The crew debates an interactive voting design that lets viewers influence the direction of the story, with a full evaluation underway on both technical feasibility and narrative pacing.
31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhmh6txWH7f
An hour later, the office air still carried a faint sweetness from the leftover snacks as everyone returned to their seats.
The manager entered with steady steps, a thick stack of documents tucked under one arm.31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrg1iuM2Iks
No small talk—straight to the point.
“I’ve finished compiling the technical assessment from the earlier discussion.”
He flipped through the pages while reporting.
“First, our objective is clear: to deliver an immersive experience—what the boss just described as the ‘I am the mastermind’ mode.”
The boss immediately straightened up and nodded, his face practically spelling out I contributed meaningfully.
“As for audience interaction, the tech team has confirmed we can route it through hyperlinks leading to a voting page.31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxOChSbg7Jj
One click takes viewers to a menu, operating on an opt-in participation model.”
“No pop-ups—this is to avoid disrupting viewers who don’t want to participate, so the narrative flow remains uninterrupted.”
“At the same time, to meet marketing’s requirements for data accuracy, we’ll use multiple form streams and enable IP restrictions.”
He paused here, eyes shifting toward the other side of the conference table.
“To prevent certain people from getting too enthusiastic about voting for the same character over and over.”
Slowly, everyone turned to look at the boss.
The boss quickly looked away and began studying the ceiling, as if some great work of art were hanging there.
“Additionally, Popo doesn’t support external hyperlinks,” the manager continued.31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6SPkOR8Kne
“So from a technical standpoint, interactive design can’t be implemented there—we’ll have to stick to standard broadcasting.”
“But that’s where my CP people are…”
The boss deflated like a punctured balloon, lowering his head and mumbling in disappointment.
The rest of them shared a perfect, unspoken agreement to become selectively deaf.
The art lead raised a hand.
“Does it work on mobile?”
“I usually watch shows on my phone. If something’s too troublesome, I just won’t bother tapping it.”
“The tech team has tested it,” the manager replied.31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSS6PAyV1NQ
“They’ve adjusted everything accordingly. Both mobile and desktop are fully supported—no impact on the experience.”
The director nodded.
“If the technology works, then the next question is whether we can actually pull it off in production.”
“Exactly.” The manager flipped a page.31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGYH3d3H0Sb
“Next, we need to tackle how to shoot it, how to present it—and how the audience will take part.”
The screenwriter frowned, hesitation creeping in.
“Will audience participation be completely open?31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJRvldLHun0
Or will it require logins—memberships, that sort of thing?”
“Of course everyone should be able to join in!”
“It’s something this fun—how could we not let everyone take part?”
Hearing that, the screenwriter swallowed back a rising sense of collapse, trying to translate the boss’s enthusiasm into something executable.
“If immersion is our goal, then the voting results shouldn’t be made public right away.”
“We can let the audience gradually see the outcome unfold within the story itself.”
“And if they want the details, we can notify them through the narrative—31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIbpqUXFOJC
that way, immersion deepens instead of breaking.”
The art lead nodded.31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMyMAj1ao5Y
“Then let them choose for themselves. Send an email—no need to interrupt the pacing.”
The boss’s eyes lit up.
“Wow! That’s brilliant!”
“But… where do we even get an audience mailing list?”
“We have one,” the manager said calmly, pulling out a new set of documents.
“Marketing has already set up a MailerLite system (Click to view).31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxWwIKQBfL9
After voting, viewers will see a completion page—email entry will be optional.”
The director added a reminder.31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxJc3dAmF35
“But we need to be clear—we’re still a production team. The shooting schedule can’t slip. Interaction is a value-add, not the core of the shoot.”
“Exactly! I don’t want to prep props for five different branch paths—and then have to keep backup plans for all five,” the art lead shot her hand up immediately.
“Same here,” the screenwriter said, rubbing their face.31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWas8Y7dLIu
“If I’m going to support flexible branching options, there has to be a solid core storyline holding everything together.”
The boss tried to struggle a little longer.
“But… the audience might not see it right away. Maybe they’ll come back to vote later…”
The manager cut in, clean and merciless.
“Do we have enough funding to burn until then?”
“…No…”
Three seconds of silence followed.31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuMPxUkYXpf
The director looked toward the manager.
“So—when do we bring Xiyu and the others back?”
The manager gathered the documents, steady as ever.
“I’ll notify them to get ready, and I’ll also send out an interaction guideline,” he said.31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡt3EO9A5O8J
“After all, this isn’t just reshoots—we need to clearly explain the new mechanics as well.”
The screenwriter crouched on their chair, clutching their notebook.
“Heh… hehehe… my hair really is… drifting farther and farther away from me…”
The art lead lowered her head and buried her face in her tablet.
“I must be insane to agree to do something like this with you people…”
“I think it’s pretty interesting,” the director said, a spark in his eyes.31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwOXIqO4MGR
“I want to see just how far we can push this.”
It was rare to see him look like this—31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbxfnYmbZEY
as if he’d rediscovered a long-missing sense of challenge.
And the boss wore the most satisfied, blissed-out expression of them all—
After all, his CP was coming back.
And this time,31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMnK2X8Rhiw
he would even get to decide their fate.
and then Add to home screen.