FIMA Ch41: Accompanying You

Gu Siyuan, who was far away in the capital, sat at the just-concluded flagship phone launch event and sneezed lightly.

Cheng Ou quickly signaled to his secretary, who poured a cup of hot water and handed it over. “Boss, you’ve been working too hard lately. Now that it’s time to reap the rewards, you can’t afford to neglect your health.”

Gu Siyuan took the hot water, took a sip, shook his head, and chuckled, “Probably someone gossiping about me behind my back.”

Cheng Ou smiled brightly, “Haha, it’s probably not just one person gossiping behind your back. Everyone here is gossiping, and even more people aren’t here.”

The previous launch event was undoubtedly a great success. Although currently only one major phone manufacturer adopted their system and software, there was no doubt that more collaborations would follow soon.

The emergence of this technology was almost as impactful as Summer Flavor’s impact on traditional phones back in the day.

Gu Siyuan remained calm and said casually, “Perhaps.”

Cheng Ou couldn’t help but sigh again at his boss’s naturally imposing temperament, which was impossible to imitate.

Just as he was thinking, he saw Gu Siyuan set down the paper cup and stand up from his chair. “I’ll leave the rest to you. Don’t mess it up.”

Cheng Ou nodded helplessly.

Except when he was focusing on technology, their boss was always so willful.

The flagship phone launch event of the major company always attracted widespread attention, and this time was no exception.

The hype exploded almost instantly, with discussions about the new flagship phone and its cutting-edge technology wherever young people gathered. It rivaled the scandalous heat surrounding the most famous celebrities in the entertainment industry.

Major official online stores instantly sold out.

Even the previously quiet offline physical stores, in this harsh winter, unexpectedly had long queues and were packed with people.

After the legend of people selling kidneys to queue up for a certain phone years ago, such a scene had never been seen before.

Various platform tech bloggers continuously released various test videos, all giving excellent reviews.

Many well-known celebrity influencers with good online presence also complained on their social media accounts about not being able to buy the phone, which indirectly promoted waves of purchases.

Within just half a month, Yuanzhi Technology signed countless contracts, and now they were preparing for a Hong Kong stock market listing.

Meanwhile, Gu Siyuan’s wealth was growing at an astonishing rate every second.

In the midst of such busyness, Christmas Eve arrived on December 24th.

After nearly two months of filming, the movie “Summer Flavor” successfully wrapped up in a small town in Jiangnan.

On the night of the wrap-up, Xie Jinzhao couldn’t wait any longer and took a plane back to Beijing overnight.

Because during this time, his boyfriend had become busy again, and it seemed like they hadn’t had a proper conversation, let alone met, for a long time.

Gu Siyuan knew he was coming back and rare as it was, he left work early.

Xie Jinzhao opened his front door, threw his luggage aside, and jumped straight into his boyfriend’s arms, wrapping his arms around his neck and his legs tightly around his lean but strong waist, like a koala clinging to a tree.

Gu Siyuan held him and swayed a bit. “You’ve gotten thinner.”

“I miss you so much, but you never call me,” Xie Jinzhao rested his head on Gu Siyuan’s shoulder, his breath warm and faintly audible due to the cold weather.

Listening to his soft tone, Gu Siyuan’s heart felt as if it were submerged in water. He carried Xie Jinzhao to the sofa, sat down, and gently kissed his cold face and aggrieved eyes.

Although Xie Jinzhao felt aggrieved inside, he obediently lifted his chin to cooperate.

After a tender moment, Gu Siyuan tried to put him down. “I’m sure you haven’t had dinner yet. I’ll call to have food delivered.”

Xie Jinzhao hugged him tightly. “Don’t let go.”

Gu Siyuan rubbed the back of his neck and whispered, “Aren’t you hungry? I am.”

At his words, Xie Jinzhao leaned in and lightly bit his lips, blinking his watery eyes mischievously. “What’s for dinner? Can it be as delicious as me?”

“…” Gu Siyuan.

Very well! This little fox.

Would he still be considered a man if he withdrew at this time? Gu Siyuan didn’t hesitate and carried him straight upstairs.

If he was going to act like this, then don’t blame him for not showing mercy later.

The two of them thoroughly exhausted themselves this time.

Even when Xie Jinzhao cried and begged him in the end, Gu Siyuan didn’t show any mercy.

In the early morning hours, Gu Siyuan called for congee and sat by the bedside, feeding Xie Jinzhao, who had melted into a puddle, bite by bite.

