Huayu: Traffic is king

Chapter 124 Congratulations on discovering the treasure!
With the successful conclusion of the first concert, Gu Jingyi has captured the attention of Nine Percent fans with extremely high praise and a surge in online discussions.

This has made fans even more excited for the concerts in the following two days.

Following the 16th, on the 17th and 18th, Milkball held two more concerts in Tianjin and Hangzhou.

The concert was a great success, without any incidents or accidents.

Concerts generally follow the same format. Aside from slight differences in venue capacity, the performance flow and songs are almost identical.

Gu Jingyi's "Lover" has become a huge hit, not only topping the charts on QQ Music and NetEase Cloud Music, but also achieving an "All Kill" status.

It also sparked a hand gesture dance craze on the YinYu platform. In less than a day, more than 200 million videos related to Gu Jingyi's "Lover" challenge were posted on the YinYu platform, and the background music "Lover" spread like wildfire.

HuaCe took the opportunity to spend money on promotion for "Lover", but not on Weibo, but on YinYue.

This decision was made after discussing it with Gu Jingyi. The original plan was to release some fun and interesting clips of "Lover" to create a buzz.

Gu Jingyi refused, wanting the public to focus on the song rather than the entertainment.

He didn't want the song "Lover" to become a meme like "Go go go, let's go! How strong is the taste of black coffee?"

The song "Lover" is of high quality and has won awards such as "Top Ten Songs of the Year at the 2020 Tencent Music Entertainment Awards" and "Top Ten Songs at the Oriental Billboard Music Awards".

To this day, "Lover" remains Cai Xukun's most popular and representative work, without exception.

That's why Gu Jingyi is so wicked; he even borrowed Kunkun's line from "throwing lip balm to the fans on stage."

In his previous life, when Gu Jingyi saw Kun Kun interacting with fans at a fan meeting at Milk Foam Forest, and then opening a brand new lip balm, applying it to Kun Kun's distinctively full lower lip before throwing it away, his expression was exactly the same as Wang Jiaer's shocked expression when he saw his boss dancing on stage in a transparent outfit at an awards ceremony.

Unexpectedly, in this second life, Gu Jingyi has followed the same path as Kunkun.

He certainly didn't have the greasy movements of the original Kun Kun; he simply cupped the face of the doll dressed in a wedding gown in one hand, gave it a light kiss on its veil, and casually tossed it off the stage—that was much better than throwing away a used lip balm.

The purpose of lip balm is to be applied to the lips and reused repeatedly. Cai Xukun's act of discarding the used lip balm seems rather deliberate.

Even if it weren't lip balm that was lost, but something else their idol had kissed, the fans who found it would treasure it like a precious gem, showering and then closing the curtains. After confirming no one was around, wouldn't the fans then go on a kissing spree on the object be similar to that "indirect kiss" with the lip balm?
There are different levels of fangirling. Gu Jingyi's act of dropping a kissed veil on the stage of "Lover" carries a special meaning. The motivation is the same, but it's much more sophisticated than Kun Kun's deliberate "indirect kiss" that even a passerby would immediately associate with it.

At most, fans will go crazy in their Weibo fan groups; they won't do it openly.

Passersby who saw Gu Jingyi's "veiled kiss" would only find it alluring, not immediately associate it with "indirect kissing." Although fans who happen to see it will certainly do the same thing, as long as it's not done openly, no one can find fault with it.

Ah, it can only be said that those who hunt geese all day long eventually get pecked by them. Unknowingly, Gu Jingyi has become the very thing he once hated most.

How can you blame him? It's all Kun Kun's fault!

The concert exclusive version of "Lover" quickly topped the Douyin trending list thanks to the efforts of Huace.

On an ordinary night, Li Yitong returned to her hotel after finishing her night shoot for "Royal Nirvana".

After washing up, she put on a face mask and started scrolling through Douyin (TikTok).

The music trend in 2018 was relatively simple; most of the push notifications were for scenery or music songs.

Popular trends in later generations, such as stage fancams, cute pet videos, and mukbang videos, were rarely seen during this period.

When Li Yitong has free time, she likes to heat up a cup of milk and watch popular scenery videos on short video platforms to relax and relieve stress before falling asleep with a pleasant mood.

I've scrolled through more than a dozen short videos, and they're all filled with beautiful scenery.

That's how Douyin works; it relies on big data and AI to predict user preferences and then precisely pushes content to them. Li Yitong quickly became addicted, going to sleep after only ten minutes at first, but before she knew it, an hour had passed and she was still holding her phone, swiping her fingers to refresh new videos.

