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

Chapter 317 "Rebellion"

"Teacher Chi, you're so greasy."

This summer, he remained silent for a full four or five seconds before nodding: "But, it's pretty π... bro."

"I wasn't thinking of showing off my boyfriend skills."

Chi Ye put down the old lady, his smile unchanged: "So what if we get photographed? It won't make a difference if we do it again."

"..."

The old lady fell silent for a moment, staring at Chi Ye before hesitating, "Teacher Chi, are you... really alright?"

"It's okay, I already said it's okay."

Chi Ye saw through what Jin Xia was thinking. In fact, although Chi Ye was very "quiet" now, his "commercial" value and his status as a top-tier celebrity in the Chinese entertainment industry had been declining at the fastest rate since his debut, ever since he confronted his fans last night.

This leads to its being divided up by other companies and top-tier teams.

To say that Ikeno is willing to give up such a huge following wouldn't be entirely true... After all, he's just an ordinary person, and such a massive following is indeed an irresistible temptation for everyone in the entertainment industry these days.

But as I said before, traffic is good, but it depends on what you compare it to.

If it were this summer…

This was never a multiple-choice question from the beginning.

Perhaps after confirming Chi Ye's condition several times, Jin Xia wisely chose not to continue the topic and instead talked about something she was happier about: "Um... Mr. Chi, what's the story behind 'My Sassy Girl' that you mentioned?"

"You've always said it was written for me... Is it the same as 'My Love from the Star'?"

Chi Ye glanced at her. In the sunlight, her chestnut hair fell to her shoulders, and her white beret was cute and playful: "Hmm... same, and different."

"This script is indeed one I wanted to write for you, but this story is different from 'My Love from the Star'... Would you like to see it?"

"Have you finished writing?"

"No, but I can tell you verbally first."

The treatment that Chi Ye gave to the Empress Dowager here was absolutely a super VIP level that no one in the entire Chinese entertainment industry could match.

But to everyone's surprise, after hearing this, Jin Xia thought for a few seconds and then shook her head: "I won't watch."

Chiye: "?"

"why?"

"I'm not surprised anymore now that I've seen it. I don't want this surprise to disappear so quickly... If I don't watch it, I can be happy until the filming starts. But if I watch it now, I probably won't be as happy as I was last night."

This summer, she shook her little head and said, "I want to keep this happiness."

Ikeno: "...That's easy, I'll just write you a few more scripts in the future."

"No, no, no, that's different." The old lady shook her finger: "Teacher Chi, haven't you heard the saying? If you do it too many times, the threshold will be higher, and it will lose its meaning."

After a long silence, Chi Ye commented, "You really are a troublemaker."

This summer: "Vulgar!"

"Just tell me if you are or not."

"No, you're so vulgar! I don't want to go on a date with you anymore, Teacher Chi. You're not pi at all!"

"..."

……

at the same time.

Just as Ikeno and the old lady were enjoying their "sweet day trip".

Mainland China, capital city.

The Dior representative hurriedly entered the conference room at Ikeno Studio.

But he found that, just like when he came out of Ikeno's office, the place was already packed with people.

Several of the faces were familiar.

"Here he comes."

"hello."

"Are you here to 'question' me too?"

The Dior executive frowned but didn't speak. This time, however, he didn't "specially" go into the inner office to communicate with Ikeno's team alone, as he usually did. Instead, he found a seat and started fiddling with his phone.

"My buddy is probably dumbfounded right now, haha. Dior was the first to sign Ikeno, and it was a global ambassador. Now look what's happened, he's probably getting a lot of flak."

"...What do you mean by that?"

"What else could it mean? Anyway, our contract is about to expire. The marketing department has already provided market data this year. Ikeno's popularity is not as high as it was in the previous two years, so we didn't plan to renew his contract this year."

The Cartier representative smiled and shook his head, looking quite relaxed.

He felt quite relaxed now, unlike most of the people present who looked like they had just lost a horse.

Cartier is one of the only two top luxury brands endorsed by Ikeno, and it is common knowledge in the industry that top luxury brands usually do not share the same brand.

The logic is simple: every top luxury brand has its own prestige and market recognition. They all have a long and profound brand culture. It's like getting married. How could a beautiful and wealthy woman who has found her husband allow or accept him to find other women?
If they really did hire someone, then this endorsement would be far too cheap.

