The battle for traffic in Chinese entertainment

Chapter 536 The Newly Appointed Female Lead

"Does Xing-ge really... prefer older women?"

Someone asked in my ear.

Zhou Ye, who was staring blankly in Xu Xing's direction, answered subconsciously.

"possible--"

She quickly shut her mouth, turned her head, and saw the girl next to her grinning innocently at her.

Liu Haocun.

The two had never interacted before, but based on what Liu Haocun had just said and their current eye contact, Zhou Ye was certain that she was indeed one of Xu Xing's good sisters.

A seemingly pure white tea.

Xu Xing's perverse sense of humor is to torture people like this.

Zhou Ye looked wary and remained silent.

Liu Haocun didn't mind. She smiled and sighed, continuing what Zhou Ye hadn't finished saying.

"Maybe so. He thinks the older women are more mature, more sensible, less troublesome, and don't have to take responsibility. But it's true that we like him, and we can do anything for him, right?"

"..."

Zhou Ye had chatted with many older sisters and younger sisters, but none of them were as outgoing and familiar as Liu Haocun in front of her, even at such a young age, and spoke in this way.

The wariness in her eyes intensified.

But Liu Haocun's innocent smile remained unchanged.

“We’ll be good and listen to you. After all, Brother Xing cares about us a lot. I couldn’t sleep at 2 a.m. last night and chatted with Brother Xing. He replied immediately and comforted me for a long time. By the way, were you with Brother Xing last night?”

"……No."

Zhou Ye shook his head.

Liu Haocun nodded knowingly, a hint of frustration in his smile.

"Who could it be? Her?"

Her gaze was directed at Son Ye-jin, who was chatting with Heo Haeng.

"How is that possible?" Zhou Ye felt it was outrageous. "She has a boyfriend."

"Hehe~"

Liu Haocun laughed out loud.

"Brother Xing likes that kind of guy, doesn't Sister Coconut know that?"

"..."

Zhou Ye was speechless.

Sister Coconut deliberately mispronounced it as Coconut Chicken!

She really wanted to go and complain to Xu Xing right away, saying that Liu Hao was talking behind her back and bullying her.

But Xu Xing was annoyed by their troublemaking, especially Liu Haocun, who was particularly good at playing the innocent and pure.

If they were really brought up for a confrontation, Liu Haocun would definitely feign grievance and deny it.

Although they had only exchanged a few words, Zhou Ye could sense that Liu Haocun was this kind of person, because Liu Haocun's hostility towards her was very obvious.

But in reality, Zhou Ye still had a problem with her.

Last Friday, Liu Haocun's second film, "Cliff Walkers," was released online. Compared to his tomboyish and disheveled appearance in "One Second," Liu Haocun's look in "Cliff Walkers" is like a small white flower blooming in the snow.

Despite some criticisms that Liu Haocun didn't fit the film's style and was subjected to a series of harsh criticisms from veteran actors, many netizens were amazed by her pure beauty and charm, exclaiming:
Ziwei Star has truly descended to earth!
She's a real different person from other "foot-washing maids" (actresses discovered by director Zhang Yimou)!
In addition, the film's box office continued to rise against the trend, approaching 10 billion, which is quite an achievement. Although she was only the fifth lead, her fans believe that she has proven her commercial potential.

A massive marketing campaign was launched, dragging up rising stars Zhou Ye and Zhao Jinmai, who have made outstanding achievements in the film industry, to criticize them.

Mai Mai was also speechless at Liu Haocun, but because she didn't want to cause trouble for Xu Xing, she advised Zhou Ye to bear with it and that there was no need to tell Xu Xing about her trip to Hong Kong.

Zhou Ye had initially thought that perhaps Liu Haocun herself was a simple-minded girl, but her team liked to stir up trouble.

It's really laughable now.

I really want to become Wei Lai, Xu Xing's favorite, and bully her mercilessly!

However, in the end, Liu Haocun is just an "outsider" who is embroiled in scandals and is boycotted by Mantianxing and unable to cooperate with Xing Ge.

Zhou Ye has not only acted in two scripts written by Xing Ge himself, but she is also the envy of the entire entertainment industry, playing the female lead alongside Xing Ge in the Netflix Asia Festival's closing series, "The Sword and the Brocade"!
...This is the source of Liu Haocun's hostility towards her.

