Chapter 300 Ratings
Lu Yanhe didn't know what he was nervous about. Thinking about it, he was probably nervous that with such a lot of support, the ratings might just plummet.
Lu Yanhe didn't consider himself a person who cared a lot about his reputation, but he also didn't think he could throw his reputation aside and disregard it completely.
He was even a little afraid to watch what the first episode would look like, as he had never seen it before.
This was all left to Hu Siwei and Bai Jingnian.
In the creative team behind "Friends," everyone is enthusiastically sharing their promotional updates.
At 9 o'clock sharp, the first episode of Friends began airing.
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Lu Yanhe sat alone in his dormitory room, his phone also to the side.
He was reading the latest issue of "Jump Up" magazine, unable to get into it, but forcing himself to.
Each episode is only twenty minutes long and is broadcast in two parts, with a total of 6 minutes of commercials in between.
The total broadcast time is from 9 pm to 9:30 pm.
He was unaware of online opinions and did not read the feedback from his friends.
This moment is one that only he can truly understand, a moment of quiet reflection.
As time passed, second by second.
Wait until 9:30.
Lu Yanhe picked up his phone again and turned it on.
There are already many unread messages.
Jiang Yuqian, Zeng Qiao, Luo Yuzhong, Huang Cheng... many people sent him messages, telling him that "Friends" was well made and that they liked it very much.
His former colleagues and mentors encouraged and supported him in their own ways.
A surge of indescribable emotion welled up in Lu Yanhe's heart.
He has been moved countless times in the past two days, but the emotion of being moved has not become numb; it still reaches the depths of his heart.
Finally, Lu Yanhe saw the news about the main creative team of "Friends".
In the production team of "Friends", Hu Siwei kept updating the ratings in real time. It started at 0.62%, then dropped slightly, and then surged to 0.71%. After the commercial break, the ratings for the second half of the episode suddenly jumped to 0.821%, and then remained stable at 0.8%.
Hu Siwei said: "Friends" broke the record for the highest ratings for the first episode of the year on Beijing TV.
Yan Liang and the others sent out celebratory emojis in the group chat.
Lu Yanhe held his phone, staring at the number, his scalp tingling. Only then did he breathe a long sigh of relief, feeling a sense of immense relief.
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The first episode of Friends had an average viewership rating of 0.745%.
This data was released across the entire internet immediately.
At the same time, the content of this drama has also sparked heated discussions among many people online.
Some people say that the plot is so melodramatic, including running away from the wedding, fighting, moving and other plots in just twenty minutes. Why would Lu Yanhe write such a story?
Some people say that compared to the ups and downs before the show aired, the content of this show seems too lighthearted. Six main characters? Well, six main characters, put in a first episode that is only twenty minutes long, and I actually remembered all six of them. They all have different personalities and characteristics, so the characters are well-developed.
Some people say they can't stand it. A woman running away from her wedding, and she's the female lead? What kind of nonsense is this?
Some people countered, "If your fiancée's ex-boyfriend tells you that the child she's carrying is his when you get married, I wonder if you'll still go through with the marriage."
Some people say that I'm the only one who pays close attention to the scenes at the beginning of the show, where the group of friends sit together drinking coffee, chatting, and bickering. Does that really remind me of the feeling I get when I'm with my friends?
Some people say, "I want a boyfriend like Hu Fan, why can't I ever meet a man like him?"
Some people say that Lu Yanhe's character, Jiang Kele, has a clear but foolish look in his eyes. Is he really the main character? Why does Yan Liang seem to be the most important male lead in this drama?
Some say that of the three women, I love Chen Wanqiu the most. She is elegant, intellectual, and generous. This kind of temperament is usually only seen in women over thirty. I never expected that it would be so charming in a young girl in her early twenties.
Some people say that Li Lili is the most beautiful! The moment she appeared, she struck my heart. You ordinary people like to look at the beautiful women in paintings like Chen Wanqiu, but I like the more real Li Lili.
Some people say, so, does this story just involve filming the lives of these six people?
...
For self-media creators, what genre of film and television dramas do they like the most? Sitcoms are definitely number one without a doubt.
Because sitcoms have weak plots and focus on characters.
Therefore, the different decisions and choices each person makes in different situations become a topic for secondary creation or commentary by self-media.
