Huayu: Traffic is king

Chapter 160 "Jingyi, this child, has been smart since he was little"

The saying that top celebrities have no holidays is not a joke. Gu Jingyi spent the first half of September shooting magazines and advertisements.

On September 16th, Gu Jingyi handed over the USB drive.

Milkball's new album is still in preparation. Previously, Idol Chronicles intended to entrust Gu Jingyi with writing all the songs.

Gu Jingyi only wrote "Good Thing," "After Dani Left," and "Don't Call Me Da Vinci" to get by. How could he possibly write a full album for him?

Are you crazy? The combined popularity of everyone else in Milk Foam Forest doesn't even come close to his.

On the surface, Gu Jingyi earned all the copyright fees from Milk Foam Forest, but in reality, it was the 100 people who bought the albums who benefited.

Sixty of them came for Gu Jingyi, while the remaining 40 came for the others.

Instead of spending time writing songs for Milkball, you should focus on your next album, a custom-made album for musical notes suitable as background music.

At least most of the money went into Gu Jingyi's pocket, so he didn't need to earn a share and then have to distribute it to the other members.

Both are original songs, written for themselves. Gu Jingyi's share of the profits is frighteningly high; the copyright is actually held regardless of who writes it for.

The three songs submitted to NaiPaoSen were approved instantly by Idol World Records.

In fact, even if Gu Jingyi submitted a defense based on his own experience, Idol World, which was marketed as "personally handled by Gu Jingyi," would still approve it.

As long as they gain traffic, nothing else matters.

They don't care about the quality of the song; it's Gu Jingyi who will be embarrassed anyway.

If it weren't for the strategic partnership with TaoChang, Gu Jingyi really wouldn't bother giving Idol Shiji a second glance.

However, fans in the Chinese entertainment industry don't really care about the quality of songs or the idol's professional skills these days. People who say "even a chicken could jump better if you just threw some rice on stage" can debut in high positions.

Is there anything that fans can't spoil?

Even if Gu Jingyi casually writes a song like "Little Frog" or a birthday song, fans can manipulate the data to make it instantly popular.

In the past, it was the song that was popular but the singer wasn't; now it's the singer who's popular but the song isn't.

This is probably the biggest change in the Chinese entertainment industry since it entered the era of internet traffic.

"Take My Brother Away" will be released on September 23, during the Mid-Autumn Festival period.

Gu Jingyi had already started working on the promotion of "Take My Brother Away" on September 17th.

On September 17th, he flew from Shanghai to Hangzhou.

Today, he's going to record "Back to Field".

Actually, as early as the beginning of September, the official Weibo account of "Take My Brother Away" had already started releasing various trailers to generate buzz.

Gu Jingyi, dressed in his school uniform, waved a grilled sausage in front of Zhang Zifeng like he was teasing a dog.

The playful look in his eyes made the audience exclaim, "My God, how can Gu Jingyi portray such a roguish and handsome character so skillfully?"

"Even though I know he's Gu Jingyi, he's just so incredibly annoying. He's practically hallucinating my own brother..."

The number of people who pre-ordered the film on Maoyan and Taopiaopiao reached 180-250 million, and the number of fans who pre-sold tickets for the preview screenings reached 8000 million.

They booked the entire theater, determined to give Gu Jingyi's first movie the biggest prestige.

This data made the crew of "Take My Brother Away" extremely happy, as the pre-sale box office easily recouped the costs.

There's a fixed formula in the industry for calculating big-name movie salaries: "Movie Salary = Base Salary × Risk Factor + Box Office Revenue Share × Expected Return Factor"

Gu Jingyi's salary for this film was 2000 million yuan, which accounted for a small portion of the cost.

The revenue-sharing agreement he signed stipulated that if the film grossed over 300 million, he would receive 5% of the box office revenue as his salary.

When "Take My Brother Away" was played by a newcomer actor named Eddie Peng, it still grossed over 300 million yuan.

In this life, if it were Gu Jingyi, a top-tier celebrity, 300 million would just be an appetizer.

Industry insiders estimate the film's box office to be around 6 million yuan, if it does reach that expectation.

Gu Jingyi could earn more from profit sharing than from filming, so he naturally devoted himself to the promotion and distribution of this movie.

Not only on "Back to Field", but he also wants to appear on several shows, including "Happy Camp", to promote his first movie.

Only fans pay close attention to celebrities' activities. Casual fans who like celebrities and neutral observers usually don't care about their activities.

This has resulted in some celebrities' movies being pulled from theaters, and casual viewers who wanted to see them missed their release dates.

To avoid this situation from happening, Gu Jingyi naturally needs to appear on more shows.

