Huayu: Starting from the top talent show

Chapter 364: Alex and His Leviathan Era

As the crew of "Yue Lao" moved to Hengdian to start filming the underworld part, the "targeted poverty alleviation" plan formulated by Shen Juan as the president of the Sister-in-law 101 Alliance was finally put on the agenda.

So with the help of Shen Juan, Li Yitong quickly established good relationships with other actors in the crew, especially Tian Xiwei who seemed a little "isolated and helpless" recently, by virtue of her relatively good emotional intelligence and gentle and decent personality.

Because Xiaotian thinks Li Yitong is a bit like Cheng Xiao. She has thought so since she watched that episode of Longing. Maybe it's because there are two silly girls, Zhang Tianai and Guli Nazha, to set off her. Anyway, in Xiaotian's eyes, a woman like Li Yitong who doesn't fight or compete and knows how to be content is a good woman!
That’s right, Cheng Xiao is also a good woman.

After all, compared with Big Bear Fool and Green Tea Bitch, "Big Bear Fool" is more of a nickname among friends than an insult.

If she didn't know that Cheng Xiao didn't like fighting and didn't want to disturb her peaceful life, if she didn't know that Cheng Xiao and Zhou Ye had a good relationship and didn't want to make things difficult for her, Tian Xiwei really wanted to pull Cheng Xiao into her camp to fight against Ye together!
the reason is simple.

Everyone loves teammates who are not greedy for credit and are not reckless.

So this time when he met Li Yitong, a woman who had some similarities with Cheng Xiao, after a short period of getting along, although the two of them could not be considered very good friends for the time being, Xiaotian still did not completely let down his guard against Li Yitong.

But at least it is much better than the imaginary enemy relationship at the beginning where there were many misunderstandings caused by unknown factors.

We can also stay together and chat sometimes.

And what about Li Yitong?
Like Ni Ni and others of similar age, she actually had no intention of joining this "playing house" game.

In her opinion, Shen Juan is indeed a good person.

Except for being fickle-minded, he is good in all aspects.

Of course, this shortcoming is so great that a woman with obsessive-compulsive disorder would completely deny all of Shen Juan's advantages.

But in the final analysis, quarreling or even fighting over a man is extremely childish and irrational behavior.

Sister, I’m almost 30 years old. How can I still get involved with these young girls who haven’t even graduated from college?
The reason why she chooses to integrate into the big environment now.

Mostly because she was curious.

Tian Xiwei, who seems brave and good at fighting, but is actually a spoiled brat; Zhou Ye, who seems to be good at strategizing, but is actually a simpleton; Wang Churan, who seems to be honest and loyal, but is actually a double-faced person; the anti-Tian alliance, who seems to have many soldiers and generals and share the same hatred for the enemy, but is actually undercurrents and has their own ulterior motives.
As she got to know him better, Li Yitong found Shen Juan and the group of little girls around him more and more interesting!

It is said that an excellent team needs to have:
The tiger that guards the mountain, the nimble leopard, and the wolf that is good at fighting.

The far-sighted eagle, the scapegoat, the loyal dog.

If we say that Oda, who rose from humble beginnings and carved out a niche for himself in the fan circle with his own hands, is a wolf that is good at fighting or a tiger that guards the mountain.

Then she is probably the eagle of foresight.

So the agile leopard, the scapegoat, the loyal dog, the paddling fish, the rice bucket, the mouse stone, the black horse, the realistic sheep, the failed eel, the grass on the wall, the enthusiastic lizard, the hard cow and the crazy snake
Who are they respectively?

Sign so many amateur girls with different personalities and characteristics into the company, allowing them to gather together and form teams freely.

I am so tired.
Is this the world you want to create?
It turns out that there is only a wrong name, not a wrong nickname. The famous amateur killer really lives up to his name!

This prosperous age is really just as you wish!
Time passes day by day.

Because it is considered that this film will use Shen Juan's influence to export overseas, rather than simply being a show of bullying.

Therefore, when filming the underworld part, many traditional Chinese elements were added to increase the impact on the Asia-Pacific region.

In fact, there are generally two ways and channels for a country to export its influence through civil society groups.

