The next day.
After a night of letting things simmer, all news pertaining to the three major television series had intensified.
Countless titles began pouring in an endless stream.
“Relentless Swordsman’s new take on ancient costumes brings them to new heights!”
“Rave reviews for Best Time!”
“Zhang Tao and Huang Xing’s acting have exploded!”
“Big predictions for these ratings. Who will end up victorious?”
Members of the entertainment media were waiting for the ratings.
Many viewers were waiting for the ratings.
Major celebrity studios were also waiting for ratings.
Ratings were not the be all and end all for a television series because word-of-mouth and influence were equally as important. For many people however, ratings were the clearest and most comprehensive indicator for evaluating a show, as it was a reflection of the show’s popularity.
…
China Central TV.
Director Liu paced left and right. His thoughts seemed occupied as his brows belied his frustration.
“How are things? Have the ratings been released?”
“Not yet.”
“Why is it so slow?” Director Liu was incredibly anxious. “That damn Old Qin has ruined me big time. I just hope we won’t lose too horribly. This is our China Central TV after all.”
“Um…Director Liu, I took the time to watch Drawing Sword yesterday. It was actually quite good. Very exciting.”
“Really?”
“Yeah. The response on the internet has been good too. The ratings probably won’t be too bad.”
“I hope so. I don’t have high hopes. Let’s not even talk about achieving better than those little fresh meats. It won’t be too embarrassing if we can get at least 1% of the ratings.”
…
Zhang Tao’s recording studio.
“Haven’t they counted it yet?”
“Soon, I believe.”
“Has there been any response from Huang Xing’s TV series?”
“The reviews seem to be quite good.”
“Keep a close watch and don’t let them overtake us.”
“What about Drawing Sword? Do we have to—”
“No need to worry about them. There’s nothing to be scared about.”
“But I saw plenty of good reviews online.”
“Are those reviews of any use? Military dramas are always well-received, but being well-received isn’t the same thing as the ratings.”
“Oh yeah, makes sense.”
…
Huang Xing’s recording studio.
“How inefficient can they be that they haven’t even counted it yet?”
“They only went to work during the day, but I’m sure it’ll be out soon.”
“This is making me anxious. We have to surpass Relentless Swordsman.”
“Don’t worry, our viewership is quite high and the popularity has exploded.”
…
The comments on major microblog platforms.
[The ratings are coming out soon. Any guesses?]
[Relentless Swordsman will definitely be No. 1. It was such an awesome show!]
[Best Time is better. I suggest you compare the two.]
[No one watched Drawing Sword? I think it wasn’t too bad.]
[Tch, what’s so good about military dramas? I’m sick of watching all their plots.]
[Exactly. Don’t be idiots. How can that kind of drama compete with dramas that have amazing costumes and handsome idols? They’re lucky not to end up dead.]
[I watched Drawing Sword too, and I have to say it really was an interesting show. I can’t believe that it took only one and a half months for them to film it. Actor Y has a well-deserved reputation, but the audience for this kind of TV series is too small. It might not be able to compare with these two series, especially when little fresh meats star in the other two. This is difficult!]
[Hahaha, it really is difficult.]
[Can’t say for sure. I’m looking forward to crushing those little fresh meats. They’ve already been crushed by Singer Y, so Actor Y has to keep up.]
…
Time passed bit by bit.
Miracle Island.
Everyone woke up early that day without feeling the slightest bit of sleepiness despite going to bed late the previous night. Instead, they were nervous and excited.
“Ahhhh, I’m so nervous I feel like I’m shaking.”
“Can the results be released any quicker? It’s agonizing to wait.”
“Our opponents are very strong this time. Netizens are very optimistic about Relentless Swordsman and Best Time.”
Unlike them, Ye Lingchen was training Little White and Little Foxie not far away.
“You’re such a dumb pussycat, Little White. You’re a feline yet you can’t climb trees!”
“Little Foxie, what are you afraid of? Hurry up and jump into the water. No food for you today if you don’t catch any fish!”
“Little Green, Little Gray, divide your pack into two teams and listen to my command!”
Ye Lingchen held dozens of frisbees in his hand and tossed one quickly, “Hurry up and get it. Go, go, go!”
Frisbees soon soared across the sky, with the wolves running happily on the ground and jumping non-stop, leaving everyone speechless.
Xiao Feifei did not know whether to laugh or cry. “Ling Chen, don’t you care at all? There’s so much noise on the internet and many people are saying that our TV series is going to be a flop.”
“Internet reviews are best taken with a grain of salt. When the ratings are finally revealed, they’ll probably be so shocked that they feel as though they’ve been given a slap on the face,” Ye Lingchen remarked casually.
“Narcissist!” Hao Yun and Dong Miaomiao’s lips twitched.
…
“Ah! They’re out! The ratings are out!”
Li Tai suddenly screamed from the program crew and his voice was trembling.
Xiao Feifei hurried over. “How is it? How are the results?”
Everyone looked at the result nervously.
Li Tai took a breath and said, “F*ck me. Young Master Ye is too awesome!”
“F*ck! Seriously?”
“The statistics can’t be wrong, right? This is unimaginable.”
Xiao Feifei could not wait any longer. She rushed over and asked, “How much are the ratings?”
Li Tai turned the computer screen and faced it toward her. “Look at it yourself.”
Xiao Feifei stared intently, while Hao Yun and Dong Miaomiao looked at it too.
One glance alone left all three of them palpitating with their mouths agape.
It was like an explosion in their heads and they were immediately stunned.
Xiao Feifei stared blankly for a long time. “How is that possible?”
Hao Yun exclaimed, “DAMN!”
…
The crew of Relentless Swordsman.
“The result is out!”
“Look!”
“Relentless Swordsman… the ratings of the two episodes are 1.46!”
“Not bad. Slightly lesser than our estimate.”
“Sigh, I thought the ratings would reach 1.8.”
“It’s a bit surprising.”
“Is it because we had to share the ratings with Best Time?”
“I don’t know, but don’t we have good word-of-mouth?”
“It’s normal for the ratings to be shared. Since we premiered together, it’s only natural that they snatched away some of our ratings. There’s nothing we can do about it. By the way, what are Best Time’s ratings?”
“Let me see. Ah, 1.44. Haha, they’re lower than us.”
“As long as we’re better than Best Time and get number one.”
“Wait! F*CK! What the hell!”
“What the flying f*ck is this?!”
“Our ratings aren’t number one?!”
…
Huang Xing’s recording studio.
“The ratings are announced!”
“We only got 1.44!”
“F*ck it, Relentless Swordsman topped us!”
“It’s okay, they’re only better than us by 0.02. It won’t be difficult to overtake them.”
“Yeah, the story behind our TV series will be more exciting and there are still many chances.”
“Sigh, we’re behind them by just that tiny little fraction. What a pity.”
“Damn it, my eyes are going blind!”
“Old Ho, what’s the matter?”
“Relentless Swordsman isn’t the first in ratings!”
“What did you say now?”
“Impossible!”
“Oh my God! Look at Drawing Sword’s ratings!”
…