In the movie "Take My Brother Away," he gave away free product placement for the streetwear brand "GOOD GU," which will be available on Tmall simultaneously with the movie's release.

These days, Lin Ze hasn't had time to accompany Gu Jingyi on his schedule at all; he's been busy with matters related to the streetwear brand.

HuaCe has already started generating buzz about Gu Jingyi's upcoming fashion brand.

It is foreseeable that Gu Jingyi will make a fortune as his streetwear brand goes public.

He created a "cash cow" for himself, one that is constantly generating cash.

Gu Jingyi directly viewed the movie as a form of soft product placement, hoping it might attract a large number of casual viewers to buy the trendy brand after its release.

However, "Good Gu" is also taking the affordable luxury route, and it is estimated that the majority of the revenue is still generated by fans.

So, for today's recording, Gu Jingyi naturally wore Good Gu's clothes.

As a top-tier slow-paced variety show, "Back to Field" also boasts very high viewership ratings.

The more people who see it, the more potential customers we might have.

As soon as they got off the plane, Little Fatty dragged Gu Jingyi's suitcase out.

"Jingyi, the guests recording this episode with you include Zhao Jinmai, Song Dandan, and her son Batu."

Little Fatty followed behind Gu Jingyi, pushing a suitcase with a bouncy gait, while telling Gu Jingyi about the guest list.

"Well, I see."

Gu Jingyi nodded and continued walking forward, acting like a hands-off manager.

"Jingyi, you're so lucky. Teacher Huang is famous for his cooking skills. I really envy you being able to enjoy delicious food at a farmhouse. You're earning appearance fees and making money at the same time."

"Really? Would you like this blessing?"

Gu Jingyi scoffed. At that time, most people thought that Teacher Huang was a great cook. He even earned the title of "National Chef" because of this variety show.

The appearance fee for recording this kind of slow-paced variety show isn't very high.

It's only two million per issue, unless it's really for promoting a movie.

Gu Jingyi couldn't be bothered with this; the appearance fee wasn't even as much as he would get from a single commercial performance.

"Is it really possible?"

Little Fatty's eyes lit up as he looked at Gu Jingyi with anticipation.

"Go ahead, eat them one by one without making a sound. You'll know when you get poisoned, that's exactly what it is..."

"Wait a minute!" Gu Jingyi's eyes widened suddenly. "You mean Teacher Song Dandan and her son Batu are going too?"

"Yeah, it's a slow-paced variety show after all. But it should still be centered around you, so you don't need to worry about your screen time at all."

Little Fatty thought Gu Jingyi was worried about the share issue, but to his surprise, Gu Jingyi's brows furrowed deeply.

"Little Fatty, do you really think I need cameras now that I'm popular enough?"

To be honest, with Gu Jingyi's current popularity and status, even if he just sat there quietly in a daze...

The production team took a shot and focused on Gu Jingyi.

There would be a lot of fans shouting, "Jingyi is so cute."

His status alone is enough to show that he is definitely the main guest in this episode of "Back to Field".

However, Song Dandan?

Based on what Gu Jingyi noticed, was this the episode where the poisoning occurred?

This is so dramatic...

"Little Fatty, did you prepare any stomach medicine?"

"no"

"... "

Gu Jingyi remained silent; it was at times like these that Lin Ze's all-around abilities became apparent.

He was still too great, so considerate in every aspect.

"It's okay, don't worry about not having a knack for variety shows. Just give me pure praise, Teacher Huang actually likes that kind of thing."

Little Fatty saw that Gu Jingyi didn't say anything and assumed that he was worried about Gu Jingyi's lack of variety show presence.

Gu Jingyi was about to retort when he suddenly laughed again.

He seemed to have found a way to escape Teacher Huang. After arriving near the recording location, Gu Jingyi and Zhao Jinmai transferred to the production team's car to go to "Back to Field".

As a slow-paced variety show, it has garnered a lot of positive reviews online due to its pastoral style and slow-paced lifestyle.

There was no Spice from "Divas Hit the Road," only a harmonious way of getting along among the guests.

Escape the hustle and bustle of the city and let your heart find a moment of peace.

As a top-tier variety show, it's a show that many guests want to be on.

However, Gu Jingyi's popularity stemmed from the fact that He Jiong had invited her for a long time before she finally went.

Therefore, the entire Mushroom House team attaches great importance to him.

Inside the Mushroom House
Teacher Huang, Teacher He, Da Hua, Xiao Peng, and several others sat together, waiting for the phone to ring.

"Ding Ding Ding"

When the phone rang urgently, Teacher He quickly got up to answer it.

"Hey"

Teacher He answered the phone and spoke the first words into the receiver.

"Hello, I'd like to know if you've prepared all the food."

