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

Chapter 438 This Summer: Me +1!

"Wang Quan Fu Gui" is Tencent's S++, a major production of the year. Being able to personally direct this film, it's clear that the director is now feeling quite smug, truly showing no regard for the heroes of the world.

Director Zhang's status in the industry is similar to that of this director, but his seniority is indeed inferior. He was unwilling to say much, but upon hearing the other party's background, he basically understood the subtlety of the matter.

Chi Pan Xia Yu officially announced her relationship with Chi Ye, and Chi Ye's popularity soared. Everyone knows that this time they have to compete, but how exactly they will compete and to what extent is already clear.

The involvement of well-known directors is just the first step. If I'm not mistaken, Tencent and its partner TV stations will also start generating buzz, but they are still not the main characters in this storm.

Coconut's two new dramas, Zhu Yaolin's new work, Xiao Zhan's big production that has already been scheduled for release, and the four-character ancient costume drama... etc., everything is dazzling and confusing, but these are the real protagonists.

No one can see what the future holds.

"However, with two dramas airing at once, Coconut must have realized the fierce competition and wanted to bet more. Judging from the quality of the previous dramas, they should not be underestimated."

"It's alright. There were only so many films made. It's impossible for every one of them to have a chemistry, right? If that's the case, the entertainment industry might as well be renamed the 'Ikehata Entertainment Industry.' I don't believe in this kind of metaphysics."

"By the way, have you heard anything about that show? Who's in it?"

Upon hearing this, many people in the industry were speechless, because they realized that they didn't even know who acted in "Joy of Life," and were only focused on Chi Ye, knowing that it was Chi Ye's screenwriting work.

This is not surprising, as every project has its own concept of a "XX-centric system." However, the Chinese entertainment industry tends to favor certain individuals in this regard. If the screenwriter is powerful, it's a screenwriter-centric system; if the director is powerful, it's a director-centric system; and if you're a male lead who brings your own investment and is essentially both an investor and a boss, then it's an actor-centric system.

In short, whoever has money and power is the boss.

Clearly, whether it's the works that Ikeno personally starred in before or the works produced by Coconut later, they all revolve around him, only the roles have changed and the works are different.

The popular dramas "The Silent Truth" and "Love O2O" starred Tao Cheng and Deng Ziman, and Guo Chen and Liu Qi, but the most talked-about and popular character was always Chi Ye.

The same applies to the current dramas "My Sunshine" and "Joy of Life".

Today is a TV drama awards ceremony, and people in the industry are paying attention to this drama, so naturally, everyone started talking about it. They also talked about how Coconut is eager to get into the drama recently, and how other circles and groups are also vying for the top spot.

Unfortunately, today's "main topic" is not here.

That evening, the news that Chi Ye was absent from the Dragon TV Drama Awards and that his works were nominated for awards spread throughout the industry thanks to the efforts of certain individuals.

This sparked heated discussions.

But by the next day, everyone had forgotten about it because—Ikeno, who had been avoiding the media and keeping quiet since the official announcement, was going to appear on a TV show!

To be precise, it's a live stream, a business live stream.

After Ikeno and Jin Xia officially announced their relationship, it caused a stir in the public and the entertainment industry, causing many people to lose interest in the still-showing film "My Sassy Girl".

—This movie can be said to be the first real winner to reap the first wave of "dividends" since Ikeno's official announcement. First of all, contrary to what many people thought, everyone previously thought that once Ikeno's relationship was exposed, the movie's box office performance would also plummet.

In fact, this is not the case, because the box office trend in the past few days has proven that Ikeno is no longer just a popular figure; he has a more solid base of support—his fans.

The box office success of "My Sassy Girl" once again proves his box office appeal and the level of public support for him.

Although fans have indeed spent less money on him, recent comments about his "frankness," "responsibility," the depth of his work, and his chilling stalker behavior have changed his public image.

It's just that many people's attention is not on this right now; they are only focused on the revelry and trying to understand this matter with their old ways of thinking, so they are unaware of it yet.

Now, less than a week after its release, "My Sassy Girl" has already grossed over 28 billion yuan. Unlike previous big-budget productions, this one is recognized by the industry as a low-budget production, yet it has created a box office miracle—the box office growth has not stopped, which is the most astonishing point.

