Huayu: Traffic is king

Chapter 213 Explosion upon explosion
In the following days, the popularity of "Ashes of Love" continued to rise:
On February 20th (the following day), the video received 210 million views on Tencent Video, 170 million views on iQiyi (over 400 million views in total, celebrated by the official Weibo account), and a 1.45% viewership rating on Jiangsu TV!

2月21日，企鹅播放量2.4亿，奇异果1.9亿（累计超4.5亿），荔枝卫视收视率1.82%。

2月23日，企鹅播放量3.2亿，奇异果2.6亿（累计近5.8亿），荔枝卫视收视率破2%！

Since its premiere, "Ashes of Love" has swept in like a hurricane, dominating the winter break programming until February 25th.

This drama has accumulated over 35 billion views online in just one week! Its viewership rating on Jiangsu TV has soared from 1.2% on its premiere to 2.12%, a phenomenal increase!
This achievement not only far surpasses other dramas in the same period, but also breaks the record for the first week of broadcast for fantasy dramas in recent years!
It has already broken the highest viewership peak of 1.7% for "Ashes of Love" in the original timeline, and it's only a matter of time before it surpasses the final total online viewership of 150 billion in the original timeline.

Although "Ashes of Love" has only been airing for a week, aside from Gu Jingyi, who is the biggest beneficiary, Yang Zi and Luo Xi have also gained online attention. In particular, Yang Zi has successfully transformed from a young actress into a popular female celebrity. Luo Xi has also entered the public eye from being a minor idol.

After the viewership of "Ashes of Love" surpassed 5 billion, Gu Jingyi's data once again topped the charts.

There's not much to say about the number of check-ins on Weibo's super topic; Gu Jingyi was the first to achieve the Diamond status in the super topic rankings. From the airing of "Idol Producer" to the first public performance, Gu Jingyi has consistently been number one on this list.

Although some of the million check-ins were inflated by fans using multiple accounts, Gu Jingyi's actual check-in count is still over 80.

Undoubtedly the strongest current internet celebrity!
After "Ashes of Love" premiered, the number of people checking in on Gu Jingyi's Weibo super topic reached a new high.

According to Huace's statistics, the dehydration data also reached millions.

After Gu Jingyi debuted from "Idol Producer", he spent the entire second half of the year filming new projects.

He rarely participates in variety shows and seldom appears in the public eye.

The last time they made a strong impact was when their new album sold very well.

Gu Jingyi has always been hailed as an "unconventional traffic star," possessing both achievements and works, yet also enjoying immense popularity.

This really upset his fans, who thought they would have plenty of opportunities to see him in person after his debut.

As a result, Gu Jingyi was either joining a production team or on his way to join one.

After the premiere of "Ashes of Love," all sorts of materials featuring Gu Jingyi that had been piling up for a long time came flooding in. These included behind-the-scenes footage, promotional materials, and variety shows featuring him together—a welcome relief for fans who had been waiting for this moment.

I kept refreshing them one after another, so excited that I couldn't sleep.

Various trending topics related to "Ashes of Love" kept appearing on the hot search list, and Gu Jingyi consistently ranked high on various charts. He topped numerous lists, including Datawin, Lighthouse, and Aiman, and his Weibo followers skyrocketed.

By now, Gu Jingyi's Weibo followers are showing signs of surpassing 5000 million.

These are all genuine fans. After the "Year of Traffic Stars," the number of followers is no longer a crucial indicator of an artist's popularity. Even top-tier celebrities like Deng Lun, Xiao Zhan, and Wang Yibo have never surpassed 4000 million followers. In fact, for a long time, Xiao Zhan and Cai Xukun's Weibo followers fluctuated around 2000 million.

With 5000 million followers, calling Gu Jingyi a "superstar of online traffic" wouldn't be an exaggeration!

With Gu Jingyi's help, "Ashes of Love" is going to be an absolute hit!
Now, there are only two kinds of sounds on the streets: either the New Year's song "Gong Xi Fa Cai" or the theme song of "Ashes of Love" sung by Gu Jingyi, "Bu Ran".

