CH 59

The finale of [The S-Class Acting Awards] had a duration of two and a half hours, much longer than previous episodes. The TV station and investors went all out, investing heavily in the show. Just for the final episode, they invited numerous celebrities and renowned directors, indicating the importance attached to it.

Multiple versions of the trailer were edited and released, with one being revealed each day.

S-Class Acting Awards:「#S-Class Acting Awards# Trailer Part 3! Special guest supporting actors 'Salt Grain' couple @Song Yan @Wen Li Litchi's trailer is here! The two teachers not only imparted valuable acting experience to our contestants but also collaborated to pay tribute to Director Yu Weiguang's classic film [The Twelve Prisons of the Ming Dynasty]. Tune in this Saturday at 8:00 p.m. for the grand show!」

#「'S-Class Acting Awards' Weibo video」

Coincidentally, the fifth episode of [In This World With You] was also scheduled to air in the prime time slot on Saturday at 8:00 p.m.

Both shows were the key variety programs competing for ratings between two TV stations. [In This World With You] had the advantage of its successful first season, with the original production team and A-list celebrities joining the show. It started with a bang and maintained stable ratings throughout each episode. The news of Lu Ming's infidelity skyrocketed the show's popularity even more, dominating both national and regional rankings, including the online sphere and local charts.

The popularity of [In This World With You] pushed [The S-Class Acting Awards] to second place on the variety show rankings. Now, everything relied on the final episode of [The S-Class Acting Awards] to regain its face. They had to strive for the top spot in the national ratings for that week.

As soon as the third trailer was released, the production team immediately arranged for it to trend on social media.

The trailer lasted a full two and a half minutes.

It was an exclusive trailer featuring Song Yan and Wen Li. Once it was released, their armies of fans rushed to watch it.

「Wow, just thirty seconds from the neighboring show, but this one is a full two and a half minutes.」

「Look at the trailer from 'In This World With You'.」

「Can you please show some competitive spirit? @InThisWorldWithYou」

「Let's plan a five-minute trailer for the next episode. We can't lose. Thanks, @InThisWorldWithYou」

「Yan Zhengkui, are you watching? I won't say much more. Just resign and let someone else take over.」

Director Yan, who couldn't obtain the footage from his senior, felt discontented in his heart. On the day the trailer was released, he quietly logged onto Weibo to take a look. Seeing the barrage of comments, he couldn't help but feel a mix of frustration and amusement. He realized that the camaraderie he had with his so-called seniors from the school cafeteria was nothing more than that.

The trailer featured a minute of joint performances by Song Yan and Wen Li, showcasing their enchanting ancient costumes and their captivating chemistry while in character. Their interactions in the trailer were much more appealing than their usual interactions outside of work.

The trailer quickly topped the daily rankings in the variety show category. The trending topics were filled with the latest Weibo posts.

The hottest post was made by an ordinary internet user.

「On Saturday night, should I watch the 'Imperial Concubine Who Flips the World' or the 'Award-Winning Concubine'? I'm torn.」

The comments below were quite interesting.

「Your Majesty, I suggest you enjoy both.」

Blogger's reply:「The dog slave campus network can't handle the two of them!」

「Imperial Concubine has become yesterday's news. Relying on the Emperor's favor, she has repeatedly brushed off his advances. On the other hand, the Award-Winning Concubine is young and beautiful. She even prepared a dog food snack lasting a full two and a half minutes for the Emperor. Her heart's devotion to the Emperor is evident. I dare to suggest that Your Majesty should choose the Award-Winning Concubine.」

Blogger's reply:「Well, I did sincerely love the Imperial Concubine in the past, but never mind. Let's go with the Award-Winning Concubine. This Emperor is truly a scoundrel.」

Director Yan: "..."

Damn it, why did he feel like he had been dumped by these young girls?

Indeed, the hearts of these young girls were made of transformers; they changed at will.

On Saturday night, the top spots on the trending list were dominated by [The S-Class Acting Awards] show. With a larger number of guests and longer airtime, the show easily garnered attention. Simply mentioning the names of Song Yan and Wen Li was enough to trend, and with their extended screen time, humorous plotlines, and abundant funny moments, there was no need to worry about repetitiveness.

Several trending topics were associated with Song Yan and Wen Li:

#Song Yan Wen Li Version of [The Twelve Prisons of the Ming Dynasty]#

#Unexpected Excitement in Small Mom Literature#

#Exquisite Ancient Costumes#

#Song Yan and Wen Li's Collaboration#

#Song Yan, Return Home and Talk#

Among these trending topics, some were paid promotions, while others were naturally driven by user interest.

In addition to these harmonious and joyful topics, there were also deliberately provocative trends, such as #Duan Hong Wen Li#.

