YM778.TV Chapter 756: The Real Becoming Famous Overnight (2)
Chapter 756: The Real Becoming Famous Overnight (2)
Si Fuqing nodded and went upstairs.
Just before entering the bedroom, she suddenly turned around, her fox-like eyes gleaming, "Boss, how was my performance?"
Yu Xiheng paused, then responded, "Didn\'t you see the reviews online? You did very well."
"But online reviews and your opinion are different," Si Fuqing said earnestly, noting his expression. "You look a bit off."
"You performed very well," Yu Xiheng sighed. "If I looked off, it\'s because you played it too well—I wanted to go in and kill someone."
Hearing this, Si Fuqing\'s eyes shone even brighter, "Goodnight, boss!"
Yu Xiheng cracked a slight smile, "Goodnight."
He closed the door and, uncharacteristically, massaged his temples.
Watching dramas, indeed, is best in moderation.
**
The next day, at only half-past six, Si Fuqing was woken by a relentless barrage of calls from Sang Yanching.
She sat up in bed, her hair in disarray, before finally getting dressed.
Sang Yanching was already waiting in the living room downstairs.
Seeing Si Fuqing descend, he immediately stood up, "Hurry, we need to leave early today, or you might not be able to later."
Si Fuqing stretched lazily, "Why?"
"Why? Can you seriously ask why?" Sang Yanching\'s voice rose sharply. "Did you go to bed too early yesterday and not check your phone?"
"Yes, I went to bed at eleven," Si Fuqing stretched her limbs. "I must set a good example and monitor the boss\'s schedule."
Sang Yanching was at a loss for words, she then explained, "...Then you better check now."
Si Fuqing finally opened her Weibo.
Due to an overload of messages, her custom-built phone lagged terribly.
Once it loaded, the notification sounds went wild.
Her followers had soared to thirty-nine million.
Just a day before, she had barely over thirty-two million.
This was a real becoming famous overnight.
In just two episodes, Si Fuqing had cemented her status in the TV and film industry.
"An actor needs a classic screen role to leave an indelible mark in the audience\'s heart," Sang Yanching said. "Like Sword Immortal, remembered for ten, even fifty years."
Being forgotten is an actor\'s worst fear.
Hence, many celebrities choose controversial paths to stay relevant, because even notoriety is a form of attention; being forgotten is worse than being hated.
"Now, there\'s your portrayal of Sui Yan," Sang Yanching was thrilled. "I\'m sure, you\'ll sweep all three major TV awards this year."
Sui Yan was made real by Si Fuqing.
Si Fuqing\'s performance in the second episode was unmatched in the entertainment industry.
If she didn\'t receive the awards, it would suggest foul play.
Sang Yanching suddenly became serious, "I take back what I said when we first met."
"Hm?" Si Fuqing looked up. "What did you say?"
"I said your goal to surpass Yun Lan was crazy," Sang Yanching took a deep breath. "Now I\'m sure, you can do it."
Si Fuqing arched an eyebrow, nonchalantly, "Of course. And then win another Glenn Lifetime Achievement Award."
"So let\'s hurry to the \'Seeking the Lost\' set," Sang Yanching said. "Be prepared, you might not be able to leave the set today."
"My transparency characteristic is a joke, huh?" Si Fuqing slowly put on her sunglasses and mask. "Don\'t worry, if I don\'t want to be found, they won\'t find me."
Sang Yanching followed her into the van.
Suddenly, he felt something was off.
What did she mean by winning another Glenn Lifetime Achievement Award?!
**
Elsewhere.
Tang Haiqiu\'s apartment.
Last night, Mo Yishan watched the drama with Tang Haiqiu.
He also saw the online comments.
At the sight of comments like "Kill the Celestial Ruler, this dog!" he couldn\'t hold it in any longer.
"Look, Old Tang, you\'ve ruined my reputation for a lifetime," Mo Yishan was exasperated. "I used to play heroes, and this generation\'s audience is too empathetic!"
Tang Haiqiu leisurely sipped his tea, "Though you weren\'t in many scenes, just two episodes were enough to draw all the viewers\' hatred. Doesn\'t that show how good you are?"
Mo Yishan was speechless.
It was clearly Si Fuqing\'s outstanding performance that drew enough hatred to cover for him.
Indeed, even Mo Yishan\'s long-time fans, while criticizing the character he played, simultaneously praised him for finally breaking out of his usual roles.
"I knew from the audition that Miss Si would blow up with this role," Mo Yishan sighed. "I didn\'t expect it to happen overnight. Her agent must be swamped now, with all the film and TV scripts coming their way."
"Let\'s wait for the viewership ratings from Starlight TV," Tang Haiqiu put down his thermos. "You know, I\'ve been in this industry for many years, but I\'ve never felt this nervous about ratings before."
Mo Yishan laughed, "Are you afraid the ratings will shock you to death?"
Tang Haiqiu sighed, "I\'m more worried about the impact of \'Great Zhao Dynasty.\' Being released at the same time, it\'s bound to split the audience."
Tong Luoyun, having been in the entertainment industry for over a decade, had a solid fan base, and older viewers preferred historical dramas.
Tang Haiqiu hoped for nothing more than to not fall too far behind \'Great Zhao Dynasty.\'
**
At that time, over at Starlight TV.
The network head was impatient, asking personally, "Have our ratings come out yet? How are they?"
"They\'re out," the statistician fumbled, "Just released, the process was a bit slow this time."
The network head nodded, visibly anxious, "Pull them up, let me see."
The statistician displayed the viewership ratings for each time segment from 8 to 10 PM the previous day.
The first episode had an average viewership rating of 2.40%.
The president gasped, "That high!"
This rating was significant; Starlight TV hadn\'t seen such high viewership for any drama in the past three years.
Last year\'s ratings king, \'With You in Matrimony,\' a urban family drama, had an average rating of 1.9, which was already considered a phenomenal success in recent years.
Typically, middle-aged and elderly people are the main viewers of TV dramas, with urban family dramas being more popular.
Xianxia dramas had only started gaining popularity about a decade ago with \'Sword Immortal,\' with teenagers as the primary fanbase.
The network head had seen negative comments online about the first episode of \'Crossing the Demon Realm\' and did not expect such high ratings.
Especially since it was competing with another historical drama, \'Great Zhao Dynasty,\' \'Crossing the Demon Realm\' still managed to capture a large audience share.
It seemed Si Fuqing had quite a number of haters.
But disdain was futile; the talent was evident.
The network head felt reassured.
While online views might be manipulated, ratings could not be faked.
He breathed a sigh of relief, already planning to contact Si Fuqing\'s team for a celebration.
These ratings were enough to immortalize Si Fuqing!
The president was beaming, nearly floating away in his excitement.
"Wait, head, don\'t go!" the statistician called out, pausing him, "Look at the second episode!"
The president stopped and turned around.
With the first episode rating at 2.40%, and given the excellent reception of the second, it was expected to be just as high, if not higher. Nowadays, more people were online than watching TV.
But the president checked anyway. n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om
The second episode (8:55—9:40 PM)
Average viewership rating: 9.1%
Peak viewership rating: 12.3%
The graph showed an exponential surge in viewership in the last thirty minutes.
Those thirty minutes coincided with the dramatic plot twist where the Celestial Ruler kills Sui Yan to take over her body and uses a formation to revive the Celestial Queen.
The network head\'s hand trembled, nearly causing him to stumble.
He knew, at this moment, the entertainment industry was about to be thoroughly shaken up!