It was a huge hit; there's no doubt it was a box office smash.

On one side is Ikeno's "collapsed house" that is about to fall, and on the other side is the daily record that is like a volcanic eruption, soaring up.

The contrast between the two creates a strange sense of irony and shock.

With such a box office hit, it's no surprise that they're making an appearance. "My Sassy Girl" has already topped the all-time box office rankings for romance films in Chinese entertainment history, with an initial Douban rating of 8.9. However, it later dropped to 8.7, likely due to backlash from fans, sasaeng fans, and rival groups giving it one-star reviews.

With this level of critical acclaim and box office success, when everyone's attention followed this line, they suddenly realized—wait, something's not right. Why is Chi Ye's official announcement different from others, and why is he getting more and more popular?

The pairing of Chi Pan Xia Yu and Chi Pan Xia Yu reached a climax and peak with the huge success of "My Sassy Girl". With the "historical record" and the various reversals and controversies in public opinion in the past few days, it has gradually formed an extremely large and possibly terrifying pairing group that is rare in the Chinese entertainment industry.

Because many casual viewers don't follow celebrity worship or fandoms, they only care about good content and good movies. After watching the entire "My Sassy Girl," it's hard not to develop a liking for Chi Pan Xia Yu.

Therefore, this live broadcast was a collaboration between Chino and Jin Xia.

Yes, after announcing their relationship, Chi Ye and his girlfriend Jin Xia made their first public appearance together, and the platform they chose was surprising: Mango TV, a live broadcast program hosted by He Jiong.

"Is it settled? Tomorrow night?!"

"Why do you think he's going on the show?"

"I don't understand him at all. I can't guess what he's going to do."

"Isn't that incredibly bold? Going on TV at a time like this, aren't you afraid of being torn apart by fans?"

"You know what, things seem a bit off lately. I checked online today and found a lot of people are actually feeling sorry for him... saying that sasaeng fans are disgusting. These people have been brainwashed. Ikeno's marketing tactics are terrifying!"

"Haven't you guys noticed the box office performance of 'My Sassy Girl'? It's outrageous, I feel like something's not right."

"..."

The news sparked heated discussions both inside and outside the industry, and the Chinese entertainment scene was instantly abuzz with excitement – ​​everyone wanted to know what Ikeno would say on the show.

In fact, even now, some people still doubt the authenticity of this news. After all, no top celebrity has ever dared to go on a show at this time after making an official announcement, and even bring his girlfriend with him.

—Ikeno is definitely not a normal person. Does this incident really have no impact on him at all?
Besides, why is it being broadcast live by Hunan TV?! That's not even part of their business!

Many TV stations, such as Blueberry, Tomato, and Penguin, are secretly envious of Hunan TV's unexpected surge in popularity and traffic.

But all they could do was be envious; what could they do when their relationship with Ikeno was so strained?

Not long ago, Tomato TV had been subtly making things difficult for Chi Ye.

On various public opinion platforms, fans of the "Chipan Xiayu" couple, as well as moviegoers who liked the movie "My Sassy Girl", went crazy. They thought that once the official announcement was made, they would have to wait indefinitely, and they didn't even dare to think about any promotional activities.

Unexpectedly, Chi Ye actually dragged Jin Xia out for a live broadcast!

Aren't these CP fans ecstatic?

I've found the real deal!
...Inside the studio.

Chi Ye and Jin Xia sat on the sofa, with Teacher He acting as the host.

"What's Wrong?" is a live talk show, but it is not primarily hosted by Hunan TV. Instead, it is an investment brought in by He Jiong himself, making it a new program under his personal management.

Thanks to his extensive network of connections, the guests invited to this show before were quite good, but unfortunately, the show's popularity remained mediocre until today, when He Jiong finally felt that his show was about to become a hit.

Because...Ikeno and Jin Xia have arrived.

Chi Ye is a good kid, He Jiong knows. The reason why Chi Ye came and chose his show is at least partly because of their personal friendship.

Therefore, in this episode's script, he was determined to subtly help Ikeno smooth things over regarding her relationship, at least to prevent it from getting any worse than it is now.

The three first gave brief self-introductions, read their prepared announcements, and exchanged pleasantries before He Jiong got down to business: "Alright, today's live interview program is about our movie 'My Sassy Girl.' First of all, congratulations to Chi Chi and Xia Xia on the box office success, it's really getting higher every day..."

