With the successful airing of the next episode, Ling Yichen and Jun Mo Ran felt a huge weight lifted from their hearts as they watched the flood of positive reviews on social media. The show's reputation gradually improved, and its popularity continued to rise, as if the previous crises had become a thing of the past. However, the entertainment industry is as unpredictable as the weather in June, and they knew that beneath the calm surface, new challenges might be lurking.

As the series' popularity soared, the season for award applications quietly arrived. This production, into which the entire team poured their hearts and souls, naturally carried high expectations. Ling Yichen and Jun Moran received numerous invitations from award organizers, undoubtedly a recognition of their hard work. However, they also knew that the competition for awards was fierce, and each nomination meant competing against many outstanding works.

“Yichen, these awards are both an opportunity and a challenge for us.” Jun Mo Ran said to Ling Yichen in his office while flipping through the award information. “Although our drama is currently receiving good reviews, we still need to further enhance its influence if we want to stand out among many works.”

Ling Yichen nodded slightly, his gaze deep: "That's right. We need to take advantage of the current popularity to increase our publicity efforts. We not only want the audience to see our drama, but also want industry professionals to recognize our innovation and hard work."

Therefore, the production team quickly formulated a series of publicity and promotion plans. They collaborated with major media outlets to launch in-depth interview programs, inviting Ling Yichen, Jun Moran, and the main actors to share the stories behind the creation. In the interview, Ling Yichen passionately recounted the arduous journey from conceiving the play to overcoming numerous difficulties to complete filming, his words filled with his love and dedication to theatrical art.

"This play is not just a work for us, but also a breakthrough and innovation in traditional drama. We hope to show the audience the infinite possibilities of theatrical art through it." Ling Yichen's words resonated widely, and many audience members and industry professionals gained a deeper understanding of the production team's creative philosophy.

Meanwhile, Jun Mo Ran and his team planned a combined online and offline fan interaction event. Online, they held activities such as plot Q&A and character voting, attracting a large number of fans. Fans were enthusiastic, sharing their understanding of the plot and their love for the characters on social media. Offline, the crew held fan meetings in several cities, where the actors interacted closely with fans, creating a lively and exciting atmosphere.

However, just as the production team was busy with award applications and promotion, a new problem arose. A competitor secretly instructed individuals to post negative comments about the show online, attempting to smear its image. These comments, seemingly well-founded, were actually taken out of context and misinterpreted certain details of the series. For example, some criticized a historical scene for being inaccurate. Although the production team had consulted extensive historical materials and made artistic adjustments, these negative comments still influenced viewers' judgment to some extent.

Ling Yichen and Jun Moran were furious upon learning of this. However, they knew that at this crucial moment, they couldn't let emotions control them and had to remain calm. They decided to invite historical experts to provide a detailed analysis of the historical scenes in the drama and create a video to release online. In the video, the historical experts elaborated on the efforts the production team made in recreating historical scenes and the necessity of artistic embellishment.

"This drama, while respecting history, has made bold innovations and imaginative contributions, which is a form of artistic creation." The words of the historical expert vindicated the production team, and many viewers gained a deeper understanding of the team's professionalism after watching the video, and those negative comments gradually lost their appeal.

After resolving this issue, the production team faced the task of preparing award application materials. Award applications require submitting a large amount of material, including the script, shooting footage, post-production materials, etc., and the format and content requirements are very strict. To ensure the quality of the application materials, Ling Yichen and Jun Moran personally led the team to organize and review them. They meticulously checked every document, leaving no detail overlooked, striving to present the production team's best work to the judges.

However, another problem arose when preparing the application materials for the visual effects production. Due to the heavy workload during the previous production process, the visual effects team had not kept detailed enough records to meet the award application requirements. This meant they needed to reorganize and supplement these materials, and time was running out.

"Don't panic, everyone. We'll definitely finish before the deadline." Ling Yichen encouraged the special effects team members. "Let's review the special effects production process together and record every detail."

Under Ling Yichen's leadership, the special effects team worked overtime, day and night. They reviewed numerous production logs, redrawn design sketches, and supplemented missing technical parameters. After several days and nights of hard work, they finally completed the application materials for the special effects production.

With the award application process complete, the production team breathed a sigh of relief. However, they knew that even fiercer competition awaited them. In the process, they might encounter various unexpected problems. For example, would there be unfairness in the award judging process? Would other competitors resort to more drastic measures to suppress them? These questions hung like the Sword of Damocles over their heads, leaving them no room for complacency.

As the series progresses, viewers' tastes and needs will continue to evolve. Will they be able to maintain their enthusiasm for the show? How will the production team adjust and optimize the subsequent plot based on viewer feedback? All of this is fraught with uncertainty.

Ling Yichen and Jun Moran stood by the office window, gazing at the bustling city outside, their hearts filled with emotion. They knew that in the challenging world of entertainment, only continuous effort and innovation could ensure survival in the fierce competition. They were determined to lead the crew, upholding their passion for theatrical art, and bravely facing every challenge ahead. Whatever awaited them, they would steadfastly persevere, presenting audiences with more outstanding works. Would this drama achieve great success in subsequent award competitions? Would it maintain its high reputation throughout its run? Everything remained to be seen, and they would continue to write their own legend on this unknown journey.