Teacher Tan's "Left Finger Pointing to the Moon" is also loved by many, but the song is too difficult. Ironically, it's not as widely sung as "Undyed," which everyone can sing a few lines of, which is a unique kind of predicament.

One week after "Ashes of Love" premiered, no one used "Story of Yanxi Palace" to criticize "Ashes of Love" anymore.

"Story of Yanxi Palace" has only garnered 200 billion views online and has never been broadcast on television. "Ashes of Love," as the last historical romance drama to be broadcast on television and become a massive hit, is far more than just a web series that can try to compete with it.
It's hindsight to say that a TV series will be broadcast on satellite TV after it has finished airing; satellite TV stations only import TV series because they see that the series is doing well.

It would be the best if it could be broadcast on a satellite TV channel! Being able to be broadcast on a satellite means that it can attract a large number of older viewers who don't like surfing the internet.

Instead of limiting the audience to a young demographic, this is why the post-85 actresses still have a very strong following. They've caught a lucky break!
Since its premiere, "Ashes of Love" has enjoyed consistently high ratings on Jiangsu TV. Even breaking 1% would be considered a great achievement, let alone a 2%. Currently, it seems destined to be the top-rated show on both CCTV and satellite channels this year!

With such high popularity, the production team of "Ashes of Love" must be overjoyed. The official Weibo account is constantly posting updates like it's on steroids, and started "bragging" a week after the premiere.

@AshesofLoveTV Series: A sweet and heartwarming drama with great songs, it has won widespread acclaim!
@Gu Jingyi @Teacher Sa @Yang Zi
The album, which became the digital best-selling soundtrack for film and television dramas, has surpassed 3000000 copies sold, setting a new record!
Continue watching the series and listening to the songs; the complete soundtrack is available at @DepressionCloudMusic: [link]
#Ashes of Love##Gu Jingyi Bu Ran##Teacher Sa Points to the Moon with His Left Finger##Gu Jingyi Yang Zi Heaven and Earth Without Frost#
@HuaCe Official: Congratulations to Gu Jingyi for winning the top spot on multiple charts, including the NetEase Cloud Music New Song Chart and Rising Chart, the number one spot on iTunes, the number one spot on MusicRadio China TOP Chart, the China Music Pop Chart, and the Asia New Song Chart.

The song has garnered over 100 million plays, over 1 million likes, and over 100,000 comments on NetEase Cloud Music.

The music video has been viewed over 200 million times across the internet, ranked No.1 in digital album sales for film and television dramas on NetEase Cloud Music, and the single "Undyed" has sold over 100 million copies.

As always, Huace was reserved and unassuming; aside from a "Congratulations" message on the invoice, the rest of the presentation was a display of achievements.

That was a post that was folded due to character limits, and fans had to unfold it to see the full content.

The comment section was quickly flooded with replies from fans.

"HuaCe, you've tricked me again."

"You're lucky to have Gu Jingyi! So when are you going to open a studio for Gu Jingyi?"

"The same question!"

Huace CEO's Office
Gu Jingyi was both amused and exasperated when he saw these comments from Zhao Qinghuan; his fans really cared too much about him.

"Jingyi, what do you think?"

Zhao Qinghuan smiled knowingly and asked meaningfully.

"The comments were posted spontaneously by fans; I did not authorize them."

Gu Jingyi first made a gesture of approval, indicating that he was not trying to stir up trouble.

Then she raised an eyebrow, "But I think it's time to start preparing. Sister Qinghuan, I remember that one of the terms of my contract with Huace was that I could open a studio under the company's name after three years. It's been more than two years since April 2017."

"You little rascal, you're starting to pressure me about the progress now."

Zhao Qinghuan chuckled, completely withdrawing the imposing aura she had built up earlier.

2019年福布斯中国名人榜，顾璟奕位列第3位（演员榜第1）。年收入破2亿。艾漫数据统计的2019年商业价值榜稳居TOP1，品牌带货指数多次登顶热搜。

HuaCe's revenue last year was only over 200 million yuan, meaning Gu Jingyi alone accounted for 200 million yuan.

