It’s almost common for a video game nowadays to have several different endings depending on the players’ choices during gameplay.
眼下，电子游戏厂商们大都会根据玩家喜好在游戏中设置一系列开放式的结局。
Now, these “multi-endings” have expanded to other industries, such as television. The most recent example is the Chinese wuxia drama series The Bride with White Hair, which finished last Sunday night on Hunan Satellite TV.
如今，这种“开放式的结局”已蔓延到其他行业中，譬如电视业。湖南卫视上周日晚完美收官的武侠剧《新白发魔女传》便是一例。
It’s not the first time the network has tried multi-endings. Just a few months ago the network experimented with the double-ending concept in its summer series Fairytale. Viewers voted online for the ending they wanted to see on TV, and the network broadcast the ending that received most votes. The alternate endings were made available online.
这并非湖南卫视首次尝试这种开放式结局了。数月前，湖南卫视就在自制暑期档电视剧《童话二分之一》中试用了这种双重结局的理念。观众通过网络投票来选择自己最想看到的结局，而电视台也会播出得票最多的那版结局。观众还可以在网上观看其他版本的结局。
The same rules applied for The Bride with White Hair, which is loosely based on Liang Yusheng’s novel of the same title. But due to the popularity of the classic story, which has been adapted many times, and because the series starred well-known actors such as Nicky Wu, the multi-ending approach caused quite a stir.
根据梁羽生同名小说大刀阔斧改编的电视剧《新白发魔女传》选用的就是这种方式。但由于这一经典小说已是家喻户晓，又前后经过多次改编，再加上包括吴奇隆在内的全明星阵容等因素，都使得这种开放式结局备受热议。
“Now that audiences had the power to choose the ending, of course I wanted to see a happy one in which Zhuo Yihang and Lian Nishang end up together,” said Zhao Yiwen, 19, a freshman at East China Normal University.
华东师范大学大一新生、19岁的赵以文（音译）说：“既然现在观众有权选择结局，那么我当然希望卓一航和练霓裳相伴永远的大团圆结局。”
Most fans of the series, like Zhao, went for the happy ending, which was aired on TV. However, as the original story has a different ending, another group of fans devoted to the novel felt the alternate endings were unreasonable.
该剧的粉丝大都像赵以文一样，希望看到这次电视上播出的大团圆结局。但是由于原著的结局并非如此，一些原著的忠实读者认为这种开放式结局有些无厘头。
“Different endings mean different stories. I think the revision didn’t respect the novel. Clearly a line has been crossed,” an Internet user commented on the series’ official Sina Weibo.
在该剧的新浪官方微博上，一位网友表示：“改变结局，也就意味着故事失去原味。我认为这种改编不够尊重原著，很明显改编得有点过头了。”
Despite the controversy, the series got high ratings. In an interview with Beijing Evening News, Wu said this was due to the new ideas producers introduced in the alternative version.
尽管备受争议，该剧还是获得了极高的收视率。在接受《北京晚报》采访时，吴奇隆表示这都要归功于该剧制片人采用的这种开放式结局新创意。
“Adaptations allow for certain changes, especially when the original story is more than 50 years old,” Wu said. “I think making such a story corresponds to the young generation’s taste.”
他说：“改编就意味着会做一些调整，尤其是对于一部50多年前的作品而言更是如此。我觉得要让整个故事更能迎合年轻人的口味。”
In the end, the producers’ efforts were rewarded with strong ratings, and audiences got to watch the happy ending they longed for. So, a happy ending for everyone.
最终，制片人们的努力换回了高收视率，而观众们也看到了期待已久的圆满结局。这样一来，所有人都皆大欢喜。