During a previous recorded performance, Duan Hong first fired shots, and later, Wen Li counterattacked. Both sides didn't want to offend each other, so those parts were completely edited out. However, since there were many audience members present, the information was leaked.

People recounted the words spoken by Duan Hong and Wen Li, representing the "traditional acting" and "idol drama" camps, on entertainment forums. Low-quality, pixelated videos were also leaked. With the high popularity of the finale of the Acting Awards, this revelation quickly gained traction.

Netizens thought that Wen Li's fans would attack and occupy Duan Hong's social media accounts, and the "just passerby" individuals would use this opportunity to attack Wen Li and all other popular artists and their fans. However, Wen Li and her fans remained calm and didn't give any attention to this so-called trending topic.

Duan Hong was a serious actor with a good reputation, but he didn't have many fans on online platforms. Logically speaking, if he really clashed with Wen Li, his fans wouldn't be able to argue against Wen Li's fans.

However, this would undoubtedly have some impact on Wen Li's reputation. Popular artists are always at the mercy of public opinion, and even if Wen Li was in the right, no one cared about whether she was right or wrong. Once her conflict with Duan Hong was blown out of proportion, there would be plenty of "just passerby" individuals biased against popular artists who would speak up for Duan Hong. Her fans would speak up for her but would also be labeled as "mindless defenders".

The devoted fans received instructions from their management team, organizing them to ignore this trending topic. They only needed to focus on promoting other positive trending topics on Weibo to boost their popularity.

Some individuals tried to fan the flames. It was almost 11 p.m. when one of the parties involved, Duan Hong, who had remained silent from beginning to end, finally posted on his long-abandoned Weibo.

Duan Hong:「@Wen Litchi」

Wen Li had work that evening and didn't go online the entire night. It was only after she finished work that her manager reminded her to reply to Duan Hong's Weibo.

Only then did she belatedly realize that, in her opinion, the minor grievances between her and Duan Hong had already come to an end, but it seemed that some netizens were not ready to let it go.

Wen Li followed Duan Hong on Weibo and left a "shy" emoji as a comment under his post.

Finally, the fans, who had been forced to remain quiet all night, were relieved.

「Fans of Sanli, assemble!!」

「Thank you, Teacher Duan, for acknowledging Sanli. Wishing you success in your work and a happy life.」

「Can those troublemakers just shut up? Sanli doesn't represent idol dramas, she represents herself as an actress. The future is bright for Wen Sanli.」

The subtle and clever responses from both parties quickly caused that ill-intentioned topic to sink down the trending list.

Wen Li thought that Duan Hong's thumbs-up gesture was probably not a PR move. If it was, they would have wanted him to say something praising her. Duan Hong had a bit of chauvinism, and even though he realized his biased thinking was wrong, he was unwilling to let go of his pride. So, he simply gave her a thumbs up.

With her grievances with Duan Hong completely resolved, Wen Li searched for Song Yan's Weibo and wanted to see if, as her man, he had posted anything praising her.

But there was nothing. Song Yan hadn't logged onto Weibo.

His comment section was once again invaded.

Under the latest Weibo advertisement for [The S-Class Acting Awards], the newest comments were all left by fans of the CP and comments from random netizens who had watched the show that day.

「Hey there, handsome. Heard that you get jealous even when your wife acts alongside other male actors?」

「All the other guests only had one performance, but a certain male artist with the surname Song had to work extra because of his jealousy.」

「Man, your jealous look is really fascinating.」

「Talk about it when you get home, what's there to say?」

「Congratulations to Beauty for adding another image; a "jealous wife" to his innocent school chicken image!」

Wen Li suddenly had a very daring idea.

If she screenshot these comments and sent them to Song Yan, would he block her?

After a two-second internal struggle, Wen Li decided that if he wanted to block her, so be it. Some mockery in their relationship was definitely necessary.

She decisively took screenshots of those comments and sent them to Song Yan, adding the line, "Even though your image has completely collapsed, I won't look down on you."

The good news was that Song Yan didn't block her. He was different from Wen Li and didn't play the so-called princess temperament.

The bad news was that Song Yan replied with a dirty joke he usually only said to her in bed.

Song Yan:「Want some action?」

Wen Li:「?」

Wen Li:「Do you believe that I'll screenshot this message and post it on Weibo right now?」

Song Yan:「Are you trying to let everyone know about your fate tonight?」

But she had just casually sent a screenshot to mock him. Was it really necessary?

Although she felt disdainful in her heart, she decided to be cautious just in case. She decided not to go home tonight and would find somewhere to spend the night.

——

At night, it was the finale of [The S-Rank Acting Awards]. Wen Li had work and didn't return home until late.

