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The Capital City Hotel was not the largest or most luxurious hotel in the capital region, but it was undoubtedly the most famous.
The Capital City Hotel was one of the earliest foreign-affiliated hotels in the country. As early as the 1950s, it had already served as an important venue for receiving foreign guests and hosting international conferences, and it continues to play a significant role in such affairs to this day.
Precisely because of its special status within the industry, it was not a place where one could simply hold meetings or banquets with money alone, one first had to possess sufficient qualifications.
The ceremony and media press conference at which Lu Chen and Chen Fei'er were awarded the title of "Jeju Island Tourism Ambassadors" by Jeju City, South Korea, was held in Conference Hall No. 3 of the Capital City Hotel.
In addition to the two organizing bodies, the event also received strong support from Capital City TV and SPG. Attendees included a cultural counselor from the South Korean Embassy in China, cultural officials from the Capital City Municipal Government, representatives from Jeju City, and others, the overall level and stature of the event were quite high.
In addition, more than a hundred media outlets, along with many friends from the entertainment industry connected to Lu Chen and Chen Fei'er, were invited.
A grand gathering indeed.
At 6:20 p.m., Lu Chen and Chen Fei'er arrived at the venue.
That evening, Lu Chen wore a black Armani suit paired with a white shirt, looking exceptionally handsome. Chen Fei'er made an even more striking appearance, dressed in a gorgeous evening gown that perfectly accentuated her figure, instantly becoming the focus of countless camera lenses from the media.
Tan Hong, Liao Jia, Lin Shengjie, Qin Hanyang, the Wandering Band, MSN, the Little Tiger Group, even Tian Tian, had all taken time out of their busy schedules to come to the capital to support the pair.
The Capital City Hotel was truly glittering with stars that night. Even without a red-carpet ceremony, the media reporters present felt the trip was well worth it, they had more than enough material to take back and file their reports.
The award ceremony officially began at 7:00 p.m.
First, the cultural counselor from the South Korean Embassy in China delivered a speech, praising Lu Chen and Chen Fei'er for their contributions to cultural exchange between China and South Korea, and welcoming more Chinese friends to travel and shop in Korea.
Next, an official from the Capital City Municipal Government took the stage to speak.
Finally, a representative from Jeju City formally conferred upon the two of them the honorary title of "Jeju Island Tourism Ambassadors."
When Lu Chen and Chen Fei'er respectively accepted their certificates and golden keys from the Korean officials, thunderous applause erupted throughout the hall, pushing the celebration to a peak.
Although serving as tourism ambassadors did not come with substantial financial compensation, for any artist it was a highly commendable honor, especially considering that they were serving as ambassadors for a foreign destination.
This was unprecedented in China's entertainment industry, and equally rare in Korea. It was truly a distinguished honor.
Without the ratings miracle of 'Autumn in My Heart' in Korea, without the massive Korean fanbase the two had gained, this honor would never have fallen into their laps.
It represented official recognition.
On the Korean side, the title was used to promote tourism and attract visitors from the mainland. On Lu Chen and Chen Fei'er's side, it allowed them to further expand into the Korean market, using Korea as a springboard to extend their influence into Southeast Asia, a textbook win-win collaboration.
After the simple yet dignified ceremony concluded, the cultural counselor from the South Korean Embassy and the officials from the Capital City Municipal Government departed first. The press conference then continued in the conference hall.
When Lu Chen had told reporters at the high-speed rail station earlier that day to come here with their questions, it had not been without reason.
First, it filtered out the small media outlets that liked to stir up trouble for no reason; those reporters couldn't even get through the doors of the Capital City Hotel in the first place.
Second, given the level of the press conference and the presence of many official media outlets, it was enough to make those with ulterior motives keep their mouths shut, or at least not dare to ask controversial questions.
As a result, Lu Chen found it far more relaxed to handle.
Naturally, the first to ask questions were reporters from official media. Their questions were largely inseparable from topics related to the "tourism ambassador" role; some directed at Lu Chen and Chen Fei'er, others at the Korean representatives, very formal and official in tone.
After more than ten minutes of back-and-forth exchanges, a reporter from private media finally couldn't hold back anymore.
He stood up eagerly and asked, "Mr. Lu Chen, I'm a reporter from NetEase Entertainment. First of all, congratulations on receiving the honor of Tourism Ambassador. May I ask whether your new drama 'Full House' will also be broadcast in South Korea?"
This question was clearly just a lead-in. Lu Chen nodded and replied, "Yes, and it will premiere simultaneously with the domestic broadcast, so Korean audiences can see our new work at the earliest possible time."
The NetEase reporter immediately followed up, "It's said that your new drama will air this month. From what I understand, more than ten dramas of the same genre are also premiering this month, including Xiangnan Satellite TV's 'Vast Seas of Love'. With competition this fierce, may I ask what ratings target you've set for your own work?"
This question was likely what many of the journalists present wanted to ask. Although he didn't directly name Hu Yang, the latter had publicly declared just days ago that he intended to defeat Lu Chen in ratings.
Faced with Hu Yang's challenge, what attitude would Lu Chen take? That was exactly what everyone cared about most.
Lu Chen had long been prepared for such a question. He answered calmly, "Flat three, peak four."
"What?"
The NetEase reporter was confused. "Could you explain that?"
Lu Chen smiled and said, "I mean my ratings target for 'Full House' is an average of three percent, with a peak of four percent. Is that clear enough?"
3% average, 4% peak!
A wave of gasps instantly rippled through the conference hall. Many people couldn't believe their ears.
As entertainment reporters attending this press conference, they all had at least a basic, if not deep, understanding of the current state of domestic TV drama ratings.
At present, for a domestic TV drama to achieve an average rating of 1% was already considered a success. Lu Chen's 'Autumn in My Heart' from last year had broken 3% at its peak, already a record-breaking, phenomenon-level achievement.
And now he was boldly declaring a 4% peak, with even the average rating exceeding 3%. That wasn't just a simple increase of 1%.
This wasn't two or three decades ago, when entertainment options were scarce and watching TV was the most common pastime for ordinary people. Back then, it was easy for a classic drama to achieve ratings in the tens of percent, even creating scenes where entire streets emptied as everyone stayed home to watch television.
Nowadays, entertainment options are abundant. There are countless TV channels, new media platforms compete fiercely for attention, and the majority of domestic TV dramas have ratings below 1%.
Even though Lu Chen had already achieved success with 'Autumn in My Heart', setting a 4% target for his new drama was still shocking.
Wasn't he afraid of biting off more than he could chew?
In such a formal setting, making such a formal statement meant Lu Chen wouldn't even be able to backtrack later. If the final results failed to meet his target, he wouldn't just lose face; he'd take a serious hit to his reputation.
If this was Lu Chen's counterattack against Hu Yang and Xiangnan Satellite TV, then it was an exceptionally ruthless one.
Ruthless to his opponents, and even more ruthless to himself!
Many reporters were now visibly excited. They could smell the thick scent of gunpowder in the air.
(End of Chapter)