I’m Really a Superstar

Meanwhile.

Heavens of the Gods was also broadcasting its premiere episode.

It was a very magnificent scene on television.

“Dongfang, are you really going to do this?”

“I’ve already decided to.”

“Are you going to give up on Cangsheng just like that?”

“I don’t wish to give up on others, but they have given up on me!”

Li Shao appeared.

Another popular male idol was guest starring in the episode.

A lot of people were constantly getting surprises as they watched. This was because the visuals of such quality were rarely seen. Just one look and you’d know that a huge investment had been poured into the production, with the venues and scenes easily described as grand. Although some of the technical details in the scenes were still unseasoned with some slight flaws observed, there really weren’t too many television series that could reach such a level in China.

On Weibo.

“Li Shao is so handsome!”

“He’s really suited for a period drama role!”

“Heavens of the Gods has already won.”

“The investment in this production shouldn’t be lower than 300 million RMB!”

“How awesome, how enjoyable!”

“This drama is gonna explode in popularity!”

“I wonder how Age of Kingdoms looks.”

“It’s definitely not as awesome as Heavens of the Gods, of course!”

“I don’t suppose there are still any doubts that Li Shao will get an S-list ranking after this drama has broadcast.”

…

On the other channel.

Age of Kingdoms’ premiere episode.

There were also a lot of grand scenes.

It was a similar-looking period drama.

Compared to the special effects of Heavens of the Gods, Age of Kingdoms had obviously put more thought into its details and portrayal of battles. The scenes were magnificent as well.

In the forums.

“It’s good!”

“Chi Hao’s so damn suave!”

“This is the must-follow drama of the year!”

“My Chi Hao will definitely reach the S-list summit!”

“The quality is really good. There are hardly such attractive TV dramas these days.”

“We finally have something to look forward to. Heavens of the Gods seems pretty good too.”

“Zhang Ye is done for.”

“Yeah, he’s gonna be edged out of the competition!”

“Showing the premiere episode at the same time as these two blockbuster dramas, any other production would be wiped out as well!”

…

Of those who had watched Heavens of the Gods and Age of Kingdoms, almost no one believed that Zhang Ye’s new drama could survive. But unbeknownst to them, the viewers who were watching In the Name of the People were also stunned to the same level. This shock wasn’t something that could simply be described in a few words!

Online.

Everyone was bursting with excitement.

“Why is Zhang Ye heading all of the roles in the production crew?”

“Just how many roles has he taken!”

“The way that actor ate the noodles, that was such an awesome scene!”

“That actor looks really familiar. I think he’s a big name in the theater scene!”

“His acting was too fucking good!”

“Yeah, this is the first time I’ve realized that eating a bowl of mincemeat noodles with soybean paste can even be done this way. His expression and movements were all amazingly portrayed!”

“Heavens! A wall full of money!”

“What a shocking scene!”

“My Dong Shanshan has appeared!”

“Teacher Shanshan’s role is really distinctive!”

“There’s nothing to nitpick on Jiang Hanwei’s acting as well!”

“Zhang Ye seems like he’s just acting as himself this time, right? Monkey Sun¹ ? This fellow is as much of a shit stirrer in real life as he is in the show. He can be so reckless in the drama too?”

“The plot is packed with so much tension. I can’t stop watching.”

“Is this really his first time directing a TV series?”

“It was filmed in just 10 days? How is that possible?!”

“They’re clearly a bunch of has-been actors. How could the end result be something like this?”

“Is this what acting skills are about? They’re too fucking good!”

The first two episodes of In the Name of the People finished broadcasting.

But a lot of the viewers were left wanting more as they couldn’t wait to find out what would happen next.

At this moment, the ending theme song started to play.

Zhang Xia’s thick vocals drifted into the credits.

Everyone pricked their ears up and listened to that song. They dropped whatever they were doing and fell silent.

They listened.

They thought.

They were suddenly overcome by a sense of awe.

Zhang Xia sang ² .

“With whom I fought, to shoulder the duty,

“Hearing the leaves fall and bloom,

“Seeing the clouds break the twilight,

“Right here and now, I have a close friend beside.

“With whom I lived, for our shared perseverance,

“Listening to childhood stories,

“Gazing at the starry, twinkling sky,

“Right here and now, love continues to keep us close.

“You’re bestowed with the name of the people.

“A life of honor, dedicated to rights.

“Like a ship going full steam ahead, a soaring cyclone,

“Your words show an embodiment of righteousness.

“You’re entrusted with the name of the people.

“With the scepter’s weight, the significance of the badge,

“When all the dust has settled, retired from the bustle,

“You’ve returned home and begun on a brilliant tale.”

No one else could sing this song.

Jiang Hanwei couldn’t sing it.

Zhang Yuanqi couldn’t sing it.

And even Zhang Ye could not sing it.

This was one of the few rare songs that Zhang Ye had brought over to this world but was unable to sing. Instead, he had to find someone else to perform it. Grandma Zhang Xia was the most suitable candidate. Be it her age, her vocal weight, or the emotions she sang with, she was impeccable. Hence, Zhang Ye had gone to look for Grandma Zhang before filming began to convince her to come out of retirement. It was all for this drama’s ending theme, which he hoped Grandma Zhang Xia could help bolster the drama with.

…

At Zhang Ye’s Studio.

Everyone silently kept their eyes on the television. It wasn’t until the last line of the song finished and the song had come to an end that everyone turned to look at Zhang Ye in unison.

Zhang Ye looked at his wife and said with a smile, “It wasn’t too bad, was it?”

Wu Zeqing smiled. “It’s very good.”

Zhang Ye said, “Is this what the Central Publicity Department expected?”

Wu Zeqing nodded. “I’ll always rest easy as long as it’s you handling things.”

“That’s good then.” Zhang Ye chuckled.

Shu Han said in a daze, “I-Is this really the drama we filmed?”

Zhang Ye said happily, “Of course! Who else could have filmed it?”

Shu Han still hadn’t regained her composure. She said in surprise, “But didn’t we follow a very tight schedule and rushed through the filming of scenes one after the other? So how did it end up like this?”

Zhang Ye said, “It might have been a little rushed, but I know what I’m doing. I considered all of the angles and shots beforehand, so all I had to do was piece them up together in post-production.”

Ning Lan immediately said, “I want to see what happens next.”

Yao Jiancai said anxiously, “I want to watch what happens next as well. Do you have the source footage?”

Unsurprisingly, Zhang Ye said, “That won’t do.”

Ning Lan stared with wide eyes. “Even we’re not allowed to watch it?”

Zhang Ye said in a bureaucratic tone, “About that, I can’t just pass it around carelessly. It’s too dangerous. What if the footage gets leaked? Beijing TV is broadcasting it daily anyway, right? Just watch it on TV.”

No matter what they said, Zhang Ye didn’t want to show it to them.

Finally, Zhang Ye even instructed Wu Zeqing. “Go and inform the SARFT to have them pay more attention to it. They had better not let the source footage leak out, or I’ll take it up with them!”

Take it up with the SARFT?

Only Zhang Ye would dare to say something like this.

But they knew that Zhang Ye was truly capable of doing so. However, they could not understand why Zhang Ye was being so wary about the source footage. Only Zhang Ye himself knew. Back in his previous world, the original footage of In the Name of the People was leaked to the public. But even so, its viewership ratings still managed to break records and hit an astonishing figure. As a result, he would like to see just how high that figure could go in this world where the source footage hadn’t been leaked. This was the reason for his extreme cautiousness.

All that was left was to wait for the viewership ratings.

Whether it was a mule or a horse would be revealed tomorrow!