Translator: Ink Hub

Editor: Yoog

[The platforms for Records of the Bai’s Return have been finalized. It will be a simultaneous broadcast on Xingzhou TV, Daqin TV, and Sunrise TV.]

“??? I just woke up and saw this? Is this a joke? Please tell me it’s a joke.”

“I’d believe a simultaneous broadcast between Daqin TV and Sunrise TV, but adding Xingzhou TV… Xingzhou is an A-list station, after all. They haven’t fallen so far that they need to resort to this, have they?”

“Is this an April Fool’s joke? If it’s true, I really want to interview the executives at Xingzhou TV to see what they’re thinking.”

However, the television blogger who leaked this news was known for having reliable sources. Particularly regarding satellite station news, he was often a step ahead of everyone else. Even when his rumors seemed outrageous, they were almost always proven true in the end.

To some extent, the three-station simultaneous broadcast for Records of the Bai’s Return fell into that “outrageous” category.

“…Maybe it’s because the drama was spearheaded by the Publicity Department, so Xingzhou TV is willing to give them face?”

“Then why didn’t Dajiang TV and Qinglan TV give them face?”

“Does anyone remember? The previous version of Records of the Bai’s Return was also a three-station simultaneous broadcast, and the result was… Heh.”

“Lin Ji’s Code 11 was actually quite good. Maybe this Records of the Bai’s Return won’t be as bad as we imagine? We’ll know once it airs.”

After the blogger leaked the news, Records of the Bai’s Return naturally trended on the hot search for an entire day. Yet, Xingzhou TV did not step forward to debunk the “outrageous” rumor.

According to Xingzhou TV’s usual style, they would clarify unfavorable rumors immediately. The longer they delayed, the more the drama fans felt a premonition—Records of the Bai’s Return was likely really going to air on Xingzhou TV.

The facts were exactly as the blogger had revealed.

In mid-November, the major satellite stations released their lists of upcoming dramas. Records of the Bai’s Return indeed appeared on Xingzhou TV’s December lineup.

For satellite stations, the period from December to the Spring Festival was a broadcasting slot second only to the summer. In fact, because audiences spent less time outdoors during the winter, their willingness to watch dramas was even stronger, often leading to viewership ratings that slightly outperformed the summer slot.

Consequently, many stations launched highly anticipated lineups during this period. Dajiang TV first aired Shooting the Sirius, marking the return of Best Actor Zhou Xiao to the television circle after many years. It was to be followed by the modern-period drama Dawn 1973. Qinglan TV scheduled an idol drama followed by a spy drama. Spy dramas had been performing quite well in the ratings this year.

According to industry analysts, this was because Code 11 had provided a successful template for the genre. More spy dramas were respecting historical facts and the audience’s intelligence, while “floating” dramas—those lacking logic—were decreasing. Audiences were gradually developing trust in the espionage genre again.

In terms of lineup, Dajiang TV’s two dramas were naturally the strongest. Shooting the Sirius and Dawn 1973 were genres that Dajiang TV traditionally excelled in, and the leads for both were A-list stars.

While Records of the Bai’s Return had the advantage of the original novel’s popularity and a director and screenwriter with solid track records, it truly held no advantage when compared to Dajiang TV’s two works.

“Once Records of the Bai’s Return airs, will Xingzhou be able to hold onto its position as the third-ranked A-list station?”

“Does Xingzhou TV have no other dramas to choose from? I heard Stormy Romance planned to go to Xingzhou, but Xingzhou didn’t want it, so it was snatched up by Maple Leaf TV.”

Although Xingzhou TV was ranked among the A-list stations, its status was always slightly inferior to Dajiang TV and Qinglan TV. When other stations tried to boost their ratings, they usually targeted Xingzhou TV as their first rival to overtake.

As the saying goes, when the number one and number two fight, it’s usually the number three that dies. Since its founding, Xingzhou TV had indeed encountered situations where Dajiang and Qinglan fought a ratings war. Those two easily monopolized the audience’s attention, leaving Xingzhou TV to struggle just to maintain its precarious viewership.

In fact, when the Publicity Department first came knocking and Xingzhou TV heard that Dajiang and Qinglan had both rejected Records of the Bai’s Return, their first reaction was also to decline.

However, the director, Chu Tianzhou, felt that the dramas in their upcoming schedule were missing something. So, he pulled out the finished cut of Records of the Bai’s Return to take a look.

The first thing that surprised Chu Tianzhou was the investment. The total budget for Records of the Bai’s Return was only sixty million yuan.

In an era where hundred-million-yuan investments were common, sixty million was genuinely low. It averaged out to only one million per episode, which was about the same as a typical web drama.

But the moment he saw the finished first episode, Chu Tianzhou keenly realized that this was absolutely not an effect that could be achieved with only one million yuan.

At the very least, if he gave a crew one million yuan, they could never reach the quality of Records of the Bai’s Return.

After watching the first ten episodes, Chu Tianzhou felt a sense of doubt. Did Dajiang TV and Qinglan TV even watch the show?

He deeply suspected they didn’t.

The directors of the A-list stations spent their days selecting and producing dramas. Although they were competitors, they were all in the same industry and saw each other often, so they maintained decent relationships.

Chu Tianzhou had previously worked at Qinglan TV before being headhunted by Xingzhou TV.

After checking the upcoming lists of the two rival stations, Chu Tianzhou guessed he was right. Dajiang and Qinglan didn’t lack good dramas, and there were too many voices badmouthing Records of the Bai’s Return. There was no need for them to buy it and invite trouble.

