Chapter 65: The Finale [VIP]
Chapter Summary: Do you think she has a bright future?
On August 21, "The Bell Ringer" came to an end.
From its premiere to its finale, the series lasted exactly one month.
Over the past week, with the addition of Green Apple, the competition for promotion on the trending topics list among the three major platforms has been extremely fierce, making it difficult to determine which is better. In the end, the quality of the three dramas will speak for itself.
From August 17th to 20th, "The Bell Ringer" consistently ranked first on various charts, maintaining high popularity and discussion levels.
Tonight marks the finale of "The Bell Ringer," bringing the story to a perfect close.
The initial romance between A Ying and Ning Yushan can be traced back to the Heavenly Court.
The two's marriage began when Ning Yushan was a celestial being named Fengyu. The Queen Mother of the West had a favorite bell that hung in a corner of the celestial pavilion. He had once played with this bell, and thus the thread of fate was tied between them.
Later, Ning Yushan descended to the mortal realm to undergo tribulations.
The Queen Mother of the West saw that the bell in the corner of the fairy pavilion had developed sentience and cultivated into human form, but still had some lingering worldly ties. So she erased her memories and let her descend to the mortal realm.
The innocent and ignorant Ah Ying met Feng Yu, who had been reincarnated as a disciple of the largest immortal cultivation sect after undergoing tribulations, in the mortal world, and the two fell in love.
Later, Ah Ying was targeted by Feng Yu's senior brother, who coveted her magical powers and framed her for the harmful things he had done in his pursuit of immortality.
Ah Ying's primordial spirit was shattered by Feng Yu's senior brother, leaving her with only half of her spiritual power.
At the last moment, Fengyu realized his senior brother's true identity and stopped him from destroying Aying's soul. To atone for his mistake, he exhausted all his magic power to seal Aying in an antique shop.
The clue is: collect bell fragments; when the bell rings, you will remember everything.
Centuries later.
Feng Yu was reincarnated as Ning Yushan, and he met A Ying again, and the scene from hundreds of years ago was repeated once more...
The ending for the two can be considered a happy one.
Ah Ying learned that Ning Yushan had risked his life to protect her at the last moment hundreds of years ago, but the harm was real, and so was the harm in this life.
He never believed her.
She was exhausted, so she gave her heart to Ning Yushan, bringing him back to life and allowing him to complete his final tribulation.
A bell without a heart will never ring again, nor will it ever love again.
Ning Yushan did not return to Heaven, but chose to stay in the mortal realm, saying that he would always stay by A Ying's side.
At the end of the final episode, Ning Yushan gives Aying a bell.
"As long as you ring this bell, I will do whatever you want."
"Life after life, day after day, I will protect you."
And so, the play ends.
It's a happy ending, but not a very happy one.
Most fans of the show expressed satisfaction, saying that the male lead was desperately in love with the female lead, but the female lead might not necessarily love him back, so this open ending was the best solution.
A small number of drama fans, especially CP fans, expressed their dissatisfaction, hoping to see their favorite CP love each other as deeply as before, and give each other sweet moments, instead of sweet moments laced with heartbreak.
The finale generated a lot of discussion, with over a million people chatting online...
Because the five consecutive days of airing in the final week were very conducive to boosting popularity, coupled with the platform's strong promotion and recommendations, "The Bell Ringer" broke 9999 in popularity last week, and the platform's popularity on the day of the finale surged to 10000.
It ranked #1 on the TV drama trending list, #1 on the historical drama list, #1 on the trending list, #2 on the must-watch list, and #1 on the romance drama list.
It is the most popular ancient costume drama on the Green Apple platform in the past four years.
For an S-level project to achieve this level of success and popularity is truly remarkable.
On Weibo, the main creative team members posted farewell messages to "The Bell Ringer".
Director Xu Tao published a long article of 10,000 words.
From its initial planning three years ago, to the first wrap-up of filming, to the post-production halt due to well-known reasons, when everyone thought the project was doomed and they didn't know how to explain it to the investors and the entire crew, things took a turn for the better when new investors joined, the project restarted, filming resumed, and finally, it aired...
The whole process was extremely difficult.
Xu Tao thanked the screenwriter, saying that without the screenwriter there would be no story. He also thanked Ning Yao and other actors for their availability, saying that it took the time of two dramas to film this one.
I am grateful to Mu Zhi for her unwavering commitment to the role. For more than two months, she filmed more than ten scenes a day without a single complaint. She delivered a wonderful and meticulous performance as A Ying, making "The Bell Ringer" even more captivating.
