Chinese Paladin Premieres and a Scandal

On January 24, Chinese Paladin officially aired in Taiwan, and its ratings were decent...

Its premiere rating broke 1, and its peak rating reached 2.77. That already made it a very successful TV series.

Its reception, however, was another story. Fans of the Chinese Paladin game in Taiwan launched a barrage of verbal attacks against the production team, berating several of its key Taiwanese creators until they nearly shut themselves away...

Wei Jin, however, remained quite calm. Controversy generated buzz, and buzz brought ratings.

Sure enough, less than two days after the Taiwanese ratings came in, several TV stations they had previously contacted began raising their offers. In the end, Magic City TV and Mountain City TV bid the highest and jointly secured the mainland premiere rights.

On January 31, Chinese Paladin officially premiered on the mainland. Its rating reached 3.8 on the first day and soared from there...

Quite a few people had discussed Chinese Paladin online ever since filming began, and once it officially aired, the number of discussions exploded.

Most of them were complaints. That was perfectly normal. Even if you filmed it exactly like the game, it still wouldn't do.

From forums to Tieba, a flood of posts tore into Chinese Paladin, criticizing everything from the plot and characters to the acting, leaving no angle untouched.

Hu Ge was criticized for his lack of acting skills, while Liu Yifei was criticized for not matching the original. In short, the game's fans were deeply dissatisfied.

The reason was simple enough. The game was, after all, just about fighting monsters, leveling up, and clearing stages. Adapting it into a TV series naturally required adding plenty of plot and character details; otherwise, there would be no way to explain the logic behind the characters' actions.

But the game's fans wouldn't think there was anything wrong with the game. They would only think the TV adaptation had been handled poorly.

"Let them say what they want. Game fans are a minority in the end. TV is mass media; there's no need to worry about that tiny handful of people."

Wei Jin reassured Miss Cai over the phone.

The main issue was that the criticism had been so vicious that even the screenwriter of Chinese Paladin had been forced to publish an open letter to all the game's fans.

Miss Cai was deeply worried, afraid it would tarnish Tangren's reputation.

"But didn't you say before that we first had to win over the game fans, then the ordinary viewers? The game fans aren't happy now, so..."

Wei Jin interrupted Miss Cai.

"Their abuse online has actually brought the series more attention. Didn't you see how well the premiere went and how the ratings have been climbing steadily? Relax and trust me. In a few years, the harder they're tearing it down now, the higher they'll praise it."

Ever since Those Years had exploded at the box office, Wei Jin had truly become a hot commodity, with female celebrities asking him out to dinner every day.

Sure enough, someone had invited him out again today, and it was hard to refuse: Teacher Jiang had personally called to extend the invitation.

Wei Jin arrived at the agreed-upon private-kitchen restaurant and entered the private room, where he saw the woman herself, the talented Miss Xu.

"Hello, Miss Xu. You could have just called me directly. We're alumni, after all. There was no need to ask Teacher Jiang to act as a go-between, was there?"

Wei Jin sounded a little puzzled.

"I heard you weren't too fond of social engagements, and we didn't know each other before, so I was afraid you'd turn me down. I didn't handle this properly. I'll drink a cup as a penalty."

The talented Miss Xu looked sincere. As she spoke, she picked up her glass and drained it in one gulp.

Since she had gone that far, Wei Jin could hardly say anything more.

"Then, Miss Xu, may I ask..."

"Look, you're still calling me Miss Xu. Call me senior sister."

The talented Miss Xu interrupted Wei Jin's rather overly polite form of address, trying to use their shared alma mater to bring them closer.

"All right, senior sister. May I ask why you invited me here today?"

Wei Jin readily went along with it. It was only a form of address, after all.

"Can't I ask you out if there's nothing I need? Just kidding. I wanted to ask your advice on how to make movies, and how to get a handle on what audiences like."

The talented Miss Xu didn't stand on ceremony. The first question was one she wanted to ask for herself; she had always dreamed of directing. The second was on behalf of a group of big shots in the Beijing circle.

Ever since Wei Jin's film had become a huge hit, many media outlets, along with numerous companies in the industry, had been analyzing the reasons for Those Years' success. But they weren't close to him and were also competitors, so they hadn't felt comfortable asking.

"Well... as for making movies, senior sister, you should probably go back to school and study some more. I'm only a third-year student, and I'm still finding my own way. It isn't realistic to ask me to lay out the principles for you.

