Who said this top flow is crazy! This top flow is awesome!

Chapter 191: 15-Second Heart-Fluttering Challenge + Snow Milk Tea Sold Out Due to Gutter Oil
In the box.

"Zongzi" Chi Ye turned around, and the commotion outside the door immediately stopped. Then came a manager's low, scolding voice: "Go, go, go! Pay attention to your image and professionalism!"

The area outside the door quickly became quiet.

The people in the private room looked at each other in confusion. A young woman in her thirties who was accompanying them blinked and looked at Chi Ye.

"...No money required for people you don't know well, sign now?"

The young woman blushed and quickly said, "We're done talking, we've finished talking..."

"...Yes, Mr. Chi is right. This movie really can't be made here on the mainland."

The middle-aged man at the head nodded, speaking with a strong Taiwanese accent, "But Taipei is an option."

Ikeno glanced at him: "Go on."

"Here's what we're thinking: the team has been working on the special effects for a while now, and there's also the script issue. We feel the script you revised is of much higher quality, and since you bought the script, we're wondering if we can reduce the investment..."

The middle-aged man began to speak.

Ikeno sat quietly to the side, listening.

……

There are two groups of people in the private room today: one is the Chi Ye team, and the other is the special effects outsourcing team for "My Love from the Star".

The special effects team is quite diverse, with very few people from mainland China. It mainly consists of people from South Korea, Taipei, and Hong Kong, which is why I introduced this team to Ikeno earlier this year.

As it turns out, the team is indeed highly capable and possesses considerable technical expertise.

"Flu" is a project their team has been working on for some time, but due to the large amount of investment and problems with the funding sources such as the investors running away, the project has been suspended several times.

It wasn't until this year, after I noticed this project and invested some money, that it barely managed to survive.

But it was only barely acceptable.

Originally, their team took on the "My Love from the Star" project to make a quick buck and continue production. Little did they know that "My Love from the Star" would become such a huge hit.

that…

The team leader, looking at the new "top-tier" star in the Chinese entertainment industry, began to have an idea—because of his "status," he knew that "My Love from the Star" wasn't just popular in mainland China, but also in Taipei, Hong Kong, and even South Korea…

He had a premonition that "My Love from the Star" might not only create a "top star in the Chinese entertainment industry," but also a "top star in Asia."

The thought made his heart tremble, and his gaze toward Ikeno became even more intense.

Ikeno wasn't oblivious to the "longing" look in his eyes, though he was also having his own doubts.

This "Flu" movie... it's very similar to "Train to Busan" on Earth... of course, it's the one he revised.

This is a big-budget film with more sophisticated special effects, production, and scenes than Train to Busan. It is also a special effects blockbuster of the apocalyptic disaster genre that has never appeared in China before.

It belongs to the true blockbuster level, a top Asian blockbuster film that has won a true "grand slam" of commercial awards.

It would be a lie to say that Ikeno wasn't tempted.

It's just a matter of filming location and subject matter. This type of film definitely can't be made in China, but if we change the location... and there's investment this year, then... then it seems like we could do it.

Moreover... after collaborating on "My Love from the Star," Ikeno felt even more strongly that the "treasure" of Auntie, the young Hong Kong actress, should not be wasted.

He has the background, the connections, the business acumen... he has connections.

Taipei, Hong Kong, South Korea, and even mainland China…

Aside from not being able to break into the film industry, she almost perfectly embodies the image of a "boss".

Chi Ye fell in love with his aunt and felt he had to do his best to show filial piety.

So, after finishing his business that day, he prepared to call Jin Sui.

Unexpectedly, my aunt called first.

"Hey? Ikeno, where are you?"

On the other end of the phone, Jin Nian's voice was as aloof as ever.

Chi Ye bowed his head and signed the autograph for the young woman from the special effects team, then replied, "I just finished talking with Brother Liang and the others."

"Oh...the talks went well?"

"good."

"Um... well... I'm going to the capital in a couple of days to meet up with my family. You can bring Xiaxia with you then, there's something I want to talk to you about."

Chino paused for a moment, then nodded: "Okay."

"That's settled then, I'll hang up now."

This year, we finished our conversation in a rather bland and uninteresting manner before hanging up the phone.

Sister Zhang, standing nearby, asked in surprise, "Mr. Sui, didn't you say you were going to go find Chi Ye yourself? How come it's turned into him coming to you..."

"You weren't too eager just now, were you?"

Asking this year.

Sister Zhang: "Huh?"

"I still can't act too much like that, after all, I'm an elder."

This year, she said with a reserved expression, "So let him come to me, and I'll personally pour him tea."

Sister Zhang: "..."

This year, I'm still marveling at how unreal it all feels, like a dream: "Tell me, who would have thought that a modern romance drama could have brought Ikeno to this point?"