The next day, when Xie Jinzhao opened his eyes, it was already noon, and snow was falling gently outside the window.

Hmm, it really set a Christmas atmosphere.

He rubbed his waist, relaxed for a while, then slowly leaned against the head of the bed and took out his phone, habitually logging into his Weibo account to check updates.

The first thing he saw was half an hour ago, Green Fruit Video and “Jinyi Yujing” official Weibo simultaneously released a teaser. This was the first trailer since filming started in May last year, and it also confirmed the release date.

The Weibo post first stated that the series would exclusively premiere on Green Fruit Video at 8 p.m. on January 1st. Finally, it tagged the main actors of the show.

Although the crew and the original IP of this drama weren’t widely known, due to Xie Jinzhao’s high popularity, entertainment influencers on Weibo were actively reposting to generate hype.

The most tangled feelings were those of Xie Jinzhao’s fans. On one hand, they feared that this small production might turn out to be a huge flop and tarnish Xie Jinzhao’s reputation, so they didn’t want to promote it at all. On the other hand, they felt a bit embarrassed because the official account of the production team had been trying so hard to please them.

As fans who were used to being criticized for following trends, they had never been treated like this before.

Just then, a fan with a username that had been appearing frequently over the past six months suddenly said, “I confess, I just watched the three-minute trailer and I really fell in love with this drama. It was really well-made, the makeup, lines, and visuals were all great. I even felt like it might be better than ‘That Day Today’.”

“That Day Today” was the campus drama that made Xie Jinzhao popular three years ago, and since then, he hadn’t had a drama that received both good reviews and popularity.

So, this evaluation was considered very high within their fan circle.

“Was that for real? You didn’t take money from the production team, did you?” Some fans still didn’t quite believe it.

“Weren’t we supposed to ignore it and pretend it doesn’t exist? But this time, if we fans didn’t teach them a lesson, the studio would dare to bring Jinzhao into such a low-quality production for money.”

“Why were you big fans so indecisive… so annoying. Were you going to watch it or not, were you going to promote it or not!”

The fans quickly divided into two factions and started arguing.

Just then, more and more fans started speaking up.

“No… could I say something? I watched it and really thought it was good, very good. Even though we said we would ignore it, I couldn’t resist opening the trailer. And damn, can I say it was the best historical drama I had seen this year?”

“I agree, the trailer was edited so well, and Jinzhao’s acting was superb. That look he gave when he appeared, it was so captivating, and the fight scenes were intense, not slow-motion!”

“Yes, and Jinzhao’s makeup and costume this time were incredibly detailed, probably the best among several historical dramas. It was a feast for the eyes, and all the lines were original, so satisfying!”

“Although Jinzhao was good too, I wanted to praise the production team as well. Not only did they make the characters look good, but the atmosphere they created was also great. They knew when to make you happy and when to scare you, and it wasn’t just suspense for the sake of it. You could tell from the trailer that the plot was rich and the pace was super fast.”

“Yes, after watching it once, I wanted to say the pacing of the plot was really good. In the midst of those overly dramatized S+ historical dramas, this felt refreshingly light!”

At this point, a fan looked at the previous comment and exclaimed, “Hey, you watched it too? Weren’t you the one who criticized this drama the most?”

The user seemed a bit embarrassed, “Well, it was Jinzhao’s historical drama after all. I just clicked to admire his looks, who knew it would be from such a small production, and the quality would still be this good…”

“You were such a wavering traitor.”

“…”

Just then, the biggest fan in Xie Jinzhao’s fan circle said, “How about this? Those who wanted to watch it could watch it, and those who thought it was good could promote it. Let’s each do our own thing and not try to convince each other, so we could avoid internal conflicts later.”

This approach basically gained unanimous approval from everyone.

Then, all the fans silently opened the trailer and watched it once, then watched it again, not wanting to miss anything.

In the end, except for a few emotionally radical fans, most people shared the official announcement on their Weibo and pinned it to promote it.

At the same time, under the comments section of various major film and television KOLs on Weibo, you could see users with profile pictures related to the announcement and premiere of “Jinyi Yujing” everywhere.

On a certain short video platform, editors began to creatively edit the three-minute footage into various visually appealing clips.

Hmm, in short, one word sums it up: delicious!

Fans are also viewers, and they know better than anyone whether a drama is good or bad. But for the sake of defending their idol, they often have to speak with a heavy heart.

