My Costar and I, forever
Six months pass and 'Crimson Promise' is cleared for broadcast, in record time even.
The initial buzz around the drama is insane, and the viewership numbers for the first couple of episodes are absolutely record breaking. And then people realise, that despite all the controversy surrounding it, it's still just a romantic xianxia drama, and some of the interest fizzes out.
The fans of the genre, and the novel fans, who watch all 43 episodes to the end, agree that it's a pretty good adaptation, all things considered.
[Drama for days: I mean, the transition from Gao Wu to the actor who replaced him was a bit awkward. Rong Zi's arc as a 'masked villain' had some of drama's weakest episodes, but it's what they could do in the wake of a tragedy so I'm not going to be too harsh about it.]
Most people agree that Xin Hulei and Yao Shen's performances as Yan Shuyi and Xie Huan were very good. The romantic tension was palpable.