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On February 23rd and 24th, Haijin TV aired episodes 13 and 14 of 'Autumn in My Heart' during prime time.
To the anticipation of countless "Blue Fans" (fans of the show), the ratings broke through 2%!
This was an astonishing result and marked the first urban drama since 2012 to achieve over 2% in viewership. The achievement once again sent shockwaves through the entertainment industry, even reaching circles outside of it.
Although many had predicted this outcome, when the ratings miracle actually happened, people were still stunned, with 'Autumn in My Heart' becoming the center of intense discussion everywhere.
The show's total investment barely exceeded ten million yuan, and even with marketing costs added, the total wouldn't surpass 15 million. For a 20-episode medium-length series, this was a very low production budget.
Most of the actors were little-known newcomers. Even the two leads weren't professional actors; Lu Chen and Chen Fei'er were both singers with limited acting experience.
As for the script, the story was an original work by Lu Chen, with no backing from any popular IP (intellectual property).
What left people truly speechless was that the plot was deeply tragic, completely unlike the current trends of "handsome guy + pretty girl" or "Cinderella meets domineering CEO" with their cheerful, fairy-tale endings. Although the final episode hadn't aired yet, all signs pointed to a massively tragic ending.
And yet the show went viral, absolutely exploded in popularity.
"This is a pure love story full of tears."
Someone wrote on their blog:
"I never once tried to understand the logic of the romance while watching this show. I simply couldn't get how two people who grew up as siblings could fall in love."
"But the music, cinematography, and acting were enough to melt every viewer's heart."
"The story begins softly, but the sorrow builds up and then crashes like a wave in the climax. It's powerful and moving, something you can watch again and again. The visuals, the childhood village, the grown-up farm, feel like something out of a fairy tale."
"The actors, whether the younger ones or the grown-up versions, are all so charming, cute, pretty, handsome, just eye candy. And both leads and supporting roles deliver stellar performances. Their emotional expression is spot-on!"
"In today's bizarre society, flooded with fast-food-like disposable romances and screens filled with temptation and conflict, it's easy to feel lost and overwhelmed."
"I no longer have the patience to finish a TV series from start to end, and I've begun mocking myself for having watched too many brainless idol dramas. But as I follow 'Autumn in My Heart', I feel this strange sense of calm and melancholy, like the world was just washed by rain, fresh, clean, and quiet."
"I love this show. I don't hope for a perfect ending, but I'll definitely watch it to the end!"
This long blog post came from an unknown user named Shi Bing, an ordinary user on Wave Blog, which was not even a verified account. She had only a few dozen followers.
But once her blog post was shared, her follower count skyrocketed by hundreds of times. Many "Blue Fans" left comments echoing her sentiments, showing just how popular 'Autumn in My Heart' had become.
On Wave Blog, the show's fan club broke over one million members, prompting the platform to create a dedicated discussion board just for the series, drawing massive traffic.
Under the momentum of 'Autumn in My Heart', all contemporary urban romance and idol dramas airing during the same period suffered heavy losses. Even Xiangnan TV's major drama 'Soaring Heart' took a brutal hit in its ratings battle against 'Autumn in My Heart', with its viewership plunging to a humiliating 0.35%.
This made Xiangnan TV's earlier high-profile promotional campaign for 'Soaring Heart' look like a complete joke.
No one was more delighted, and simultaneously conflicted, than Haijin TV, the original broadcaster of 'Autumn in My Heart'.
With the ratings breaking 2% and six episodes still to go, momentum only looked to increase. The domestic average rating was set to exceed 1%, and achieving 1.5% or more was highly likely.
According to the betting agreement between the parties, the baseline average rating was set at 0.25%. For every 0.10% increase above that, the per-episode licensing fee increased by 100,000 yuan. So if the average rating reached 1.5%, Haijin TV would be paying an extra 1.2 million per episode, totaling 24 million yuan for 20 episodes!
On one hand, Haijin TV made a killing from the advertising revenue thanks to the show's popularity. On the other hand, they were groaning over the extra payments. If only they'd bought it outright for a million per episode from the start, it would've been a bargain.
So Haijin TV was suffering in joy, while all other parties associated with the show, from investors to director to cast, feasted on massive rewards.
Chen Fei'er and Lu Chen both saw their fanbases explode, and advertisers and event organizers flocked to them like fish in a river. Especially Lu Chen, his market value skyrocketed beyond imagination.
Before the show aired, one million yuan could get Lu Chen to endorse a brand for a whole year. Now? Lu Xi's official asking price was a minimum of five million, and anything less wouldn't even be considered!
As for collaborations, film offers, even book deals, they were coming nonstop.
