WBSGVS Chapter 229 V2

Phoenix Slays had the advantage of being backed by the original creator and He Tianzhuo’s company, but in reality, it was privately funded by just the two of them. After He Tianzhuo was kicked out, the largest investor became Qingli, so she had the final say in selling the rights.

Truth be told, Phoenix Slays had strong buzz. During filming, multiple parties reached out to express interest, but Qingli wasn’t satisfied with the offers. She wasn’t about to let He Tianzhuo benefit, but she also refused to sell the project short, especially since it was something the original creator had poured their heart into.

Not to mention, Qingli herself added considerable value to the project.

So she kept holding out.

Of course, platforms aren’t dumb or made of money. While Su Qingli had strong name recognition as a screenwriter, her directorial debut gave them pause, so they delayed it too.

And that delay stretched until now.

Once the final music was finished and the show was ready to air, Qingli finally dropped a three-minute trailer via the official social media account.

It had been six months since the last teaser. The account hadn’t posted since the production wrap announcement over three months ago. With how forgetful internet users are, many had practically forgotten Phoenix Slays even existed.

The sudden drop of a new trailer threw everyone for a loop.

People who still followed the official account were surprised: Wait, I’m still following this?

Unlike the early days of aggressive hype, the official account had gone silent post-wrap. With Huang Quan no longer trying to drag them down, they no longer needed to make noise.

Now that it was back in the spotlight, everyone instinctively clicked in—and immediately lost their minds.

“OMG! This is amazing! The quality’s even better than before. When does it air?!”
“Has a premiere date been set??”
“Ning Xi is just too cute! She’s the perfect sweetheart leading lady!”
“I’m dying for this to air!”
“The female lead is so badass! I love a strong female lead!”
“Does anyone know if there’s a release date yet?!”

The online chatter exploded. Thanks to Ning Xi’s presence on trending searches, the buzz skyrocketed. Within an hour, the trailer had gone viral.

A trending topic even popped up: “Has Phoenix Slays set a premiere date?”

Clicking into it revealed that it came from a single blogger asking the question, then fans, desperate after watching the trailer, boosted it into a top trending search.

So… had a date been set?

Nope.

Unlike Huang Quan, which leaned on dating rumors between the male and female leads to fuel hype, Phoenix Slays had stayed relatively quiet, especially after the casting controversy. Most assumed it was a failed project.

Who would’ve thought a single trailer would turn the tide completely?

Just two hours later, multiple platforms were in a bidding frenzy, pushing the per-episode price from the previous 3 million up to 5 million—and still climbing.

Three days later, the streaming rights were sold for a whopping 600 million yuan total, at 6 million per episode.

On top of that, the platform promised prime homepage promotion during airing.

With the deal done, the teams scheduled the premiere date and began organizing cast appearances and marketing plans—standard post-sale procedure.

But since it was almost Chinese New Year, everything was pushed back until after the holiday.

Because of her strained relationship with He Tianzhuo, Qingli didn’t want to return to her original family, and the Su family was as unpleasant as ever. Going back would only ruin her mood. So she took the money and went on vacation, while also working on her next script.

Her next goal was a film.

He Tianzhuo had directed films before, but not many. The original creator’s scripts didn’t translate well into film format. Qingli, personally, preferred to tell intricate, interconnected stories through layers of detail. That’s why her TV dramas still sparked discussion even one or two years after airing—people could always find something new.

Movies, however, were time-limited and restrictive. Because of that, both He Tianzhuo and the original creator had only ever produced two mediocre films.

On New Year’s Eve, He Tianzhuo finally called.

Qingli ignored it.

He called again. She was rejected again. After three ignored calls, he finally lost his patience and sent a WeChat message:

“Are you done throwing a tantrum? It’s the New Year, and you’re not coming home?”

Qingli replied with a single screenshot.

It was a paparazzi photo showing Zhao Rongrong entering the home she once shared with He Tianzhuo.

The photo had made headlines earlier, but He Tianzhuo had immediately issued a statement clarifying it was a misunderstanding. Zhao Muyun was busy, so he’d asked his aunt to drop something off. He even provided security footage proving Zhao Rongrong had only stayed in the complex for less than an hour. The rumors had faded quickly after that.

Seeing the screenshot again instantly deflated He Tianzhuo’s temper. Even though he knew he hadn’t done anything wrong, he still felt a little guilty.

He quickly softened his tone:

“That was a misunderstanding, I swear. I never cheated!”

Qingli didn’t respond.

He Tianzhuo sensed her indifference and, discouraged, gave up. Frustrated, he messaged Zhao Muyun:

“Next time, don’t have your aunt deliver stuff again.”

From He Tianzhuo’s reaction, Qingli could tell—he wasn’t going to file for divorce anytime soon.

She hadn’t pushed him to his breaking point yet. If she brought it up now, it would only turn into a drawn-out argument.

Qingli didn’t want the drama, so she simply didn’t bring it up again.

Whether they divorced or not didn’t matter to her right now. Her focus was on building her career.

After the New Year, it was time to kick off promotions, starting with the press conference.

The show was set to premiere in mid-April. Press conferences were scheduled for mid-March, and the two weeks leading up to the premiere were packed with variety show tapings. With Ning Xi’s popularity as a foundation and the platform’s full backing, Phoenix Slays had locked in some high-quality promo opportunities.

Qingli attended all of them, though as a director, she usually just watched from the audience. Occasionally, she’d be called on stage to say a few words or play a game.

When they received an invitation from the hit variety show Youth Unlimited, she didn’t think much of it and brought the cast along.

Only when they arrived did she realize—of course—they’d invited the Huang Quan cast too.

One glance at the show rundown, and Qingli instantly understood:

They were here to stir the pot. And stir it hard.

Youth Unlimited was popular precisely because of its high drama. Every episode trended with multiple hot topics.