Huayu: Traffic is king

Chapter 192 Tian Ye Who Loves You

"Gu Jingyi, how are you?"

Tian Xiwei leaned against the headboard, asking nervously.

This is the third month since she separated from Gu Jingyi, and filming for "My True Friend" has already wrapped up.

She got a short break; when actors don't have any roles to play, they're pretty much like ordinary people.

Aside from attending acting classes during the day, Tien Hsi-wei spends the rest of her time at home idly.

In her free time, she naturally surfs the internet at 5G speed.

Upon seeing the massive smear campaign against Gu Jingyi online, Tian Xiwei, without a second thought, immediately made a phone call.

The call was answered quickly, but there was no reply from Gu Jingyi for a long time. Tian Xiwei thought she had touched on something painful for Gu Jingyi. She opened her mouth slightly, trying to recall if she had said something wrong, or if something had happened to him.

Just as she was feeling somewhat flustered, Gu Jingyi's chat window suddenly flashed.

Unexpectedly, Gu Jingyi had been taking a selfie while he was silent, and a photo was just sent to me like that:

This is a selfie focusing on the upper body. In the photo, Gu Jingyi is wearing a simple short-sleeved shirt, and his nose and cheeks are covered in sweat. His stray hairs are also wet with sweat and stick to his forehead, clearly indicating that he has just finished filming.

Seemingly in response to the question just asked, Gu Jingyi in the photo deliberately lowered his eyebrows and made a sad face.

However, when Tian Xiwei saw it, the corners of her mouth curled up, and she couldn't help but chuckle softly.

This expression is exactly the same as the selfie she sent to him not long ago; Gu Jingyi is clearly imitating her.

A new message came in: "This is what I look like now."

Tian Xiwei swiped her finger and clicked save.

"Oh dear, my darling Jingbao has really suffered," Tian Xiwei said with a smile that never faded.

"See? I'm in such a bad situation right now. Just like Dilraba Dilmurat, who won the Golden Eagle Award recently and was criticized as a 'water queen' (undeserved winner).

Gu Jingyi deliberately adopted a pitiful tone and spoke to her in a low voice.

"Hehe, I saw it. It's pretty tragic... Who told you to get set up? I never thought the movie 'Better Days' was that good from the beginning. Why is my boyfriend so unlucky? He had to step in to save the day for 'Ashes of Love,' and now he has to do the same for 'Better Days.' He put his heart and soul into filming, and he still gets dragged into this by Ha'erguo and accused of taking advantage of others."

Tian Xiwei was amused by Gu Jingyi and chuckled.

She had been quite worried about Gu Jingyi's situation, as her boyfriend had been doing very well since returning to the country. But after seeing this funny selfie, she immediately felt much more at ease.

He can still joke around, so he doesn't seem to be in a particularly bad mood.

My heart, which had been clenched tightly, relaxed and felt much more at ease.

After seeing Gu Jingyi's reply, she added, "You just finished filming so late?"

"Yes, filming will wrap up in less than two weeks. I've been catching up since I got back, working until two or three in the morning every day."

Gu Jingyi casually replied with a couple of sentences, then took the initiative to ask, "So, how have you been lately? Why are you still up so late? You haven't been watching dramas all night again, have you?"

"Ah."

Tian Xiwei responded softly, paused for two seconds, and then shared her thoughts after reading the smear campaign: "I saw so many people smearing you today, saying a lot of nasty things..."

"I thought you were calling so late because it was urgent. I even went to great lengths to answer this call outside the film set..."

Gu Jingyi let out a soft sigh, chuckled, and said somewhat easily, "You saw all that too... So do you think those online revelations are true or false?"

Upon hearing the first sentence, Tian Xiwei couldn't help but purse her lips and blink her eyes, feeling somewhat happy. But upon hearing the second sentence, she blurted out without thinking, "What nonsense are you asking? It's definitely false."

"What if I told you they were telling the truth?"

Gu Jingyi's next words surprised her.