Thank you to every member of the production team for their hard work, thank you to all the investors for their trust and support, thank you to the platform...
Finally, I would like to thank the audience for their love of this drama and the many enthusiastic supporters who have made it possible for his three years of hard work and the dedication of the team to be seen.
Mu Zhi, Ning Yao, the screenwriter, and other actors also posted on Weibo.
I didn't post anything during the broadcast of the drama; I didn't want to play the victim.
Now that the series has finished airing, everyone is very satisfied with the results and is bidding farewell to "The Bell Ringer" with a sense of excitement.
Mu Zhifa's Weibo post was simple, expressing in a very humble yet official tone that he felt honored and lucky to be able to play the role, and happy for everyone's love for A Ying. He then bid farewell to the character...
The post included a 6-grid photo collage, featuring candid shots taken by Minmin of Muzhi on set, as well as group photos with the entire crew at the wrap party.
With the airing of "The Bell Ringer", Mu Zhi undoubtedly reaped the most benefits.
In just one month, it gained more than two million followers.
The Weibo post bidding farewell to the character received over 2 million likes. The comments section, super topic, and Mu Zhi's social media were filled with praise for her looks, acting skills, temperament, and aura, expressing their love for her portrayal of A Ying.
Data comparison before and after the broadcast shows that Mu Zhi has undoubtedly become popular.
And there's also the most obvious manifestation.
Since the 14th, Mu Zhi's previous participation in the talent show "Chasing the Light" has been brought up again. Her poor performance in the early episodes has been criticized as a way to show off her beauty, her withdrawal from the competition due to a foot injury has been questioned, and the three variety shows she appeared on, "Celebrity Kitchen," "Heartbeat Lovers," and "Detective Winner," have also been dug up...
They're trying to dig up some dark history.
Furthermore, Mu Zhi's termination of her contract with Xinghe Culture and her swift announcement of signing with Lende Media have drawn criticism, with some accusing her of being an ingrate who secretly partnered with another company after becoming famous through a talent show.
They were all "arranged" to trend on negative social media.
But these are hardly any negative points. Mu Zhi has recently gained a lot of fans, and the negative trending topics have instead been used by fans to promote the drama.
The day after the finale of "The Bell Ringer".
Mu Zhi was even exposed by a paparazzi for dating a musical talent.
I posted a GIF.
Mu Zhi and Xie Chaoyun were photographed standing together talking after the recording of the variety show "The Deduction Winner".
Because of the angle of the GIF, the two appear to be quite close together.
Soon, #MuZhiIsInARelationship# was placed at the top of the trending searches.
Fans from both sides quickly arrived at the comments section and united to criticize the paparazzi:
"That's it? No physical contact whatsoever? So, can't people of the opposite sex stand together and chat? You're really nosy."
"Xie Chaoyun and Mu Zhi worked together on 'Chasing the Light Girl,' and it's normal for former mentors to exchange greetings with contestants a year later."
"When other people's relationships are exposed, at least they're seen hugging each other, kissing, and so on. But when Mu Zhi and Xie Chaoyun stand together, it's automatically considered a relationship. Are you crazy trying to meet Blackie's KPIs? I suggest you find a job in an electronics factory as soon as possible."
Fans didn't believe it and actively refuted the rumors in trending topics, giving the paparazzi a thorough dressing down.
Subsequently, the paparazzi posted several chat screenshots, which were conversations with a fan who submitted a post. The fan claimed that Xie Chaoyun's new song "Heartbeat" was written for Mu Zhi, and that the lyrics contained the words "Mu" and "Zhi".
The lyrics express the feeling of being attracted to and liking someone, and the female character described is somewhat similar to Mu Zhi.
Mu Zhi was speechless when she saw the trending topic.
Ji Binghe was speechless when she saw the trending topic. She was at the scene and didn't notice that Mu Zhi had been photographed.
What's intriguing is that the person who took the photo kept it a secret until now before posting it.
Ji Binghe speculated, "The person taking the photos was probably targeting Xie Chaoyun, but they didn't even capture any physical contact. Xie Chaoyun has never had any scandals, so this GIF doesn't prove anything..."
Later, they might have discovered the secret of Xie Chaoyun's new song and exposed it along with the photos, which made it seem more plausible.
The timing of this revelation, coinciding with trending topics, clearly indicates it's aimed at Mu Zhi.
If the dating rumors are confirmed, it will have a significant impact on Mu Zhi. The first group to leave will be her die-hard fans who have been with her all along. Dating is too hurtful for idol fans. The second group to leave will be a large number of CP fans of Mu Zhi and Ning Yao, who may be easily purified by the male party.
