Huayu: Traffic is king

Chapter 210: Filming Wraps Up and Trailer Released

On the first day of 2019, Gu Jingyi once again dominated the trending topics.

The three songs have been repeatedly recorded in "Recation" videos by various music content creators, who have praised them highly.

Among them, "Thousands of Miles" was mentioned the most, and even the official account reposted Gu Jingyi's performance.

This song was originally performed on the Xijiang Spring Festival Gala, and both its theme and lyrics are very cohesive. It aligns with the above-mentioned intentions, and Gu Jingyi is extremely popular.

The Spring Festival Gala directly connected with Huace and invited Gu Jingyi to perform this song on stage.

Huace was interested and readily agreed.

The Spring Festival in 2018 falls on February 16th, which means that Gu Jingyi will seamlessly join the Spring Festival Gala team for several rounds of rehearsals after finishing filming "Go Go Squid!".

Another piece of good news comes from "Ashes of Love". On the first day of the new year, "Ashes of Love" officially announced that it will premiere on February 1st.

"Undyed" is also extremely popular, as it serves as the theme song for "Ashes of Love". After Gu Jingyi's performance of "Ashes of Love", the trailer for "Ashes of Love" was directly released on Weibo.

@AshesofLoveOfficial: Another season of blooming and withering flowers has come and the little fragrance has come to meet you in the human world with a trailer!

@Gu Jingyi @Yang Zi @Chen Yuqi @Luo Yunxi

As is customary, when a TV series announces its release date or the official Weibo account mentions an artist, the order of their billing is usually based on their ranking in the credits.

Gu Jingyi's condition for accepting the role in "Ashes of Love" was that he had to be the lead actor; even being a co-lead actor was not acceptable.

Before "Ashes of Love" aired, Yang Zi only had a higher national recognition, and her popularity was nowhere near that of Gu Jingyi, who had just come out of "Idol Producer".

Gu Jingyi is definitely the lead actor, and both his fans and his co-stars love to see him as the main character. The massive success of "Ashes of Love" is a testament to that!

Wouldn't pacifying the barbarians be like giving away a duck that's already in your hand? Gu Jingyi isn't that saintly.

The release of this trailer simply means that the promotion for the premiere of "Ashes of Love" has begun.

Upon its release, the number of clicks easily exceeded ten million within an hour.

As Gu Jingyi's first historical romance drama, fans have been waiting for it for ages.

Not to mention when his official photos were first released, they went viral across various platforms.

Not only are fans waiting, but many passersby are also eagerly anticipating it.

The first wave of promotion for "Ashes of Love" came on strong, and Weibo even bought a top trending topic in the middle position, which was pushed up by fans and saw by more and more people.

SNH Dormitory
Sun Zhenni returned to her dormitory after a day of training and immediately saw a pop-up window from the Weibo app as soon as she picked up her phone.

[You have five messages featuring Gu Jingyi! Come check them out in the plaza!]
"Yay, I've finally waited for you!"

Sun Zhenni smiled and spoke, her hand already naturally clicking on the pop-up windows to browse through them one by one.

She had already seen all the trending topics related to Gu Jingyi's performance, so she naturally looked at other trending topics instead.

Upon clicking through, I saw that the Ashes of Love production team had capitalized on the popularity of The Undyed to officially announce its release date.

Then, I clicked on the first version of the trailer.

As an S-level historical romance drama, this show boasts excellent special effects and set design.

The trailer started with dazzling special effects as soon as I clicked on it.

From the vibrant flower realm to the ethereal celestial realm, just a few shots are enough to show the production team's sincerity.

After the blurring was finished, the trailer officially began.

"Love? What is it?" Xu Feng's voice came from behind the scenes, tinged with a hint of doubt.

"To be ruthless is to be strong; to be devoid of love is to be carefree; all in the six realms there is great suffering."

Dressed in his royal attire, Xu Feng drank a cup of wine and looked at Jin Mi with expectant eyes, asking, "Jin Mi, promise me. When I return, will you be my queen?"

Just as Sun Zhenni was expecting an answer, the crew moved to another location.

The story has been changed from the perspective of Xu Feng to that of the female protagonist, Jin Mi.

"So this is what love is, sweet indeed."

"Meet me before you understand love."

These two short sentences echo Xu Feng's previous two sentences.

