The battle for traffic in Chinese entertainment

Chapter 497 The Unexpected Bonus

Chaoyue wasn't rubbing glass; she was live-streaming.

"I also love this dress I'm wearing today. It's tea-colored and has a bit of a Mori Girl vibe. I spent a long time choosing it. I didn't do a special styling livestream, so I just washed my hair and did some simple makeup. My manager scolded me for not wearing makeup during the last livestream, so I haven't dared to go without it since. You guys think I look beautiful today? It's because I'm naturally beautiful! No way! When am I not beautiful? Am I especially beautiful today? Hahaha, that's great!"

"Actually, I want to try a lot of new looks. Lately, I feel like I'm more suited to a cool, aloof style—high heels or long boots, a patent leather trench coat, hair covering half my eye and half my face, a cool gaze, exuding confidence on the street. If it's raining, I'd also carry a big black umbrella; wouldn't that be incredibly cool? Should I change into rain boots? Ah, hahaha~ No, no, I'm not ignoring the villagers, I'm still a cute little sister~"
"I've also thought about trying short hair. I definitely won't just do it myself; I'll discuss it with my team and have a stylist do it for me. But if short hair doesn't look good, it'll be a huge problem, and I'll have to wear a wig. Should I try a short wig first? It'll probably make my head look huge, which definitely won't look good. As for the looks in the drama… I'm quite satisfied with them! You know what? It's just that I feel, maybe my face isn't the mature type, sometimes in the drama… well, not really!"
"How could I possibly want to get plastic surgery! What are you all talking about! I—"

He glanced at Yang Chaoyue at the door, paused, and then looked at the rapidly refreshing barrage of comments in the background.

"Okay, that's all for today's live stream! My manager is here, and I got caught sneaking a live stream again~ I've seen everyone's suggestions, don't worry, I'll definitely keep working hard! I know what's most important to me! Bye-bye! Love you all!"

After saying goodbye in a cute way, she closed the live stream.

I checked again to make sure everything was turned off.

Yang Chaoyue jumped up from the chair and hopped into Xu Xing's arms, hanging on Xu Xing's waist.

"Brother, brother, brother, brother, brother~ I miss you so much, I miss you so much, I miss you so much~"

"Haven't we seen each other for half a month?"

Supporting her body with both hands, Xu Xing smiled and kissed Chao Yue's lips, which were pouting cutely as she asked for a kiss.

Chaoyue's dress today is really beautiful; it gives off a feeling of a green apple about to ripen.

In fact, thanks to Xu Xing's efforts, Chao Yue's body has matured, although it is not outstanding, which is due to her limited talent.

But her round face sometimes still has a touch of youthful innocence.

One of the biggest problems with Chaoyue in the drama is similar to what she just mentioned to her fans during her live stream: the direction of her acting is correct, but with her face, she can't pull off the right aura.

His acting roles are limited.

However, this is not a major problem.

As the market continues to expand into lower-tier cities, even shows that only rely on cuteness can become popular.

As for her occasional attempts at a more mature style, Hsu Hsing is quite supportive and appreciates it, and finds it quite good.

After a period of melancholy where she would sometimes find herself lost in thought, she managed to calm herself down with effort.

The changes are really big compared to when they first debuted.

Xu Xing once criticized her for arguing with fans, but now she spends her days pampering them during live streams, even though her haters keep mocking her, saying things like, "Your drama is about to flop, so now you know how to pander to your fans."

Xu Xing testified that Chaoyue had been doing live streams to pamper her fans since last year, not just after the drama flopped this year.

She's just been doing live streams more frequently this year.

However, due to the special circumstances this year, Xu Xing has done more live streams than in all the previous years combined.

She's been doing live streams a lot lately.

This is largely related to the fact that his drama flopped this year, and he was even "sold out" to play the second female lead for Zhou Jieqiong, which caused villagers to be torn apart by Zhou Jieqiong's fans.

Yang Chaoyue was somewhat reluctant to play a supporting role for Zhou Jieqiong, let alone the villagers.

Although her reason for rejecting it was that she felt it meant Xu Xing didn't think she was as good as Zhou Jieqiong. It wasn't necessarily about how much Xu Xing liked her, but at least Xu Xing felt that her abilities were inferior to Zhou Jieqiong's.