Now, having produced such an excellent drama in-house for once, regardless of its past, it’s now their most precious asset. Xie Jinzhao’s position is bound to rise.

On the other side, although most KOLs on Weibo are usually money-minded, they still strive to maintain a relatively fair image. After watching the three-minute trailer of “Jinyi Yujing,” these KOLs rarely gave anything but overwhelming praise for the drama.

There were a few more conservative ones who suggested that perhaps all the essence of the entire drama was already packed into this three-minute trailer, hoping that the actual series would maintain this level.

Regarding this, even if some cynics claimed they were paid to praise it, they were quickly drowned out by the positive reviews from Xie Jinzhao’s fans and book fans.

Although “Jinyi Yujing” isn’t a major IP, the fact that its rights were sold indicates it’s already quite impressive within its genre. There are still some fans of the original work, and after watching the trailer, they appeared visibly satisfied, becoming a wave of self-sufficient praise.

Xie Jinzhao proceeded exactly as anticipated by his team, unable to help but marvel. It seemed that with Gu Siyuan, who was so adept at predicting outcomes, success was assured in any endeavor.

Gu Siyuan pushed open the door with his lunch in hand, meeting a pair of starry eyes. He couldn’t help but squint, “Thinking up more mischief again? Didn’t feed you enough last night?”

“…” Xie Jinzhao couldn’t help but rub his waist. Well… maybe not.

After a moment’s thought, he obediently half-opened his mouth, “I’m quite full now, just want to have lunch, hubby feed me.”

“…” Gu Siyuan.

Young people these days, really… calling anyone ‘hubby’ just like that?

Although… it’s quite cute.

Over the next few days, Gu Siyuan’s carefully planned publicity campaign officially launched.

“Jinyi Yujing” trended almost every day, from character makeup photos to plot explanations, to episode previews, it was a colorful array.

The goal was simple: make sure everyone knew the drama was airing. In China, historical dramas have always held a special place, maintaining a loyal audience for decades.

With the hype of the premiere, as long as the quality was good, viewership would naturally flow in.

However, just on December 31st, the day before “Jinyi Yujing” officially premiered…

Red Flower Video and “Zhao Xue Record” suddenly released their premiere trailers, just two days after January 3rd, slightly later than them.

“Zhao Xue Record” is a top-tier IP with countless fans. The leading actors, both popular stars, bring their own large audience. Since its announcement, it has garnered widespread attention.

As soon as the trailer was released, it immediately surged to the top of seven or eight trending topics. Not only on Weibo but across various platforms, information about the drama flooded in an instant.

Classic lines from the book, beautiful stills of the male and female leads, too many to count, spread across every corner of the internet in an instant.

The enthusiastic momentum “Jinyi Yujing” had built up in the past few days was suddenly overshadowed.

In Xie Jinzhao’s warm living room,

Tu Ning looked at the scattered situation with some annoyance and asked, “Is ‘Zhao Xue Record’ deliberately pushing the timeline so close?”

Xie Jinzhao sat cross-legged on the couch, stuffing a honey tangerine segment into his mouth and casually handing one to his executive manager. He squinted with a smile, “At least they didn’t premiere on the same day, giving us a little breathing room.”

Tu Ning looked at him, exuding an air of contentment and good fortune, and couldn’t help but say, “You shouldn’t go out and meet people like this. It’s too obvious.”

Xie Jinzhao blinked, “What’s wrong? What’s so obvious?”

Tu Ning rolled her eyes, “The vibes of being in love are too obvious.”

“…” Xie Jinzhao.

Alright, his manager was clearly not in a good mood, probably because she found him annoying.

He spoke up to comfort her, “Don’t worry. I have confidence in the quality of our drama. You’ve seen how the fans who were criticizing us have now turned eagerly anticipating after watching the trailer, right?”

“True.” Tu Ning nodded. She understood this well.

The fans who once wished the drama didn’t exist were now flooding the drama’s official account with comments, discussing and analyzing the plot, and learning how to promote and market it.

She asked again, “What has the big boss been busy with lately? Has he made any decisions about the current situation?”

Xie Jinzhao nodded, “He told me not to worry about ‘Zhao Xue Record’. Just by looking at the drama’s high-end ink wash style and its eerie lighting, he knows it’s already in trouble. He hopes ‘Zhao Xue Record’ airs as soon as possible. Maybe we can ride on its marketing wave.”

“…” Tu Ning.

