Huayu: Traffic is king

Chapter 204 A New History
"Ahhh, Brother Jingyi!"

"Jingyi oppa!!"

Gu Jingyi and Wang Jiaer were whispering to each other for a while, so the director quickly cut to a close-up shot of them.

Somewhat awkwardly, despite having four years of experience in a Korean boy band, Wang Jiaer received very little attention amidst the cheers of the fans.

All the attention was focused on Gu Jingyi, which made Wang Jiaer somewhat embarrassed.

This is also a characteristic of the Peninsula Awards, they especially love to include reactions. They want to see the more genuine reactions from the fans in the audience.

As the cheers erupted, Gu Jingyi calmly maintained his composure, managing his expression. He clapped his hands with a smile, watching Twice perform on stage.

The reaction had already caused a sensation in the venue, with other artists following Gu Jingyi's example and clapping and cheering. Or, like the BTS members, they pointed at the stage and kept saying something.

Meanwhile, the Peninsula's current affairs forum regarding the MAMA live broadcast also began scrolling:
"Oh my god, isn't that Gu Jingyi? This outfit is so beautiful, the gold patterns look like they're flowing. Is Gu Jingyi's skin made of white jade?"

"I've seen her at the airport without makeup; her skin wasn't just white jade, it was like pearls!"

"Chinese netizens say this outfit costs 180 million US dollars → equivalent to the entire GOT7 group's stage outfits."

"My heart can't take it, Jingyi oppa is just too handsome, is he even a real boy? Although Jackson is usually handsome, I have to admit I'm completely blown away this time..."

"No, Jingyi oppa hit me! I'm going to die, I'm going to die..."

"Wow, what are you guys talking about? Who is this? He's so handsome! Can someone introduce him? I feel like I fell in love at first sight."

"Are you a social butterfly upstairs? He was the center who withdrew from Produce 202. Going back further, he was YG Entertainment's 'next GD.' YG fans should know that. If you really don't understand, have you seen 'Who is next'? He was one of Team A's two aces, Jing!"

"You should say he's the male lead in that Chinese drama 'A Love So Beautiful,' KKK."

"Oh, it's him. That's not surprising. In the drama, he's the kind of handsome campus heartthrob, but today he exudes the noble and majestic aura of a crowned king. I'm going crazy, why is that brat Ahn Joon-young treating Jing like this?"

The screams and reactions from the audience following Gu Jingyi's reacation surprised the Twice girls who were still performing on stage.

The cheers almost drowned out the beeping in her earpiece. Nayeon paused, nearly missing the beat.

Fortunately, Sana Minatozaki improvised and perfectly covered it up.

Taking advantage of a gap in her movement, Lim Nayeon looked up and glanced at Gu Jingyi.

He is indeed very handsome, possessing an air of nobility that could never be cultivated on the peninsula.

She started as a trainee at the age of 13 and has now debuted. She has been in the industry for ten years, and there is really no one who can be compared with Gu Jingyi.

If we had to pick one, only her scumbag ex-boyfriend Qin Lang could barely be considered a match for Gu Jingyi...

Forget it, why am I thinking about that jerk again? While I'm agonizing over him, that scoundrel is probably sleeping in another girl's bed.

She must have been blind to have chosen a playboy who had slept with dozens of women.

It's one thing for others, but even Sana Minatozaki has been secretly raiding other people's bases all along...

Surrounded by enemies on all sides, Lin Nalian felt like she was walking on thin ice.

(Qin Lang, the male protagonist of my friend's previous novel, "Peninsula: I'm a Girl Group Driver." Xiao Gu's timeline is a parallel world, so let's just assume Qin Lang never debuted and was just a famous producer. The previous novel had a lot of chaotic situations, accounting for 50% of the story. (The author has left a note saying this is because the novel is nearing its end and I'm limited by space.)
"Lin Nayeon!"

Suddenly, a rapid shout came through her earpiece, but Lim Nayeon concealed her strange feelings and continued dancing to the music.

The audience members who noticed this simply assumed that Lim Na-yeon was influenced by Gu Jingyi's reacation and smiled kindly.