Zhou Ye realized what was happening.

She's far ahead of Xing Ge, and her former best friend Xiao Tian has gradually distanced herself from her out of envy. There's really no need to fall for this little green tea's tricks now.

Isn't it just being sarcastic and sarcastic?
Who wouldn't?
Zhou Ye gritted his teeth inwardly, but his face showed a surprised, silly grin.

"What kind of person did Xing tell you he likes the most? He told me he likes me the most."

Show your sword!

"..."

Liu Haocun's innocent smile finally wavered, and then, to Zhou Ye's surprise, she gave way.

"I'm so envious. Xing-ge never said that to me, and I can't lie."

"..."

Zhou Ye maintained her smile.

She did lie; Xu Xing never said that.

But she knew Xu Xing far better than Liu Haocun, and Xu Xing wouldn't mind her telling such a lie at all.

Therefore, Liu Haocun was just bluffing.

I can tell MaiMai later and put her mind at ease.

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.

Xu Xing saw Zhou Ye and Liu Hao chatting, and they seemed to be laughing a lot and were quite friendly, so he didn't pay much attention to it.

The main reason is that Son Ye-jin seems to enjoy chatting with Heo Haeng more than expected.

When Xu Xing talked about her works, she said that she had seen them in her previous life and was quite familiar with them.

She is also very familiar with Xu Xing's works, and they can talk about her films and TV series. She admitted that she hasn't watched some of them yet, while she said she really likes others, such as "Our Times", "Someday or One Day" and "Signal".

She even said she was a fan of Hsu Hsing's songs, expressing her anticipation for Hsu Hsing's new album.

The embarrassment from last time has no effect whatsoever.

"Not everyone, or perhaps only you, sees Hollywood as devoid of glamour. Once you enter the entertainment industry, it's impossible to truly be indifferent to fame and fortune. Her current status in South Korea isn't solely due to starring in a few films. Then again, what special status does she hold among South Korean actors?"
"The Korean film industry is practically insignificant on a global scale. Their total national box office last year didn't even reach the box office of one of your films. Chungmuro ​​is a male-dominated world; she's barely managing to establish herself there. Her last film with sound, a film with sound in Korea, was back in 16. In recent years, she's done more television dramas than films. She's also just publicly announced her relationship."

"To be honest, actresses like her only find success in South Korea and Asia. She's not any big director's muse. Whether in South Korea or internationally, there are South Korean actors with higher status than her. CJ Entertainment in South Korea prefers to work with Tang Wei from your China. Without our offer, she wouldn't have gotten her ticket to Hollywood."

"It's her honor to chat with a world-class superstar like you for more than ten minutes. Xing, you're being far too polite to her. However, if this is your strategy, I have no objection. But I will keep an eye on things for you. Without your approval, there's no ticket to Hollywood. She understands this, otherwise she wouldn't have come to Hong Kong. I believe you can also see her intentions."

Erika waited until Heo Haeng and Son Ye-jin finished their conversation before coming over and saying something frank.

Xu Xing shrugged.

"Maybe, just chatting."

In her previous life, Son Ye-jin officially got married and had a child next year, and temporarily retired from her career, so she didn't seem to be very focused on it.

After all, she was an actress whom Xu Xing had a good impression of in his previous life. Meeting her and chatting with her to learn what kind of person she really was was generally a pleasant experience.

Indeed, as Erika said, Son Ye-jin's intentions didn't seem so pure; she seemed to have some ulterior motives in trying to win Heo Haeng's "favor."

But Xu Xing didn't think that she would sleep with him when she had a boyfriend she was about to marry.

She was probably just trying to see if she could get something for free.

Then, Xu Xing saw Ms. Liu Yifei, whose eyes held an indescribable emotion.

Ms. Liu is the most famous actress from mainland China (or at least mainland China). Although "Mulan" was a flop, it still made her an international star for Netflix.

—When Netflix started preparing for this Asian Festival at the beginning of the year, it had originally invited Zhang Ziyi. Unfortunately, the movie "Shangyang Fu" that Zhang Ziyi filmed in February was bought by Netflix and flopped badly. She was too embarrassed to come back.

