Huayu: Traffic is king

Chapter 197 You're Really Annoying
Do you rarely come to amusement parks?

Liu Haoli reached up and tucked a stray strand of hair that was sticking out of his eye behind his ear, then turned his head to look at Gu Jingyi beside him.

"I've been here a few times before, but not very often, and I haven't really looked around much."

Gu Jingyi withdrew his gaze from looking around, turned his head back to look at Liu Haoli, and nodded seriously.

Although most of her face was covered by the deliberately pulled-down brim of her hat and mask, her exposed eyes still met Liu Haolin's gaze.

His handsome and captivating face loomed larger and larger before my eyes, and in the sunlight, his clear eyes seemed to hold a light as bright as glass.

Liu Haoli's heart skipped a beat, and he glanced around guiltily.

She lowered her voice and whispered in Gu Jingyi's ear, "Be careful, we snuck out to play. Be careful not to get spotted and photographed by passersby, or you'll be on the front page tomorrow."

Today, Gu Jingyi was wearing a Dior workwear trench coat over a wool sweater. She also had a Burberry scarf, casual thermal pants, and Air Jordans.

He was carrying a shoulder bag and had one hand in his pocket.

His handsome face was mostly obscured, but his physique and temperament were still outstanding.

Apart from his strikingly beautiful eyes, Gu Jingyi looked like a college student strolling through an amusement park with his girlfriend.

It's evening of December 9th, and Gu Jingyi completed the recording of the songs for the Douyin hit album in less than two days in the recording studio.

The original intention was to create an album that would help Douyin gain a decisive advantage in the battle for market share against Kuaishou.

They do not pursue musicality, nor do they pursue complex arrangements or superior singing skills.

These songs are all catchy and have a memorable chorus. They are typical "Trap" songs, with a highly addictive quality.

It's not difficult to sing; even a "KTV God of War" could sing this song well.

All the songs included in this album will satisfy every "bathhouse singer" and "KTV god of war," attracting Gu Jingyi to many more fans from lower-tier cities.

Most of them probably only know about the "Big Four and Three Small" in the Chinese entertainment industry in 2014, and have not paid attention to the Chinese entertainment market since then.

It's also possible that their understanding of the Chinese entertainment industry is limited to the period before 2010, and when they think of traffic stars, their knowledge of them is still stuck on Han Geng, the first generation of top stars.

Today is the day to shoot the music video for "Drop Tower". Gu Jingyi and Liu Haolin came to Window of the World in Changsha.

The site for the drop tower was still being set up, under the guise of "official business".

Gu Jingyi and Liu Haoli then began their date in a relaxed and leisurely manner.

If they are photographed, it will only be a "chance encounter" on the set of Gu Jingyi's new song MV.

It's completely unrelated to dating and romance.

Gu Jingyi wasn't very interested in these amusement park rides. His parents were busy with work when he was a child, so they rarely took him to amusement parks. Even when they did, they would bring his younger sister and invite him along.

His younger sister only likes to play on the carousel, the flying chairs, and the bumper cars. He is 5 years older than Gu Xuanxuan. How could a teenager possibly be interested in such simple rides?

Like an "add-on" to showcase family harmony, he played whatever his sister liked to play.

Roller coasters, the giant swing ride, and the drop tower are always among the most popular attractions with the longest queues. Every time Gu Jingyi finishes playing with his younger sister, the area is already packed with people, and his parents just shake their heads and urge him to go home.

By the time we actually got to ride rides like drop towers, giant swings, and roller coasters, it was already during a junior high school field trip.

Every year, Xingcheng Junior High School loves to choose between Window of the World and the Botanical Garden for their spring outings. Of course, Window of the World is more interesting to the children than the boring Botanical Garden.

The drop tower at Window of the World is only 10 meters high and not exciting at all. However, it was Gu Jingyi's first time riding a drop tower, using practice to measure the height.

Perhaps because there was too much difference between what he imagined and reality, Gu Jingyi felt it was nothing special after playing it once.

It's also difficult for them to develop an interest in these amusement rides.

Returning to the same place, Gu Jingyi felt extremely bored.

At this time, Xingcheng did not yet have the popularity of the "internet celebrity city" it would become in later years, but it had already gained some fame online.

When Xingcheng learned that Gu Jingyi was making a new album, he invited Gu Jingyi to his hometown to shoot a music video.

Smith Marseille, Yestar.

It wasn't that Gu Jingyi wanted to steal resources; rather, Xingcheng was trying to lure him here to film his music video. They directly offered him the title of Xingcheng Cultural Tourism Ambassador and promised a host of benefits, including preferential treatment in terms of resources.

