Chapter 132: New Schedule

Chapter 132: New Schedule

After attending the C brand and G brand fashion shows in succession and participating in the banquets organized by the brands, Lu Xu flew back to China from overseas.

Relatively speaking, Lu Xu has not collaborated with many brands. Although he received several invitations to watch the shows, he still chose the brands he endorses.

Upon his return, "Reversal City" had not yet started filming, but "Chivalrous Fragrance" was about to air.

When Liu Chunfeng informed Lu Xu of this news, Lu Xu glanced at the calendar—the wrap-up time for "Chivalrous Fragrance" was not long ago, and the speed at which the series was set to air far exceeded his expectations.

"Not too fast," Liu Chunfeng said. "It took quite a while to negotiate with the platform."

With Lu Xu as the lead and the second collaboration between Lu Xu and Shao Yao, "Chivalrous Fragrance" was naturally easy to sell. However, Liu Chunfeng couldn't help but complain to Lu Xu—although "The Son of Heaven" once created a miracle in popularity, historical dramas still don't have a very good market.

"This is because you are the lead actor, which makes the series easier to sell."

The treatment of Lu Xu's starring dramas is naturally extraordinary, but general historical dramas are still struggling to make ends meet.

Perhaps it's because the quality of historical dramas in recent years has declined significantly. According to feedback from various platforms, the viewership of historical dramas from earlier years is not bad among old series, and audiences often revisit them from time to time.

Even "The Son of Heaven" has decent re-run data on the Cloud Video platform.

Liu Chunfeng was just lamenting. Both he and Qin Yu feel heartbroken about the current state of historical dramas.

When filming "The Son of Heaven," he couldn't get any A-list actors to join. Fortunately, "The Son of Heaven" gave Cheng Yun and Guo Yining, who had been supporting actors for years, a second wind in their careers. And if it weren't for Lu Xu joining "Chivalrous Fragrance," the cast would likely be less impressive than it is now.

After the series was scheduled, Lu Xu and Shao Yao started warming up on their respective Weibo accounts.

At the same time as the airing date for "Chivalrous Fragrance" was announced, Zheng Xiao sent a message to both of them on WeChat.

"Is 'Chivalrous Fragrance' airing in early March?"

After receiving a positive response, Zheng Xiao immediately sent a picture: "What to do? I'm starting to get nervous."

His starring drama "War Flames" happens to be in the same time slot as "Chivalrous Fragrance."

Zheng Xiao sent a "realizing things are not simple" meme, and Lu Xu responded with a "there's a traitor among us" meme.

Zheng Xiao: "...It's not my fault, blame you guys for not inviting me to act in 'Chivalrous Fragrance'!"

"Didn't we leave a eunuch role for you?"

"Too handsome, can't play that."

After showing off their meme collections for a while, Zheng Xiao said, "Actually, the three of us don't need to worry. The most powerful drama in this time slot is Qiao Mengyao's series."

Lu Xu: "..."

This time slot is indeed quite magical.

Of course, even though Qiao Mengyao's "Illusory Realm" is more popular among young audiences in terms of genre, "Chivalrous Fragrance" is the only series in this time slot recognized by the industry as having the potential to surpass "Illusory Realm."

After all—the lead actor is Lu Xu.

To some extent, Lu Xu's achievements in the TV world are not inferior to Qiao Mengyao's. Just by mentioning the Star Award, he has already surpassed Qiao Mengyao by a margin.

Lu Xu mainly loses in quantity, but if you compare the popularity, each of his three starring dramas can be described as terrifying.

Historical dramas are indeed niche, but once they bear the "Lu Xu" label, they seem to have a chance of winning.

Given that "Illusory Realm" and "Chivalrous Fragrance" premiered at the same time, and the lead actors of both dramas had a history of intense competition, this time, both sides acted with considerable restraint.

"Qiao Mengyao in 'Illusory Realm' doesn't have many constraints; she has her own investment, and the drama wasn't overloaded with too many characters," said Xu Wen. "After the disastrous failure of 'The Empress,' she became more cautious."

"The Empress" was indeed Qiao Mengyao's most flopped drama, but the key was not the flop itself, but the fact that the crew staged too many dramatic confrontations. Even though the drama aired quite some time ago, whenever "rising stars" or "anticipated hits" are mentioned in the gossip discussions of various marketers, "The Empress" is inevitably on the list.

Although Qiao Mengyao has a good relationship with Wei Fangfei, she is far less high-profile than Wei Fangfei.

After repaying Wei Fangfei's favor with "The Empress," Qiao Mengyao reduced her interactions with her.

Qiao Mengyao likely has a good idea of what Wei Fangfei is up to; after all, she has been in the industry for so long and is not really a naive person.

Currently, Wei Fangfei hasn't hit rock bottom yet, but Qiao Mengyao knows that day is inevitable and not too far off.

"The Empress" once competed with "The Path of Bones," and "Illusory Realm" is inevitably compared with "Chivalrous Fragrance," but most of these comparisons are made by marketers for traffic. Neither "Illusory Realm" nor "Chivalrous Fragrance" has intervened.

Firstly, because both dramas are of good quality, a cutthroat competition may not necessarily be beneficial. "The Empress" had viewership ratings of over ten thousand in the early stages, and "The Path of Bones" also broke ten thousand. If it hadn't been for the later collapse of "The Empress," both dramas could have driven the entire market.

