The calendar flipped to late July.
On July 20th, 《The Grand Game》 premiered on Kiwi Video.
At 7:00 PM, Jiang Yue's Weibo fan groups, Tieba, Super Topic, and even his usually quiet casual fans flooded the platform one after another.
Six episodes were released on the first day, with the first four free and the last two available to VIP members.
These days, VIP memberships had become basic digital infrastructure for everyone, so this minor hurdle couldn't stop the viewers who were genuinely waiting for the show.
The star-studded lineup of 《The Grand Game》 spoke for itself. The name Xu Pingqiu alone was enough for the audience to put half their worries to rest. Moreover, there had been too many period dramas in recent years that were just modern romances in historical costumes. The court debates in those shows sounded no different from a noisy morning market, and the political intrigue relied entirely on bickering between the male and female leads, which had long since given the audience a headache. With its focus on political struggle and patriotism, 《The Grand Game》 hit the exact sweet spot for viewers who had been starved for a proper historical drama.
In Shancheng, on the set of 《Prisoner's Game in the Mirror》.
Jiang Yue had just finished filming a scene of emotional collapse after running in the rain. His wet hair was still plastered to his forehead, a towel was draped over his shoulders, and he sat in a folding chair, slowly sipping ginger soup.
He had no time to check his phone while filming, but Jiang Kaiwen did.
As Jiang Yue's chief agent and number one fan leader, Jiang Kaiwen's main task tonight was to monitor the online public opinion.
In the lounge, a laptop lay open on the desk, its screen showing the comment section of 《The Grand Game》 on Kiwi Video. With his left hand, he scrolled through the Weibo search feed, while his right hand typed at lightning speed in the family chat group.
In the “Loving Family” WeChat group, Jiang Kaiwen sent three messages in a row.
Jiang Kaiwen: 【Elders, brothers, and sisters, Third Brother's new drama 《The Grand Game》 starts airing tonight! Here is the link: [Link]】
Jiang Kaiwen: 【The first four episodes are free to watch, no membership required. Please click on it and let it play, even if just for background noise, to help boost the view count!】
Jiang Kaiwen: 【@All Members Don't miss out as you pass by! Every single vote counts, let's get Brother Yue to the top tomorrow!】
In less than half a minute, the group chat came alive.
Eldest Aunt: 【Oh, Yueyue's new drama is out? I'll quickly have your uncle turn on the TV and cast it to the screen!】
Second Uncle: 【I watched Shen Xu in 《Manhunt》 several times. Yueyue really has a knack for playing villains. What is he playing this time?】
His second grandaunt sent a voice message, asking with a chuckle, 【Kaiwen, is your Third Brother playing a good guy this time? Watching Shen Xu made my heart race.】
After listening to the voice message, Jiang Kaiwen held back a laugh and replied.
Jiang Kaiwen: 【He's playing an heir this time. He looks incredibly handsome. Everyone, please share it on your Moments to help promote it!】
Seeing the elders in the group responding one after another, Jiang Kaiwen put down his right phone with satisfaction and turned his attention back to Weibo.
The hashtag #TheGrandGameRelease# had already climbed to fifth on the trending search list.
What made him want to slap the table even more was the hashtag right below it:
#ChuYanReachesANewHeightOfHandsomeness#
Jiang Kaiwen clicked into the feed. The comments on the front page were all real-time feedback from viewers who had just finished the first few episodes.
【Xu Pingqiu does not disappoint. The quality of this drama is truly excellent.】
【Zhang Yu's fans, stop overhyping him. Your idol's vocal delivery is too obviously lacking when compared to the veteran actors.】
【Am I the only one who thinks Jiang Yue's entrance was absolutely stunning? That elegant debauchery when he was drunk... Chu Yan has truly come to life.】
【You're not alone! Jiang Yue's historical posture and bearing really brought Chu Yan straight out of the novel!】
Jiang Kaiwen chuckled. His fingers didn't idle as he took several screenshots of the positive reviews and saved them to a folder.
In the early stages, Chu Yan played the fool and was treated as a useless fool. Later, he would turn the tables, enter the political arena, and step-by-step ascend to the imperial throne. The more the audience pitied his current disguise, the more satisfying his eventual triumph would be.
Meanwhile, in a girls' dormitory at Haicheng University of Science and Technology.
Shortly after 6:00 PM, Zhou Qiqi returned to her dorm after class. As soon as she pushed open the door, her roommate, Lin Xia, dragged her over to the computer desk.
“Qiqi, quick, quick, quick! 《The Grand Game》 is airing!”
