186: The 186th day of being popular
In the past few days, various major platforms quickly published articles and entries about "Legend of An Hua."
These articles not only mentioned "Legend of An Hua" but also casually brought up "Spring's Warmth and Rich Dew" clearly intentionally comparing these two dramas side by side.
This Summer New Online Dramas! Wen Xuan vs. Yao Bianliang, Who's Better?
Two historical romance dramas were released simultaneously! Both female leads are courtesans, and the identities of the male leads are shocking...
"Legend of An Hua" & "Spring's Warmth and Rich Dew" are Premiering Simultaneously; there is no other drama drought during the holidays.
The titles and contents were similar, all revolving around comparing the two dramas.
In terms of content, the marketing accounts subtly guided readers, making them feel that "Spring's Warmth and Rich Dew" was not as good as "Legend of An Hua"
For those sensitive to marketing tactics, it was clear that An Sheng Entertainment was preparing to use comparison marketing.
However, for most ordinary viewers, these two dramas shared the same theme and even had the same female lead. Comparing them was just a natural thing to do.
Under the influence of some online users and marketing accounts, more and more people spontaneously started comparing the two. Many passersby who came across such news also subconsciously paid attention to it.
【By the way, the makeup in "Legend of An Hua" seems much better...】
【The male lead in Yao Bianliang's drama is quite unattractive, he always looks odd.】
【The plot of "Legend of An Hua" is so interesting! Really looking forward to it.】
【Hahaha, this is hilarious. The plot description for Yao Bianliang's drama is so half-hearted it's just a single sentence. Are they serious?】
【Let me predict "Spring's Warmth and Rich Dew" can't compete with "Legend of An Hua" from the cast to the marketing methods, everything falls short of the other side.】
【The "Spring's Warmth and Rich Dew" production team is quite stubborn, they could have avoided competing with the hit drama, yet they deliberately chose to premiere at the same time.】
Internet users were discussing this fervently, and when Yao Bianliang saw these messages, she was left speechless.
What on earth was the promotion team of "The Legend of An Hua" doing? Were they so eager to boost her popularity?
Although she didn't understand marketing strategies well, she could roughly figure out some aspects. This kind of rivalry marketing favored the less popular side, while the side being used for attention gained no benefit.
From the current situation, it was evident that Yao Bianliang was the one benefiting.
"What's going on with An Sheng Entertainment's promotion team?" Yao Bianliang couldn't comprehend, and she couldn't help but vent to Mo Yougan, "Aren't they our rivals? Why, in the end, are they helping us build word of mouth?"
Yao Bianliang understood well that Mo Yougan and An Sheng Entertainment were competitors, and she also had already developed enmity with them.
An Sheng Entertainment's CEO wasn't masochistic, so why were they eagerly sending her some fame?
After silence, Mo Yougan finally spoke slowly, "Perhaps they've misunderstood something."
Yao Bianliang was taken aback, "Misunderstanding?"
Mo Yougan replied, "After all, in the eyes of others, our drama has a huge investment, and there must be sufficient marketing budget."
Yao Bianliang, "..."
It made sense.
With Mo Yougan's reminder, Yao Bianliang understood the situation. Her mood became somewhat complicated.
No wonder An Sheng Entertainment actively engaged in rivalry marketing against their new drama. It turned out they wanted to ride the wave of its popularity.
Unfortunately, they were destined for disappointment.
Not only would Yao Bianliang's side not heavily promote, but they didn't even prepare any marketing plans at all.
"Poor An Sheng Entertainment." Yao Bianliang couldn't help but silently mourn for them for a couple of seconds in her heart.
Logically, An Sheng Entertainment's approach should work.
But how could they have guessed that they ran into two weirdos like her and Mo Yougan this time? One wants to lose money, and the other aims to be cold.
Who knew, when the CEO of An Sheng Entertainment found out that Yao Bianliang had no intention of promoting the drama, he might spit blood on the spot.
"However, for me, this is actually a good thing." A faint smile curved at the corner of Yao Bianliang's lips.
She specifically chose this timing to premiere in order to go head-to-head with "Legend of An Hua" right?
No pain, no harm. Under the backdrop of the excellent hit drama "Legend of An Hua" her drama would certainly appear more poisonous and rubbish and undoubtedly receive worse reviews.
Now, with "Legend of An Hua" actively engaging in rivalry marketing, it was a bullseye for Yao Bianliang.
With their support, "Spring's Warmth and Rich Dew" would undoubtedly fall into a mess, its reputation would collapse, and it would plummet at lightning speed!
*****
Amidst everyone's anticipation, on the 12th at 8 PM, "Legend of An Hua" finally premiered.
Yao Bianliang, like all the viewers who were looking forward to this drama, sat in front of her computer early, ready to watch this highly anticipated grand historical costume drama.
With an all-star cast, substantial investment, and numerous fans for each actor, there was already a strong anticipation for this drama on the internet, and it was already becoming a prelude to a hit.
"I hope 'Legend of An Hua' can show some fighting spirit and directly surpass my drama." Yao Bianliang silently prayed in her heart.
