Chapter 135: The Aftermath

Chapter 135: The Aftermath

Qi Di: "..."

Has everyone picked up Lu Xu's bad habits?

"If you post 'I watched ten episodes of *Illusory Realm* in a row, it's terrible,' you might still save some face."

"Hahahaha, nobody cares, thank you."

Many netizens haven't even watched the show yet, but they've had plenty of fun watching the chaos.

"I'm laughing so hard. The *Illusory Realm* crew's Weibo seems so serious, but I can sense a hint of panic."

"*Illusory Realm* is doing great, but suddenly a massive mess latches onto it. Wouldn't you be scared?"

Qi Di was absolutely furious. He was now certain that Lu Xu was born to be his nemesis. While he was overseas attending an event, a reporter actually came to interview him about this.

"The *Illusory Realm* crew didn't like your post. Are you sad? Upset? Do you have anything to say?"

Qi Di: "..."

Where did this clueless idiot come from?

However, Qi Di was more amiable overseas than he was in China. He generously stated that it was his honor to promote such an excellent series like *Illusory Realm* to the audience.

When the reporter asked if he would consider acting in TV dramas in the future, Qi Di's first reaction was an immediate no. After a moment, realizing he might have overreacted, he added, "Every actor has their strong suits and weak points. Personally, I'm not suited for the grueling pace of TV dramas."

"Hmm..."

"Then let's wish him an acting award first... Is that even realistic?"

Naturally, Qi Di was laser-focused on winning an acting award. Otherwise, he wouldn't have bought so many trending topics. Unfortunately, even at a lesser-known A-list film festival in China, the award went to someone else, not him.

That night, the top trending hashtag was—#QiDi Glorious Loss#.

Clicking into the hashtag, half of the comments were as robotic as if written by AI:

"Qi Di tried his best, but it is what it is."

"Hope you have a great day!"

"A beautiful day starts with hard work, just like Qi Di's efforts, as sweet as success."

Lu Xu: "...Has Liu Rennong's studio blown their promotion budget?"

Xu Wen pondered for a moment: "The overseas PR expenses for *Song of Tears* must be through the roof, right?"

*Song of Tears* was a money pit to begin with. If it went overseas for awards, it would inevitably have to navigate a bureaucratic maze, especially since the *Song of Tears* crew was targeting an award with no domestic foundation—even the prestigious European Big Three have some connections in China.

The agent didn't try to cover for *Song of Tears*: "Probably the quality is too subpar to even consider submitting to the European Big Three."

Family tragedies are a dime a dozen across many countries. *Song of Tears* lacked originality and failed to deliver a complete destruction and rebirth. Since it didn't resolve any issues, the film had no real impact.

Works with deeper, more suffocating themes that better embody disintegration and rebirth are not uncommon at film festivals.

"What's so honorable about it?" This was Xu Wen's confusion.

Lu Xu didn't understand either.

...

In summary, after the three dramas "Illusory Realm," "Chivalrous Fragrance," and "War Flames" collectively clapped back, Qi Di finally quieted down and stopped showing up to antagonize Lu Xu.

Whether he actually watched the tenth episode of "Illusory Realm" remains a mystery.

However, the production team were deeply grateful for his contribution to the rising popularity of the drama. Specifically, the director of "Illusory Realm" went out of his way to watch the award-winning film from the festival where "Song of Tears" was nominated. He wrote a ten-thousand-word review, breaking down the film's details and explaining why it won.

While the "Song of Tears" team spun Qi Di's loss as a "glorious defeat," the director of "Illusory Realm" proved through actions that there was nothing glorious about it—"Song of Tears" deserved to lose, as it was completely outmatched in every way.

Additionally, the director of "Illusory Realm" even highlighted the standout films nominated for the top three European festivals and other A-list film festivals this year, stating, "Personally, I believe there are many films worthy of nomination. It might be due to regional diversity considerations that certain works were selected."

"...A real scholar, no doubt."

"Regional diversity? I wouldn't even know how to be that sarcastic."

"Throwing shade without a single curse word, but the insult is truly cutting."

"Only someone from our side could pull this off, hahaha."

The "Illusory Realm" team never thought about going head-to-head with "Chivalrous Fragrance." The current situation is clear: it is precisely because the quality of "Illusory Realm," "Chivalrous Fragrance," and "War Flames" is so solid that they have attracted an increasing number of viewers. The market as a whole has grown, allowing every drama released during this period to benefit.

More drama would only hurt all three.

Especially during the peak days of "Illusory Realm," the drama's popularity soared past 15,000, reaching 15,700, while "War Flames" also hit its highest ratings since it first aired—nearly 13,000.

In this segment of "Illusory Realm," Xiao Shengyang and Lu Yao finally meet.

A plain woman and a banished celestial being—the most unlikely pair imaginable—appear together in the immortal realm.

Lu Yao didn't cry, "Do you know our child is dead?" or tell Xiao Shengyang how much she had suffered.

All she wanted was to kill him.

He was no different from the other immortals.