Unlike Dajiang and Qinglan, Chu Tianzhou didn’t have as many concerns when selecting dramas. Moreover, in terms of quality, Records of the Bai’s Return was far better than Xingzhou TV’s other options.

Chu Tianzhou drew a heavy circle around Lin Ji’s name.

Some in the industry joked that Lin Ji possessed “ratings magic.”

Chu Tianzhou really wanted to test if this so-called magic would work for Xingzhou TV.

* * *

“Is Xingzhou TV really going to air Records of the Bai’s Return?”

“Could it be fake? It’s all over the internet.”

Upon hearing the news, there were voices of doubt within both Dajiang TV and Qinglan TV.

The three stations had competed for years, and Dajiang and Qinglan were well aware of Chu Tianzhou’s eye for selecting dramas. Objectively speaking, Xingzhou TV usually lost out simply because they lacked “priority.”

Although Xingzhou TV couldn’t typically launch a successful assault on the ratings of Dajiang and Qinglan, it didn’t mean the two giants were invincible. For instance, last year’s annual ratings champion had actually gone to Sunrise TV.

“Increase the publicity budget. It is a Lin Ji drama, after all.”

Dajiang TV could afford to lose to Code 11 once, but losing again to Records of the Bai’s Return would be embarrassing.

Furthermore, Code 11 had nothing to do with Dajiang TV, but Records of the Bai’s Return was a drama Dajiang had personally rejected. No matter what, Shooting the Sirius and Dawn 1973 had to suppress Records of the Bai’s Return.

* * *

As soon as December arrived, the major satellite stations released the trailers for their upcoming dramas in unison.

Shooting the Sirius was a historical drama depicting the decades-long war between the Song Dynasty and Western Xia. Best Actor Zhou Xiao proved he was still in his prime. In the short few minutes of the trailer, he vividly portrayed the blood, tears, and glory of an old general on the battlefield.

Qinglan TV’s Winter Promise was an idol drama, a genre the platform excelled in. The female lead’s cute, sweet face and the scene of her romantic embrace with the male lead in the snow made people squeal with excitement at just a glance.

“The strongest December!!”

“I feel like all the dramas in December are worth watching. Which one should I choose?”

Among the stations, the trailer from Xingzhou, Daqin, and Sunrise TV was the last to be released.

Nie Ou was out shopping when she received the news. The moment she got home, she opened the trailer at maximum speed.

The instant the first scene appeared, Nie Ou’s pupils dilated slightly.

The visuals possessed a cinematic quality—smooth but not “floating,” like fine silk. Combined with the soft background music, it instantly drew the viewer into the era of the Bai family.

Nie Ou was hooked from the very first frame.

It was a shot of Bai Mei looking at Qiu Chengyi. Her gaze was stubborn and filled with tears, yet she refused to let herself cry.

Nie Ou had imagined how Chen Cheng would interpret the role of Bai Mei, but… nothing could describe the sheer shock of seeing this character now.

What Chen Cheng displayed was not her previous stiff and pale acting, nor was it the seductive charm of Shen Yin. It was the image of a stubborn, vibrant woman.

In this shot, she had shed the constraints of all her past roles. At this moment, she was Bai Mei.

Nie Ou looked closer. Chen Cheng’s styling had clearly been crafted with great effort. Bai Mei’s short hair and clothing perfectly replicated the refinement described in the original Records of the Bai’s Return novel.

During filming, the production hadn’t marketed the styling or emphasized that they had hired specific experts for the actors’ looks. But in Nie Ou’s eyes, Records of the Bai’s Return was far better than any of Chen Cheng’s previous visually-focused dramas. The character of Bai Mei truly gave her a sense of wonder.

In the subsequent scenes, Bai Mei appeared sparingly. However, because Nie Ou was very familiar with the original novel, she could immediately identify every character as they appeared.

There was Bai Tong, who matured through the baptism of war and eventually sacrificed himself; the clash of ideas faced by the second generation; the resolution of grievances by the third generation…

The two-minute trailer condensed many classic scenes from the original novel. Not a single shot was redundant. The music shifted with the scenes, perfectly timed to the extreme.

“Sister Cheng is killing me!!!

“I have to watch Records of the Bai’s Return!!!”

After letting out a howl of excitement, Nie Ou began taking screenshots of every frame of Chen Cheng at lightning speed, then shared them frantically in the fan groups.

“…Your hands are so fast. Don’t you have a job?”

“Another day of being stunned by Sister Cheng’s beauty! Sister Cheng must, must succeed in this transition!”

“The filming is so good. Even with short hair, Sister Cheng is beautiful enough to kill!”

While Nie Ou’s side was ecstatic, certain book fan groups for Records of the Bai’s Return had been filled with criticism ever since the news of the adaptation broke.

This time, even though the three stations had released the trailer, the book fan groups remained quiet, as if the event didn’t even exist.

It wasn’t until late at night that a single message finally popped up.

“Actually… the new trailer for Records of the Bai’s Return is pretty good. I think it feels better than the old version.”

“Of course, it’s just a trailer for now. We don’t know how the full show will be, but the actors’ appearances are very faithful to the original.”

NOTES

“Floating” (悬浮): A term used in the Chinese industry to describe dramas that are unrealistic, lack logic, or feel disconnected from real life, often characterized by overly glossy filters and shallow plots.

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