After glancing at Ms. Liu's eyes a few times, Xu Xing sensed that Ms. Liu was probably wondering why Xu Xing, who could chat with the Korean stunner Son Ye-jin for so long and clearly liked that type of beauty, was treating her differently...

But Son Ye-jin's figure is better than hers, and she maintains it better too.

Not seeing that Xu Xing intended to come over and chat with her, Liu Yifei looked away sadly, glanced down at her shoulder, and was about to turn away when she saw Xu Xing give her a gentle smile.

Liu Yifei smiled happily as well.

No need to chat, just looking at each other and smiling is fine.

Ms. Liu had vaguely heard that another Ms. Liu was going to act in Xu Xing's "Dark Glory," and she didn't think they were innocent.

Therefore, Xu Xing must really like her.

He genuinely hoped she could recover from the disastrous flop of "Mulan," and remained calm despite the opportunity being so readily available...

But... she ultimately failed to live up to his expectations, and since then she has become even less inclined to manage her figure.

Although she feels that her figure is actually fine now, and she is the type who can't gain weight easily, the self-disciplined and excellent Xu Xing has strict requirements.

If she were younger, Liu Yifei felt she would have tried harder to keep up with Xu Xing's demands, but now...

Ms. Liu felt a little sad and lost interest in being approached by others.

The entertainment industry is built under the spotlight. Compared to the most dazzling Xu Xing—even Jackie Chan took the initiative to greet her, while the others were insignificant.

Xu Xing wasn't like that; she was just more willing to treat people gently now.

Ms. Liu herself treated Xu Xing with sincerity.

However, Xu Xing is also ruthless in criticizing and punishing those who deserve it!

Snapped!
"Ah~"

Snapped! ! !
"Ah~"

It kept ringing like that for most of the night before it finally stopped.

Xu Xing was also surprised that the two of them, who had been happily returning to the villa, started complaining about each other.

He took a small puff for fun and deliberately kept shaking it.

Xu Xing could only keep smoking. After the release of "Cliff Walkers," Liu Haocun repeatedly expressed on WeChat that he couldn't wait for Xu Xing to watch her performance in the film.

This movie is definitely one of her best looks.

Xu Xing gave his approval!

Xu Xing had seen this side of Liu Haocun before; she genuinely enjoyed being disciplined by Xu Xing, the more intense the discipline, the more she liked it. She had even sent Xu Xing pictures hinting at this: white flowers and tornadoes.

Zhou Ye's are rarely seen.

At first, Zhou was pretending to be well-behaved, watching Xu Xing punish Liu Haocun with a smile, and occasionally pretending to be magnanimous and plead for him. But when she realized that neither Xu Xing nor Liu Haocun had any intention of stopping, she finally couldn't sit still anymore.

It's just fun.

However, Xu Xing sent them away after only one night.

Xu Xing has important business to attend to and many people to meet.

For example, Zhang Junning, who came to report to Xu Xing.

Before the start of yesterday's Asian Festival, the official announcement of Zhang Junning's appointment as the content director for Netflix's provincial region was released, and she became one of the most watched figures at yesterday's press conference and in various media reports.

On April 30, "Silent Kill" and "Cliff Walkers" were released simultaneously as competitors during the May Day holiday. Both films experienced a reversal in box office performance. Initially, "Cliff Walkers" had a higher box office, but on May 4, "Silent Kill" surpassed "Cliff Walkers" and topped the daily box office chart.

While many criticized "Silent Killing" for being a brainwashing scam with jump scares, many more found the film exciting and thrilling. Director Ko Wen-li, on Hsu Hsing's advice, also had the protagonist kill everyone he was supposed to kill, unlike in his previous life where he didn't kill everyone and felt frustrated.

Director Ke specifically thanked Xu Xing at the beginning of the film and also spent a lot of effort on marketing on short video platforms such as Douyin. It is no doubt that the box office will surpass that of "Cliff Walkers" and there is even hope that it will reach 15 billion.

Zhu Yilong, who is playing the male lead in a movie for the first time after becoming a viral sensation, has been praised to the skies by his fans, who are controlling online comments and promoting the film with great enthusiasm, aiming to make it to 15 billion yuan.

Zhang Junning's transformative performance in the film has also been widely praised.

