Chapter 23 : Going Home
Chapter 23 - Going Home
The ratings for Zhaonan Focus rose all the way, from 11.93% at its premiere to breaking 15% two weeks later.
The rating trend was very stable; aside from the time slots when extremely popular TV dramas premiered, it was on an upward trend at all other times.
Due to the time slot, Zhaonan Focus overlapped with the TV drama broadcast period for less than half an hour, so the impact was not too large.
The program was a hit, and its word-of-mouth was also very good.
Just as Chen Ran had planned, many people now had the concept of calling the livelihood hotline when they had difficulties; whenever they encountered a dispute, they were willing to seek mediation from Zhaonan Focus.
And all kinds of fresh and bizarre events also contributed to the enrichment of the program's content.
Broadcasting until now, it has truly been receiving a tide of rave reviews; several surveys have been conducted, and many people were full of praise.
In the hot topic discussion segment, the number of participants rose sharply, reaching over three thousand participants at its peak.
To increase the participation volume, Chen Ran also set up some prizes at this stage; the value of the items wasn't high, they were just to improve people's enthusiasm.
“If it continues like this, when the station evaluates outstanding programs, we will definitely get our hands on it.”
The enthusiasm of the production crew was high.
Zhaonan TV Station holds internal awards every year, serving as a summary of the year's programs.
Although the annual meeting is still more than two months away, everyone has confidence in being able to win an award.
There weren't any specific rewards, but it was an honor.
Chen Ran was naturally happy too, but at the same time, he was pondering something in his heart.
By now, he no longer had to be busy with the program; he had basically relaxed.
Just this morning, he heard from Director Zhang about a matter: he wanted to send him along to prepare for a new program.
But, it wasn't for the Public Channel.
Director Zhang had his considerations; originally, he had considered letting Chen Ran rotate through several revamped programs on the Public Channel—it would be a bit tiring, but he could accumulate experience.
Who knew that Chen Ran would propose Zhaonan Focus, which became an instant hit.
The program was the result of everyone's hard work, but the core creativity was still proposed by Chen Ran; in terms of contribution, Chen Ran's was definitely the highest.
Aside from this program, the others on the Public Channel weren't being redone, just revamped; having Chen Ran go learn there wouldn't have much significance.
Director Zhang thought about this for a long time. While he was struggling with it, news of the Entertainment Channel making a new program came up. After some thought, Director Zhang decided to apply to have Chen Ran go to the Entertainment Channel.
If the Public Channel's revamping was successful, it would follow a routine for a long time, with only those few programs.
For instance, with the current Zhaonan Focus, this news model has achieved great success, so basically there won't be much change for the next few years or even a decade.
The Entertainment Channel is different; it needs freshness, and programs are constantly changing; relatively speaking, opportunities are much greater than on the Public Channel.
Director Zhang thought very highly of Chen Ran, not because of the matter between Chen Ran and Zhang Fanzhi, but more because of his ability.
If he really stayed on the Public Channel for too long and had this kind of vitality in Chen Ran extinguished, it would be a real pity.
Director Zhang told him about the matter, and Chen Ran was pondering in his heart: an application is an application, but whether he can go to the Entertainment Channel still needs approval from the higher-ups.
If it were a normal personnel transfer, as long as Director Zhang gave a word, he could immediately go to the Entertainment Channel.
Director Zhang didn't want him to go there as an ordinary employee, but as a core creator with the right to speak; this required an evaluation from the higher-ups.
“The Entertainment Channel is actually quite good, it's just that I've put Uncle Zhang in a difficult position.” Chen Ran sighed.
Director Zhang manages the Public Channel's programs; wanting to directly stuff someone in like this would definitely make the colleagues at the Entertainment Channel dissatisfied.
Risking offending people just to create an opportunity for Chen Ran—this was indeed a heavy favor for Chen Ran.
Crucially, when Director Zhang does this, I don't know how much of it is for the sake of the relationship with Zhang Fanzhi; this makes Chen Ran even more conflicted, always feeling a bit guilty.
Explaining these things now wouldn't clear anything up, and he personally really did want to go to the Entertainment Channel.
Given the memories of his previous life, his room for maneuvering on the Entertainment Channel was far greater than on the Public Channel.
“If I really can be transferred over, I won't let Uncle Zhang's expectations down and will develop well.”
Chen Ran pinched the space between his eyebrows.
He originally wasn’t good at pondering these matters; he had always been a bit of a shut-in with average emotional intelligence.
If the higher-ups really approved his transfer, then he would work hard and not let Director Zhang’s efforts go to waste.
……
Friday afternoon.
Chen Ran finished work and took the subway directly to the high-speed rail station.
He was off for these two days, and since it had been nearly two months since he last went home, he was going back to see his parents.
Looking at the unfamiliar yet familiar scenery outside the window, Chen Ran remained in a daze the whole time.
His parents lived in a small town in Jia City. After getting off the high-speed rail, he took a car for more than half an hour; the sky was already turning dark by the time he saw the familiar house.
The house had only been built for a few years. The family becoming strapped for cash was mostly due to this house; it had been several years, and the external debts were only barely paid off.
Before building the house, Chen Ran's family had also opened a small processing factory. It was a secondary processing business, taking small orders from large factories, and they could barely make a living.
Later, the industry faced difficulties and many large factories went bankrupt, so Chen Ran's family's small factory couldn't continue either. Chen Ran's father was unwilling to give up and wanted to find another way out, but unfortunately, he didn't make any money and instead lost their savings.
The house had started construction before the small factory went bankrupt. Stopping halfway wasn't an option, so Chen Ran's father borrowed some money from relatives to get the house built.
The period when Chen Ran was in college was the family's most difficult time.
After the house was finished and the real estate certificates were processed, Chen Ran's father mortgaged the house to pay back the relatives first, and then began a long life of debt repayment.
It was only this year that the bank loans were mostly paid off.
Even during his internship, Chen Ran would send back most of his salary. The loans were paid, but there were still his younger sister's university expenses.
“The Entertainment Channel produces variety shows. Unlike the Public Channel which only relies on bonuses, core creators who make programs receive profit dividends based on their contributions in addition to their base salary...”
Chen Ran pondered that if he could enter the Entertainment Channel and join a core creative team, he could earn more money with some hard work.
At the beginning of his transmigration, he had thought about making money by writing songs, but setting aside the fact that he could only play the guitar simply, he didn't understand musical notation at all.
Even if he could stumble through writing one, who could he sell it to?
Before this, he didn't know a single star.
And now, the only one he knew was a Zhang Fanzhi.
After thinking it over, the most realistic option was still the job at the TV station; with the vision and experience of his previous life, he could still do quite well.
While lost in thought, Chen Ran approached and saw two people standing at the door.
It was exactly the parents in his memory.
To repay the debts these past two years, the hair at the two elders' temples had turned a bit white.
Chen Ran let out a long breath and smiled.
“Dad, Mom, I’m back.”