Gu Jingyi decided to film in Changsha, in addition to "The Drop Tower". He will also finish filming "Plum Jam" with Xiao Tian and "Hug Me" with Zhou Ye here.

The first two music videos will be filmed tomorrow; they're not difficult and can be completed quickly.

Arriving at Window of the World, there wasn't much to do; in fact, Liu Haoli was still eager to explore. Like a child on a picnic, she wanted to wander around.

Gu Jingyi glanced at his watch; there was plenty of time before filming "Drop Tower" began, so he came along.

Today is Monday, and although there aren't as many people as usual, you can still see passersby from time to time, and look at the familiar and bustling scenery around you. Apart from the weather being a little cold, everything else is quite nice.

"I see..." Liu Haoli paused.

She looked at Gu Jingyi, somewhat surprised, and said, "I thought you would come here often..."

"How could that be? You're overthinking it."

Gu Jingyi waved his hand and laughed, "I've only been here once or twice for spring outings. I was quite looking forward to the amusement park before. But after being here, I feel it's nothing special."

"That can't be right, Xuanxuan told me. She used to bring you here to play a lot when you were little. Gu Jingyi, you're not being honest."

Liu Haoli glanced at him with a smile and asked meaningfully.

She was referring to more than just amusement park rides; she was also using a double entendre.

Coincidentally, Liu Haoli and Gu Jingyi were wearing clothes in the same color scheme today. She wore a beige MLB workwear-style down jacket over a beige plush dog sweater, and dark gray pants with a pair of puffy shoes.

He wore a baseball cap, and aside from his down jacket, his entire outfit today was from Gu Jingyi's trendy brand "GoodGu". The look was playful and cute, exuding a fresh and lively vibe.

Gu Jingyi smiled but did not refute.

He's just an ordinary person; once he makes money and has the ability, of course he wants to date.

It's just a matter of falling in love with every girl I see, one after another.

Seeing that Gu Jingyi did not refute, Liu Haoli looked visibly puzzled.

Even if she knows the truth, there are some things she still hopes her sweetheart can comfort her.

This is not about deception, but rather a "white lie".

However, Gu Jingyi seemed not to have understood her meaning at all.

Never mind, there's still plenty of time.

She still has plenty of energy; she can manage it slowly.

Who are those old women? The one who laughs last laughs best.

"Scumbag"

Liu Hao muttered a curse under his breath and wrinkled his nose.

Gu Jingyi's lips curled up, and he winked at her. He wasn't ashamed; on the contrary, he was proud.

"If you were me, you'd realize that you would do the same. After all, who doesn't love a pretty woman?"

Gu Jingyi's answer rang in his ears, and Liu Haoli wanted to refute it but couldn't find any basis for rebuttal.
Compared to those top celebrities in the industry who "select concubines" or frequently travel abroad to find "technical" ladies to have romantic relationships with, this is a stark contrast.

Gu Jingyi is known for his impeccable conduct in this industry. He's already incredibly successful as a singer, and his acting career is progressing just as well. Working year-round without a break, he naturally needs a sweet romance to balance things out with the pressure of his career.

Well, he's a singer-songwriter, after all. He needs to find love to accumulate songwriting material...

Thinking this through, Liu Hao quickly calmed himself down again.

"Hey, why are you walking so slowly! Hurry up, didn't you say you wanted to ride the Ferris wheel?"

Gu Jingyi, who was walking in front, suddenly realized something was wrong. He turned around and saw that Liu Haoli was still walking slowly behind.

He turned back with a frown, pushing her back with some displeasure.

“If we don’t get there now, we’ll miss it. I checked the time, and there’s only a little over an hour left before the music video shoot officially starts. I’m not even sure how long it will take from queuing up to the Ferris wheel completing two rotations…”

Gu Jingyi was interrupted before he could finish his words.

"Jingyi, do you really want to ride the Ferris wheel?"

Liu Haoli looked at him with a half-smile, "Xuanxuan told me that you hate Ferris wheels the most. When we were little, you always complained that it was too much trouble to ride one with her."

Gu Jingyi picked up his phone, indicating that he was about to dial a number.

"This younger sister is really no good. Why does she keep bringing up my problems all the time?"

But Liu Hao quickly snatched the phone away, saying, "This has nothing to do with Xuanxuan. Don't you know your sister? If I hadn't probed her so many times, she wouldn't have brought up these private matters."

Gu Jingyi glanced at her and suddenly understood what Zizi was thinking.

"Jingyi, I want to ride the Ferris wheel. Are you sure you want to come with me?"

Liu Haoli stared intently at Gu Jingyi, making no attempt to hide her feelings for him.

"What else can we do? We've come this far. What's the point of backing down? Once the move is made, there's no going back."

