Chapter 120
Jiaoyang TV.
On the night "Cang Sheng Du" aired, the staff on duty were taken aback by the sudden surge in viewership. The ratings, which were below 1.5 during the commercial break, jumped to 2.5 at 8 p.m.
The viewership rating rose by a full percentage point...
That's really exciting!
That's why everyone says February Sky is a guarantee of good reputation. Just look at the constantly changing data in front of him, and you'll know why, the staff member thought to himself.
"Cang Sheng Du" hasn't aired a single episode yet, but it has managed to become a hit drama simply by leveraging the name of "February Sky".
It's easy to imagine that, as long as the plot doesn't go too far, the show will still gain some popularity even if it doesn't become a huge hit by the time it concludes.
Regardless, this is a game that must be won.
Li Qinqin had been waiting in front of the TV since early morning. Knowing that "Cang Sheng Du" would premiere tonight, she finished her dinner and took a shower early, ready to enjoy the show.
After playing with my dog for a while, it was eight o'clock, and the melodious flute music started playing on the TV screen. It was the opening theme of "Cang Sheng Du".
"Go away, go away!" Li Qinqin said ruthlessly, pushing the dog off her body. She sat up straight and became completely absorbed in the TV series.
......
Amidst the swirling clouds and mist, a majestic and magnificent sect slowly emerged.
Inside the quiet room, Xuanheng and Zhaoyue, following their master's orders, descended the mountain to gain experience and also to find a treasure to repair the barrier between the human and demon races.
The two flew on their swords, soaring through the sky.
Along the way, they encountered a serpent demon causing trouble. The two joined forces to kill it and steal its demon core. During this process, they also accidentally rescued a woman named Qinglan who was trapped in the serpent demon's cave...
The two episodes were so fast-paced and full of dramatic twists and turns that Li Qinqin watched with her eyes wide open the entire time.
Although the previous trailers had already foreshadowed the extraordinary nature of this drama, she only realized after watching it that the trailers could not show even a fraction of the plot.
What are all these things?!
A sect deep in the mountains, a group of protagonists with an air of otherworldly elegance, and a ferocious snake demon... everything is unprecedented and novel.
This drama was a complete surprise to her!
To her surprise, viewers who watched the first two episodes of "Cang Sheng Du" have now shifted their focus and gone crazy on TK short videos.
-This is so good! I've never seen such a good show before. I didn't even want to go to the bathroom; I held it in until the preview for the next episode was released.
Is it really that exaggerated?
- It's really good. I was stunned when the main character flew on his sword.
Xuanheng and Zhaoyue made such a grand entrance, but they're not actually a couple?!
-Who told you they weren't a couple?
- The person upstairs is so oblivious. I noticed it the moment Qinglan appeared. The way she looked at Xuanheng was not simple. Just wait and see, there will definitely be a romantic storyline between them later.
......
"Crossing the Rivers" has received a great response online.
The appearance of a fantasy drama series for the first time greatly aroused the audience's curiosity and desire to explore. In addition, the plot of Xu Ying was written in a mysterious and suspenseful way, so that the audience was not satisfied after watching the show every day and had to find a place to discuss it with netizens.
Discussion generates buzz.
Wang Pengyu of Jiaoyang TV was overjoyed to see the ratings rising day by day. He made a special call to Xu Ying to express his gratitude and also thought about inviting Xu Ying out for a meal to catch up.
It would be better to maintain contact and build rapport when you have free time, so that future collaborations will go more smoothly. Unfortunately, Xu Ying is not a sociable person, and she declined the offer, citing other commitments.
She did indeed have something to do.
She went to Beijing to discuss the animated adaptation of "Qin Shi Huang" with Luo Ying.
Luo Ying was somewhat surprised: "You're planning to adapt your next novel into an anime?"
Xu Ying did not tell him or Zhou Xingyun about this.
“Yes,” Xu Ying nodded. She had finally decided to start writing about Qin Shi Huang, a topic that had been weighing on her mind for a long time.
But simply putting pen to paper is not enough.
Recently, she's been thinking a lot and feels that she can't find a perfect actor to play the First Emperor even if she searches the entire entertainment industry. Since that's the case, why not just go all the way and turn the story into an anime?
Luo Ying said seriously, "Animation adaptation is no problem. Our company has always had an animation department, but we've always done outsourcing work. If our two companies cooperate, we will definitely prioritize our own projects."
"However, have you finished writing the script? I need to take a look at the script first and assess the investment risks."
Xu Ying took the script out of her bag and handed it to Luo Ying: "Of course, business is business. If you are not interested in this story, I can fund it independently. Your company can just consider it another outsourcing job."
Luo Ying took the script and started reading.
The script couldn't be read in a short time, so Xu Ying stood up and said, "Would you mind if I took a tour of your company?"
"Do as you please."
Without even looking up, Luo Ying gestured for her secretary to take Xu Ying out.
Even though he had only read the beginning, the phrase "the legacy of six generations" had already captivated him, and he couldn't wait to read on.
A young emperor.
He ascended the throne at the age of thirteen, successively conquered the six states of Han, Zhao, Wei, Chu, Yan, and Qi, and completed the unification of China, becoming the first emperor in Chinese history.
What is an emperor?
He possessed the virtues of the Three Sovereigns and surpassed the achievements of the Five Emperors; he was known as the First Emperor.
The establishment of the prefecture-county system, the standardization of currency and weights and measures, the standardization of writing, and the construction of the Great Wall...
Each of these achievements alone would be enough to make one famous in history, let alone the culmination of the best of all schools of thought. Of course, similar systems existed in the history of their Yu state, but they were gradually developed through trial and error by successive dynasties.