After the performance came the awards ceremony, where Park Bo-gum and Lee Sung-kyung presented the awards.

They were presenting the award for Artist of the Year, and the lines they were supposed to say had been rehearsed beforehand and were very familiar with. They spoke in perfect unison, each line perfectly coordinated by the script.

The candidates' video clips began playing on the big screen, and Gu Jingyi was quite familiar with several of the candidates.

Boy groups like EXO, BTS, and Wanna One. He had been in contact with the first two in his previous life, and the last one consisted of former teammates.

Park Bo-gum paused briefly, and then the award was given to BTS.

Gu Jingyi had already figured it out as BTS, because EXO, one of the candidates, wasn't there. They had clearly been notified beforehand, which was why they wouldn't come to the platform.

BTS were also very excited when they went on stage, and leader Kim Namjoon expressed his gratitude in front of the microphone.

Starting in 2018, BTS completely surpassed EXO.

This boy band, which originated from a small company, has finally reaped the rewards of their hard work.

After the Grand Prize was awarded, the first part of MAMA ended.

The halftime break has begun, and the second part will resume in about 20 minutes.

Gu Jingyi was playing on his phone when he suddenly heard a long-lost sentence in Chinese.

“Brother Jingyi…”

He looked up and saw Lai Kuan-lin standing not far away, watching him.

"Is there something you need?" Gu Jingyi closed his phone and gave him a look.

"I listened to your new album, it's really good. I also watched your new drama, Kyung-yi, you're so popular. I'm in South Korea, I see news about you everywhere."

Lai Kuan-lin looked somewhat embarrassed, but he still didn't leave and started playing the flute.

"Well, a bit of luck and my skill," Gu Jingyi readily accepted the compliments.

Lai Kuan-lin was wearing a suit today, and Gu Jingyi recognized the style at a glance. It was a Dior Fall/Winter 2016 ready-to-wear piece—just so-so…

South Korean idols don't have a high status. Aside from SM Entertainment's long-standing Gucci endorsement, only Blank Pink and BTS have good fashion resources. Before the mask movement, South Korean idols rarely even had the opportunity to wear the latest fashions, let alone haute couture. Only the top members of leading boy groups had that privilege.

In this fashion haven, only actors can easily borrow the latest seasonal styles.

Perhaps it was because Gu Jingyi's lingering gaze was too intriguing, Lai Guanlin followed his gaze and saw his ill-fitting suit, his face instantly turning bright red.

Wanna One has 11 members, and the only true heir is "Kang Danny." His company has close ties with Mnet, and naturally, he has the best resources under their management.

I have lived a peaceful life in this life, and when I think back to my past life, it all seems like a distant dream.

Gu Jingyi looked away, unwilling to discuss it further.

But Lai Kuan-lin still wanted to continue the conversation, saying that forgetting to take the bowl meant a two-and-a-half-year limited-time group. As a green card holder, he certainly couldn't stay active in South Korea indefinitely.

The money in the Chinese entertainment industry is easy to make and the status is high, so it's definitely more comfortable than in South Korea.

When talking about the Chinese entertainment industry, the name Gu Jingyi is indispensable in 2018.

"Jingyi, does your Huace still need any male actors...?"

In short, Lai Kuan-lin stammered when he asked the question.

His relationship with Gu Jingyi was previously lukewarm, and they even had a falling out because they both held green cards. Fans often make comparisons between them, with Lai Kuanlin being completely overshadowed by Gu Jingyi.

Under these circumstances, it would be strange if he had a good impression of Gu Jingyi...

Especially after Gu Jingyi withdrew from the competition, his fans suspected that "two green cards cannot debut at the same time." An Junying chose to give Gu Jingyi a warning, and in the end, the older brother had no choice but to return to China to give the opportunity to his younger brother.

Lai Kuan-lin was directly criticized as a disgrace to the industry, with his professional skills deemed utterly inadequate. His initial stage performance only showcased the most basic trainee skills, earning him a D grade. How could someone like that possibly improve significantly after participating in a talent show for over four months?
It's utterly absurd...