There were also criticisms that she still only knew how to make faces and that the character's motivations were strange, but netizens also agreed that she had made great progress in the film.

Previously perceived as an intellectual goddess but merely a pretty face, she has consistently surprised audiences with her roles in the web series "Detective Chinatown" and the film "Silent Kill"!
Director Ko is such a great director when it comes to filming her!

Is it Xu Xing, who wrote the role for her in "Detective Chinatown" and invested in the movie "Silent Kill," who "pampered" her too much?

Tao Mei, who was feeling frustrated because of "stay", didn't miss the opportunity and once again spread rumors.

When the news came out that she had joined Netflix as the head of content for the island province, her fans were even more excited and overjoyed, and led the "jinx" to frantically smear her and Hsu Hsing-hsing's ambiguous relationship.

However, even without the help of the "Stars in the Sky" (a nickname for Zhang Junning), the fans who already regarded Zhang Junning as the new leading lady after Dong Xuan responded with righteous indignation.

I'm so angry and cold! Rumors about women are spreading! Being a woman is so hard! Women in society are so evil! Blah blah blah...

A law master's degree holder, a true academic star in the entertainment industry, with a clear and well-defined life plan. While lacking in acting talent, she works hard and avoids drama. Intellectual and rational, with a good personality, a scholarly air, and an elegant and composed demeanor. She can pull off both sweet and aloof looks. Strictly self-disciplined, she maintains a fitness routine and rejects superficiality. A mature and sophisticated beauty from the island province…

She already had a good public image, but from yesterday until now, Ms. Zhang has been praised to the skies by netizens.

The girls are bragging about it, and the guys are bragging about it too.

Many viewers like her type, feeling that her temperament is different from other celebrities. They initially thought she was okay, but after watching the web series "Detective Chinatown," they also started to appreciate her.

Hupu Jr. has been cursing Xing Gou (a derogatory term for a male celebrity) all night! Gou, be gentle...

On the surface, they seemed to be joking, but deep down, they genuinely believed the two were definitely having an affair, because if they were a "dog" (a term used to describe someone who is secretly interested in women), they certainly wouldn't let it go...

The calm and composed Ning Jie should look down on Xing Gou, but how can she resist...?

Ning Jie seems to prefer larger sizes, right? To be honest, Ning Jie is the ascetic type; I don't even have any feelings for her...

But what if she's a completely different person to Xing Gou, someone who can do everything...?

Furthermore, when Ning was asked during the roadshow why Xing Gou was smiling so...

Ms. Zhang Junning's only problem is that she's too peaceful.

As for other aspects, she will have much, much, much, much more.

No one could have imagined how different her appearance would be in front of Xu Xing.

She had originally wanted to fly to Hong Kong as soon as possible, but Xu Xing refused. After landing in Hong Kong yesterday, she immediately wanted to see Xu Xing, but was still refused. Finally seeing Xu Xing, she waited anxiously for most of the day, and during a private chat with him at the banquet, her eyes welled up with tears. Afterwards, Xu Xing didn't ask her to sleep with him.

Having not slept well all night, Zhang Junning was summoned by Xu Xing early in the morning. He quickly dressed up as Xu Xing had requested and rushed over.

Upon entering the villa, she immediately bent down, even though she was wearing an office lady outfit consisting of a bodycon skirt and high heels, as it would feel particularly awkward to move over there.

Fortunately, Xu Xing helped her get up and walk over in the most intellectual and elegant manner.

Play the role of a lawyer well.

Zhang Junning's own speculation about the lawyer.

After becoming best friends with Teacher Fan, Zhang Junning gained a lot of inspiration and learned how to play the role well in order to meet Xu Xing's true needs.

This was her first time doing it, and the feedback she received far exceeded her expectations.

Xu Xing liked her much more than before, by a great deal, even though Xu Xing was also more unrestrained in his actions... making her feel like she had become a complete toy.

However, Zhang Junning was not angry; instead, he grew more and more used to it.

As the praise from the outside world increases and the responsibilities on my shoulders become heavier, the emptiness in my heart grows, but I become more and more grounded.

Being a producer is a new challenge in itself, and to be forced into a supervisory role is even more of a step up.

Without Xu Xing's help, Zhang Junning really felt like he was going to be crushed... Finally, he was able to relax for the time being.

