Huayu: Traffic is king

Chapter 148 Don't Call Me Husband
"Isn't it still a while before we have to leave for the airport? Why are you up so early?"

Hearing the rustling sounds of someone getting dressed in the darkness, Cheng Xiao sat up. Without turning on the light, she looked up at Gu Jingyi in the dim light and asked him a question.

"The press conference for 'Take My Brother Away' is at 3 PM. I need to get to the set early to meet with the actors first. Then I'll attend the press conference, followed by the script reading. There's a lot to do, unlike you..."

Gu Jingyi stopped speaking halfway through, seeing Cheng Xiao's cold expression.

Forget it... I'm too lazy to provoke her.

"Oh, what's wrong with you?"

Cheng Xiao was unhappy, crossed her arms and glared at Gu Jingyi.

"Unlike you, I'm not so carefree. I'll talk to you later. I need to go back and have breakfast before catching my flight. You can sleep a little longer. I've extended the room until tomorrow. You can get up whenever you want today. Don't worry about the check-out process. Just call my assistant, Little Fatty."

Gu Jingyi buttoned up his shirt, picked up his phone from the bedside table, and was about to get up and leave.

“The members have been busy with their own activities recently, and there are no plans for them to reunite after the tour. I told the company and my parents yesterday that I was going home to stay, but I had to cancel at the last minute. So I need to go back early to avoid giving myself away.”

Gu Jingyi glanced at Cheng Xiao, whose collarbone was covered in red flowers, and frowned slightly.

He covered her with the blanket again, and only after seeing that the dazzling white blanket completely covered her did Gu Jingyi nod in satisfaction.

He went into the bathroom to wash up, and returned to his room a few minutes later. His ironed suit was ready, so Gu Jingyi put it back on, gently patted out the wrinkles, and headed for the door.

Cheng Xiao's gaze remained fixed on Gu Jingyi, noticing his refreshed appearance. She wrinkled her nose at him, slightly annoyed, and said, "Gu Jingyi, don't get too cocky. You might not have such good fortune again."

She felt like she belonged to a certain group of people who were used and then abandoned by Gu Jingyi.

"When are you free?" Gu Jingyi was quite considerate, especially since he had woken up early in the morning. Looking at his younger brother, he, as the older brother, naturally wouldn't mistreat him.

He grabbed Cheng Xiao's ankle with one hand and started another day of exercise.

Afterwards, he possessed a limited amount of gentleness.

"Let's talk about this after you break up with your girlfriend."

Cheng Xiao answered with a hoarse voice and unwavering conviction.

"What if I don't break up with him?" Gu Jingyi asked, tilting his head.

"..."

The sudden question stunned Cheng Xiao, and a sense of absurdity welled up in his heart.

She picked up a pillow from the bed and threw it at Gu Jingyi.

He said through gritted teeth, "Get out of here!"

Gu Jingyi smiled; she was still full of energy.

There are definitely benefits to not dieting to lose weight. Other girlfriends would have been too tired to keep their eyes open by now.

Cheng Xiao still has the energy to provoke him for a moment.

Gu Jingyi reached for the zipper, making a gesture as if to unzip it.

Cheng Xiao felt as if he were facing a formidable enemy, and his face turned pale instantly.

"Gu Jingyi, why aren't you leaving yet? Weren't you going back for breakfast? Why are you in such a hurry now that I haven't seen you?"

She was already at her limit and had no time to communicate with Gu Jingyi again.

Gu Jingyi smiled and said, "Just kidding, look at you..."

He paused for a moment, then said, "It's still the same as before."

His voice was drawn out, tinged with a sigh. But because he had brought up something from the past, Cheng Xiao couldn't get angry.

She looked at Gu Jingyi, hesitated for a long time, and then stopped.

Gu Jingyi seemed to have read her mind, and he leaned against the door.

"Actually, I do have a girlfriend."

Cheng Xiao looked up and met Gu Jingyi's gaze.

The other person's expression was calm, but their tone was very peaceful.

"Heh..." Cheng Xiao bit her lip lightly and suddenly laughed.

"They were quite convincing; I almost believed them."

Seeing how persistent she was, Gu Jingyi had nothing more to say.

He turned the doorknob, ready to go back.