Faced with his request, Gu Jingyi simply gave an awkward yet polite smile.

"Guanlin, what are you doing here?"

When Jiang Dannier arrived and saw Gu Jingyi, her expression froze.

He quickly said goodbye to Gu Jingyi and left.

Gu Jingyi vaguely heard him cursing Lai Guanlin, "Hey, are you crazy? In everyone's eyes, you're the one who stole Gu Jingyi's debut spot. Do you think you can get a good result if you go and beg him now?"

The camera of the fan site admin, not far away, glowed red, quietly recording everything.

After this little incident, the second half of MAMA proceeded as scheduled.

Wannna One performed their debut song "Energetic" on stage, and while there were cheers, they were nowhere near as enthusiastic as the focus that Gu Jingyi had received when the screen cut to him earlier.

While there are supposedly three top boy groups in the Korean Peninsula, BTS and EXO are actually the only super boy groups with real Asian influence.

Wanna One's popularity is more concentrated in Japan, where they are known as "the nation's children." Their influence in Japan and Southeast Asia is not as great as that of EXO and BTS.

The third of the "Top Three Boy Bands" is naturally marketed in conjunction with the top two.

In Gu Jingyi's opinion, even if Wanna One doesn't disband, they will be surpassed in popularity by SVT.

So when he talks about "unforgettable love" or "the white moonlight," he genuinely doesn't think it's reached that point...

This year's MAMA was rather uninteresting; Gu Jingyi watched as Wanna One went on stage and won the Best Male Group award.

Interestingly, the director kept switching to close-up shots of Gu Jingyi on the big screen.

He smiled and clapped his hands, appearing nonchalant.

Gu Jingyi's dignified demeanor drove the MAMA live stream chat almost crazy:

"Is MAMA sick? She values ​​popularity over shame and traffic over character."

"I'm speechless. I don't know why they have to compare Gu Jingyi with Wanna One. It's common knowledge that Gu Jingyi has never marketed himself, which is Wanna One's biggest regret. On the contrary, this boy group has always been marketing itself by associating with Gu Jingyi."

"You bet, their eating manners are really unseemly."

"I feel sorry for Jingyi, he's really unlucky. Just look at Jiang Dannier's comments, she subtly mentioned Gu Jingyi again."

"Gu Jingyi totally crushed this boy group, okay? I'm an international student. I've compiled some comments from Korean websites for you girls, and they're all negative."

"I'm just a passerby and don't know what Wanna One is. I only remember that after Gu Jingyi returned to China, he never marketed or promoted himself as the biggest regret of a certain boy group."

"..."

"Shh, ladies, stop chatting. Gu Jingyi is on stage again to accept an award, oh my god, it's Lin Yoona presenting him with the award again. I'm secretly shipping them, they're such a perfect match."

"Age gap, body size difference, top-tier younger brother × girl group's stunning looks, 'Nuna', it's terrifying to think about."

"Hmm, it's very possible that Gu Jingyi wrote this song for Lin Yoona. Otherwise, why would he insist on singing this song at Girls' Generation's concert and not even promote it on the charts? A Chinese person singing a Chinese song, and he's referring to Nuna instead of his older sister."

"CP can be niche, but it can't be weird, okay? Can this be considered a scandal? Does that mean Gu Jingyi's 'Heart Attraction' is about falling in love with every female star he sings about?"

"I'm taking my handsome Gu Jingyi with me, I'm single and not looking for dates."

"Gu Jingyi is on set 365 days a year, except for album releases. Stop spreading rumors about handsome guys. If this gets more than 1000 views, he'll go straight to Orange Clam."

"Hey passerby, I'd like to ask how valuable this Best Asian Artist award is?"

"MAMA has three main awards: Best Artist, Song of the Year, and Best Album. Excluding these three awards and some participation awards, the rest are popularity awards. However, Gu Jingyi's Best Artist award is one of the most prestigious among the popularity awards."

