You Don’t Understand The Pain Of Being Popular

"Drip—"

The red light blinked twice, followed by fluctuations on the electronic instrument's display screen.

To make the surgery appear authentic, the lead surgeon, assistants, and nurses all went through strict disinfection measures and wore thick surgical gowns.

Yao Bianliang had a relatively light task in this scene, mainly assisting from the side and demonstrating the before, during, and after changes of the procedure.

"Let's begin." Long Guoqing, who played the lead surgeon, spoke calmly and started giving instructions methodically according to the procedure.

In front of the camera, everyone acted in an orderly manner with clear roles. Various surgical tools appeared one after another, showing the meticulous work of the prop team.

[They look so professional.]

[Hahaha, they occasionally throw in some professional terminology that I can't understand at all.]

[Was the screenwriter a medical student? Or maybe they did extensive research, otherwise, how could they write so realistically?]

[Pay attention to the hand of that extra. The way they hold the surgical knife is exceptionally correct, and their hand is steady. It seems they have put in a lot of effort.]

The barrage was filled with discussions.

However, as time passed, everyone gradually realized that this scene was much longer than they had imagined.

Yao Bianliang and her team maintained a state similar to the beginning. Apart from occasional simple exchanges, most of the time, the entire room remained silent.

With the thick surgical gowns and their nerves stretched tight, Long Guoqing and the others had sweat covering their foreheads.

This sweat wasn't entirely acting; it was partly due to the fact that this was their first time live-streaming a performance, and they were naturally tense.

In this state, it was easy to resonate with the situation in the drama.

[Their acting is better than I imagined. I can already feel the extent of the oppression.]

[Huh? I don't quite understand. Why is it taking so long to shoot?]

[A small segment is usually only a few minutes, but this surgery has been filmed for almost an hour.]

[Don't you know, my friend? It's to capture the most realistic state during the surgery. When they finally edit the footage into a complete episode, only a few tens of seconds of those scenes will be included.]

[Oh, I didn't know it could be done this way. Yao Bianliang's production team is really meticulous. I feel tired just watching them act. I can only imagine how tired the doctors must be.]

[Exactly, it took them this long to shoot. When real doctors perform surgeries, sometimes they have to stay in the operating room for an entire day.]

[Hahaha, I remember one time I had surgery that lasted a whole ten hours. It didn't finish until early morning. I felt like I was about to starve to death when I walked out of the operating room.]

*****

In fact, many people had a negative attitude toward Yao Bianliang's new drama from the beginning.

With an entire cast of newcomers, plus extras, it seemed like an amateur production. How could they create a high-quality drama?

However, the current situation doesn't seem as bad as they imagined.

Indeed, the plot is dull, and many people couldn't endure watching it from beginning to end.

But this level of quality is evident to everyone.

[Yao Bianliang's drama is not bad. It looks very dedicated and professional. I don't think it will necessarily be worse than Yao Xinxin's.]

[Tsk, they've only just started filming. It's still early.]

[Everyone can go and check out Xinxin's script next door. It's also about medical personnel and is super exciting! Throws confetti.jpg]

Except for the personal fans of the celebrities, most of the viewers of the "Good Drama PK Competition" like to watch various live streams.

They would watch one group for a while, then check out another group, constantly comparing them.

Seeing that Yao Bianliang's side wouldn't finish anytime soon and that Yao Xinxin's fans occasionally dropped by to recommend going to the neighboring stream, some viewers were tempted.

—They're both about medical personnel, so they probably won't be that different, right?

With such thoughts in mind, many viewers temporarily left Yao Bianliang's live stream and flocked to Yao Xinxin's group.

*****

"Cut!"

Inside Yao Xinxin's drama crew, the director shouted through a megaphone, signaling the end of this short scene.

Two assistants quickly stepped forward, one wiping off Yao Xinxin's sweat while the other handed her a bottle of mineral water.

Yao Xinxin stood up straight, her long hair falling down her shoulders along with her movement. She was slightly out of breath, massaging her slightly sore waist and taking a long sigh of relief.

"Director, did I pass this scene?" Yao Xinxin asked.

The director smiled and said, "Yes, Yao Xinxin, your performance was spot on! Let's take a few minutes of rest. Staff members, come and clean up this area."

A faint smile appeared on the corner of Yao Xinxin's lips.

Today was the first day of the live broadcast, and the first scene was crucial. For this reason, she deliberately selected the most exciting segment.

