On the evening of June 3rd, the TV series "Protagonist" concluded its advanced screening, and #Protagonist Death Arrives# trended on hot search, leaving audiences deeply moved by the finale.

In the story's conclusion, Liu Hongbing and his son Liu Yi tragically passed away in a car accident. On the same day, the stage where the female lead Yi Qine had dedicated her life unexpectedly collapsed, and Song Shi and Dan Tuan unfortunately died while rescuing others. Yi Qine also developed post-traumatic stress disorder. With the influence of her uncle Hu Sanyuan and apprentice Song Yu, Yi Qine eventually overcame her psychological barriers, returned to the stage, and once again became the "protagonist" on stage.

"Protagonist" is adapted from the novel of the same name by writer Chen Yan, a recipient of the Mao Dun Literature Prize. It is supervised by Zhang Yimou, with Zhang Jiayi as the artistic director, Li Shaofei as the director, Zheng Hua and Jing Yu as screenwriters, Ma Xiaoyong as a co-screenwriter, and starring Zhang Jiayi, Liu Haocun, Qin Hailu, Dou Xiao, Zhai Zilu, Wang Xiaochen, and others.

Since the TV series premiered on CCTV on May 10th, it has sparked a viewing craze, reaching a peak viewership rating of 4.518%. Its popularity on Tencent Video exceeded 30,000, and it received a high Douban score of 8.2. Stars like Yan Ni, Xin Zhilei, Reyizha, and Ke Lan have been following the show. The Qinqiang opera performances of "Da Jiao Zan" and "You Xihu" have also gained widespread popularity along with the female lead's "stage performances."

The "stars" in the play received applause from opera fans, and the "stars" outside the play were also deeply moved by the plot.

In a recent interview, Mao Weitao mentioned "Protagonist," stating that she was also moved to tears while watching the series. She was particularly touched by the line from Aunt Pang, "You are about to marry the stage," before Yi Qine's performance, saying, "Only we in the opera world can understand."