Gu Jingyi's voice was deliberately blurred by the director to create a contrast when he appeared on stage.

"Ah...we're preparing now."

Teacher He's voice sounded somewhat guilty and ethereal.

What dishes would you like to eat?

Without hesitation, Gu Jingyi answered, "Instant noodles or dumplings."

"what…"

This question stunned Teacher He; he hadn't expected Gu Jingyi to be so easy to please.

Just as he was about to nod in agreement, Teacher Huang, who was sitting to the side, shook her head.

"Don't you really have any other dishes you'd like to eat?"

"No"

Gu Jingyi didn't not want to eat, he just didn't dare to...

Song Dan smiled and asked Gu Jingyi to hand her the microphone. She said in her accent, "We have arrived at Anning Farm now. Please prepare the chilled watermelon."

Her accent was so distinctive that it was impossible to recognize her. Even He Jiong on the other end of the phone, trying to create a dramatic effect for the show, remarked, "Who is this? It's someone else again!"

Song Dan chuckled in the car, but when she spoke, she said without any misunderstanding, "I'm the driver, please prepare the iced watermelon."

"Is there anything else you need? Please tell me all at once. I keep answering the phone and can't get any work done."

"That's all. Feel free to improvise..."

Before Song Dan could finish speaking, Gu Jingyi's expression changed.

Can this be said?

He quickly said, "I'd like something light and easy on the stomach. Do you have anything like congee or rice porridge?"

"Rice porridge, is that right? Yes, we have it."

Teacher He breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing this, as the guests would need to do farm work after waking up in the morning.

Gu Jingyi chose something simple, so they could prepare it easily.

"Okay, thank you."

After hanging up the phone, Gu Jingyi leaned back in the car and let out a long, comfortable sigh.

"Jingyi, why did you order something so convenient?"

Song Dan found it strange that Gu Jingyi had chosen such simple ingredients.

As a native of Beijing, she has a rather discerning palate.

Rice porridge is too monotonous as a breakfast option.

"I prefer light flavors, and I'm tired from the long journey here this morning. I don't have much of an appetite for other foods, so I'd like something simple to eat."

Gu Jingyi flashed a flawless smile; he couldn't possibly tell the truth.

Until we know what dishes Teacher Huang will make, the rice porridge provided by the sponsor is the safest bet.

He simply couldn't believe that Teacher Huang could get involved in something so simple.

I also like rice porridge.

Zhao Jinmai also chimed in, speaking up for Gu Jingyi and Cai Xukun.

"All right"

Song Dan didn't have any objections to begin with, so she didn't say anything more.

The country roads were muddy and difficult to drive on.

Are we almost there?

The car was driving a bit bumpy, and Gu Jingyi frowned as he asked.

"Not yet, but it should be soon."

The driver in front answered.

"Okay, thank you."

Gu Jingyi rested his chin on one hand, staring blankly at the changing scenery outside the window.

"We've arrived, Teacher Gu."

It wasn't until the driver woke him up that Gu Jingyi snapped out of his daze.

"Ok"

He opened the car door and got out.

The scenery is indeed beautiful.

Along the way, the emerald green terraced fields seemed to stretch as far as the eye could see.

Breathing in the fresh air, Gu Jingyi felt relaxed, both physically and mentally.

"Hey, Jingyi's here!"

As she approached the door, she was spotted by sharp-eyed Teacher He before she even went inside.

He greeted Gu Jingyi very warmly and went to meet him.

"Hello, Gu Jingyi"

Teacher Huang sat on the stool, smiling as she looked at Gu Jingyi.

"Hello, Teacher Huang."

Gu Jingyi smiled and shook hands with each of them, but Teacher He shook hands only briefly.

When it was Teacher Huang's turn, he looked at Gu Jingyi's tall and upright figure and his exposed muscles and pinched him out of curiosity.

"Wow, it's pretty sturdy."

Gu Jingyi was wearing a short-sleeved shirt today, looking handsome and full of hormones.

"Xiao Gu, have you had breakfast yet? If I had known you were coming, I would have sent you to do farm work earlier."

Gu Jingyi was speechless. Who makes guests do chores right from the start?

Indeed, Gu Jingyi is very popular.

Many of the trending topics this month are related to him.

"Thank you so much, Teacher He."

Gu Jingyi smiled. He was indeed very tired, but he could still persevere.

Nothing tastes as good as rice porridge.

Teacher Huang can't get involved, so only Teacher He can, right?
As he was thinking this, Gu Jingyi looked relieved.

Teacher Huang got up from her seat somewhat reluctantly and prepared to make rice porridge.

Gu Jingyi breathed a sigh of relief; it seemed he had passed the first hurdle.

(End of this chapter)