Chapter 83: A Fiery Premiere (Votes and Favorites Requested)

In the days that followed, Zhang Chu refrained from posting more motivational “chicken soup” online. Too much of a good thing was never wise; a dose now and then was enough. Drink too much chicken soup, and you’ll get sick of it; too much toxic chicken soup, and you’re bound to get hit!

Sudong TV began an intensive promotional push, flooding the internet with behind-the-scenes photos and so-called leaks from live audience members. Compared to the all-star casts boasted by other networks’ shows, the team of valedictorians on "Stand to the End" seemed to lack a bit of luster. Hardly anyone could name them all at once, and none of them bought their way onto trending lists or news headlines before the premiere.

“Unexpected incidents disrupt the recording; valedictorians exhausted.”
“Brutal! Who would’ve thought the production team would treat a valedictorian like this...”
“Zhang Chu dazzles with witty remarks, leaving the audience in stitches!”
“Valedictorian Showdown: Who will stand as the ultimate champion this Friday?”
“According to the live audience, the set was a sea of joy and laughter—who knew 'Stand to the End' could be like this!”
“This Friday at 9 p.m., tune in to Sudong TV and pit yourself against the nation’s top students!”
“‘Stand to the End’ reveals the hidden side of these valedictorians you never knew.”

Promotions weren’t limited to the internet—Sudong TV even slotted show previews into their most expensive ad breaks, all to capture viewers’ attention.

The battle for Friday’s ratings began silently but in earnest.

...

Late at night, the cool breeze from the air conditioner shielded the family from the summer heat outside. Zhang Chu and his parents lounged on the sofa, waiting leisurely for the show to air.

They already knew that this episode would see their son dominate the competition, so the result held no suspense—they were here to see the process.

“These commercials are endless. It was supposed to start at nine, and now it’s already several minutes past.”

Normally, time passed unnoticed, but the more you waited, the slower it seemed to go.

Zhang Bowen suddenly remembered something and asked, “How are your book sales going? I asked a distributor today, and he said they’ve already requested more stock from the publisher, but it hasn’t arrived yet.”

Recently, "Sherlock the Detective" had held steady in the sales rankings. Counting e-books, a few hundred copies still sold each day, though it was far from the nearly ten thousand a day he’d seen at the start.

“The physical book has sold close to 50,000 copies. The publisher should still have plenty in stock—we printed 100,000 in the first run. The e-book’s doing better, already at 70,000. Hopefully, after this episode, sales will pick up.”

To be honest, Zhang Chu wasn’t satisfied with these numbers. He’d thought he would sweep the field—after all, over a million people had voted for him in the Holmes writing contest, but only this many had bought his book.

Hearing the disappointment in his voice, Zhang Bowen offered comfort: “Sales will definitely increase. This is your debut novel, and it’s sold 50,000 copies in less than two weeks. That makes it probably the best-selling debut mystery novel in the last two or three years.”

“Our colleagues are reading your book too,” Chu Lan added, having quietly promoted it herself. “They’re already hoping you’ll write a sequel.”

As they spoke, "Stand to the End" finally began. The show’s massive red footprints instantly drew their attention.

Though Zhang Chu had been on set for the filming, he’d never seen the edited version. Never underestimate an editor—their skills were almost supernatural; they could cut a living, breathing contestant right out of the show.

For instance, on Xiangnan TV’s "I Am a Singer," the Avatar Girl had been completely edited out. She’d been there the entire time, from the draw for performance order to singing and even the announcement of nominations—yet not a trace of her made it to air.

As the champion of this episode, Zhang Chu was sure to have plenty of screen time—the question was whether it would showcase both his abilities and his playful side.

...

“Well, son, that was quite an entrance—like a star in the center of attention!”

As the reigning champion, Zhang Chu stood in the middle, choosing his challenger, while the other ten valedictorians formed a circle around him.

“Not bad, not bad,” Zhang Chu said, looking pleased. He pulled out his phone to check the real-time ratings. "Stand to the End" had already climbed to number one!

It faced fierce competition: "Star Chef Arrives," "Battle of the Heavens," "Gold Medal Challenge," and "Only You" were all airing at the same time. Each network had brought out their flagship shows in the clash of titans.

“Starting at 2.1%—not bad at all. Let’s see how it holds up.”

Zhang Chu mused to himself, opening his microblog to post an update, urging his followers to tune in and boost the ratings.

...

Interest in valedictorians was high, and with Sudong TV’s overwhelming publicity and a solid existing audience, the numbers made perfect sense.

Many online viewers tuned in out of curiosity. They knew valedictorians were the top scorers, but was the gap between them and ordinary students really that great?

Why did these guys score six or seven hundred points while they themselves could only manage four or five hundred?

Bored, Zhang Chu decided to reply to comments under his real name, quickly drawing attention.

"These valedictorians don’t seem that special—look just like regular people." — "Yes, in fact, I have two eyes and one nose."

"If I went up there, I could answer a lot too. With so many of them, it must be intense." — "You might be disappointed later, but I hope your comment doesn’t get deleted."

"Why did they invite them?" — "Because I’m more handsome."

"Who’s the champion this episode? Feels like a battle of the kings." — "Almost read that as ‘Double King’—thought I’d turned into a sausage!"

"Isn’t Zhang Chu a novelist? Why is he in the competition?" — "I’m just here to win prizes and answer a few questions, didn’t wander onto the wrong set."

The unexpectedly personal replies delighted the netizens. Was this really the guy from the stage? He seemed so endearing, so fluent in internet lingo—definitely a true child of the web!

Zhang Chu was having the time of his life, swimming easily through the microblog’s comment section where no one could see the slovenly bachelor behind the screen.

Just then, he glanced up at the television—it was time for his self-introduction. To him, his catchphrase didn’t seem anything special, but his parents’ eyes widened with pride on the sofa.

“That was well said—so passionate!” Zhang Bowen praised. For some reason, his son seemed even more charismatic on stage.

Chu Lan nodded repeatedly. “‘I am Zhang Chu. I speak for myself.’ That’s powerful.”

“As long as you like it,” Zhang Chu replied, grinning inside. As the show aired across Sudong TV, his catchphrase found its way into thousands of homes, and his novel self-introduction instantly made millions remember this young man.

His reputation points in the system soared, leaping from just over a million to two million, three million, five million in the blink of an eye!