"HuaCe and Gu Jingyi combined to score 81 points," do you even know what the value of being a top salesperson really means!

In 2018, Gu Jingyi only gained popularity from the hit drama "A Love So Beautiful" and the massive success of "Idol Producer," yet her popularity remained relatively low.

Moreover, 2019 was destined to be completely dominated by Gu Jingyi, who had two blockbuster dramas. Anyone with a modicum of common sense would know which option to choose.

"Sure, let me know when you're all set. 'Ashes of Love' is doing really well lately, and a lot of brands are contacting us."

Gu Jingyi flipped through the documents, which were Huace's compilation of quotes for each brand and their recent public opinion.

He flipped through the menu and chose Jane's Love Yogurt, Joyoung Soy Milk, and Mengniu Ternsue.

The show has only been airing for a week; it's just a glamorous start. Gu Jingyi certainly won't give up his bargaining chips easily, and he's already secured all the advertising deals before "Ashes of Love" even airs.

There are currently over thirty advertising deals being negotiated with Huace, and the price is expected to rise again after Ashes of Love airs.

Even if advertisers leave because they think it's too expensive, the number of endorsements will never be less than 15.

That's hundreds of millions in revenue, easily achieved.

Gu Jingyi flipped through the list and finalized the endorsements he had selected.

I talked to the company about the album again; it's time to submit the demo for the official first album.

After all the negotiations were completed, Gu Jingyi finally went home to rest.

After spending another two days filming these commercials, the day quickly came to March 15th.

Jane's Love Yogurt became an instant hit with its advertising slogan, "Enjoy a pure taste, carefully selected by Jingyi." It sold out on major platforms within one minute of its launch.

When Ashes of Love was only halfway through its run, it had already surpassed 100 billion views.

Gu Jingyi topped the popularity charts on Datawin, Aiman, and Lighthouse, all of which are considered authoritative TV drama rankings in the industry.

In the ranking of artists' online influence, Gu Jingyi scored 9.5 points, directly crushing all the top celebrities.

In the Datawin TV Drama Prosperity Index, Gu Jingyi alone achieved a score of 75% in terms of artist contribution.

Her Baidu Index is five times that of Yang Zi, and her Weibo interaction index is far ahead.

The comments from Tencent, Tencent, and Taobao were almost all focused on one thing: Phoenix!
Many older viewers even got to know Gu Jingyi because of Ashes of Love, and went back to watch A Love So Beautiful and Idol Producer.

This is the power of a hit drama series; it can quickly gain nationwide recognition.

Gu Jingyi didn't keep an eye on these data; filming for "The Awakening Era" had begun. He joined the crew for two weeks, and filming for "Chen Yannian" wrapped up.

.........

The headquarters of Sina Weibo was brightly lit. Gu Jingyi and Yang Zi appeared together to promote the drama "Ashes of Love" via live stream.

Gu Jingyi, who has frequently trended on social media since his debut, has always maintained a harmonious relationship with Weibo.

There are actually several platforms for live-streaming door-to-door visits, such as Bilibili, Tencent Video, and Sina.

Gu Jingyi first ruled out Bilibili, and Tencent Video was even less likely. Unless it was a Tencent Video exclusive like "You Are My Glory," which left them with no other choice, they would choose that option. So, the only remaining answer was Sina Live.

Yang Zi is also known as the "Nation's Daughter," and this joint appearance of two top celebrities at a building visit was naturally a major event carefully planned by Sina.

At 8 p.m. sharp, the two lead actors appeared on time in the live broadcast room of a certain entertainment company.

"Hey everyone at Sina Entertainment! I'm Jinmi, the newest entertainment editor I joined today!"

Yang Zi waved energetically at the camera, her sweet smile just like the innocent grape spirit in Ashes of Love.

"Hello everyone, I'm Xu Feng, a newly hired entertainment editor."

Gu Jingyi followed closely behind, his voice deep and pleasant. He was wearing Dior's new spring/autumn collection today, exuding a cool and noble aura that made him look exceptionally handsome and charming.