Xu Ying is too daring to write such a thing; she has piled so many achievements that are worthy of being recorded in history onto one person.
She intended to create a god-like being.
She succeeded.
Luo Ying was indeed shocked. After reading the booklet in his hand, he sat in his office chair for a long time, unable to recover from the shock.
Xu Ying paced around outside several times, estimating that Luo Ying should have finished reading the script by now, before knocking on the office door and going in.
"Have you finished watching?"
"I've finished watching it. Wasn't Qin Shi Huang's death too hasty in the end?" As soon as Xu Ying entered the room, Luo Ying's gaze was like a sharp sword, staring straight at her. His words were tinged with resentment. "Why was the ending designed like this? It makes no sense at all!"
Despite his wisdom and prowess, Qin Shi Huang's final fate was to have his corpse rot and mixed with abalone.
"Do you know that this is a terrible ending? This is the worst kind of ending for a shonen manga. You'll be cursed to death by the audience!"
He spoke with righteous indignation, but his core purpose was to get Xu Ying to change the ending.
Xu Ying opened her mouth, unsure how to explain to him that history doesn't need logic or reason, and that history is sometimes just that absurd.
"Forehead......"
Xu Ying frowned, trying to come up with a reasonable explanation. Luo Ying, who was opposite her, could tell from her expression that she had not been persuaded and had no intention of changing the outcome.
It's okay, if he can't persuade me, someone else can.
After reading the script, he called Zhou Xingyun.
Since filming wrapped up for "Cang Sheng Du", Zhou Xingyun and Xu Ying have not seen each other for a while. They took this opportunity to have a meal together and get together.
Now, looking at the terrible ending in her hands, Luo Ying felt it was necessary to let Zhou Xingyun read "Qin Shi Huang," believing that after reading it, she would be even more indignant than herself.
If even Zhou Xingyun can't persuade Xu Ying, then there's still Lin Zhongxu. Everyone can take their turn, and I don't believe Xu Ying won't change her mind.
"I'm not kidding, you'll get a lot of hate mail from the audience for this ending," Zhou Xingyun said, patting Xu Ying's shoulder hard after watching "Qin Shi Huang".
Not to mention the audience, even Xu Ying's friend of several years wanted to pry open her head and ask her what grudge she held against Xu Ying that made her write about the aftermath of Qin Shi Huang like this!
*
After having dinner with Luo Ying and Zhou Xingyun, Xu Ying returned to the hotel by herself.
Sitting at her desk, she held the book "Qin Shi Huang" and looked at it again and again. Thinking of the strong opposition from her two friends, she couldn't help but hesitate.
For her, because the story had a historical prototype, she could accept the ending where the protagonist died suddenly and his body was mixed with abalone to cover up the stench.
But to those in this world who are unaware of the truth, this plot is nothing more than the author's pure hatred for the character he created. If it weren't for hatred, how could he have let him die so suddenly and so miserably?
"What a cruel heart," she thought, and realized how dark her own heart was.
Giving up the resistance, Xu Ying took out her laptop from her suitcase and deleted the last chapter of "Qin Shi Huang" word by word from the document...
Upon learning that Xu Ying had changed her mind and rewrote the ending of "Qin Shi Huang," Luo Ying and Zhou Xingyun were practically ready to pop open champagne to celebrate.
"Excellent! This is the kind of ending that befits me, the greatest emperor of all time!"
Zhou Xingyun held the newly released second edition of the final version of "Qin Shi Huang," and after reading it, he gave Xu Ying a big smile.
Unlike the first version, which directly describes the death of the First Emperor, the second version only mentions the First Emperor's eastern tour, during which he was accompanied by a grand procession, with the army leading the way and the surrounding people kneeling in worship.
Two people in the crowd were watching the First Emperor's palanquin, awestruck by the ultimate imperial power. One of them was Xiang Yu, the future overlord, and the other was Liu Bang, the founding emperor of the Han Dynasty.
Xiang Yu said with deep resentment, "He can be overthrown and replaced."
Liu Bang's tone carried a hint of longing and anticipation: "A true man should be like this."
......
"Why were these two characters highlighted in the finale? Are you planning to make a second season of the anime?" Luo Ying, having figured something out, turned to ask Xu Ying.
"Whether there will be a second part is uncertain for now, but it won't stop us from planting a foreshadowing in the last episode of 'Qin Shi Huang.' These two are indeed important figures. After Qin Shi Huang's death, the world will belong to them."
Upon hearing this, Zhou Xingyun immediately looked mournful: "Isn't Qin Shi Huang immortal? Why bring this up again..."
"Um... Qin Shi Huang didn't die in the anime. I mean in the future. If they plan to make a second season, it will be about the stories of other people after Qin Shi Huang's death."
Zhou Xingyun reluctantly replied, "Okay."
Luo Ying shook her head and didn't say anything.
He had already figured it out. He guessed that in Xu Ying's mind, the ending of Qin Shi Huang had never changed from beginning to end. She only refrained from openly writing it into the script because of his and Zhou Xingyun's opinions.
If there is a second part to "Qin Shi Huang," and as she said, it is the story of the last two people, then it will inevitably have to point out the cause of Qin Shi Huang's death. At that time, I'm afraid the First Emperor will still be walking around with his corpse mixed with abalone.
Unwilling to think about these things anymore, Luo Ying held the script and said, "I'll keep the script for now. We'll have a meeting to discuss it in detail after the animation team has read it."
"good."
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Author's Note: Dear readers, this book is nearing its end.
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