Everyone nodded in agreement: “That’s right, as long as we make a good film, everything else will follow! Just like Tenda Group’s other departments, as long as we create good products, they’ll become popular eventually, even without deliberate promotion!”

Cui Geng glanced at Yu Fei, who was busily devouring his food, and asked, “How are things on your end? When are you starting your new book?”

Yu Fei took a vicious bite of a large lobster: “New book? My game is launching at the end of this month. Do you think I still have time to write a new book?”

“What about you, Old Cui?”

Cui Geng hadn’t expected Yu Fei to turn the question on him and was suddenly embarrassed. He coughed lightly and said, “I’m working on it, working on it.”

Yu Fei observed his expression and probed, “Have you even created the folder yet?”

This question caught Cui Geng completely off guard.

If Yu Fei had asked how many words he’d written, he would have said he was still organizing the beginning. But Yu Fei’s question was so specific, so basic, that Cui Geng felt embarrassed to even lie about it…

Cui Geng gave a dry laugh and said, “Look at what you’re asking—whether I’ve created the folder or not, the folder… not yet. I’ll create it next Monday.”

Yu Fei responded with a scoff: “You’re such a notorious flake!”

“You really don’t know how good you have it. You finished your last book before me, but you’re starting a new one after me. Even though I work on game development every day, I’ve already organized the outline during my free time. I just haven’t had time to start writing.”

“But you? You have nothing to do all day, and you still procrastinate!”

“I should go to your readers’ forum and expose you!”

Cui Geng looked uncomfortable: “Stop, stop, you’re making me look bad. I’ll create the folder as soon as I get back, I promise!”

Huang Sibo smiled slightly: “Yu Fei, trying to expose Cui Geng probably won’t work. Your readers are constantly urging you to write because they know you can deliver, even while working on games. But Cui Geng’s readers don’t pressure him because they know it’s pointless—no amount of nagging will make him write!”

Everyone burst into laughter, while Cui Geng’s face turned red. He kept saying things like “gathering research materials isn’t procrastination,” “I’m accumulating content now to make a splash with the new book,” and “finding the right direction is more important than mindlessly churning out content.” The atmosphere was filled with joy.

Lu Zhiyao asked, “Brother Huang, when will you start filming your next movie? What will it be about?”

Cui Geng seized this opportunity to change the subject and chimed in: “Yeah, what’s the next movie about? The authors in the Inspiration Class are eagerly waiting to find out.”

After confirming the adaptation plans for “Eternal Cycle,” “The Successor,” and “Proxy Academy,” the authors in the Inspiration Class had seen hope, so they were highly motivated, and a batch of new works had emerged.

Although most of these works weren’t complete yet, some promising signs were already visible.

Huang Sibo said, “That hasn’t been decided yet. It depends on what Mr. Pei wants.”

“Fei Huang Studio still has a lot of follow-up work to handle in the short term, such as…”

“We’re currently negotiating with companies in America. ‘The Successor’ might be sold to the U.S.!”

Cui Geng was stunned for a moment: “Huh? Is that really happening? Import to domestic? No, domestic to export? Well, that’s not quite right either…”

Even he, the original author, was confused.

Because neither he nor most people at Fei Huang Studio had ever imagined that this show could be sold to America.

When they decided to set the filming location in America, it was only to make finding locations and actors easier, and to make the final product feel more authentic.

But the series was never intended to be shown in America because its core spirit was anti-superhero, which completely contradicted the cultural foundation of superheroes.

So, it could be said that this was a series with a Western cultural background on the surface but an Eastern cultural core underneath, specifically made for domestic audiences.

Would American audiences accept it if it were sold there? Everyone thought it was implausible.

But now that Huang Sibo was saying this, it was clear that some companies in America had shown interest in the series, which is why they were discussing cooperation.

Huang Sibo explained: “Currently, NLX, America’s largest streaming platform, has contacted us through ‘The Successor’s’ co-production partner, expressing interest in purchasing exclusive rights to ‘The Successor’ at a high price for exclusive streaming on the NLX platform. Besides that, two television stations have also extended offers, hoping that ‘The Successor’ could be broadcast on their channels, including the famous HPO television station.”

“Regarding the price, we’re still negotiating, but it certainly won’t be low. ‘The Successor’ has performed exceptionally well domestically with high popularity, and the American platforms are very interested in the content of this series.”

Even Cui Geng, the original author, found it unbelievable: “They’re actually interested in this content? That doesn’t seem right—it completely contradicts traditional superhero themes! It’s criticizing them! How could they like it?”

Huang Sibo smiled: “I was also confused at first, but after talking with them, I understood why they liked this series.”