From various perspectives, it seems that their abilities are indeed inferior.

Then you have no choice but to obey.

Xu Xing likes obedient people, and Xu Xing was able to make her debut as the nation's little sister, so you can absolutely trust Xu Xing unconditionally.

It's fair that ability speaks for itself.

However, when it's appropriate to act cute, be charming, or take initiative, one should be even more proactive.

So now, compared to before, Chaoyue is even more clingy.

They were so cautious at first, so reserved when they first started playing together, but now they hug and kiss each other non-stop when they meet.

and--

"I thought it was possible during a live broadcast..."

Yang Chaoyue sat facing Xu Xing in his lap, hugging Xu Xing's neck, her face flushed as she murmured.

She meant that while she continued her live stream, Xu Xing went in and increased the difficulty of the stream when the camera couldn't see her.

After seeing Xu Xing, she paused for a moment before telling her fans that she was ending the live stream, just waiting to see if Xu Xing would come over.

Xu Xing didn't mean it that way, so she immediately ended the broadcast.

"Next time."

Xu Xing smiled.

Zhou Jieqiong, standing next to Xu Xing, pursed her lips and looked at him with eyes full of obedience and envy.

I didn't approach them proactively.

Xu Xingdu made Yang Chaoyue her co-star, so Zhou Jieqiong became more sensible.

Unlike Ouyang Nana, whom Xu Xing would only occasionally "pity", Yang Chaoyue was genuinely liked by Xu Xing.

Yang Chaoyue's abundant resources after her debut on "Produce 101" may seem to be provided by Tencent, but they are more closely related to her powerful backer, Xu Xing.

As Zhou Jieqiong was thinking, she saw Xu Xing beckon to her, and she immediately scurried over to Xu Xing's side.

“I’ve told you this before, but I’ll say it again. ‘Tang Gui’ is a big project for Zheng Rong, planned for four or five seasons. I have high hopes for this script, and the writing team is very strong and can support the subsequent development. Perform well, and it will be a basic insurance for you for the next few years.”

These actors who were considered breakout stars in historical dramas once had their moments of popularity, but after a few years away, they returned still waiting to become breakout stars. This is because in the era of internet traffic, there are too many people competing with celebrities for traffic, making it difficult for them to have real appeal.

Under the formulaic TV drama production model of the platform, it is difficult to guarantee that every new IP they act in can meet their KPIs.

Only a successful series of IPs can consistently generate output by following a formula.

"Definitely!"

Yang Chaoyue immediately made a promise.

Zhou Jieqiong nodded seriously.

"Most definitely!"

They also made further statements.

"Don't worry, Xing-ge, Chao-yue and I will be best friends from now on! We'll work together to make this drama a success!"

"Yes!" Yang Chaoyue nodded quickly, "I won't let the fans fight anymore!"

In fact, they were already making preparations.

Before Xu Xing arrived, and before Yang Chaoyue went to do her live stream, the two of them were already rehearsing their dance.

First, show it to Xu Xing. Second, when "Tang Gui" is finished and enters the promotion period, post it on Douyin to promote my good friend.

They also discussed, in addition to dancing, imitating the most popular jokes on TikTok, or some of their own ideas, and making a few short skits together.

Yang Chaoyue's goal is to promote the drama well.

Zhou Jieqiong genuinely wanted to be good friends with her.

Ouyang Nana makes Zhou Jieqiong more likely to be favored by Xu Xing, but Xu Xing summons Ouyang Nana too few times. Ouyang Nana, despite her young age, has a strong sense of resentment.

As for Yang Chaoyue, who was very much liked by Xu Xing, after this encounter, Zhou Jieqiong felt that she seemed to lack confidence in front of her.

Although Yang Chaoyue is a few months older than her, she is like a younger sister to her.

This kind of partnership is better.

She won't have that lingering feeling of being a servant in front of Cheng Xiao, Xu Xing's favorite old partner.

With the official status of a girlfriend and an outrageously attractive figure... Zhou Jieqiong subtly hinted to the other girls she had asked that almost none of them liked being with Cheng Xiao.

"How can you possibly control whether the fans argue or not? You'd be lucky if they could just sign a non-aggression pact."