"Forehead……"

This question surprised Tian Xiwei, but after a brief moment of thought, she quickly sided with Gu Jingyi: "Then you must have your reasons. As an actor, you're just a company that gives you whatever scripts you get..."

Gu Jingyi was too embarrassed to listen to those words, which were so heavily filtered.

Given his status, how could Huace possibly dare to disobey his will?

Huace is currently facing a lack of successors among the younger generation of male actors. Hu Yitian's performance in "The Eternal Love" was quite awkward.

Wu Qian, from the actress department, is a hopeless romantic, and her career has finally started to take off.

She insists on supporting her obscure boyfriend... He's utterly unacceptable in both looks and acting.

The top management at Huace is having a major headache, having already pinned their hopes on Yu Shuxin.

It's said that the show "Youth With You 2" starring kiwifruit next year is still in the invitation stage. Huace, which has already benefited from the talent show boom, has already secured a debut spot for them…

If Gu Jingyi really gets upset and runs away, Huace will be severely damaged.

"She's truly my girlfriend; she'll always protect me..."

Gu Jingyi laughed out loud on the phone, his voice sounding more cheerful.

"Nonsense, you're my only boyfriend. Who else would I help but you? Outsiders, of course?"

Oda is truly a beautiful woman, speechless, not knowing what this person is talking about.

Gu Jingyi simply smiled and did not argue with Tian Xiwei on this issue.

He didn't say much, just smiled and said, "I was just kidding. Most of what's being said online is fake, don't worry about it. I'm fine here, I won't be affected by the press releases. There's no problem, you should get some rest, I have to go back to filming soon."

Just as Gu Jingyi was about to hang up the phone after saying goodbye, he seemed to suddenly remember something and reminded her:
"By the way, do you eat a lot of snacks when you're at home? Have you gained a lot of weight since the last time we met?"

Tian Xiwei, who had been smiling and preparing to say goodbye, couldn't help but break down in a moment of disarray when she heard the last part.

She touched her waist, which had become a little looser recently, and felt as if she had gained some weight.

But she still said righteously and indignantly, "How could I not be fat... Who doesn't get fat at home? Wait, what do you mean? You don't mean you think I'm fat, do you?!"

"It means exactly what you think... He's hanging up."

The phone rang with the "Du" tone indicating the end of the call. Tian Xiwei wrinkled her nose as she looked at the screen.

Before she could even get angry, another message came from Gu Jingyi.

[I probably can't overeat like I used to for a while.]
[My next script is for "Go Go Squid!", you should know that, right? I've got you a role. It's the third female lead, Tong Nian's best friend. A lively, supportive character, a fangirl who loves shipping couples. Her boisterous personality is a great fit for you. It will perfectly showcase your sweet and energetic side.]
[So, you need to lose weight recently. You look 10 pounds heavier on camera; the camera really does favor that.]
[Don't underestimate her just because she's the third female lead; with your boyfriend in the cast, this drama is guaranteed to be a hit in 2019. Effective and ineffective dramas are two different things. It definitely has a bigger impact than your role in "My True Friend."]
[Oda, get ready to upgrade your status!]
After watching it, Tian Xiwei muttered under her breath, "He's being narcissistic again. How could he possibly be number one in ratings just like that? I'd also like to talk about Sister Yang Ying's show..."

She froze halfway through her sentence.

Although "My True Friend" was broadcast on Hunan TV, the quality of the script may not be clear to others, but the actors certainly do.

Tian Xiwei froze for a moment before realizing what was wrong.

Holy crap, she, his official girlfriend, is going to the film set to film with Gu Jingyi?
This is so happy!
Wait, why is she playing such a "supporting" role?

Are you crazy? Why would you cheat on yourself?
……

On the other side, Gu Jingyi stood outside the film set. After hanging up the phone, the smile on his face gradually faded, and he frowned slightly as he looked at the shining phone screen.

The online sentiment over the past two days has clearly been manipulated behind the scenes, a fact that both Huace Company and the company itself have noticed.