Therefore, cases like Ikeno, who held endorsements for two top luxury brands, Dior and Cartier, are extremely rare in the Chinese entertainment industry, and there are practically none. Ikeno was the only representative of that time.

Of course, it should be noted that the so-called "top luxury brands do not serve the same master" refers to the top-tier endorsements of these top luxury brands. As for the so-called brand ambassadors and close friends of these top luxury brands, which are of very low value, it is not surprising that a popular celebrity has multiple such endorsements.

This is something else entirely, where the fashion industry and top luxury brands are "buying shares" in traffic and "cultivating" their future spokespeople, and it's not included here.

Coincidentally, Cartier and Ikeno's contracts are about to expire this year. In fact, they had always signed six-month contracts before, but last year it was extended to a year, when Cartier was still very enthusiastic.

Although Ikeno's popularity has begun to decline due to time, and he is no longer at the peak of his popularity when "My Love from the Star" first became a hit, he is still the undisputed number one top star in the entire Chinese entertainment industry.

For the ultimate luxury, go for the best; that's the only way to truly showcase Cartier's prestige and high-end status.

However, Cartier was somewhat dissatisfied after what happened last night because Ikeno hadn't discussed the matter with them at all before posting on Weibo... which was not good.

This incident directly impacted Cartier's brand image, since a top celebrity who had almost openly announced his relationship and whose popularity had declined significantly was no longer their "only one."

To put it dramatically, if Cartier were to pursue this matter, Ikeno's side would be held legally responsible—it was clearly stipulated in the contract that if an artist misbehaves or violates laws and regulations during the collaboration period, and the brand suffers losses, it can seek compensation.

"Sigh, I regret it now. You have no idea, our brand flagship store is now facing boycotts and returns... We are not a luxury brand like yours, we really can't afford to go through all this trouble."

Another executive from a well-known domestic fast-moving consumer goods company shook his head bitterly.

Their fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) brand has only recently developed into a top-tier domestic brand, and it relies heavily on celebrity marketing. This brand was one of the endorsements that Chi Ye "snatched" from Yu Yan. At the time Chi Ye was vying for the endorsement, the brand wasn't a top-tier domestic brand, but rather a second-tier one. The reason Chi Ye snatched the endorsement was entirely due to Yu Yan's personal qualities and the high price she offered, coupled with her positive online reputation.

After two years of development, the brand has become a leading fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) brand in China through Chi Ye's endorsement. However, the biggest fear for FMCG companies is when celebrities have problems, especially those like Chi Ye who have deep "entanglements" with them.

They want to terminate the contract, but they were the ones who eagerly sought cooperation and practically begged to sign it.

If they don't terminate the contract, Chi Ye's fans have gone crazy. His largest fan group, the girlfriend fans, have completely lost it. "Unfollowing and turning against him" is one of the most popular trending topics on the hot search today.

"Then you guys are really in a bad situation."

Cartier looked down on his fast-moving consumer goods peers. Of course, as a fellow "victim," he could empathize with them a little. Looking at the packed hall in front of him, he couldn't help but sigh, "Does this scene look familiar?"

The fast-moving consumer goods company was taken aback.

The Cartier representative smiled and said, "Two years ago, when 'My Love from the Star' aired, we were just waiting to be 'favored' like this."

The FMCG executive remained silent.

Two years have passed.

The Cartier representative said, somewhat emotionally, "We were going to sign Ikeno as our global brand ambassador, but guess what happened?"

“He’s Dior’s favorite son, haha, that’s how it is. In the end, we also gave him the Asia-Pacific brand ambassadorship. That’s the influence Ikeno had at the time.”

The FMCG manager recalled that he was indeed here two years ago, before his promotion. Now, he is the company's top manager in the north.

"That's how the entertainment industry is. A person's peak lasts for two or three years, and that's when they reach their limit. Yu Yan has only been famous for that long, hasn't he?"

Cartier thought of its former brand ambassadors, Yu Yan and Ikeno...

Looking at it this way, they need to go back and check the feng shui. Why did choosing a spokesperson lead to all this trouble?

Either a movie falls from grace and the person disappears without a trace, or they publicly expose themselves... What kind of people are these?
"...Have you decided who to contact next?"

