Translator: Ink Hub

Editor: Yoog

As Records of the Bai’s Return aired its 18th episode, the plot reached a major climax.

War broke out, and the people’s livelihoods withered. The men of the Bai family headed to the battlefield, leaving Bai Mei to lead a household of the elderly, the weak, and the disabled through a period of grueling hardship.

The Bai family still faced external threats, but Bai Mei shouldered every burden with sheer force of will.

This was the highlight of Chen Cheng’s acting performance. It was also a segment from the original Records of the Bai’s Return novel that had deeply moved book fans. Even though the book had described this part in great detail, the audience was still filled with anticipation when the actors brought it to life.

“Sob, sob… I’ve wanted to say this so many times: this is exactly the kind of adaptation we want!”

“Sister Cheng is now the 90s-born top-tier star in my heart. How can she act so well?”

“I cried once when I read the original book. Seeing this on TV last night, I couldn’t hold it back again.”

For Chen Cheng, every additional episode of Records of the Bai’s Return that aired expanded the range of roles she was invited to play.

In fact, ever since Shen Yin became a breakout hit, invitations for her were no longer limited to ancient idol crews. However, Shen Yin was only a supporting character; her screen time in Code 11 was not significant. Even if Chen Cheng performed Shen Yin brilliantly, it did not necessarily mean she could handle the role of a lead in a long drama.

Records of the Bai’s Return proved that she was fully capable of doing so.

In the current circle of actresses, someone like Chen Cheng was a scarce resource. Those with better acting skills than she did did not have her traffic, whereas those with higher traffic did not have her acting skills. When a production lacked a female lead of the right age, Chen Cheng had already become the first choice for many directors.

“Sigh, it feels like Sister Cheng’s transition happened just yesterday. At the time, I thought she was being foolish, insisting on collaborating with Cheng Yuan for Code 11. Thinking back now, that was the turning point of her career.”

“Screenwriter Lin is the GOAT. We shouldn’t just thank Code 11 and Records of the Bai’s Return; we should also thank Secretly in Love with You!”

“LOL. Thanking Secretly in Love with You +1.”

“Whenever I think of Cheng-Zi’s current achievements, I laugh out loud while scrolling through her real-time updates.”

Chen Cheng’s fans still remembered the arrogance of Yu Muzi’s fans when they mocked their idol. During that period, the dramas Chen Cheng starred in were indeed flops, and her agency was not as capable as Yu Muzi’s. When the mocking became intense, only the fans were left struggling to defend her.

Thinking back, the fans realized that Chen Cheng’s decision to act in Code 11 was a desperate gamble. Fortunately, she had made the right bet.

The fans had once wondered how they would trample Yu Muzi’s fans underfoot once Chen Cheng made her comeback. But now, with the dual achievements of Code 11 and Records of the Bai’s Return in hand, mocking the other side seemed meaningless—Chen Cheng now had the fundamental foundation to stand as an actress, and her future was destined to be incredibly vast.

On this day, Dajiang TV’s Shooting the Sirius also reached its conclusion.

Since its premiere, the ratings for Shooting the Sirius had been incredibly stable, firmly holding the daily champion spot. As the finale approached, the ratings finally broke 4%.

Regrettably, unless something unexpected happened, it would be difficult for the final ratings of Shooting the Sirius to break 4.5%. Before the show aired, Dajiang TV had set its ratings goal as the annual champion.

“The fact that Shooting the Sirius didn’t reach the 4.5% final goal means that Dajiang TV’s annual champion for this year remains When the Dream Wakes at 4.61%. This result is 0.19% lower than last year’s Code 11, which hit the 4.8% legendary television viewership milestone.”

“Competition with dramas like Records of the Bai’s Return and Winter Promise increased the attention on Shooting the Sirius. However, inevitably, the viewing audience was heavily diverted by competitors. Taking Records of the Bai’s Return as an example, the average ratings for Xingzhou, Daqin, and Sunrise TV are all above 2%. The actual number of viewers for Records of the Bai’s Return far exceeds Shooting the Sirius…”

The scene many drama fans had anticipated—Xingzhou TV’s ratings surpassing Shooting the Sirius—did not happen. However, the current ratings for Records of the Bai’s Return still exceeded the expectations of the three stations. Especially on the day after the finale of Shooting the Sirius, when Dawn 1973 took over the slot, its popularity was not yet sufficient. This gave Records of the Bai’s Return a chance to surge.

The current top five ratings were as follows:

Xingzhou TV, Records of the Bai’s Return Episodes 21-22: 3.43%
Sunrise TV, Records of the Bai’s Return Episodes 21-22: 2.65%
Qinglan TV, Winter Promise Episodes 21-22: 2.62%
Daqin TV, Records of the Bai’s Return Episodes 21-22: 2.52%
Dajiang TV, Dawn 1973 Episodes 1-2: 2.48%

“I only see a screen full of Records of the Bai’s Return!”

“LMAO. Is there nothing else to watch? Why is everyone watching Records of the Bai’s Return?”

“I did a quick addition of the combined ratings for the three stations; it broke 7.5%. I’ve truly said ‘awesome’ enough times!!”

“Xingzhou TV has returned to the ratings champion throne after thirteen months! Has anyone counted? Which number champion title is this for Little Lin?”

“Little Lin is so powerful. All three airings of Records of the Bai’s Return have entered the top five. LOL. It’s like one person fighting against every TV station, right?”