Lin Xia was a standard visual-oriented fan and a veteran drama enthusiast. Ever since watching 《Star Weekend》, she had fallen head over heels for Jiang Yue after seeing his 2.4-meter Fosbury flop high jump. Currently, several of Jiang Yue's photocards were displayed on her desk.
Watching the opening sequence flash across the screen, the corners of Zhou Qiqi's lips curled up despite herself.
She didn't go around school boasting that Jiang Yue was her cousin, but seeing others love her cousin so earnestly gave her an incredibly satisfying feeling.
Zhou Qiqi pretended to be calm, hung her bag on the back of her chair, and sat down.
“What's the rush? It just started airing.”
Lin Xia's eyes sparkled, her gaze glued to the screen.
“How can I not rush? I've been waiting for this drama for two whole months!”
Ten minutes later, Zhou Qiqi was sitting cross-legged on her chair, cradling half a watermelon in her arms with a spoon in hand. The tablet in front of her was also open to Kiwi Video.
Lin Xia leaned forward at her desk, wearing her headphones and staring intently at the screen, already in full drama-watching battle mode.
The first two episodes mainly laid out the political landscape of the Southern Realm and the capital. The veteran actors' performances were seamless, the pacing was fast, and the information density was high, causing waves of bullet comments to flood the screen.
Chu Yan, played by Jiang Yue, had only appeared a few times in other characters' conversations and background setups.
It wasn't until the third episode.
The wind howled, swirling the snow over the vast highway.
An inconspicuous carriage slowly traveled down the main road. The wind lifted a corner of the carriage curtain, and a slender finger reached out from inside, gently holding down the edge.
In the next second, a handsome, ethereal face appeared on the screen.
The bullet comments quickly covered the screen.
【Ahhh! Chu Yan! My weak and helpless wife is here!】
【This posture is perfect! As a fan of the original novel, I'm so satisfied. This is exactly the Chu Yan in my mind!】
【What do you mean 'weak and helpless'? Did you forget this guy can high jump 2.4 meters?!】
Lin Xia ripped off her headphones and slammed her desk twice in excitement.
“Ahhh!”
“So handsome! Qiqi, look at his eyes, and his vibe! This acting really hits my aesthetic sweet spot!”
Zhou Qiqi's hand shook, and the watermelon in her spoon almost dropped onto the desk.
She pressed the edge of the spoon back into the watermelon flesh and let out a long, drawn-out sigh.
“Xiaoxiao, with that volume, people would think you just won the lottery.”
“This feels even better than winning the lottery, okay?!”
Lin Xia replied without taking her eyes off the computer. After a moment, she turned around, her face flushed with excitement as she spoke to Zhou Qiqi.
“Qiqi, have you watched 《The Grand Game》? Jiang Yue is too handsome! And his drunken expression is just too good!”
Zhou Qiqi pulled her hand back and lowered her head to continue scooping her watermelon.
She had also been struck by how handsome her cousin looked during that entrance scene, but she still maintained her calm facade.
“Yeah, I saw it. It's alright, I guess.”
This is my cousin. How could I not know what he looks like?
But that shot was indeed well-filmed. His posture, his face, and the atmosphere really did the trick.
Lin Xia's eyes widened. “What do you mean 'alright'?!”
“Don't you know how attractive that contrast is? He looks like a useless fool on the outside, but he's actually full of calculation. Look at his smile just now. On the surface, he's drunk, but his eyes are full of schemes. Oh my god, from now on, whenever I read political novels, the male lead finally has a face!”
Zhou Qiqi nodded perfunctorily.
“I get it, I get it. Your idol is the best.”
Lin Xia stared at her for a few seconds, sensing something was off.
“Wait, Qiqi, you used to save so many photos of him too. Back during 《Star Weekend》, you even praised his high jump as super cool. Why are you so indifferent today?”
Zhou Qiqi cleared her throat, scooped a large bite of watermelon, stuffed it into her mouth, and used the chewing motion to suppress her expression.
“Ahem, well... I'm busy eating watermelon, so I don't have time to get excited.”
I can't exactly tell her that this peerlessly elegant man on the screen, whom she's praising to high heaven, was chased by me through three streets when we were kids just because he hid my spicy strips, can I?
The main issue was that they were too familiar with each other, so she couldn't bring herself to be as fanatical as the other fans.
Lin Xia put her headphones back on and returned her focus to the screen. Seeing Chu Yan being mocked as a useless fool in public, her face fell.
“Forget it, I can't explain it to you.”
“Look, he's being called a useless fool. It's infuriating! These blind fools, just wait until Chu Yan slaps you all in the face later!”
Zhou Qiqi bit her spoon, looking at the familiar face on the computer screen, a proud smile gracing her lips.
Her cousin really lived up to expectations.
Rate on N.U.