Xu Xing smiled.

"Just be good sisters to me, I won't force you. Acting well is the most important thing, so keep up the good work!"

Alice and Venus have now signed a "no-fighting" agreement, which mainly stipulates that Xu Xing will not be mentioned when the two sides are fighting.

During the summer vacation, there was a sudden online rumor that the screening of "Sheep Without a Shepherd 2" had already been held and that Dilraba only had a minor role in it. At that time, a fake Alice took the opportunity to throw a tantrum and unfollow the fans. In a post sent to the unfollowing bot, she revealed this contract.

That fan said that everyone assumed Dilraba and Xu Xing had an ambiguous relationship. She also tried to convince herself that Dilraba was only pretending to be friendly with Xu Xing for the sake of her career, but Dilraba could only get such resources from Xu Xing, so she couldn't convince herself anymore.

The contract was widely ridiculed by fans.

However, subsequently, including before, when female celebrities' fans were fighting, they would drag Xu Xing into it at the slightest disagreement (or when they couldn't win the argument), in order to "spread rumors about the female celebrities."

For example, the families of Yang Chaoyue and Zhou Jieqiong.

In addition, this year there was "Sisters Who Make Waves" praising the power of women over 30, and "Rock & Roast" stigmatizing Puxin.

More and more fangirls are posting, calling on everyone to promote the "no-fault agreement" to the entire fandom.

The fan community is undergoing a massive "awakening"!
Is it just temporary...?

Xu Xing reaped the biggest benefits.

[If you don't understand, is this "20-person file" the most malicious media attack on female celebrities in the history of the Chinese entertainment industry?]

[Anyone can say that the files of 20 people prove Xing Sheng's innocence! The only one with solid evidence against Cheng Xiao was because Cheng Xiao was the only one who was genuine!]

Ironically, Xing Sheng has long been a tool used by anti-fans to attack female celebrities!

To be fair, if it weren't for the frog's forced smear campaign against Yukito back then, everyone's awakening would have come a year or two earlier!

Therefore, Xu Xing was quite confident that the villagers and Qiong fans would successfully sign the contract.

I am also very confident that the fan community will eventually clear its name!

Xu Xing's purpose in coming was simply to offer some encouragement and cheer the two of them on before filming began.

I filled up with oil all night.

What impressed me most was Chaoyue's amazing little mouth.

After getting up in the morning, Xu Xing focused on experiencing the products again, and they were indeed very good.

Then the two of them went to Xiangshan to attend the opening ceremony for tomorrow's filming.

Xu Xing then met up with Sister Tangtang and started cheering her on.

Tangtang's characteristics are her long legs and sweet smile. Xu Xing has experienced these two good qualities many, many times, but she still feels great every time.

This time, Tangtang's smile wasn't very sweet; instead, it looked somewhat melancholy.

But this is great too.

The reason is that at the beginning of this month, Tangtang's "The Legend of Xiao Chuo" was broadcast, and it was a terrible flop. Together with last year's "Time Knows", the two dramas only scored 9 points.

Netizens mocked her for playing a naive and innocent character at her age.

The poor reputation was actually expected.

When did Bingjing 85, a group of actresses, establish her reputation based on the quality of her dramas?

Those with high ratings are all those whose fans later grew up and forcibly overturned their reputations.

Everyone relies on their business performance!

It's volume!
It's about national popularity!

But now the viewership isn't picking up either...

Fortunately, we're all sinking together now. Liu Shishi's "Dear Myself" also flopped before.

This month, fans have been relentlessly attacking "The Legend of Xiao Chuo" to make up for its failure. The show's viewership, ratings, and Douban score all plummeted. They accused it of fraudulent marketing, claiming it distorted history under the guise of a historical drama and was an anti-Han and traitorous drama.

Sugar fans also tried to fight back, praising Liu Shishi for single-handedly carrying "The Legend of Xiao Chuo" and mocking the inflated viewership of "Dear Myself" on Mango TV. They pointed out that even with top star Zhu Yilong as a co-star, the show flopped, using Zhu as a control variable, and comparing Liu Shishi to Cheng Xiao, the female lead in "The Lost Tomb 2: The Ultimate Note."