"This year's MAMA also added the Fan of the Year award, which should also be a major award, right? According to past practice, anything related to the year is one of the three major awards."

"XS, we'll have to ask MAMA about that. Who knows if it's unique to this year, or if it happens every year?"

"The Fans' Choice Award has been given out, and it went to Twice!!!"

"Then the annual fan choice will definitely be the Grand Prize, and it will be used every year in the future. As we all know, once you are nominated for the Grand Prize at MAMA, you can't win it again."

"That's right, and girl groups have always been less competitive than boy groups in terms of awards. Wait! I remember Gu Jingyi was nominated for Song of the Year, right? South Korea's grand prize has been handed to a Chinese person. I can imagine that tonight, all the major South Korean forums will be filled with 'shiba' (a vulgar expression)."

"This is so boring, why isn't the second part finished yet? I wanted to see Gu Jingyi go on stage to accept the song of the year, why is it taking so long?"

"The grand prize, the grand finale..."

"This is boring. I'm not interested in any of these people except for Gu Jingyi..."

"Girls' Generation is here! I knew they couldn't just have the Blue Dragon Film Award winner come alone! Is the part breakdown for 'All Night' really real? Yoona is finally not the zero-Yoona anymore."

"Yoona's mom is overjoyed! Im Yoona finally has some lines! It's two and a half lines, a complete two and a half lines! Not just a modal particle, but a complete two and a half lines!"

"Congratulations, Yoona, you've found a great line in your old age!"

"2333, you guys are really going to be censored. Yoona is alright, she's 28, the age to take risks."

"28 years old, that's even better. The difference in physique and age between her and Gu Jingyi makes it even more enjoyable."

"Shut up, where did this swordsman come from? Don't mention our Jingyi, he's a virgin!!"

"XS, which day are you referring to as a virgin? Today?"

"It's strange that someone as good-looking as Gu Jingyi would be a virgin. I remember seeing a post on a gossip site saying that Gu Jingyi has a very large penis and is the kind of man that rich women love but can't have."

"I saw one before, it seemed to say that Gu Jingyi didn't have a steady girlfriend. He loved the couples on set, but he didn't date escorts or have casual sex."

"That's great. I suggest all male stars in the Chinese entertainment industry learn from Gu Shen. His love begins and ends with the filming of the story. He doesn't hype up his fans or act like a ladybug. He's a very good male star. No wonder he has so many dream girls."

"I suspect the previous posts are from the same source? (Screenshot)"

Those who have seen leaked photos of E-Emperor should know that he's been coveted by many wealthy women. Previously, it was just that some women wanted to sleep with him; now, it's gotten to the point where, if they can't sleep with him, they're considering having a child with him. Recently, E-Emperor attended an awards ceremony, and at the after-party, a wealthy woman offered to buy him for a large sum of money. (7.8 reads)
"Just one look at it and you feel like it's crazy." "Why is he called Emperor E? It took me a while to figure out that he's Gu Jingyi."

"Isn't '奕' and 'e' the same sound? You can't use your full name in 'yxh', it's easy to get sued."

"The 'e' is silent, how dare you little devils call him our brother!"

"666, EXO fans, stop pretending."

"It's so true at first glance, it's an EXO meme, haha."

"Do you believe it? I really do. Gu Jingyi is handsome, talented, tall, and has a great physique. Most importantly, he's from the Central Conservatory of Music. His academic score is also 20 points above the first-tier university cutoff. For a trainee who has been training outside for many years to achieve this after years of neglect, you can only say that Gu Jingyi's genes are just too good. He's handsome and smart. No wonder people on the peninsula are crazy about us having Gu Jingyi."

"Jingdi's father is a senior partner; the financial world is all about intelligence. His mother is also a teacher, and his sister is said to have good grades. It's not surprising that he's smart; the whole family is impressive."

"Seriously, Gu Jingyi is the one who won the 'gene lottery'. Although my parents-in-law are both very good-looking, my husband has perfectly inherited the best features of both of them."