"Gu Jingyi!"

Cheng Xiao called him back again. Gu Jingyi, who had already taken one step forward, turned around and looked at her with some impatience.

"I'll say it again, I don't care if you have a girlfriend or not. I'm sticking with you now, so remember to let me know whenever you need anything."

“Okay, take your love number and get in line,” Gu Jingyi nodded.

After answering Cheng Xiao's last question, he closed the door and left.

The door slammed shut, and Cheng Xiao stared at it with a complicated expression.

After a long silence, she couldn't help but mutter under her breath, "Tch, still holding up a love number and queuing up. Do you really think you're the emperor? You're getting more and more arrogant."

"Do you think I don't know whether you have a girlfriend or not? I don't believe anyone would actually be willing to put up with your arrogant personality..."

……

When Gu Jingyi returned home, breakfast was already ready.

In Hunan Province, breakfast usually starts with a bowl of noodles.

When I got home, the table was already piled high with steaming hot food.

They have beef rice noodles, as well as fried dough sticks and sesame balls.

Soy milk was replaced by latte, and although Mom didn't understand why Gu Jingyi was addicted to coffee, she still arranged for it to be served.

Gu Jingyi opened the Crayon Shin-chan food video from her Bilibili favorites and ate while watching the video.

"How old are you? You can't even concentrate on eating. You're watching Crayon Shin-chan. How childish!"

Lin Yun frowned and suddenly spoke.

That's how it is at home; the first day back home is always the most comfortable, like being treated like royalty. Then, the second day, you'll be nagged for all sorts of reasons.

Gu Jingyi's ears twitched, but he was too lazy to argue.

He continued slurping his noodles, accompanied by a food-themed program.

In fact, Gu Jingyi didn't need to watch these kinds of shows while eating before. In his previous life, after entering the entertainment industry, he had been dieting for a long time and often gained or lost weight for a role because of his status as an actor.

His appetite was also affected, and he always felt that the food didn't taste as good as before.

It's only when I'm watching a beauty anime that I have a better appetite.

Seeing that Gu Jingyi remained silent, Lin Yun paused, then took a sip of water and began to nag again.

"Gu Jingyi, you really treat your home like a hotel..."

By the time she had finished rambling on, Gu Jingyi had also finished his breakfast.

Just then, Lin Ze arrived downstairs in the residential area, and Gu Jingyi, carrying an outdoor bag, prepared to go out.

"Where's your suitcase? Gu Jingyi, you left something behind."

Lin Yun dragged her suitcase out, annoyed, and reminded her son just before the elevator doors closed.

"It's okay. I took out all the usable items from inside. The rest are just some clothes that need to be washed."

Gu Jingyi waved his hand, indicating that there was no need to worry too much.

Lin Yun nodded, watching the door slowly ascend again. It wasn't until she was almost at her doorstep that she realized Gu Jingyi had deliberately prevented her from washing up.

"Seriously, what kind of child did I give birth to? Just like his father..."

However, these complaints did not reach Gu Jingyi's ears.

He had already boarded the van heading to the airport, and Lin Ze would occasionally glance at Gu Jingyi in the rearview mirror while driving.

After countless times, Gu Jingyi finally reached his breaking point.

"Ask whatever you want, don't hold back."

He's not some zoo gorilla, so it's a bit strange to be stared at like that.

"It's nothing else, Jingyi. Have you gotten back together with Cheng Xiao?"

Gu Jingyi frowned. "Little Fatty told you?"

Although Lin Ze will eventually realize the subtle changes in his relationship with Cheng Xiao, it would be better if the other party bypassed him and went directly to Lin Ze.

This overstepping of authority made Gu Jingyi somewhat uncomfortable.

Trust collapsed as a result, and there were even plans to cultivate a new core group.

Lin Ze seemed to read Gu Jingyi's mind and took the initiative to explain, "I was originally planning to have Xiao Pang drive, but when I saw him hurriedly grab his ID and leave, I guessed he was going to check out of Cheng Xiao's hotel."

Gu Jingyi nodded. "Is it that obvious? Why did you guess it was Cheng Xiao so quickly?"