While these landscapes may seem breathtaking at first glance, celebrities generally earn more than the average person. They also frequently travel during their free time, and some of the places they've visited aren't as stunning as depicted in the videos.

Looking at the stunning scenery of this famous scenic spot in Yunnan Province in the video, Li Yitong felt a little out of place when she recalled her terrible experience before.

Just as she was frowning and preparing to exit the music app, she accidentally clicked on the leaderboard.

On the leaderboard, a very familiar name is at the top, but the popularity indicator is not the red "Explosive" but a deep purple "Boiling".

"The only stage performance of 'The Lover,' a pure version video from the perspective of the dream girl."

The title clearly indicated that Li Yitong would be interested in it, but she also had some doubts.

What is "The Lover"?
A somewhat absurd idea rose in my mind, accompanied by a sense of guilt and embarrassment.

At nineteen, you can't hide anything forever. Gu Jingyi thought she had managed to appease him. She never expected him to surprise her so unexpectedly, and to do it right in front of his fans.

As for the pure performance version of the stage, Li Yitong was certainly familiar with this filming method. She had been scouted by SM Entertainment before and had some knowledge of these techniques.

She has watched some idol performances, and she has also covered some idol trainees' dances or songs.

As for the stage performances, the idols from the "idol training" system generally performed only so-so. The filming was also mediocre; the camera angles were off, the idols' movements were a beat slow, and the stage performances lacked any outstanding charm.

Overall, there was nothing particularly special about it, and it was nowhere near as good as the official stage performances released by the production team. On the contrary, some fans of the original series were busy criticizing these idol-training shows on their homepages, saying that their idols' performances had been ruined and that yet another original work had been destroyed.

When the music platform suddenly pushed such a live music stage to her, Li Yitong instinctively wanted to swipe away.

However, the video already has over three million, nearly four million likes, and only one day has passed since it was uploaded.

Li Yitong, out of curiosity, immediately clicked play. When the video started and Gu Jingyi, dressed in a white suit, appeared on stage, she covered her mouth and watched intently.

Just by looking at the costumes and the stage, you can tell it's a Napason concert.

Needless to say, the single is Gu Jingyi's lover. To date, he has only had this one public stage performance of this song, as if it had been watermarked.

"Thank goodness it wasn't swiped away just now. It's Gu Jingyi. This outfit really looks good on him. No wonder The Veil Kiss has been so popular these past few days."

As a female celebrity who is tech-savvy, Li Yitong quickly guessed the origin of the "veil kiss" from this outfit.

These past few days, people have been posting it everywhere on WeChat Moments and Weibo.

Because she was busy filming, she only had time to appreciate it two days after the stage performance and when the hype had subsided slightly.

Unlike the version released at the official concert, the fan-made video doesn't start after the music begins; it starts filming from the moment Gu Jingyi is on stage looking for his seat.

It was released about ten seconds earlier than the version posted by the official Milk Foam Forest account, and it also captured Gu Jingyi with a slight smile on his face before the official start.

When the psychedelic and trap-style intro to "Lover" began, Gu Jingyi's expression suddenly changed. He looked down at the ground, and when he looked up again, the curve of his lips had changed.

His smile was somewhat eccentric; despite wearing a white suit that symbolized elegance, there was something different about him.

Today's Gu Jingyi was different from his previous style, shifting from a first-love vibe to a bad-boy look. This series of changes in expression were primarily captured from the audience, using fixed camera angles. However, some moments missed by the official cameras were also captured by fans' perspectives.

Before the intro began, Gu Jingyi heard fans cheering and calling out "Gu Jingyi".

Although he had composed himself and his expression, he still politely gave his fans an 'OK' sign after hearing their cheers.

These behind-the-scenes moments were something the official team hadn't even filmed, and Li Yitong suddenly found this direct-cam video quite interesting. As an online viewer, she was surprised to see so many small details about the song.

What's the difference between this and those audience members who watched Gu Jingyi perform on stage at a concert, or those who witnessed his departure from the shopping mall?

As the performance officially began, a spotlight shone down. Gu Jingyi, dressed in a white suit, held a handheld microphone and sang the first line of lyrics with a somewhat languid air.

"Eye contact is an illusion."

"Your silhouette by the pool is outlined, warm, spreading."

His singing style was languid and sophisticated. Coupled with Gu Jingyi's top-tier good looks and a smile that was different from his usual gentle demeanor, his smile had a touch of roguish charm.

This made Li Yitong's heart flutter. She remembered that Gu Jingyi had done something naughty to her in the same roguish way that day.