Although Gu Jingyi seemed to be in a good mood during his phone call with Tian Xiwei, he was not affected by anything.

But in reality, Gu Jingyi just didn't want his affairs to bother her, so he was just trying to appease his concerned girlfriend.

She's always been extremely protective of her own, and if she were to show even a little more resentment, she'd be in trouble. Well-meaning citizen Xiao Tian will come right away tonight!

Don't you love criticizing Gu Jingyi? Then come and fight me if you dare!
In fact, Gu Jingyi doesn't care about the negative press releases. The fact that there are so many of them just shows that his popularity is so high that it makes other people in the industry feel threatened.

However, their biggest mistake was letting these smear articles catch Oda's eye.

Ha, he's one thing, but a second-generation mogul in the industry knows all too well these tricks and methods.

But Xiaotian wouldn't do that; she's familiar with the fan culture. Whenever her beloved boyfriend is involved, she gets flustered and confused. Gu Jingyi opened Weibo and started browsing related trending topics using his alternate account.

"Better Days" itself is a great opportunity, with its unique subject matter that no one in China has yet explored.

With the help of a renowned director and a film queen, the male lead Xiao Bei is sure to become famous whoever stars in his films.

The film also suffered a drop in viewership due to Lu Han's popularity, and after he was replaced, it was suspended for half a year.

There were several rounds of interviews, all to select the right male lead.

But if Gu Jingyi doesn't take it, Yi Yangqianxi will.

It was the investors who hesitated to invest in Lu Han, and Gu Jingyi couldn't hold a knife to the film investors and directors and force them to choose him and get the role.

Even Gu Jingyi initially didn't plan to touch the movie, disliking the pacing of the original novel...

The film production company showed Gu Jingyi extremely high regard, initially only including him in the male lead list. However, with Gu Jingyi's work alongside him, and after "Take My Brother Away" achieving phenomenal success in the youth film genre and breaking box office records, the company went even further.

The situation took a dramatic turn when "Better Days" kept arguing with Gu Jingyi's schedule.

They'd rather wait a month for filming to begin than let Gu Jingyi miss out on the role.

What could Gu Jingyi say? He had originally planned to take on another film to solidify his influence in the film industry.

Even without "Better Days," there would be other successful films in which she would have participated.

A reborn individual, and also an insider in the industry.

How could I not know which movies will be hits and which will flop?
With his current popularity, the acting skills he's demonstrated, and the recognition he's received, he could have plenty of other good scripts even if he didn't take on "Better Days."

Gu Jingyi can act in patriotic films, and she can also succeed as a serious drama actress.

Just because they couldn't compete with themselves, they get petty and upset even by seeing recent movie spoilers and fan-taken photos. No wonder their reputation has soured and they've lost public favor…

Gu Jingyi's dark eyes surged, a flurry of emotions flashing through them.

"Jingyi, why are you unhappy?"

Zhou Ye, who had secretly come out to look for Gu Jingyi, immediately saw Gu Jingyi's phone when she looked up.

Because it was still early, the screen hadn't completely turned off yet.

"Unveiling the behind-the-scenes story of the casting change in 'Better Days': Did Gu Jingyi oust Lu Han?"

"An insider tells you about the subtle relationships between major traffic stars."

"Lu Han is gone, and the new king belongs to Gu Jingyi."

"Li Tao, why is Gu Jingyi's resource situation so exceptionally good? Since his debut, he's always played the male lead. Is he the real heir to Huace, or the illegitimate son of a high-ranking executive at Huace?"

These ridiculous posts started appearing online yesterday. In fact, Gu Jingyi is not someone whose personality is easily influenced by external comments.

He didn't really care what passersby thought.

However, looking at the comments below and these ridiculous posts...

After reading it, Gu Jingyi almost burst out laughing. It seems that the "literacy campaign" still needs to be continued.

Those ridiculous trolls or bystanders are constantly changing their identities and spreading rumors in the comments.

He was somewhat annoyed that his original supporters, or fans of the novel, had been fooled and left confused.

