Age of Legends

Chapter 329 Steady Progress
The National College Entrance Examination (Gaokao) is on July 7th.

June has passed and the third mock exam has ended. It's common for students to perform better in the second and third mock exams than in the first; Zhang Chen even scored 640 in the third. However, everyone knows that only the first mock exam is closest to the actual college entrance exam level; the second and third mock exams, due to their difficulty, deviate from reality.

This is indeed the case. The first diagnostic test should be at the level of the normal college entrance examination difficulty. The second and third diagnostic tests should not undermine confidence. Otherwise, if the college entrance examination is approaching, and the school is given another blow, the school cannot afford the consequences.

The school as a whole has developed an atmosphere that is relaxed on the outside but strict on the inside.

As for "Seven Days' Promise," episodes three and four have already aired. The climax of the third episode occurs when all the guests sit around an outdoor barbecue in the night, sharing an item that holds special meaning for them.

This is an introspective segment. Arranging this process of digging into the past and personality of the four guests at the stage when the audience's curiosity and desire to peek are at their peak is bound to spark discussion.

As expected, Yang Xiaole was the comedic relief, sharing a cartoon microphone pop filter she designed herself. She recounted how she was so nervous during her first hosting experience that she spit on the microphone and even cracked her voice. Since then, she designed this device as a reminder to "keep smiling no matter how embarrassing"—a practical and lucky charm. The story was both funny and poignant, enlivening the atmosphere.

Chen Xingrui took out an old-fashioned Walkman and a cassette tape.

"I used my Walkman to listen to English listening exercises in high school... The tape was a scrubber tape with some poems that I had saved myself."

"Poetry?" Yang Xiaole almost burst out laughing. "You can write poetry?"

Chen Xingrui blushed with embarrassment. "I've thought about it too... as a diary to record some of the things I experienced and how I felt at the time."

"Then can't you keep a diary?" Yang Xiaole interjected.

Everyone nodded in agreement. "Yes, just write it down."

Chen Xingrui's voice deepened as he said, "I happened to record it once, and only later did I realize that voice... is sometimes more real than words, and also harder to face."

“You can scrutinize, revise, and even deceive yourself about what you write down. But your voice won’t—it records every second of your trembling, every hesitation in your breath, and even the sobs you don’t even realize you’re making… It forces you to hear your most naked and panicked self.”

After he finished speaking, he gently put down his Walkman.

The firelight flickered on his quiet profile; no one laughed anymore.

The atmosphere instantly became quiet and thoughtful. Yang Xiaole looked at him with a more inquisitive gaze.

Yang Jing shared a badly worn old lens cap. It was from her first camera and had accompanied her on many adventures. "It reminds me that the best equipment is curiosity, and the most beautiful scenery is outside the viewfinder. This is also the source of my later aesthetic development."

When she said that, Ma Hongrui glanced at her again.

Then it was Ma Hongrui's turn, and he shared a broken ceramic cup that had been glued back together.

"This was during the early stages of our startup when the team was working overtime together. My partner and I were arguing, and I got a little emotional, so I smashed this mug."

"The next day, I saw it on the table; my partner had secretly stuck it there." "It's not worth much, but it reminds me that the path we've walked together and the responsibilities we've shared are the most precious."

Through this nighttime gathering, the four individuals' personalities and past experiences were brought to life through objects, leading to a deeper understanding of each other. In audience comments, letters, and phone calls, some asked Chen Xingrui what exactly was recorded on that cassette tape that made him feel naked and panicked, and what kind of past he had experienced. Ma Hongrui also received considerable praise, generally commended for the sense of responsibility he displayed.

The fourth episode features all the guests visiting a welfare home to set up a reading corner and hold a small story time for the children.

Yang Xiaole, dressed in a brightly colored polka-dot dress, flitted among the children like a butterfly, showcasing her talent for hosting and organizing games with great efficiency. She was definitely the one who created the atmosphere.

However, Chen Xingrui was surprisingly popular with the children.

She sat quietly in the corner reading picture books to a few children, her voice gentle and her expression focused.

Yang Xiaole, watching from the side, thought to herself, "Wow... kind of handsome?"

Yang Jing showcased her artistic talent, sketching many scenes directly and then adding a few strokes of color and ink, instantly creating incredibly moving images that elicited gasps of "Wow!" from countless children.

The domineering CEO, Ma Hongrui, was the one who felt most wronged. He set up the entire venue, showcasing his strong hands-on skills as the "head" of his independent design studio. He assembled bookshelves, moved books, and moved chairs, busy assisting the whole time. He even took off his suit, rolled up his sleeves, and wore only a shirt, getting himself all dirty.

She even tried to "reason" with a crying child, which made the child cry even more, but Yang Jing pushed her away with a "get out of the way, I'll handle this" look.

After these two episodes aired, the viewership rating remained around 2.3%.

This is in the face of the massive national prime-time viewership surge, and it manages to maintain a stable rating of around 2.3, second only to the hit drama "The Grand Mansion Gate." It even surpassed the rerun of "The Eloquent Ji Xiaolan."

This also marked the first time that people had taken an interest in and paid attention to this "reality show" that emerged from the provincial TV station.

According to data from the advertising department, the price per advertising slot in an episode has nearly doubled compared to before the show started, and there are even advertisers queuing up and paying extra to "cut in line".

Of course, its current viewership ranking during prime time nationwide is 18th. Although it's still relatively low, it's already on the same list as stations like Hunan TV.

Although the peak ratings did not break through again, this strong start and steady rise was judged by the provincial TV station's senior management to have a "long tail effect," meaning that this will be a memorable point for the public in the future. As long as it remains stable and rises steadily, it will reap both high ratings and good reviews after the broadcast ends.

Meanwhile, as soon as the ratings came out, Wu Yue's side was basically just complaining. Liu Qi smoked a lot of cigarettes because Wu Yue's program, after its "rectification" and re-airing, was far less effective than before. There was no reason to occupy prime time anymore, and the production after Wu Yue's rectification was a mess of "Gold Medal Mediation," causing the ratings to plummet and no advertisers to show interest; the only ones interested were those advertising quack medicines.

The "treatment" that Wu Yue had planned to give Jiang Rong has now all fallen back on her own shoulders.

Adding to the stress, Wu Yue found out the advertisers' quote for "Seven Days' Promise," and she completely lost her temper, erupting in a rage in the meeting room. However, this time the project team didn't tolerate her; they all dispersed, refusing to put up with her attitude and abandoning their acting altogether.

(End of this chapter)