Lin Ze found it somewhat amusing. "Who else could it be? Wu Xuanyi, who recorded with you yesterday? Or Dilraba, who did a live video call with you yesterday? Would she come back that very night just because she was filming abroad? The others are even less likely; they're all busy filming."

Gu Jingyi blushed a little at what he said, as if that was indeed the case yesterday.

"So you and that person got back together?"

Lin Ze started gossiping again, looking at Gu Jingyi with great curiosity.

"Lin Ze, I've found that you're really..." Gu Jingyi raised an eyebrow and asked with some doubt, "Aren't Cheng Xiao and I friends? Why are you asking about our relationship?"

"Are you sure a friendship can go this far?"

"Yes, brothers. There are countless cases like this in the industry. Do you need me to give you an example?"

Lin Ze fell silent; Gu Jingyi's words did indeed make a lot of sense.

He had been in the industry for several years and had some understanding of these things.

The restrictions mentioned earlier could be found to be met by several middle-aged artists alone, let alone popular celebrities.

"So don't overthink it. Just treat Cheng Xiao the same way you treated her before, nothing will change. We're just friends, friends who occasionally exchange feelings."

Gu Jingyi made a final decision on this relationship, forbidding any fabrications.

Lin Ze nodded. "Okay, I understand. But does that person think the same way?"

"I'm really a little scared. What if you go too far one day? They'd rather destroy their own defenses than let you get away with it."

His concerns were not unfounded, after all, Cheng Xiao's temper was indeed not very good.

She was not very popular in the industry. After the huge success of "Produce 101", Du Hua mainly promoted two other actresses from the same company.

If it were anyone, even a teammate, and you went to be a mentor but didn't reap the benefits, while two teammates who had been flops suddenly became wildly popular, experiencing a surge in both business and fame—it's something most people just can't understand.

But Cheng Xiao has a good attitude and a close relationship with Wu Xuanyi.

She's quite laid-back about her career, and as a seasoned homebody, she doesn't have any high-end spending. Even without a lot of commercial endorsements, even a third-tier celebrity in the industry earns more than the average person could ever dream of.

If Cheng Xiao really comes out and exposes Gu Jingyi, it won't have much impact on her. But the destruction of Gu Jingyi would be utterly devastating, capable of directly reshaping the landscape of popularity in the Chinese entertainment industry.

Gu Jingyi smiled noncommittally, "Impossible. Have you forgotten our strategic partnership with Tao and Goose Entertainment? In the internet age, artists protected by capital can't afford to have their careers collapse. Besides, Cheng Xiao isn't that stupid. I've already made things clear to her. I have several girlfriends at the same time, and she's doing it willingly."

"Okay, Jingyi, as long as you know what's going on."

Seeing Gu Jingyi's serious expression, Lin Ze quickly changed his words to comfort him.

Gu Jingyi nodded slightly and said nothing more.

He came from the future and had a standard for these things.

Kun Kun's "stir-fried noodles with chicken essence" was confirmed, but he was only banned for three years.

Chris went in because he touched a minor.

As for Fengfeng, it was only after she repeatedly acted like a ladybug and clarified her own actions that the media finally confronted her.

Gu Jingyi would never make such mistakes. His minor errors, in the eyes of his fans, are simply expressions of his genuine and uninhibited nature.

With a long way to go to the airport, Gu Jingyi put on a steam eye mask, preparing to take a nap.

I had barely rested for a short while when a phone call came in.

"Who is it that has no sense of propriety?"

Gu Jingyi removed the steam eye mask, and the name "Dilraba" appeared on the screen. He hesitated for a moment, waiting until the ringtone was almost finished before answering.

"Why did it take you so long to answer, honey..."

Dilraba's sweet and soft voice rang out, and she seemed to have just started speaking.

I'm not your husband.

Gu Jingyi refused somewhat curtly, saying that Reba had let him down at a crucial moment yesterday.

He could have clearly explained things to Cheng Xiao and parted ways amicably.

Unexpectedly, Cheng Xiao caught him red-handed and immediately concluded that Gu Jingyi was lying. Then, using this opportunity, she implicated him, claiming he wasn't clean after all.

"Ugh... I don't care, you're my husband. Husband, what are you doing?"

Dilraba paused for a moment on the other end of the phone, then started acting like a little girl again.

