Chinese entertainment industry has been booming since 2008.

September 28, 2008. The day "My Love from the Star" premiered.

Two hours before the premiere, there were still many voices on the internet expressing their disapproval of "My Love from the Star". Wang Xiaoer from Huayi looked at the netizens who were criticizing "My Love from the Star" and thought that these people were really too cute. They worked so hard for him without being paid. The world should have more people like this so that people like him could live more comfortably.

Zhang Yang and Fan Bingbing made an appointment to watch the premiere of "My Love from the Star" together.

Inside the villa, only a few ambient lights were on in the hall. The huge LCD screen was playing the opening sequence of a popular Chinese TV show. The air was filled with the aroma of beer, as well as a sense of tension and anticipation that was hard to describe.

Fan Bingbing nestled in Zhang Yang's arms, and Zhang Yang chuckled as he pinched her cheek: "Sister Bingbing, are you nervous?"

Zhang Yang's tone was very casual, just like when he would casually ask, "Have you eaten?" when they met.

Fan Bingbing swatted away Zhang Yang's dog paw with some disdain, and said confidently, "It's alright. But you, it's your first time on screen. Don't be shy when you see your face on the screen later."

Although Fan Bingbing's tone was full of confidence, her tense body betrayed her. Zhang Yang did not expose her, knowing better than to say it. What he was worried about now was whether the audience would still like the TV series "My Love from the Star" as much as they did in his previous life after the drastic changes.

At the same moment, inside the Hunan TV building, Director Li of the drama department was staring at the real-time viewership curve in the data room, his fingers unconsciously tapping on the table.

In fact, Director Li didn't need to personally oversee things at all. Unfortunately, the TV series "Ugly Betty Season 1" was too important. Putting aside the cost of purchasing the copyright for 580 episodes, just the title of "China's first seasonal drama" alone meant it couldn't be treated the same way as before.

If this drama flops, the consequences will be huge. Most importantly, if it flops, his future will also be affected, which is why he is willing to work overtime.

The data monitor suddenly shouted, "Director Li, the viewership share has broken 5!"

These words immediately drew cheers from everyone in the room. The show had broken 5 ratings right from the start; it seemed the viewership was secure. Although he was happy, Director Li remained calm, displaying an air of superiority. However, his hand holding the cold coffee was trembling uncontrollably; surely it couldn't be from being burned by the cold coffee.

Director Li took a sip of his iced coffee when his phone vibrated. He glanced at the caller ID and saw it was Director Chen from the GG department.

"Old Li, you guys really launched a satellite this time! It broke 5 as soon as it started airing, and now it's heading straight for 6. The station just decided to give you the best publicity resources."

Director Liu's words were full of excitement. After all, the ratings of "Ugly Betty" were closely related to his work. The higher the ratings, the easier it would be for him to achieve results and get promoted.

"Old Liu, I dare not take credit. It's all thanks to our station director's good judgment and willingness to spend a lot of money to buy the copyright. I only played a minor role."

Director Li's modest words made Director Liu purse his lips, but he still offered polite compliments. After the mutual flattery ended, Director Li hung up the phone and turned to his assistant: "Have the publicity team prepare the press release. The headline should highlight the point of 'crushing 'My Love from the Star'."

The assistant hesitated for a moment: "Boss, there are already a lot of negative reviews online, saying that our plot is exaggerated and the product placement is too blatant. Would releasing a press release at this time......"

Director Li interrupted him directly: "What we want is controversy. It's better to have people criticize than to have no one read it. Go and do it."

.....

The ratings for the first episode of "Ugly Betty Season 1" are out. It broke 6 on its premiere, peaked at over 8, and averaged over 6.8. These are the best ratings for any drama series that premiered on Hunan TV in 2008.

In contrast, "My Love from the Star" had a premiere rating of 0.4, a peak rating of 2, and an average rating of 1.1. If these figures were on Hunan TV, they would be considered a flop. However, on Jiangsu TV, these figures are quite satisfactory. After all, Jiangsu TV's ratings are really not good. Even "Difficult Love" broke records with a rating of 1.65, so 1.1 is not low at all.

Because "Ugly Betty" and "My Love from the Star" were compared in various ways before they aired, the two dramas were naturally compared in various ways after they aired.

To be honest, the Chinese translation of "Ugly Betty" is quite good, and the costumes and props are also well done. However, as the saying goes, there is no harm without comparison. Compared with "My Love from the Star", it is really crushed.

To be honest, the reason for this situation can't really be blamed on the "Ugly Betty" production team. The "My Love from the Star" production team couldn't find any costume sponsors, or rather, they did have costume sponsors, but Zhang Yang didn't like them. So, the costumes in the production team became Fan Bingbing's personal clothes, as well as good clothes that Zhang Yang borrowed from his sister Zhang Lin.

The excellent costumes, combined with Zhang Yang's aesthetic sense from later generations, made Fan Bingbing's portrayal of the female lead Zhang Wangshu completely surpass "Ugly Girl Invincible" in terms of costumes, makeup, and props. Furthermore, Zhang Yang, who played Li Qingyan, was, after all, a rich young master, so he naturally had many fine clothes, which made his costumes, makeup, and props even more impactful.

You know, idol dramas of this era can come up with hilarious plots like a rich second-generation male lead dragging the female lead to buy clothes at Meituan, not to mention luxury cars and mansions.

After the first day of broadcasting ended, many comments about "Ugly Betty" appeared online on the second day, most of which were negative.

"This is an insult to the audience's intelligence!"

"The blatant insertion of the male lead is outrageous!"

"Do the stylists have a grudge against the actors?"

"The female lead is really disgusting. What kind of look is this? Those buck teeth make me want to vomit."

Similar comments flooded in, but amidst the heated debates on various forums, the show's popularity continued to rise.

Conversely, the comments about "My Love from the Star" were also full of negative reviews, with the most frequently mentioned topics being "the male lead of My Love from the Star has a poker face" and "the alien setting is outrageous".

These topics, fueled by those with ulterior motives, have spread across various forums, igniting the curiosity of many casual viewers who are eager to see what kind of TV series this alien male lead is in.

These smear campaigns against "My Love from the Star" were undoubtedly the work of Wang Xiaoer from Huayi Brothers. After all, suppressing Fan Bingbing and doing Hunan TV a favor at the same time is killing two birds with one stone.

Seeing Wang Xiaoer's smug look, Fire Extinguisher flattered him at the right moment: "Mr. Wang, your move was brilliant. Our posts criticizing the exaggerated acting and melodramatic plot of 'My Love from the Star' have been forwarded over ten thousand times."

Wang Xiaoer smiled smugly and said with an air of dominance, "This is just the beginning. The real show is yet to come."