Huayu: From charlatan to great entertainer

Chapter 588: The premiere of "My Love from the Star" features Lu Liu in a cameo role, and it's a huge hit on WeChat!
It was past 3 a.m. when Ma Yun finally made that call after much agonizing thought.

At this moment, London was just beginning to light up, and the last rays of the setting sun shone through the large French windows into Li Zekai's villa in Kensington, London.

Today is a special day. Although it is not the actual birthday, we took advantage of the rare opportunity for our family to gather in London to celebrate the birthday of my father, Li Jiacheng, who will be born in July.

The atmosphere in the living room was warm yet slightly distant. Li Jiacheng, who was over eighty years old, sat in the main seat, looking energetic and gentle.

In recent years, he has devoted more energy to stable sectors such as European infrastructure, ports and utilities, and has made global investments. His family has indeed been separated for long periods of time. Today, his eldest son Li Zeju and his wife, his second son Li Zekai and his girlfriend Isabella Leong, as well as the Zhuang family's cousins ​​are all present.

The dealer's energy and business are mainly in Hong Kong; only a few of his children, who are studying or have immigrated, are in London.

Li Zekai's phone vibrated in his pocket. He glanced at the number and then casually hung up, continuing to focus on introducing his congratulatory gift: "Dad, everyone else has already given gifts, so I've also prepared a small token of my appreciation."

He gestured to the steward to bring a simple and elegant brocade box. When opened, it revealed a blue-and-white porcelain plate with an iron-red enamel design.

"A blue and white porcelain dish with an iron-red 'Haiwu Tianchou' design from the Qianlong period of the Qing Dynasty, Julian helped me with the appraisal."

He paused briefly, observing the subtle changes in his father's expression, and seeing a hint of interest flash in his eyes, he continued, "This plate depicts the story of 'adding years to the house by the sea,' symbolizing good fortune, longevity, peace, and continuous prosperity."

"What makes it so remarkable is that the blue and white porcelain has a calm and restrained color, the iron red enamel is bright and eye-catching, the glaze is warm and rich, and the decorative patterns and compositions are imbued with the philosophical charm of Eastern philosophy."

Li Zekai smiled and said, "I was thinking of an object that would be in line with the current atmosphere, but not too ostentatious. Placing it on your desk in your study, Dad, might inspire some beneficial thoughts in your daily interactions."

Li Jiacheng picked up the plate and examined it carefully for a moment. He nodded slightly and said in a calm but weighty tone, "Richard is thoughtful. Antiques have a good meaning."

The richest man in Hong Kong then looked at Isabella Leong, who was sitting quietly to the side, and said in a steady tone, "Isabella, take good care of the children. Your health is the most important thing." His words carried the concern of an elder, but also a sense of distance, and he did not say much more.

Isabella Leong immediately bowed slightly, her posture respectful and submissive: "Thank you for your concern, Dad. I will."

Knowing that this business tycoon did not particularly like her, she became increasingly careful in her words and actions.

The gift presented by Zhuang Chenxuan, a third-generation member of the Li and Zhuang families, was an oil painting by a contemporary overseas Chinese artist, characterized by its bright colors and symbolism of pioneering and progress.

Li Jiacheng naturally has a kind and gentle demeanor. Although he has always advocated a strict family style due to his own life trajectory, he does not hesitate to show some encouragement and care for the younger generation on this special day.

"Thank you, Julian, but you've been making quite a splash lately."

"Yes, Grandfather." Zhuang Chenxuan bowed slightly, his face a little embarrassed. Although the family's values ​​had never been the old-fashioned "one country, one family" mentality, such things were still not something he could easily show off.

Especially since he has been branded with accusations like "foreign lackey" and "foreign-worshipping dog," and then dragged down the man he called his great-uncle, who was also criticized by netizens, it's quite embarrassing.

Fortunately, Li Zekai's phone rang stubbornly again, which relieved Zhuang Chenxuan's pressure. He apologized and went to the study to answer the call, and when he returned, he was still calm and collected.

But no one knows a son better than his father, and the unusual look in his eyes did not escape Li Jiacheng's notice. "Richard, come with me for a walk in your garden."

"it is good."

The two walked one after the other along the garden path as dusk deepened. Between the two generations, whose relationship had always been somewhat delicate, a silence permeated the typical tension and estrangement between a Chinese father and son.

The father is authoritative and stern, and the son wants to prove himself but is also prone to rebellion.

