Ch 135: The World’s Number One Resort

Treasure Travel runs for ninety minutes. The treehouse, snow house, and Bianjing Ancient City… As the scenes progressed, the houses of the other celebrity guests were also revealed.

“Amazing,” Father Gao said in awe as he watched the unique houses on the show. At over forty years old, it was his first time seeing buildings that defied common sense and nature.

This was the charm of nature combined with skilled craftsmanship.

“Can we bring Mom over and live in the castle together?”

“Of course. Do you like it here?”

“Yes! I like the pumpkin carriage, Queen Kelly, the elevator, and the flying car…”

Ninety minutes flew by, and in the final scene, Zheng Haitao and Zheng Lele lay in the tent at the top of the watchtower, gazing at the night sky and imagining the future. Framed by the castle and the stars, the whole scene was warm and natural.

“It was pretty good. Study hard, and if you get above the first-tier score on your college entrance exams, we’ll go there.” As Treasure Travel ended, Mother Gao watched the closing ads, feeling a bit nostalgic. Those ninety minutes had felt like a lively and relaxing scenic film, lifting her spirits.

“Really?” Gao Yiran’s eyes lit up. She had checked earlier: a trip to Great Tang Resort wasn’t cheap—about $5,000 per person. Her mother was being generous this time!

Mother Gao made an ‘OK’ gesture. The family wasn’t short on money.

Gao Yiran felt confident. Forty-five days to go—she just needed to work hard!

…

“Treasure Travel: 3.17%; Romantic Brotherhood: 3.15%. Treasure Travel proves its lasting charm, leading by a narrow margin.”

“Wu Zhongyang’s performance was too forced. The five brothers schemed against each other to steal the spotlight.”

“Zheng Lele proactively switched rooms and won everyone’s hearts.”

…

At 1:00 a.m. on May 22, the real-time viewership ratings for Treasure Travel and Romantic Brotherhood were released. When people saw the figures—3.17% and 3.15%—the internet exploded.

Treasure Travel surpassed Romantic Brotherhood by just 0.02%, and given the strong foundation of the first two seasons, both shows were neck and neck. Beyond the viewership numbers, the audience focused more on the shows themselves.

“Oh my gosh, I’ve been soaking up Great Tang’s scenic beauty for half a year. Now it’s gone from photos to variety show videos? The moving images are even more stunning. I just can’t get enough!”

“Just booked a trip to Great Tang Resort, leaving at the beginning of the month. Feeling so excited!”

“Is Sky Forest new? I didn’t see it last time I visited… By the way, what’s up with the Great Tang VR glasses? The official website’s introduction is too vague.”

“Same here! Isn’t Great Tang a resort? When did they start selling glasses too?”

“Why is everyone talking about Great Tang… What about Romantic Brotherhood?”

…

At this moment, the trending topics were dominated by ‘Treasure Travel Great Tang.’ In contrast, while Romantic Brotherhood had some buzz, it was hardly being discussed.

“Our little lamb is so handsome, so warm. His interaction with the fans was just adorable.”

“Ahhh, I can’t stop staring at the screen! Romantic Brotherhood was filmed so sincerely!”

“Honestly, Romantic Brotherhood was too awkward. The humor was outdated, and it was just pretty boys showing off. And that color grading… yikes. Was the viewership just from die-hard fans?”

A few fans of Romantic Brotherhood tried to start a discussion, but neutral viewers couldn’t help but respond directly. It wasn’t that they didn’t support Romantic Brotherhood, but the show’s fresh-faced celebrities lacked variety show experience. They overacted and interacted awkwardly. Add in some questionable aesthetics, and it just wasn’t their cup of tea.

Compared to the awkward, face-focused content of Romantic Brotherhood, Treasure Travel was like a breath of fresh air!

“Mr. Zhao… just 0.02.” As Treasure Travel and Romantic Brotherhood became hot topics online, Zhao Hai from Pure Cheese’s headquarters in Shenzhen looked at the ratings with a rather grim expression.

He didn’t expect Treasure Travel and Romantic Brotherhood to clash on the same airtime… Romantic Brotherhood achieved a 3.15% viewership rating, which sounds decent. However, Zhao Haigang was aware that Pure Cheese secretly bought 0.5% of that rating. Strictly speaking, Romantic Brotherhood had suffered a complete defeat in its first episode.

“What is the Great Tang VR Glasses?”