One is to export traditional Chinese culture through YouTube videos like Li Ziqi did; the other is to expand China's global visibility and influence, improve China's international image, and enhance the status of Chinese people through one's own fame and influence, like Shen Juan did.

It is difficult to judge which of these two methods is better.

Because these two methods actually complement each other.

First of all, there must be a "face" like Shen Juan to break the inherent perception of foreigners about China, which is not so objective and even biased, and make them feel good and curious about China, so as to attract them to learn more about China. Only in this way can the number of Li Ziqi's videos be gradually increased.

Simply put, one is the inside and the other is the outside.

It has substance but no face, and no one cares.

It has appearance but no substance, that's a Korean.

Only by taking into account both the appearance and the substance can one achieve true strength.

But for China, the substance is always there, but the appearance is not.

At this stage, China lacks too many folk artist groups that can speak out and bring "face" to the country, resulting in a mediocre international public opinion environment. Western media can say whatever they want because there is no such thing as being able to go abroad and slap them in the face and eliminate foreigners' stereotypes.

(Big Brother Cheng is one, but during his heyday, his label was "Hong Kong Islander". He was already old when he represented Chinese people)

So to put it bluntly, the so-called value of the site is just one of the values of Shen Juan as an artist and an idol.

It is precisely because of these important values that others do not have that he can have an extraordinary position in the domestic entertainment industry in China.

And Shen Juan's important value, which cannot be replicated by others, ushered in a new round of improvement on July 7rd.

On July 2019, 7, "Senorita" reached one billion views on the music platform Spotify, which made Shen Juan, in just two years, tied with Ed Sheeran, one of the top five male singers of the new generation, and became the singer with the most singles (3 songs) with 10 billion views in the history of Spotify.

And considering that "Cruel Summer" released by Shen Juan in February this year has 2 million views, and the daily growth trend is also very good, it is getting closer and closer to the billion mark.

Therefore, it is estimated that it won’t be long before Shen Juan will surpass Boss Huang and be officially crowned the king of hits in the era of streaming media!

At the same time, this has also sparked a wave of heated discussions on the global Internet about the "2020s Pop King" and the "Z Generation Leader".

Among them, "Alex and His Leviathan Era" published by Forbes received an extremely explosive click rate and was translated into the languages of many countries and brought back to China.

[Growing up in a free and broad social network environment has endowed Generation Z with the dual nature of changeability and tolerance.

Therefore, they are omnivores who eat all kinds of things in entertainment, and they are better able to understand and respect differences in cultural backgrounds in life. The information explosion brought about by the convenient Internet also makes Generation Z, who are immersed in information fragments every moment, more prone to mental anxiety than the older generation.

According to the survey, anxiety, depression, bullying and drug abuse are considered by Generation Z to be common problems among their peers.

The accumulation of these mental pressures has increased Generation Z's demand for positive energy idols. Although Billie, who also emerged this year and is full of rebellious spirit, can satisfy them to a certain extent, young boys and girls who are tired of the adult society still yearn for a warm utopia, a spiritual sustenance without anger or radical emotions.

At this time, Alex appeared to fill this vacancy.

Ever since news about this Chinese singer began to appear frequently in news reports by major mainstream media in Europe and the United States, it has become an indisputable fact that he is popular all over the United States and even the world.

At the end of February 2019, the weather was still chilly. At that time, there was a gust of wind on social media, and many people’s online environments were flooded with a song called "Blinding Lights". Many people commented: "It's too addictive."

A few months later, this song has been played over 10 billion times on Spotify, the leading music streaming service in Europe and the United States, and has become the fastest single to break billion views. Its singer, Shen Juan, has also become an icon sought after by contemporary young people with his subsequent albums.

You listen to Alex? That's cool!

Equating Alex with "cool" can be seen as a summary of Generation Z's self-perception.

Thus, the handover ceremony between the old and new eras slowly began with the birth of new idols and the establishment of new standards.

McKinsey, a well-known management consulting firm, published an investigative article on Generation Z in 2018.

The article mentioned that the key to treating Generation Z is not to constrain them with a stereotyped perspective. This is a generation with very fluid self-cognition. They are still exploring themselves, so they can also be called identity nomads.