Even though they are now in their eighties and forties respectively, the atmosphere and tone they share today are the main reasons for the formation of this delicate relationship, starting from when Li Zekai went abroad alone to work and start a business, and when Li Jiacheng brought women to his door shortly after Zhuang Yueming's death, including anecdotes about Hong Kong actresses such as Li Jiaxin.

"Having troubles lately?" Li Jiacheng asked directly, but did not look him in the eye.

Knowing he couldn't hide it any longer, Li Zekai carefully chose his words and shifted the blame: "It's Julian's matter."

"Dad, you must have heard. He had some disagreements with Lu Kuan at the British Museum and in mainland China. Neil, Cameron's confidant in the art world, gave him an idea... to flatter him first and then undermine him, to dampen his arrogance. So he went to the Pinault family..."

He glossed over it briefly, concealing his deep involvement.

Li Jiacheng stopped and looked calmly at the neatly trimmed hedges in the distance, as if he were looking into the distance.

He hasn't paid attention to the news about the donation of the bronze animal heads yet, but he wouldn't take it seriously even if he did. Even though their strategic priorities don't overlap and he hasn't paid much attention to this richest man in mainland China, such donations from businessmen are quite common.

To take a recent example, the Li Jiacheng Foundation donated US$1 million to build the National Aquatics Center (Water Cube) for the Beijing Olympics two years ago. This is the only landmark building among the Olympic venues funded by donations from compatriots from Hong Kong, Macao, Taiwan and overseas Chinese.

Besides donations during various disasters, other contributions include the establishment of Shantou University and Cheung Kong Graduate School of Business. These efforts have enhanced their influence through education and the creation of elite platforms.

Li Jiacheng naturally wouldn't pay attention to such trivial matters. He didn't press for details, nor did he expose his son's concealment. He simply said something that carried immense weight:
"That young man is quite interesting. I've heard of him before, but you shouldn't be a match for him now."

"Clever tricks are never the right path; even a lion uses its full strength to hunt a rabbit."

He glanced back at Li Zekai, whose hair was also streaked with gray, and said, "Besides, he's the lion to you. What's the point of these little tricks?"

"If you find any valuable business opportunities, you can talk to me about them, as long as they're not in mainland China. But don't act impulsively. You should invite Chenxuan over to apologize to them soon, so you don't lose face."

It was as if a scene that had played out countless times since childhood was replaying itself. Li Zekai smiled and remained silent, and he certainly wouldn't say anything irrational like asking him to help him get revenge.

He himself had only made a move casually because of Zhuang Chenxuan's matter; it was merely a "playful exchange."

Even though their father is an adult, he still doesn't give them any face when he speaks to them. He's always been like this since they were little. It seems that only the two brothers in the whole family are walking on thin ice and trembling with fear.

For Li Zekai, who is about to become a father of three...

That's really quite embarrassing.

The little superhero stood alone, watching his father's not-so-imposing figure walk away, his face slightly gloomy in the twilight.
-
After an overnight emergency consultation, at 10:00 AM on June 18th, Tencent's mobile instant messaging software "Q-Message" was released for download as scheduled.

Although the event was disrupted by what the big and small horse groups considered a "black swan" event, it was actually a joyous occasion that was being passed around by word of mouth throughout the country, which greatly attracted the attention of the event. However, in such a short time, they had no better way to reverse the situation and could only bite the bullet and move forward.

Q-Message, a mobile-era instant messaging software born because of the existence of time travelers, was born just like that.

In the previous life, WeChat was born in 2011. Although the first mobile communication software to be launched in this life was still from Tencent, and it was earlier than WeChat, which was released and made available for download later that night in conjunction with "My Love from the Star", this Q-Message can only be described as mediocre.

Because they lost the product manager, the soul of the product, and because Ma Huateng had already guessed this in advance with great shrewdness, how could a fast-paced product possibly produce any fine work?
Starting a few days ago, Tencent began teasing and generating anticipation through QQ pop-ups, QQ Space logs, and the Tencent Technology Channel.

On the day of release, the most important tactic was still to use pop-ups across the entire QQ client, directly attaching download links. This was the most lethal move, capable of instantly reaching hundreds of millions of core users.

Simultaneously, promotions were conducted on the WAP portal (Mobile Penguin website), through pre-installation partnerships with major mobile phone manufacturers and distributors, and in app store recommendations on mainstream system platforms such as Symbian. Offline activities focused on campus promotions and bundling with mobile phone plans from carriers.

The core of the entire marketing logic is to seamlessly migrate the massive user relationship network and traffic accumulated by QQ in the PC era to the mobile terminal.

