96: Short dramas become wildly popular

Chen Yi was stunned for a moment. Androids didn't have families, and Wang Chen had forgotten about that, but he still nodded: "I did."

"That's good."

Just as they finished breakfast, Wang Chen said he was going to pick up his parents when Wang Wen's call came through.

"Boss, Chenxi Media's first short drama, 'Prince, the Princess Has Run Away Again and Again,' was released on Hongguo at 8:00 AM sharp. In just one hour, the view count has been steadily climbing!"

Right after Wang Wen hung up, Wang Chen's phone received several background notifications from Hongguo Short Drama.

"Prince, the Princess Has Run Away Again and Again" is now exclusively online on the Hongguo platform!

He reflexively opened his wechat and found that both the "Loving Family" and "Anti-Chen Alliance" groups were blowing up.

In the family group, his uncles didn't understand these things, but his older sister, Wang Yun, sent a clip from the drama and @'ed Wang Chen: "Xiao Chen! When did you go off to film a drama? And you're playing a prince? You actually look the part!"

His brother-in-law, Li Pengfei, followed up: "Our family has a big star now!"

The younger generation was spamming the chat even more: "Uncle is so handsome!"

"Brother Chen's acting is incredible!"

"The Princess is so beautiful too!"

Wang Chen's parents also watched it. His mother sent a voice message, her voice full of laughter and pride: "My son is so handsome! The acting is great too! That girl is also very pretty!"

Wang Chen replied with a few smiles, feeling delighted. With master-level acting skills, how could it not be good?

But soon, he couldn't stay happy anymore.

Because in the "Anti-Chen Alliance" group, the messages were already at 99+.

He clicked it open, and his scalp went numb.

Du Ruoxi had posted a still from the drama—a screenshot of the kiss scene between Wang Chen and Su Xiaoxiao during their "wedding night."

Below it was a caption: "@Wang Chen, care to explain?"

Yang Li followed closely, sending another screenshot of Wang Chen and An Jinxi kissing: "Brother Chen, didn't you say it was just acting? You're quite dedicated to your work, aren't you? (smile)"

He Li: "Your Highness~ This humble servant also wants to film a drama~"

Xiang Tingting: "+1"

Liu Yan: "(eating melon)"

Qin Qing was more subtle, but she also sent a behind-the-scenes photo of Wang Chen looking intensely into the eyes of the two women: "Hubby, these two sisters... are they also our future sisters? (curious)"

Wang Chen's hand shook, and his phone almost fell to the floor.

He looked up and found seven pairs of eyes from the sofa all focused on him.

Du Ruoxi put down her phone, her smile so gentle it could practically drip water: "Yang Yang, these two female leads look very beautiful. Are they new artists signed by your company?"

"Yes! Yes, yes, yes!" Wang Chen nodded hurriedly. "They're new talents signed by the company! Students from Hangcheng Media College, their major matches! I only stepped in personally to lead the newcomers and boost the company's reputation!"

Yang Li was suspicious: "Does 'leading' them require leading all the way to their lips?"

"That was the plot! The plot required it!" Wang Chen said solemnly. "And the director demanded it! It was all for art! I swear, there's absolutely no other relationship!"

As he spoke, he winked frantically at Yi Yao, who was still buried in her porridge at the dining table.

Receiving Wang Chen's "SOS signal," Yi Yao looked up, her mouth stuffed like a hamster, and said unclearly, "Mmh... Right! Brother Chen is right! I know those two girls; they're just college students signed to our company. Brother Chen was purely... uh, leading newcomers! Yes, leading newcomers!"

Du Ruoxi gave a half-smile: "Is that so?"

"Absolutely true!" Wang Chen swore to the heavens. "I only have the seven of you in my heart! If there's even one more, I'll write my surname 'Wang' upside down!"

Qin Qing burst out laughing: "If you write 'Wang' upside down, isn't it still 'Wang'?"

"Then I'll write my name backward! Chen Wang!"

The women were amused by his cowardly look, and the atmosphere softened slightly.

Du Ruoxi didn't press further, only saying casually, "Fine, I'll believe you for now. But next time you bring a sister back, you have to get our permission first."

Wang Chen nodded vigorously: "Definitely, definitely!"

He secretly breathed a sigh of relief; he had finally bluffed his way through. Luckily, Yi Yao hadn't let him down at the critical moment.

Yi Yao quietly winked at him and mouthed: "You owe me a meal!"

With the storm temporarily calmed, the short drama's data began to soar.

Wang Wen reported in almost every few hours.

Within 24 hours of going online, views surpassed 100 million!

Within 48 hours, it broke 300 million!

By The third day of the lunar new year, in just three short days, the total view count had broken the one billion mark! It directly landed at number one on five charts on Hongguo Short Drama: the Recommendation Chart, Hot Search Chart, Trending Chart, Soaring Chart, and New Drama Chart!

Related topics were also blowing up on TikTok and Weibo.

#PrinceThePrincessHasRunAwayAgainAndAgain#

#ChenxiMediaWang Chen#

#RuoxiAncientStyle#

#HandsomestPrince#

#XiaoXiaoJinxi#

Discussions from netizens and clips from marketing accounts were everywhere.

Wang Chen's TikTok account "Great King Lazy Sheep" was also dug up by enthusiastic netizens. After they found out he was not only the male lead but also a level 75 super-whale on TikTok...

Within a few days, his followers surged to twenty million, and his private messages were completely overwhelmed.

Su Xiaoxiao and An Jinxi's TikTok accounts also gained millions of followers each, making them Hongguo's newly promoted top-tier starlets overnight.

In the family group, Wang Chen's elders didn't understand the data, but they knew "one billion" was a very impressive number. Each of them was grinning from ear to ear, repeatedly praising Wang Chen for his capability.

On the evening of The fifth day of the lunar new year, Yi Yao ran over to Wang Chen, who was playing cards with his family, clutching her pink laptop.

"Brother Chen! The latest forecast data is out!"

"How much?"

Yi Yao's eyes sparkled, her voice filled with uncontrollable excitement: "I've used technical means to simulate it. Based on this trend, by the time of the Lantern Festival, the total view count for this short drama is expected to reach at least 5 billion! It'll firmly break the record of 4.166 billion, the highest in Hongguo platform history!"

Wang Chen raised an eyebrow. Although he had expected it, he was still a little excited to hear that number.

He rubbed Yi Yao's head: "Great job. When we get back to Hangzhou City, I'll treat you to a feast."

"I want to eat the most expensive thing!" Yi Yao took the opportunity to extort him.

"Fine, as much as you want."

Over the next few days, Wang Chen spent his days accompanying his parents and relatives everywhere. They visited all the scenic spots, shopping malls, and amusement parks in Yi City.

At night... of course, he played a happy "eight-person game" with his seven girlfriends.

Wang Chen was so happy he was practically losing his sense of direction.

Sometimes he would wake up in the middle of the night and look at the seven stunning beauties sleeping beside him, wondering if he was dreaming.

Yi Yao adapted the fastest. She was still shy on the second day, but by the third day, she started fighting with Yang Li over the "lineup order."

"I'm the youngest, so I should go first!" she said righteously.

Yang Li glared at her: "Just because you're young doesn't mean you can cut in line! No way! Follow the rules!"

In the end, Du Ruoxi, the eldest sister, stepped in to mediate: "Let's all settle it with rock-paper-scissors."

Wang Chen lived like this for seven whole days.