The FMCG manager, however, had no interest in Cartier's praises and instead inquired with a specific purpose in mind.

The Cartier representative glanced at him, smiled, and said nothing.

crunch.

Just then, the door opened, and Coco wearily saw out a middle-aged man. Her gaze then fell on the hall, and after seeing the group of "interrogating" brand ambassadors, she paused for a few seconds before a smile returned to her face: "Pete, please come in."

The Dior regional head stood up and walked into the office without any expression.

Ten minutes later, the door opened again, and the Dior representative walked out of the lobby without greeting the other colleagues, his face showing some worry.

"Dior is in a tough spot. They offered him a global brand ambassadorship, and the last contract renewal was for two years. There's still more than a year left on the contract. Ikeno isn't exactly 'collapsed' on the surface. They just want to terminate the contract unilaterally, so it's not going to be easy for them."

The Cartier representative shook his head upon seeing this.

……

That evening, and for the entire following day, Coco spent her time dealing with the endorsement issues related to Ikeno.

—Ikeno has too many endorsements.

Aside from fast-moving consumer goods companies like KFC and Coca-Cola, which only sign short-term contracts, many brands were eager to sign long-term contracts with Ikeno because his business was thriving before his "self-explosion."

After all, according to the thinking at the time, even if Chi Ye got older and his popularity declined, given the current landscape of popularity in the Chinese entertainment industry, he could still be popular for at least another two years.

But things are unpredictable. Last night's events, thanks to the "stirring up" by various people with ulterior motives and Ikeno himself, have long since turned into a top celebrity's suicide plot. Now, the internet is full of small interactions between Ikeno and Jin Xia in various events and programs.

Back then, fans could deceive themselves, but after this incident, although no one has officially announced that Ikeno is in a relationship, it has almost become common knowledge.

So far, neither Ikeno Kakeru nor Jin Xia Kakeru have come forward to deny this, which shows that...

Otherwise, if they really didn't talk, given the current "collapsing edifice" public opinion environment, why doesn't he, as a top Asian influencer, come out to deny it?

Yes, this incident involving the top Asian celebrity is far more complex than it appears, and it involves more than just mainland China. It's believed that before long, fans of Ikeno will rise up in Taiwan, Hong Kong, Japan, South Korea, and other places.

Under such circumstances, Ikeno Studio, and Coco, who attaches great importance to Ikeno's career, naturally had to handle these matters personally, and the sheer volume of work involved was obvious.

Late at night.

Coco sat in her office, looking at the day's "achievements," and a hint of melancholy finally showed on her face, which had been tense all day.

After a day of negotiations, Chi Ye has lost several endorsements, most of which are big brands whose contracts are about to expire. The fast-moving consumer goods brand he met during the day even stated that they wanted to terminate the cooperation ahead of schedule.

Of course, losing an endorsement deal was to be expected.

To Coco's surprise, several other brands were planning to sue Ikeno Studio...

Coco didn't know what they were thinking, but for now, the other party did have grounds to sue. Although it would definitely be a muddled lawsuit, it would be a fatal blow to Chi Ye's reputation in the industry, the market, and the fashion world.

Her intuition told her that someone had made a move.

As for who made the move, she knew without even thinking.

Yue Na, Jingquan, or perhaps someone Chi Ge has previously scammed?

In short, there are too many rivals, so it's not surprising that those few newly risen top stars are among them.

It's common for people in this industry to fight tooth and nail over resources; mudslinging and slander are routine. Some even go so far as to secretly go to Thailand to consult "masters" for black magic and voodoo dolls...

It's very real.

"Sigh, Brother Chi, you went out and had a good time, leaving me with this mess."

Coco sighed, forced herself to stay awake, and prepared to continue working through the night to finish the work she hadn't completed during the day.

dong dong dong.

Suddenly, there was a knock on the door.

Coco was taken aback: "Who?"

"it's me."

Teacher Shi's voice came through.

Coco quickly stood up: "Teacher Shi? Please come in."

The door was pushed open, and Stevie walked in carrying a lunchbox.

Coco came over: "Why haven't you gone home yet? It's so late... This... this is for me?"

Shi Daifu looked at her and said, "Well, I noticed you haven't eaten anything all day... I can't really help you, so I made you a late-night snack. Thank you for your help."

(End of this chapter)