It’s true what they say, when people aren’t of the same family, they won’t step into the same door. Both of you are so confident!

On January 1st, New Year’s Day, most people were on holiday.

Starting from the morning, users who opened Green Fruit Video to watch dramas could immediately see the homepage recommendation for “Jinyi Yujing,” airing tonight at 8 PM.

On the cover, Xie Jinzhao wore a flying fish-patterned robe, holding an embroidered spring knife with a cold and handsome face, while the female lead Lu Ruowen wore simple attire, carrying a coroner’s toolkit with a gentle and lovely smile.

With such handsome and beautiful leads, the impact was extremely strong.

For ordinary viewers who have always loved historical dramas but have long been tormented by unattractive male leads, they couldn’t resist clicking in.

At this point, the series hadn’t officially aired yet, so they could only watch a few previews and were left wanting more.

Soon, 8 PM arrived.

Xie Jinzhao pulled Gu Siyuan along and they sat together on the couch at home, watching attentively.

In fact, Xie Jinzhao had already watched the drama immediately after the final editing for review, but watching it again with fans, following the barrage of comments, was a completely different experience.

At the beginning of the drama, it opened in the dark jail of the Jin Yiwei with an execution frame holding a figure covered in blood and flesh.

Instantly, the barrage of comments scrolled: “So scary, this person looks fierce!” or “So thrilling, starting off so bloody, I love it!”

“Jinyi Yujing” was edited into 36 episodes, divided into five cases, averaging about seven episodes per case.

To generate momentum on the first day, video platforms offered members the chance to watch six episodes at once, and “Jinyi Yujing” naturally followed suit.

However, before all six episodes could be watched, around 9:30 PM, discussions about the drama began unfolding across various platforms.

Firstly, drama bloggers on Weibo started screenshotting and promoting it, overwhelmingly with positive reviews and recommendations.

Comments came from both Xie Jinzhao’s fans and some casual viewers, all unanimously praising the strong chemistry of the handsome male and beautiful female leads, well-crafted case setups, and fast-paced plot – exciting and enjoyable!

Those who binge-watched finished all six episodes by around 11 PM, with the first case nearing its conclusion, leaving a cliffhanger just as the main characters were about to unveil the truth.

Thus, criticism flooded Weibo and Moments, criticizing the drama for holding back suspense so effectively.

Yet, this kind of backlash often serves as the best publicity. As it was New Year’s Day, and many people bored at home, comments kept popping up asking about the drama’s quality and whether it was worth watching.

No matter how sophisticated the promotion, word-of-mouth on social media remains the most influential.

By the end of the first day, the drama had accumulated over ten million views in just four hours.

This was a solid start considering Xie Jinzhao’s popularity and the inherent interest in historical dramas. In this world, whether it’s online streaming numbers or television ratings, everything is monitored closely by the national viewership monitoring center, ensuring no falsification. 

As an A-list investment drama, these numbers marked a promising beginning.

But this was naturally not Gu Siyuan’s goal.

At 8 AM the next morning, Gu Siyuan officially launched marketing campaigns across various platforms.

There were no trending topics about individual actors or awkward lines, all discussions were focused on the plot.

Audiences who watched the drama last night opened the trending topics and found them interesting and engaging, not mechanically controlled by fans, so they actively participated.

Whether it was a genuine recommendation or exaggerated praise, everyone was clear.

In the internet age, a drama’s feedback, good or bad, spreads astonishingly fast. In just one day, “Jinyi Yujing” saw a significant surge in viewership, reaching over forty million views.

When the latest two episodes were updated at 8 PM, coupled with trending discussions, it brought in a new wave of viewers.

By the end of the second day, daily viewership had approached seventy million.

On the third day, it exceeded ninety million views, almost reaching a hundred million, showing explosive growth. This was clearly the trend of a breakout drama. On that same day, the highly anticipated drama “Zhao Xue Record,” with a similar theme, premiered.

As Gu Siyuan had anticipated, “Zhao Xue Record’s” premiere not only did not suppress their drama but instead brought in a large batch of additional viewers.

The seemingly ancient-style costumes of “Zhao Xue Record,” which actually leaned towards a Japanese aesthetic, slow-motion sequences that prolonged fights, and the drab lighting disappointed ordinary viewers who came with high expectations, prompting many book fans to angrily criticize it under the drama’s official Weibo post.

In their criticism, they inevitably compared the drama with “Jinyi Yujing.”

