I'm competing with the male lead for the supporting character. [GL]

Chapter 41: World Two

"Mu Bai signed a contract with Quyou?" Han Huanwen was surprised when he heard the news, and then excitement washed over him as he inquired further, "Is the source of this information reliable?"

"My friend works at Quyou and he told me. Their CEO recently visited our city, and after returning, they formed a highly confidential project team," the assistant reported. "He can confirm it's a romance game, and he can also guarantee that Mu Bai is in charge of the character illustrations. The offer made by Quyou is quite generous."

Han Huanwen nodded slowly, tapping his fingers on the desk, "Tell your contact to observe them more closely. In a week, give me a detailed report."

"Understood, I'll make the arrangements," the assistant replied.

Han Huanwen continued, "What about those entertainment companies and studios that were in touch with Mu Bai before? None of them have secured the rights, right?"

The assistant explained, "So far, three companies and two studios have contacted Mu Bai, but it seems that the conditions they proposed didn't satisfy her. From Mu Bai's side, I don't think she's in a hurry to sell the rights, so no deals have been reached."

That's good. It gives me a chance to seize the opportunity, Han Huanwen thought silently.

"Make our company's marketing accounts more active recently. The talent show is about to start, and regardless of who finally debuts, I want all the participants to gain some momentum," Han Huanwen said, pausing for a moment. "We can start building our new army of internet users as well; we'll need them in the near future."

When the time comes, we'll need internet users for hyping, trolling, and whitewashing. Rather than hiring outside, untrustworthy services, we should have our own resources, and we can even make some extra income when things are slow.

"Sure, I'll make the arrangements," said the assistant, a diligent modern-day subordinate.

----

Mu Bai wasn't in a hurry to sell the rights for a couple of reasons. Firstly, she was busy working on the character illustrations and didn't have the time to negotiate with multiple companies. Secondly, her second volume of the manga was set to be published soon.

If she decided to sell the rights later, after the second volume was released, her popularity would be higher, which would allow her to bundle both the manga and adaptation rights, potentially raising the selling price.

After diligently finishing the initial batch of character illustrations, Mu Bai's eagerly awaited thunderstorm finally showed signs of approaching. It was only 4 PM, but the sun had been entirely hidden behind dark clouds, and the once relatively clear sky turned ominous. On higher floors, one might even feel like they were walking alongside the dark clouds.

Upon checking the weather forecast's thunderstorm warning, Mu Bai's mind was filled with plans. She even spared ten minutes to select the pajamas she would wear for the night.

Thinking about the fact that today was the day when Sheng Qingyin would be cooking dinner, Mu Bai had stayed in her studio until 5:30 PM. Only then did she grab her phone and head over to Sheng Qingyin's place.

"Sister Sheng, did you check the weather forecast? There seems to be a thunderstorm expected tonight," Mu Bai said, her tone becoming hesitant.

"I received the warning. The forecast says there's a high probability it will come in the middle of the night," Sheng Qingyin replied. She paused and turned her head to look at Mu Bai, who was fiddling with the kitchen's glass partition door, revealing her little plan. "What's wrong? Are you afraid?"