"I'm not your husband, I'm your lapdog."

Gu Jingyi was deeply hurt by Cheng Xiao's words from yesterday, "Gu Jingyi, you have a crush on Dilraba, don't you?"

Damn it, I can be called anyone's simp.

To say it's Dilraba's is an insult to him.

Huang Yu was completely outmatched by Gu Jingyi in every way; she didn't even have the qualifications to carry his shoes...

Perhaps it was because Gu Jingyi's tone was too unusual that his angry words, spoken through gritted teeth, made Dilraba giggle.

"What? I'm the one who's always licking my husband's boots. Woof woof woof, Gu Jingyi, please don't be angry with me anymore, okay?"

"I was jet-lagged last night; there's a seven-hour time difference between Florence and China. I took melatonin and slept in the hotel."

"He called you as soon as he had a free moment. He didn't ignore your calls on purpose, Gu Jingyi. Please don't be angry."

The voice on the other end of the phone was soft and gentle, and Gu Jingyi's anger subsided considerably.

When I chatted with Dilraba again, my tone was gentler, and I hung up after a few words.

Lin Ze, that scoundrel, kept eavesdropping, which made Gu Jingyi both amused and annoyed.

I simply recounted everything that happened yesterday in its entirety and in detail.

Lin Ze's eyes grew brighter as he listened. "So you're saying that if Dilraba hadn't missed her call yesterday, Cheng Xiao would have had absolutely no chance, right? That's too dramatic!"

"Otherwise what? Do I look like the kind of person who's addicted?"

Gu Jingyi rolled her eyes at him; maintaining a clean and virtuous character had always been his fundamental nature.

Emperor Jing was always very selective, able to reject the whole process of choosing concubines. He could calmly face any temptation he encountered.

It's worth noting that the fans who frequently attend his autograph sessions are almost all young, beautiful, and wealthy women. If Gu Jingyi were willing, he could simply beckon them with his finger, and they would be eager to have a deeper conversation with him.

Fans treat their idols like emperors, and Gu Jingyi's self-control is such that he'll succeed at anything.

"I thought Cheng Xiao could win the revival match and re-enter the core circle."

Lin Ze clicked his tongue in amazement, his tone also tinged with regret.

“But this team no longer has a starting position for her. All five shooting guards are already filled, so if she comes back, she can only come off the bench and wait for Gu Jingyi to take her place.”

It's all about timing and fate; if anyone's to blame, it's just that Cheng Xiao's return was really unfortunate.

……

The plane landed smoothly, and Gu Jingyi got into the van sent by the film crew. They finally arrived at the filming location rented by the crew before 3 PM, and waited for the car to park.

The assistant director stepped forward with a smile to greet him, "Are you Teacher Gu? Please come in."

The assistant led Lu Ang and the others into the film set, where Zheng Fenfen, the director in charge of the film, had been waiting for a long time.

"Xiao Gu, welcome to the team."

Gu Jingyi smiled and shook hands with her, saying, "Director Zheng, it's a pleasure working with you."

Zheng Fenfen is the director of "Take My Brother Away," and she is from Taiwan. She frequently works on youth and campus themes, and it's widely acknowledged in the industry that several successful youth films with both box office and critical acclaim, such as "The Girl We Chased After" and "Our Times," were produced there.

This time, she took charge of "Take My Brother Away" again, and she was even more at ease.

Gu Jingyi's commotion was so great that Zhao Jinmai and Zhang Zifeng also noticed it.

They arrived without us noticing, and came out to greet us with smiles.

"Hello, Brother Jingyi, I am Zhao Jinmai."

Zhao Jinmai, with her hair in a bun, smiled and shook hands with Gu Jingyi, appearing poised and elegant.

Perhaps it was because her smile was so infectious that even Zhang Zifeng, who is somewhat introverted, breathed a sigh of relief.

She imitated Zhao Jinmai and introduced herself to Gu Jingyi.

"Hello, Brother Jingyi, I'm Zhang Zifeng. You can call me Fengfeng. It'll be a pleasure working with you."

"Hello," Gu Jingyi said with a smile, shaking hands with each of them. When he shook hands with Zhao Jinmai, a faint look of nostalgia flashed in his eyes.