There was also Liu Yifei, who almost rose to fame among the top actresses born in 85, but ultimately fell the hardest. "Mulan" is a joke that you can watch over and over again.

Next month, Zhao Liying's first drama after her comeback, "Legend of Fei," will be released. Those who criticize her, along with other actresses from the 85 generation, are all waiting to see her fail.

Teacher Yang was truly overjoyed.

This year, she only made a cameo appearance in "Eternal Love of Dream" and played a supporting role in "The Silent Truth," and did not star in any of her leading roles.

Watching his rivals crumble one by one, while he himself has a critically acclaimed hit drama of the year, and the big-budget movie "A Writer's Odyssey" is set to be released next Spring Festival, Mr. Yang feels like he's back to square one.

The most crucial drama next month, "Legend of Fei," is definitely going to flop!
The best bet is the biggest one!

When Teacher Yang learned that Xu Xing was going to Shanghai to reshoot "Blossoms" and would be meeting with Tang Yan, she cheerfully gave him a few words of advice on WeChat.

You really need to comfort my sweet duck~

Xu Xing offered very profound comfort.

Tangtang had forgotten everything for a moment, her face showing only the most innocent and sweet smile. But after regaining consciousness, she still lay on Xu Xing's lap and sighed softly.

"I might even implicate 'Blossoms'."

The reason why "The Legend of Xiao Chuo" was ridiculed so harshly this time is partly because her previously unreleased drama "Blossoms Shanghai" was too eye-catching.

These are the most stylish sunglasses ever worn by Xu Xing, who has never made a blunder before!

Before the release of "Mulan", I thought the movie would be a big flop.

But this film, "Blossoms," is truly a formidable opponent for those born in the 85s.

While Teacher Yang was happy because of "The Silent Truth", she started to sigh as she laughed.

What significance does this drama have over "Blossoms"?

That's what she remarked.

Xu Xing comforted her, saying that the rating of "Blossoms Shanghai" might not even be as high as that of "The Silent Truth".

Teacher Yang was not satisfied either.

"Even 'In the Mood for Love' didn't score as high as 'The Silent Truth'! You can't possibly flop!"

Teacher Yang felt that the day "Blossoms Shanghai" was released would be the day Tang Yan stepped on her head. Therefore, she pestered Xu Xing to agree that when "Blossoms Shanghai" was released, she would have a real showdown with her former best friend in bed.

Teacher Yang firmly believes that Xu Xing will not fall, but Sister Tangtang still has doubts.

"You've got real skills to be able to drag me into this."

Xu Xing made a joke.

Recently, fan groups have not only been advocating that female celebrities not mention Hsu Hsing when they are feuding, but also advocating that achievements not be counted for works they have worked with Hsu Hsing.

There is no one that Xu Xing cannot lead. Almost everyone's peak achievements were obtained by working with Xu Xing. It would be too unfair not to dismiss Xu Xing's works.

The "vested interests" countered by arguing that failing to cooperate with Xu Xing meant failing to gain his approval.

Xu Xing's joke made Tangtang even more depressed.

What if?
Wouldn't he be ridiculed to the point of quitting the entertainment industry?
Xu Xing had no choice but to resort to provocation.

"You, you, you're not like Miss Wang at all. I'm starting to worry that we'll have to do reshoots for another month or two."

"..." Tangtang pouted, feeling wronged. "You only know how to bully and laugh at me."

"how is this possible?"

Xu Xing was also a little speechless.

Today, Xu Xing let her change into a few more pairs of stockings.

"Or I'll call your best friend over and she'll really bully you."

"Woooooo~"

She even pretended to cry.

Xu Xing then realized that she was acting cute.

He reached out and grabbed her phone from the bedside table, then tossed it to her.

"She made the phone call while crying."

"Waaah... Can I smile?"

"No."

"……it is good."

Therefore, Xu Xing summarized the next day.

Tangtang is under too much pressure and needs further stress relief and relaxation.

Before coming, Sister Tangtang bragged to Xu Xing that she had already gone back to the set for reshoots three times, and each time she got into character in a second, making Director Wang applaud her on the very first shot.

Director Wang did indeed applaud during the first shot.

But what I could say to her was...

"Go rest over there first, we'll come back to take pictures later."