Coincidentally, in a report published by the New York Times in 19, a Generation Z respondent also said, "Self-perception, like political stance, will change." This casual group attitude can also be seen as a kind of cultural tension.

In April 2019, Shen Juan was selected as one of the 4 most influential people in Time magazine and appeared on the cover of the magazine. He was hailed as a new generation leader by his good friend Taylor Swift, and truly succeeded Jackie Chan as the new "Pride of China", which has exponentially expanded his influence among Generation Z in Europe and the United States.

As pointed out by the Pew Research Center, an independent polling organization in the United States, nearly half of Generation Z in the United States today are non-white.

As descendants of immigrants, a part of Generation Z saw in Shen Juan the possibility of a "foreigner" succeeding in the United States. Shen Juan's story of a dark horse rising strongly across the ocean was given an echo of national attributes and became the spiritual sustenance of many people.

Although "idol" and "icon" can both be translated as "idol", the latter can represent a culture, a group, or even an era.

There is no doubt that Billie Eilish and Alex Shen have both been given the honorary title of "Generation Z Icon".

They have expressed their attitudes towards life through music works, speeches and interviews. This shows that to a large extent, the Z generation icons are not only entertainment objects who can sing and dance, but also have to act as opinion leaders and mouthpieces, which has gradually become a role that artists in the new era must assume.

Their works need to show attitude, and the values they convey constitute their "star personality."

It seems that the idol’s work and personality are increasingly closely connected, but whether this is the weight of the crown or the burden of shackles is difficult for us to find the answer.

Indeed, Billie, who was born in the United States, and Alex, who was born in China, are just two slices of the Z generation.

One side faces darkness, the other side faces the sun.

A box of chocolates where you never know what the next one will taste like, and a bowl of chicken soup that is just the right saltiness to warm your heart.

Whether it is the Billie faction or the Alex faction, through them, Generation Z is building its own entertainment era. 】

In the final analysis, the European and American music scene, where competition is extremely fierce, may be updating and replacing faster than the domestic entertainment traffic.

This also means that before the new generation of singers have become obscure, the super-generation led by Shen Juan has already begun to seize power.

The American media obviously also welcomed this and kept publishing articles to exaggerate the tense atmosphere between the singers.

After all, the more chaotic the situation is, the more "contentious" the North American pop music scene is, and the more valuable news reports there are.

The greater the benefits they can reap.

Chaos is not an abyss, chaos is a ladder.

Whether it is the media that prioritizes traffic or the artists, they can all find opportunities for upward advancement in the chaos.

Shen Juan was undoubtedly the one who was promoted the fastest among them, so fast that it even exceeded people's previous cognition.

And Billie Eilish was pushed out by the United States to fight against him.

Although the actual performance is quite different.

At this stage, Billie Eilish can only be regarded as a rookie king, while Shen Juan can already be called a "contemporary pop superstar".

But they are both leaders of Generation Z and singer-songwriters.

One man and one woman, one Chinese and one beautiful.

One is healthy and sunny, the other is rebellious and unruly.

One is sophisticated and fashionable, the other is free and easy.

Obviously, a lot of valuable news materials can be found from these two people to create greater benefits.

(Replace Yaya on the right with the protagonist)
Another day of work.

Li Yitong, who finally got the chance to be alone with Shen Juan, happily took him to the place where they would have dinner tonight.

This is a restaurant with a high-end decoration style that combines Chinese and Western styles. It is said that many celebrities have checked in here while filming in Hengdian, making it a popular barbecue restaurant on the Internet.

Li Yitong was acquainted with the boss and had booked a small private room in advance, which was separated from the noisy and bustling atmosphere outside by only a door.

"Hurry up and try it! I've been to this restaurant several times before, and I think it should suit your taste."

Li Yitong is like a little girl who shares her favorite food with her good friend and is eager to get positive comments. Her bright eyes are filled with strong anticipation.

Shen Juan smiled softly.

Then, under the girl's shining gaze, he put the roasted beef tenderloin into his mouth and chewed it slowly.

Well, the barbecue in this restaurant tastes really good.

Although it was not the most delicious barbecue Shen Juan had ever eaten in his life, it was not against his will to give words of praise.

