"Hahaha! What kind of nonsense are you spouting?"
Scott completely dropped the act, tearing off his fake mustache.
"I believe my answer will satisfy the entire internet."
"Ha—? What are you talking about? Satisfy the entire internet? Ha→Ha→Ha↗Ha↗Ha↗Ha↗, can you even do that?
Don't tell me you're making it free? Ha↗Ha↗Ha→Ha↗Ha↑!"
"Same as before, let's make a bet!"
"Don't rush! How could I forget about betting?!
It's simple—let the audience here vote
on whether they're satisfied with your answer.
If they're not, you lose. You have to return the web series approval number to me, and—
you have to shout in front of everyone, 'Honkai: Star Rail? Even dogs wouldn't watch it!'"
"And if I win?"
"Win? Then I'll shout 'Tenghua is pigs,' and then… I'll even go work under you at your company."
"No thanks, I'd rather not!" March 7th made a disgusted face.
Firefly: "Same!"
Dan Heng: "Same!"
——
"Deal!" Su Chen raised the remote in his hand and pressed it lightly.
The next moment,
a sentence appeared on the screen:
"Honkai: Star Rail will adopt a membership model,
with each season's full content released at once
in 42-day cycles."
"Tsk…" Scott gritted his teeth.
Huh?
Membership model?
And full-season drops?!
How dare he?
Can he even break even like this?
Isn't he afraid of piracy?
42 days per season?
What is Su Chen thinking? This goes against all common sense!
Normally, web series are filmed and released simultaneously,
allowing real-time feedback from viewers to adjust later episodes.
Popular memes can even be incorporated on the fly.
Take the recent hit series I Am a Singing Beast,
which capitalized on the viral 'Fifty-Year-Old Granny Guards the City Gate' meme.
It even accidentally made an actress named 'Robin' famous.
But—
Su Chen's approach means filming everything in advance!
He's leaving himself no room for adjustments!
If problems arise later, there's no time to fix them!
And he has the audacity to claim a 42-day season cycle?
Forget longevity—web series thrive on momentum.
Strike while the iron's hot, milk the hype dry, cash out,
then end it when the buzz fades.
Who cares about sticking the landing?
Forty-two days is an eternity in this industry—
we're all racing against time, yet he's deliberately slowing down?
Who's he trying to fool?
And the membership model is the craziest part.
I'm done!
——
Meanwhile, March 7th nudged Dan Heng.
"Hey, Dan Heng… what does the screen even mean?"
Dan Heng frowned slightly. "On paid platforms,
web series use either a purchase model or a membership model.
Purchase means buying the entire series upfront,
while membership requires monthly fees to keep watching, with no episode limits."
"Which one's better?"
"Membership is currently the preferred choice,
but once a series gains traction,
episodes get dragged out endlessly.
Take 'Detective Conan Science' or 'One Piece'—
over a thousand episodes with no end in sight.
Even at one episode per day, you'd need 36 months of membership to catch up,
way costlier than buying outright!
But Boss Su Chen's approach is brilliant—
full-season drops plus membership? That's saving viewers money!
And with a clear 42-day cycle,
they can just buy a few days of membership, binge, then
renew when the next season drops.
Viewers win… but can he really break even this way?"
However.
Just as everyone was reeling,
Su Chen pressed the remote again, delivering the final blow.
New text appeared on the screen:
"All episodes will be free to watch after 42 days! No charges whatsoever!"
For a moment, the entire room fell silent.
The internet erupted.
[???]
[???]
[Where are the haters now?]
[All those waiting for him to fail, step forward!]
[Let the trolls speak!]
[Other production companies, take notes!]
[Am I dreaming? Membership + full-season drops was crazy enough, now free too?]
[A 42-day wait is nothing for a freeloader like me!]
[Where are the trolls from earlier? Keyboard broken?]
[Their faces must be stinging from the slap!]
[miHoYo stays winning. Never doubted them—I'll support even the free releases!]
[Su Chen, you legend. Absolute chad!]
[MD, Su Chen just made me rock hard!]
[Seriously, never saw this coming. The web series industry's about to shake.]
[Keyboard warriors, cat got your tongue?]
[Pfft, free doesn't mean good.]
[Hahaha, he's mad! He's out of comebacks!]
[Still grasping at straws. Pathetic.]
——
"Well? Is this answer to your satisfaction?"
Su Chen scanned the crowd. "No need to respond now.
Let's watch the final PV before the main series—'Out of Control.'"
The venue plunged into darkness,
with only the giant screen illuminating the space.
Then,
Asta appeared on-screen, filmed from a steady over-the-shoulder third-person perspective.
The camera followed her smoothly as the space station's grandeur unfolded.
Despite the cosmic setting, there wasn't a hint of green screen—just seamless immersion.
After a minute, the camera dipped for a close-up of Asta's legs,
then cut to Herta, framed from her left side.
Suddenly, the angle shifted to Silver Wolf sprinting,
then Kafka, and finally a Voidranger Ravager.
After a transition, Himeko appeared beside a massive train,
ending with her entering the Stellaron containment room.
The screen faded to black, replaced by text:
"Season 1, all 12 episodes, premieres August 20 at 8:00 AM sharp."
[It's just a few days away—why not release it early this afternoon?]
[Why can't it air now?!]
[Stop teasing us! This isn't funny!]
[I leapt from my deathbed!]
[#ReleaseItNow]
[#ReleaseItNow]
[The space station's texture quality—I'm calling the police!]
[So THIS is why there were no close-ups—they filmed a whole separate sequence!!!]
[I can't take it! I'm itching all over like ants are crawling on me! Su Chen, if you don't drop hundreds of episodes today, I won't survive!]
[Same here!]
But then—
The PV's protagonists—Kafka, Silver Wolf, Asta, and Himeko (minus Herta)—
walked onstage from both sides.
Kafka took the microphone from Su Chen.
"Do you like it?"
The crowd roared:
"YES! Brothers, let's redeem ourselves! Down with Scott! Long live miHoYo!"
Su Chen smirked.
"So… they were all allies all along!"