He met Mai Mai in his previous life when they were filming "The Beginning," and he never expected to meet her again after so long.

In the movie "Take My Brother Away," Zhao Jinmai plays Miao Miaomiao, the female lead's best friend. Zhang Zifeng plays Shi Miao, the male lead's sister and also the female lead in the film.

"Hi, Brother Jingyi. I've heard so much about you, I've always heard you're the most handsome guy."

Zhao Jinmai tilted her head, looking at Gu Jingyi with some curiosity.

She has a lively personality, a fact that Gu Jingyi knew very well in his previous life.

"So what now?" Gu Jingyi asked cooperatively.

"Now I realize they were right after all."

The director, watching Gu Jingyi and Zhao Jinmai interact, also laughed.

However, upon seeing the somewhat reserved Zhang Zifeng, her smile gradually froze.

"Take My Brother Away" is adapted from a popular comic and is very popular when it is serialized online.

"Shi Fen" and "Shi Miao" are actually siblings, and beneath their playful banter lies genuine care. They have a very good sibling relationship, and Zheng Fenfen is genuinely worried about whether Gu Jingyi and Zhang Zifeng will spark any romance.

Fortunately, Gu Jingyi did not completely ignore Zhang Zifeng, who was standing there stunned and looking down awkwardly.

“Sister Zifeng, we are quite destined to meet. Do you know that we almost became regulars on the same variety show?”

Gu Jingyi initiated the conversation, and Zhang Zifeng paused for a moment, then looked down and thought for a second before asking, "You mean 'Back to Field'?"

"Yeah, Teacher He didn't tell you."

No.

"So you don't need to be so reserved with me in the future. Didn't you just call me Brother Jingyi like Mai Mai did? Please get closer to me during the next month of filming."

Gu Jingyi looked into Zhang Zifeng's eyes and said earnestly and sincerely.

"Okay... I understand."

Zhang Zifeng glanced at Gu Jingyi, then looked away in surprise.

Gu Jingyi didn't expose her; the little girl's thoughts were written all over her face, making her too easy to understand.

That's understandable; this girl is indeed famously "ugly".

It's understandable that even veteran actresses like Tongtong and Dilraba would occasionally stare blankly at Gu Jingyi's face.

Zhang Zifeng was two years older than Zhao Jinmai and was in the prime of her adolescence, filled with the most beautiful fantasies about the opposite sex.

It's perfectly normal for her to feel shy when such an outstanding male star as Gu Jingyi suddenly appears out of nowhere.

Zheng Fenfen saw the interaction between the two and breathed a sigh of relief.

These three young people are among the most outstanding in terms of appearance and acting skills among the younger generation in the industry.

Now that everyone is gathered here, it seems that making this movie should be simpler than expected.

Both girls were quite young, and they were simply playing themselves.

Gu Jingyi is only nineteen years old, which is about the age of a freshman or sophomore in college.

Even if he plays a high school boy, the audience won't be distracted.

For a sophisticated film star like Liang Kun, in his forties, to play the role of the crown prince, and his attempts to appear younger than his age in the drama, would feel completely out of place. His performance in the role is undoubtedly a natural fit for him.

In the entertainment industry, sometimes acting skills really can't make up for a sense of incongruity...

Like "Da Ru," her reputation also collapsed five or six years after the show aired.

Before that, Zhou Xun's "cutting her hair after the Empress" was a hit on short videos and was considered a representative of her explosive acting skills.

Several years later, the number of young surfers increased.

They didn't appreciate Zhou Xun's work and felt it was too jarring, so they edited it into various short videos for distribution.

This is why more and more people have noticed the problem, and the ratings for "Ruyi's Royal Love in the Palace" have been declining.

After the main creative team met, Director Zheng took them on a tour of the various departments of the production crew.

From the costume department to the props department, the attention to detail suggests that "Brother Kuai" was produced with high integrity. It's not the kind of show where they just throw together a few popular actors and make something to fool the audience.

However, it could also be related to Gu Jingyi's involvement. After his casting was announced, "Take My Brother Away" suddenly attracted a bunch of investors who seemed "generous and wealthy."

However, after much consideration, the film producers chose to decline.