"I can understand rich women. In their circle, it's common practice for fathers to leave their children behind. At least these people in the entertainment industry are good-looking, and once they reach a certain level of wealth, they really don't need to worry about the next generation. They have professional managers to manage things, so they don't have high expectations for their children. They're born to enjoy life, so they might as well have a handsome son to look at, haha."

"Strange, where is Consort Jing? Usually she would have been here controlling the comments by now, why aren't they breaking down!"

"Breaking through defenses? LOL, they're going to be ecstatic. Their idols are so outstanding and self-disciplined, yet they're loved by rich women but can't have them. What a perfect 'white moonlight' story! Just imagining it makes me feel so good for them."

"Exactly! The exposé completely affirms Gu Jingyi from all aspects, including his looks, physical attributes, character, and the high intelligence that the entertainment industry lacks. Consort Jing? They're dreaming of her now."

Tian Xiwei, who was watching the live stream, scoffed and continued to organize discipline.

[@Gu Jingyi's Donuts: All Jingyi fans, listen up! We've received the latest notification. Gu Jingyi will be on stage in five minutes to present an award alongside a South Korean actress. Be prepared for some misleading comments and attacks from rivals in the live chat!]
As soon as the message was sent, countless "received" messages flooded the group chat.

She's been leading the team for so long; it's impossible for fans to not even be able to handle such a small thing.

Reassured, Tian Xiwei put down her phone and began picking out clothes.

Hunan TV's New Year's Eve concert will have a rehearsal on December 30th and will be broadcast live on December 31st.

It's already December 27th, and the lineup for the New Year's Eve concert has been circulating wildly online for a while now:

Tian Xiwei, Cheng Xiao, Feng Shaofeng, Rocket Girls, Fighting Boys, Yang Zi, Gu Jingyi
Many people, upon seeing the somewhat unfamiliar name Tian Xiwei, are asking who she is.

I soon learned that she was the female lead in the music video for "Plum Jam" and a rising actress.

Some people are wondering why an actress would participate in a New Year's Eve concert.

Fans quickly shared screenshots of the program schedule, saying, "She'll be singing 'One Day' with Gu Jingyi, which is the lead single from Jingyi's new album. Gu Jingyi will be performing three songs at this New Year's Eve concert, two of which are from his new album. We can look forward to it; the quality is guaranteed."

Gu Jingyi's new album was initially planned by Huace to follow the South Korean model, splitting the 12 songs into 3 tracks each and creating 4 mini-albums. These were to be released according to the four seasons, spring, summer, autumn, and winter, with a final full album containing all the songs for a second round of sales calculations.

Then, the following month, Gu Jingyi was asked to write two more songs to be added to the 12-song official album as a reissue.

The difference is that the reissued album includes two new songs and different photocards.

However, Huace can earn money six times from the songs on one album (a mini-album released quarterly + a full-length album + a reprinted album).

This approach was learned by Huace from YG and SM, who studied the operation model of South Korean idols, after seeing that Gu Jingyi was quite popular in South Korea.

Big Bang's 2018 comeback album was designed to be released according to the four seasons: spring, summer, autumn, and winter. One of the songs, "If You," which was covered by singer Han Hong, was created as part of this project.

When it comes to re-releasing albums, SM Entertainment is the best at this.

The advantage is that album sales can be counted twice, including both the original album and the reissued album.

The most typical example is EXO's "double million album" in 2013. The phenomenal hit song "Growl", which propelled EXO to the top boy group position, was included in the re-released album "XOXO".

By the way, before the "cold weather restriction order" came into effect, EXO's albums were always released in both Chinese and Korean versions. "XOXO" also had two versions: "Hug" and "KISS." The only difference was the Chinese and Korean titles; the songs included were exactly the same.

It might seem incomprehensible to casual observers, but fans are genuinely buying them!
Each version of the album has different photocards, posters, and other merchandise.

Physical albums will only be available to true fans, who will buy every version (similar to a "full subscription").
Even though in later years, Xiao 8 didn't understand why fans bought expensive gift cards and uttered the classic line, "Print them yourself!"

In reality, this kind of thing is similar to a futures contract; these cards are never reissued. For fans, it has investment value.

