Cheng Che's influence is greater than anyone imagined.
In just one afternoon, the number of pre-orders for " North Star " surged to two million.
Don't think this number is small.
Within the video platform ecosystem, two million real reservations are already the threshold for a potential S-level hit drama.
If it exceeds three million, that's a guaranteed blockbuster for a top-tier actor or a major IP.
If it surpasses five million, then it's considered phenomenal, a hit even before it airs.
Of course, an appointment is just an appointment.
Whether they can retain the staff is another matter.
But the number two million is enough to make one thing clear to everyone.
Just how terrifying was Cheng Che's influence?
This was just a cameo appearance in one TV series.
He had few scenes, a minor role, and wasn't even considered a lead actor.
But a casual remark he made on Weibo caused his reservations to surge by hundreds of thousands.
Among Lin Zhe and Su Jianqiu's fans, some were unconvinced.
"What does this have to do with Cheng Che? ' North Star ' already has our fan base."
"That's right, Lin Zhe and Su Jianqiu are quite influential too."
But someone replied to them very quickly.
"Look at the data yourselves. When Lin Zhe and Su Jianqiu were promoting online, how many reservations did they get? Although it wasn't small, how does it compare to Cheng Che? With just one sentence, he made hundreds of thousands in twenty minutes, and two million in an afternoon. That's the difference."
"Besides, Cheng Che hasn't officially entered the entertainment industry yet. If he really does, it'll be a game-changer."
After that sentence was posted, the comment section quieted down considerably.
In the super topic, fans are busy spamming the chat.
[ Che Baby's first acting role! I can't wait!]
[The character Lu Shi'an sounds so gentle, it's definitely suitable for him.]
[Sisters, let's all make reservations and watch the live stream together!]
[I watched the trailer, and I took a hundred screenshots of the scene where he's standing by the window.]
[Regardless of the size of his role, his performance is always the best.]
[I'm ready, I'll take the day off to watch it at home.]
On Zhihu, however, the sentiment is completely different.
"He's not from a formal acting background, he's never taken a single acting class, what acting skills could he possibly have?"
"It's just a cameo role; he'll play himself. He definitely can't handle complex characters."
"I watched the trailer; he has very little screen time, so I can't see much. But given his background, it's highly likely he'll give a 'blank expression' performance."
"Just waiting to make a fool of yourself."
Someone even started a thread with the title:
Will Cheng Che's performance in " North Star " become the biggest flaw in the entire series?
The comments section was in an uproar.
Surprisingly, despite this "red and black rhythm," the number of reservations actually increased again.
Some of Cheng Che's haters, while saying "I want to see him make a fool of himself," actually made reservations.
They didn't want to watch a play; they wanted to see a joke.
But every time they click to reserve a spot, they are increasing the show's popularity.
The reservations of over 200,000 haters were simply included in the data.
When Cheng Che woke up, it was already evening.
He slept for two hours and felt much better.
He scrolled through his phone and saw various messages.
Qin Lie was already sitting in the living room, making tea as he said, "You're famous now."
"What's the meaning?"
"See for yourself." Qin Lie handed him the phone.
Cheng Che glanced at it and saw that there were two million reservations.
Then he saw those posts on Zhihu and the encouragement in the supertopic.
"Over two hundred thousand," Cheng Che muttered, "And a large portion of those are definitely haters."
Qin Lie chuckled:
"Hates are fans too. They made reservations, and the system counts that as data. This Weibo of yours saved ' North Star ' millions in marketing costs without costing you a single penny."
Cheng Che shook his head helplessly.
"Oh, by the way," Qin Lie put down his teacup, "I received quite a few offers this afternoon. TV dramas, movies, web series—all supporting roles. I turned them all down."
Cheng Che glanced at him.
Qin Lie leaned back on the sofa, his tone indifferent:
"Do you think I don't understand what those people are up to? They just want to ride your coattails without giving you any resources or money. They want to play a minor role, use your popularity to boost their show, and then you get a small fee while they make the lion's share. Do you really think I'm stupid?"
Cheng Che nodded, satisfied with Qin Lie's choice.
Then he sat up straight and looked at Qin Lie intently.
" Old Qin."
"Um?"
"I feel like I'm ready for international competitions."
Qin Lie paused for a moment.
He put down his teacup, looked up, and stared at Cheng Che for several seconds.
"What did you say?"
I said, "I can compete in international tournaments now."
Qin Lie's expression changed from surprise to excitement, and then from excitement to a long-suppressed exhilaration that was finally being released.
He had been waiting for Cheng Che to say those words himself.
Although Cheng Che can earn money through endorsements, songwriting, and even acting, Qin Lie's plan is to pursue both sports and entertainment simultaneously.
He had been waiting to hear those words for a long time.
"Okay," Qin Lie said, his voice trembling. "There's the Tokyo Open on September 30th, and also the Capital City China Open. I suggest you go to the Tokyo Open and play against foreign players. But you don't have any ATP points, so you'll have to start from the qualifying wildcard. We can get a wildcard through Wilson."
He paused, then said:
"The qualifiers start on the 28th and 29th, and the main draw is on the 30th. There are quite a few professional players ranked between 200 and 400 in the world. While not top-tier, they're not weak either."
Cheng Che listened and nodded.
Qin Lie continued:
"Then there's the Magic City Masters on October 7th. If you want to go, you'll need a wildcard entry. You have to choose one of these three: the Tokyo Open, the Capital City China Open, or the Magic City Masters."
Cheng Che remained silent for a moment.
He thought for a moment, then asked, "Can I participate in both the Tokyo Open and the Magic City Masters?"
Qin Lie was taken aback. "Everyone has to participate?"
Is there enough time?
Qin Lie lowered his head and did some calculations.
"You can make it. The Tokyo Open is on the 30th, Magic City Masters on October 7th. You can play in Tokyo first, then go to Magic City. But can your body handle it?"
Cheng Che nodded and gave the order.
"I'll participate in all of them; my body can definitely handle it."
He turned his head and looked out the window. Night had fallen in the Capital City, and the office buildings in the distance were lit up with patches of lights.
"Let me log into Tokyo first," he said, "And wreak havoc."