Sister Zhang: "We invested some money and made a lot of money."

“Earn…right, I almost forgot.”

My aunt's thought process is indeed different from ordinary people. When she heard Sister Zhang bring up this topic, she immediately reacted, took out her phone and called her older brother: "Hey? Jinming, are you listening?"

On the other end, Jinming coldly replied, "What is it?"

"Have you seen how well 'My Love from the Star' did? How much money did you invest? You probably didn't make more than me, did you?!"

"...This year, don't be so smug and bully others!"

Jinming's eyes instantly turned red: "Mere idol dramas, child's games, what's there to talk about?!"

"Hey, don't hang up, don't hang up yet."

Noticing that her older brother had broken down, Jin Sui quickly stopped him, saying, "Listen to me."

"Minimize the release of harmful gases."

"...I'm talking to you nicely, and you'd better talk nicely too...I'm planning to collaborate with Chi Ye on a big-budget special effects blockbuster, with an estimated starting investment of 3 million. Want to give it a try?"

After a long silence, Jinming asked, "Is it starring Ikeno?"

"Yes, that should be it." Jin Sui nodded. "I need to go and confirm with him; his schedule is probably booked until the year after next..."

"No."

"???"

beep.

The call has been disconnected.

This year, she opened her mouth, remained silent for a long time, and then cursed, "Is he out of his mind?!"

Sister Zhang remained silent, only agreeing wholeheartedly—there were indeed pitfalls.

……

at the same time.

Jinming, who was told by his sister that he was "out of his mind," shook his head after hanging up the phone: "My silly sister, where would I get any money now? Ha."

"Besides, the company has three big productions that are about to wrap up filming. What I have in abundance is big productions!"

He looked out the floor-to-ceiling window with high spirits, but then, as if remembering something, his mood soured again.

"This shouldn't be... How could Ikeno really make Xiaxia famous too... This shouldn't be, this shouldn't be."

"Just an idol drama, how could it possibly reach the heavens?"

"This summer, he even had Lao San and the others helping Chi Ye... Lao San's factory is almost bankrupt, he's not even as good as me, and he thinks he can turn things around with an idol drama? Bullshit... wishful thinking!"

I can't quite describe how I feel right now.

To say he doesn't regret it would be a lie, and to say he admits how amazing "My Love from the Star" is would also be impossible—otherwise, where would I put my elders' face?
Just as I was thinking this, a message popped up in the group chat "Jin Family".

The message was sent by the person he had saved as "Third Brother," tagging him, Jin Sui, and Jin Xia: 【Where did you find my dear niece's husband?! You stocked up on the right things! Our sales have increased tenfold these past few days! Our factory assembly line is practically smoking! Please thank Chi Ye for me; I'll definitely buy you two a golden eagle later!】

Jinming: “?”

He couldn't help but reply: 【Tenfold increase? Tenfold increase in a dream?】

This summer: [Third Uncle, we're not a couple yet. Also, I don't want the golden eagle, I want coconuts. Remember to give them to me quickly.]

Jin Sui Hui: [@Jinming, please stop talking, please, just shut up.]

Jinming is furious: "Whose family are you all with?!"

The third brother replied: "Everyone come to my house for a get-together tomorrow, @no need to come today or tomorrow."

—The family members feel that Jinming is not worthy of being called "family members".

……

January 11th, overcast, with a few snowflakes falling from the sky.

The seventh episode of "My Love from the Star" has aired.

The romantic entanglement between Professor Chi and Cheon Song-yi escalates. Professor Chi uses his superpowers such as time-stopping and teleportation several times to help Cheon Song-yi solve her problems. Then comes the first explosive scene of the show – the 15-second heart-fluttering challenge.

Professor Chi and Cheon Song-yi's "first kiss".

The sweeter the scenes were on set, the more explosive the final product becomes after it airs, thanks to the high-quality background music, special effects, and filters.

That night.

The #15SecondHeartbeatChallenge# went viral on Weibo, WeChat Moments, and Douyin, with countless ordinary people, internet celebrities, and stars starting to imitate it. The popularity of "My Love from the Star" soared to the sky, and the ratings broke 4% for the first time, creating the highest historical record for Tomato TV in ten years.

The KuYing app's recharge channel crashed three times—KuYing APP downloads broke the site's all-time high that night, and the estimated revenue from new member acquisitions reached over 200 million, attracting countless new users and viewers.

Previously, this record was held by Kiwi, the only profitable platform among the three major platforms, with 150 million yuan in a single day, and Penguin Video with 130 million yuan.

For the first time in history, the two "elder brothers" were stepped on the head by the "perennial third place" Cool Shadow, and their eyes turned red in the naked eye. They held three emergency meetings that night.

—The "Singer" retrospective of its peak night event was overwhelmed with screenshots.

Shonan.

A commercial street.