Sometimes the person in front of you isn't the one in your heart. It wasn't until he died that I realized the only person I'd ever truly loved was him…

"Phoenix!"

A shrill female voice rang out, its urgency moment causing the audience to hold their breath for a second.

.........

"You little flower demon, wreaking havoc in the Heavenly Realm, I will annihilate you!"

"I will take control of my own destiny; this time, I will choose for myself!"

The voices of the Empress and Runyu rang out one after another, and the two of them flashed by in a fleeting moment.

The character's personality is fully revealed through these two sentences.

The scene shifts again, this time to the Nine Heavens Cloud Palace.

The Heavenly Emperor slammed his fist on the table and roared at his son, Xu Feng, who was standing in front of him, "For Jin Mi's sake, are you going to defy the heavens and disobey orders?"

Just as Xu Feng, played by Gu Jingyi, was about to speak, the camera shifted again.

Yang Zi's voice came again from behind the scenes, "So love is the bittersweetest of all."

"I think one day I will kill you."

Jinmi's figure flashed by, from the lively and spirited "Little Grape" at the beginning to the increasingly aloof Jinmi who took over the position of Water God.

Her long eyelashes trembled, and her voice trembled even more.

Memories drifted back to that grand wedding.

"Did you ever love me?"

Xu Feng lowered his head, looking incredulously at the Phoenix Feather on his chest.

This natal artifact that he gave to Jinmi to protect her ultimately became the murder weapon that killed him.

How ridiculous?

Even so, at the end, this was the only question he wanted to ask.

The affection is so deep, it's truly touching.

Never

The scene shifts, and Jinmi coldly pulls out the Phoenix Feather.

"So this is what love feels like."

"This time, I'm willing."

The video ends here, with a line of large text appearing at the end:
Ashes of Love!
"Is this Gu Jingyi's historical romance drama? The special effects are amazing!"

Zhao Yue came up at some point, and she leaned intimately on Sun Zhenni's shoulder to give her evaluation.

"He looks incredibly handsome, no wonder he's Gu Jingyi!"

When Gu Jingyi was mentioned, Sun Zhenni's smile brightened.

"However, this drama is adapted from a female-oriented fantasy novel, so will Gu Jingyi have a small role?"

Zhao Yue had certainly read the original novel of the drama, but as a popular idol in Hanoi, she certainly didn't have the time to watch it.

The auditions for this drama were released beforehand, and she wanted to audition for the role of the third female lead, the Peacock Princess.

In order to have a better chance of getting the opportunity, Zhao Yue also read the original novel.

The influence of Seine River idols is relatively closed, and most of their fame is limited to "visible within Seine River".

Only three have truly broken into the mainstream: Ju Jingyi, "Ka Huang" (a nickname for a celebrity), and the future Sun Zhenni.

She gained some popularity with her role as the little fox, the third female lead in "The Long Moon Shines Bright".

From initially being offered supporting roles to veteran actress Huang Tingting in film and television resources, to being directly noticed by Youku and receiving a constant stream of good opportunities, to even Huang Tingting wanting to play a supporting role for her.

Although Huang Tingting ultimately refused that resource, it's clear that Sun Zhenni has a strong future development potential.

"I think the character arc is more important than the amount of screen time."

Sun Zhenni smiled and spoke thoughtfully.

The character Xu Feng could easily defeat Jin Mi...

Don't forget, the audience for fantasy dramas is almost entirely female.

Thinking of this, she made an excuse to get up and go outside to send a message to Gu Jingyi.

Congratulations to Jingyi on the huge success of his new drama!

.........

Time flies, and in the blink of an eye, Gu Jingyi has been filming for more than half a month in the "Go Go Squid!" crew.

"Jingyi, the final trailer for Ashes of Love has been released."

Filming locations for "Go Go Squid!"

Gu Jingyi had just finished filming his scenes for the morning when he heard Lin Ze reporting to him as soon as he entered the RV.

At the start of 2019, Gu Jingyi spent almost all his time on the film set.

He has to wrap up filming for "Go Go Squid!" by the end of January, and starting in February, all of Gu Jingyi's time will be dedicated to the Spring Festival Gala. There will be several rounds of rehearsals before things are truly finalized.

Next up was the door-to-door promotion for "Ashes of Love," which is scheduled to premiere on February 19th.

That is, on the third day of the Lunar New Year, it took advantage of the winter vacation to strongly garner viewership ratings.