Anyway, with Gu Jingyi, a top-tier celebrity, around, even if his first movie is a terrible film, his fans will still post all sorts of things on his fan forum.

"We're all my brother has left," "This is his first movie; we need to give him the best treatment."

"Are there any fans who don't like Orange? I know everyone is under pressure. But I'm a student too, and I've already put a week's worth of food money into it. Those of you still watching, you're all indifferent bystanders. You don't deserve to like my brother, you don't deserve to be fans!"

A typical top-tier celebrity's appeal can bring in at least hundreds of millions of yuan in profits for a movie. Zhan Zi, who is known for his "BL adaptation 2.0", made his first movie, "Jade Dynasty", with Meng Meizhi.

"Jade Dynasty" had 4000 million yuan in pre-sales, and thanks to the IP effect and pre-sale box office, it grossed 1.43 million yuan on its opening day.

After its release, the film received numerous criticisms, with Biyao's appearance, plot, and special effects all being labeled as a "bad movie." This caused its Douban rating to plummet from 6.7 to 5.3, and its box office ultimately stopped at 4.05 million yuan.

According to China's film revenue-sharing rules, the actual income of the film company is about 43% of the box office (the production company and the distributor share about 1.74 million yuan, and after deducting distribution expenses, the final share is expected to be 1.33 million yuan).

What Zhan Zi could do, Gu Jingyi, a top-tier celebrity who came from a talent show and naturally has a good public image, could do even more easily.

"Zhu Xian" is a typical survivor of the "traffic movie" phenomenon, and its success proves that there is still market potential in combining traffic stars with IP.

In addition, the comic "Take My Brother Away" has a high rating and is widely popular. The production team also highly values ​​the original author, and the script is very well-written.

It's another typical low-budget campus-themed film, with shooting locations concentrated on campus and no special effects needed.

The hype surrounding "Gu Jingyi's first film" alone is enough to recoup costs and even generate a small profit through pre-sales and first-day box office revenue.

After the first day, the box office was pure profit.

Zheng Fenfen naturally treated Gu Jingyi better, and when Zhan Zi's "Jade Dynasty" topped the box office during the Mid-Autumn Festival, the director also fawned over him.

Gu Jingyi followed behind Zheng Fenfen, thinking about how to get a share of the profits from "Take My Brother Away".

Why not just launch a trendy brand quickly? The target audience for "Take My Brother Away" is young people and some parents with spending power who want to take their children to see it – a "family-friendly" film.

He's already figured out what the streetwear brand will be called and what style it will take.

Among later generations of celebrities, only a few have been most successful in creating streetwear brands: Xiaobai, Lao Xue, and Wang Jiaer.

In contrast to Xue Zhiqian's affordable approach, Wang Jiaer's highbrow and niche appeal is striking.

Gu Jingyi still felt that the "GOODBAI" approach suited him better. GOODBAI's target audience is young people aged 18-35, especially fashion enthusiasts who pursue individuality, value quality, but do not want to follow the crowd. Its positioning is "affordable luxury within affordable luxury, and affordable luxury within affordable luxury."

This brand was founded in 2021, but within a year it grew from 10+ followers to 40+ followers on Douyin and 140 million+ followers on Taobao.

As it turns out, the development model and development path were indeed more suitable for Gu Jingyi.

In 2018, it was the perfect time to poach Shangguan Zhe, who was serving as the brand creative and design director for GOODBAI.

This person graduated from Xiamen University in 03 and founded his own brand SANKUANZ in 06. From Xiamen to Shanghai, and then to the international stage, he can be said to be one of the most outstanding young designers in China.

When we get back, we'll refine the streetwear brand proposal we made earlier, and then Lin Ze will go find Shangguan Zhe.

"Puffy shoes," "eggshell shoes," and "Good Puppy" were all best-selling items that became popular in later generations. Even Xiao Bai included a scene in "Hard to Coax" where Zhang Ruonan wore "Puffy shoes."

Gu Jingyi then instructed Lin Ze to take these blueprints to Guangzhou to produce a small number of samples to impress Shangguan Zhe. Nothing impresses a designer more than a physical product.

It would be good to give those samples to the crew of "Take My Brother Away" for "recycling".

(End of this chapter)