Despite the major news of the return of the bronze animal heads significantly diverting public attention, Q-WeChat's first-day data still demonstrated the scale of a giant entering the market, thanks to the unparalleled channel advantages of the Tencent empire.

Within six hours of its release, Q-WeChat had 100 million new registered users, which was actually in line with Tencent's own expectations.

Unless you're an internet giant like Tencent or Wenjie, getting your hands on data is practically impossible.

In 2010, QQ had around 6.5 million monthly active users, but fewer than 1 million users were online at the same time. In this mobile communication war that was initiated prematurely by time travelers, the corresponding smartphone market was actually a year ahead of its time.

Currently, the domestic smartphone market, or even the global smartphone market, is still dominated by Symbian. It uses both 2G and 3G networks, and downloading an installation package that is several MB requires patience and the data charges are relatively high.

But tech giants don't hesitate on things that are so strategically important. Otherwise, Tencent wouldn't have watched software like KiK rise so quickly and then immediately had Zhang Xiaolong, who developed the email service, switch to WeChat.

These millions of users quickly began providing feedback on their use and experience after downloading the app. Following the 618 shopping festival and the return of the animal heads, the internet sphere now has another topic to discuss, though the volume is relatively small, as active users are still a very small minority.

The main functions of this version of QQ are almost identical to those of the previous version of WeChat:

First, it is deeply integrated with QQ, seamlessly inheriting QQ's friend relationship chain and groups. After users log in with their QQ number, their friend list is automatically synchronized without the need to add them again. This reduces the user's migration cost, but it also means that it is more like a functional module of QQ and lacks independence.

The good thing is that the application package is deliberately made smaller than the increasingly bloated QQ mobile version, and the startup speed and chat interface switching speed have also been optimized, with "lightweight" as one of its main selling points.

A "status" feature similar to a "signature" has also been added, allowing users to post short texts and pictures, which friends can like and comment on, forming a simplified version of "Moments". However, this feature highly overlaps with QQ Space and has weak interactivity, making it more of a trial.

Overall, according to Zhang Xiaolong and the others at Wenjie, Q-Xin is still a hastily launched version to cope with the challenges from their own side, and it is in dire need of further updates and iterations. Perhaps it is just to gain a foothold in this market where they have always had an advantage.

After all, such competition cannot be decided overnight.

……

As of 7 PM Beijing time on June 18th, Tencent's Ali's 618 promotion, having suffered a major setback during its peak period, has only just surpassed the 250 million yuan mark, exceeding last year's Double Eleven sales.

Considering the resources used by Tencent and Alipay, as well as the growth in weekly user numbers and Alipay card-linked users in the domestic e-commerce market over the past seven months, this figure can only be described as barely satisfactory.

The good thing is that we can use the "surpassing the limits of Double Eleven" as a gimmick for advertorial marketing, since netizens are blind and can only see the numerical difference.
The bad thing is that there are only 5 hours left. It is unknown whether the hype and popularity of "My Love from the Star" can finally break the 3 million mark. It can be considered a good start for the cooperation between the two top domestic Internet companies.

Starting at 7:00 AM, all the major sections within the Wenjie system began a collective publicity campaign.

In addition to office building elevator ads and outdoor screens that started promoting "My Love from the Star," "The Ballad," and "The Book of Peace" a week ago, Zhijie Weibo launched an exclusive special feature early on, which will be updated and broadcast simultaneously with Travel Channel.

This "TV-Internet integration" model is still rare today, and it caused quite a stir in the industry before the news was announced.

It is common knowledge that TV stations pay a hefty fee for a first run or exclusive premiere of a drama series. How could they possibly allow other video websites to share the broadcast?
Therefore, in the past, TV series producers usually had to choose one of two options under certain conditions, or agree to delay the broadcast.

However, this problem does not exist in the current situation of Wenjie, because it combines the identities of TV stations, video websites and production companies. The "TV-Internet linkage" has a "1+1+1>3" effect for Wenjie. Instead of internal friction, it can promote the popularity of the drama to a greater extent.

This is mainly because the viewing habits of the younger generation, white-collar workers, and students have gradually shifted to the internet. The "on-demand, pause-anytime" feature of video websites perfectly compensates for the limitations of linear broadcasting by television stations, providing convenience for viewers who cannot watch television on time. It accurately captures the most dynamic and consumer-capable native internet audience, effectively supplementing and expanding the television audience.

