Chasing the Series

January 25, 7:35 p.m.

Chen Bing lay on his bed, scrolling through short videos. When his alarm went off, he closed the video app, opened CCTV Video, and found Shenlan TV.

CCTV Video was the most authoritative video client for watching CCTV and dozens of local TV stations across the country online. Its programming came from China Network Television, the country's largest online television network.

After a few minutes of ads, the show began.

After a theme song steeped in ancient charm and lingering sentiment, the title appeared on screen: The Legend of Consort Chen!

In truth, Chen Bing wasn't much of a TV drama fan, and he especially disliked palace scheme dramas. But lately, he'd developed a crush on a new female colleague at work. Her name was Li Yanping, and she'd been his junior at university. They also happened to come from the same county, so he thought they were a perfect match.

After observing Li Yanping patiently for a while, Chen Bing had learned that her greatest hobby was watching TV dramas, especially palace scheme dramas. Whenever she discussed a show with their coworkers, she always seemed exceptionally happy.

Chen Bing's favorite thing to watch was sports, but most women weren't interested in that. He wanted to find more things to talk about with Li Yanping, so he'd set an alarm specially for tonight.

At 7:35 p.m. tonight, the grand palace drama The Legend of Consort Chen would premiere on Shenlan TV. The show was so famous that even Chen Bing, who rarely paid attention to television, had heard its name countless times.

Li Yanping would surely watch it tonight, too. If all went well, the two of them would have plenty more to talk about tomorrow!

Twenty minutes later, the sound of his phone falling onto the bed startled Chen Bing awake. He'd fallen asleep without even realizing it.

He really couldn't muster any interest in the intrigues of women in the palace.

But even if he wasn't interested, he still had to watch!

Chen Bing steeled himself, pinched his thigh hard, then picked up his phone and kept watching.

He had to stay awake, no matter how tired he was, so he could chat with the girl he liked tomorrow!

He wasn't going to bed until he'd finished both episodes!

The news coming from his phone gradually grew clearer, and Chen Bing opened his eyes again. At some point, his phone had fallen onto his chest. CCTV Video was still playing, but The Legend of Consort Chen had long since ended. Shenlan TV was now airing its late-night news.

Chen Bing checked the time: January 26, 1:30 a.m.

Chen Bing was dumbfounded. He'd fallen asleep again without realizing it and had left his phone playing for five or six hours.

He plugged in his phone, then got out of bed and turned on his computer.

That nap had nearly made up for all the sleep he needed. He was wide awake now, without the slightest hint of drowsiness, so he went to Dou Miao Network, searched for The Legend of Consort Chen, and started reading the reviews carefully.

Chen Bing knew that The Legend of Consort Chen was already available on iQIYI Video. He could open the app and watch it again, but he really couldn't bring himself to.

He might as well read the reviews first, get a sense of the first two episodes' plot, and memorize a few of the more insightful long reviews. Maybe that would get him excited about watching the show. If not, he could use those reviews to chat with Li Yanping tomorrow.

"It has a score of 9.0?!"

Chen Bing was stunned when he saw The Legend of Consort Chen's Dou Miao Score.

Even someone like him, who never paid attention to TV dramas, knew that a score of 9.0 was remarkable.

"Are there really domestic dramas with scores above 9?"

Chen Bing didn't know much about it, but as far as he could recall, he'd never noticed a TV drama with a score above 9!

"This show's numbers are insane. No doubt about it—Li Yanping's bound to be eager to talk about it tomorrow!"

"Should I watch it again? Maybe I'll get into it this time?"

Looking at The Legend of Consort Chen's score, Chen Bing finally felt a little interested.

But there was no need to rush. He'd read the reviews first.

"I hope everyone who's prejudiced against palace scheme dramas watches two episodes before criticizing them. Without a doubt, this is the most earnest period drama of the year!"

"The pinnacle of palace intrigue—no explanation needed. May Her Highness Consort Chen soar to the top!"

"The greatest period drama has arrived. Come argue if you disagree!"

Positive reviews were overwhelmingly the norm on The Legend of Consort Chen's page. A quick scroll through the comments revealed almost nothing but five-star ratings.

But there were other voices, too.

For instance, whenever a review called The Legend of Consort Chen the greatest period drama, the replies below it were often full of sarcastic remarks.

"The greatest period drama? Certified by the state? Or did you crown yourselves? Shouldn't Young Bao Qingtian be called the top brand in period dramas?"

"The Legend of Consort Chen really is pretty good, but in terms of excitement and originality, it still falls short of Young Bao Qingtian."