"Countless midnights, reckless and unrestrained. Lost in drunken revelry, without any intention of pursuing anything, unable to stop."

Gu Jingyi's dance steps began to change, and he walked into a transparent tent that had been set up. He pushed open the door, went in, and carried out a mannequin dressed in a wedding dress with one hand.

"All I want to do is fool around, my heart is pounding."

From sunset to the morning moonlight, I'll hold you until dawn.

Gu Jingyi danced gracefully with the mannequin in his arms, creating an infinitely romantic scene under the spotlight.

"Your gentle kiss sent me into a frenzy."

As the chorus begins, Gu Jingyi holds a mannequin dressed in a wedding dress in one hand.

He gently kissed the veil of the model dressed as a bride, then deftly tossed the veil onto the stage.

"Ahhh, Gu Jingyi!"

"Gu Jingyi, you can't! You're only 19, you can't kiss me!"

"Did anyone manage to get the veil? Holy crap!"

His fans, girlfriend fans, and dream girls all lost control because of this one action, and the atmosphere in the audience was extremely enthusiastic.

Li Yitong, watching from behind the screen, made the same reaction. Especially after Gu Jingyi sang this part with a flamboyant expression and then threw his veil off the stage in a cool manner, Li Yitong couldn't help but cover her mouth, which had opened at some point, with her hand.

She had only thought that Gu Jingyi was handsome and capable, but hadn't noticed anything else about him.

After seeing this stage, all my previous impressions were completely overturned.

In addition to his outstanding vocal abilities, Gu Jingyi also possesses impeccable rhythm and timing, excellent muscle control, a natural flair for creating atmosphere, and stylish and effortless choreography.

In addition, he wore a white suit that made countless girls fantasize.

In every aspect, Gu Jingyi's strong personal stage presence is evident.

Watching a solo performance is different from watching Milkball's group dance; it's all about the individual.

Gu Jingyi's performance on this stage was already impressive and memorable, and the exclusive stage amplified that even more.

Especially when Li Yitong saw that the stage was halfway through and Gu Jingyi went to interact with the fans, he happened to be in the blind spot of the main camera's view, and sweat dripped from the gaps down to his neck.

He casually flicked his wrist, spraying sweat onto the stage. His hair was soaked with sweat, and Gu Jingyi looked up, meeting the eyes of the fans below the stage and exchanging a knowing smile.

Seeing this scene made Li Yitong feel completely captivated by the charm of the stage.

When the final performance of "The Lover" ended, she saw Gu Jingyi's jawline tighten, and he gently tapped his chest and whispered, "Be my lover~".

When Gu Jingyi said this, his expression was both alluring and dangerous.

His Adam's apple bobbed, and his breathing became slightly erratic. Yet he stared intently at the camera, as if he were eyeing his prey.

Gu Jingyi's body rose and fell with his breathing, exuding an air of effortless confidence.

He simply performed a stage ending pose, yet it was brimming with sexual tension.
The complex feeling of that unrestrained and free spirit blending together made Li Yitong exclaim in surprise.

Li Yitong couldn't help but recall that day when she took the initiative and then voluntarily stepped down to the role of a lover.

Perhaps, this song was written for her by Gu Jingyi?
Li Yitong covered her increasingly rapid heartbeat, unable to stop her mind from wandering.

At this point in the video, Gu Jingyi turns around and walks towards the fans from below the stage, and the video ends there.

Li Yitong was somewhat dazed, still staring blankly at the now-black screen.

This was the first time she had experienced the charm of a singer-dancer on a private stage.

In China, there are very few singers with this ability. The four former EXO members who returned to China can be considered half of them, but Gu Jingyi stands out as the best.

Who says the exclusive stage is bad? This exclusive stage is really amazing.

Strange, how come I never realized Gu Jingyi was so talented before? I only knew he was good at creating music, had high popularity, and good resources.

Even though we've already established this kind of relationship, I haven't pursued him offline yet.

Am I really getting old? Every time I see Gu Jingyi, I can only think of that same old thing.

Li Yitong fell into self-doubt, blinking her eyes with some uncertainty.

She looked at her phone, suppressing the urge to drag the progress bar back to the beginning and watch it again.

Clicking directly into the comments section, the first thing you see is the most upvoted comment:
"Congratulations, sister, you've discovered a treasure."

"Isn't this a treasure trove?" Li Yitong laughed and dragged the stage progress bar back to watch it from the beginning.

She's caught in some kind of cycle...

(End of this chapter)