Secondly, Lu Xu is no longer the same as he used to be, and the "Illusory Realm" crew might not come out on top if they clash with him.

"Our 'War Flames' is also great, but we're being left out," Zheng Xiao sent several "damn it" messages, "Forget it, let's stay chill."

...

"Chivalrous Fragrance" was the first of the three dramas to release a trailer.

Fans were already aware that Lu Xu would be playing Nie Yunzhang, and they were not unfamiliar with this character, as Nie Yunzhang's on-screen portrayal is quite familiar.

But this does not prevent fans from looking forward to Lu Xu's version of Nie Yunzhang.

Lu Xu returned to television after starring in two films, and it's a historical drama—Nie Yunzhang rose to prominence at a young age, but unfortunately died young, leaving behind only great legends.

The word "regret" alone can inspire countless tales.

Nie Yunzhang himself has many fans.

The trailer for "Chivalrous Fragrance" is in reverse chronological order.

At the very beginning of the trailer, it is the dialogue between Nie Yunzhang, who is on his deathbed, and the Son of Heaven.

Nie Yunzhang lies on his deathbed, no longer the vibrant and carefree figure he once was, but the determination in his eyes makes people can't help but imagine what a handsome young man he would be if he weren't seriously ill.

Unfortunately, he will die.

The Son of Heaven urges him not to die, but he already knows that his life is coming to an end.

There are regrets, there are expectations, and he has already bared his soul to the Son of Heaven.

But his life, after all, was not in vain—

The white sheets are soaked with the Son of Heaven's tears. Nie Yunzhang originally did not cry, but seeing his king, confidant, and childhood playmate so sad, he also couldn't help but shed a tear.

After the music, the scene switches, as if a curtain is slowly opening.

What falls into the lens is a young, tender, but heroic face.

A white horse, a long spear, floating like poetry, a young man in splendid clothes and a spirited horse.

In the capital, this person protected the crown prince, interacted with confidants, and practiced martial arts diligently.

On the frontier, this man fought one against ten enemies, never knowing what fear was.

"How much of this land does Your Majesty wish for? I shall conquer it all for you!"

"Everywhere I and my fellow soldiers set foot becomes our territory!"

"If we retreat today, we will lose territory tomorrow!"

"I can't stand this!"

Life on the frontier was harsh, with soldiers often dying in battle, yet he remained steadfast in keeping his promises.

The final segment of the trailer features a clear, melodious opera voice: "They say Nie Yunzhang, at the young age of twenty..."

The trailer for *Chivalrous Fragrance* continues the signature style of *The Son of Heaven*. Although the protagonist, Nie Yunzhang, is just a young man, the visuals still convey a profound sense of weight.

Fortunately, the characters in *Chivalrous Fragrance* are not as tragic as those in *The Son of Heaven*. Nie Yunzhang did not live to old age, at least not to witness his trusted ministers develop selfish desires, loyal subordinates perish, or his descendants fight among themselves for the throne.

He died at the peak of his glory, buried with eternal honor and memory.

"Oh my, I just watched the trailer for *Chivalrous Fragrance*, and it instantly brought me back to the days of *The Son of Heaven*."

"Lu Xu really embodies Nie Yunzhang—a dashing, spirited young man in his youth!"

"Vibrant when he needs to be, serious when the moment calls for it—this is the Nie Yunzhang I envision. Nie Yunzhang is no love-struck idiot who abandons the frontier for beauty!"

"To be honest, Lu Xu was already handsome when he starred in *The Son of Heaven*, but he wasn't as popular as he is now. Fame truly boosts one's charm—he looks a hundred times more handsome now!"

"Agreed, agreed, agreed!"

"That scene of Nie Yunzhang on his deathbed captivated me once more. I usually avoid tragedies, but this trailer—I still want to experience Nie Yunzhang's glorious life, even knowing the outcome."

The hashtags #ChivalrousFragrance and #NieYunzhang are trending in real-time—before this, the streaming platform Cloud Video didn't expect such high engagement with the trailer.

At least with *The Son of Heaven*, the popularity grew steadily after its release.

Two other shows airing in the same slot as *Chivalrous Fragrance* are *Illusory Realm*, a fantasy drama about the love-hate entanglement between immortals and mortals. It's heart-wrenching yet cathartic. The other is *War Flames*, a story about ordinary people rescuing and saving themselves during wartime, based on true events.

Lu Xu doesn't favor one genre over another—he doesn't consider historical dramas superior or fantasy dramas inferior. Historical dramas can be poorly made, and fantasy dramas can have gems; what matters is whether the series itself resonates with the audience.

*War Flames* tells a warm and simple story set in a war-torn era, where ordinary people still cling to their hope for freedom and the end of the war. They resist in their own ways, even if the road ahead is uncertain, they never lose hope.

"2V1, if I win, you two treat me to a meal," Zheng Xiao said. "A victory meal—you can't skip it."

"And if you lose?"

"Then you definitely treat me to a meal. If I'm this miserable, don't I deserve it?" Zheng Xiao sent a question mark. "Anyway, you two are treating me to a meal."

Lu Xu: "...Go away."

Shao Yao was more direct: "No money."

And so, this season began with what seemed like a quiet start—though within the industry, it was clear that with three shows competing head-to-head and none of the lead actors being unknown, this season was bound to attract attention.

Will it create miracles, or will it descend into a bloody battle? No one can predict.