Chapter 284 Old Capital Plus 1

On February 16, the third day of the Chinese New Year, the festive atmosphere of the New Year is still strong.

Early in the morning, as soon as Mark, director of CCTV Art Center, entered the office, he couldn't wait to call his female assistant.

"Xiao Lin, what were the ratings for 'Myth' last night?"

The assistant held the ratings report tightly in her hand, her face beaming with joy: "Yesterday's average ratings were 4.02%, with the highest single episode ratings being 4.78%!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Mark clapped his hands and laughed, "Great, great! The Myth broke 4% the next day. It's stable, it's a definite hit!"

As a highly anticipated TV series, "The Myth" had a viewership rating of over 3% on its first broadcast the day before yesterday. As long as its reputation remains high, it is destined to be a big hit.

When Mark heard the results from last night, he was ecstatic. He was completely relieved and paced back and forth in the office excitedly.

After being happy for a while, Mark hurriedly ordered: "Xiao Lin, go inform the producer to increase publicity efforts, buy hot searches, and have the leading actors appear on the shows, hype it up, and try to break 5%."

Assistant Xiao Lin responded with a smile: "Director, don't worry, there is no need to buy hot searches!

Since the show was aired on the first night of the Chinese New Year, related topics have never fallen out of the top three hot searches, overshadowing the Spring Festival Gala.”

"Really? Let me take a look." Mark picked up his phone, opened the Weibo app, and browsed the trending searches.

The hot search list came into view: "1. Liu Shishi Lu Su" "2. Bai Yueguang" "3. Characteristics of the role played by Yijie"

After taking a quick look at the first few trending searches, Mark was puzzled: "Why are all the hot topics about Liu Shishi?

I remember the character she played, Lu Su, was just a minor supporting role with few scenes, and she was gone in a few episodes."

Hearing the director's inadvertent spoiler, Xiao Lin exclaimed: "Ah, Lu Su was offline after just a few episodes. I thought she was the heroine!"

Although she is the assistant director of the Arts and Literature Center, she does not participate in the film review and has no chance to watch "The Myth" before it airs.

When I was watching this TV series yesterday, the moment Lu Su, played by Liu Shishi, appeared on the stage, her gentle and moving temperament amazed everyone.

This gentle, kind and beautiful girl is so lovable that she can't help but feel good about Liu Shishi.

Xiao Lin had a bitter face, feeling sorry for Lu Su's exit: "The audience loved this character very much. The highest ratings for a single episode yesterday was set when Lu Su appeared."

"It's already aired, there's no way to change it!" Mark was also annoyed, "If I had known that Liu Shishi was so popular, I should have given her more scenes."

The girl was upset because her favorite character was going to be offline early. Xiao Lin muttered, "Director Ma, I think if Lu Su is offline early, the ratings of "Myth" may drop."

The assistant's words instantly cast a shadow over Mark's originally happy mood. He waved his hands helplessly and said, "Let's take it one step at a time. Since the audience likes Liu Shishi, let the producers ask her to do more publicity. You go and urge this matter."

"Got it, Director." Kobayashi nodded solemnly and hurried out of the leader's office.

"The Myth" was a huge hit, and not only were the TV stations that aired it paying close attention, but the three producers were also working hard to promote it in an effort to get the ratings to a higher level, so that the show could sell well in the second and third rounds and generate more revenue.

At this time, Liu Shishi was sitting in the passenger seat, leaning forward slightly, opening the makeup mirror in front of her and checking her makeup.

Today is the third day of the Chinese New Year. She and her husband are going to pay New Year's greetings to their grandparents. The elderly like dignified and graceful girls, so she only puts on a little makeup and fresh light make-up, making her look gentle and generous.

Suddenly, a melodious cell phone ringtone rang. Miss Liu took out her cell phone from her bag. When she saw it was Cai Yinong calling, she quickly answered the call.

"Happy New Year, Miss K!"

"Master, is it convenient to talk now?"

Liu Shishi glanced at her husband who was concentrating on driving and said, "It's convenient."

Cai Yinong's tone was very excited: "Shishi, did you know that "Myth" was a big hit?"

Liu Shishi was a little surprised. Although she had helped Hu Ge promote this drama before, she had never paid much attention to the follow-up.

After a brief moment of surprise, he smiled and congratulated: "Old Hu will be happy."

"Hu Ge is indeed happy, but you are the most popular person in this drama right now!"

On the other end of the phone, Cai Yinong thought of the hot searches on Weibo and was still a little bit unbelievable.

Last year, Yi Jie unfortunately missed the audition for the leading female role because she was attending the Qingming Festival to pay homage to her ancestors, and in the end she could only casually go to the crew to make a cameo appearance.

Who would have thought that such a small supporting role would be so outstanding, becoming an instant hit on the entire Internet and recreating the super high popularity when playing Long Kui.