In this scene, the female lead performed minor surgery for the male lead. Their emotions heated up during the operation, and the female lead also gained exercise and improvement through it.

Although it was only one scene, it not only showcased the female lead's exceptional medical skills but also revealed the ambiguous moments between the male and female leads. Furthermore, it demonstrated her professionalism.

It was like hitting three birds with one stone!

In the live chat room, fans watched Yao Xinxin gasping for breath and wiping off her sweat, and they left various comments.

[Xinxin is impressive! But this seems too tiring. Take a break quickly.]

[This scene resonated with me. I like seeing handsome men and beautiful women earnestly pursuing their careers. Can we have more of that?]

[I think Yao Xinxin is quite dedicated. It's not as bad as it's portrayed online. She's wearing such thick clothes and not turning on the air conditioning. There's sweat on her forehead.]

Other audience members who had just come from Yao Bianliang's live stream: [...]

Wait, wait. Is this called "dedication"?

Do you have any misunderstandings about the term "dedication"?

In the past, when encountering such a situation, many viewers would be influenced by the barrage and think that Yao Xinxin was very dedicated and hardworking.

However, after watching Yao Bianliang's stream and switching to Yao Xinxin's...

Sorry, the comparison is just too obvious.

On Yao Bianliang's side, it took an entire hour to film a single shot. They were diligently working in the operating room, with sweat pouring down their backs.

On the other hand, they only acted for less than five minutes before the director called for a cut. The assistants immediately surrounded Yao Xinxin, handing her a towel, a water cup and urging her to rest.

—There's simply no comparison!

No matter how you look at it, Yao Xinxin's performance had nothing to do with dedication.

[Are Yao Xinxin's fans okay? Why did you feel sorry for your sister?]

[No, acting for five minutes in a stuffy room and earning a daily salary of two million, and this can be considered dedication?]

[Don't randomly accuse others. Xinxin has already put in a lot of effort. Didn't you see the sweat on her forehead?]

[Sorry, I really didn't see where she put in the effort... After all, it's part of the plot. It's normal for actors to get a bit tired.]

[Hehe, mindless haters. Where did these trolls come from? Get out of Xinxin's live stream.]

[Xinxin clearly worked hard this time, her acting skills were outstanding. I don't know what some people are criticizing.]

Debates quickly emerged in the bullet comments, and the direction in the comment section gradually shifted.

Initially, some passers-by just wanted to make some sarcastic comments and leave. But unexpectedly, the fans labeled them as "haters" and "trolls," which made them feel uncomfortable.

Both sides engaged in back-and-forth arguments, gradually escalating the situation.

Seeing the situation deteriorate, the live stream administrator started banning some individuals who posted negative comments. Unfortunately, due to the large number of these accounts, the impact was insignificant.

Realizing that the situation was becoming increasingly difficult to control, the staff had no choice but to report the situation truthfully to the program team.

"What? How did public opinion suddenly turn like this?" The director of the program team became extremely worried upon hearing this news.

You see, they were already prepared to trend on hot searches. Terms such as "dedicated actor," "Yao Xinxin's stunning shots," and "tribute to healthcare professionals" were all ready and waiting, and the trolls were ready to go.

Unfortunately, at this critical moment, such an unexpected incident occurred.

"I asked you to guide public opinion. How did it end up like this?" The director couldn't understand.

The staff had difficulty explaining, "We did guide public opinion, but there are also viewers who don't follow our lead."

Viewers are not blind; the stark comparison is evident to anyone.

If they continue praising, it won't work and will instead have a reverse effect.

The director's face turned incredibly ugly. "Take down the planned marketing content! Implement an emergency plan."

The marketing PR personnel acted swiftly, immediately instructing the marketing accounts to delete the articles praising Yao Xinxin. However, these articles had already been circulating for some time, and the related terms had successfully entered the public's attention.

Some netizens quickly screenshotted the articles from the marketing accounts and created a nine-grid image.

Other netizens combined screenshots of Yao Xinxin's live stream and Yao Bianliang's live stream.

After this comparison, both sides' images appeared somewhat ridiculous.

On Yao Bianliang's side, even the supporting actors were covered in sweat, but no one complained of fatigue, performing with utmost professionalism.

On the other hand, Yao Xinxin only had a little sweat, and the assistants immediately flocked around her with utmost care. Her acting skills couldn't even match those of the supporting actors.

In Yao Bianliang's live stream, doctors and nurses gathered in the operating room, fighting to save patients, working overnight, and racing against time and death.