Some can be sold at a profit, with a markup.

Only genuine products possess this characteristic; pirated versions are only for viewing and can only be enjoyed by the individual. To fans, they are obviously fake.

The reason is simple: these are all selfies that have never been released through other channels. There are no original photos available, and they cannot be imitated.

Even if you scan the image using the official version, the result from the pirated scan will not be as clear as the original.

Moreover, the patterns on genuine and counterfeit cards are completely different, just like the difference between toy banknotes and real banknotes.

Many "expensive cards" are flash cards, which refract different light at different angles.

Authentic photocards have collectible value for fans and can bring a sense of satisfaction that pirated copies cannot provide.

The only official photos that fans can print themselves are the selfies posted by Gu Jingyi on Weibo and the photos of Gu Jingyi at events posted by her studio, which are watermark-free.

All of these publicly disclosed things are worthless...

Don't assume you can just print the pictures from those fan sites; they're usually watermarked. If you really want to print them, you need to ask the fan site owner for permission. Generally, you'll have to pay some money to get the original, watermark-free image.

The original price of these top-tier photos is actually no less than that of a small photocard.

This is why, even though Tian Xiwei has been Gu Jingyi's fan site manager for so long, she has the financial strength to participate in various events without ever releasing any merchandise to make money.

With that kind of talent, just posting original images is a sustainable and substantial source of income.

Gu Jingyi had already handed over the selfie business to the company; his business acumen in this area is truly impressive.

After all, he had experience with a top K-pop boy group, and the most important thing for K-pop idols is facial expression management and selfies!

As for strength, it hasn't been valued as much since the fourth or fifth generation.

Even if you're not good at singing and dancing, if you're good-looking and know how to charm your fans or take selfies, you'll still have fans who constantly pamper you.

A typical example is: Ye Shua
Gu Jingyi, a selfie master, delivers cards to Huace that are so handsome that fans want to "go all in".

That's right, each photocard from a different album version is unique.

Moreover, in order to make money, fans have to buy albums like crazy to avoid buying duplicates if they want to collect a certain version of photocards.

This system is not only used in South Korea, but also in the Chinese entertainment industry after the founding of the People's Republic of China.

It's just that no phenomenal idols have emerged from it, so not many people know about it...

Of course, even with the company making such a killing, Gu Jingyi's conscience was still bothering him, and the top salesperson advised Huace to do good deeds.

At least they don't bundle together albums that were released quarterly and sell them for profit.

That's too shady...

Huace reluctantly cancelled the idea of ​​releasing albums quarterly, and instead made Gu Jingyi's first official album into a 12-song official version and a re-released album version that included two new songs a few months later.

The benefits of re-releasing an album go beyond just making more money. If even one song from a re-released album becomes a hit and attracts new fans, it can stimulate another wave of growth for the original album, which has already stagnated a few months after its initial release.

After all, it's a "brother" in a different form, so it's worth keeping and waiting for its value to appreciate.

Companies like CTI and other major South Korean companies are always paying attention to the SIM card market. Sometimes, a seemingly ordinary SIM card suddenly becomes incredibly expensive, and these companies are always involved.

Under this method of trading, "small cards" are essentially like "futures" with entertainment value.

No wonder those fans are so obsessed…

Gu Jingyi's refusal to release Huace's album in quarterly installments was something he had already revealed to Tian Xiwei, asking her to help spread the word among his fans.

After all, he gave up his small goal of getting a share of the profits. According to Huace's usual practice, four mini-albums would just include three songs, add some remixes, rearrange them, and continue selling. Or they would add an instrumental version, ostensibly to provide a track for fans to sing along to.

No matter what, Huace will put these three songs together to make a mini-album with 7 tracks.

The physical album comes in at least three versions: a standard edition, a deluxe edition, and a vinyl edition.

In addition to the digital album, Gu Jingyi directly rejected readily available small goals for the sake of his fans. Asking his girlfriend to "leak" the information for him—isn't that asking for a good reputation too much to ask?

When the re-released album comes out, just criticize Huace.