Fortunately, she came back late, and when she arrived home, Song Yan was already lying in bed resting, so Wen Li barely managed to avoid his "fate" mentioned earlier.

Wen Li thought that she shouldn't casually mock Song Yan anymore. This despicable man didn't argue with her verbally but liked to retaliate in other ways.

The next night, under the semi-mandatory request of the show's production team, Wen Li and Song Yan cleared their schedules for the evening. Under the surveillance of the show's cameras, the two of them sat side by side on the living room couch, using screen mirroring to watch the previous day's episode and discuss it.

Wen Li kept her distance from Song Yan, fearing that he would remember what happened yesterday and retaliate in front of the cameras.

With the cameras present, Song Yan acted like an extremely normal and gentlemanly man, engaging in casual conversation with her and reviewing her performance on the show.

During the filming, she couldn't see her own performance, and after the shoot, she went straight to the stage recording location without having the chance to review the footage. Now, with the show airing, she could watch her entire performance and pay attention to any facial expressions or movements that didn't look good or felt unnatural, so she could improve in the future.

Downstairs, Director Yan stood in front of the monitor, covering his forehead and sounding desperate, "Did I offend these two in my past life? Why do they have to hold work meetings even at home?"

Just last night, the highly-rated show [In This World With You], which had been leading in ratings since its premiere, was overtaken by the star-studded lineup of [The S-Rank Acting Awards]. With eight classic film and television tributes, impeccable set design, and flawless makeup for the actors, [In This World With You] was surpassed, bringing it the humiliation of second place.

And because Salt Grain Couple had gone to record the [The S-Rank Acting Awards], their screen time in the fifth episode of [In This World With You] was drastically reduced. The overall topic of the episode relied on the popularity of the other three couples to maintain, otherwise, it wouldn't even secure second place in ratings.

Several staff members didn't dare to speak, wondering how Director Yan hadn't accepted this fact after five episodes had been recorded.

That's just how they are when they're at home.

Occasionally, there's a hint of romance or sweetness, as if they're being bestowed some heavenly blessings. But strangely, the fans fall for it.

The sweeter the moments that were discovered in their relaxed state, the more genuine and natural they felt.

At home, Wen Li was unaware that Director Yan was once again worrying about them. When the program they were watching moved on to other guests, she refrained from commenting due to the presence of cameras. With no bullet comments displayed on the TV screen, it became uninteresting to watch. So she took out her phone and scrolled through Weibo while watching the show.

The Salt Grain Couple's hashtag was bustling. Wen Li noticed that the pinned and featured video had been updated.

Finally, it changed from the thousand-layered routine to the latest episode that aired yesterday.

「[Salt Grain Couple] Paranoiac Emperor x Cunning Heartless Empress Dowager」

Video creator: Beauty's Sanli

Video description:「The result of staying up all night and slacking off at work today is out!!! A few years ago, I went to the cinema to support [The Twelve Prisons of the Ming Dynasty]. At that time, I thought it was just a political intrigue film, but unexpectedly, with the new play, the little Empress Dowager Sanli's literature in it was so... impactful. Both Beauty and Sanli portrayed it brilliantly. Beauty's insane love that cannot be obtained and Sanli's almost emotionless inner self, born out of power struggles, giving rise to forbidden love. They love and fight each other. They were enemies, friends with benefits, and true love. It's perfect and fulfilling in every aspect, except for the regrettable absence of kissing and bed scenes. But everything else is a dream come true!」

The video was carefully edited, layered with a heavier dark filter to enhance its cinematic quality. The background music used was the melancholic pipa interlude from the original film. With the added filter and music, this short segment felt even more like a high-quality film.

「Confessing my love for Beauty, confessing my love for Sanli, confessing my love for Mrs. Grass!」

「You can always trust Mrs. Grass's editing.」

「Empress Dowager Wen Li's literature is amazing! I love the insane male lead! I love the cunning female protagonist!」

Many of the popular CPs in the Salt Grain fandom credited Mrs. Grass for their edited videos. Wen Li had already liked some of her videos before the show aired. It was impressive how Mrs. Grass had managed to edit such high-quality videos in just one day. It truly was a labor of love.

The comments section was filled with various discussions, mostly serious due to the nature of the film script.