The benefits are even greater in terms of generating buzz and sustaining popularity, creating engaging content, enhancing platform value, and building brand image.

Of course, just like Netflix's upcoming "House of Cards", Zhijie Video in China and Netflix will simultaneously launch the first-generation big data tool that can accurately track users' viewing behavior. This was also pioneered by Netflix in the previous life and can be considered a legacy left by Hastings.

By generating detailed user profiles and data reports based on viewing completion rates, pause points, and drag-and-drop behavior, these data can be used to optimize the company's recommendation algorithms and content acquisition strategies. They can even provide producers and advertisers with unprecedented insights into audience feedback.

After Liu Yifei, Jing Tian, ​​Su Chang, Bingbing, Huang Xiaoming and others finished their own Weibo promotions, Travel Channel took the lead in starting the live broadcast. Zhijie Video will be available online after the two episodes are finished. This is called "follow-up broadcast".

……

Hengdian World Studios, a Ming and Qing Dynasty palace scenic area.

Former top Chinese actress Fan Bing is currently filming "Jade Dynasty 3". Due to the needs of the plot, her character is struck by "heavenly lightning".

However, Fan Bing has a secret that no one knows—she is actually terrified of loud noises.

When the pyrotechnician prepared to create a thunder effect, she tried to remain calm, but her eyes betrayed her unease. After the shoot, she immediately returned to her RV surrounded by her assistant and agent, appearing tired and in a bad mood.

Through the production crew, dialogue, and the director's helplessness, the background and personality of the female lead played by Bingbing begin to emerge:
At 25, she is a national goddess and a queen of controversy, but her straightforward and sometimes thoughtless words and actions often cause controversy, leaving her feeling lonely inside.

After a simple opening, the scene shifts to the bustling metropolis of Shanghai. To escape media harassment, Fan Bing moves into Tomson Riviera in Pudong New Area. The move is a grand affair, with a large number of clothes, shoes (especially high heels), and luxury suitcases piling up in the corridors, causing a stir.

Tomson Riviera, including the numerous luxury boxes in the passageways, is like a large-scale, walking advertisement placement.

Hard trunks emblazoned with a huge Louis Vuitton logo and orange Hermès gift boxes were piled up like mountains;

High heels scattered on the ground, the red Christian Louboutin logo clearly visible on the soles;
The assistant was holding a dust bag for clothes embroidered with Prada's classic triangle logo. The camera panned across this luxurious mess, yet the image quality resembled that of a fashion magazine shoot.

At that moment, Zhuang Yan, who lived across the hall, happened to come out. Huang Xiaoming, who played the youngest professor at Fudan University, was wearing a simple suit. He had a cool temperament, a handsome face, but a distant expression.

Viewers felt somewhat "unfamiliar" when they first saw Huang Xiaoming.

He was even more astonished when he, displeased by the noise outside, walked expressionlessly through Fan Bing and her luggage and headed straight for the elevator!

It's actually not oily anymore!

This was Huang Xiaoming's self-deprecating and teasing post on Weibo, which everyone took as a way to prepare themselves mentally. However, in the first scene of their first meeting, both Fan Bing's slight displeasure and curiosity at his "ignorance" and Zhuang Yan's accurate and concise body language were evident.

This is Huang Xiaoming's first time playing the male lead in a film and television drama co-produced by Wenjie and Wuyue, so he naturally didn't dare to be careless. He consulted Lu Kuan and many acting teachers and veteran actors from a professional acting perspective, and adopted "subtractive acting" and "internal techniques":
First, there is minimalist facial expressions and body language, abandoning any unnecessary smiles, raised eyebrows or exaggerated gestures, with minimal fluctuations in expression, and the gaze is often in a detached state that transcends reality.

Just as the noise of Fan Bing's moving team contrasted with his avoidance of eye contact and slight turning of his body as he walked by, it was a sense of detachment from not wanting to be involved, rather than a deliberate display of indifference.

Secondly, there are aspects that haven't yet been shown, such as the rhythm and pauses of the dialogue, as well as the internalization of the character's emotions. These will create a comedic contrast and juxtaposition with the "lousy" female lead.

The opening scene featured Bingbing, who played the female lead herself, and Huang Xiaoming, who showcased her natural beauty. Coupled with exquisite makeup, top-notch fashion elements, and the first-rate costume and prop production of the Wenjie team, the audience was deeply immersed in the story.