After reviewing the report, Zhao Haigang continued to sulk. He had invested in two seasons of Treasure Travel, and in the past, the show would provide about five minutes of advertising footage. This was a common practice in the industry, but when he tallied it up just now, the “Great Tang advertisements” had nearly ten minutes of screen time.

What was this? Was Treasure Travel dissatisfied with his withdrawal of funding and blatantly provoking him?

“It seems to be some kind of gaming accessory,” his assistant quickly lit a cigarette, trying to ease Zhao Haigang’s mood. The “Great Tang concept” hadn’t fully been revealed yet, so guessing it was a gaming accessory was just his speculation.

“A total loss.” Zhao tried to remain calm. It wasn’t that he had a feud with Great Tang; rather, he felt that Treasure Travel was supposed to be an outdoor family show. Advertising glasses in a family program… it just seemed strange from every angle.

When comparing the two shows, Romantic Brotherhood didn’t meet expectations, but since it was a new show, he believed it would eventually gain momentum. The sales of Pure Cheese’s dairy products were also expected to soar continuously.

1.62%, 0.89%…

Zhao Haigang was brimming with confidence. However, over the next two weeks, after seeing the viewership ratings for Romantic Brotherhood, not only Pure Cheese but even some casual onlookers were left bewildered.

Romantic Brotherhood was supposed to be Hu City TV’s strong summer program, heavily promoted and widely advertised. The lowest acceptable rating was around 3%, but now the second episode’s rating had been halved, and the third episode plummeted to below 1%. It was Hu City’s most significant downfall in the past five years.

5.79%, 9.23%.

While Romantic Brotherhood shocked everyone with its declining viewership, Treasure Travel soared. The third episode even reached a stunning 9.23%, almost breaking into double digits.

“Ugh, why only three episodes? It’s not enough! If there was a fourth episode, it would definitely break 10!”

“There is a fourth episode. Judging from the preview, the next one is the Guilin segment.”

By Sunday at 1 a.m., just one hour after Treasure Travel’s third episode ended, “Great Tang Treasure Travel” shot straight to the trending topics.

People thought that a 3.17% viewership was already impressive, but no one expected Treasure Travel to gain even more momentum.

“Queen Kelly,” “Fruit Picking,” and “The Queen’s Shorts” became the most frequently mentioned phrases. Through Treasure Travel‘s meticulous editing, viewers were transported into a magical travel world.

Cloud-based cat and dog adoptions were popular trends, but this was the first time people experienced “cloud tourism.”

It was absolutely fantastic!

@RomanticBrotherhood: “Due to scheduling conflicts, Romantic Brotherhood will air on Thursdays at 8 p.m. starting next week. Stay tuned! [Image]”

While discussions around “Great Tang Treasure Travel” showed no signs of slowing down, @RomanticBrotherhood updated their feed. In stark contrast to their confident attitude twenty days ago, this post seemed rather downcast.

Romantic Brotherhood blamed the change on scheduling issues, but anyone with a discerning eye could tell that they were intimidated by the upcoming competition.

“Where’s your backbone?”

The audience sizes on Thursdays and Fridays are not the same. Some “Brotherhood” fans were displeased and flooded the official account with comments. However, @RomanticBrotherhood adopted a policy of non-response, pretending that the schedule change never happened.

Truthfully, it wasn’t entirely cowardice on @RomanticBrotherhood’s part. It was simply that Thursday had a guaranteed viewership of 1.5%, while Friday carried too much pressure. Treasure Travel had already released two seasons, and they expected the third to drop off significantly. Who could have guessed that Treasure Travel would find such a trump card with Great Tang?

Despite their frustration, Hu City TV began to ponder how they could capitalize on the “Great Tang Resort” hype—perhaps by planning an overseas version of Romantic Brotherhood.

@GreatTangResort: “Ancient Town VR will be available worldwide starting July 1st. Pre-orders are now open. Click the official link below to purchase. [Link]”

As the audience’s discussion reached a fever pitch, Great Tang Resort updated its feed. The content was simple: Ancient Town VR glasses were now available for sale.

The celebrity dads had briefly introduced the Ancient Town VR, but possibly due to the lack of a physical product or its advanced concept, viewers were left somewhat puzzled. In their curiosity, they clicked on the official link for Great Tang glasses.

This was Great Tang Resort’s international webpage.

On the homepage was a somewhat robust-looking VR headset. The Ancient Town VR primarily featured a silver-gray design without lenses; its frame was made of a non-transparent, soft silicone material with two retractable straps on either side. The overall design was simple and elegant, resembling the typical VR headsets available on the market.