Xu Xing comforted her, saying that Director Wang meant that she wasn't in good form and needed to practice in front of the camera a few more times.

But she sat there blankly until the afternoon without being called over to take more photos.

Director Wang told her to come to the set again the next day.

After being recharged by Xu Xing for another night, Tangtang arrived on set the next day looking radiant!

This time she felt she was truly prepared, and Xu Xing also objectively commented that seeing Ms. Wang come back to life was a relief.

Unfortunately, what we got was...

"Come back in a few days. I don't think Mr. Bao and Ms. Wang need to meet."

Yes, the scene that was reshot this time was the one that was originally planned to be filmed when filming wrapped up, but ultimately wasn't: Mr. Bao and Ms. Wang reuniting after their five-year promise.

Sunglasses are like that, appearing and disappearing without warning.

But Tangtang was inexplicably devastated.

After filming for more than an hour, when Hsu Hsing returned to her van to rest, she discovered that Hsu Hsing had not left the set, but was sitting there in a daze.

Upon discovering that Xu Xing had arrived, her first words were...

Will my scenes be cut?

"It's impossible to delete it. I said it, and even the sunglasses guy has to listen to me."

Xu Xing held her hand and said confidently.

She invested too much in this film, and was too anxious about losing it. Xu Xing had to say this to give her confidence.

Then she laughed, and as she laughed, her laughter turned into self-deprecation.

"Hey, I've made you laugh. Without you, I don't know how this movie would turn out. Would it still be the same naive, almost 40-year-old girl?"

"Being naive and innocent is a good thing."

"No. You prefer a different style of me."

"I like them now. I went from not liking them much to liking them, which proves that they have my approval."

"Oh no, I mean, if I keep going on like this, I might really be doomed."

"Your novel 'Blossoms' isn't filled with naive and innocent characters."

"No?"

"No. Miss Wang will be a key figure in your life. The harsher their mockery now, the harder you'll slap them in the face later."

Xu Xing suddenly remembered.

The most vocal critics of this time were probably her own fans.

Before its premiere, "Blossoms Shanghai" only garnered attention from movie fans. When "The Legend of Xiao Chuo" was broadcast, it was ridiculed, and very few people would mention "Blossoms Shanghai" because of that.

Now, this is a drama that Xu Xing filmed for nearly a year, and it has garnered an incredibly high level of attention.

Even though everyone thinks Xu Xing can carry anyone to success, the performances of Sunglasses in "The Ferryman," which depicts her as entering an ominous old age, and Tang Yan in "The Legend of Xiao Chuo," a disgrace to the Central Academy of Drama, who plays a naive and innocent character...

No rush, no starry sky.

After all these years, the internal conflicts among the "85 Flowers" (a term referring to actresses born in 1985) have actually become more like a formality.

They were nowhere near as well-connected as global superstars like Xu Xing, and were brutally torn apart by the seasoned veteran, King Oyster Mushroom.

Tang Yan must have watched too much surfing, which caused her to fall into a state of intense self-doubt, but after acting for so many years, she could only pretend to be normal.

Xu Xing sighed.

"And sunglasses. You don't think a director of his caliber would allow performances he's not satisfied with to appear on his camera, do you? This show has been in production for over a year, and he's been burning through money like water."

"……nor."

"what?"

"After June, Director Wang wasn't on set every day. Usually, each reshoot would last about a week. He would only start reshooting if he felt there was anything that needed to be filmed again."

"So he still tried to save money."

Xu Xing smiled.

She seemed somewhat convinced.

Tang Yan nodded, her smile becoming much more relaxed.

"I feel much better now, thank you so much! So Xu Xing, let's do it in the car."

"..."

Xu Xing was still caught off guard by her change and wondered if she was under too much pressure, which was why she said that.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

The reshoot took less time than Xu Xing had expected, and was completed in less than a week.

It's a direct flight to Xia City.

Although Tang Yan didn't have any scenes to film these past few days, she didn't leave.

After indulging in a few days more than usual, Xu Xing was somewhat reluctant to leave.

When the plane landed, Xu Xing saw a WeChat message from her saying that she had adjusted well on set and that Xu Xing could rest assured.

Other WeChat messages received at the same time included...

[Brother Xing, you're here!!!]

From Liu Haocun.

(End of this chapter)