Huayu: Traffic is king

Chapter 176 A Romantic Debt Comes Knocking
Throughout October, the box office of a leading male-led film surpassed one billion yuan.

From September to October, Gu Jingyi dominated the Chinese entertainment industry.
Whether it's trending on Weibo, Bilibili, or other platforms, the compilation of Gu Jingyi's good looks has garnered an astonishing number of views.

Gu Jingyi also achieved the first 10 million likes record for the musical note.

It was just a video of less than ten seconds, showing Gu Jingyi, wearing his own streetwear brand "GoodGu," just getting off at the airport.

They were surrounded by bodyguards, forming a human wall.

Even so, a video of Gu Jingyi from the front lines at the airport went viral once again.

Zhou Ye had just finished a busy day when she clicked on the music note and saw the notification.

"Honey, look at me!"

The image quality wasn't blurry, but the hoarse voice came through the speaker.

Gu Jingyi stepped out of the VIP passage at the Capital Airport, his GoodGu black hoodie ruffled neatly by the wind. He pushed his Rimowa suitcase with one hand, and as his rimless glasses slid down to the tip of his nose, he glanced up at the camera.

"Hmm?" Gu Jingyi glanced at the camera lens, seemingly trying to confirm whether it was really calling him.

"Ahhh, honey!!"

The off-screen noise grew even louder, and the shouts became even more distorted due to excitement.

"Don't call me 'husband.' It's one thing for girls to call someone that, but why is a guy calling someone that? Don't call me that."

The top celebrity in the video has a smile in his eyes, clearly indicating a rejection. Yet, coupled with his exceptional demeanor, it's incredibly alluring.

Zhou Ye clutched her chest, her heart inexplicably racing.

She felt that her childhood sweetheart was becoming more and more eye-catching since his debut.

This one sentence must have stirred up countless rivals for her affections.

Sure enough, the comments section was filled with Gu's fans going crazy.

[@Gu Jingyi's Darling Wife: Ahhh, Emperor Jing, my dear Emperor Jing, that look he gave me, I'm dying of joy!]
[@小璟璟宝: Got it, guys aren't allowed to call him "husband." That means it's tacitly allowed for girls to call him that, which, rounding up, means Gu Jingyi is making me call him "husband." Ugh, where's the Civil Affairs Bureau?!]
"Pshaw, what's the Civil Affairs Bureau? Can it be bigger than a childhood betrothal? I arranged my own marriage when I was very young..."

I recall when I was young and naive, I had a wedding ceremony with Gu Jingyi under the statue.

A series of ripples spread through Zhou Ye's heart; perhaps this was destiny.

Gu Jingyi was destined to become her partner.

I really don't understand what those fans are talking about. No matter how loudly you shout, in the end, won't you still have to watch your idol become someone else's boyfriend?

Zhou Ye smiled faintly, put on a La Mer lace face mask, and started reading the script.

From the very beginning of the film "Better Days," the role of the second female lead, "Wei Lai," has been considered a villainous supporting character. Many young actresses have been hesitant to take on the role, fearing that audiences would confuse reality with fiction.

As a result, the role of the second female lead has not yet been decided.

The female lead, however, was decided long ago: "Zhang Yimou's girl," Little Yellow Duck.

With this person's qualifications, the quality of this film is guaranteed.

As for the male lead, after Lu Han withdrew from the role, the name "Xiao Bei" was passed down from Yi Yangqianxi to Gu Jingyi.

To this day, the production team has not given any accurate information.

No one knows who will take over "Xiao Bei".

Zhou Ye gripped the corner of the script tightly with her fingertips, murmuring softly to herself.

"Gu Jingyi, do you think we're really that destined to be together?"

A gust of wind blew, and the script rustled in the breeze.

The room was quiet, and no one answered Zhou Ye.

Perhaps the answer to this question will only be revealed when the movie starts filming.

……

Gu Jingyi transferred from Changsha's Huanghua Airport to Shanghai's Tianhong Airport. Without taking much rest, he entered the VIP channel and headed to Japan.

今天是2018年10月17号，迪奥将于10月19号在霓虹举办早春度假系列大秀。

As Dior's highest-ranking "Asian Brand Ambassador" in the Asian region, Gu Jingyi naturally had to attend.

The Dior fashion show will be held on September 25th during Paris Fashion Week.

Gu Jingyi didn't attend because he wanted to promote his first film.

As a key fashion event in Asia, Gu Jingyi would naturally attend the early spring fashion show on October 19th.

