novelden Chapter 619:
Chapter 619:
As it turned out, once you start going abstract, you realize just how satisfying being abstract really is.Being abstract for a moment feels great for a moment, being abstract forever feels great forever.
When the Cultural Tourism Department teamed up with Xiao He to go abstract together, it only created a win-win for everyone and sent the drama's promotion skyrocketing.
On the day "Corner Also" Season Two premiered, the number of concurrent viewers was even more terrifying than Season One.
Back when Season One of "Corner Also" first aired, it was still saddled with the "comic adaptations always produce garbage" debuff, and countless original work fans were heartbroken and boycotted it. But after the baptism of Season One, Season Two had already amassed a huge audience and a lot of goodwill.
In the year that followed, other comic adaptation dramas emerged, but unfortunately, the competition just couldn't keep up, only serving to repeatedly prove how authoritative the casting for "Corner Also" was. And after going through the massive wave of reputation collapses that year, the main cast of "Corner Also" still stood firm.
The premiere of this second season was simply what everyone had been hoping for.
When Xiao He turned on his TV on time that evening, he found that the bullet comments were already flooding in.
[Checking in.]
[Finally getting to see Season Two. Is Season Three far off?]
[We're here! We're here!]
[Xiao He, Xiao He, we like you!]
[Goddess Guo, charging forward for love!]
...
To be honest, Xiao He couldn't quite remember all the content of Season Two.
After all, the two seasons were filmed together back then. The plots of Season One and Season Two were mixed up during filming, and they relied entirely on the post-production team's editing to distinguish them. So Xiao He himself couldn't tell which scenes had been used in Season One and which were yet to unfold in Season Two.
But there was one thing Xiao He did remember.
In the last few episodes of Season Two, the female lead Yin Lan finally exposed the true nature of her younger brother Yin Qi and became sworn enemies with him.
And there was plenty of heartbreak waiting after that.
The current TV audience, however, had no idea what was coming.
As a textbook example of "first suppress, then elevate" (a trick to lure people in and kill them), Season Two started off with very heartwarming plot. It simply told the story of the Yin siblings escaping with their lives and returning to their hometown. They prepared to gather the other test subjects, repair their home, and join forces to fight against the mysterious organization.
This first episode was basically recapping the content of Season One, along with a review of the identities and story backgrounds of the main characters.
For a normal new drama, this pace might have felt a bit sluggish. But thankfully, this was Season Two. Many viewers weren't annoyed by it at all; in fact, they felt a bit nostalgic for the real-world time they'd spent watching Season One.
The person who watched that drama with you last year, are they still by your side now?
Will you still experience new stories together in the future?
So, in the downtime of watching the show, bullet comments occasionally left behind sentimental messages. Combined with today's plot, the atmosphere was incredibly warm and lively.
Xiao He even saw Yuan Sitong using her main account avatar, mixed in among the bullet comments, joining in the roasting: [Friends, remember to keep bugging Yan Shaohan for updates! Put the pressure on him hard!]
The corner of Xiao He's mouth twitched.
This was a bullet comment promotional mechanism on the video platform. Celebrities would have special avatars and bullet comment skins, which gave the audience the feeling that the stars were watching the show along with them. However, of course, these bullet comments weren't always posted by the celebrities themselves; sometimes they were run by the celebrity's team members. After all, celebrities don't always have time to log in right on time to watch a show and grab the front row.
But... looking at the tone of that comment, Xiao He could practically guarantee that it was Yuan Sitong herself watching along.
The only one who dared to keep pressuring their own director was her. It was definitely her, live and online.
Thinking about it, Xiao He remembered this "Late Queen's" glorious achievements back in the day and couldn't help rubbing his forehead. He felt relieved that this girl, ever since she got hooked on munching on melon seeds, had basically never been late on his set.
And just in that short span of time, Xiao He spotted a comment from Yan Shaohan.
[Jiao Dai: ? Pressure me? Warning for a bad ending.]
The account Yan Shaohan used was still topped with his manga artist ID, the more well-known "Jiao Dai," so other viewers all spammed question marks.
[Bad ending? Warning for sending knife threats.]
[Bad ending? Warning for digging up your grave.]
[Stop updating? Warning for death.]
[Old villain Jiao Dai, I advise you to be kind!]