After the highly anticipated premiere, the show was widely discussed on social media.
Meanwhile, many people have also asked when the first episode will be rebroadcast on Beijing TV.
Many people missed the 9 PM broadcast time or didn't even plan to watch it, but amidst this overwhelming discussion, many people became interested in the show.
However, this drama is not available on video platforms and is only broadcast exclusively on television.
The official Weibo account of Beijing TV has been flooded with questions asking when the show will be rebroadcast.
The most astute advertisers all urgently contacted the marketing department of Beijing TV on Sunday night to purchase advertising slots during the broadcast time of "Friends".
At 11 p.m., Beijing TV made an emergency rebroadcast to rebroadcast the first episode of "Friends".
Including Lu Yanhe, all the main creators urgently released this message to guide those who wanted to watch the first episode of "Friends".
At 11 p.m., the first episode of Friends was rebroadcast, achieving a rating of 0.524%, a number that crushed the prime-time ratings of Beijing TV, giving Beijing TV an incredible and resounding slap in the face.
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Lu Yanhe couldn't sleep at all that night. He tried hard to control his expression and his excited feelings, but he just couldn't.
Too many people contacted him, sent him messages, and made phone calls.
Lu Yanhe had no choice but to pack his things, leave the dormitory, and return to Ziyuan Bridge.
"Yes, I didn't expect the show to have such good ratings either."
“Scripts? I do have a few scripts in the works, but they’re not sitcoms.”
"You flatter me. Everyone helped a lot, which is why the first episode had such high ratings."
...
Lu Yanhe's phone calls didn't stop until almost midnight.
Yan Liang didn't return until almost midnight.
He has a radio interview program at 11 o'clock, which is a promotional event arranged for him by Beijing Radio and Television to promote "Friends".
Although exhausted, Yan Liang's face was full of joy.
That very night, in just half an hour, he suddenly found that his world had been wiped clean of dust and suddenly became bright.
Yan Liang almost never sees his name trending on social media, but today he's trending along with Hu Fan.
He has never had so many people calling him "husband" on his social media accounts.
Yan Liang was bewildered, but more than that, he was pleasantly surprised.
The feeling of becoming famous overnight is truly like becoming famous overnight.
Yan Liang himself received several calls from producers and directors he had previously added as friends, inquiring about his upcoming schedule and expressing their desire to collaborate with him. He didn't even need to ask Zhou Ping'an; Zhou Ping'an hadn't even had a chance to speak much with him tonight.
A show like "Friends" that sparked such a huge discussion about its plot right from its premiere—the layman sees the spectacle, but the expert sees the intricacies. Everyone knows this show is a hit.
The host asked him that question when he was on the radio.
"When you first read the script, did you ever imagine it would become this popular?"
Yan Liang said, "No one dared to think that way, but when we read the script, we all knew that it was a good script, and as long as we filmed it seriously, it would definitely be a good show."
The host also asked him, "At that time, the script was written by Lu Yanhe. Of course, we all know now that he wrote it very well. But back then, didn't you think that Lu Yanhe was writing a script for the first time, and were you worried that he was a novice and that the script he created would not be liked by the audience?"
Yan Liang said, "To be honest, whether or not I can act in this drama is not up to me. Yan He directly contacted my agent and got my agent to agree to let me act in this drama. As for me, if Yan He writes a script and needs me to act in it, I don't need to read the script to act in it. In the entertainment industry, I only have two friends like Lu Yanhe and Li Zhibai. Even if I know that the risk is very high, I will definitely go."
The host immediately asked, "Then why didn't you invite Li Zhibai to act in this drama? This is supposed to be a drama about friendship. If the three of you acted in it, it would be very memorable for you."
Yan Liang: "Li Zhibai also wanted to act, but unfortunately the other role in the script was not suitable for him. Li Zhibai even blamed Lu Yanhe for not revising the script for him. However, a drama can't possibly create characters based on the three of us. Yanhe wrote the script first and then looked for actors based on the roles."
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Friends became an overnight sensation.
After its premiere, discussions about the show spread across the entire internet.
The Beijing-Taiwan radio station also set a record by rebroadcasting the program five times on the second day: twice in the morning, twice in the afternoon, and once more between 7:30 and 8:00 pm.