Kuai Ge has achieved great success, breaking the record for youth films in the Chinese entertainment industry.

Gu Jingyi's success in film and television is only one aspect; he is also deeply involved in the fashion industry.

Grasp both hands, and make both hands strong.

"Since we have a little time now, Jingyi, I want to tell you about our work arrangements for the next three days in Japan and the things we need to pay attention to."

Lin Ze did not abandon his work arrangements just because he was on the plane.

First class is spacious, and the people in it are all prominent figures, so there is no risk of their travel itinerary being leaked.

Moreover, during this period, there were apps specifically designed for following idols in the Chinese entertainment industry. Simply download and register, and you could see all the artists' schedules.

Even if Lin Ze and Gu Jingyi don't chat here, Gu Jingyi's schedule will soon be updated on the fan app.

"We're going to Japan this afternoon to hold a personal fan meeting. It will last for about two hours, so it'll be a little tiring."

Gu Jingyi nodded; he wasn't surprised by Lin Ze's arrangement.

Japan is, after all, the second largest market in Asia, a battleground for K-pop.

Even Tao Tao is hailed as a "once-in-a-millennium handsome man" in Japan, which shows that Japanese girls haven't had much good food.

Gu Jingyi's noble and divine appearance immediately excited the Japanese girls.

Compared to Gu Jingyi, Tao Tao was instantly reduced to dust.

Aside from his good looks, Gu Jingyi's professional skills and emotional intelligence far surpass those of the other person.

Both the TV series "A Love So Beautiful" and the Chinese idol drama have made a good splash in Japan.

“Neon fans also contributed a significant share to your first mini-album, ‘Like the Wind,’ and this fan meeting is to thank them.”

Lin Ze said with a smile that all the fans who could attend Gu Jingyi's fan meeting were wealthy female fans.

HuaCe has no reason to give up; holding a fan meeting will make the love of its wealthy female fans more tangible.

Offline, Gu Jingyi's face has never lost.

"Then tonight we're going to participate in a popular Japanese variety show, which is used to promote 'Take My Brother Away.' The movie has received a good response in China, and I heard that Japan has already imported it."

Gu Jingyi nodded, indicating that he understood.

His portrayal of Shi Fen was indeed quite nuanced, showcasing a compelling character arc. He was hailed as "the nation owes me an older brother."

How could he possibly lose to Japan, a country where "Onii-chan" is so common? There's no reason for it!

The most beloved characters in anime and manga are "kind" and "onii-chan," and Gu Jingyi's version perfectly embodies both.

"The next day was the magazine shoot. My solo cover for Vogue Korea was for the December issue. We didn't manage to finalize the opening issue, only the closing issue."

"What's going on?" Gu Jingyi frowned, somewhat displeased.

"Didn't we agree that you'd help me with the start of the season?"

According to fashion industry norms, the first issue of a quarterly magazine is generally considered more prestigious than the first issue of an October issue. The prestige, from highest to lowest, is: September > First Issue > Anniversary > October > Regular Monthly Issue > Supplement.

Vogue was founded in September, so its anniversary issue is in September.

This is probably why it's said that the September issue of Vogue is the hardest to get published in.

With the addition of the "Golden September" and the inaugural month, September has become the most valuable issue of Vogue.

"If the season starts, Jun Ji-hyun will be in it..."

Lin Ze was a little embarrassed, hesitated for a few moments, and then told the truth.

As a top actress in South Korea, this actress is indeed no match for Gu Jingyi...

"Never mind what I asked," Gu Jingyi said with a smile.

Just like how he can use the official announcement of a luxury brand and his deep relationship with LVMH to exchange for fashion resources, he can jump the queue to get on the cover of Vogue.

Even Jun Ji-hyun, a K-pop star with immense popularity across Asia, can jump the queue and access the fashion resources that Gu Jingyi has his eye on.

Oh, what a pity.

South Korean Vogue is just as prestigious as its domestic counterpart.

"Anyway, Jingyi, you speak Japanese, right? I remember you showed off your fluent Japanese on that South Korean talent show before."

Lin Ze asked somewhat uncertainly, "Language is something that depends entirely on talent and environment."

Gu Jingyi has been back in China for so long, he really wasn't sure if Gu Jingyi's Japanese had deteriorated.

"It's alright, they can speak and listen, but they can't write."

Gu Jingyi nodded confidently, giving his answer.