"Well, not bad!"

"Is it really that good? You're not lying to me, are you?"

Li Yitong leaned forward slightly, her eyes fixed on Shen Juan opposite her, trying to find signs of lying on his face.

But apart from feeling the impact of this handsome face up close again, which made his already abnormally active heartbeat accelerate uncontrollably again, he didn't get any useful clues.

Then she realized.

I met the young Aquaman on my way to work.

Young, rich and powerful like a monster.

No matter how hard you try, you can't win.

It's not that she's too bad, it's that Shen Juan is too strong. It's really hard not to be attracted to this kind of scumbag who is as handsome as breathing, gentle, considerate and eloquent. She just made a mistake that all women in the world would make.

"Emmm, let me correct what I said just now." Shen Juan looked at her with a smile and said seriously, "It's not just good, it's very delicious!"

After receiving Shen Juan's affirmative answer, Li Yitong instantly narrowed her eyes with joy and revealed an invincible smile.

But I don't know what he was thinking about, and he tried hard to tighten the muscles on his face to prevent the corners of his mouth from turning up too high and appearing too proud, which made his whole expression look quite strange.

"Then try this, this, and this, they are all delicious!" She said excitedly as she kept putting raw meat on the iron plate and handed it to Shen Juan after it was grilled.

So the cycle repeats.

One is willing to bake, the other is willing to eat.

It was not until Shen Juan felt that he had seriously exceeded his calorie intake tonight that he tried to dissuade him: "Don't grill it for me, eat some yourself. You can't let me finish all the meat by myself."

"Can't eat so soon?"

"If you continue to eat the barbecue at the speed you are doing now, you will be overeating." Shen Juan shrugged helplessly.

"Well then, I didn't expect that a male artist like you would pay more attention to body management than us female artists."

Li Yitong had a look of regret on her face and had to stop the feeding action that made her happy. Then she rolled up a piece of barbecue with lettuce and stuffed it into her mouth. Her two little cheeks puffed up instantly, as if she had tasted the delicious barbecue. Her eyes were curved, like a cute hamster eating.

"Us female artists? Aren't you the only one?" Shen Juan looked at Li Yitong while drinking iced orange juice.

About paying attention to body management
He didn't have anything to say.

Because it's true.

As an artist who has a habit of fitness and can regard maintaining his figure as a "means of livelihood", he is of course willing to give up some of his desire for words in exchange for the love of fans and the favor of the fashion circle. He can get visible benefits by just controlling his mouth. Of course, everyone can be self-disciplined.

"Don't you know that Xiaotian is also a big eater?" Li Yitong blinked and said with a smile: "Her appetite is the biggest among all the female artists in the industry! I even feel that her appetite is twice as much as mine! I have never seen anyone eat so much. Are you not going to do anything about her?"

"If she wants to eat, just eat. Why should I care about her?"

"But didn't she sign with your company?"

"Signing with the company doesn't mean she has to be forced to diet, and she likes exercise and has her own way of losing weight."

"You are definitely the most conscientious boss I have ever met!"

"Because I signed as a girlfriend, not an employee."

"So the other girls aren't employees either?"

Shen Juan was stunned at first, then he laughed, "That depends on what your definition of an employee is."

"Emm." Li Yitong thought for a while, with a bright smile on her face, "People who have a certain contractual relationship and can make money for the boss are employees."

"So, you are also my employee."

"why?"

"Because you can make me feel better, allowing me to present myself in a better state in front of my fans and audiences, thereby attracting more fans and making more money."

"You're talking nonsense again!"

Li Yitong pretended to be speechless and rolled her eyes at Shen Juan, but continued the conversation along the lines he was talking about.

"What about the contractual relationship?"

"Just take your hand out and you'll know."

"What do you mean?"

Li Yitong obediently stretched out her right hand, and the next second, she saw Shen Juan holding it until his ten fingers were tightly clasped. The constant heat coming from her palm made her a little dazed.

He narrowed his beautiful eyes and whispered, "Do you feel the contractual relationship between us now?"

Li Yitong knew that she shouldn't be so excited by a "child" who was so much younger than her, but how could many things in this world just not happen? At least at this moment, her heartbeat was accelerating and her cheeks were getting warmer, and it was also a fact that she couldn't push Shen Juan away.