Especially the details of Bingbing's current movements:

While complaining about the hardships of moving, she nonchalantly made a phone call, her bare feet treading on a pair of Christian Louboutin high heels that had just fallen off. The whole scene was noisy and chaotic, yet strangely alluring, revealing the ostentatious and true personality of a top female star who was unable to take care of herself, spoiled, yet radiating an aura of glamour.

Fan Bingbing's performance accurately captured the "natural superstar aura" and the "comedy of lacking common sense," making the character Fan Bing vivid, exaggerated, and unforgettable within the first few minutes.

Meanwhile, a product placement that captivated viewers without them even realizing it quietly arrived...

Because the elevator was out of service, Zhao Liying's character, the female assistant, ran up the stairs breathlessly and said urgently, "Sister Bing, the media wrote about you being arrogant yesterday."

She stayed with the company after Huayi Brothers collapsed, but remained relatively unknown. In this drama, she landed a role that suited her personality perfectly.

Bingbing, who plays Fan Bing, is troubled by negative news, but her phone is out of battery. She habitually reaches out to her assistant: "Give me your phone!" The female assistant hands her a HarmonyOS phone, the first smartphone to run on the Android system, built on the original Lenovo LePhone platform. It is still in the final testing phase and is a touchscreen phone with a Home button. It is a legacy left by the former chairman.

A simple green app icon lit up the screen, and the round-faced assistant looked at the capricious "expired female celebrity" with a constipated expression:
"Sister Bing, if you're going to have a fight with Sister Li, I suggest you don't call her. After all, she's your manager."

"How can I express my dissatisfaction if I don't call? What's wrong with my agent?" Fan Bing looked at her impatiently.

Zhao Liying said awkwardly, "It's easy to offend people when you speak too hastily. You already have a lot of rivals who are trying to smear you. If it weren't for Weibo cracking down on online trolls..."

She cleverly pointed to the green icon on the screen that had been on screen for at least 10 seconds in the eyes of the audience:
“Let’s use WeChat! How about we use WeChat’s voice messaging feature? We can speak one sentence at a time, at least that will help us control our temper a little. If you say anything inappropriate, don’t send it out… We’ve already offended quite a few people.”

"Me!" Fan Bing was furious. Looking at the busy moving workers in front of her, she felt helpless about her current situation and finally succumbed to reality.

The camera zooms in on her as she opens the green app called WeChat, her finger hovering over the microphone icon at the bottom of the screen.

Bingbing said emotionally, "Sister Li, all that stuff online is nonsense! I was just tired yesterday, there was no diva behavior at all!"

After saying that, he released his finger, and the voice message was sent successfully instantly.

Fan Bing paused for a moment, a hint of surprise and relief from the convenience flashing across her face: "Huh? This is quite convenient."

She then gracefully entered the room in her high heels, communicating with her agent via WeChat as she walked.

The product placement lasted about thirty seconds and then ended, but viewers across the country who were watching on television also saw it.

"You just sent it directly?"

"No need to type?"

"This is more convenient than sending a text message!"

A sense of novelty and a desire to try it spread among many viewers, especially young viewers.

Almost at the same minute that the storyline finished demonstrating WeChat's voice messaging function, a meticulously planned online promotional campaign was launched instantly:
A small green icon in the lower right corner of the TV screen blinked twice, displaying a message: "WeChat is now available for download. Chat with Bingbing via voice!" It appeared briefly without disrupting the immersion and continuity of the series.

At the same time, Zhijie Video prominently displayed a floating notification on the drama's playback page: "Fan Bing's 'WeChat' is now online! Click to download and chat with your friends about 'My Love from the Star' using short voice messages!"

Related topics on Weibo's trending searches also rose rapidly, with hashtags such as #WeChatPressToTalk# and #FanBing'sSameWeChatStyle# appearing out of nowhere. Starring Fan Bingbing, Huang Xiaoming, and other actors, along with artists from the Wenjie series such as Su Chang and Tong Liya, simultaneously posted WeChat voice messages, creating a viral spread.

All the floating ads on websites within the Wenjie system, Focus Media's offline buildings, pop-ups on partner portal websites... all channels were pointing to WeChat downloads at the same time.

All of this working together is like flipping a master switch.

Curious viewers quickly picked up their phones to search and download the app. The number of downloads on WeChat, along with the popularity of "My Love from the Star," showed a sharp upward curve, with a growth rate far exceeding that of QQ WeChat during the day.

From God's perspective, the traffic landscape on June 618th was completely overturned.

Alibaba's Penguin promotional page, despite a final push in the last few hours, saw its attention curve resemble a weary wave, seemingly destined to finally fall short of the 3 million mark, yet the number of followers dwindled.