As the opening theme song slowly played, the beautifully romantic history of "Legend of An Hua" began.
The plot of this costume drama was tightly woven. The female lead attracted everyone's attention as soon as she appeared, dressed in a red gown, gracefully dancing in the capital city.
This stunning dance was exquisitely beautiful. Witnessing such a performance, royal and noble figures threw money at her on the spot just to earn her a smile.
As the plot unfolded, the tragic background of the female lead was presented before the audience, and her revenge plan was gradually revealed.
In the first 8 episodes, there were three princes introduced, and the female lead maneuvered among them. However, it was clear that her attitude towards the male lead differed from that of the other two princes.
At the end of the 8th episode, Yao Bianliang watched as the female and male lead encountered each other in the backyard. Snowflakes filled the air, and the two held an umbrella, gazing into each other's eyes in the snowy scenery.
Slow-motion shots, coupled with the melodious background music, created a romantic and aesthetic scene.
"This drama is definitely going to be a hit!"
After watching the first 8 episodes, Yao Bianliang felt highly excited.
As a heartwarming drama, "Legend of An Hua" met the criteria and provided a satisfactory outcome.
Although the acting skills of the male and female leads weren't outstanding, but they did have some chemistry. Coupled with the sweet and heartwarming plot, the drama was quite appealing to the audience.
However, while browsing through the comments section of the "Legend of An Hua" topic, Yao Bianliang discovered that there were still quite a few people expressing anticipation for her drama, "Spring's Warmth and Rich Dew."
【Finished watching 'Legend of An Hua' and now I'm even more excited for 'Spring's Warmth and Rich Dew.'】
【Tomorrow I can start watching 'Spring's Warmth and Rich Dew!' Two days for two dramas, so happy.】
Yao Bianliang: "..."
She couldn't help but twitch the corner of her mouth.
Throughout, she hadn't promoted any selling points of her drama, nor had she praised any of the plot elements. She hadn't spent a single cent on marketing and promotion.
Yet, in the end, due to "Legend of An Hua" attempting to ride on its popularity, her drama still garnered quite a bit of attention.
What's more, people subconsciously believed it might be a good drama.
Yao Bianliang really wanted to ask, "What are you all looking forward to? Stop having illusions; this drama doesn't deserve your expectation!"
With these thoughts, she finally left her sincere advice using her anonymous Weibo account.
【YaoBianliangTodayIsCold: I advise everyone not to have high expectations for 'Spring's Warmth and Rich Dew' The higher the hope, the greater the disappointment.】
【YaoBianliangTodayIsCold: I guarantee with my body that the plot of this drama is extremely terrible. If you feel uncomfortable after watching one episode, don't hesitate, run away early.】
Unfortunately, netizens and fans didn't get her sincerity.
Soon, Yao Bianliang faced backlash from her own fans.
【Are you a hired navy from Yao Bianliang's side?】
【Criticizing the drama before it even airs, spare us.】
【Hehe, how much can you earn by sending a message, bro? Please share it with me, let's make money together.】
【Sisters, I checked this account's Weibo, this person is a Yao Bianliang's deranged hater; no need to pay attention to her.】
Yao·Opponent's Navy·Deranged Hater·Bianliang: "..."
She isn't, really. She truly isn't. Why don't you all believe her?
From Yao Bianliang's perspective, the comments of those internet users made her realize that they probably hadn't taken her words seriously.
However, she couldn't possibly use her main account to notify everyone, 【The plot of my new drama is poisonous, you better run.】
Not to mention that this might attract a bunch of curious viewers. Regarding the system mission alone, such an approach wouldn't benefit her in completing the task.
"Forget it," Yao Bianliang leaned back in her sofa chair, "after they finish watching the first few episodes, they should understand that I was right."
By then, these viewers who were hurt by the plot would definitely come to criticize her.
In this way, her negative review mission would be successfully completed!
*****
Inside her apartment, Xiaoyu sat in her seat, staring blankly at the messages on her phone.
"Xiaoyu? Xiaoyu, what's wrong with you?" Seeing her sitting motionless, her friend couldn't help but look puzzled, "What are you thinking about? You seem lost in thought."
"Huh? I... it's nothing." Xiaoyu finally came back to her senses and responded.
She turned back to look at the phone screen, her gaze fixed on the user IP of "YaoBianliangTodayIsCold." A surge of shock and excitement rose in her heart, and her heartbeat accelerated uncontrollably.
A few months ago, Yao Bianliang was filming a variety show in city B, and the IP address of "YaoBianliangTodayIsCold" was also in city B.
Later, Yao Bianliang went to City H to film, and coincidentally, the IP address of this account changed to City H on the same day.
And now, after Yao Bianliang finished filming and returned to city B, the IP address of this account also changed on the same day!
"It can actually synchronize completely..." Xiaoyu couldn't hide her astonishment, her lips trembling slightly.
As the leader of Yao Bianliang's fan group, she could be considered a veteran fan.
Since the last time when she kicked out someone named "YaoBianliangTodayIsCold" from the fan group, she had been secretly monitoring that person.
This person persistently criticized Yao Bianliang, not only critiquing her but also encouraging others to attack her as well, as if genuinely a hater.
However, Xiaoyu always felt that many of this person's comments were remarkably similar to Yao Bianliang's own statements. It was as if... this person was Yao Bianliang herself.
This idea was indeed outrageous, and Xiaoyu had kept it hidden in her heart, never mentioning it to anyone.
After all, many celebrities created fake fan accounts, and some even pretended to be their most loyal fans, going into fan groups and encouraging everyone to spend money and vote for them.
But opening a fake account to act as an anti-fan and encouraging everyone to criticize her, this had never happened before!
However, Liang Liang's way of doing things had always been different from others. She held herself to high standards and was eager to listen to public opinions.
If it was her, doing something like this didn't seem strange at all.
Now, as the situation developed and numerous pieces of evidence came to light, everything seemed to point to that one possibility—
"YaoBianliangTodayIsCold" might really be Yao Bianliang's alternate account!
Xiaoyu's heart couldn't help but fill with sorrow.
If she had another chance, on that warm spring afternoon, she definitely wouldn't have kicked this person out of the group chat as a hater or even blocked her directly.
If she had known this person might be her idol's alternate account, she would have actively interacted with her, trying to become friend! If she had performed well, maybe she could have even asked for an autograph and a photo together!
Whenever she thought she had kicked out her idol from the group chat, even blocked them immediately, Xiaoyu felt like she was in pain.
"No, I need to be more open-minded..." Xiaoyu consoled herself inwardly.
This person might not necessarily be her idol. Perhaps they were just Yao Bianliang's assistant?
With over 1.4 billion people in China, it should be normal for two people to have the same IP address, right?
Anxious and annoyed, Xiaoyu sighed deeply and finally gave up on overthinking. She flopped down on the couch.
One of her friends who shared the apartment sat at the dining table, eating instant noodles. Seeing Xiaoyu's appearance, they couldn't help but say, "Alright, stop dwelling on it. You've been acting strangely since this morning."
Xiaoyu: "..."
If you discovered your idol's alternate account one day, you couldn't act normally either!
The friend continued, "Come on, Liang Liang's show is premiering today. Just relax and watch it."
Xiaoyu pouted, "Do you even need to remind me?"
As early as yesterday, she had set an alarm specifically. She was waiting for 8:00 PM tonight to sit in front of the computer and watch the show on time.
Glancing at her watch, half an hour remained until the premiere.
Xiaoyu quickly took a shower, brewed a cup of rich-smelling coffee for herself, and then ceremoniously brought a soft cushion.
Sitting upright at the computer desk, Xiaoyu opened the page for "Spring's Warmth and Rich Dew" quietly waiting for the moment when it would start airing.
At exactly 8:00 PM, "Spring's Warmth and Rich Dew" started on time!
【Here it comes, the long-awaited TV show.】
【 yesterday, I was watching "Legend of An Hua" and today, I'm watching "Spring's Warmth and Rich Dew" Having vacation days for binge-watching is such a happiness.】
【"Spring's Warmth and Rich Dew" released ten episodes all at once! This is so satisfying.】
【Hahaha, the production team is generous. I suggest they release even more.】
The barrage kept scrolling across the screen as the TV show's opening sequence finally finished playing.
The screen gradually darkened as the theme song concluded, followed by the crisp sound of wind chimes.
"Ding—"
A gentle breeze rustled through, and the camera seemed to move with the wind, slowly gliding from one end of a street alley to the other.
Having just watched "Legend of An Hua" Xiaoyu's thoughts still lingered on that show's opulent and romantic scenes.
However, what she saw on the screen was quite different from her imagination.
The images of women in luxurious dresses standing in front of buildings, enticing customers with smiles, didn't appear. There were no grand restaurants or scenes of extravagance.
What filled her view was a narrow alley bustling with people. Farmers, laborers, and peddlers pushing carts were busy with their daily activities. Most of them wore coarse cloth shirts, had towels slung over their shoulders, wore straw shoes, and went about their livelihoods.
The camera's view slowly moved, passing over the dirty ground, through the weathered walls, and finally stopping in front of a courtyard gate.
【Here it is, the legendary newbie village, is this where the story begins? doge.jpg】
【The female lead lives in such a rundown place it seems like her family conditions aren't good.】
【Sisters, I predict the female lead will probably be sold to a brothel soon.】
【Looking at it this way, going to a brothel doesn't sound bad at all. You get to wear luxurious dresses and sleep in those antique-style lavish rooms, which is better than this dirty and chaotic place.】
The barrage's predictions flowed in, filled with anticipation for the upcoming appearance of the female lead.
Amid everyone's speculations, the camera slowly moved upward, revealing the plaque above the courtyard gate—Yunxiang Pavilion.
Yunxiang Pavilion? This name seemed strangely familiar as if seen somewhere before.
After pondering for a moment, everyone gradually recalled.
According to the official introduction by the production team, the female lead stayed in two brothels during the show. The first brothel she was sold to was precisely named Yunxiang Pavilion.
【Goodness, this rundown place is actually a brothel?!】
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