Gu Jingyi couldn't refuse things like door-to-door visits, live streams, or joint events with his co-star.

Around mid-March, Gu Jingyi's first official album will be recorded.

Around late April, the first album was officially released.

Then Gu Jingyi joined the cast of "Little Red Flower" and filmed for about two months.

Starting in July, Gu Jingyi will embark on a 40-day tour.

In August, "Go Go Squid!" will be broadcast, and Gu Jingyi will be going to do promotional work.

Next, I joined the cast of "You Are My Glory".

In October, the movie "Better Days" was released. Gu Jingyi had to go to perform with the film crew, and she wouldn't have time to join the cast of "Qingqing's Daily Life" until around November.

It looks exhausting, but Gu Jingyi's efforts will surely be rewarded.

In 2019, he will experience an even greater explosion of success. From the beginning of the year to the middle, and then from the middle to the end.

Dior's ambassadorship title has been upgraded and will be implemented simultaneously in September.

Gu Jingyi will become the world's first Asian spokesperson, making history.

As for his title with Chopard, Gu Jingyi plans to switch jobs to Van Cleef & Arpels.

Van Cleef & Arpels is a top-tier jewelry brand, even more prestigious than Chopard. Furthermore, Van Cleef & Arpels' clientele is predominantly female, making it a perfect fit for a top-tier celebrity like Gu Jingyi… no, a true "superstar," to be its spokesperson.

In terms of fashion resources, Gu Jingyi is unmatched in the country.

Chris?
He can no longer be on equal footing with Gu Jingyi; in the jewelry category alone, Van Cleef & Arpels completely outclasses Bulgari.

Even Tiffany can't compete with Van Cleef & Arpels; only Cartier can barely be considered on par with them in terms of prestige. However, those in the know generally choose Van Cleef & Arpels in the secondary jewelry market in Japan and Hong Kong. Van Cleef & Arpels pieces are almost always sold at their original price. Some styles, like the "pork belly purple," can even fetch a premium.

As for LV, Chris's treatment has been visibly declining year by year.

His treatment might have been decent in his earlier years, but by 2019 he was just an empty shell.

Looking around, Gu Jingyi saw that there wasn't a single person in the Chinese entertainment industry who could compete.

"The final trailer for Ashes of Love? It's only mid-January, how come it's all released so quickly?"

Gu Jingyi smiled and took the tablet Lin Ze handed him to read the comments.

Since January, several versions of the trailer for Ashes of Love have been released.

It seems that today's final version is just the final warm-up.

"Because this drama is very popular. It's the first TV series that propelled you to the top of the popularity charts. It's also a historical romance drama that's known for making stars. People inside and outside the industry are all waiting to watch it."

Lin Ze suddenly spoke up, "Do you know how long the audience has been suffering from ugly male leads in historical romance dramas?"

Gu Jingyi couldn't help but chuckle as he recalled Dilraba complaining about her male co-star in "The Long Ballad".

"I know."

"So look at the comments section, almost all of them are praising you."

Gu Jingyi nodded and looked at the comments section.

[So cool! The sets and special effects are very well done. No wonder it's Gu Jingyi's first historical romance drama; it's incredibly impressive.]
[Jing Yi is so handsome! I was only looking at his face the whole time, ignoring the plot. No wonder he's the number one war god of the six realms! That golden armor is so cool!]
[The special effects are a huge plus; this is the kind of fantasy drama we male viewers want to watch too!]
[After waiting for over a hundred days, we finally got to see the animated Xu Feng! Gu Jingyi is so handsome!]
[Ahhh! My brother is so handsome!]
[The special effects in fantasy dramas over the past decade are unmatched; they're amazing. The costumes, makeup, and props are all excellent, and Gu Jingyi's outfits are quite faithful to the original novel.]
[Everything is great, except Yang Zi is really not a beauty! Jin Mi in the original novel is the most beautiful woman in the Six Realms, so it feels a bit awkward watching her. Her face still looks stiff.]
[If the actresses aren't a bit ordinary, how can we relate to them? Just imagine you're talking to Gu Jingyi yourself, don't be so demanding.]
Gu Jingyi burst out laughing when he saw the last one.

Hmm, it's a negative review.

Don't look at it.

Gu Jingyi never ignores Yang Zi when discussing acting skills, just as he never denies Dilraba Dilmurat's looks.

Each of the top 90 celebrities has their own strengths.