Moreover, after three days of airing, “Jinyi Yujing” had already accumulated a fanbase. Drama fans had a strong sense of honor and couldn’t help but subtly criticize.

Thus, on the fourth day, “Jinyi Yujing” experienced explosive growth in viewership, jumping from ninety million to one hundred forty million views.

Generally, as time goes on, data tends to grow slower.

On the fifth day, “Jinyi Yujing” officially started its divisions on a certain platform. Drama fans and Xie Jinzhao’s fans were very proactive and flooded in immediately.

With 130,000 ratings, it scored 8.1 points.

This surprised not only Xie Jinzhao, who was ecstatically clinging to Gu Siyuan, but also their colleagues.

An 8.1 rating might not be considered high compared to foreign films that often score over 9 points.

However, for dramas, the genre significantly influences ratings. Realistic dramas, historical dramas, and some niche dramas generally score higher naturally.

Despite how popular ancient-style dramas may seem, few actually manage to achieve passing grades. Those scoring above 7 points sometimes don’t even come out once a year.

Therefore, this 8.1 score could be considered a mark of quality drama.

With such high ratings, Gu Siyuan naturally didn’t hesitate to buy a trending topic to promote it further.

This brought in another wave of viewers.

They would think, “I’ve been hearing a lot about this drama lately. Is it really that good? Such high ratings? I’ve been bored recently, why not take a look?”

After four days of consecutive airing, “Jinyi Yujing” was scheduled to pause for three days.

But during these three days, the momentum surrounding “Jinyi Yujing” did not slow down at all. The audience continued to grow, with many even rewatching episodes, and daily views consistently surpassed a hundred million.

After three days, on January 8th, “Jinyi Yujing” updated with two new episodes, achieving a viewership of 170 million. Without a doubt, the drama was on track to exceed 200 million views the following day.

As expected, on January 9th, the drama hit a single-day viewership record of 203 million.

Subsequently, on update days, the drama consistently exceeded 200 million views, and even on non-update days, it still surpassed 100 million, dominating the winter holiday season.

On the other hand, “Zhao Xue Record,” from the platform to the production company staff, struggled to comprehend and accept these results.

Qi Run was particularly unable to accept it.

In recent years, he had been navigating the film industry, but the box office hits were mostly sinking comedies and war films. His image didn’t fit, and his commercial value had declined.

In order to maintain his popularity and fan base, Qi Run decided to venture into television dramas, carefully selecting “Zhao Xue Record” as his project. However, even in TV dramas, he refused to compromise on quality.

He brought in film-level cinematography and costume design teams, and significantly expanded the role of the male lead and added extensive court scenes based on the original work, greatly enhancing the overall quality of the drama.

But who could have predicted the outcome? He lost to Xie Jinzhao, someone he had always looked down upon.

The current viewership of “Zhao Xue Record” was just a fraction of “Jinyi Yujing,” which seemed utterly ridiculous to him. Did people today even understand what constituted a good drama?

In contrast to the frenzy within the “Zhao Xue Record” crew, the atmosphere among the “Jinyi Yujing” team was one of jubilation.

That afternoon, Director Wang called in extremely excitedly to congratulate Gu Siyuan, Xie Jinzhao, and himself. He had sold the drama to Green Fruit Video on a profit-sharing basis, meaning any increased advertising revenue in the future would be split evenly between the company and the platform.

Gu Siyuan calmly hung up the phone. To him, it was just small change. The only thing that mattered to him was how this success would benefit Xie Jinzhao’s career.

Turning back, he gently touched the person in his arms. “Are you happy?” he asked.

Xie Jinzhao didn’t answer. Instead, he tilted his head back and kissed Gu Siyuan’s chin.

Looking into his eyes, brimming with devotion, it was as if he was seeing his own deity.

No, Gu Siyuan was his god and his beloved.

Recalling eight months ago, when he was full of doubts about his acting career and even afraid to join any production.

That night, if he hadn’t met Gu Siyuan at the hotel.

If Gu Siyuan hadn’t decided to become his manager.

If Gu Siyuan hadn’t loved him.

Just thinking about it made Xie Jinzhao’s heart feel like it was stopping, his eyes instantly turning red.

He wrapped his slender arms tightly around the person in front of him, as if trying to merge himself into Gu Siyuan’s body to become one with him.

Gu Siyuan seemed to sense his emotions, gently lowering his head to kiss Xie Jinzhao’s eyelids. “I will always be with you, watching you stand at the pinnacle of the world.”