Huayu Entertainment: The Birth of a Succubus Top Star

As night fell over the Oriental Movie Metropolis, the day-long, high-density filming of the space capsule scenes finally came to a close.

The giant real-life lights inside the studio were turned off one by one, the equipment and staff packed up their equipment in an orderly manner, and the roaring ventilation system slowly returned to silence.

Gu Zhiyan took off the heavy aerospace protective suit and returned to her hotel room. As soon as she turned on her phone, countless message notifications flooded in, and the trending topics list was almost entirely dominated by the title of the finale of "Grant Me Your Glory".

Today is the final episode release day of the series.

In the evening, the series released the final two episodes, revealing the complete ending: Xu Yan lets go of all the carefully woven lies, confesses her past, and resolves the layers of misunderstandings with Shen Haoming. She no longer relies on the resources of the wealthy family, independently establishes an intangible cultural heritage creative brand, and the two walk hand in hand towards a happy ending.

Many viewers who had expected a dark and realistic ending were shocked after watching the finale.

[Let Me Shine] ended badly.

Is Xu Yan's attempt to whitewash her image too deliberate?

[The ending of Gu Zhiyan and Shen Haoming]

[Jing Tian and Xu Yan's final monologue]

Multiple related terms surged to the top of the trending searches, sparking heated discussions on Weibo, Douban, Xiaohongshu, and short video platforms.

Gu Zhiyan opened the live comments section, where two completely different opinions were clashing.

Many fans of the show were deeply disappointed.

"With such a sharp sense of realism built up in the beginning, all the lies, scheming, and class struggles, it all ends up being a light and easy reconciliation? All the conflicts in the early stages are downplayed, and the characters' logic just collapses."

"Xu Yan started her career through deception and easily achieved success in both her career and love life. She doesn't see the consequences at all, making it hard to empathize with her."

"The original work's heavy core has been smoothed out and turned into an idol drama with a happy ending to cater to the market. It's such a pity."

Another group of viewers held a different opinion.

"TV dramas don't necessarily have to end in tragedy. Xu Yan spends the second half of the story atoning for her sins and making amends for her mistakes. Reconciliation is also a life choice."

"The key is to see the female lead's eventual independent growth. She didn't depend on the male lead for her life; she started her own business and realized her self-worth, which is a positive aspect."

"The actors performed well; the controversy lies more in the choices made regarding the ending of the script."

The trend on overseas social media platforms is completely different from that in China. Overseas netizens mostly accept a happy ending and are more concerned about Xu Yan's growth story of breaking free from her original predicament. Related fan-made videos are still very popular.

Not long after, there was a gentle knock on the door, and Na Zha, Da Tian Tian, ​​and Zhao Jin Mai came over together, each carrying food.

Xiao Yan finished filming quite late today, he must be hungry.

"I just finished watching the finale, and the whole internet is going crazy," Na Zha sighed as she entered the room. "The Douban short review section is refreshing so fast I can't even see it, and there are tons of rating changes."

Zhao Jinmai sat down on the sofa: "Many viewers who followed the whole series are still disappointed. The question of humanity they were looking forward to didn't come to fruition, and the sense of disappointment is too great."

Na Zha looked at Gu Zhiyan: "Brother Xiaoyan, you knew the final ending of the script all along. Did you feel any regret at the time?"

Gu Zhiyan leaned against the window, her fingertips lightly tracing the comments flying across the screen, her tone calm and composed: "I knew the complete story's direction before filming began. An actor's responsibility is to respect the final script and perform each scene well. Scriptwriting involves many considerations; the market, the audience, and censorship all affect the final ending, making choices inherently difficult."

He paused, then continued, "From the beginning, Shen Haoming saw through the lies and tested them step by step, to later falling in love with them, I tried my best to lay out the transformation of this character completely. As for how the ending will affect the audience, everyone's experience is different, and their interpretations will naturally vary. We can't force everyone to agree."

Da Tiantian nodded: "The fact that the complex character Xu Yan has sparked such a wide-ranging social discussion means that, in a sense, the series has already fulfilled its value."

As the group chatted, various commentaries emerged from short video platforms. Some edited together the most exciting and dramatic scenes of the entire series to recap the battle between the two A-list characters, while others wrote long reviews to analyze the inconsistencies in the script's style. Clothing and dialogue clips continued to gain extremely high popularity.

Gu Zhiyan glanced through a few objective film reviews, but didn't click on the heated online arguments, and casually put her phone aside.

"The hype will eventually die down, and the controversy will settle over time. In a few years, what people will remember may not be the good or bad ending, but the highlights of Xu Yan and Shen Haoming's interactions."

Zhao Jinmai nodded in agreement: "That's true. Hit shows are bound to be controversial, and very few works can please everyone."

Everyone ate and chatted, and after they were full, they continued to discuss life.

The uproar caused by "Give Me Your Light" continues to grow, but for Gu Zhiyan, the character Shen Haoming has already come to an end.

……

As filming for "The Wandering Earth 3" enters its final stages, the production team has arranged for several mainstream film and television media outlets to visit the set and conduct exclusive interviews. A simple interview area has been specially set up next to the studio.

The shooting schedule was slightly adjusted on the day of the interview, allowing for an hour-long interview break.

Gu Zhiyan removed her protective suit and tidied her appearance. Dressed in a neat and casual work outfit, she sat in front of the camera. Several other main cast members were also interviewed. The interview consisted of a group interview and in-depth individual Q&A sessions.

Halfway through the group interview, an entertainment media reporter took the opportunity to raise a question that had been widely discussed online.

"Mr. Gu Zhiyan, the drama 'Grant Me Your Dazzling Light,' starring you and Jing Tian, ​​recently concluded, and the ending sparked widespread discussion among netizens. Many viewers felt that the early episodes were realistic and sharp, while the ending was too perfect, creating a sense of disappointment. As the lead actor, how do you view this controversy after the drama aired?"

The scene fell silent instantly. Reporters looked up at Gu Zhiyan, their cameras fixed on him. Crew members on the side tensed up slightly, knowing that controversial topics like this could easily become trending topics if not handled carefully.

Gu Zhiyan remained calm and composed, sitting upright without any hesitation. His tone was even and steady: "First of all, I am very grateful to so many viewers who are willing to follow the entire work and are willing to invest their emotions in discussing the characters and plot. The fact that there is discussion itself shows that the story has conveyed power."

Before filming began, we received the final script, including the direction of the ending.

As an actor, my job is to understand the character's motivations and complete the character's emotional arc.

From Shen Haoming's initial probing and wariness, to being moved, to inner turmoil, and finally to reconciliation, I followed the script's logic to develop and portray the character.

Gu Zhiyan paused slightly before continuing, "The final version of a film or television drama is the result of joint consideration by the screenwriter, director, and producer. It involves multiple considerations such as the market and creative expression, and some compromises are inevitable."

Audiences have different expectations and different life experiences, so they will naturally have different feelings. Some are satisfied, some are disappointed, and I understand that.

Neither Xu Yan nor Shen Haoming are perfect people. The entire drama depicts the complexity of human nature. After the series aired, it extended to discussions about family of origin, class differences, and intimate relationships, which went beyond the story itself.

As for whether the ending is good or bad, that's enough for the audience to judge. We actors did our best to fulfill our duties and have a clear conscience.

Things can never be perfect, but one should strive to have a clear conscience!