"Mr. Li, the ratings are out!"
Guang Nian Entertainment.
After midnight, the ratings for "Ask the Sword, Seek Immortals" were tallied. The Director of Operations, upon receiving the file, immediately uploaded it to the projector.
Everyone held their breath, staring intently at the projector as if awaiting a lottery draw.
Just then.
The data for the first episode appeared on the screen.
"Ask the Sword, Seek Immortals" Episode 1 Ratings: 4.3%!
"Not bad. Although it's 0.2% lower than predicted, it's still a massive hit!" Li Hongyi immediately broke into a smile.
First broadcast ratings tend to be higher. Even fan groups, while primarily driven by popularity, may abandon the show if they don't adapt to the idol's chosen genre, which is normal.
Based on past experience, a drop of around 0.5% in subsequent episodes is typically within the normal range.
Even with a 0.5% drop, a starting rating of 4.3% would still be an exceptionally high 3.8%, definitely qualifying as a massive hit, ranking within the top five among idol-driven dramas.
"Quick, let's see the data for the second episode!" Song Rentou's face was filled with excitement. He felt the Best Director award was already within his grasp!
With ratings like these, once the data was released tomorrow, he, Song Rentou, as the chief director of the series, would undoubtedly skyrocket to fame!
It wasn't just him; the screenwriter also gripped his hands tightly in anticipation.
"Haha, since everyone is ready, let's begin unveiling the second episode's ratings!"
The Director of Operations playfully stoked the anticipation.
Then he clicked the mouse.
The projector instantly displayed the next data table.
"Ask the Sword, Seek Immortals" Ratings: 1.2%!
As the data appeared, everyone froze.
The office fell silent.
Li Hongyi's eyes widened as he stared at the conspicuously low number.
The smile on Song Rentou's face slowly solidified, then morphed into shock.
"Is there a mistake?"
After a long moment, the Director of Operations awkwardly clicked the mouse again.
The third episode's ratings appeared on the projector: 0.5%.
He immediately felt unwell.
Before anyone could speak, he clicked to the fourth episode: 0.2%.
"Impossible, absolutely impossible!"
Li Hongyi slammed the table, rose, and walked over to the Director of Operations. He snatched the mouse and began scrutinizing the data.
After flipping through the pages repeatedly and finding no errors, his face instantly darkened.
"What's going on?" he asked in a low voice.
The plummeting ratings were too drastic, too much for him to accept at once.
"Mr. Li, look at the Weibo hot search!" someone exclaimed.
He then posted a link in the work group chat.
Li Hongyi clicked it, and the office once again descended into dead silence.
#Paladin's Premiere Data is Extremely Weird, Only Five Million Views in One Hour, Breaking a Hundred Million in Two Hours!#
Below this topic.
The comments were extremely active.
"I watched one episode of 'Ask the Sword, Seek Immortals.' During the commercials, I was scrolling through Douyin and came across videos of Paladin. I was instantly captivated by the exquisite visuals and special effects."
"After watching Paladin, I realized this is the correct way to do a Xianxia drama!"
"As a fan of good looks, I was even won over by Teacher Xie Hao, who played the Sword Saint at forty-something!"
"Ahhh! Li Xiaoyao is so handsome, Zhao Ling'er is so beautiful! The special effects are stunning!"
"After watching Paladin, when I went back to 'Ask the Sword,' I instantly felt sick to my stomach..."
There were so many of these comments that Li Hongyi couldn't possibly refresh through them all.
Among them, many accounts featured the male lead of "Ask the Sword," Zhang Qingyun, or other actors from the show as their avatars.
"Sorry, we've already become fans of Paladin..."
A massive fan exodus!
However, even as these people praised Paladin, many fan traffic groups were still hurling insults.
"Heh, a bunch of traitors!"
"Traitors, we disown you!"
"Sisters, hold strong, re-watch 'Ask the Sword'!"
"Triumph breeds false admiration; twilight witnesses true disciples!"
...
Midnight.
The "Paladin" television soundtrack was released on music platforms on schedule.
The theme song "Sha Po Lang," sung by Lin Yanyu, saw a surge in listens upon its release.
Shen Qingfeng's "June Rain" followed closely.
Then, eager to watch the later episodes, people who had skipped the ending songs returned after finishing the updated four episodes to listen to "Finally Understand."
Along with it, the promotional video "Always Quiet" also reignited its popularity.
With so many songs suddenly climbing the charts for new releases in film and television music, fans of Ting Yu were ecstatic.
And when people browsed the "Paladin" soundtrack, they were utterly astonished.
The soundtrack compiled a total of thirty-one tracks, big and small!
Among them, besides the four songs that had already been featured, there were two more, "Xiao Yao Tan" and "Hua Yu Jian," which hadn't been heard in the show. This further fueled anticipation for Hou Man's storyline.
This meant that for one "Paladin" series, Ting Yu had written a total of 6 songs!
The other twenty-odd tracks were all instrumental.
What was surprising was that each of these instrumental pieces was incredibly beautiful!
"Peach Blossom Island," which had already been heard, and "Paladin's Fate," which everyone had experienced in the drama, particularly "Paladin's Fate" accompanying the Sword Saint's dashing entrance, left a deep impression!
"Did Ting Yu create all of these in the past few months?"
"Damn, I underestimated Ting Yu. His production speed is ridiculously fast!"
"I've listened to them all. I dare say the entire score for Paladin is the ceiling for Xianxia drama music, no exceptions!"
"I agree. I don't fear offending the fans of the 'Music God' Fang Lingyu. Even at his peak, no drama by 'God' Fang could surpass this Paladin!"
"Before, I didn't dare to boast too much, fearing bad influence. Now that Ting Yu has become a deity, I won't pretend anymore. Ting Yu is forever the god, that's all there is to it!"
Kyoto.
A high-end hotel.
Fang Lingyu lay on the sofa, the most exciting part of "Peach Blossom Island" playing from the stereo. As the drum beats dropped and the desolate, despairing music swelled.
He couldn't help but flinch.
The cigarette butt in his hand had burned down completely. In the ashtray on the coffee table, more than twenty cigarette butts were strikingly visible.
"Damn it, are you cheating???"
Finally, Fang Lingyu uttered a rather colorful exclamation.