“Indeed, they don’t share our perspective and can’t appreciate what domestic audiences love about ‘The Successor.’ But they have their own evaluation criteria.”

“I’ll give you two keywords that explain why: conspiracy theories and distrust of authority.”

“So, compared to domestic audiences, foreign viewers might have a vastly different understanding of this series. But the interesting part is that they would all consider it a good show!”

Cui Geng carefully considered Huang Sibo’s two keywords.

“Conspiracy theories? Distrust of authority?”

“Oh, I get it now!”

Cui Geng suddenly understood.

Foreign audiences might indeed like “The Successor,” but their interpretation would be completely opposite to that of domestic viewers!

Among a large portion of foreign audiences, anti-intellectualism and conspiracy theories flourish, accompanied by a deep-rooted distrust of those in power.

Because of the long-implemented education focused on “happiness” and anti-intellectual trends, many middle and lower-class people in foreign countries have lost their basic scientific literacy in such an environment. But the blame can’t be entirely placed on the citizens—this is partly the result of long-term policies to keep people uninformed, and partly because Western authorities have consistently shown questionable behavior!

Why do many foreigners love conspiracy theories? Because their authorities have actually done such things!

Stories about conducting human experiments under the guise of vaccinations or harvesting organs from illegal immigrants—many of these reports have been proven true. After being exposed to such information, how could people not believe in conspiracies? How could they trust those in power?

And this prevalent atmosphere provided fertile ground for “The Successor” to succeed overseas.

What made “The Successor” remarkable was that it could be interpreted in two completely different ways under Eastern and Western cultural backgrounds, and both interpretations made sense!

We don’t need to elaborate on how “The Successor” is perceived by domestic audiences—previous reviews have already analyzed this thoroughly.

But in the eyes of foreign audiences, it likely takes on a completely different form.

First, it aligns with foreign viewers’ psychology regarding conspiracy theories and distrust of authority.

Superheroes symbolize foreign authorities, but foreign audiences wouldn’t be angry about this portrayal—they would actually find it reasonable!

Second, some elements that domestic audiences consider pointed criticism, especially parts that might trigger foreign audiences, might not even register with foreign viewers.

For instance, in the world of “The Successor,” money is the benchmark for measuring success, a person’s value is determined by their net worth, Phil succeeds despite doing terrible things, and various ethnic classifications and politically correct labels fill “The Successor” talent show…

From a domestic audience’s perspective, this is satire.

But from a foreign audience’s perspective, this isn’t satire at all—it’s a normal setting, just a fundamental part of the show that makes perfect sense!

They might even be genuinely moved by the “relationship” between Phil and that Black student because it perfectly aligns with their standards of political correctness…

Since “The Successor” was filmed from an objective, neutral perspective without incorporating too much personal bias, it could be interpreted from either angle.

Some foreign viewers might even come to like Phil as a character, seeing him as a person with strong initiative and execution skills who won the game within the rules. Although he used some underhanded tactics, this would prove he’s a capable leader, much better than the previous superheroes who were just collecting paychecks without doing actual work.

Even setting aside these aspects, there’s another crucial point: there are too many superhero stories and too few anti-superhero narratives.

These television stations need to create content different from other stations to generate buzz and attract viewers for ratings.

And “The Successor” was clearly a very suitable choice!

As Cui Geng followed Huang Sibo’s line of thought, he strangely found that this reasoning actually made sense?

From the perspective of foreign audiences, some people might really interpret it this way!

As for what “The Successor” originally intended to convey—that hardly mattered. Foreign audiences wouldn’t read domestic reviews or care how domestic viewers interpreted the series. They would only care about what they saw and interpret it in their own way.

Seeing Cui Geng’s enlightened expression, Yu Fei was puzzled: “Aren’t you the original author? It’s understandable if others have revelations, but you? Is that appropriate? Did you actually write this book?”

Cui Geng became even more embarrassed. Indeed, criticism from good friends always hit the hardest. He quickly coughed twice: “Of course I wrote it, but Mr. Pei pointed out the general direction…”

“I can only say that during my creative process, I also drew some inspiration from the game ‘Struggle,’ focusing more on realistic expression rather than obsessing over empty preaching, which is why there are two completely opposite interpretations…”

“But this is good too. Regardless, ‘The Successor’ being shown in America is a major breakthrough! How many big-budget domestic films want to be shown in America but don’t have the means?”

Yu Fei sighed: “Well, when all is said and done, it’s still Mr. Pei carrying us to success.”

“Alright, let’s have another toast to Mr. Pei!”

Everyone raised their glasses: “To Mr. Pei!”