Discussions surrounding Q-Message plummeted almost instantly after WeChat's voice messaging feature was showcased, suggesting that the times are not yet ready to accept a communication tool with overlapping functions and no disruptive innovation.

All the traffic, topics, and attention surged into two new focal points:
Discussing the plot of "My Love from the Star" and downloading and experiencing the magical app that lets you "press and hold to talk"—WeChat.

A new era of mobile social networking began in a dramatic way that night.

……

The plot of "My Love from the Star" flows smoothly, and soon Fan's mother and younger brother, who come to visit, explain why she moved. It was to escape her mother who only cares about her income and her brother who is indifferent to her and only knows how to ask for money.

A classic Chinese family where the mother is overly protective of her brother will resonate with audiences in the upcoming episodes.

In the last ten minutes of the first episode, the plot shifts to the banquet hall of the Grand Hyatt Shanghai.

Bingbing, who plays Fan Bing, is invited to attend a high-end fashion brand launch event. She gets out of the car in a gorgeous dress and prepares to enter the venue under the flashing lights and the attention of the crowd, instantly becoming the focus of attention.

Here she met Liu Shimei, the second female lead, who was portrayed as a gentle but jealous second-tier actress and Fan Bing's vicious "best friend".

Fan Bing greeted Liu Shimei with apparent pride, her words carrying the superiority of a star, while Liu Shimei outwardly complimented her, but deep in his eyes lay a barely perceptible envy and resentment.

I wonder if Yang Mi will think this is a dig at her...

However, just as viewers were beginning to anticipate the next episode, the first episode of "My Love from the Star," filled with various exciting moments, suddenly took an extremely dramatic turn!

Just as Fan Bing reached the hotel entrance, a doorman wearing a slightly oversized uniform and with his hat pulled low suddenly appeared before the astonished audience.

He opened the heavy glass door for Fan Bing, looked up and gave a professional smile. The close-up shot clearly captured that face—it was Boss Lu!

So the mystery guest star we teased on Weibo was you, Washing Machine!
Before the audience could even process the stark contrast in their identities, the camera panned to a hostess in a well-fitting but slightly tacky cheongsam, carrying a silver tray, who came forward to greet them.

Her makeup was light, deliberately toning down her usual radiance, but her clear eyes and outstanding bone structure still made the audience instantly recognize who she was...

Oh, the celestial beauty who's been drastically sculpted by makeup! She's back in a TV drama working for her husband again! And this time, the couple is working together!

"Madam, please have a hot towel." The hostess, Liu Yifei, said softly and humbly as she handed the towel to Fan Bing.

Fan Bing, who was completely focused on "confronting" Liu Shimei, did not notice the etiquette lady at all. She casually took the towel and walked straight to Liu Shimei, leaving her standing aside.

The close-up shot focuses on Liu Yifei, who glances at Fan Bing's back and subtly and quickly purses her lips, whispering something only she can hear:

"Hmph, what's with the arrogance... Once Director Lu casts me as the lead actress in a movie, what chance will you have!"

These words were overheard by Lu Kuan, the doorman who was standing nearby with a smile.

He turned his head and gave Liu Yifei a look that was inappropriate for a doorman, as if he were scrutinizing a project proposal. He then chuckled softly with a hint of mockery.
"Standing here dreaming all day! If you can become a female celebrity, I can become the richest person in the country!"

The hostess, played by Liu Yifei, was somewhat embarrassed and angry that her thoughts had been exposed, and glared at him fiercely:
"You want to be the richest man? Go be a gigolo!"

……

"Hahaha!" The TV viewers burst into laughter, and video bloggers and Weibo influencers were already thinking about how to create derivative works.

The real-life tycoon couple, Lu and Liu, play a doorman and a hostess, bickering in the show, creating a strong comedic effect through multiple and extreme interactions.

The most direct impact is visual:

As the richest man in mainland China and an internationally renowned director, Xi Ji was ignored by the star Fan Bing while wearing an ill-fitting uniform;
Meanwhile, Liu Yifei, the "national goddess," humbly offered a towel but was ignored, creating a sense of absurd humor in this "king experiencing bronze-level gameplay."

The mismatch between the lines and the characters' identities is also hilarious. Xiao Liu's vulgar line, "Go be a gigolo," which is a devastating contrast to the fairy-like character, is explosively powerful.

