The super interview program finally came to an end.
In the days that followed, all of China was abuzz with heated discussions.
The common folk naturally talked the most about Boss Huang and his sister-in-law's unforgettable story, as well as his net worth of tens of billions of dollars. These were the things ordinary people loved to hear about and chattered about endlessly.
Conversely, the elites paid no attention to the sister-in-law. They only cared about the vacuum high-speed rail project mentioned by Huang He. They wanted to know if Huang He was just spouting nonsense to scam investors, or if he was genuinely intent on realizing this unbelievable technology.
A few days later, they learned that Chief Engineer Huang had retired early, bringing hundreds of his disciples and followers to join the newly established Jiangnan Transportation Technology Development Co., Ltd.
Huang He himself personally went to Beijing to welcome them, chartering three airplanes to transport these talents to the Jiangnan Group headquarters in Wenzhou.
As dormitories were temporarily insufficient, Huang He even rented several nearby hotels to serve as temporary residences for these engineers. Twenty buildings sprang up within the Jiangnan Group headquarters, indicating the immediate commencement of dormitory construction.
Witnessing these developments, the bewildered public began to believe that Boss Huang was indeed serious about pursuing this technology; otherwise, there would be no reason to poach hundreds of team members.
These were absolute elites from various relevant research institutions. After these individuals were poached, the relevant institutions offered no resistance. Instead, they expedited the process of completing their departure procedures.
Even more noteworthy was that the procedures handled by the relevant institutions were not for resignation, but for unpaid leave. This meant that the technical personnel retained their affiliations with their respective institutions, remaining legitimate employees of state-owned enterprises. They could still enjoy the various benefits and concurrently receive high salaries from Jiangnan Group. Such treatment was unheard of.
If there was no state approval behind this, only a fool would believe it. Once the state became involved, Huang He would have no possibility of deception.
This was not like the Hanxin incident a few months prior. The Hanxin incident seemed significant and deceived many.
However, the entire project was merely a university-enterprise cooperation program, funded by the university's resources. The state had not provided significant support, nor did it have the capacity to monitor the project.
But this time was different. With the direct recruitment of a team of hundreds of elites, all of whom would be participating in frontline research, Huang He would face immense backlash if he dared to perpetrate any deception.
Regardless, this scientific research project was destined to succeed, and Huang He would likely invest his entire 50 billion into this bottomless pit project, which might not yield any output for twenty years.
Upon realizing this, people, besides considering Huang He foolish, couldn't help but feel a sense of admiration.
Everyone was intelligent enough to understand that investing heavily in scientific research and gaining a technological advantage was the true determinant of a company's long-term future.
With a technological advantage, others would have no choice but to purchase one's products, securing an invincible position.
Conversely, companies that profited through trade, relying on agencies and sales for substantial gains, appeared glorious but were merely rootless duckweed.
The moment market conditions shifted, and these companies failed to secure orders, or if they incurred the public's ire, their collapse would be instantaneous.
Therefore, people deeply admired Huang He for investing 60 billion in scientific research, particularly in a project that would take twenty years and had a high probability of yielding no results.
While earlier, most Chinese entrepreneurs' admiration and respect for Huang He were superficial, considering him merely a fortunate individual riding the wave of the era, their perception had now changed. At the very least, they harbored a sliver of respect from the depths of their hearts.
A few more days passed, and public discussions about Huang He gradually faded as people found a more engaging topic: "Soldiers Sortie," which was then airing on Sichuan TV.
The first two episodes of "Soldiers Sortie" were broadcast on October 1st, the day after Huang He's interview.
Having paid a substantial sum for the exclusive broadcast rights, Sichuan TV naturally spared no effort in its promotion, aiming to generate buzz before the premiere.
However, the main actors in the series were all unknown at the time, and military-themed dramas were notoriously unpopular. Thus, despite an investment of over a million yuan in promotion, "Soldiers Sortie" remained lukewarm upon its premiere.
According to statistics from CSM Media Research, the viewership ratings for the first two episodes of "Soldiers Sortie" were only 0.72%.
While this rating was quite respectable among all television dramas, it was a substantial loss considering Sichuan TV's investment of tens of millions of yuan.
