Oops! My Escort Is A Mafia Don - Chapter 80: Chapter 80

Olivia said with a blank face, "Can you stop thinking with your little head for once and try using the one on your shoulders?"
Julian buried his face in her neck and let out a low chuckle. "What? You want my little head all to yourself now? So greedy. Isn't letting you use it every now and then enough?"
Olivia's lips twitched. She elbowed him. "Cut it out. I've got work to do."
Julian nuzzled her neck, his voice taking on a bit of a whiny tone. "Can't you take a break? We haven't seen each other in ages, and you're not even willing to spend some time with me."
Still expressionless, Olivia replied, "No. Back then, when I said no, you never stopped. So why should I listen to you now?"
Julian laughed so hard that his shoulders shook. "How about we do it now? This time, I'll do whatever you say. If you tell me to stop, I'll stop."
Only then did Olivia realize what she'd just said. Her cheeks flushed. "Show some self-respect. We're not even together anymore."
"If you want to be with me, I'm always here," replied Julian.
"I don't. Not right now."
"Not right now, huh? So, not never. That means you still can't quite let me go. I can wait."
Olivia couldn't be bothered with him anymore and turned her attention back to the laptop screen.
Julian leaned in to look as well and raised his brows in surprise. "Wait, are you writing a script? Is this for a TV series or a movie?"
"Neither," Olivia said. "It's for a short drama."
"Short drama?" Julian was confused.
He'd spent years living in East Nytherra. While he kept up with Gravellia's general economic trends, he wasn't really in the loop when it came to what was trending online. The short drama industry was totally foreign to him.
"Yeah," Olivia said, "short dramas are super popular online right now. Some of them are even bigger hits than web series or primetime TV shows.
"When short dramas first blew up a couple of years ago, a few of them made over several tens of millions of dollars in sales. Now that more people have jumped in, the profits aren't as crazy, but there's still a decent market.
"Even a lot of veteran actors and directors who'd been out of the spotlight for years have come back to shoot short dramas."
Julian said, "But TV shows and movies still bring in more money, don't they? Why are so many people making short dramas?"
"It's not the same," Olivia explained. "Short dramas are low-budget and fast to shoot. For rural or urban slice-of-life themes, you can get something decent done with just tens of thousands of dollars or so.
"They don't demand amazing acting, polished dialogue, or high-end cinematography—just a hook that grabs viewers. That's it."
She picked up her phone, opened an app, and handed it to him. "Here, take a look. These are all short dramas. If you're curious, check them out."
Julian started watching.
Just like Olivia had said, most of the acting was pretty average, and the filming couldn't compare to traditional TV shows.
But the pacing was snappy, the emotional beats landed hard, and the content clearly aimed to stir up feelings—perfect for getting people to spend on impulse.
Plus, each episode was only a minute or two long, and buying one cost next to nothing. But with dozens of episodes per series, it all added up.
"Have you ever thought about breaking into the overseas market?" Julian asked after thinking for a moment. "From what I know, no one's making these kinds of shows abroad yet—there's a huge untapped market out there."
Olivia replied, "I've considered it, but I don't really understand what overseas audiences want. I'm worried no one would watch it."
Julian chuckled and continued, "People share the same emotions, no matter where they're from.