However, if we're talking about someone who can achieve a better balance in both aspects, it's still that ordinary person...

"Teacher Gu, get ready!"

The staff started reminding Gu Jingyi, and he responded and put down his phone.

Just as she brushed past Tian Xiwei, she whispered, "Don't worry about the numbers. The trailer for 'Ashes of Love' has already surpassed ten million views in a single day. Moreover, this is your first ancient costume drama after your huge success on 'Idol Producer,' and many fans are waiting for the numbers to rise. The original novel is also a major IP from Green River, with a strong fan base."

Gu Jingyi nodded, whispered something in Tian Xiwei's ear, and then got into character.

Filming is nearing its end, and what remains are almost entirely sweet romance stories.

Gu Jingyi is not difficult to portray, as modern romance dramas do not require much acting skills.

If the male actor is handsome enough and knows how to present himself in front of the camera, then the work is considered acceptable.

As for Gu Jingyi, to quote a director who has worked with him:

He was born to act; he's not only a great actor but also incredibly handsome.

After finishing his filming for the day, Gu Jingyi returned to his hotel.

After confirming their relationship, Tian Xiwei and Tian Xiwei ignited a fire between them with just a glance.

Not long after, another tooth-grinding sound rang out.

"How's it going? Do you accept it?"

He looked at Tian Xiwei lying on the forging table and smiled smugly.

"hehe"

A single "heh" directly enraged Gu Jingyi.

Tian Xiwei was so exhausted that she fell into a deep sleep.

This is the consequence of provoking a Dior spokesperson; it's long been common knowledge within the industry that Gu Jingyi's Dior brand is very prestigious.

After filming for two more days, Gu Jingyi went to film an advertisement for a new endorsement in January.

One is Lin's Wood Industry, and the other is Three Squirrels.

"That's strange, why are there three squirrels now?"

Gu Jingyi found it somewhat amusing; it had only taken him a year to go from Laiyifen to Three Squirrels.

"Because Three Squirrels offered too much, they increased our original endorsement fee by 20%."

Lin Ze gave the answer with some pride: this is why Gu Jingyi went to the Three Squirrels filming location.

"So generous? That's 1500 million a year. That's already the ceiling for endorsements in China, right?"

Since they were willing to give more, Gu Jingyi could only accept it with a smile.

"Second only to luxury brands, though luxury brands offer more. After all, they earn US dollars, and the exchange rate is great, haha."

We quickly arrived at the Three Squirrels filming location amidst laughter and conversation. There's not much to say about it; it was just a shoot for some promotional materials, like postcards and standees.

Next came the advertising, which was a piece of cake for Gu Jingyi, the "King of Advertising."

After a hard day's work, I received 1500 million yuan.

Minute Maid!
After finishing filming, Gu Jingyi continued working on set.

Today is the final episode of "Go Go Squid!", after Team KK won the championship. At the entrance of the Asia-Pacific semi-finals venue, Han Shangyan and Tong Nian were surrounded by a huge crowd of fans.

Han Shangyan used his talent for deception to loudly tell the fans that Tong Nian was his wife, currently six months pregnant, and urgently needed to go to the hospital for a check-up, asking everyone to make way for her. Only then did the two, with happy smiles on their faces, sweetly get into the car. Before the car even started moving, Han Shangyan and Tong Nian couldn't help but kiss each other.

The script was only a few pages long, yet it required the actors to perform it again and again.

After the director finally nodded and yelled "Cut!", Gu Jingyi and Yang Zi had to continue acting out the scene according to the script.

On winter nights in Hengdian, the cold air is like needles quenched in ice, seeping into your bones.

At the entrance to the newly set up "Asia-Pacific Semifinals Venue," the extras who had just left dispersed one by one. Only the muddy snow covered in slush and a few discarded banners bearing the "KK" logo swirled in the cold wind.

Gu Jingyi took Yang Zi's hand and ran towards the Mercedes.

Today, he was wearing a black team jacket, which made him look like a couple with Yang Zi, who was wearing a cream-colored down jacket.

The two ran breathlessly, their breath condensing into two rapid puffs of mist under the streetlights.

"Cut! That's a pass!"

The director, wrapped in a thick down jacket, spoke in a muffled voice through his scarf.

Gu Jingyi quickly withdrew his fingers from Yang Zi's cold hand; he was somewhat embarrassed by the line about being "six months pregnant" that Yang Zi had just shouted.