The highest level of humor lies in breaking the "fourth wall." All the audience members know perfectly well that this is a real-life couple flirting with each other through their roles. This meta-humor of "play within a play" makes the audience feel as if they are glimpsing the real interactions of superstars in private, generating a strong sense of participation and playful fun.

This kind of top-notch self-deprecation based on real-world perception is far more sophisticated than ordinary comedy segments, and instantly became a trending meme that swept social media the night of the broadcast.

The first episode of "My Love from the Star" ended quickly, and Bingbing updated her Weibo:

Thanks to Boss Lu and Yi Fei for their cameo appearances. Allow me to indulge myself for once and enjoy the feeling of being a superior person, haha!

Okay, here comes another hot topic that's going to compete with the "618 Shopping Festival" and QQ for traffic and attention. It's still a topic closely tied to WeChat and the drama "My Love from the Star".

The second episode of "My Love from the Star" attracted more viewers due to the topics of WeChat and Lu Liu's cameo appearances. Before 9 p.m., only two topics about "618 Shopping Festival" were still floating in the top ten of Weibo's trending topics.

Being rear-ended or sunk no longer seems like a strange occurrence.

The first episode of "My Love from the Star" premiered promptly at 7:30 pm on Travel Channel's prime time slot. With two episodes airing back-to-back and commercial breaks in between, the end credits rolled around 9:15 pm.

Almost at the same minute that the TV screen went dark, the number of visits to the special page for the first episode of "My Love from the Star" on the Zhijie Video platform surged instantly, and the server even experienced a brief delay in response. A massive number of viewers who switched from the TV station and young netizens who had been waiting in front of their computers flocked to the page.

The number of bullet comments exploded, with the opening sequence being flooded with comments such as "I came for WeChat" and "In which episode does Boss Lu make a cameo appearance?"

When the plot reached 38 minutes and 07 seconds, the classic scene of the doorman played by Boss Lu and the hostess played by Liu Yifei bickering appeared, and the density of bullet comments reached its peak. "The richest duck king has been launched!" "High energy ahead!" "The fairy is cursing, hahaha" and other jokes completely covered the screen. The "check-in" behavior spontaneously formed by the audience made this moment a landmark.

Within an hour of the series' release, the platform's popularity index surpassed its historical peak, generating far more interaction and creative output than typical dramas.

The entire internet has been swept up in a frenzy of various topics, from the return of the animal heads at midnight on June 618th to today's "My Love from the Star," WeChat, and the cameo appearances of Lu Liu and his wife—it's simply overwhelming.

As midnight approached, the atmosphere in Penguin and Ali's 618 Operation Command Center was heavy and weary.

After a brief surge in the final minutes, the final transaction amount on the big screen finally settled at 3.02 million.

This number did indeed surpass the 2.5 million yuan achieved during last year's Singles' Day, but no one cheered. The entire command center was filled with a sense of oppressive "pyrrhic victory."

Everyone understands that this report card is at best a passing grade of 60.

The reason is that, in order to achieve this number, they invested far more in marketing subsidies and omnichannel resources than the former, which squeezed their profit margin to an extremely low level.
More importantly, this battle, which was originally intended to establish industry authority and win over users' minds, was completely overshadowed in terms of popularity and buzz. In the public's memory, it is destined to become a dim backdrop completely overshadowed by the brilliance of "My Love from the Star" and WeChat.

This was a costly victory that lost its strategic significance.

It has to be said that Wenjie, which has been immersed in the mainland's internet and entertainment industries for nearly ten years, has taken marketing in the internet age to its extreme.

At 10:00 AM on June 19th, before the internet was fully quiet, the official Weibo account of the Wenjie series and its main creators announced the glorious results of last night's battle in the form of a battle report.

Director Xue Xiaolu was the first to release a long infographic, the core data of which was astonishing:

The first two episodes of "My Love from the Star" achieved an average national viewership rating of 28.5% on Travel Channel, with peak ratings exceeding 32% and a market share of an astonishing 48%.

This achievement not only significantly surpassed the ratings records previously set by LeTV Culture's popular actress Yang Mi's "Palace" and Hunan TV's "Princess Pearl 3," but also approached the historical peak level of CCTV's prime-time drama of the year, "Country Love Story."

These figures mean that during the broadcast time, nearly half of Chinese households that turned on their TVs were watching the show, creating a new record for TV drama ratings on satellite channels.

The follow-up data from the Zhijie video platform is equally impressive. Within 12 hours of its launch, the series' special page had over 8000 million views and more than 3000 million bullet comments. Among them, the "male prostitute" scene featuring Lu Kuan and Liu Yifei became the most frequently viewed spot, creating a new milestone in the interaction volume of video websites.