Ji Binghe did not investigate which team was responsible.
The first thing to do is to refute and clarify the rumors.
Just as I was about to contact Xie Chaoyun's team, they called first, saying they were already preparing a clarification statement.
There's an unwritten rule in the industry: when rumors of a romantic relationship arise between a man and a woman, the woman usually refutes the rumors first, and then the man steps in to show respect for her; only if the woman's team doesn't cooperate promptly will the man issue a statement first.
Therefore, Mu Zhi Studio first issued a statement to refute the rumors, followed by Xie Chaoyun's studio explaining the meaning of the lyrics of Xie Chaoyun's new song.
In order not to cause trouble for Mu Zhi, Xie Chaoyun probably had already prepared a set of explanations regarding the lyrics.
As for the leaked GIF, both parties claimed it was taken on the day they recorded the variety show "The Deduction Winner." They hadn't seen each other for a year since the finale of "Chasing the Light Girls," and they bumped into each other on the show, so they exchanged greetings.
In its statement, Muzhi Studio politely referred to Xie Chaoyun as "Mentor Xie," thus distancing itself from any relationship between the two.
Since not a single intimate photo was taken, after Mu Zhi and Xie Chaoyun issued a statement denying the rumors, the onlookers dispersed, and the fans naturally didn't believe it either.
Especially for Mu Zhi's fans, it's clear that they came here to smear their idol.
There hasn't been a moment of peace lately.
Even after the dating rumors subsided, the subtle and dark discussions about Mu Zhi didn't stop. They implied that she was no ordinary person, landing a lead role in her very first film and already having another lead role in a movie in the pipeline, suggesting she had a powerful backer...
Even though the posts on forums and the revelations by marketing accounts that dared not use real names were only circulating on a small scale, fans immediately left comments to defend and report them.
But this couldn't shut up the mouths of this small group of people, who seemed to hate Mu Zhi to the bone, desperately trying to dig up her flaws to completely deny her and wanting to see her fall from grace.
Agent Ji Binghe told Mu Zhi, "Don't take it to heart. Once you become famous, you'll be criticized."
He reminded Mu Zhi to be careful about her words and actions from now on: "You're under a lot of attention now. Every word you say, even every expression you make, will be magnified, misinterpreted, and maliciously interpreted..."
Mu Zhi nodded; she was well aware of all of this.
After "The Bell Ringer" concluded, "The Underworld" also concluded.
The two dramas were neck and neck, and "The Bell Ringer" undoubtedly won the battle over "The Yellow Springs and the Blue Sky".
Only Xi Qianwen's drama is still airing. Its popularity was initially suppressed by Mu Zhi's drama, but it is divided into two parts, so it is hard to say how well it will perform in the end.
The three dramas have only been over for a short time, yet they are all still on the charts, and the comparisons and discussions have not stopped.
Mu Zhi focused on herself and wanted to quietly build up her reputation, but she couldn't help being dragged out and compared to Xi Qianwen and Du Qianqian.
On the forum, some netizens started a thread to discuss Mu Zhi, Xi Qianwen, and Du Qianqian under the same title, asking why an idol's S-level drama could beat the new S+ level dramas of the other two popular actresses?
Xi Qianwen and Du Qianqian are both among the four most popular actresses! They both have representative works! Historical dramas are their comfort zone.
The post quickly gained traction and became a hot thread.
[Some people say that historical romance dramas should be played by younger actors, and that audiences are tired of seeing the current crop of young actresses in these dramas.]
2nd floor [Take my Qianqian away! Our drama hasn't been airing for long, and the final results haven't been released yet, so don't rush to compare and criticize it.]
3rd floor comment: [So stop bragging about it being a game-changer. If the script is bad, no matter how popular the actors are, the audience won't stick with it.]
9th Floor: [Every year new talents emerge. Mu Zhi is beautiful, has good acting skills, and the script for "The Bell Ringer" is good; it's just that she became famous.]
It has little to do with Xi Qianwen and Du Qianqian. Their new dramas are doing quite well, but it's just that compared to a newcomer's drama, it can't compete, which is awkward.
Floor 10: [Mu Zhi isn't even worthy of being compared to the other two. With her current status, if she were to compete with her seniors for an S+ level historical drama role, could she possibly win? She'd only be relegated to a supporting role.]
...
33rd floor: [Every year, various platforms broadcast many ancient costume dramas. The audience's tastes are becoming more and more discerning. It is normal for the good to drive out the bad.]