"Just holding hands? I thought only elementary school students would think holding hands was some kind of oath or contract."

"Then what do you think should be done, Teacher Tongtong?" Shen Juan pretended to be a naive and childish elementary school student.

Li Yitong glanced at him, thinking that this stinky scumbag was actually quite cute, then thought for a moment and said in a tender voice:

"At least give us a kiss!"

Unexpectedly, Shen Juan instantly regained his previous cold rationality and decisively rejected the proposal that made her so happy.

"No, you smell like barbecue."

"Do you dislike me?" Li Yitong was a little dumbfounded.

"No, I was actually afraid that you would dislike the strong barbecue smell on me." Shen Juan couldn't help but laugh in his heart.

"Are you kidding me?" Li Yitong pretended to be angry.

"No, I just don't want the memory of this kiss to be orange juice and barbecue for you." Shen Juan said it seriously.

"If you keep avoiding the subject, I'll kill you on the spot!" Li Yitong tried to show her authority as an older sister.

"Execute him on the spot? Here? There are too many people here." Shen Juan was a little nervous, and a mischievous look flashed across his eyes.

Li Yitong then realized that what she said just now was ambiguous, and quickly changed her words: "I said to forcefully kiss you"

"So it was a forced kiss. But haven't you forced kisses on me enough times?" Shen Juan tilted his head and looked at the timid Hello Kitty opposite him, and continued with a playful smile: "I remember that except for the first few times when I took the initiative, every time we kissed, it was you who took the initiative, right?"

"Isn't it possible? I'm so much older than you, shouldn't I be able to dominate you?" Even Li Yitong herself didn't believe this, let alone Shen Juan who couldn't help laughing out loud. When Li Yitong saw Shen Juan laughing, she felt embarrassed and awkward, and immediately became furious.

"It's because you seldom come to see me! If you could spend more time with me, would I be like this?"

Shen Juan laughed for a long time before he stopped and cleared his throat: "In fact, the encounter between people is just a small ripple that slowly spreads out."

"so what?"

"So we don't need to force ourselves to go to anyone, just let it happen naturally. When it's time to meet, we'll meet naturally, when it's time to hold hands, we'll hold hands naturally, when it's time to kiss, we'll kiss naturally, for example."

Shen Juan naturally forced a gentle smile, then moved forward, and under Li Yitong's nervous and expectant gaze, he kissed her lips.

"Now."

A long time passed like this, and the two separated, and in their minds they both thought of the two words that Shen Juan had not finished saying.

After a long silence, Li Yitong finally spoke out her true feelings in a daze, relying on the alcohol and the love that had been lingering in her mind: "You look so difficult to get along with, but why do you look so good when you smile? Sometimes you're even as cute as a child."

"Because I'm laughing for you." Shen Juan looked at her seriously.

"Are you trying to fool me like a little girl?" Li Yitong curled her lips, seemingly dissatisfied. But after getting Shen Juan's firm answer without any hesitation, only she knew how happy and delighted she was in her heart.

Shen Juan didn't dwell on this topic too much, but asked back: "What about you? Why do you love to laugh so much?"

"Because I'm looking at you!" She held her face, which was flushed with a faint blush, and smiled seriously with curved eyebrows.

Coincidentally, Shen Juan was also looking at Li Yitong at this time. When the two looked at each other, Li Yitong couldn't help laughing.

Those eyes, whether curious, puzzled, serious or gentle, are so adorable!
As soon as I saw him, I couldn't help but laugh.

Just as Shen Juan and Li Yitong were having dinner in a restaurant outside, Zhou Ye and Tian Xiwei also got together after a long absence.

Tian Xiwei didn't know how to face this friend-enemy who came to her room, so she said in a cold tone: "Why are you looking for me? Juan Gou is not in my room. If you want to find him, you might as well call him directly or Li Yitong."

"Is it only because of Juanjuan that I can look for you? Aren't we friends anymore?" Zhou Ye smiled slightly and slowly walked to sit next to Tian Xiwei. Since he knew that Tian Xiwei was a bit of a tsundere person who said one thing and meant another, there was no way he would be angry at her cold attitude.

