It was nothing more than an ordinary business battle.

Signing the contracts in Xiaopei District was not the end of the story. Shen Tu Sheng had stated that he would take the project proposal to the neighboring Tieshan District's television station for a chat, hoping to sell another premiere. As for commission, he didn’t ask for much—just a thousand per episode. Director Shen Tu wasn’t particularly greedy.

His confidence wasn’t solely due to Su Ling and Su Yongzhi; the reputation of Li Jie’s godfather, Ai Shoujin, still carried weight. Of course, as a children’s drama, “Masked Gourd Hero” meeting quality standards was an important factor as well. Especially since Li Jie had prepared character trailers early on. The two short films—“Masked Gourd Hero · The Great Hero” and “Snake Queen”—were competent promotional pieces, definitely above average in quality.

Knowing this, Chen Pi felt a surge of excitement; this was the kind of money that, once you start earning it, you can hardly stop. At present, “Creative Ability Ltd.” had rented a lot by the riverside, planning to turn it into one of the company’s outdoor filming locations. Another site was at the urban-rural junction of Niutou Mountain. The main selling point was affordability and volume.

Moreover, since Li Jie was owed a favor by the kindergarten at Niutou Mountain, the director had no objections to organizing the children for a cameo. “Jiangjiang,” the child rescued from the nursery by Li Jie, even made a guest appearance.

“Stand like this. When I do a side kick, the camera will come from here. We’ll be out of alignment, and when you fall, you go this way…” As a professional “action director,” Li Jie, wearing a red suit, explained the positions to Tiger Mom, who played the “Green Toad Spirit.”

Despite years of monster performance experience on stage, children’s stage plays and tokusatsu dramas still differed; tokusatsu required more awareness of the camera. The perspective was different, too—children’s stage plays mostly resembled paper-cut art, focusing on profile views.

“Alright, got it. Fall this way, right?”

“Exactly. You need to let the camera capture the moment you’re knocked down…”

Finding a competent suit actor for villains isn’t easy. Chemistry aside, knowing how to fall without injury takes experience. Tiger Mom was a pro in this regard. Moreover, with her six-foot frame, she stood there and looked like a villain even without makeup. When she swung her arm, someone as slight as Chen Pi could be knocked out with a slap.

“Chen, we’re good to go.”

Li Jie flashed an “OK” gesture at Chen Boshen, who responded in kind, then picked up the microphone and shouted, “Alright, everyone pay attention! ‘Green Toad King, Scene Three,’ begin!”

The camera zoomed in, giving headshots to both “Green Toad Spirit” and “Masked Gourd Hero · The Great Hero.” The confrontation featured manifestations of “red energy” representing strength, and the villain’s dark magic, with post-production “light pollution” effects to be added later. On set, smoke was released.

As thick smoke enveloped the street and building models, “Masked Gourd Hero · The Great Hero” glowed with red light, launching a charge, then a stylish “flying kick”… Li Jie’s dynamic talent was on full display, his control over his body so precise that, even without post-production edits, his legs and waist formed a perfectly straight line. His whole form was an acute angle; later, an outline effect would be added, making him look like a thrown spear.

For the final explosion of the “Green Toad Spirit,” there was no need for a real actor—a proportional model did the job. Li Jie himself was the pyrotechnician, saving much trouble; he could blow things up however he pleased, no need to pick a time.

The first episode was filmed in a day; the rest of the time was spent on editing and dubbing. Dubbing was economical, since Jianye Art Academy had a broadcasting department—recruiting two part-timers was easy.

“That’s it? Finished already?”

“What else did you expect?”

Faced with the shock, confusion, and disbelief of the inept agent Chen Pi, Li Jie commented that little incompetents simply lacked experience—when faced with absolute skill, no tricks were needed. Except for acting.

While everything went smoothly on set, things outside were less so. Li Jie happened to collide with several children’s drama production teams for the New Year’s slot. Originally, he intended to pitch to the city and provincial television stations, but now, competition was inevitable. Both Jianye TV and Pingjiang TV hoped “Creative Ability Ltd.” would break their contracts and sign exclusive broadcast agreements.

It was maddening.

The provincial station did offer an opportunity, but it depended on quality and required passing the station’s review committee. The process was relatively fair, but only within the station. Beyond its doors, it was every man for himself.

Li Jie had just posted a trailer for “Masked Gourd Hero” on his personal microblog. The “old haters” hadn’t mobilized yet, but the “new haters” had already ramped up their efforts. In short, they highlighted the less refined aspects of Li Jie and his fans, rallying in droves to boycott “Masked Brother’s” works.

As for what the work was… that didn’t matter.

The five o’clock slot at local TV stations was nearly always reserved for children’s dramas; after school, kids watched cartoons or children’s variety shows—a standard procedure. Watching before or during dinner was perfectly reasonable. Thus, ratings for this time were quite decent, leading to fierce competition.

Several children’s drama production companies, aside from major productions signing exclusive agreements with the seven major satellite stations, generally only signed non-exclusive premiere deals, not much different from Li Jie’s approach. The field hadn’t changed in years, so when someone new threatened their business, forceful measures were inevitable.

Ordinary business warfare meant buying fake followers, targeting attacks, and flooding the media with negative articles—criticizing everything from content to actor quality. Currently, Li Jie was experiencing the standard business battle.

“Did you find out which company bought the fake followers?”

After dinner, Li Jie was investigating which company was behind the negative publicity, and asked Chen Pi about his progress.

“There are three: one is ‘Little Sunflower’ from Huating, two are from Sanjiang Province—‘Daye Film’ from Guangling, and ‘New Rainflower Culture’ from Jianye.”

“Did you get any details? What’s their angle?”

“They’re planning to launch children’s dramas in thirteen city TV stations, each averaging at least three stations, all non-exclusive premieres.”

“Chen, do you think we have a chance competing with them?”

“Li, honestly, I don’t think we stand a chance.”

“I agree. We never intended to go for big money. But we haven’t provoked anyone—don’t you think their actions are a bit much?”

“Boss Li, want me to go take out their bosses?”

“That suggestion is very constructive—I like it. But the world isn’t just about fighting and killing; it’s about social ties…”

After saying this, Li Jie instructed Chen Pi, “Send me the address for ‘New Rainflower Culture.’”

“Wait, don’t do anything rash, Li.”

“Stop talking nonsense. I’m not actually going to attack anyone, for goodness’ sake. I’m just going to bring them a gift, alright?”

“Alright then.”

Chen Pi figured Li Jie wasn’t about to commit murder or arson, so he sent over the details for “New Rainflower Culture.” The company was in Zhuque District, not far away. The next day, Li Jie found a local water delivery service and worked another day part-time.

He spent a day scouting, then worked two more days in succession. From his coworkers and deliverymen, he learned that the most flamboyant secretary at “New Rainflower Culture” was often seen paired with the vice president.

He staked out for two days and, on a certain evening when “New Rainflower Culture” was working late, he watched from the opposite building as the two engaged in “office play,” with the secretary gripping the windowsill and being forced to look out. Li Jie finally broke into a satisfied smile.

People are busy with their own affairs, but on the opposite building, someone is watching through a fifty-times zoom lens on their phone!