"I'm popular again? What's going on?" Liu Shishi was confused and doubtful. Wasn't Lu Su just a minor supporting role?

She played mahjong with an old man last night and gave some tuition fees. After returning home, she was tormented by someone again. She got up late in the morning and had no time to pay attention to the trending searches.

Cai Yinong listened to Yijie's confused voice and felt that it was really an unintentional success: "You will know the specific situation by looking at the hot searches later.

I'm calling you this time at the invitation of the producer. I would like you to cooperate with Hu Ge on the talk show tomorrow or the day after tomorrow to promote "The Myth" and use your popularity to boost the ratings."

"Not tomorrow!" When Liu Shishi heard the time, she shook her head repeatedly, "I have to go to my husband's uncle's house to pay New Year's greetings tomorrow."

As the new bride of the Song family, it would be very rude if she did not pay New Year's greetings to her uncle in the first year. Even if Mr. Song understood that she was doing it for work, it would be difficult to explain to her mother-in-law.

It's rare for a female star and a male star to be both popular at the same time. Seeing that the popularity of "Myth" is no less than that of "Chinese Paladin III", Cai Yinong naturally wants to strike while the iron is hot: "What about the day after tomorrow?"

"Not even the day after tomorrow! Sister K, don't count on me during the New Year holidays. My schedule is packed every day. By the time my husband and I finish visiting relatives on both sides, it will take at least until the eighth day of the New Year."

Cai Yinong still didn't give up and continued to fight: "Shishi, can't you squeeze out half a day?"

At this time, Song Ci, who had been driving quietly, suddenly interrupted: "Let's talk about it after the New Year."

When Liu Shishi saw her husband speak, she shrugged and said, "Sister K, my husband said we'll discuss it after the New Year."

Boss Song made the final decision, and Cai Yinong had no choice but to give up his plan to ask Yi Jie to help: "Then you should post more on Weibo and interact more with your fans."

"That's no problem. I'll send it in a minute."

Cai Yinong ended the call angrily, but before hanging up, he reminded her: "Shishi, if you have time, please let me know."

Liu Shishi looked at the street scene receding outside the car window, her mind still recalling the conversation she had just had with Cai Yinong. She was surprised at her unexpected popularity, so she opened Weibo to find out more.

As soon as she entered her Weibo homepage, she cheered excitedly: "Wow, my Weibo followers have exceeded 12 million. This is so exaggerated. I gained more than 800,000 followers in one night!"

Song Ci nodded upon hearing this: "That's right, a good role can indeed bring huge popularity benefits to an actor. This shows that you played Lu Su very well."

Liu Shishi's eyebrows curved, and she was very proud: "Hehe, it seems that I have another role that can make a living from my old achievements."

"It's still a little short. Although Long Kui and Lu Su are hard for the audience to accept, they are still supporting roles. You need a heroine of your own."

"Yeah, Sister K said the same thing, so the company's next play is carefully crafted for me."

Song Ci chuckled: "Although Cai Yinong's pattern is average, his professional level is indeed not bad. What is the name of the new play prepared for you?

"'Startling by Each Step'! It's a bit like 'The Myth', and it's also a time-travel drama." Liu Shishi looked expectant, with an inexplicable gleam in her eyes.

Song Ci was slightly stunned. His wife's drama "Startling by Each Step" in which she made her way through the entertainment industry was about to be released!

“When will it start?”

Miss Liu spread her hands and said, "It will probably take some time. 'Startling by Each Step' is a Qing Dynasty drama, Lao Hu refused to shave his head, and Tangren doesn't want Hong Kong or Taiwan artists now. Sister K decided to hold an open audition for the male lead, so we can't start filming until the male lead is confirmed."

"I understand. Remember to notify me when this drama is about to be released. I will give you a splash screen recommendation on Toutiao as a birthday present for you."

The car was quiet for a moment. While waiting for the red light, Song Ci glanced to the side and saw his wife supporting her little head with one hand, her eyes moving and gazing at him lovingly.

"Why are you looking at me like that?"

Liu Shishi smiled and responded: "I admire the handsome guy! Honey, you look so handsome when you concentrate on driving. I still remember someone swore that the splash screen in Chinese Paladin III was just a test and it would not happen again in the future."

Song Ci coughed lightly and said, "Did I say that? Well, the splash screen recommendation of "Startling by Each Step" is my first birthday gift to you after marriage. It won't happen again. Besides, Tangren has to pay for the advertisement."

Liu Shishi's mouth corners turned up, and her smile became brighter and brighter: "Dear husband, I just like the way you favor me seriously."

During the Spring Festival, Song Ci and Liu Shishi, the young couple, were busy visiting relatives and friends, wishing each other a happy new year. On the fourth day of the first lunar month, Song Ci went to his uncle's house, and on the fifth day, Liu Shishi went to her grandfather's house... Every day's schedule was extremely tight.

