Chapter 197: Chapter 197: Number One

By the time Jessie Sterling heard that the platform originally scheduled to release “Little Youth” was demanding a change in the profit-sharing ratio, quite a few people already knew about it.

“After the adjustment, the platform would basically be getting the show for free.” People in the know could already see something was fishy.

Jessie Sterling was lurking in the company group chat. It wasn’t like anyone didn’t know her account, and she was happy to enjoy the drama in the chat every day.

“The platform probably doesn’t even want the show. A friend of mine works there, right? She heard from her contacts in the content review department that even if ’Little Youth’ aired, it would have a hard time getting popular. They say Nina Walsh’s performance is a total train wreck—the kind of acting only her fans could appreciate. Plus, with Thorne Pictures about to be drowning in lawsuits, the platform is afraid of getting caught in the crossfire.”

“So demanding a change in the ratio is basically forcing Thorne Pictures to take the show back themselves. What a slap in the face. I wonder what Thorne Pictures is going to do.”

“I bet they’ll agree. What platform would want to get involved with Thorne Pictures right now? If Thorne Pictures takes the show back, it’ll just be dead weight on their hands. Compared to a total loss, agreeing to the current profit-sharing ratio might let them recoup at least some of their costs.”

Jessie Sterling’s thoughts were similar to those in the group chat. If Thorne Pictures couldn’t negotiate with the platform, they would most likely agree to the terms.

While the platform was arguably taking advantage of their misfortune, Thorne Pictures was in trouble and could only swallow the loss.

The matter was originally just a tug-of-war between the platform and the production company, but somehow a meddler leaked it online, sparking discussion among casual netizens.

At first, everyone thought the new actors of “Glory” were going head-to-head with the newcomers from “Youth Handbook.” But now, “Little Youth” had basically failed before it even got off the ground, which in turn generated an unexpected wave of discussion and hype for “Glory.”

The day after “Glory” premiered, the various metrics displayed on the platform were all quite good.

By mid-August, after “Glory” had been airing for over half a month and the first season was nearing its finale, it was already appearing in trending topics on major platforms based on user searches alone, without any further marketing from Apex Films or the streaming platform.

There were certainly plenty of negative comments, but they were far outnumbered by the positive reviews.

The theme of “Glory” was very novel. In terms of content, to use the netizens’ words, it didn’t have a lot of “dumbed-down” plot points. The production quality was also excellent; it didn’t have the skin-smoothing effects that many big-name actors demanded in the past, which often made a show’s visual filter look distorted.

A new theme and new actors unexpectedly propelled “Glory” up the August summer viewership charts for its platform, climbing bit by bit from the bottom all the way to first place!

When the data confirmed their number one spot, Jessie Sterling immediately sent out red envelopes in the company chat.

This was the first time she had personally selected a script, bought the rights, and produced a TV series, and the results were truly extraordinary.

Less than a week later, Jessie Sterling received news that a television network wanted to buy the rights to “Glory” for broadcast.

Jessie Sterling never expected her boldest dream to actually become a reality.

Apex had actually produced quite a few shows for network television in the past. It was only due to the rise of online streaming platforms and the increasing difficulty of getting a show picked up for broadcast that it had been many years since they’d had one.

But things were different now. Jessie Sterling had been in charge of the company for less than a year—just a little over six months—and she had already achieved such a result.

For the entirety of Apex Films, this outcome was undoubtedly a huge morale booster.

When it was time to leave work, Jessie Sterling exited the private elevator with a spring in her step, made her way to the underground parking garage, and walked to her reserved parking spot.

She had just opened the car door and was about to get in when she suddenly froze, standing there completely stunned.

She had been driving her dark green Valhalla almost every day recently and was very familiar with every detail of its interior.

But now, what appeared before Jessie Sterling was a car completely filled with fresh flowers.

After a moment of stunned silence, she subconsciously turned around, looking for someone.

’The only person who has my car keys and could pull off something this grand has to be Victor Morgan.’

However, Victor Morgan was more patient than Jessie Sterling had imagined; she couldn’t see him anywhere.

“Victor Morgan!”

This time, since she couldn’t see him, Jessie Sterling decided to just call out his name.

“I know it’s you.”

Jessie Sterling yelled into the empty space.

With so many cars in the underground garage, it was a bit difficult for her to pinpoint which one Victor Morgan had driven today.

Victor Morgan had actually prepared another surprise for Jessie Sterling, but he didn’t expect her to call his name before he even had a chance to make his entrance.

Victor Morgan gave a helpless laugh and stepped out from behind a black SUV.

Clashing slightly with his overall aura, he was carrying a square, transparent cake box.

The cake inside was in full view.

“Looks like I’ve been found out,” Victor Morgan said as he walked toward Jessie Sterling.

He even looked a little bit annoyed.

Victor Morgan was indeed annoyed that his surprise for Jessie hadn’t gone off without a hitch.

Jessie Sterling saw the cake in his hand. “What’s all this for?”

Victor Morgan replied, “A celebration.”

’Huh?’ Jessie Sterling was surprised. She had only just found out today that a network was interested in “Glory.” ’There’s no way Victor could have known this quickly, right?’

“Your first project was such a huge success. That’s not something just any talented person can achieve. No matter how you look at it, it’s something worth celebrating, isn’t it?” Victor Morgan said.

He had actually been planning this for a few days, but the tulips in the car had to be air-freighted, which took a few days to prepare, so he had chosen today.

But it seemed his entrance hadn’t been quite perfect.

Once Jessie Sterling realized what was happening, she couldn’t help but let out a little laugh before throwing herself into Victor Morgan’s arms.

She had long known how broad Victor Morgan’s chest was, but every time she hugged him, Jessie Sterling still couldn’t resist the comfortable urge to nuzzle her head against his chest.

“Victor Morgan, thank you,” Jessie Sterling said.

The moment she saw the colorful tulips in the car, she knew that Victor Morgan must have started preparing long ago for this one single moment.

With the cake still in his hand, Victor Morgan smiled upon hearing her words and wrapped his arm around Jessie Sterling’s slender waist. “I’m glad you like it.”

Something occurred to Jessie Sterling, and she suddenly burst out laughing.

Victor Morgan looked down. “What is it?”

Jessie Sterling looked back at her car. Because the driver’s side door was open, the interior lights were on, making the lush, vibrant tulips inside stand out with exceptional clarity.

“Victor Morgan, you filled my car with flowers. How am I supposed to drive home later!”

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep