I’m Really a Superstar

The next day.

There was a constant stream of news online.

“Countdown to the viewership ratings release of the premiere episode broadcasts!”

“Heavens of the Gods receives extremely high praise!”

“Age of Kingdoms getting good reviews!”

“Li Shao and Chi Hao to welcome an all-out battle!”

Countless people were waiting for the viewership ratings to be announced.

Although viewership ratings weren’t everything, the reputation and influence of these figures were still critical factors for a drama series. To a lot of people, viewership ratings were still the overall most intuitive and comprehensive indicator of a TV series. It directly reflected the popularity of the drama, the popularity of the director, and the popularity of the celebrity cast members.

…

Shanghai Television.

“Is it out yet?”

“Not yet.”

“The name of Heavens of the Gods must get off to a good start!”

“Producer, don’t worry, it definitely won’t be a problem.”

“Producer, I’ve watched In the Name of the People yesterday. It seems like—”

“Seems like what?”

“It seems like the praise surrounding it is especially good.”

“Ignore that production. It’s just a serious political drama, so of course there would be more praise surrounding it than a commercial drama. There’s nothing to compare. Beijing TV isn’t going to be a match for us.”

“True that.”

…

At Chi Hao’s studio.

“The viewership ratings list still hasn’t been published yet?”

“It should be out soon.”

“Is there any movement from Li Shao’s side?”

“Not yet.”

“Keep a close eye on him. If he takes any actions, we’ll respond immediately.”

“Do we need to get ready for Zhang Ye’s side—”

“Zhang Ye? Who cares about him?”

“I’ve seen the online reviews of In the Name of the People. It seems like they’re not bad.”

“A political drama that the country is using as a project to fight corruption, how could the reviews be bad? Reviews are just reviews, but viewership ratings are viewership ratings. No one ever thought that drama was an opponent.”

“Understood.”

…

At Xu Meilan’s studio.

The staff had taken on event after event.

“Sister Lan, there are seven events to attend today. It will be a little tight.”

“It’s fine. We’ll take it one by one.”

“You’ve been pushing too hard recently. Do you want to take a short break? Teacher Zhang has just made his comeback. Why don’t you meet up with your old friend and take it easy?”

“The youngsters these days are too amazing. If I don’t give it my all, I’ll get replaced very soon. More than one person has their eyes on the spot that I’m in now, hur hur, so how can I not put in more effort?”

“Pfft, didn’t Teacher Zhang say he will help you give them some trouble?”

“Don’t listen to him. Who knows what he’s thinking?”

“You shouldn’t just dismiss him like that. Lord Zhang’s shit stirring ability has always been world-class. If Teacher Zhang makes a move against them, I believe they’ll surely be given a lot to deal with.”

…

At the Central Publicity Department.

Everyone was having a fervent discussion on the matter.

“The viewership ratings will be out soon, right?”

“Will Teacher Zhang be able to do it?”

“I’ve watched In the Name of the People. It’s so wonderful!”

“I’ve watched Heavens of the Gods. It’s also wonderful.”

“Teacher Zhang is fighting with his back to the wall.”

“That’s true. He shouldn’t have much popularity left, and with those has-been celebrities in the cast, a low production budget, and also it being his first time crossing over into the TV industry, all the odds are stacked against him.”

“There’s no need to compare with the commercial dramas. It will already be quite good if it can get 1% in the viewership ratings.”

“That’s right, our boss’s goal for the drama was also 1% in the viewership ratings.”

…

At Beijing Television.

Ning Lan, Yao Jiancai, and the others had come to the station for an interview today. This was in conjunction with their promotions for the new drama.

Before the interview even started, they were very anxious backstage.

“How long before the viewership ratings get released?”

“I don’t know. My heart is in my throat because of this.”

“Although I found the drama to be quite good, I still can’t get a feel of how it might do.”

“Let’s wait a little more. It will be published soon.”

“I’m just worried that we might really get dealt a slap to our faces by those male idols.”

“It’s only ever been Director Zhang smacking the face of others. Since when have you guys seen Director Zhang getting slapped by others?”