Yang Zi was also dressed head-to-toe in Valentino; she was in talks with the brand. To gain favor, it's natural to wear branded clothing in public frequently.

This is also known as "licking the cake," which is a preparation for securing an endorsement deal.

The door-to-door canvassing proceeded smoothly and quickly reached the halfway point. Gu Jingyi pulled a card from the task box: "Please deliver a heartwarming drink and dessert to every hardworking colleague on this floor."

After receiving the task card, the two quickly placed an order. Gu Jingyi simply waved his hand and chose a Starbucks customized group meal.

When the items arrived, the two immediately transformed into deliverymen, distributing Starbucks coffee, delicate macarons, and small cakes. They then went upstairs to personally deliver them to each of Sina's employees.

"Thank you for your hard work, Teacher Gu and Teacher Yang," the employee said with a smile after receiving the message.

"It's no trouble at all, please support 'Ashes of Love'!" Yang Zi smiled sweetly, quickly revealing her true purpose.

"Of course, I watch it every day! I even get my friends and my sweetheart to watch it with me," the female employee said excitedly.

"Thank you for your support," Gu Jingyi said succinctly. But the focused look in his eyes and the slight nod he gave when handing over the coffee were incredibly captivating.

Wherever he went, the female employees couldn't help but cover their mouths and scream. And the sound of cell phone cameras clicking was constant.

After completing the first task, a new challenge soon followed.

Guided by the host, both of them retweeted a live broadcast post from a certain entertainment website.

"Alright, now let's see what our enthusiastic netizens are saying!"

The host cues the flow of the event.

Yang Zi leaned closer to the tablet screen in Gu Jingyi's hand: "Wow! So many people are shouting 'Phoenix is ​​so handsome!' 'The God of War has had a tough time descending to earth!' And this one, 'Gu Jingyi, please make ancient costumes a permanent part of your look!'"

Gu Jingyi also looked down at the screen in front of him: "This netizen said, 'Jinmi and Little Grape are so cute! I want to steal her home and raise her!' Also, 'Sister Yang Zi's acting is amazing, her crying scenes broke my heart.'"

“Hey, this one’s even more interesting,” Yang Zi’s eyes lit up. She began to read: “Phoenix, tell the truth, were your ears really red when you filmed the kissing scene? Did you really kiss Jinmi’s Meteorite Pill to pieces?” After reading it, she couldn’t help but laugh.

Gu Jingyi coughed lightly, his ears seemingly turning slightly red. However, he remained calm on the surface, quickly finding a "counterattack" in the comments section: "This friend asked, 'Jinmi loves to eat spiritual energy, what does Teacher Yang Zi like to eat most in real life? Can Phoenix control her?'"

Yang Zi immediately responded, "In real life, my favorite thing is... well, all kinds of delicious food! As for whether I can control myself..." She looked slyly at Gu Jingyi, "Guess?"

Gu Jingyi raised an eyebrow, returning the same meaningful look: "Guess whether I'll guess or not?"

The natural interaction and the fleeting glances between the two instantly caused a stir in the live chat:

[Ahhh! That look in his eyes is so cute! I'm dying of envy!]

[The phoenix's ears turned red! I saw it! Gu Jingyi, stop pretending!]

[Jinmi, quickly use your captivating eyes to charm him!]

[The "Guess" meme is born! The spiritual couple is real!]

Please! Just give me a straight answer! Is it true?!

After completing the business procedures, the interview session begins.

The host asked, "When filming 'Ashes of Love,' are there any particularly memorable or interesting things you can share?"

Yang Zi immediately raised her hand, her eyes sparkling: "Yes, yes, yes! The scene that left the deepest impression was the Demon Realm wedding! Teacher Gu's War God armor was super heavy! And there was a scene where he had to carry me around in circles, and after a few circles..."

Gu Jingyi replied helplessly, "As a result, I slipped and almost made Teacher Yang fall."

"Yes, yes, yes!" Yang Zi laughed so hard she almost fell over. "I was so scared I screamed, and Teacher Gu was startled too, her face turned white! Luckily she managed to stay calm in the end! But I think that shot wasn't used in the end?"