Xiao He held back his laughter and also sent a bullet comment using his main account: [Director Yan doesn't respond to pressure, but he's definitely narrow-minded. Sister Sitong, you're on your own.]
[Yuan Sitong: Makes sense!]
[Jiao Dai: ? Fine, I've got my eye on you two.]
[Li Haoxuan: Hello everyone, I'm Li Haoxuan, the actor playing Evan. Welcome to chat with me in real-time in the bullet comment section.]
[Xiao He: ?]
[Yuan Sitong: Li Haoxuan, switch to a human.]
[Li Haoxuan: Hahaha, this part of the plot is super interesting. Looking forward to seeing Yin Lan's bookstore fully rebuilt.]
[Li Haoxuan: So quiet. Looks like everyone really enjoys the plot. If there's anything you're interested in, feel free to chat along!]
[Yuan Sitong: ...I really don't know what to do with this guy. Does he not know how to turn on bullet comments?]
[Xiao He: .]
[Jiao Dai: .]
[Guo Xinya: So lively! Welcome everyone to watch "Corner Also" Season Two. Thank you all for your support.]
"Hahahaha—"
Xiao He laughed so hard he wanted to pound the table.
He wasn't the only one laughing until it hurt; the audience was in stitches too.
[I really can't hold it in anymore. Are you sure you guys aren't doing this on purpose for drama promotion?]
[Hahaha, Li Haoxuan really gives off AI vibes. I thought he was being run by an AI bot, but it turns out it's an AI translation.]
[Seriously, is your whole production crew a bunch of clowns?]
[Goddess Guo's last line was the final blow. Is this what it means for a senior to remain unflappable?]
[I seriously haven't stopped laughing. The way the main cast interacts fits the original work so perfectly. I can only say the director's casting was spot-on. The character portrayals are so true to the source, not OOC at all.]
*OOC: Out Of Character, meaning the portrayal doesn't match the character's established personality.
And just like that, this hilarious little episode was quickly boosted to the top of the Hot Search rankings by the marketing team behind "Corner Also."
Xiao He looked at the red trending tags at the top, marveling at Director Zhuang's ability to seize any opportunity. But as he scrolled down, his gaze landed on another Hot Search item—
["Let the Mistake Slide" Officially Announced! Avoiding Spring Festival Slot Competition!]
Seeing this trending topic, Xiao He clicked on it with interest.
[The production crew of "Let the Mistake Slide" has officially released a poster, announcing its release during the Lantern Festival. Is it a lack of strength, avoiding the fierce competition of the Spring Festival slot, or is there another plan in motion? It is reported that "Let the Mistake Slide" is the work of director Zhan Min, starring Ren Yibai, who played the male lead in "XXX." During the New Year's Eve period, he was caught in an online controversy due to a leak from a side account...]
This was a very typical piece of news from a marketing account. The content leaned mostly toward gossip, seemingly intended to clarify the recent controversy and capitalize on the previous buzz for promotion. Many netizens who had been munching on melon seeds during New Year's Eve saw this message and clicked in with some surprise to see what was happening.
[So Ren Yibai's new movie is about to come out too. It's a bit of a shame, though. The timing isn't great. By the Lantern Festival, everyone will be back at work or school, right?]
[That scandal about Ren Yibai doesn't seem to have any solid evidence. His side has been clarifying it ever since, but unfortunately, no one's paying attention anymore. Really tough break.]
[Who doesn't know by now that it was an internal fight? Poor production crew. When the people above fight, those below suffer.]
Xiao He's eye for detail was now razor-sharp. With a single glance, he could tell who were the water army and who were the genuine casual observers, and he had a pretty good idea of the situation.
Back then, he rushed in to save the day because this movie's release timeline was so tight. Now, with the release pushed back from the original Spring Festival slot to the Lantern Festival, Xiao He could fully understand.
However, he didn't quite agree with the production crew's promotional approach.
Although the previous leaked scandal lacked solid evidence, coming and going quickly, there were too many idle people around at that time. Anyone who was surfing the net had at least gotten a taste of the gossip.
Many people firmly believed that "there's no smoke without fire."
Now, the "Let the Mistake Slide" crew wanted to use Ren Yibai for promotion. Obviously...
Xiao He clicked his tongue a few times. "Might as well just slap my name on it."