Xi Qianwen and Du Qianqian's new ancient costume dramas have something in common. They are obviously self-produced dramas by Owl and Pudding. In particular, the ancient costume dramas on the Owl platform are always produced by the same few directors and stylists, who are rotated around.
These are all mass-produced goods made to make quick money on an assembly line, so the quality is just so-so.
The director of "The Bell Ringer" prepared for the work for 3 years. After the project ran into trouble and new investment was raised, instead of changing heads and using green screen, he spent a lot of money to reshoot. He was aiming to make a good work, not to make quick money.
It can only be said that Mu Zhi is very lucky, extremely lucky. Of course, she also has the ability; opportunity favors the prepared.
......
Mu Zhi agreed with the assessment of post #33, saying that playing Ah Ying was indeed her good fortune.
In fact, one work cannot prove anything.
Mu Zhi doesn't think that just because her work's data is temporarily ahead of others, it's a big deal.
However, throughout the entire promotional process for this drama, she witnessed fierce competition between several platforms, as well as a chaotic battle among various capital groups, with profit taking precedence...
In fact, sometimes the environment in the industry is just like this: you can't get better resources or you need to maintain a good working relationship with the platform.
It's not something you can choose.
Most people hope to do their best within their capabilities.
There was another thread in a tall building where people were having a heated discussion about what would happen to Mu Zhi's future development after she became famous with "The Bell Ringer".
On the first page, half of the netizens commented that Mu Zhi's acting skills were good and that they had high hopes for her.
Many people listed this floor as a place where their partner didn't approve:
I think "The Bell Ringer" is the ceiling for Mu Zhi. The show did alright, but it only puts her in the ranks of popular historical romance actresses. Her filmography consists of campus youth films, which are likely to be bad, and she'll probably disappear from the public eye after that.
I'm putting it this way: Mu Zhi has no chance of getting into the film industry.
If you don't believe me, wait for the official announcement of her next project; it'll most likely be another historical romance. If she does a movie next, I'll eat shit!
Some of Mu Zhi's fans, feeling indignant, started promoting the film "Back to 17" in the thread, claiming that although the director is a newcomer, his short films have won awards. The cinematographer is very famous, having won the Golden Horn Award for Best Cinematography, and the team is excellent. As for the film's quality, we'll find out when it's released.
Being rebuked:
[Let me enlighten the fans upstairs: your idol's backlog of campus film projects is really not that great. Several up-and-coming actresses have played the lead role in campus films, some even grossing 700 million yuan thanks to powerful marketing companies, but what happened? They haven't had any other film roles since. The film industry isn't easy to get into.]
Some netizens offered relatively fair comments:
Let's see how Mu Zhi's resources go. A hit drama shows that she's lucky and has audience appeal, but the most important thing is whether she can get any resources after the hit drama.
Currently, there's no news on Mu Zhi's business dealings, and there's no word on her next project... If she can capitalize on her current popularity and secure good resources, she has a chance to rise to the top; otherwise, she'll just have made a name for herself.
......
Screenshots from these forums were reposted on Weibo by many marketing accounts.
Mu Zhi, who was surfing the internet, saw it.
Marketing accounts certainly wouldn't do good deeds by promoting Muzhi for no reason.
These marketing accounts all posted the same copy, implying that Mu Zhi gained some fans with this popular historical drama, but her status is incomparable to others, and she is not qualified to compete for resources with others. She only squeezed into the ranks of popular historical drama actresses because of this trending web series.
The film inventory on hand is also not viewed favorably.
They're stating with absolute certainty that Muzhi's future is not optimistic!
They've just become famous, but in their words, the future looks bleak and bleak.
Fans were furious after seeing this:
It ranks first on various lists. Even without looking at these lists, its popularity on the platform has exceeded 10,000. It is the most popular ancient costume drama on Green Apple in the past 4 years!
"Trending? Your marketing accounts are touting the other two competing dramas as trending, not flopping, while 'The Bell Rings' is ranked first, and it's an S-level drama, so it's at least a minor hit."
Still airing?
Besides, what happens to idols is none of the business of these marketing accounts!
What's with all the pessimism? They're clearly trying to quell the controversy!
Mu Zhi looked at the screenshots from the forum and the comments from the marketing accounts, and she was completely baffled: the onlookers were arguing heatedly about whether they were optimistic about her future development, while the marketing accounts were afraid that her future development would be good.
That's quite a lot to worry about.
Her first drama was just the beginning.
[Author's Note]
Almost got to 6 AM... (lighting a cigarette.jpg)
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