"Many people outside are gossiping about our relationship. Now I finally understand the fun of being gossiped about... But, won't this affect you?"

Zhang Junning, who had been chuckling lazily, suddenly became worried.

"will not."

Xu Xing smiled and helped her button up her white shirt.

There are too many rumors about Xu Xing online now.

What about rekindling her romance with Aunt Nagasawa, what about interfering in Son Ye-jin and Hyun Bin's relationship, what about the bathroom battle with Ms. Liu, what about showering Zhou Ye with affection in the car for n hours... the intense battle with Zhang Junning is just one of them.

The paparazzi in Hong Kong are in complete chaos.

They had never even heard of Nazha, who had been having a secret rendezvous with Xu Xing in Hong Kong for several days.

Zhang Junning smiled in relief.

"But do you think I'll like it less? Do you think I have more class and you'd like me more?"

"It's alright, everything's fine."

"..."

"what happened?"

"I... I feel like you're not very enthusiastic."

Zhang Junning said cautiously.

Xu Xing shook his head.

"How could that be? Don't go back to the island province for the next few days. Just stay here and let me show you what interest and liking really mean."

"……it is good!"

Zhang Junning bit his lip, nodding nervously yet expectantly.

So, the next few days were very exciting.

Ms. Zhang seems to have suddenly become more perceptive after taking on this role, demonstrating exceptional comprehension.

With Nazha there, it won't feel boring.

On May 7, "stay" was finally officially released, and within just half an hour, it topped the iTunes store in all regions. The number of plays on streaming platforms such as Spotify, Apple Music, and YouTube also exploded.

The stars performed as expected, but iGee held nothing back to show their gratitude, sincerity, and strength.

After today, it'll be hard for Genie to fade into obscurity!
"Stay" and Hsu Hsing's name went viral on social media around the world, with Tsai Chin-ni following closely behind, resulting in an explosive growth in global traffic!

Overseas fans enthusiastically shared their insights, revealing just how hard this Chinese artist worked to gain Xu Xing's support.

The various fan groups who clung to a sliver of hope, hoping that "stay" would flop, are now deeply worried.

It looks like Cai Jini is really about to surge forward...

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.

"So, are there any other songs in Xing Ge's album that we can collaborate on?"

Hou Minghao asked.

He had been a bit confused before, but now he finally agreed with what his manager said last year: even if Xu Xingzhen couldn't work with him, he should at least hear Xu Xingzhen say it herself.

"The album will be officially released next month, it's too late now. At most, we'll wait until Xing Ge releases the title track, and then we'll collaborate with him on a new version that won't be included in the album. I heard that Cai Jini's version of 'Stay' will be included, instead of Xing Ge's solo version."

The agent was helpless.

But there was nothing he could do.

Hou Minghao's position at Zhengrong is quite awkward. When asked about the relationship between Xu Xing and Hou Minghao, the executives would only respond with a smile and no comment.

Just as they implied, the key is for Hou Minghao to think things through and take the initiative to contact Xu Xing to repair their relationship.

It was Hou Minghao who cooled down his brotherhood with Xu Xing.

Zheng Rong doesn't restrict his access to any resources; Xu Xing is already taking care of him out of brotherhood. Hou Minghao doesn't even know how to be grateful.

It's too late to panic now!
But he didn't seem to be in a hurry.

Hou Minghao fell silent again, just like he always did whenever the topic of Xu Xing came up.

Hou Minghao's agent asked him many times what he was worried about.
Although it's difficult to truly evaluate Xu Xing, he is indeed a respectable person; he even forgave Sheng Ke... Although there are rumors in the company that Sheng Ke only got forgiveness after kneeling down and apologizing to Xu Xing.

But Hou Minghao never answered even once.

The agent sighed inwardly.

"Let's wait until later, there will be other opportunities. But let's start releasing English singles too. The company has always been supportive, and the resources we get won't be any worse than those for Cai Jini. We need to show Xing Ge that you also have the determination to break into the US market."

After he finished speaking, there was a moment of silence in the room.

Hou Minghao then slowly spoke.

"No, there's no need for that. I can't even act well. Actually, I really want to prove that I can do it, that I can... but why can't I ever do it? Is the gap between us really that big?"

(End of this chapter)