Scattered snowflakes fell, and the streets and alleys resounded with insert songs and theme songs from the "My Love from the Star" OST, such as "Someday or One Day," "Jiangnan," and "Countdown."

The street shops are bustling with life. There are long queues in front of almost every shop, such as milk tea shops, fried chicken shops, and snack shops selling pork ribs and rice cakes. Every now and then, girls holding milk tea in one hand and iced cola in the other hand take selfies on the street, and then happily post them on WeChat Moments and Douyin. They gradually disappear into the distance amidst the excited laughter and playful banter of their friends.

Ling Han wore a mask, her hair fluttering in the cold wind. She put her hands in her pockets and looked at everything with a complicated expression.

"Hanhan".

The agent walked out of a high-end luxury shopping mall, looking dejected, and said, "Still out of stock."

"Not yet? It's been days!!" Ling Han was inexplicably irritated by the voice: "Don't they know how to do business?"

"No, it's not true... The bright red Christian Louboutin that you usually wear just happens to be the same color as the one worn by Cheon Song-yi in the drama this summer. This one has been selling out recently, and you have to pre-order it online and it won't be available for another week."

The agent explained, "I see that others are in the same situation as us; they didn't stock up on goods normally, and now they can't buy them at all."

Ling Han: "..."

The agent exclaimed, "Ikeno and Jin Xia are not just popular, this is... this is... unprecedented."

Ling Han didn't refute this time, but looked at the streets and shopping malls where "the whole world is 'My Love from the Star'" and felt an indescribable heart palpitation.

So this is what a gap looks like; so this is what the top trend looks like.

Can Brother Yan have that kind of influence?
She was a little confused, but habitually said, "Not as good as Brother Yan."

The agent glanced at her but didn't say anything more.

……

Not far away, Liu Xiaoxiao happily "snatched" a cup of "Cheon Song-yi's favorite" milk tea, and immediately took a photo. Then she looked up at the snow-covered sky and muttered seriously, "It's snowing, how can we not have pork ribs, rice cakes and milk tea?"

"Humans always have a special fondness for gutter oil!"

Suddenly, laughter rang out from the side. Liu Xiaoxiao turned around sharply and saw the girl she had met at the fried chicken shop a few days ago, now smiling and responding to her with the same classic line that had gone viral in "My Love from the Star".

"Hey, Xiao Zhang, you're here too?"

Liu Xiaoxiao was pleasantly surprised.

"Hehe, I'm going to buy the thermos that Professor Chi made for Xiaxia. Do you want to come with me?"

The young woman, Ms. Zhang, smiled and pointed to the shopping mall in front of her: "I heard it's the same style as the one in the drama 'My Love from the Star'."

"is it?"

Liu Xiaoxiao was taken aback, then remembered: "I know that brand. A lot of the furniture in 'My Love from the Star' is from that brand!"

“Yes, let’s go, let’s go. I specially asked someone to save two cups for us yesterday. We’re so lucky to have each of us get one.”

"Wow, Zhang, you're so kind..."

Liu Xiaoxiao was so moved she almost cried. The two walked into the mall together and soon found a store with a long queue.

——Jinzhen Furniture.

"This is a furniture store? It's so beautiful..."

Liu Xiaoxiao was surprised, looking at the exquisite interior decoration, and hesitated a little.

"We mainly sell high-end furniture, but we're not here to buy furniture, so there's no need to queue... Come on, follow me..."

Xiao Zhang led Liu Xiaoxiao through the crowd into the store and began contacting their friends.

Liu Xiaoxiao stared at the long queue that almost stretched outside the mall... and felt a little dizzy for a moment—she had just glanced at the prices of the furniture inside, and they were all high-end, so expensive that they made her heart tremble.

So many people, all here to buy the same furniture worn by Professor Ji and Cheon Song-yi in "My Love from the Star"?!
How much money must this merchant be making?!
—The answer is they made a fortune, so much so that several uncles, aunts, and other relatives this summer were scrambling to their necks!

……

capital.

The three families of today.

This year, my aunt, uncle, and other relatives, including my sister-in-law, my uncle-in-law, and my other uncle-in-law, along with their families, gathered together in a lively atmosphere.

How much did you earn?

"Not much, but the turnover has tripled."

"That's not much, I multiplied it tenfold."

"Alright, alright, I know you made ten times your money, but I'm selling high-end furniture, so the prices are naturally high, unlike your clothing business."

Aunt Jin teased Uncle Jin, "But the profit margin might be higher than yours."

"Sigh, I've really come back from the dead this time, I'm already very satisfied... I have to thank Xiaxia and her little boyfriend, I really didn't expect... Young people these days are amazing!"

Uncle Jin still vividly remembers watching his company, which was on the verge of bankruptcy, suddenly receive a flood of orders, and the staff working frantically...