"As for what audiences like, that's actually simple: spend more time among the people. Right now, many people in our film industry are too high and mighty. They just make whatever they think looks good and never consider whether it's what audiences want to see or enjoy watching."

Wei Jin spoke frankly, since these ideas had been around for a long time. The key still depended on the person.

The talented Miss Xu seemed not to have expected Wei Jin to be so easy to talk to. More smiles appeared on her face, and she looked at him with great warmth. The atmosphere at the table also began to grow more familiar.

The talented Miss Xu was very interested in Wei Jin: in his novels, his songs, and his films.

Throughout the meal, the talented Miss Xu did most of the asking, and Wei Jin answered politely out of courtesy. All in all, host and guest seemed to be enjoying themselves in perfect harmony.

After the meal, the talented Miss Xu invited Wei Jin to her home for tea. He politely declined and got into his little assistant's car to head to 501. When Zeng Li was away, Wei Jin spent most nights at 501.

"You're back. Why are you so late today? And you smell of alcohol."

As soon as he entered, he saw Gao Yuanyuan standing by the door, like a young wife waiting for her beloved to come home.

"Mm, someone asked me out to dinner. Have you eaten?"

Wei Jin couldn't very well say he had eaten with the talented Miss Xu. After all, Gao Yuanyuan and she didn't get along.

"I had a little. I'm not very hungry, and I don't have much of an appetite."

Hearing that, Wei Jin walked up to Gao Yuanyuan, put an arm around her waist, and felt it.

"Look at you. You've gotten thinner lately. Come on, have some more."

With that, he led Gao Yuanyuan to the dining table. Thanks to the heating, the takeout on the table was still warm.

"Then feed me..."

Gao Yuanyuan said coquettishly, like a little girl in love.

"All right, all right, I'll feed you. Eat more, and you'll have the strength tonight..."

"You're awful..."

What followed was a night of passion that needed no telling...

Early the next morning, Gao Yuanyuan went downstairs to buy breakfast for Wei Jin. She knew he liked rice porridge and steamed buns, and on her way back, she picked up a newspaper.

Wei Jin had just gotten up when he saw Gao Yuanyuan sitting on the sofa, her face ashen.

"What's wrong?" Wei Jin was bewildered. Hadn't they been perfectly happy last night?

"Were you with this woman last night? Are you two together?"

Gao Yuanyuan threw the newspaper to Wei Jin. He caught it and looked at the headline:

"Commercial blockbuster director besotted with the talented Miss Xu!"

It was accompanied by a photo, taken when he and the talented Miss Xu had said goodbye outside the private-kitchen restaurant the previous night.

In the photo, the talented Miss Xu was intimately straightening Wei Jin's collar, making them look like a couple deeply in love.

In truth, Wei Jin had felt a little cold when he stepped outside, and the talented Miss Xu had taken the initiative to pull his collar up for him. He could hardly have shoved her away, could he?

But the photo had been taken from a crafty angle and at just the right moment. The photographer was a competent paparazzo. Wei Jin was somewhat speechless and couldn't help explaining:

"What are you thinking? Would I be interested in her? You actually believe what a gossip rag like this says?"

"I don't care. Just stay away from that woman."

Gao Yuanyuan believed Wei Jin's explanation, but she was still a little annoyed.

"All right, whatever you say. I'm not blind."

"Pfft."

Gao Yuanyuan laughed again, recalling how Wei Jin had called Zhang Wuji blind during their first late-night conversation.

But that thought inevitably reminded Gao Yuanyuan of her current position. She seemed to have no standing to hold Wei Jin accountable; from beginning to end, the man had never made his feelings toward her clear. She couldn't help feeling a little sorry for herself, and her face fell again.

Watching three or four expressions flit across Gao Yuanyuan's face in the span of a dozen seconds, Wei Jin couldn't help marveling that women really were born actresses. Tsk, tsk.

After the scandal broke, Wei Jin went back to live at his own place, mainly because he was afraid rumors about him and Gao Yuanyuan would surface again.

He had thought the rumor wouldn't have much effect, but unexpectedly, Sister Li called too.

Though Zeng Li was far away, she had heard about Wei Jin's scandal and wished she could return to Beijing at once to build a wall for love. Fortunately, her good friend Hu Jing was in Beijing, so she entrusted Hu Jing with keeping an eye on him.

Hu Jing naturally stepped forward and, acting on imperial orders, committed her assault. For several days in a row, she personally went to Wei Jin's home, where several pairs of black stockings were torn to shreds. At last, she kept other women from getting close to him and did not disappoint Zeng Li.