Chapter 49
Olivia said with a blank face, “Can you stop thinking with your little head for once and try using the one on your shoulders?”
Julian buried his face in her neck and let out a low chuckle. “What? You want my little head all to yourself now? So greedy Isn’t fatting you use if every now and then enough?”
Olivia’s lips twitched. She elbowed him. “Cut it out. I’ve got work to do.”
Julian nuzzled her neck, his voice taking on a bit of a whiny tone. “Can’t you take a break? We haven’t seen each other in ages, and you’re not ever willing to spend some time with me.”
Still expressionless, Olivia replied, “No. Back then, when I said no, you never stopped. So why should I listen to you now?”
Julian laughed so hard that his shoulders shook. “How about we do it now? This time, I’ll do whatever you say. If you tell me to stop, I’ll stop.”
Only then did Olivia realize what she’d just said. Her cheeks flushed. “Show some self–respect. We’re not even together anymore.”
“If you want to be with me, I’m always here,” replied Julian.
“I don’t. Not right now.”
“Not right now, huh? So, not never. That means you still can’t quite let me go. I can wait.”
Olivia couldn’t be bothered with him anymore and turned her attention back to the laptop screen.
Julian leaned in to look as well and raised his brows in surprise. “Wait, are you writing a script? Is this for a TV series or a movie?”
“Neither,” Olivia said. “It’s for a short drama.”
“Short drama?” Julian was confused.
He’d spent years living in East Nytherra. While he kept up with Gravellia’s general economic trends, he wasn’t really in the loop when it came to what was trending online. The short drama industry was totally foreign to him.
“Yeah,” Olivia said, “short dramas are super popular online right now. Some of them are even bigger hits than web series or
primetime TV shows.
“When short dramas first blew up a couple of years ago, a few of them made over several tens of millions of dollars in sales. Now that more people have jumped in, the profits aren’t as crazy, but there’s still a decent market.
“Even a lot of veteran actors and directors who’d been out of the spotlight for years have come back to shoot short dramas.”
Julian said, “But TV shows and movies still bring in more money, don’t they? Why are so many people making short dramas?”
“It’s not the same,” Olivia explained. “Short dramas are low–budget and fast to shoot. For rural or urban slice–of–life themes, you can get something decent done with just tens of thousands of dollars or sq.
“They don’t demand amazing acting, polished dialogue, or high–end cinematography—just a hook that grabs viewers. That’s it.”
She picked up her phone, opened an app, and handed it to him. “Here, take a look. These are all short dramas. If you’re curious, check them out.”
Julian started watching.
Just like Olivia had said, most of the acting was pretty average, and the filming couldn’t compare to traditional TV shows.
But the pacing was snappy, the emotional beats landed hard, and the content clearly aimed to stir up feelings–perfect for getting people to spend on impulse.
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Plus, each episode was only a minute or two long, and buying one cost next to nothing. But with dozens of episodes per serien, it all scurted up
“Have you ever thought about breaking into the overseas market?” Julián asked after thinking for a moment. “from what I know, no one’s taking t kinds of shows abroad yet–there’s a huge untapped market out there,”
Olivia replied, “I’ve considered it, but I don’t really understand what overseas audiences want. I’m worried no one would watch it.”
Julian chuckled and continued, “People share the same emotions, no matter where they’re from,
“Rags to riches, ‘sudden windfalls, ‘cheat–code systems,‘ ‘ordinary guy chased by rich heiresses and celebrities, ‘CEO falls for Cinderella, ‘divorce and comeback where the ex ends up broke,‘ ‘he ignored me when I loved him, but regrets it when I leave these tropes are hits no matter the country.
“Just use foreign actors, tweak your script a little, and you’re good to go. Want to give it a try?”
Olivia was tempted.
The overseas market was a goldmine. Hardly anyone was making short dramas for international audiences yet. If given the chance, plenty of people
would want to be the first to break in.
“I have thought about it,” Olivia admitted. “But shooting abroad is a hassle. And even if I manage to have something filmed, finding the right platform to stream it is another challenge.
“I don’t really know how the film and TV industry works over there, so I wouldn’t even know where to start.”
“You could work with me,” Julian said. “I have a production company in East Nytherra, and I’ve got investments in Koristan.”
Olivia asked curiously, “So when you said you were on a business trip, you meant you were handling things for your company there?”
“Actually, this is a business trip, too. And I spend most of my time in East Nytherra.”
“Then what about your company over there? You’re just leaving it unattended?”
“I can manage things remotely. I’ve got people handling day–to–day operations, so I don’t need to watch over everything myself. Besides, I’m planning to enter the Gravellian market–this trip’s partly for research and business talks. I didn’t come here just for you, so don’t feel pressured.”
Of course, expanding the market wasn’t his only reason. He also had some strictly confidential military equipment contracts to negotiate. It wasn’t something he could talk about openly.
Technically, he hadn’t even been assigned to handle the negotiation. But he’d pulled some strings and bent a few rules just so he could come find Olivia.
Olivia thought it over briefly. Then she nodded and said, “Alright, since you’ve got the connections, let’s talk about how we can work together.
“I’ll handle the script and cover the production costs. Your company takes care of the online distribution and promotion of the short dramas. We’ll split the profits seventy–thirty. How does that sound?”
Olivia felt a little uncertain. Honestly, marketing a show cost way more than filming it–especially when breaking into a new market: Julian’s company would be doing the heavy lifting.
The overseas entertainment industry was well–established. They were not about to let some outsider waltz in and grab a piece of the pie. There was no way she could pull this off on her own.
She wondered if Julian would even agree to taking seventy percent. In Gravellia, short drama scriptwriters usually got less than one percent of the profits -most didn’t even hit half a percent.
She felt like she was being a bit greedy. For a non–exclusive script, even getting a small cut would already be a win. She was just debating whether to give up another percent when Julian agreed without hesitation.
He said, “Sure. We’ll do it your way. I’ll have my assistant draw up a contract. Once your script is ready, send it to me. I’ll have the team start prepping for filming. And don’t worry about the filming budget–I’ll take care of that.”
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Olivia let out a breath of relief. She felt like she’d just scored a great deal. Her mood instantly lifted, and she felt a lot more motivated to work.
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She was so caught up in her excitement that she completely forgot she was in the house she shared with Dylan—and that she was still sitting on Julian’s
lap.
It wasn’t until she heard Dylan’s voice outside the door that she snapped back to her senses.
“Mr. Hudson? Where’d you go? I had the maid make some food. Weren’t you hungry? Come down and eat,” Dylan said.
Hé called out for a long time, but no one answered. He started opening doors one by one, checking every room, and Olivia’s was the last.
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