Chapter 86: Negotiation
Chapter 86: Chapter 86: Negotiation
Silence filled the reception room for two seconds before Zhou Lu snapped out of her daze.
Looking at the young man’s composed demeanor, she quickly offered an apologetic smile. "My sincerest apologies, Boss Jiang. I just didn’t expect the person who created Cat and Mouse to be so young."
Jiang Xia smiled faintly. "A lot of people say that."
"If you don’t mind my asking, Boss Jiang, how old are you?"
"Eighteen. I just graduated from high school," he answered honestly.
Zhou Lu quietly drew in a sharp breath. ’At eighteen, most people are still in school, but he’s already started a company and become his own boss.’
’Going by the typical animation production cycle, doesn’t that mean he was still in school when he made Cat and Mouse?’
’And high schools don’t offer courses related to animation production. To be self-taught and able to apply those skills in practice was more than enough to prove how exceptional he was.’
"Boss Jiang, you’re truly remarkable for your age," Zhou Lu remarked, almost without thinking.
She normally dealt with seasoned industry professionals; this was the first time she had met someone as young as Jiang Xia.
"You flatter me, Chief Zhou. I’ve just loved animation since I was a kid," Jiang Xia replied with a small smile.
"Let me properly introduce myself. I’m Zhou Lu, the managing editor for the children’s channel at Yu Du TV Station," Zhou Lu said, extending her hand.
Jiang Xia’s expression was composed. "Qitian Animation. Jiang Xia."
They shared a friendly handshake. After that brief digression, the atmosphere in the room relaxed considerably.
Watching from the side, Li Weiya nodded to herself. She couldn’t see the slightest hint of nervousness in Jiang Xia. His actions, demeanor, and conversation were all perfectly measured. It was a mature air typically found only in seasoned entrepreneurs or leaders.
’And yet, this student of mine wasn’t even a class officer in school.’
’It could only mean one thing: Jiang Xia was natural-born boss material.’
"Boss Jiang, please have a seat," Zhou Lu said politely. "I’ll skip the pleasantries. Shall we get straight to the point?"
"My thoughts exactly." Jiang Xia nodded.
Zhou Lu asked, "Your company wishes to have Cat and Mouse broadcast on Yu Du TV Station, is that correct?"
"Before I answer that, I’d first like to ask for your opinion—and that of the animation programming department—on Cat and Mouse." He tossed the question back with a smile. "It’s very important to me, and to the show."
"Am I to take this as you vetting our station, Boss Jiang?" Zhou Lu joked.
"I wouldn’t call it vetting. Just chalk it up to me being young and wanting to understand the situation better, Chief Zhou." Jiang Xia tilted his head slightly, putting on an expression characteristic of someone his age.
In short, a handsome young man was putting on a cute act for an older, mature woman.
Undeniably, this unexpected tactic was very effective.
"Alright, I’ll tell you what I think."
Zhou Lu smiled. "My colleagues and I have seen everything—the video you sent me earlier and the promotional clips circulating online. To be honest, the quality of the content that’s out there so far is enough to pique the interest of an adult like me. And that is precisely why I’m sitting here talking with you today, Boss Jiang."
Jiang Xia nodded. What she said confirmed Li Weiya’s earlier speculation.
’A great animated series will never be short of broadcast channels.’
"Qitian Animation Company is also hoping for a close partnership with your station," Jiang Xia said with a smile.
With the conversation having reached this point, the foundation for a partnership between them was set. The next step was to see if the price offered would be satisfactory.
"So, Boss Jiang, did you bring Cat and Mouse with you today?"
"Of course."
He took out a portable hard drive and handed it over. He knew the TV station would need to conduct a detailed evaluation of the animation before making an offer. However, just to be safe, the drive only contained five episodes.
"Please wait a moment."
Zhou Lu took the hard drive out, leaving Jiang Xia and Li Weiya alone in the reception room again.
"Aunt Li, was there anything wrong with what I just said?"
"It was fine, all within the normal range. But I’ll say, the station seems very eager to cooperate."
Li Weiya smiled and said, "Let’s see what they ask for. Just counter their moves as they come. If I hear anything unreasonable, I’ll cough to give you a signal."
"Okay."
About half an hour later, Zhou Lu returned with the portable hard drive. Her expression was placid, giving no hint as to how the discussion had gone.
"Boss Jiang, I’d like to ask, exactly how many episodes of Cat and Mouse do you have ready?" Zhou Lu asked calmly.
’She wasn’t asking about the price, but going straight for the number of episodes.’ The moment she said that, Jiang Xia had a pretty good idea of where things stood.
"Ten episodes," he answered honestly.
"Only ten episodes..." She frowned slightly.
"And the production speed?"
"Right now, it’s one episode every two weeks. If we ramp up production, we can put out about three episodes a month."
To be fair, in the current animation market, that speed was already quite fast.
"Boss Jiang, our station is very interested in Cat and Mouse, but the current number of episodes is too low. The average runtime per episode is quite short. If we air two episodes a day, that’s only enough for five days."
"If I recall correctly, *Jingang Hulwa* only had six episodes, didn’t it? And it still became a classic," Jiang Xia responded calmly.
"But *Jingang Hulwa* had a continuous storyline. Cat and Mouse uses an episodic format where each episode is a self-contained story. Viewer retention will be much lower," Zhou Lu said.
Viewer retention affects ratings. If there’s no significant ratings boost during the animation’s time slot, it would be decidedly bad news for the station.
’In other words, the station was deliberately trying to drive the price down.’
’If they could, they’d love to get the broadcasting rights for free.’
Just then, Li Weiya coughed softly. Jiang Xia got the message.
"Chief Zhou, you’re mistaken. So-called viewer retention isn’t tied to an animation’s format, but to its quality."
He said confidently, "Even with an episodic show, as long as the stories are excellent, people who watch one episode will naturally want to watch the next. Didn’t you just say that the few clips online were enough to pique the interest of an adult like yourself?"
Zhou Lu remained noncommittal. ’It’s true that Cat and Mouse is getting high praise online, and it would certainly attract an initial audience. The question is, how many people would actually keep up with the series?’
"Are you that certain Cat and Mouse will bring our station good ratings?"
"We’re in the digital age. Television ratings are declining year after year. So why not take a gamble?"
He continued, "Ten episodes of Cat and Mouse isn’t a lot, but it’s not nothing, either. For the station, the cost of trying it out is negligible. If the ratings are poor, your station can just drop it and choose not to work with me again. Wouldn’t you agree, Chief Zhou?"
...
(One more Chapter to come)