The reason he knows Japanese is because of his experience in his previous life with the top Asian boy band "Forgot to Take a Bowl". Due to the severe anti-fan activities in South Korea, Gu Jingyi had no choice but to learn a foreign language.

He was already incredibly popular in Japan, and after learning Japanese, he often interacted with fans at concerts as an MC or as a translator.

Compared to his teammates who could only say "hello," "thank you," "really?" and "I love you all," Gu Jingyi's accent-free Japanese really surprised his Japanese fans.

To succeed in a country's market, one must be fluent in their native language and have high emotional intelligence.

Gu Jingyi was able to think of this because he learned it from his ex-girlfriend, the "Azure Dragon Film Queen".

Although Yoona was often the center of Girls' Generation, she was always assigned either a rap line or "0 Yoona".

Her overwhelming popularity in China is also related to her fluent Mandarin.

When Gu Jingyi forgot to bring his bowl, the shock to Japanese fans was no less than that to Chinese fans seeing Lin Yoona on "Happy Camp" allowing the translator to take a break and communicate fluently with He Jiong.

"How proficient are you? Do you know any local slang? What if you're asked about these things on a variety show? Will you be able to answer? Should we prepare a translator?"

Lin Ze was really worried. He remembered that the punishment segments on Japanese variety shows were unusually unrestrained.

If one of their own artists can't answer a slang question and gets pranked, they'll be at a huge disadvantage.

"It's okay, don't worry. I don't think they'll make things difficult for me like that, unless the host wants to be criticized after the show."

Gu Jingyi was confident, as most of his Japanese fans were "chuunibyou girls".

Being young is a time when people are prone to impulsiveness.

They are either "housewife fans" with economic power and influence, a group that any business wants to please.

Unless the variety show he's going to appear on is absolutely stupid, it's impossible for him to offend Gu Jingyi.

"Since you say so, then I'm relieved."

Lin Ze nodded. "You do have a knack for variety shows in China. It's just that you're a bit reserved and won't do anything that would damage your image. But a Gagman has to be uninhibited and unafraid of damaging his image. Your entertainment skills are also quite good for an actor. You often have flashes of inspiration that leave an impression on the audience."

"It's not as amazing as you say."

Gu Jingyi smiled. In fact, many of his "skills" were brought over from his previous life.

The K-pop idol training model does have some merits.

Of course, this is something Gu Jingyi could only say after he had run away.

If he were still running events in South Korea at this time, the first thing he would do would be to find a way to terminate his contract with the company.

Want him to say something good about K-pop? Forget about it.

This is what it means to look at problems "flexibly".

"Then, after the variety show. The next day you will be attending the Dior 2019 Cruise Fashion Show, which is also the highlight of our trip. You will attend the show in the morning and there will be a dinner in the afternoon. Given your status, you will definitely have to attend."

Hearing Lin Ze say that, Gu Jingyi knew what it was.

"Is it similar to a Bulgari gala dinner? Spokespersons have promotional targets, and seeing which VIPs buy the most is also part of the market research?"

"Yes, you are indeed very insightful. Since you've thought of this, I won't go into too much detail about it."

Lin Ze looked at Gu Jingyi and nodded in satisfaction.

In fact, these kinds of dinners are somewhat similar to sales events.

Just like Teacher Yang Yang and Wu Lei, when they saw that Teacher Yang Yang had a wealthy acquaintance, he instantly sold more than 5000 million yuan worth of goods.

Lei Zi was so anxious that he blurted out, "Sir, please buy one, please buy one."

Aside from the issue of saving face, it is also related to the generous commissions.

Gu Jingyi's live-streaming sales event also yielded substantial returns.

"Then on October 20th, we had the highlight of this trip. In the morning, we went to shoot the year-end issue of Vogue South Korea. In the afternoon, we were guest performers at a concert. You should know Girls' Generation, right?"

Lin Ze glanced at Gu Jingyi, and after seeing a faint hint of embarrassment on the other's face, he laughed.

"Hey, calm down. It's okay, Jingyi. It's just meeting your ex-girlfriend, it's no big deal."

"He's a senior colleague, eight years older than you. How could he possibly hold a grudge against you? He probably already forgave you but just couldn't bring himself to contact you."

"Yoona has a very good reputation, so there's no need for her to be so intimidated."

Gu Jingyi's lips twitched as he listened to this idiot's increasingly nonsensical speech.

"What do you know? Lim Yoona is known as 'Black-bellied Yoona'. The calmer she acts, the more suspicious she is."