At the same time, Wenjie's official Weibo account announced WeChat's explosive growth:

Since the TV show demo feature was introduced the night before last, as of 9 a.m. on the 19th, WeChat has added more than 500 million new registered users, and the growth curve shows no signs of slowing down.

In stark contrast, although Tencent's QQ Messenger has accumulated over 400 million downloads thanks to its channel advantages, this is largely due to passive installations driven by users' desire to try it out. Its actual daily active users and usage time are exceptionally dismal, as the vast majority of users quickly abandon QQ Messenger after experiencing the convenience of WeChat's "press and hold to talk" feature.

Discussions about voice messages are rampant across the internet. The novelty and practicality of "speaking directly and sending messages" have made WeChat a new social favorite.

Countless users, especially young people, have become obsessed with this feature. Whether it's greetings between friends, sweet nothings between lovers, or even notifications in QQ groups, they are all being replaced by short voice messages.

The ultimate convenience of "press to talk, release to send" has quickly made it the preferred choice besides text messages and expensive phone calls. A brand-new, more humane and efficient way of mobile communication is penetrating the country at a viral speed, profoundly changing the daily communication habits of ordinary people.

The "romantic allure of the product" that Boss Lu used to entice Zhang Xiaolong to join the Liangshan bandits is gradually becoming a reality.

Of course, Q-WeChat fans don't need to worry. Undoubtedly, the voice function will be available soon.

On June 24, 2010, at the China Digital Ecosystem Summit and Golden Net Awards Ceremony held in Lin'an, media scholar Yu Guoming followed the hot topic and conducted a detailed analysis of the "618 Marketing War" that took place a week earlier and was destined to be recorded in the history of China's Internet, media industry, and marketing.

Yu Guoming was then the vice dean of the School of Journalism and Communication at Renmin University of China and the director of the Institute of Public Opinion at Renmin University of China. He was one of the earliest scholars in China to systematically study public opinion, media influence, and social communication effects.

His special lecture was published in the China Media News and became a key subject of analysis for various Internet companies and the media industry.

Dean Yu pointed out that the profound significance of Wenjie Group's campaign lies in providing a new and highly disruptive paradigm reference for capital forces seeking transformation in the surging wave of digitalization, especially traditional energy capital (coal) and emerging internet capital.

The success of Wenjie is not simply a matter of adding marketing techniques, but a profound demonstration of how the power of capital resonates with the pulse of social culture.

For a long time, whether it is traditional capital accumulated based on resource endowments (such as coal capital) or emerging capital that has risen with traffic and technology (such as internet capital), its operating model has often been characterized by a strong "predatory" nature:
The former is reflected in the extensive exploitation of natural resources, while the latter is reflected in the simple harvesting of user attention.

However, Wenjie has taken a completely different approach this time:

It first takes the "return of the animal heads" as a cultural event that carries the collective emotions of the nation as its starting point, transforming the energy of capital into a social value output with moral high standards and emotional warmth, thereby occupying the commanding heights of public opinion and emotions;
Subsequently, through the top-tier entertainment content "My Love from the Star," this grand sense of national sentiment was seamlessly transformed into a concrete and widely participatory cultural consumption behavior, achieving precise traffic acquisition and the construction of emotional stickiness;

Ultimately, by focusing on WeChat's highly convenient "press and hold to talk" feature, the company effectively transformed the massive social attention and emotional energy accumulated earlier into tangible user behavior habits and product loyalty.

It demonstrates to all capital that the most efficient way to increase capital value is no longer through one-dimensional consumption or plunder, but by empowering social and cultural processes and meeting the deep emotional needs of the people, thereby internalizing it into an indispensable social infrastructure.

This undoubtedly provides a feasible paradigm for traditional capital, which is struggling to find a path to transformation and upgrading and is eager to shed the "nouveau riche" label, such as coal capital seeking to "turn from black to white" and emerging internet capital eager to find a sustainable growth model, to leap from "commercial value" to "social value".

This battle signifies that the power of capital is learning how to embed itself in and drive social progress in a more sophisticated, profound, and responsible way, which may usher in a new era of relationship between capital and society.

An era defined by industry paradigms, standards, and emotional values ​​established by the country's largest private enterprise.

Perhaps in the not-too-distant future, we will see how, under Lu Kuan's leadership, Wenjie will maximize the potential of a "do no evil" capital.

(End of this chapter)