「I can accept the lack of kissing and bed scenes!!! This segment is exceptional! In my personal opinion, it's the best among the eight dramas!」

「The costume and makeup are truly exceptional. The beauty of the Han, Tang, Song, and Ming dynasties is the true essence of the Chinese people.」

「Because Beauty and Sanli acted in this play, I think the Ming Dynasty is a period that truly reflects our national integrity. The legacy of the emperors who fought on horseback, their dominance and spirit. Unfortunately, they only acted in a short segment. It would be great if they could collaborate on a complete work.」

「I really want to see Beauty and Sanli work together in a patriotic production. The profound love and devotion amid unyielding determination are truly moving.」

「I really hope they collaborate. They deserve it, and she has proved to everyone that she's worthy of the big screen.」

Wen Li proudly showed these comments to Song Yan, intending to use them as a segue to discuss the script for [Ice City]. However, Song Yan pointed to the camera. The script and casting for [Ice City] were still kept secret. The news of his involvement hadn't even been officially announced yet, so it wasn't suitable to discuss it in front of the show's camera.

Wen Li understood instantly and whispered, "Should we go to the bedroom to talk?"

"Let's go."

Song Yan turned off the TV.

As expected, once they were in the bedroom, they turned off the camera in the room.

At this point, the camera being turned off became a daily occurrence for Director Yan. What made this show popular was its lack of script, giving the guests complete freedom. However, this freedom also led to their downfall. The guests could do whatever they wanted.

"I need to come up with a solution," Director Yan said seriously, "We can't let them continue like this."

The producer scratched his head and said, "But we have to respect the guests' privacy. If they turn off the cameras, there's nothing we can do."

Director Yan smirked, "A live broadcast. I'll insert a script during a live broadcast. You can't turn off the cameras for a live broadcast, can you?"

"...But what if both Teacher Song and Teacher Wen don't cooperate?"

"The sixth episode is a charity livestream. If they dare not cooperate, then it means they don't love charity!"

With the moral blackmail set in place, no one dared not to cooperate.

The producer thought that once the second season of [In This World With You] was finished filming, Director Yan would completely lose his mind.

——

The finale of [The S-Class Acting Awards] broke the viewership record for this quarter's variety shows, shining brightly for a while. However, with the passing of time, the audience's attention turned to the other popular variety shows that hadn't concluded yet.

With great ambition, Director Yan began to plan for the sixth episode.

In the new episode of [In This World With You], they decided to combine a charity livestream with the show's script.

Since it involved a joint recording with all the guest couples, the schedules of the four couples and eight artists had to be coordinated. Wen Li and the other intern couple, Yan Jun and Qi Sihan, hurriedly joined the other artists after recording the fourth episode of [For You To Debut].

Unlike regular office workers, artists had to squeeze their time out of these jam-packed schedules.

As the four couples were not professionals in hosting livestreams, lacking the eloquence and skills of experienced hosts, the collaboration invited a well-known livestreamer to guide them in hosting the livestream and promoting charitable causes together.

The setup for the livestream was bright and warm, with the shelves behind filled with the products to be featured in the livestream.

Wen Li hurriedly arrived at the venue with Yan Jun and Qi Sihan. When she arrived, Song Yan was already there.

In the past, Song Yan never considered taking on hosting jobs like this livestream. If it weren't for the arrangements made by the [In This World With You] production team, few people in this industry would have had the chance to see him. As a result, many staff members flocked to Song Yan, requesting autographs and photos.

After the preparations were nearly complete, the staff members outside the camera signaled the livestreamer with an "OK" hand gesture. The initially expressionless livestreamer immediately put on a big smile.

"Hello, everyone! Good evening! Today's livestream is starting again!"

"Did you all notice how carefully our livestream room was arranged? Because today's charity livestream is a collaboration between the brand, the popular variety show [In This World With You] , and us! Each product represents a piece of love. For every product ordered in our livestream, the brand will donate one yuan to charity organizations. So, we hope everyone can support charity as much as possible, and of course, consume in moderation. Responsible consumption is essential."

It was Song Yan's first time participating in a livestream like this. Watching the livestreamer sitting in front of the camera, speaking nonstop with a smile, he could have easily become a talk show host with his excellent Mandarin skills.

"Alright, enough with the small talk. Let's welcome the guests from [In This World With You]! Welcome, everyone!"

The barrage in the live chat instantly became lively.

「Salt Grain!!! Beauty x Sanli!!!」

「Beauty x Sanli, Beauty x Sanli, Beauty x Sanli!」

「Brother Hong and Zitong!」

「Yanzi and Yanqizi!」

「Mommy Hanhan is here!」

"Okay, for today's livestream, it's not just about promoting products. We'll start with a small game involving the guests. This game not only promotes the features of our products but also helps strengthen the bond between couples," The livestreamer followed the pre-determined script, "Are the guests ready? Let's have the staff bring the props!"

Instead of looking like they were prepared, the guests looked puzzled.

What's going on?

What kind of game is this?

How does it strengthen the bond between couples?

Meanwhile, outside the camera, Director Yan, who was observing, suddenly revealed a mischievous smile.