By the next day, although the ratings for the third and fourth episodes saw an increase, it was merely 0.3%, reaching 0.75%, showing almost no movement.
Judging by the "three-episode rule," the ratings seemed doomed. It was said that the leader who ultimately approved the introduction of this series was already preparing to resign to take responsibility.
However, they clearly did not understand Boss Huang's "three-episode rule," as the impact of the first three episodes would only become apparent by the fifth and sixth episodes.
As a result, when the viewership data for the third day was released, "Soldiers Sortie" directly surpassed 1%, reaching 1.13%. This rating was already among the top 20 for the entire year. The leader should have waited a few more days.
The National Day holiday lasted for seven days. Over the next four days, "Soldiers Sortie" charted an unimaginable upward trajectory.
On the fourth day, the viewership rating was 1.58%; on the fifth day, it jumped directly to 3.2%; on the sixth day, it became even more astonishing, breaking through 5%. By the seventh day, the last day of the National Day holiday, "Soldiers Sortie" achieved a rating of 7.9%, an unprecedented record for Sichuan TV.
This was the highest single-drama viewership rating in Sichuan TV's history. Even when compared to national television drama ratings in the 21st century, this was a figure that would rank in the top 10.
Then, overnight, the entire country seemed to know the name Xu Sanduo. Newspapers and magazines began discussing Xu Sanduo, his determination, and the stories behind him.
Xu Sanduo, with his unique stubbornness and simplicity, conquered all audiences and made "Soldiers Sortie" an indelible and brilliant streak in China's television history.
In short, "Soldiers Sortie" became a complete sensation, a runaway hit.
By the eighth day, Hunan TV proactively approached them, offering to purchase the second broadcast rights for "Soldiers Sortie" at an astonishing total price of 12 million yuan, even though this second rerun would only take place six months later.
This was stipulated in the exclusive broadcast agreement signed with Sichuan TV: the second rerun must be spaced at least six months apart, otherwise, the initial broadcast would lose its significance.
Yet, even with a six-month interval, Hunan TV was willing to pay 12 million yuan for the broadcasting rights, a testament to their boldness. The leader responsible for procurement at Sichuan TV was reportedly on track for a promotion to deputy director.
The phenomenal success of "Soldiers Sortie" came as no surprise to Boss Huang, given its performance in his previous life. Huang He had made no changes to the plot, and the actors remained largely the original cast. The drama's success was a foregone conclusion.
Huang He wasn't even concerned about how much money the drama would earn. His focus was on whether the drama could establish the Tangren Media brand and, in turn, drive the development of Jiangnan's next significant product.
However, Huang He was not in the mood to concern himself with this important product, as a woman suddenly appeared before him, startling him.
"Vivian, why are you here?" Huang He asked, utterly bewildered, seeing the energetic blonde girl. He had never expected Vivian to appear in China, in front of him.
"Did you forget? You are attending my high school graduation ball this year!" Vivian retorted with a roll of her eyes. "I've graduated from high school, but that doesn't mean my education is over. I'm a university student now."
"So you've come to a Chinese university?" Huang He finally realized.
"That's right, I'm now an international student in China!" Vivian proudly puffed out her small chest.
"You... you're not coming to study at Wenzhou University, are you..." Huang He hesitated before asking. If this girl were to study at Wenzhou University, the entire university would likely be ecstatic to have a genuine European princess as a student.
"I'd love to study at Wenzhou University, but my parents won't allow it. They can only accept my choosing either Tsinghua or Peking University in China!" Vivian shrugged with a hint of regret.
From Vivian's words, it seemed she had to fight hard with her parents to get the opportunity to study in China.
"So, are you an international student at Tsinghua or Peking University now?" Huang He inquired curiously.
"I'm in the Academy of Arts and Design at Tsinghua University. You know I love fashion design and everything related to beauty. Peking University doesn't have a fashion design major, so I had to choose Tsinghua!" Vivian spread her hands.
"Well, you have no idea how much effort and sacrifice a Chinese student has to make to study at Tsinghua. You've essentially been handed a place at Tsinghua due to your civilian status; you should be grateful!" Huang He retorted with an eye-roll.
In his previous life, he had almost become a Tsinghua student himself. Well, not by much, just around 200 points off.