The daytime ratings for each episode were consistently above 0.3%, while the episode aired between 7:30 and 8:00 PM achieved 0.412%, which is higher than the annual average rating for the prime-time slot between 8:00 and 9:00 PM.
This is already a rebroadcast.
The actors, led by Yan Liang and Wen Minglan, began their promotional tour non-stop.
Beijing and Taiwan also organized offline meetings.
However, Lu Yanhe did not participate in any of them.
While "Friends" was being hotly discussed, he didn't participate in any promotional activities in Beijing and Taiwan. He was either attending classes and preparing for exams at school, or discussing upcoming projects with others.
It wasn't until four days after "Friends" aired that Lu Yanhe appeared on a live-streamed book-reading program on Yemai.com to talk about reading, novels, and creative writing.
"First of all, I'd like to recommend our newly released winter special issue of 'Jump Up.' This special issue features the latest essays by teacher Shi Xia, and also includes new works by all of 'Jump Up''s popular writers. Two special issues every year are a grand celebration for 'Jump Up,' and a gift to our readers." Lu Yanhe was mainly there to introduce the winter special issue of "Jump Up."
After the others finished discussing this matter, they inevitably brought up Friends.
Host Song Jiang asked, "Why did you initially decide to create this subject matter?"
Lu Yanhe quickly shook his head: "I did not create this subject matter. I am indeed the screenwriter, but from the theme to the six main characters, and then to describing the lives and dreams of these six young people, it was actually proposed by director Bai Jingnian. I created the script based on what he proposed. At first, he just asked me to play the lead role."
Song Jiang: "So, is it because you can write scripts, or is it just a coincidence?"
"I guess so," Lu Yanhe nodded.
"This is your first script, and the first episode has already achieved incredible success, even in the industry. Will you continue to write scripts?" Song Jiang asked.
Lu Yanhe smiled and explained again: "Actually, this is not the first script I have written. I have written several before, but they have not been released yet. I will keep it a secret for now. But this is indeed the first sitcom script I have written. I really like this story."
Song Jiang: "You said before that this drama was planned to be developed into a series?"
Lu Yanhe nodded: "Yes, producer Hu Siwei and director Bai Jingnian have been developing this with this goal in mind from the very beginning."
"Now that the first episode has been such a huge success, it's almost certain that a second season will be developed. Are you really not going to participate?"
Lu Yanhe smiled, spread his hands helplessly, and said, "For well-known reasons, I really will not participate in the later creation."
Song Jiang asked, "Don't you feel regretful? Such a hugely successful work, and you regretfully withdrew from it."
“This is not my regret.” Lu Yanhe shook his head and smiled gently. “This is other people’s regret.”
Song Jiang was stunned for a moment.
Lu Yanhe: "Moreover, I am very proud."
"Um?"
"When we were making this series, apart from Producer Hu and Director Bai, everyone knew that almost no one was optimistic about it, including many of my friends in the industry. They were very concerned about me and advised me not to do this project. They were genuinely worried that this project would drag me down."
“But I insisted on doing it. Under these circumstances, Yan Liang, Ming Lan, and several other actors who were selected through auditions, as well as Xin Cheng and the others, all persisted in working with us to create this drama seriously, even when no one was optimistic about it. At that time, I told them that as long as we acted the drama seriously, there would definitely be a good result.”
"Including some of their agents, I promised them back then that this drama would be a hit, and that after this drama, every lead actor would become a first-tier actor. Judging from the results of the first broadcast, I did not break my promise. Even though so many things happened in between, I still showed them with the results that I did not break my promise, so I am proud of myself."
Lu Yanhe's face showed a relaxed and composed smile.
Song Jiang nodded.
Xin Zixing stood behind the camera at the recording site, looking at Lu Yanhe on the stage.
After experiencing so much, Lu Yanhe seemed to be subtly different.
The humility and gentleness he had previously displayed, which she had found somewhat excessive, seemed to be covered by a layer of light with a hint of sharpness.
It's not that he's become sharp-tongued, but rather that he's finally developed a calm demeanor that allows him to stand tall, look you in the eye, and remain neither arrogant nor humble.
Xin Zixing thought, this is probably what growing up is all about.
(End of this chapter)
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