Gu Jingyi smiled and tidied Liu Haoli's hair, a few stray strands falling onto her eyelashes.

“You’ve already unfolded the map of Yan, how could no one know your intentions?”

Liu Hao tilted his head, and it took him a while to realize that Gu Jingyi was saying that she had "revealed her true colors."

Other girls would either run away shyly or smile and remain silent.

Li Zi smiled and nodded generously in admission, "It seems the secrecy wasn't handled well enough. Did Teacher Gu know in advance? Or is she too perceptive, able to analyze my thoughts from just a few words?"

"Your thoughts are so easy to understand."

Gu Jingyi extended his index finger and gently touched the mole on her cheek.

"Do you remember me saying that whenever you lie, or when you have an emotional outburst, the skin around these light brown moles will turn bright red?"

"I don't have mind-reading abilities, but I do have pretty good observation skills."

Liu Haolin breathed a sigh of relief after realizing that Gu Jingyi had discovered his intentions.

She is indeed quite impatient, at least in Gu Jingyi's eyes.

But that's fine too; Liu Haoli has turned the tables on her. She tilted her head. "So now that you know everything, are you still going to play along with my act?"

"Otherwise what?" Gu Jingyi was speechless at this idiotic question.

"You've been preparing for this for so long, it seems like you planned this all along. If I don't cooperate with you, you probably won't be able to keep up this one-man show."

"Tch," Liu Haolin said, giving Gu Jingyi a reproachful sideways glance.

"How's the movie going? I heard it's already been submitted for review."

Gu Jingyi changed the subject again, bringing up his debut work.

"Yes, but I heard it's not going as smoothly as expected. They kept pushing for progress because they wanted to get an award at the Platinum Film Festival. But judging from Director Mou's expression, it's not that simple."

When the topic of movies comes up, Liu Haolin becomes serious.

She sighed, "Sigh, I was really hoping 'Cliff Walkers' would be a hit this time. It's been years since a domestic film was included in the Platinum Film Festival, and even if art films don't do as well at the box office as commercial films, it should at least be a critical and commercial success. I never expected..."

Gu Jingyi ruffled her hair. "If you're feeling troubled, don't think about it too much for now. It's just an award. It's just icing on the cake for you. It's not your personal award, it's the film's."

"Moreover, the title of 'So-and-so Girl' already brings its own traffic. Even if you do nothing, the media will still compare you with Li Landi, Zhang Zifeng, and Zhao Jinmai. To be honest, judging from your current popularity, you are the one leeching off others."

"Tch, didn't you always tell me that popularity is fleeting, but solid work is what matters?"

Liu Haoli was a little unhappy; she didn't think she was any worse than anyone else.

During the filming of the movie, Zhang Yimou himself said, "Haolian, you were born for this."

Zhang Shi's "imperial talent" is far beyond what those fledgling "00s actresses" can claim.

"And also, don't keep bringing up how I'm being compared to Zhao Jinmai and the others. I'm different from her, okay!"

The thought of Zhao Jinmai made Liu Haolu's anger rise again.

Don't be fooled by the fact that "Take My Brother Away" is all about marketing sibling relationships. She has her own judgment on whether they are siblings or rivals!

"That's right, you're a bit older than them, who are born in the 00s."

Gu Jingyi smiled broadly, a smile that once again touched my heart.

Liu Haoli was furious. "What are you doing? I'm really speechless."

Why are you angry again?

"You really are...aren't you angry?" Liu Haozhan glared at him.

"Um……"

Gu Jingyi glanced at Liu Haoli up and down, pursed her lips, and asked tentatively with curiosity in her eyes, "So, do you care more about age, or are you more concerned about being compared to them by the media?"

"You...!"

Liu Haoli was stumped by this sudden question, and she felt her blood rush to her head.

Her composure and gentleness vanished instantly. Unable to contain her anger, she shouted and kicked Gu Jingyi in the calf.

Whether it was because she was a dancer and could control her strength very well or because she simply didn't have much strength, Gu Jingyi was completely unaffected.

After kicking him, she still seemed angry and glared at him fiercely again.

After glaring at Gu Jingyi for a few seconds, she lowered her head in frustration. Covering her face, she chuckled for a few seconds before bursting into laughter, her shoulders shaking uncontrollably.

It took her a while to raise her head again, her eyes smiling but still serious.

He just looked at Gu Jingyi and said, word by word.
Gu Jingyi

"Hmm," Gu Jingyi tilted his head, pretending to listen.

"You're really annoying."

"Thank you for the compliment."

Gu Jingyi accepted everything without hesitation, showing no sign of embarrassment.

(End of this chapter)