Gu Jingyi's current fanbase is mostly composed of students, who have poor discernment. They panic at the slightest provocation and jump into every controversy.

Lu Han's popularity has plummeted since he officially announced his relationship.

When a whale falls, all things are born.

Li Yifeng and Yang Yang, these former top stars, followed in Lu Han's footsteps, picking up scraps. Gu Jingyi, on the other hand, attracted a bunch of Lu Han's fans to switch sides by virtue of his superior looks and strength on "Idol Producer".

Even before the show aired, some of Lu Han's biggest fans had already switched the broadcast channel for Gu Jingyi.

The woman's erratic post was published on a large account with a fan base, causing other fans of Lu Han to collectively break down.

Forced to quit her account after putting in so much effort, the "eldest sister" then got into a fight with Gu Jingyi's fans.

At that time, the show hadn't even aired its first public performance, and Gu Jingyi's fan base was still lacking in cohesion and structure.

Compared to Lu Han's fans, who are cunning and experienced, they still lack practical experience.

Although Gu Jun was slightly inferior, he fought back and forth.

Gu Jingyi and Lu Han had a long-standing feud, and their respective fans had long disliked each other.

These revelations provided an outlet for Lu Han's already turbulent fans, who were in dire need of emotional release amidst their excitement and loss of control.

The timing of this group's selection is really good; Gu Jingyi outshone Chris at the Bazaar Charity Night.

This further highlighted Cai Xukun's shortcomings, giving them the opportunity to kick him while he was down.

I don't know who secretly stirred up trouble for him, it might be Lu Han.

After all, targeting Gu Jingyi would benefit him, as it could improve his consistently low online traffic.

Take this opportunity to further market the idea that "only real men announce their relationships."

She also capitalized on Gu Jingyi's popularity to re-enter the public eye.

It could also be other entertainment companies in the industry; Gu Jingyi's rise from last year to now has allowed him to occupy a large share of the domestic entertainment market.

I wonder how many people are blocking the way...

Before, when there was no opportunity, they knew it was pointless to criticize without actually doing so; now that they have the chance, they all secretly jump out.

It's even possible that they're just haters who don't like Gu Jingyi and want to annoy him.

Everyone has a motivation, and perhaps every aspect is involved.

However, after Hua discovered this, he began to carry out intensive control of comments and public relations. Gu Jingyi has seen comments being locked with abnormal IP accounts.

In addition, his fans are constantly retaliating, and Gu Jingyi's fans are renowned for their loyalty and fighting spirit throughout the Chinese entertainment industry.

These past few days, Jingfei has been like a police officer patrolling the internet, almost 24 hours a day, patrolling various forums.

As soon as they see such defamatory posts, a single whistle and countless people swarm in. Led by highly organized fan groups, they control the comments, suppressing the negative remarks, hurling insults at the poster, and finally reporting the post.

These baseless smear posts, devoid of any evidence or solid proof, will not cause any substantial damage to Gu Jingyi.

At most, it might lower his image in the minds of some clueless passersby, but Gu Jingyi's public image is also very strong and won't be damaged so easily.

Passersby might find it amusing at most, and after a few laughs, it would pass.

This will only make Consort Jing even angrier, arousing their anger and their protective instincts towards their brother.

Gu Jingyi had never used or needed to use the tactic of manipulating fans, but now he had to use it by accident.

However, the most important thing now is to minimize the impact of this incident as soon as possible, let the hype die down, and get the business back on track.

Once this period passes, the airing of "Ashes of Love" will completely wash away the negative rumors. It's even possible that it could go further.

Different cars were shuttling around outside the film set, and Zhou Ye thought Gu Jingyi was annoyed by the pace of the scene.

She took his hand like she was comforting a child, saying, "Alright, Jingyi, let's go back to filming. Don't pay attention to these haters, just focus on filming. We'll prove them wrong with our results later."

Her voice came from beside him, and Gu Jingyi looked at Zhou Ye's profile and her undisguised bias.

My mood improved a little, and I went back to the film set with her to continue filming.

(End of this chapter)