Gu Jingyi recalled some memories from his past life. He remembered that after his debut with "Forgot to Take the Bowl," he was collaborating with other female artists on a year-end stage performance, and he wasn't the only one.

Li Dahui and Gu Jingyi collaborated with the leggy beauty Lee Sunmi on the drama "Siren".

Even though Gu Jingyi had already spoken to Lin Yun'er, she still behaved very appropriately.

But after he left the stage, he woke up to find himself blindfolded and in a hotel.

Im Yoona was so angry she wanted to bite him, and she punished him in various ways.

She stepped on his chest with her foot, and then lifted his chin with her toes.

Finally, when Gu Jingyi realized that the woman was about to step on his face, Shen Shangquan was so frightened that she broke free from her restraints and removed her blindfold.

A hand reached out, grabbed Yoona's toes, and subdued her on the bed, taking her as she pleased.

There's nothing he can do; Gu Jingyi isn't some kind of perverted monster. He's not excited about seeing feet, so he can't be a "foot-licking boy."

In any relationship, Gu Jingyi always holds the upper hand. How could he possibly become a woman's plaything so easily?

"Haha, don't be nervous. Don't worry, Jingyi, I've already prepared combat weapons for you."

Lin Ze pointed to the ultra-thin 0.01 and smiled ambiguously: "Use your young body and warmth to atone for your sins. 0.01 is almost imperceptible, your Yoona sister will definitely like it."

"Thank you so much. I had no idea you had a talent for being a madam, Lin Ze."

Gu Jingyi raised an eyebrow, somewhat helpless.

"Haha, no way."

After making some jokes, Lin Ze was in a great mood.

"By the way, Jingyi. Do you remember the Vogue duo issue you did with Hu Ge? It was on the 20th of this month."

"Yeah, I remember that."

Gu Jingyi could never forget that this meant the final piece of his "Ten Major Publications Completed" puzzle had been filled in.

That's why Dior initially arranged for Gu Jingyi to do public relations for the opening issue of Vogue South Korea featuring him; that's where his status comes from.

Gu Jingyi has five luxury brand titles, the lowest of which is Dior's Asian brand ambassador.

Everything else is global-level, from luggage to jewelry to skincare.

Gu Jingyi already has a very high-class image; let's take a look at his resume in China.

Since their debut in November 2017, it's been almost a year.

They have already completed the "Grand Finale of the Ten Major Publications," a speed that is truly astonishing.

He broke Chris's record directly. Although he was not the first to achieve the "Top Ten Magazines Complete" title, he was the fastest and youngest to do so.

The fashion industry is interconnected, with magazine covers and luxury brands complementing each other.

Magazine covers subtly highlight an artist's fashion status and resources. Gu Jingyi, a "five-luxury artist," already surpasses Chris in the Chinese entertainment industry.

Therefore, it's quite normal that he completed his magazine "Top Ten Magazines Complete" faster than Chris.

"Jingyi, you might need to prepare yourself mentally. It's very likely that starting this month, you'll be getting a lot more negative press about you."

Lin Ze said with a serious expression, "The company will suppress Chris's marketing efforts, and Chris's team will definitely retaliate."

"Oh wow, is the whole internet bashing finally coming?"

Gu Jingyi was fearless, even a little excited.

His idol, Im Yoon-ah, experienced a "black ocean" (a period of intense criticism and controversy), and his "former idol," Yang Mi, was an "original black-and-red celebrity."

So what? It's even more popular now.

For artists to advance their careers, they must compete with others for resources. It's normal to be targeted by negative publicity; it means that the other party is at least wary of them.

After getting off the plane, Gu Jingyi immediately started working.

He performed the variety show brilliantly, and his fluent spoken English surprised even Saito Asuka.

However, Gu Jingyi has no interest in lolis unless the other person has a face like Bae Joo-hyun's, which would change his aesthetic preferences.

There is no fixed aesthetic standard; an exceptional appearance can certainly break down prejudices.

The Dior early spring fashion show went very smoothly, and Gu Jingyi easily achieved his sales target. Sales even doubled, earning him millions in commission.

Even though it only took an hour or two, it was still a pretty good return.

Needless to say, Vogue magazine has always praised Gu Jingyi's fashion sense; every photographer has lauded her work.

Soon it was an hour before Girls' Generation's concert. Gu Jingyi, prepared to be taken advantage of by Yoona, walked solemnly backstage.

(End of this chapter)