Those despicable capitalists! 23333
Xiao Tian put on her headphones and listened to "One Day," a song Gu Jingyi had sent her earlier, and sang along softly.

Suddenly, her phone started buzzing, and she looked up at the tablet.

Sure enough, Gu Jingyi made another appearance.

He went on stage with Kim Jisoo to present the award.

This award is the 'Asian Newcomer Group Award,' which is obviously far inferior to the Grand Prize. It can't even compare to awards like Best Group, but it's more prestigious than some participation awards and is still an honor for a new group.

"Next, we will be presenting the Asian Newcomer Group Award."

Holding a cue card, Gu Jingyi, dressed in a couture ES outfit, looked as dashing as a prince straight out of a fairy tale.

The comments section was flooded with messages, and no one paid attention to what he was saying.

"Gu Shen is so handsome, this outfit really suits him."

"I checked, and ES has officially claimed it on the international website. It won't be released until January 2019, and it'll cost tens of millions. Forget it, I can't afford it."

"Gu Jingyi's lips look so kissable, I didn't even notice who he gave the award to."

"Damn, that woman is so annoying. The award's already been given out, and she's still peeking at Gu Jingyi!"

"That's something the award presenters have to do; it's normal business practice. Fans don't need to have sensitive skin, and your idol might even enjoy it."

"You're talking nonsense. Gu Jingyi doesn't like South Korean women! He's taken on patriotic productions and made all sorts of tributes."

"His patriotism doesn't affect the South Korean artists he promotes. Sex is one thing, pure love is for true love..."

"Shut up! Gu Jingyi's Dior is locked; only his soulmate can open it! He's a virgin, so you're not allowed to fantasize about my husband!"

The comments scrolled at lightning speed, and amidst the noise, the awarding of the song of the year finally arrived.

Without a doubt, Gu Jingyi won.

As soon as he stepped onto the stage to accept the award, a frenzied scream erupted from below.

The cheers, a mix of Chinese and Korean, resounded throughout the venue, interspersed with excited fans shouting "Oppa!"

The reaction was so strong that even Gu Jingyi himself was somewhat surprised.

Standing in front of the standing microphone, his acceptance speech was interrupted. He first greeted the fans with a smile, which elicited screams, before beginning his self-introduction.

"Hello everyone, I am Gu Jingyi."

As Gu Jingyi spoke in fluent and clear Chinese, he smiled and looked at the camera.

At that moment, the big screen switched to a close-up of Gu Jingyi, which he precisely caught with his gaze. His professional instincts as an actor kicked in, and he subtly adjusted the angle.

His striking features were immediately revealed to all the viewers up close.

The cheers were noticeably louder than before, coming from not only fans but also many spectators.

Regardless of whose fans they are or whose support signs they are holding.

True handsome men transcend national boundaries and can conquer all aesthetic standards. At this moment, they are all fans of Gu Jingyi's looks.

After switching to a close-up of Gu Jingyi, the director immediately switched the camera to the artists' seats.

It was especially targeted at members of several girl groups.

The screen showed Lin Yoona and several members of BlackPink, all of whom had a good relationship with Gu Jingyi on the surface or had been rumored to be dating him.

When the camera switched to her, Kim Jisoo seemed not to have reacted yet. She maintained the same expression as before during the awards ceremony, stealing glances at Gu Jingyi's close-up.

Realizing she'd been caught, her eyes widened, her mouth slightly open, and she made a "wow" sound.

He lowered his head and shyly hid behind Jennie Kim; this was the most genuine reaction to surprise.

The concubines were furious. Did this idiot woman not know what it meant to try to cover something up?

Gu Jingyi's remarks were simple: thank you to the fans, the company, and the organizers.

After he finished his remarks, he left the stage.

At the 2018 MAMA Awards, the grand prizes were divided up by the most popular artists.

Singer of the Year and Album of the Year were awarded to BTS, and Song of the Year was awarded to Gu Jingyi.

After the awards ceremony, Gu Jingyi left the venue with his agent.

(End of this chapter)