But Lu Chen left all this buzzing chaos to Lu Xi to handle. He remained in Jinling, focused on completing the voiceovers and music for the final episodes of 'Autumn in My Heart'.
Then on January 30th, the day Episode 15 aired, a post appeared on the entertainment section of Sky Forum, one of the largest BBS forums in the country. It was by a well-known user, Stray Cat, and instantly caught fire among netizens.
The title of the post was humorously exaggerated: "Wild, Cool, Dominant, Powerful, and Explosively Handsome."
There was not a single word in the post, just a high-definition GIF video, carefully edited together.
In this short 30-second video, the protagonist is none other than Lu Chen.
Clad in black battle armor and riding a valiant steed, he charged forward with a gleaming silver spear in hand, recklessly storming into a wave of Xiongnu soldiers. Man like a tiger, horse like a dragon, he showcased a persona entirely different from his gentle image in 'Autumn in My Heart', a fierce and fearless warrior!
The video was shot brilliantly. The close-ups and dynamic angle shifts were spot-on, perfectly capturing the aura and valor of a warrior general breaking through enemy lines. It stirred viewers' blood and had the visual quality of a blockbuster movie.
The user Stray Cat, who posted this on Sky Forum's entertainment section, is a well-known and mysterious figure. No one knows whether they're male or female, or even what they do for a living.
Their regular posts reveal exclusive gossip and inside info about the entertainment world, like celebrity affairs, idols lashing out at fans, or big-name stars getting into gay scandals.
Most people suspect that Stray Cat is a professional online promoter, but their posts always come with substance. The info is rarely exaggerated or fabricated, which has earned them a reputation as the entertainment board's guiding light. Their posts consistently receive massive views and comment counts.
Stray Cat had previously boosted Lu Chen before, once publicly slapping Xiangnan TV and several judges from Singing China in the face, which caused a huge stir online and left a significant impact.
Now, this video post related to Lu Chen again immediately caught fire within minutes.
"Holy sh*t, that's seriously badass!"
"Is this CGI? Doesn't look like there's a stunt double, so cool!"
"He looks familiar…"
"Lol, you don't know Lu Chen? Folk music prince and original creator of 'Autumn in My Heart', the male lead!"
"Industry pro here. These shots weren't done with a double or special effects. This is legit skill!"
"Three words: TOO. DAMN. COOL!"
"This has to be a promo."
"Probably, but does anyone know what drama Lu Chen is filming?"
"Right? It's almost New Year's and there's been no news of a new series!"
"Maybe a commercial? Or an MV?"
Among the replies, nine out of ten were full of praise and amazement.
Sure, people had seen plenty of period dramas and countless actors playing generals, but Lu Chen's portrayal of this young warrior left everyone stunned. Just as the post's title said, he was:
Wild, Cool, Dominant, Powerful, and Explosively Handsome!
The video was quickly reposted across multiple blogs. Stray Cat even published the same content on their personal blog, and from there, it spread across the internet like wildfire. It showed up even in WeChat group chats, arousing mass curiosity.
Before long, "Wild, Cool, Dominant, Powerful, and Explosively Handsome" became one of the trending search terms on blog homepages.
Anyone with media sense could tell this was a marketing stunt, but most people didn't care, they just wanted to know one thing:
What was Lu Chen filming?!
When Lu Chen got a call from Chen Fei'er, he had just seen the viral video circulating everywhere on blogs.
He smiled wryly: "It's from The Great General: Emperor Wu, the movie I cameoed in."
"The one you just had a small role in?"
Chen Fei'er remembered that Lu Chen had done a brief cameo for a film while in Jinling. It suddenly made sense to her: "So this was a 'leaked' promo, but why is it all your footage?"
Promotional leaks from ongoing productions are a common hype strategy in the industry.
Lu Chen rubbed his nose: "I'd like to know too."
Nearly all the footage he shot during his cameo was already shown in that 30-second clip.
Chen Fei'er laughed: "It's probably because you're so hot right now. That 200,000 yuan they paid you was worth every penny!"
Lu Chen chuckled: "Yeah."
He had thought he was getting a sweet deal, shooting a short cameo, scratching his acting itch, and pocketing a tidy sum in half a day. But clearly, the film crew was cleverer than he thought!
His part in The Great General: Emperor Wu didn't actually have much to do with the film's main plot, the story revolved around Emperor Wu of Han, and even General Huo Qubing was only a supporting character.
But the production team was savvy enough to cut this slick little teaser and use it for promo. Smart move.
Of course, Lu Chen didn't feel exploited. After all, this was positive PR for him too.
Thanks to this video, Lu Chen's blog comment section was once again overwhelmed by fans and curious netizens.
(End of Chapter)