"is it?"

Chi Ye looked surprised and turned to look at Jin Xia: "Why didn't you tell me?"

The old lady blinked and naturally replied, "You didn't ask me."

"Oh, I really wasn't in the mood to ask. It's mainly because ever since the official announcement, I've been getting a lot of criticism every day, and I've been feeling quite down lately."

Teacher He: "?!"

Holy crap, they didn't even set up any build-up?
He was genuinely a bit bewildered. He had thought that even if Chi Ye wanted to bring up this topic, he should have been more subtle and waited until the second half of the show. After all, the fact that he had brought Jin Xia out at this time proved that he definitely had something to say.

Otherwise, they could just continue to "escape" instead of coming out to be scolded.

But looking at it now...

Teacher He thought to himself, "How am I supposed to explain this? You never follow the script."

"Uh..." But He Jiong, being a veteran artist, remained calm and composed: "Since Chi Chi brought it up, we've actually collected some questions from netizens about the relationship between the male and female leads in the movie..."

Ikeno: "Is it a problem between on-screen and off-screen?"

This summer: "Teacher He, you don't need to cover for us. It's okay. Just say it directly. Don't worry about making us unhappy."

Ikeno asked curiously, "What if you're really unhappy?"

This summer, she glanced at him and said, "Then I won't record it."

Chi Ye: "...Teacher He, you should just say the nice things. She's really capable of doing this."

Teacher He opened his mouth, and the barrage of comments exploded.

"Aaaaaah!!"

"Who can understand the happiness I've felt as a CP fan who's been shipping the characters since 'See You'?"

"I'm fainting, the best pondside whispers!"

"I have to say, I've suddenly realized that, besides Jin Xia, who else could tolerate Coconut's personality?"

"Haha, what a pair of lunatics and drama queens, they're not ashamed at all."

"I just find it strange. Chi Ye and Jin Xia are just having a normal relationship, they haven't broken any laws or committed any crimes, so why do some people talk about it like they've committed murder and arson, and are even worse than those law-breaking criminals who are in jail?"

"Indeed, the news about stalker fans these past few days has terrified me. It's disgusting. Doesn't this kind of behavior affect celebrities like Yu Yu?"

"To refute those crazy haters of Coconut, you say it's okay for Coconut to date, but idols can't date. I don't disagree with that. But is it possible... that Coconut isn't an idol, and he became famous through his work, okay?"

"Could it be that a good actor like Ikeno shouldn't be ruined by obsessive fans? The Chinese entertainment industry has finally produced such a rising star, what's the point of chasing after her every day?"

"..."

The intensity of the comments was comparable to the fervor surrounding Peng Chen's consumption of Jiang's counterfeit liquor, akin to a lunar landing.

Teacher He is now completely dumbfounded. He is thinking to himself, "After all these years in the entertainment industry, why am I always getting these kinds of situations?"

but…

The way Chino and Jin Xia interact seems...like...probably...just like in the show?
Was it an act?
It's clearly not that similar, no wonder those CP fans are so obsessed with it. To be honest, this is a "growing-up" CP, which is really addictive.

I'll create a separate show for you two as guests; it should generate a lot of buzz!
Teacher He took a deep breath, shifting from his conservative demeanor before the show to a new phase: "Then I'll say something nice... um... when did you two... um... develop feelings for each other on screen?"

Ultimately, he was too kind-hearted; Teacher He was still afraid of asking too obviously.

Chi Ye understood the other person's question: "Teacher He, what you actually want to ask about is what happened off-screen?"

Seeing that he remained so composed, Teacher He's heart suddenly raced, and she simply nodded: "Yes, when was it?"

"This can't be said."

"Oh, is that so...?"

Teacher He was dumbfounded once again.

Ikeno explained, "If I say this, I'll get scolded even more. Next, move on."

Teacher He: “…”

He subconsciously looked at Jin Xia.

The old lady asked curiously, "Teacher He, why are you looking at me like that? I'll add 1."

"..." Teacher He covered his face, feeling that today's program had been out of his control from the very beginning.

Ikeno, as expected of a variety show killer.

Especially when they're together this summer, the synergy between them on TV shows is definitely greater than the sum of its parts.

(End of this chapter)