“That was four years ago. Four years has passed, so who can really say?”

…

On Weibo.

“Place your bets, we’re into the final hour!”

“I’m betting on Heavens of the Gods!”

“I’ll bet on Age of Kingdoms!”

“Supporting Age of Kingdoms!”

“Crazily supporting Heavens of the Gods!”

“Fuck, why isn’t anyone supporting In the Name of the People?”

“Do you think we’re stupid? Even though that drama was really good, it’s still a political drama. Its main aim is propaganda, so how could it possibly compete with a commercially motivated drama?”

“Zhang Ye is indeed very capable. In just 10 days, he was able to film a low-budget political drama with such quality. There’s really no one else who can do something like that. You can only blame him for accepting the project without thinking it through in the first place. If he had taken a commercial drama instead, he probably could’ve challenged blockbusters like Heavens of the Gods and Age of Kingdoms. However, a political drama’s target audience is just too niche. There’s absolutely no chance it will do well. If Zhang Ye manages to one-up those two blockbuster commercial dramas with a political drama and a cast of has-been stars, this fellow will really be too fucking godly!”

“Haha, that’s right. If that happens, there really won’t be anyone left in this world who can curb him!”

“Fuck, surely what you said won’t happen, right?”

“Pfft, I’m just kidding. Of course it won’t be possible.”

…

Ten minutes.

Half an hour.

The outside world was chattering in excitement.

Almost everyone was debating the issue of the viewership ratings.

But at this moment, there was only laughter at Zhang Ye’s parents’ house. Old Wu was working overtime today, so Zhang Ye brought his daughter over to his parents’ place to play.

“Daddy, come and catch me!”

“Boo, here comes the big bad wolf!”

“Hehehe, Daddy, you can’t catch me, you can’t catch me. Sister Chenchen, come and catch me!”

“Haha, I’ll catch you together with your Sister Chenchen.”

“Catch me, come and catch me.”

“Zhang Ye, why are you so childish?”

Sisi ran.

Zhang Ye chased after her.

Chenchen was also here and she gave them a look of contempt. She was completely uninterested in playing with them.

But Zhang Ye kept chasing after Sisi happily without feeling tired.

His parents watched helplessly.

His mother said in annoyance, “Why are you so nonchalant?”

Zhang Ye said, “Huh?”

His mother facepalmed. “Shouldn’t you be more concerned about the viewership ratings of your new drama? Just look at what everyone is saying online. They’re arguing and saying that your TV series is gonna fail big time.”

Zhang Ye continued chasing after Sisi and said with a laugh, “Just leave them be. When the viewership ratings is released, they’ll most likely be surprised. That is the kind of face-smacking that this bro likes to give.”

His father was taken aback. “Do you really think that your drama can take the top spot?”

Zhang Ye remarked, “Just about.”

His mother curled her lips. “Would it kill you not to brag for once?”

Chenchen cut in, “Definitely.”

Ring, ring, ring.

Ring, ring, ring.

It was a call from Beijing Television.

Only then did Zhang Ye finally stop in his tracks. “My dear, Daddy needs to take this call. I think the viewership ratings are out.” He then put his phone to his ear. “Brother Hu, what is it?”

Hu Fei said excitedly: “It’s out! The viewership is out!”

Zhang Ye smiled and said: “So how is it?”

“You’re too freaking awesome!”

Zhang Ye said: “So how much is it?”

Hu Fei mentioned some numbers to him.

But Zhang Ye blinked. “It’s that low?”

When he put down the phone, Chenchen giggled. “It failed?”

His mother gave him a look. “Go on, keep bragging.”

Zhang Ye smiled but ignored them.

At this moment, his father lowered his head to look at his cell phone. “The news is out, the viewership ratings!”

Chenchen immediately walked over.

His mother also went over to take a look.

When they saw it, all of them were dumbfounded!

Chenchen said angrily, “Zhang Ye! Why are you always lying!”

His father was stunned for a while. “How is this possible!”

His mother cursed, “Damn!”