By this time, news that the Publicity Department had approached Dajiang TV and Qinglan TV had also leaked out.

“Emmm… Dajiang TV is one thing, but what was Qinglan TV thinking?”

“If Records of the Bai’s Return had aired simultaneously on Qinglan TV and Xingzhou TV, Qinglan TV could have at least suppressed Xingzhou TV in terms of ratings.”

“Dajiang TV isn’t embarrassed, as Shooting the Sirius performed well. I’d like to ask Qinglan TV: what are your thoughts on the two Records of the Bai’s Return currently ahead of you?”

“The problem is that Daqin TV’s current ratings are only 0.13% lower than Qinglan TV’s. Based on the climbing speed of Records of the Bai’s Return, will there eventually be three airings of Records of the Bai’s Return sitting on top of Qinglan TV?”

Netizens loved to watch the chaos. However, a day later, exactly as they had guessed, the top three spots on the ratings chart were neatly occupied by Records of the Bai’s Return. The fourth spot was Dajiang TV’s new Dawn 1973, and Qinglan TV’s Winter Promise was currently in fifth.

Qinglan TV: “…”

They thought that falling out of the top two was hitting rock bottom; it turned out that if one wanted to fall, one could always fall lower.

Xingzhou TV maintained the number one ratings spot for a long time, but the ratings never broke 4%. After all, Daqin TV and Sunrise TV diverted a portion of the audience.

Dajiang TV’s Dawn 1973 came on strong, but in terms of quality, it was still slightly inferior to Shooting the Sirius. After half of Dawn 1973 had aired, the era in Records of the Bai’s Return also transitioned from the modern period to the contemporary era.

When Records of the Bai’s Return competed with Shooting the Sirius, the two dramas were set in different eras, yet both showcased a profound historical foundation. Both dramas had their own supporters; Shooting the Sirius won on a single station’s ratings, while Records of the Bai’s Return won on total viewership.

But Dawn 1973 was different. Its historical background was very close to the current plot of Records of the Bai’s Return. With just a slight comparison, viewers could see the gap between the two dramas.

Whether a drama’s quality was good or bad might be hard to describe clearly with words, but as long as there was a competitor for comparison, its excellence would stand out.

In the same era, in terms of plot fluidity, visual color, and pacing, Records of the Bai’s Return was clearly superior.

Records of the Bai’s Return had reached the latter half of its story, yet the number of viewers was still increasing, and the show’s reputation continued to ferment across various platforms.

If it were a work like Shooting the Sirius, it might have the strength to resist Records of the Bai’s Return. But Dawn 1973 was not Shooting the Sirius, and Records of the Bai’s Return was no longer the underdog it was when it first aired.

“Records of the Bai’s Return is truly too strong!”

“Wait, it doesn’t plan to keep three stations in the top five until the finale, does it?”

“…If Xingzhou TV’s ratings go above 4%, and Daqin and Sunrise both go above 3%, does that mean for every ten people watching TV, one of them is watching Records of the Bai’s Return?”

“Ahem… Actually, everyone I know is watching Records of the Bai’s Return.”

“Me too…”

Xingzhou TV’s ascent to the number one ratings spot began with the 21st episode. Since then, fans and critics across all platforms had been guessing when Xingzhou TV would lose that position.

Fans had held expectations for Dawn 1973 and for the spy drama Spy Trace, which took over for Winter Promise on Qinglan TV. But Xingzhou TV seemed nailed to the top of the ratings chart, not moving an inch.

Not only that, but Daqin TV and Sunrise TV were also very stable in the top five. Sunrise TV was quite calm about this, since Code 11 had been a massive hit before. Daqin TV was different; during the broadcast of Records of the Bai’s Return, they couldn’t help but constantly release various memes. Their excitement was palpable to everyone.

“Speaking of which, after Records of the Bai’s Return finishes, will Little Lin be the most sought-after screenwriter in the industry?”

“To be precise, you don’t have to wait for the show to finish, right? Isn’t he already?”

“Think about it carefully, if Records of the Bai’s Return had only aired on a single station, would the ratings have broken 6%?”

Even though Lin Ji’s Weibo bio only contained the word “Screenwriter” and he wasn’t very active in promoting his own shows, Lin Ji had unknowingly become the screenwriter with the most fans and the most attention in the industry.

“Little Lin’s followers are exploding, and so many stars are following him.”

“Hasn’t a marketing account already made a table specifically tracking which stars follow Little Lin? I feel like I can understand the others, but how does Qin Yi have the face to do it?”

“His new drama flopped again, so there’s nothing he can do…”

Lin Ji was also looking at the gossip about who followed him. There were simply too many celebrities in the circle. He knew very few of them and couldn’t go through his follower list one by one.

If it weren’t for the gossip, Lin Ji wouldn’t even have known Qin Yi’s new drama had premiered in the same time slot as Records of the Bai’s Return. It was just that the defense of Shooting the Sirius, Records of the Bai’s Return, and Winter Promise was too solid that Qin Yi’s new drama didn’t have a single chance to stand out.

After finishing the gossip, Lin Ji pulled out his phone and began editing a Weibo post.

His fans saw the content immediately.

Under the tag #Multiple Stars Follow Lin Ji#, a line of text appeared on Lin Ji’s homepage:

[No Future Entertainment, thank you.]

#Famous Screenwriter Lin Ji Issues Important Instructions#

#A Simple Translation: Future Entertainment, Get Lost#

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