The shock and joy were indescribable.

His current impressions and "feelings" for Jin Xia and Ikeno are beyond what Jin Ming can imagine!

Ok…

Speaking of Jinming, Mr. Ming was listening to all sorts of conversations about "several times", "ten times", "five times", and "my turnover is over 100 million" around him. His face was frighteningly dark, but also had a strange whiteness.

This year, I glanced at my older brother before saying, "Oh dear, the two of them aren't even dating yet, what boyfriend... don't talk nonsense."

"Hey, if you ask me, this kind of person is worthy of Xiaxia. I heard your older brother is also very satisfied."

Jin Laosan has a very rough temper; judging by his personality alone, he doesn't seem like a member of the "Jin family".

"I think Xiaxia gave him her first kiss. If he still doesn't commit to a relationship, isn't he taking advantage of the Jin family's lack of connections?"

Today, Auntie frowned as well: "No, I, as your auntie, will not agree."

"..."

A bunch of vulgar people! Vulgar, fucking vulgar!

Looking at this "stinky" scene today, I feel nauseous.

He felt even more nauseous after hearing the next sentence.

"Jinming, how much did you lose?"

Jinming: “?!”

Everyone else made so much money, but I lost so much?
Damn, you look down on me, huh?

"I've made a profit! Our company has a big-budget film releasing during this year's Spring Festival season, it's a sure thing!"

Jin Laosan turned to the others and said, "Did you all hear that? Anyone investing in the film and television industry, hurry up and withdraw your investment, or don't blame Jin Ming for not reminding you."

"Hahaha."

Everyone burst into laughter.

Jinming was furious: "Third Brother, you've gone too far!"

"Hey, why are you yelling like that?!"

His wife, who was also beaming with joy, frowned upon hearing this and said, "You're disturbing me."

Jinming looked at her expression and asked, "Why are you so happy too?"

"I made a profit too." His wife couldn't hide her smile and exclaimed, "Thanks to Xiaxia, she asked me for some sponsorships back then. My factories have been unable to supply goods recently. Oh... I must thank Xiaxia and Chiye a lot later."

Jinming: "?!!"

He gaped, both shocked and furious: "I...how could I not know?!"

"What do you know? You know and then you won't let me earn this money? Jinming, have some conscience! Without me, you would have been out drinking with clients long ago!"

Jinming, his face flushed and neck red, looked around at everyone and lowered his voice: "Let's talk about this in detail when we get back, and save face for each other."

"Humph."

His wife snorted, but didn't really continue nagging about Jinming.

But the atmosphere in the living room became completely lively.

The third brother couldn't wait to ask, "When are Xiaxia and Chiye arriving? They must be very busy lately."

This year, she glanced at the time and said, "It should be... soon."

……

Outside the villa.

Chi Ye and the old lady were like two "walking rice dumplings." As soon as the old lady got out of the car, she peeked around cautiously, still feeling uneasy: "There shouldn't be anyone left, right... Have all the security guards in the compound been checked? No one will secretly change into security uniforms again, waiting for us to 'walk into the trap'... right?"

Chiye: "..."

His gaze was also unfocused; in the past, he probably wouldn't have believed that such a thing could happen in reality.

but now…

"Surely...no way?"

He wasn't sure.

"Never mind, let's go, let's run if it gets too much."

The old lady, looking rather sneaky, led Chi Ye towards the villa gate.

On the road.

Ikeno saw the message and missed call from Coco and dialed back: "Hello?"

"Brother Chi, those top luxury brands are here again, wanting to invite you to their fashion show to discuss endorsement deals... This time it's the Asia-Pacific regional head..."

Chi Ye paused, looked into the villa, where someone had already come out and straightened their clothes: "Didn't Yu Yan say it was either me or him?"

“Tell those in charge that at any event I’m in, I’m there, but he’s not.”

Coco paused, then said firmly, "Okay, I understand."

"that's it."

Chi Ye hung up the phone and saw Jin Xia running over and hugging Jin Sui.

"come in."

This year, she maintained a haughty demeanor, but her eyes unconsciously glanced at Ikeno.

Um... Professor Chi, who is still alive... is my "nephew-in-law".

……

at the same time.

The scene of a rehearsal for an event.

Shi Jin rested her chin on her hand, gazing absently into the distance.

Right now, the director is negotiating with someone—negotiating Ikeno's seating arrangement and his closing appearance at the event. If Ikeno doesn't give them any updates, they can't continue rehearsing.

No one found it strange; there were objections, but it was useless.

Shi Jinwei glanced down at the WeChat interface on her phone again, and suddenly gritted her teeth.

Because the last time she contacted Ikeno via WeChat was yesterday.

Ikeno: [Can we lower the ratings?]

This time, she didn't reply.

嗏

impossible!
Let's just never cooperate!

(End of this chapter)