Gu Jingyi nodded, his expression serious: "The director said it was too horrifying, and he was afraid the audience would think Phoenix was going to murder his wife."

The whole place burst into laughter.

Host: "Was there any scene that you found particularly sweet or heartwarming?"

Yang Zi thought for a moment, a sweet blush spreading across her face: "I think it's about experiencing tribulations in the mortal world. The part where the prince and the saintess are in the courtyard is very ordinary but very heartwarming."

Gu Jingyi then looked at Yang Zi: "For me, it's when Jinmi looks at me with those grape-like eyes every time she gets into trouble in a daze."

His eyes were deep and thoughtful, with a hint of tenderness that was hard to detect.

[Emperor Jing, kill me!]

He said grape eyes! He remembers!

[The prince and the saintess are such a great couple!]

[Looking for a second collaboration on a modern drama!]

The host pressed on, saying, "Fans are really keen to have you two recreate some classic scenes from the drama, like... Xu Feng's domineering line, 'Jin Mi, you are indeed the one my heart longs for'?"

Gu Jingyi turned slightly to the side, his eyes focused intently on Yang Zi. He parted his thin lips slightly and recited the line in a low and clear voice: "Jin Mi, indeed, is the one I cherish most."

Yang Zi's cheeks flushed instantly, as if she had truly been burned by the Vulcan's burning gaze. She subconsciously lowered her head slightly, but couldn't help but smile, muttering softly, "Phoenix, you're here again..."

【Aaaaaaah, I'm gone!!!】

[Get married on the spot! Immediately!]

[I've moved to the Civil Affairs Bureau! Please, you two, stay here and consummate your marriage!]

[Who can resist Gu Jingyi's gaze! Yang Zi blushed!]

The live stream drew to a close amidst fans' reluctance to say goodbye and a flood of comments like "Grape and Phoenix will always be in love."

As they left the headquarters of a certain company, the two were unsurprisingly surrounded by enthusiastic fans and employees. Gu Jingyi protected Yang Zi, politely signing autographs and taking photos, maintaining excellent manners. Yang Zi sweetly waved goodbye to everyone.

After a long day of work, Gu Jingyi rubbed his temples as he sat in the van.

She was slightly tired after work, but her mood was clearly good.

The car drove towards the hotel, and tomorrow still held a busy schedule for him. But tonight's sweet "building-sweeping adventure" undoubtedly added another boost to the popularity of "Ashes of Love".

The rating of "Ashes of Love" on Douban has quietly risen to 8.7, with both critical acclaim and popularity soaring.

In a demanding environment like Douban, very few dramas can achieve this result.

All I can say is that "Ashes of Love" is becoming even more popular, and its steady success is reassuring!

"Did you ever love me?"

"Never!"

#AshesofLove##JinmiKillsXuFeng#AshesofLove's short video#PhoenixStabbed#
The most heart-wrenching scene, Jinmi stabbing Xu Feng, also arrived. At this time, the peak viewership rating of "Ashes of Love" exceeded 2.5%, and the number of online views exceeded 127 billion.

@Ashes of Love production team
"#AshesofLove# As the year draws to a close, the aroma of wine wafts through the air, and the sweet sentiment lingers. The online viewership has surpassed 180 billion! Enjoy this fine wine and heartfelt sentiment together [heart]"

With this, "Ashes of Love" officially became the hit drama of the year.

With the final night approaching, all parties are gearing up for the event.

In the end, "Ashes of Love" contributed 220 billion views and a viewership rating of over 2.91.

From its premiere to its finale, "Ashes of Love" dominated all the buzz.

Of the endorsements that had previously approached him, only 12 brands ultimately signed contracts with him due to the increase in Gu Jingyi's net worth.

This also includes a newly appointed title as a luxury brand ambassador for Roger Vivier, which means Gu Jingyi's luxury brand endorsement has increased by one.

In the first half of 2019, Gu Jingyi delivered his best performance. He is one of the "Eight Luxury Brand Ambassadors" in the Chinese entertainment industry and leads the first tier of endorsement deals with 32 endorsements.

(End of this chapter)