As he spoke, Fang Zheng put down the documents in his hands and looked at Zhang Siyu.
The Membership System was the primary payment model currently used by most video websites. After all, running a company wasn't charity. Fang Zheng needed funds to keep things moving and pay the employees.
He couldn't rely solely on the ten million he'd won back then to keep the company running. That was simply impossible.
So Fang Zheng planned to launch the Membership System while "Akame ga Kill!" was airing. Members would be able to watch the latest anime updates first and send exclusive danmaku comments, among other benefits.
Although this was somewhat unfair to viewers who didn't pay, reality was reality. If people spent money, they had to receive different treatment.
If there was no difference between paying and not paying, why would viewers spend money to become members? To be suckers?
"Director Fang, launching the Membership System is necessary, but I think we shouldn't set the price too high, or the audience may resent us."
After hearing Fang Zheng, Zhang Siyu also furrowed her brows. As the company's CEO, no one understood its financial situation better than she did.
Fang Zheng had invested five million to establish the company, but by now, more than half of it had been spent on various things. If the company couldn't generate revenue soon, it might not even make it through the year before declaring bankruptcy.
However, Zhang Siyu had her own considerations regarding the Membership System Fang Zheng had proposed.
The first issue was how much to charge. A high price would certainly make the audience resent them and accuse them of being too greedy. A low price, however, wouldn't generate enough revenue for the company.
It was a matter of finding the right balance. They had to control that balance carefully—neither upsetting the audience nor creating problems with the company's cash flow.
After discussing it, Fang Zheng and Zhang Siyu decided to divide the Membership System into monthly, quarterly, and yearly tiers. A monthly membership would cost fifteen yuan, a quarterly membership forty yuan, and a yearly membership one hundred and thirty yuan.
Furthermore, the ACG Community would launch activities from time to time, such as discounts and free giveaways, to retain users as much as possible and maintain their goodwill.
"By the way, Director Fang, there's one more thing."
After settling the payment details, Zhang Siyu looked at Fang Zheng before leaving. With an enigmatic smile at the corner of her lips, she said, "Director Fang, you'd better buy an insurance policy before seven tomorrow morning~"
After saying that, Zhang Siyu left Fang Zheng's office in her high heels, her figure swaying gracefully, leaving Fang Zheng sitting alone in his chair with a dumbfounded look on his face.
After a while, Fang Zheng opened the laptop on his desk with a bad premonition, trembling slightly. He opened the ACG Community and looked at the comments beneath the anime.
"'Akame ga Kill!' gives me a really strange feeling. The super-heated battle scenes should obviously make my blood boil, but why do I keep feeling an inexplicable sense of oppression?"
"Yeah, I felt the same way after watching it. I just don't know what went wrong."
"Damn, that fat guy who looks like a pig is actually the minister? Is this emperor's head broken?"
"Night Raid—everyone's evil! Group favorite—Tatsumi!"
Fang Zheng looked at the comments beneath the anime, cold sweat running down his forehead.
It makes sense that you feel something strange. If everything felt normal, that would be the real ghost~
Fang Zheng grumbled inwardly, feeling both worried and amused.
He was worried because he couldn't imagine whether the viewers would actually gang up on him halfway through the later plot. He was amused because watching a group of fans remain completely in the dark was indescribably satisfying.
"Isn't this normal? If assassins don't kill people, can they still be called assassins?"
"Exactly! Big Shot Fang said on the program that this is a super-heated battle anime. It can't be wrong!"
"Just wait. There'll definitely be a twist later in the story. I believe in Big Shot Fang's creative ability!"
"Although what you're saying makes sense, why do I still not believe it? Big Shot Fang has already gone wild on Weibo. He obviously isn't a decent person~"
Gulp~!
Fang Zheng's Adam's apple bobbed several times as he took a deep breath.
In a sense, the fans who had left those comments were all right.
It was true that an assassin who didn't kill people couldn't be called an assassin. But wasn't there an old saying? Those who kill others will eventually be killed themselves. That was why the endings of assassins were often tragic.
Besides, he had indeed said that this was a battle anime, but he had never said that a battle anime couldn't also be a healing-destroying anime. No one had stipulated that an anime could only have one genre tag, right?
The later plot would indeed take a turn, and it would happen in the next episode—in other words, tomorrow.
But as for that twist, Fang Zheng was certain these fans wouldn't want to accept it.
As for the trust these fans placed in him, he felt undeserving of it. As the saying went, the deeper the love, the harsher the criticism. Once the truth came out, he would surely face the most violent storm.
"Slap!"
Fang Zheng slapped the armrest of the chair, his whole expression turning unpleasant. No wonder Zhang Siyu had reminded him to buy insurance. She had known about what was happening online all along.
"No, I absolutely can't just sit around and wait!"
Fang Zheng rose from his chair. Some clever fans had already noticed that something was wrong. Once tomorrow's scene of Shiru being bisected was released, wouldn't those fans explode on the spot?!
"Buying insurance is impossible. Not in this lifetime!"