"I specially set an alarm for midnight so I could watch Young Bao Qingtian. Honestly, I was a little worried beforehand. Uncle Ming wasn't in this arc, and I was afraid the show would start strong and end badly. But after staying up late to watch Bao Heitan tonight, I could finally relax. Young Bao Qingtian's second arc is just as earnest as ever. I won't say whether Bao Heitan or Her Highness Consort Chen is better, since they're different kinds of shows with different audiences. But if I had to pick one, of course I'd pick Young Bao Qingtian."

As Chen Bing read the reviews, his brow gradually furrowed.

"Why does it feel like the people promoting Young Bao Qingtian hired a bunch of paid posters? The Legend of Consort Chen's page is swarming with people awkwardly hyping Young Bao Qingtian. The attempt to ride its coattails is way too obvious!"

With his mind already made up, Chen Bing's impression of Young Bao Qingtian had become very poor.

But the more he heard the title, the more curious he became.

So he typed "Young Bao Qingtian" into Dou Miao Network's search bar.

"Let's see just how good this Young Bao Qingtian is—the one all those paid posters keep hyping!"

"What? A score of 9.2?"

Chen Bing was stunned.

"How could its score be so high? Could those commenters actually not be paid posters?"

Curious, Chen Bing entered "Young Bao Qingtian" into a search engine and clicked the first result.

He opened Penguin Video and saw that the first eight episodes of Young Bao Qingtian were already available. He clicked on the link for episode one.

The next day at noon, in the employee cafeteria.

After getting his lunch, Chen Bing carried his tray over and sat beside Li Yanping. Four or five other coworkers, mostly women, were seated nearby.

"Hey, did you all watch The Legend of Consort Chen last night? It was so good! The actress playing Her Highness absolutely blew me away!"

"Exactly! Her acting was incredible, and the dialogue wasn't awkward. Every character was smart, too!"

"The costumes were gorgeous, so full of old-world charm. The production crew really put in the effort!"

"A show like this deserves to make a fortune!"

"The women in the imperial harem are all so shrewd. With our level of intelligence, we wouldn't last more than two episodes if we got transported there."

Chen Bing kept an eye on Li Yanping and noticed that she seemed unusually quiet today. For once, she hadn't joined in the discussion with their coworkers. That wasn't like her at all!

"Li Yanping, why are you just eating? Come on, what do you think—who was the woman who tipped them off?"

Li Yanping looked a little embarrassed. "Actually, I haven't watched The Legend of Consort Chen yet."

"What? You haven't watched it?!"

All the coworkers nearby turned to look at Li Yanping.

She was the biggest drama fan in the whole company, and she claimed she hadn't watched a major palace drama like The Legend of Consort Chen?

Had the sun risen in the west?

"Come on, tell us. Did you go on a date with some handsome guy last night?" the coworkers teased.

Chen Bing immediately tensed up, afraid Li Yanping would admit it.

"No, no. I watched TV for half the night, but I wasn't watching The Legend of Consort Chen," Li Yanping hurriedly explained.

"Liar. You're blushing! You watched TV for half the night, but didn't watch The Legend of Consort Chen? Nobody would believe that!" one coworker insisted.

"I'm really not lying. Listen, this show was so, so good. I only meant to watch a little to kill time, but once I started, I couldn't stop. In the end, I didn't even get around to The Legend of Consort Chen," Li Yanping said, her face flushing.

"If it wasn't The Legend of Consort Chen, what show had you so hooked? Oh, I know—you watched Palace Scheme, right? I heard that one's pretty good, too!" one coworker said, suddenly understanding.

But Li Yanping still shook her head. "I watched Young Bao Qingtian, starring Huang Zhou and Jin Jiawei. Uncle Ming was in it, too."

"Young Bao Qingtian?"

"Just the title makes it sound bad. What kind of show is it? Could it really be better than The Legend of Consort Chen? Wait, you're still lying. You went on a date last night, didn't you?"

When Chen Bing heard Li Yanping mention Young Bao Qingtian, all his worries vanished. He believed her. Young Bao Qingtian really was the kind of show you couldn't stop watching.

He could guarantee that a hundred percent!

"Come on, everyone, stop guessing. Li Yanping definitely isn't lying. Young Bao Qingtian really is amazing. Once you start watching, you can't stop. I watched eight episodes straight last night, and I'm still fighting to keep my eyes open!" Chen Bing said with a smile, looking at Li Yanping before turning back to his coworkers.