Chapter 27: Premiere Ratings Surpass 1.5, Ranking Third Nationwide in the Same Time Slot

"Have you all seen the reviews online?" he asked while watching everyone look distracted during breakfast.

"We have. They don't seem particularly good. The online rating isn't high either—only 7.2," Zhao Liying said, looking a bit discouraged.

"Isn't it? This is an idol drama, what more did you expect?" Chen Mo stared at her, dumbfounded.

"That score is clearly not high. It just premiered, and it’s already that low," she persisted stubbornly.

"Please, go look at other domestic idol dramas. How many of them end up with a score over 6?" Chen Mo retorted irritably.

In truth, he was quite satisfied with the current rating. One had to remember that the original version had a score below 6. Although the rating would likely dip further as the episodes continued to air, with this foundation, it was unlikely to drop below 6, and he was already content with that.

The key was that the highlights he wanted to showcase had been fully accepted by the audience, and even exceeded expectations. What more could he want?

The plot of a remake is never really that important. Those who can accept it will; those who can’t will find it cringeworthy no matter how well you film it. Of course, the main thing is the viewership ratings. If the ratings are high, it doesn’t matter if the score is bombed down to rock bottom.

Just then, Chen Mo's phone rang abruptly. Everyone turned their eyes toward him and fell silent.

Chen Mo glanced at the caller ID—it was Zhou Qizhong. It seemed the preliminary viewership data was in.

Sure enough, he answered the call: "Director Zhou, did you get the ratings?"

"Yes, we pushed for them. Although the national ratings haven't been fully tallied, the data for several major regions is out. It’s not perfectly precise, but it's very close and shouldn't differ much from the final numbers. Guess what they are?" Zhou Qizhong was clearly in a great mood; otherwise, he wouldn't have asked Chen Mo to guess.

"Did it cross 1?" Chen Mo asked. He didn't have a precise concept of what ratings looked like these days, only a vague idea that if a drama could cross a 1.0 rating, it was considered pretty good.

"Hahaha!" Zhou Qizhong laughed on the other end.

"According to the data from the national network, the rating was 1.02% at the start and kept climbing, peaking at a staggering 2.33%! The average for the first two episodes was 1.5%, with a market share of 7.2%! Congratulations, Director Chen, your show is going to be a hit!" Zhou Qizhong finally revealed the numbers. "And that's not all—in Hangzhou, the rating for *Let's Go Watch Meteor Shower* reached 18.3%!"

Chen Mo was silent for a moment before asking a question that nearly made Zhou Qizhong choke: "So... is this rating good?"

He really had no concept of it.

"Uh... well, it's your first time directing a drama, so it's normal not to know. Let's put it this way: last night's rating ranks in the top three nationwide! If this upward trend continues, barring any accidents, we are very likely to take the number one spot in the same time slot nationwide!" Zhou Qizhong said excitedly.

After hanging up, Chen Mo announced the ratings. When he mentioned they were third in the nation for that time slot, everyone was momentarily dazed. Zhao Liying, in particular, was stunned into silence.

"Stunned? Wake up, it’s still daytime," Chen Mo said, waving a hand in front of her face.

"Ahhhhh!" The next moment, Zhao Liying let out a shriek, suddenly threw herself at Chen Mo, and gave him a fierce peck on the cheek.

Everyone else saw this, but because they were so shaken by the results, they were all too excited to think anything of it. Chen Mo, however, pushed her away with a look of disdain and reached for a tissue to wipe the saliva off his face.

Zhao Liying realized what she had done and her face turned bright red, but seeing Chen Mo’s disgusted expression, she felt a flare of irritation. Soon, however, she fell back into the joy of the massive success, giggling to herself.

It was fortunate that the data hadn't been officially released yet, or their phones would have been blown up.

"Alright, finish eating and then go get ready. You’re going to be busy from now on. I hope you’re prepared to be famous!" Chen Mo, the most composed of them all, warned the excited group.

After all, he was the director. Even though this success would cement his standing, it wouldn't impact him the same way it would the leads. The real impact would be on the actors; as the show aired, they would become true stars. Of course, whether they could hold onto this immense stroke of luck would be up to them. After all, in his previous life, a certain actress had managed to ruin a perfect hand of cards.

Meanwhile, Yu Youde had also received the premiere ratings for *Let's Go Watch Meteor Shower*.

"How much? How much did you say?"
"How is this possible?"
"Damn that Chen Mo, he really is a bastard!"

Yu Youde was first in disbelief, then his heart filled not with panic, but with explosive rage. It was simple: in his eyes, this "heaven-sent wealth" should have been his. But now, it was gone, all taken by Chen Mo. Worse, his own drama was a total failure.

What now? What was he supposed to do?

One could say that for as glorious as he had felt before, he now felt twice as pathetic. He had pinned high hopes on this drama; otherwise, he wouldn't have invested the bulk of his net worth into it. What bothered him even more was the domino effect.

He had initially used the gimmick of "imitating *Meteor Garden*" to attract sponsors. Even without the rights, he could claim it was an original, but others weren't stupid. Why were the sponsors willing to pay? Because *Meteor Garden* had once been a national phenomenon, and they believed any drama like it would have decent ratings.

That was why he had accepted so many product placements—the car Mu Rong Yunhai drove, the clothes they wore, the bubble tea they drank, the study machines they used, the shampoo, the domestic laptops, the gift-giving of "Golden Partners," the lotus root powder, and even the "Adi-King" sneakers on their feet...

Did he not know these didn't fit the plot or the persona of a top-tier rich kid? Of course he did! It was just that they paid too much!

But now, he wanted the money? Are you kidding? Did he think those merchants were just foolish with money? They were all shrewd businessmen! They only paid if the show aired as scheduled and gained ratings. Otherwise, like now, they were all acting like debt collectors, trying to claw back the sponsorship fees paid in advance.

As for not paying them back? He didn't dare. He still had to survive in this industry, and there were rules he didn't dare break. If he dared to scam the sponsors, who would ever fund his shows again?

This meant he didn't just have to return the sponsorship money; he was going to take a massive hit. Thinking about the millions in losses made his heart ache, and more importantly, the damage to his reputation was severe. After this, his standing with Mango TV would also plummet.

Thinking of this, Yu Youde felt blood rush to his head. But what pained him most was that, damn it, there was absolutely nothing he could do about Chen Mo.