What love that burned passionately, or Xiao Shengyang only regaining his memories at this moment—none of that was her responsibility.

She wanted him dead.

Xiao Shengyang kept going on about love.

Why? For an immortal, it was just a fleeting moment in a life spanning millennia, but for a mortal, it meant paying the price of an entire lifetime.

Lu Yao went on a killing spree. The moment she split Xiao Shengyang's skull and demanded he accompany their daughter in death, her rage was unstoppable.

The popularity of "Illusory Realm" continued to rise.

"War Flames," meanwhile, hit its most intense and emotional arc, showing the audience that even in the most perilous times, there will always be brave individuals who step forward and shield others.

"Chivalrous Fragrance" ranked second, maintaining a popularity of over 14,000.

In this segment, Nie Yunzhang finally stepped onto the battlefield, beginning his path as a war god.

The audience expected a drawn-out, boring, and grim war scene, as is often the style in period dramas—either Nie Yunzhang would effortlessly showcase his charm, making a brief appearance that caused the barbarians to kneel in submission.

However, "Chivalrous Fragrance" portrayed the brutality of war.

The people at the border were humiliated, slaughtered, and lived in fear every day.

It wasn't that Nie Yunzhang was bloodthirsty or skilled in battle, but if he didn't win, the fate of the border people would not change, and the bloody humiliation they suffered would never cease.

Nie Yunzhang was not a cruel man; he couldn't enjoy himself in the south while countless people were displaced, forced to sell their children to survive.

Even if it meant shedding blood and tears, he was determined to win!

Though later generations called him the God of War, Nie Yunzhang was young and of noble birth. The veteran generals in the army might not respect him, and he certainly didn't possess the so-called kingly aura. Just standing there wouldn't make the old generals automatically hand over their power. Nowadays, web novels don't like to write like this.

Earning the army's loyalty was another challenge.

But Nie Yunzhang indeed made his subordinates respect him.

Then came battle after battle, whether it was openly building roads while secretly crossing Chencang, or feinting east to attack west. Each battle left the enemies too terrified to invade, and the border tribes fled at the mere mention of "General Nie."

Thanks to Qin Yu's meticulous work on the script, the audience was captivated by the war scenes, and 'Chivalrous Fragrance' maintained its popularity.

In fact, the war scenes deepened Nie Yunzhang's character, allowing the audience to witness his growth.

"Pledging his loyalty to His Majesty—woohoo!"

"He's truly charismatic—ruthless to enemies yet compassionate to his subordinates. Were these wars historically accurate? It really makes you think."

"Nie Yunzhang is incredibly handsome, transitioning from a capital noble to a border general—his character is fully realized."

Before 'Chivalrous Fragrance' aired, Liu Chunfeng and Qin Yu feared the war scenes might alienate some viewers, but the feedback turned out to be overwhelmingly positive.

After Nie Yunzhang's first battle, film bloggers hailed 'Chivalrous Fragrance' as 'one of the best war dramas in recent years,' while military bloggers began dissecting the tactics Nie Yunzhang employed.

One blogger admitted he initially watched 'Chivalrous Fragrance' for fun, but gradually, he found himself drawn into the intricacies of the war scenes.

The tactical setups, personnel allocations, and battlefield choices made it clear that the writer didn't just wing it—they meticulously recreated historical war scenes.

"Wait, is it really that good?"

"I'm a bit embarrassed to admit it, but I couldn't take my eyes off Lu Xu's face."

"The bloodstained young general—totally wife material."

"Guilty as charged—I'm just here for the eye candy."

The military blogger's analysis gained recognition from experts, some of whom even revealed that Qin Yu had consulted them while crafting the 'Chivalrous Fragrance' script.

With popular actors, a meticulously crafted script, and an exhilarating plot, it's no wonder 'Chivalrous Fragrance' remained a hit.

The three dramas thrived on healthy competition, drawing in viewers who might not have initially considered 'Chivalrous Fragrance' but found themselves hooked.

"I never saw this coming..."

"Same here..."

"Who could've guessed the season's biggest flop would be Qi Di, who failed to snag Best Actor even with 'Song of Tears'?"

Three dramas each surpassing 13,000 in popularity—have the platforms ever witnessed anything like this?

The finale of 'Illusory Realm' nearly hit 16,000 in popularity, falling just short of the record, but it still managed to revive Qiao Mengyao's career after her post-'Empress' slump.

'War Flames,' though shorter than 'Illusory Realm,' wrapped up two days earlier, with its finale surpassing 14,000 in popularity—marking Zheng Xiao's career-high.

"Hehehe! Mission accomplished—transformation complete!"

"War Flames" is Zheng Xiao's attempt at transformation, and the results have been much better than he imagined. Barring any unforeseen circumstances, he will continue on the path of serious dramas.

Following "Illusory Realm," the popularity of "Chivalrous Fragrance" has become the season's hottest topic.

"Do you think 'Chivalrous Fragrance' can hit over 16,000?"

"If it does, Lu Xu might be up for the Star Award again."

"...Isn't it true that all his leading dramas now boast popularity ratings above 15,000?"