Soon, a few days passed by and it was the seventh day of the Lunar New Year.

Mark came to the office early as usual. During the New Year, the first thing he did every day when he arrived at the office was to ask about the ratings of "Myth".

"Director, please take a look at it yourself." Kobayashi handed the report to Mark respectfully, with a hint of worry in his eyes.

"Why are you being so secretive?" Mark took the report and when he saw the rows of data, his pupils suddenly widened and he was horrified:

"The average audience rating is 3.7%! How come it's dropped by 1.5 percentage points from the day before yesterday? Xiaolin, are you sure the data is correct?"

The assistant nodded carefully: "I'm sure the data is correct."

Mark frowned, "Why did the ratings drop so drastically?"

Xiao Lin also had a sad face: "The day before yesterday, in the eighth episode, Lu Su passed away, and many viewers online were protesting, saying that there would be no more myths after Lu Su, so the ratings plummeted yesterday.

However, the people in the Film and Television Department believe that it is understandable that the audience cannot accept it for a while, and after a few days, the ratings will increase. "

"Oh!" Mark sighed and threw the report in his hand on the desk. He felt very upset. He had originally hoped that the ratings of "The Myth" could go up again, but it seemed there was no hope.

Seeing his boss's disappointed face, Xiao Lin quickly comforted him: "Director, no matter what, the ratings of "Myth" have exceeded 5, which is already a very impressive result. After the audience's anger subsides, the ratings will soon rise again."

"The audience really likes Liu Shishi's role as Lu Su?"

"I really like it! The ratings dropped by 1.5% in one night. Just imagine how many viewers gave up watching "Myth" because of Lu Su's death."

Mark nodded slightly, fell into a brief contemplation, and an idea suddenly came to his mind: "Since the audience likes it, let's play the first eight episodes again.

I will report to the station director in a moment. After the eight channels are finished, the first channel will seamlessly take over and broadcast "The Myth" again."

Xiao Lin opened her mouth slightly, secretly frightened, thinking that the director was so cruel that he wanted to cut the audience's hearts repeatedly.

After Lu Su left the show, the ratings of "The Myth" dropped the next day. Obviously, this could not be hidden from the powerful netizens. Soon, Liu Shishi was on the hot search again, and the topic popularity soared.

Yi Jie naturally would not waste such popularity, and everything was carried out according to what had been discussed with Cai Yinong in advance. She interacted with all the leading actors on Weibo and contributed to the popularity of "The Myth".

Liu Shishiv: What are your feelings after watching the first eight episodes? @Hu Gev

Hu Ge v: Everyone, the first eight episodes are up to you! @Liu Shishi v

As long as I act well and my character is outstanding, there will be fans to argue for me. Since Lv Su appeared on the stage, the little lions have gathered under the Weibo of Yijie every day to discuss it heatedly.

By the eighth episode, the popularity had reached its climax. Not only fans, but also countless passers-by and netizens flocked to Liu Shishi's Weibo, leaving crazy messages, as if they wanted to vent their frustrations.

"Master is awesome. He single-handedly cut off a large-scale TV series."

"The latest news is that CCTV-1 will seamlessly take over from CCTV-8 to broadcast The Myth, and Lu Su will be returning for a limited time."

"Fuck, CCTV tricked me into tears once and it wasn't enough, they have to do it again."

"The first eight episodes are a myth, and the rest are Gao Yao's promotion story."

"Yi Xiaochuan is a scumbag. If it wasn't for Hu Ge playing the role, I would have cursed him to death if it was another actor."

"The value of Yijie is getting higher and higher. Congratulations to her for winning another unforgettable classic role."

In late February, Liu Shishi became popular for her role as Lü Su and became the brief yet eternal white moonlight in the hearts of countless audiences and fans.

On Weibo, Tieba, Tianya Forum, people are discussing Liu Shishi and Lu Su everywhere. The fame and popularity of Tangren's No. 1 sister has reached a new height.

Tangren Film and Television obviously would not miss out on the popularity of the No. 1 actress at this time, and took the opportunity to officially announce that the time-travel Qing Dynasty drama "Startling by Each Step" starring Liu Shishi will be in preparation for filming, and announced that it is open for auditions for the male lead, welcoming male artists to come to Tangren headquarters for auditions.

As soon as this news was released, it quickly caused an uproar in the entertainment circle, and countless male actors were eager to try, looking forward to acting with the popular Liu Shishi.

At the same time, the crew of "Du Lala's Promotion" was not to be outdone and urgently advanced the broadcast time from June this year to late March.

This way, the show can take advantage of the popularity of "Myth" while avoiding its limelight, which is the best of both worlds.

(End of this chapter)