"The Empress of a Generation" premiered without much promotion, and Fu Yuran’s fans watched with high hopes. However, after two episodes, something felt off.
Previously, Yinran Entertainment had stated that it was Fu Yuran’s last wish for the unfinished "The Empress of a Generation" to be completed by her sister, Fu Bairan.
OK, no problem, the fans accepted it.
It was seen as a way to support the sister after the departure of the elder sibling.
But it seemed like the "The Empress of a Generation" production team took the audience for fools, as neither the opening nor closing credits featured any images of Fu Yuran or even mentioned her name.
This upset the die-hard fans of Fu Yuran. Her fanbase was still strong, many of whom were influencers with verified accounts on the official fan page, wielding considerable influence.
So, after just two episodes of "The Empress of a Generation", influential supporters of Fu Yuran took to their official accounts to call out the drama.
Their discontent was clearly expressed.
LULU Li V: As both a beauty blogger and a dedicated fan of Fu Yuran, let me share how I became a fan of hers.
Before I knew Fu Yuran, I was just a freshman in college, about the same age as her. That year, I fell in love with a gentle and beautiful woman named Fu Yuran.
Why did I like her? It all started when I sent a gift to my idol, who then personally messaged me to thank me. Before I became a beauty blogger, I went through a rough patch.
I was so depressed I almost died. She must have noticed something was off from the message I sent to my idol. For seven days straight, she chatted with me at the same time each day, talking me through it. After finding out I was scammed and left penniless, she transferred five thousand yuan to me without even knowing me, saying everything would pass.
Some might say, what’s five thousand yuan? True, it’s not much to me now, but back then, when I was at rock bottom, it was life-saving money.
Since then, I’ve sworn to be a fan of Fu Yuran for life. This girl is hardworking and kind-hearted.
I’ve doubted the sudden death of Fu Yuran and still do. Yinchao Entertainment refused to let her body be autopsied and only gave us a vague answer, a death statement.
Alright, if that’s the case, I’ll accept that Fu Yuran’s death was an accident and I’m okay with Fu Bairan continuing "The Empress of a Generation".
But now, I really can’t comprehend Yinchao Entertainment’s actions. Fu Yuran was the peak of "The Empress" after all! What is the meaning of this current situation?
Not once throughout the show does Fu Yuran’s face appear, not even her name. Is Yinran Entertainment trying to test the waters?
To see if Fu Bairan can carry "The Empress of a Generation" and completely replace Fu Yuran?
Heh, isn’t this a bit too distasteful, capitalizing on the death of Fu Yuran and absurdly thinking her fans will pay for Fu Bairan?
Does Yinran Entertainment think the audience is stupid, or just her loyal fans?
Attention, this is a warning. If "The Empress of a Generation" is as disgusting as I suspect and they’re trying to test the waters, then I am absolutely boycotting "The Empress of a Generation".
Of course, if Yinran Entertainment has a problem with me, they can send me a legal notice anytime, if that would be of any use.
Li Lulu is a well-known influencer, with nearly each of her posts getting over a million shares and clicks. So when this official blog post came out, it was like a stone thrown into the calm, creating massive waves.
It exploded instantly.
Fu Yuran had been dead for a long time, but her fans were still in the midst of mourning her, and this beauty vlogger was one of them.
Her words seemed harmless, but upon closer examination, they were terrifying.
Breaking it down, it was evidently Yinchao, the boss of Yinran Entertainment, Fu Yuran’s boyfriend, who, after her death, wanted to pursue Fu Bairan, Yuran’s sister. "Empress of a Generation" already had parts filmed by Yuran; for the first half, Bairan could just finish the job, but what people really wanted to see was Yuran’s second half.
Yet, who could have imagined Yinran Entertainment would stoop so low as to exploit Yuran while denying her any exposure, no different from a vampire?
Fu Yuran’s fans were in an uproar; the official blog was paralyzed several times due to their reactions and it had to be revised multiple times.
When the public relations department of Yinran Entertainment saw this official post, they were at a loss on how to respond. The blogger hadn’t said anything that violated any rules—just a simple query.
But this kind of thing is precisely what makes people uncomfortable, and no one would like that, let alone a famous company like Yinran Entertainment. Therefore, the PR team quickly contacted the influencer, hoping she would retract her statement.
Li Lulu simply oh’d over the phone and then asked, "So, has ’Empress of a Generation’ been edited? Before any modifications, you have no right to stand before me and teach me how to do things. My phone call is recorded, and you’re free to publicize it if you wish. As an influencer who mingles with the official blog, I doubt you’d know how to handle it then."
Li Lulu was not afraid at all, and with a few words, she pushed back against the PR people from Yinran Entertainment.
The vice-manager of the PR department rushed to Yinchao’s company with a pale face, "Mr. Yinchao, this approach isn’t working. Maybe we should just air the original version. It’s caused quite a stir outside; everyone is saying Yinran Entertainment is unseemly for exploiting Fu Yuran on the one hand and promoting her sister on the other. These scandals are not good for the company."
Yinchao was internally resistant; for reasons unknown, after having seen Yuran, he found himself increasingly unable to bear seeing Fu Yuran’s face, even in photos.
He despised this feeling; it wouldn’t let him be happy at all.
Online speculation and doubts about "Empress of a Generation" were mounting, the skepticism growing louder. Finally, after considering through the afternoon, Yinchao had to compromise.
On the same night that Li Lulu raised a fuss, at eight o’clock, both the official website for "Empress of a Generation" and the website for Yinran Entertainment released a statement, high and mighty. Most of Fu Yuran’s loyal fans disagreed with the reasoning, feeling it irresponsible.
Yinran Entertainment had the audacity to claim they didn’t include Fu Yuran’s name and images in the footage because they were afraid fans would have a hard time mourning.
Since everyone was upset, Yinran Entertainment would be more careful in the future.
This apathetic and perfunctory attitude was met with dissatisfaction from Fu Yuran’s fans, and a phrase began to fly around the internet.
"I’ve decided that I won’t watch a single episode with Fu Bairan in it. If they switch back to Fu Yuran later, I’ll watch it three times over."
Thus, the deceased Fu Yuran soared up the trending searches.