Tian Xiwei was silent for some reason, and then replied calmly, "Although you spoke up for me at the premiere and didn't add insult to injury, which improved my reputation, I still have to tell you that I never considered you a friend."

"It doesn't matter, I just treat you as a friend!" Zhou Ye responded cheerfully with a smile.

Tian Xiwei had a complicated expression: "Are you a shark arm? How can you rush to put your warm face on someone else's cold butt?"

"Because I know your butt just looks cold, but it's actually not cold at all." Zhou Ye looked into Tian Xiwei's eyes and said seriously.

Tian Xiwei's mouth twitched. "Can you describe it in a more normal way? Make it sound as if you touched it with your own hands."

"I didn't touch it, but Juanjuan did."

"???"

Tian Xiwei's eyes were red with anger. How could you even share something like this with others? You deserve to die, Juan Gou!

"He said you're not as violent as you appear on Weibo. Xiaoxiao and I think so too."

"."

Tian Xiwei's expression returned to normal instantly, as if nothing had happened just now. She could withdraw her curse within ten seconds.

"So what exactly do you want to do when you come to see me this time?"

Tian Xiwei wanted to get to the point quickly to avoid being fooled like before and wrongly scolding Shen Juan.

"What do you think of Li Yitong?" Zhou Ye moved his butt and moved closer to Tian Xiwei.

"Why are you suddenly bringing up her?" Tian Xiwei had no way to retreat because she was already sitting at the edge of the sofa.

"I just suddenly felt that we seemed to have gone too far before. We didn't consider your feelings and ignored you on the set. I felt that our previous behavior of forming a small group was like ostracizing and bullying you. As for why I suddenly brought it up with Li Yitong..."

Looking at Tian Xiwei's soft and cute face, Zhou Ye's face was full of apologies. "Actually, it was because after she joined the group, I saw that you smiled more often again. This made me realize my problem. I think there is no need for us to make our relationship so tense in the future."

"Even if there is competition between us, we shouldn't continue to compete in such a hurtful way."

"Anyway, I'm really sorry!"

Faced with Zhou Ye's apology, which was most likely from the bottom of his heart, Tian Xiwei felt mixed emotions at this moment.

On the one hand, she and Zhou Ye did not have any deep hatred, and there was no question of who cheated on whom or who was the victim.

Because there was a bastard named Song who climbed into Shen Juan's bed earlier, they were all latecomers without exception.

And in a sense, their relationship of both enemies and friends is even better than that of ordinary friends.

The reason for their breakup now is more because of the possessiveness towards Shen Juan in his heart and the Mamba spirit that is secretly at work.

In short, it is to save face for myself!

It proves that she has the ability to lead the team to win a real ring alone, and proves that she is the real FMVP!

On the other hand, Zhou is right.

Perhaps because of the demonization of her by the fans, she did feel excluded in the crew some time ago. Except for Shen Juan and the staff, basically no one was willing to talk to her. Everyone was so nervous that they almost wanted to leave when they saw her, making her feel like Hannibal.
And because Shen Juan couldn't stay by her side all the time, sometimes when she saw Zhou Ye and those little sisters appearing in groups, she would feel bored and lonely. Even if she had a good attitude and was open-minded, she would still feel uncomfortable facing this kind of cold and violent situation.

But she still said in a hypocritical manner: "We are not friends, why do you care about my feelings?"

"No matter what you think, I already consider you a friend." Zhou Ye's eyes were sincere and shining.

"Why are you cosplaying as Sister Wei?" Tian Xiwei subconsciously turned her head to look to the other side, not looking directly at Zhou Ye.

"My behavior a while ago was a bit like Sister Wei, so I came here tonight to apologize to you."

For a moment, the room was eerily quiet, the air seemed to be frozen, and the atmosphere fell into silence again.

During this time, Tian Xiwei wanted to say something many times but stopped herself. However, in the end, all the words she wanted to say turned into a light sigh and dissolved into the air.

"Whatever you want."

Hearing her say that, Zhou Ye instantly became happy, "So we are friends now?"

There was another brief silence.

"Whatever you want."

(End of this chapter)