Although the premiere of "Akame ga Kill!" had been a huge success, and it was obvious that ACG Culture Company would become an overnight sensation, the price was that his personal safety was no longer guaranteed.
"That's what you get for acting smug! That's what you get!" Fang Zheng patted his mouth, feeling somewhat regretful. When he imagined walking home and having several snarling fans suddenly emerge from an alley, he couldn't help shivering all over.
"System, is there any way to turn me into a martial arts expert?"
"No!"
"Then are there any high-tech methods to protect my life?"
"No!"
"Then give me two bionic bodyguard robots, at least~"
"Sorry, host, we don't have those either!"
"..."
Fang Zheng began to question his life. Other people's cheats had auto-aim, infinite health, wall-penetration, and the ability to fly or burrow through the earth. Why did his cheat only have auto-aim?
"Then what can you do?"
Fang Zheng was becoming furious.
"This system can help the host add a Membership System to the ACG Community~"
"Fuck******"
Fang Zheng collapsed into the chair. He could feel the world's deep malice toward him.
In the end, driven into a corner, Fang Zheng thought for a long time and finally came up with a solution that would satisfy both sides.
He logged into his Weibo account and edited a post.
"Dear fans, 'Akame ga Kill!' exceeded seven million views within the first hour of its premiere today. First, I'd like to thank everyone for your tremendous support. Without you, I wouldn't be where I am today. Thank you all!"
"Secondly, producing 'Akame ga Kill!' requires me to work more than twelve hours a day, and I'm extremely exhausted. Also, because of my personality, I'm very afraid of being frightened, so I've decided to take a break for a while. As for how long I'll rest, that will depend on the attitude of all you fan big shots."
Done. Click. Post!
Fang Zheng looked at his post with satisfaction, a faint smile on his lips.
He had immediately stated that "Akame ga Kill!" had been a huge success, and that it was all thanks to the fans. Whether it was true or not didn't matter. The important thing was to flatter them first.
As the saying went, one didn't hit someone who smiled. He had praised them so much—after they watched tomorrow's sixth episode of "Akame ga Kill!", would they still have the nerve to attack him?
Having raised the fans up, it was time for him to play the victim.
To let all the fans watch "Akame ga Kill!" as soon as possible, I work twelve hours a day almost every day, and I've worn my body down completely.
I work this hard and put in this much effort all for you. So tomorrow, before you lose your reason, please think carefully about everything I've done for you.
The final sentence was especially meaningful. He was unwell and afraid of being frightened, so he would take a break for a while. As for how long he would rest, that depended on their attitude.
In plain terms, Fang Zheng wanted to tell his fans: I'm a very timid person. If you dare threaten me, I'll keep taking time off.
"I really am a genius~" Thinking of this, Fang Zheng couldn't help laughing smugly.
It didn't matter if the fans didn't understand the post now. By tomorrow, they would definitely understand what he was implying. If some fans wanted to "persecute" him, they would have to consider whether they could withstand the fury of the other fans.
"Akame ga Kill!" had gained more than seven million views in its first hour of airing. This achievement left many traditional directors and screenwriters dumbfounded.
Seven million views in one hour was something they couldn't even imagine achieving themselves. Even using the hottest young idol of the moment as a gimmick wouldn't have been enough.
The fans of young idols were fundamentally different from anime fans. After all, how could mindless fans be the same as genuine fans?
As they watched "Akame ga Kill!" explode in both performance and reputation, many people were so envious they felt sick.
Fang Zheng had also used the results to prove the limitless potential of anime as a new cultural industry. For a time, many companies with capital and capability began making plans to enter the anime industry.
Just as many creators were preparing to try making anime, the ACG Community under Fang Zheng's company posted an announcement on the platform stating that it would soon launch the Membership System.
"I'm shocked. Is A Company finally going to start fleecing us?"
"What the hell? Members can watch the newest anime episode, while non-members have to wait a day before watching it?"
"Big Shot Fang, although I really love anime, I still have to say this: your greed is showing too much!"
"Impressive. They're charging money on the second day after the anime launched. Couldn't you wait a little longer before harvesting the leeks~"
"..."
As soon as the ACG Community Membership System was launched, many A Company users exploded. They furiously criticized Fang Zheng on the forums, accusing him of holding the audience hostage and trying to cash in the moment he achieved a little success.
The wave of unfavorable public opinion soon plunged the newly rising ACG Community into a precarious situation.
News of what had happened in the ACG Community quickly reached Zhang Siyu, giving her a terrible headache.
Although she had anticipated that ACG users might resent the payment system, she had never imagined they would resent it to this extent.
Looking at the overwhelmingly one-sided public opinion online, Zhang Siyu was not only irritated but also quite angry.
This was the era of knowledge. As the global situation stabilized, every country placed increasing importance on developing its own culture. Especially during an economic era when traditional industries were struggling, the cultural economy stood out all the more.
The most direct result of the cultural economy's rapid development was that intellectual property rights became extremely important. Looking across all the major video platforms, which one was free?
Why was it acceptable for other platforms to charge, yet when A Company charged, they were treated like criminals?!
Before you continue