As the visitors scrolled down, they found that the Ancient Town VR came in other colors: pure black, champagne, and grass green. Additionally, there was a limited edition called “Rainbow After the Rain.”

The “Rainbow After the Rain” version continued the vibrant style of Sora Town, showcasing a lively and colorful aesthetic. In terms of appearance, the Ancient Town VR boasted a remarkably well-designed look.

The visitors scrolled down further.

• Ancient Town VR: $388 USD.
• Ancient Town VR Rainbow Edition: $1,688 USD.

The visitors were just casually browsing until they saw the prices, which left them in a daze.

$388 USD is approximately 2,328 RMB, while the Rainbow Edition costs an astounding 10,128 RMB… The Rainbow Edition was definitely a luxury item. Ignoring that for now, they focused on the standard version.

VR gaming had been popular in recent years, and most mainstream VR headsets on the market ranged between $200 to $500, with some higher-end models around $1,000. Beyond that, prices could go from $3,000 to $50,000. So, $2,300 RMB wasn’t particularly outrageous in the VR industry, but that was among enthusiasts.

VR headsets were not a necessity. Spending this much on one seemed entirely impractical.

“Just looking, no buying,” many thought. In the first hour after the official Great Tang Resort account posted the announcement, only about twenty orders trickled in, while most visitors hesitated. $2,000 was neither a small nor an excessive amount—it was enough to make them think twice.

…

In the Great Tang Resort, Tang Huai looked at the preorder data for the Great Tang glasses but wasn’t worried.

The VR glasses were positioned as an entertainment electronic product, unlike the Great Tang fruits. It was now June 18th, and the Great Tang factory had been completed. The glasses had entered the production line and were expected to be fully produced by the 27th.

With packaging and shipping, they would likely be ready for completion by the 1st.

The first batch of glasses would feature four main colors with an estimated sales volume of 100,000 units, and 5,000 units for the Rainbow Edition. If all of them sold out, it would be a considerable profit.

Tang Huai reviewed the production details of the Ancient Town VR and then resumed his busy work overseeing the development of the Great Tang Resort.

…

“Sold out? Ah, I see, thank you, Alawa.” At Yonsei University dormitory in South Korea, Jin Zhengbin hung up the phone in disappointment.

Lately, Jin Zhengbin had been feeling particularly irritable. Since the Great Tang international website was established, no matter if it was in Busan, Incheon, or Seoul, none were included in the delivery range of the Great Tang Resort.

It was well known that Great Tang held grudges, and Jin Zhengbin was aware of the conflict between Great Tang and Sookhyun Midnight. As a staunch South Korean, he didn’t have much attachment to Great Tang fruits. However, the frustrating part was that his mother underwent surgery last month and had a poor appetite. Trying his luck, Jin Zhengbin bought two pounds of kumquats through a proxy.

With Biological Research backing its quality, Great Tang fruits had a miraculous reputation. Jin Zhengbin just gave it a shot, and to his surprise, his mother’s recovery was remarkably smooth thanks to the kumquats.

After that, he bought more through proxies. But as the reputation of Great Tang fruits skyrocketed, they became increasingly hard to find. Today, after trying to make another purchase with an Indian proxy he knew, he received the response: “Sold out.”

“Great Tang grapes are out of stock; they can’t be found in North America.”

“Not available in Singapore either. Some Chinese customers stockpiled a few, but the $99 oranges have now shot up to $500. It’s just too expensive.”

“When will Sora’s air route to Korea open up? This is unbearable.”

“This can only happen if Kim Sookhyun apologizes.”

…

Jin Zhengbin opened the Korean university forum, where “Great Tang Fruits” already had its own section. The sentiment among the Korean netizens was unanimous: Great Tang fruits were too difficult to buy.

The only way to get Great Tang fruits was for Kim Sookhyun to personally apologize. However, both Kim Sookhyun and ACC Radio were arrogant. Even if both sides agreed, some radical Korean citizens wouldn’t be willing to accept it.

In short, it was a deadlock.

“Great Tang glasses?” Frustrated, Jin Zhengbin skimmed through the forum before closing it and opening the Great Tang website.

He initially intended to browse the fruit section but was surprised by the headline on the homepage.

Aside from fruits, Great Tang was also selling glasses now?

He clicked on the listing and added the glasses to his cart out of curiosity.

“Sorry, the item you selected is not within the delivery range.”

The familiar message popped up.

Jin Zhengbin: … Frustrated.

☀️☀️☀️☀️☀️