Yang Zi's cheeks and nose were red from the cold, but when she looked up at him, her eyes shone like stars. There seemed to be a lingering sense of shock and secret sweetness in "Tong Nian" after her relationship was publicly announced and she fled in a panic.

"Moving to the Tong family!"

"Action!"

The car stopped in front of the "Tong family" house, and Gu Jingyi took a deep breath of the icy air. The chill went straight to his lungs, invigorating him, but he instantly felt the solemnity of "Han Shangyan" coming to propose marriage.

He pushed open the car door, and the biting cold wind felt like a knife scraping against his face.

Yang Zi had already jumped out of the car and bounced around a couple of times to ward off the cold. She even breathed into the air with a serious expression, noticing Gu Jingyi's gaze.

She turned around and mouthed an exaggerated "Go for it!" to Gu Jingyi. Her nose, red from the cold, wrinkled with the adorable charm unique to "Tong Nian," while Gu Jingyi's usually tense lips secretly curled up again.

Upon entering the "Tong family," the actors playing Tong's parents wore perfectly warm smiles.

Gu Jingyi remembered today's task and exchanged a few simple pleasantries.

He walked to the center of the living room and stood still. Then, steeling his resolve, he bent down deeply and bowed at a 90-degree angle.

"Dad, mom."

Gu Jingyi's voice was slightly hoarse and tense, as if he had nothing to lose.

The director outside the monitor smiled kindly, clearly indicating that this take would be easy to get right.

Sure enough, Gu Jingyi in the scene began reciting the lines he knew by heart.

The current championship honor is a shared glory with Yang Zi, and the future will be forever etched in our memories…

Every word he uttered carried a heavy weight.

The person who came to the Tong family today was not the mature and steady Han Shangyan, but a greenhorn who came to propose marriage.

The more he talked, the more Gu Jingyi could feel the overwhelming love he felt for "Han Shangyan," like an old house on fire.

When "Aunt Tong" hesitantly handed over the prop household registration booklet, the moment her fingertips touched the cold, hard cover, a smile of relief and excitement bloomed on her face. Almost instinctively, she opened her arms and hugged Yang Zi and the two "parents" tightly.

This wasn't a script; it was an action born from emotion.

The final shot freezes on the smiles of the group.

"Cut! Perfect! One take!"

"Congratulations to Gu Jingyi! Congratulations to Yang Zi! I hereby announce that filming for the entire series 'Go Go Squid!' has wrapped!"

A huge cheer and applause suddenly erupted, surging towards Gu Jingyi and Yang Zi, who were still filming.

He smiled and let go of Yang Zi's hand, then walked to the edge of the film crew and hugged one person after another.

"Thank you, director. Happy wrap-up for 'Go Go Squid!'!"

"Assistant Director, thank you for your hard work!"

"..."

When it came to Tian Xiwei, Gu Jingyi was at a loss for words.

He simply whispered in her ear, "Wait for me in the car after the wrap party."

Tian Xiwei smiled and nodded, her pupils filled with Gu Jingyi's reflection.

Having already hugged the person he most wanted to hug, Gu Jingyi simply clapped and waved to the stage crew.

In front of the film crew, Gu Jingyi couldn't just casually hug Xiaotian.

He had no choice but to hug the person he most wanted to hug, and he crossed most of the film crew to do so.

This was his response to Tian Xiwei. Since the New Year's Eve stage performance, Gu Jingyi has become increasingly proactive and bold.

Needless to say, the wrap party was a huge success, given Gu Jingyi's status. No one dared to ask him to offer a toast, so he simply drank a glass along with the rest of the crew.

Gu Jingyi gave her a look, and Tian Xiwei pretended to be asleep, lying on the table.

"Sorry, our artist had too much to drink."

Tian Xiwei was taken away by her agent, and Gu Jingyi soon got up and left the crew.

When the van door was opened again, Tian Xiwei was indeed already sitting inside.

"Sweetie, it's so late and you're still not home. It's not safe. Luckily you ran into me."

Tian Xiwei covered her chest, pretending to be still scared.

"What nonsense are you talking about? Stay away from me, you..."

The next second, she was silenced by Gu Jingyi's kiss.

The role-playing was very successful.

That night, Tian Xiwei didn't fall into a deep sleep until three in the morning.

(End of this chapter)