What level has My Love From the Stars reached?
Fast food chains like McDonald's, KFC, Wallace, and others have all added a "Fried Chicken and Beer Set" to their menus, inspired by the heroine's famous line: "It's snowing. How can there be no fried chicken and beer?"
Some menus went for a more poetic touch, naming it the "First Snow Set," which came from the heroine's confession in a past life:
"It's the first snow, do you know? In our country, at the time of the first snow, any lie can be forgiven. Even lying to the king will be overlooked. My lord, the truth is that I have always admired you. I can't wait to grow up, so that you will see my beauty."
In short, after just five weeks on air, the drama had become nothing less than a "cultural phenomenon" across Asia, or at the very least, a topic everyone in the region was paying attention to.
Research Notes: You Came From the Stars is a female-lead drama, with heroine Song Minghee's role surpassing that of male lead Chu Zhi.
South Korea's mature film and television production system, along with a broad creative environment.
Over sixty billion won in funding from Netflix.
The talents of excellent screenwriter-director duo Gong Ji and Ryu Taeseok.
All three were just preconditions. Other shows have met them too, yet none have achieved the same success.
A survey of more than five hundred viewers from across Asia found the decisive factor that made them fall in love with the drama: "Professor Baek."
Singer-turned-actor Chu Zhi, despite being a non-professional actor, brought his own unique charm into the role, turning "Professor Baek" into a kind of excitement drug for countless female viewers.
The same principle applied to the Asian film When I Close My Eyes, where even with minimal screen time, the actor's personal charisma worked like both poison and medicine…]
Stripped of the flowery jargon, the Asian edition of Time magazine's study boiled down to one thing: the personal charm of actor Chu Zhi.
The magazine had invited a panel of so-called "entertainment industry research experts" to produce the report. Yet the results were simply things most fans already knew—only now backed by the authority of a respected publication. And authority changes the impact. People might know something already, but when Time says it, many are more than ready to believe.
In the Yunti Residential Complex in Shanghai, Building 2—exact apartment number withheld—this was Qi Qiu's home.
It was nine in the evening, officially off-duty time. Big Boss Chu Zhi was firmly against bringing work home, so Qi Qiu could have been resting.
But…
"Have these companies lost their minds?" Qi Qiu took a deep breath.
From Japan: Kirin Beer, Citizen, Nippon Paint, Toshiba, Infiniti, Omron, Mikimoto. All sent letters of intent for collaboration.
From South Korea: Kia, Shinsegae Department Store, Seoul Milk, Amorepacific—this last one already had ties with Chu Zhi. Back then, it was only a sub-brand, HERA, that worked with him.
When Chu Zhi sang Compendium of Materia Medica in South Korea, mainstream media there condemned him. Amorepacific had even issued a statement clarifying that the collaboration was entirely the sub-brand's decision and unrelated to the parent company. Now, the parent company itself was offering terms.
There were also offers from major multinational companies in India, Singapore, Thailand, Indonesia, and other countries.
"Chu-ge's commercial value has completely exploded. Add in Time magazine's cover feature, and Chu-ge is practically being mythologized."
For most people, being mythologized would be a reason to worry. But for Chu Zhi? Qi Qiu wasn't concerned at all. The man had a clear and realistic sense of himself. He never got carried away.
For example, with Chu Zhi's influence in Asia, he could easily skip the formalities of greeting the older generation in the entertainment industry. Yet he still remained humble and treated his seniors with genuine respect.
"Over thirty multinational offers, and that's after filtering out others. To reach this level as a celebrity… unbeatable." Qi Qiu rubbed his eyes, glanced at the clock, and decided to pull an all-nighter analyzing all thirty-plus advertising proposals to hand to the boss tomorrow.
As for Time magazine's vague and lofty language, online commentator "Chasing Wings Youth" on Zhihu summed it up best in plain words:
"Why else? The male lead's character is ridiculously 'Tom Sue' (perfect to the point of absurdity), and then you pair that with a god-tier face—how can it not blow up? I'm a man, and even I'm seduced by Jiu-yé in a suit. Damn, I've never seen an Asian man look that good in one. Actually, even globally, Professor Baek could still hold his own in a fight!"
"Jiu-yé's Professor Baek is an alien from KMT184.05. First of all, he's immortal, which means eternal good looks (very important). On top of that, he has teleportation, enhanced senses, and time-stopping abilities. Not enough? He's accumulated centuries of wealth since arriving on Earth, and with his calm, reflective personality, plus knowledge across all fields, he's basically an expert in everything. That's not just 'tall, rich, and handsome.' That's the ultimate unbeatable webnovel protagonist template. The only difference is, in webnovels, this kind of character uses their power to crush enemies. Here, he uses it to fall in love. What fangirl could possibly resist?"
The comments section was full of agreement, plus endless praise from Little Fruits. Since those were short, they didn't need repeating—but a few standouts were worth sharing:
[Serious Dog]:"Look at my username—you know I'm a serious person. Do you think I'm shallow? The leads' looks didn't catch my attention at all. It was the plot that hooked me. My favorite episode? The first one, especially the first ten minutes. I've only rewatched it a dozen times… hehe."
[Mo Moyuan]:"You might be a serious person, but you're definitely not a serious dog. If it weren't for Jiu-yé's shower scene at 5:38 to 5:55 in episode one, I might have believed you."
[Scapula]:"Jiu-yé's shoulder width and body proportions are perfect for suits. Especially in that one scene with the white shirt and vest—his waist…"
[Wizard Comes First]:"Sisters, let's not get too crazy. But seriously, I also love the male lead's character. No matter where you are, if you're in danger, he can teleport to you instantly. That's real security."
Capital always chases the next big trend. And it doesn't matter if the one flying is a pig—if it can fly, it will get noticed, even if only for a while.
Many film and television companies wanted to profit off Chu Zhi's fame, waving money at him before they even had complete scripts, offering sky-high salaries just to get him onboard.
But Niu Jiangxue rejected all of them, while also making a strategic public statement:
"Our artist has taken roles in a Japanese film and a Korean drama. The absence of domestic works is not due to any bias against local productions, but because we want the works he accepts to have real highlights. For example, earlier this year, we accepted a project with director Wang Anyi."
Niu Jiangxue, always wary of potential attacks from detractors, made sure to get ahead of the narrative.
Speaking of Wang Anyi's film Eleventh Young Master, the main production company, Photon, had a rough time working with her.
"Working with a big-name director is exhausting," producer Wang from Photon sighed.
"Filming at places like Ditan Park, Summer Palace, West Lake, Beijing Normal University North Campus, the Confucius Temple… fine. But she also wants to rent Prince Gong's Mansion. Do you think you can just book a 5A tourist site like that? If she weren't so famous, I'd have lost my temper already."
"The only thing that comforts me is that… we invited Chu Zhi as the lead. At least the box office has some guarantee." Producer Wang glanced at the overwhelming flood of Chu Zhi news online, and allowed himself a small spark of hope.