King of the Wilderness

However, General Manager Wang from TikTok smiled and shook his head. He raised four fingers and stated a number that caught everyone’s attention: "4 million US dollars."

A murmur of astonishment rippled through the conference room. Offering such a price for a documentary-style program was almost unprecedented.

General Manager Wang glanced around the room, and his gaze finally settled on Lin Yu’an, his ambition unmasked: "What we are interested in is far beyond just a program. We are investing in Mr. Lin Yu’an as a person, and the immeasurable global influence behind him."

He continued, "For 4 million dollars, not only do we want exclusive broadcast rights, but we also need an additional clause. We hope Mr. Lin Yu’an can conduct no less than three livestreams on the TikTok platform, and cooperate with our e-commerce brand, which means livestream selling."

"Livestream selling?" At this term, David Cohen from CAA furrowed his brows slightly, while Lin Yu’an’s usually calm face showed a serious expression for the first time.

He spoke slowly, his voice not loud but exceptionally firm: "General Manager Wang, thank you for your regard. Livestream interaction, sharing behind-the-scenes stories, is no problem. But for livestream selling, I refuse."

"Why?" General Manager Wang was somewhat surprised. "With your influence, this could create a commercial myth! We are willing to offer the industry’s highest revenue share for this!"

"Because it goes against the original intention of my program." Lin Yu’an’s gaze was clear and sincere. "The core of ’Above the Wilderness’ is the pure relationship between humans and nature, reverence, and exploration."

"Personally, if I become deeply tied to consumerism, it will dilute its most precious essence. I can’t allow my audience to be guided to click on shopping carts right after experiencing the majesty of nature. This is my bottom line."

General Manager Wang’s face darkened. "Mr. Lin, forgive my bluntness, but 4 million dollars is an offer based on maximizing your personal commercial value. If we remove the livestream selling aspect, this price might..."

"Then there’s no need to talk further." Lin Yu’an’s attitude was straightforward and decisive. He turned to General Manager Li from Penguin Video, "General Manager Li, we are willing to accept Penguin Video’s offer of 3.5 million dollars."

For a moment, the atmosphere in the conference room was extremely tense. Nobody had expected Lin Yu’an to directly give up on the 500,000 dollar difference for a principle.

Within, Lin Yu’an was immensely calm. This was the first unyielding rule he and CAA producer David Cohen had thought through — to protect the purity of the IP, which is the first principle of all commercial development.

An over-commercialized IP has a short lifespan. They wanted to create a Legacy that could last for ten years, not a seasonal, fast-fashion hit.

Therefore, in his view, the 500,000 dollars was not a loss but a purification cost necessary to clear obstacles for the future of the IP.

General Manager Wang fell into silence, swiftly weighing the pros and cons. To give up? Such a phenomenal IP would be handed over to the biggest competitor. Not to give up? But the opposing side’s principles are so steadfast.

As General Manager Wang found himself in a dilemma, General Manager Li from Penguin Video, who had been calmly observing, revealed his vision.

He smiled and tried to mediate, "General Manager Wang, Yu’an, perhaps we should take a step back. It’s a shame for such a good project to be monopolized by one company. Why don’t we both work together and enlarge the pie?"

He proposed a new solution: "Penguin Video and TikTok, each investing 1.5 million dollars, totaling 3 million dollars, as joint distributors to share broadcasting rights in the Greater China Region."

"Penguin will handle the deep operation of long videos, and TikTok will be responsible for the promotion and trend generation of short videos. This way, it addresses Yu’an’s concerns, and the two of us can achieve a win-win outcome."

This proposal offered TikTok a perfect way to step down. General Manager Wang pondered for a moment, then nodded: "Alright! I agree with General Manager Li’s proposal! But we still hope to have deeper cooperation with Mr. Lin on pure livestream interactions."

Lin Yu’an exchanged a barely perceptible glance with David Cohen, seeing confirmation in the other’s eyes.

From dropping from 3.5 million to 3 million, this was the second time they technically lost 500,000 dollars. But to them, this deal was simply a godsend.

Lin Yu’an knew clearly in his heart, if the first 500,000 dollars was foregone to maintain the IP’s core, then this acceptance now was to expand, to expand the IP’s influence map.

Penguin Video’s exclusive cooperation was like a powerful aircraft carrier, ensuring depth and range. But General Manager Li’s plan equated to equipping this carrier with TikTok, the planet’s most potent fleet of aircraft!

One responsible for deep immersion of long videos, the other for viral explosions of short videos, this aircraft carrier + aircraft combination promotional system would have an exponential power increase!

It could completely elevate the IP value of ’Above the Wilderness’ to a height that a single platform could never reach.

The second time losing 500,000 dollars brought about the top-tier combo in the content market in China. This was the most worthwhile strategic investment for the future of the IP.

"I also think this proposal is very good." Lin Yu’an agreed with a smile.

A war without gunpowder ended dramatically in reconciliation.

After resolving the domestic market, David Cohen immediately announced the overseas distribution plan, bringing the successful negotiation to a close.

After the meeting ended, the tense nerves finally relaxed. General Manager Li from Penguin and General Manager Wang from TikTok warmly shook hands with Lin Yu’an, expressing anticipation for further in-depth cooperation, before leading their respective teams away.