upper lip. Lu Guifan felt like laughing again. He stood up, propped himself on the table, quickly bent down, and lowered his head. Jiang Ruotang only felt something suck on his upper lip and said helplessly, “It’s broad daylight, Lu Guifan… why do you want to kiss me every single day?”

Lu Guifan just smiled without speaking.

After breakfast, Jiang Ruotang started changing into his shirt and suit.

Lu Guifan’s sleeves were a bit long and needed to be rolled up, and the suit jacket’s shoulders were quite wide. Luckily, the camera would hide it.

Jiang Ruotang sat at the desk in the studio and opened his laptop. Lu Guifan was lying on the comfy sofa not far away, reading. Or rather, it was easy for him to see Jiang Ruotang from the edge of his book.

Jiang Ruotang’s serious and professional demeanor was very charming. He spoke clearly and logically, and when opinions differed, he would patiently present facts and data to persuade the other party.

Both Qi Yanzhe and Chen Dan had felt the narrowness of the anime market and the need to quickly expand into the film and television sector; otherwise, when the current batch of anime users grew up, they wouldn’t know where the next batch would come from.

Mu Xianqing also believed that even though Drunken Immortal Platform was a Xianxia drama, with famous director Jiang Huaiyuan backing it, audiences would have high expectations. Furthermore, Little Sweet Fruit already had many artists’ columns. Although these artists used Little Sweet Fruit as a platform for promotion and fan activities, most of these fans were drama viewers, so Drunken Immortal Platform could be used to test the conversion rate.

Gao Cheng and the data analysis team calculated that even if Drunken Immortal Platform flopped, the cost loss was something they could bear. Gao Cheng had also participated in the preview of the drama; after watching only the first three episodes, he was deeply impressed. Unlike Qilin and Yunfeng, he was very optimistic about the ratings of Drunken Immortal Platform.

Having partners who shared his vision made Jiang Ruotang feel incredibly fortunate.

Chen Dan had many marketing ideas. He directly proposed one: “If we acquire the broadcasting rights for Drunken Immortal Platform and decide to schedule it for the winter break, we might as well start the preliminary warm-up using animated comic forms. This would combine TV dramas and anime, satisfying the needs of Little Sweet Fruit’s initial users while also guiding our existing anime users towards Drunken Immortal Platform.”

Qi Yanzhe said seriously, “And the promotion for Ling Song should also be ramped up on the platform—he’s very good-looking, refined but not effeminate, with the aura of a manga protagonist.

If it were other ugly protagonists with no acting skills, coupled with shoddy special effects and terrible cinematography, it would definitely shatter the imagination of anime lovers. But this drama, both in its styling and visuals, is very beautiful and should be able to break through dimensional barriers. We should quickly open a personal section for Ling Song too. Isn’t Chen Dan’s sister his agent? With Miss Chen’s ability, she’ll surely make his section a hit and directly attract a wave of traffic!”

Hearing his words, Jiang Ruotang couldn’t help but laugh, feeling that Qi Yanzhe had matured a lot recently.

Ever since Chen Dan got busy, Qi Yanzhe found spending all day playing billiards, drinking, and racing with his old buddies quite boring. He followed Chen Dan to discuss business ventures and even enrolled in an MBA program, studying very diligently. Some CEOs and corporate elites in his class would discuss industry matters with Qi Yanzhe, greatly expanding his horizons.

The internal meeting went smoothly. However, Jiang Ruotang didn’t expect to receive a call from Ling Song after the meeting.

“Hmm? Why would he call me? Accidental dial?”

Jiang Ruotang tilted his head, thought for a moment, and answered. After two “hellos,” the other side remained silent.

“Was it really an accidental dial then? I’ll hang up.”

Just as Jiang Ruotang was about to end the call, Ling Song’s voice came through.

“It wasn’t an accidental dial, CEO Jiang… I just didn’t know how to say it.”

Ling Song’s voice was still cold and distant. In the past, this coldness had a sense of being abandoned by the whole world, but this time, Jiang Ruotang detected a hint of guilt.

“What’s wrong?” Jiang Ruotang leaned back in his chair, waiting for Ling Song to speak.

“I want to know if Drunken Immortal Platform was dragged down because of me, which is why Qilin and Yunfeng are lowering their offers?”

Jiang Ruotang paused, thinking, How rare. Ling Song actually has moments of self-doubt.