Huayu: Traffic is king

Chapter 220 I am his fan

With the album selling so well, Huace has truly felt Gu Jingyi's powerful appeal.

The chances of getting a meet-and-greet ticket included with limited edition or collector's albums are roughly one in a thousand and one in two hundred, respectively.

With this batch of albums sold out, it was time for Gu Jingyi's fan meeting to be held.

Several fan signing events have been held in China, but tickets are still extremely difficult to obtain.

HuaCe was directly criticized by fans who didn't get a chance to attend the meet-and-greet, and it became a trending topic. If it weren't for your stingy control of the selection ratio, fans wouldn't have been left out.

Huace, which was heavily criticized, had no choice but to add two or three more fan meetings. Gu Jingyi is currently meeting with fans in Shanghai.

There are very few autograph sessions for fans in China, and even if there are, there aren't many.

South Korea is different; major entertainment companies try to encourage fans to buy albums.

The percentage of autographed tickets is very low; even for popular boy bands, you can probably snag around a hundred or so.

Whether idols are tired or not is simply not within their consideration.

For Gu Jingyi, holding fan meetings was a distant memory. He only remembered that in his previous life, during his time with the boy band "Forgot to Take Bowls," his hands would often tremble when he signed in.

He was a little awkward sitting at the autograph table, but thankfully it only lasted a short while. Before long, he got into the zone.

This autograph session was held in Japan, mainly to conduct market research for a future concert. They wanted to see how many fans would attend and determine the appropriate venue size for the concert.

The autograph sessions in Japan are always packed, and today is the last of the extra sessions.

Gu Jingyi has many fans here. His roles in "Ashes of Love" and his early experience in South Korean talent shows have earned him a large following.

Although not every fan could win a ticket to Gu Jingyi's autograph session, many people outside the venue still held up his signs, wore his support items, and shouted "Jingyi-chan" loudly, hoping to catch a glimpse of him from afar after the autograph session ended.

When Gu Jingyi heard the deafening cheers of "Jingyi-chan!" outside the venue, the slight estrangement she felt due to the long absence from autograph sessions was instantly washed away by a familiar warmth.

He slightly adjusted his posture and gave a professional smile to the girl who had just walked to the table and was nervously fidgeting with her support fan—his eyes curved upwards, his eye bags were full, and he exuded just the right amount of approachability.

"Hello!" The girl's voice trembled as she bowed ninety degrees and handed over the album with both hands.

"Hello~", Gu Jingyi responded fluently in English, naturally taking the album, her fingertips inadvertently brushing against the other person's slightly cool fingertips.

In an instant, the girl's ears turned red.

He looked down and opened the album cover, smoothly signing his artistic signature, and casually asked in English, "What's your name?"

"Ah, it's Nakamura Ichiyo! I've liked you a lot since you were a trainee."

The girl spoke rapidly with excitement, her eyes shining gently as she looked at Gu Jingyi.

"Nakamura Ichiyo?" Gu Jingyi looked up at her, deliberately slowing down his speech to confirm the pronunciation of the name.

He noticed that the fan she was holding had a slightly immature photo of him from his audition days printed on it, and a thought flickered in his mind. His pen paused slightly next to his signature.

"That's right, Jingyi, your English is excellent."

Nakamura Ichiyo raised her eyebrows in delight, looking at Gu Jingyi with great admiration.

"Thank you for the compliment, but I think you already knew. After all, I showed it back during our audition days, in our daily life in the dorm. Right, Nakamura Ichiyo~"

Gu Jingyi put down the marker and said meaningfully.

Noticing the girl's suddenly flushed cheeks, his curiosity surged again.

Have you watched my latest hit drama?

Gu Jingyi couldn't help but ask, looking at Nakamura Ichiyo with some suspicion.

Nakamura Ichiyo's eyes suddenly lit up. She looked directly into his eyes and said eagerly, "Of course I've seen it! I've watched Lord Jingyi's 'Ashes of Love' so many times! Phoenix is ​​so handsome!"

Realizing she wasn't lying, Gu Jingyi's smile deepened, and he suddenly switched to slightly awkward but clearly pronounced Japanese: "Then... thank you for liking my 'Phoenix'."

This sudden burst of native language knowledge left Nakamura Ichiyo instantly covering her mouth, her eyes widening in shock, almost fainting from excitement.

She never imagined that hearing her name spoken by her idol would be so moving.

Gu Jingyi had anticipated her reaction; it was a tactic he often used in his previous life when he was a member of a Korean group and would use his native language to attack her during autograph sessions.

Looking at Nakamura Ichiyo's appearance, Gu Jingyi still felt that the "lethality" was not enough.

He leaned forward slightly, rested his elbow on the table and propped his chin on it, and asked in Japanese in a low voice, as if sharing a secret, "What song do you want to listen to most right now?"

This is also one of the perks of the autograph session: singing and requesting songs.

Many people have never unlocked this benefit because the average time allotted is not enough.

Nakamura Ichiyo's mind went blank, and he instinctively shouted, "Write our story!"

Gu Jingyi readily complied and began to sing the gentlest part of the chorus:
"This story began with one person, and I carefully wrote it into 'us'."

"Having walked through the world, I am no longer afraid of the cold."

"If I leave this city someday, you'll follow me wherever I go."

"Smile and say, 'You're mine.'"

These lyrics were unaccompanied, with only Gu Jingyi's clean and clear voice flowing through the room.

His gaze was fixed intently on Nakamura Ichiyo's face, as if he were singing only for her.

Nakamura Ichiyo covered her mouth, tears welling up in her eyes. The fans behind her cast envious glances; this was truly a hidden gem.

As soon as he finished singing a few lines, the staff came up to urge him to finish.

"Time's up, please proceed to the next person."

When Nakamura Ichiyo was feeling down, Gu Jingyi magically pulled a small handbag from under the table and gently pushed it in front of her.

"A gift for Nakamura Ichiyo-san," a reverse support gesture, was also used by Gu Jingyi at this autograph session.

This is his last autograph session, so naturally he will put in a lot of effort for this closing ceremony.

The souvenir bag contained a travel-sized L'Occitane cherry blossom scented hand cream (which the brand endorses), and a postcard featuring a night view of Shanghai with the message, "Let's continue writing our story together."

Just as Nakamura Ichiyo received the gift with trembling hands, thinking that happiness had reached its peak, an unexpected change occurred.

She was in such a hurry when she got up that the wide sleeve of her kimono accidentally knocked over Gu Jingyi's water bottle on the table! Just as the water was about to splash onto his suit pants, Gu Jingyi reacted extremely quickly in a flash.

He stretched out his long arm and held the bottle firmly, with only a few drops of water splashing onto the back of his hand.

Ignoring the mess on his hands, he immediately grabbed a tissue and handed it to the flustered Nakamura Ichiyo. His smile remained gentle: "Are you alright?"

Nakamura Ichiyo left the stage with light, airy steps, clutching a signed album and a gift from a fan support group. Thinking of Gu Jingyi's gentle treatment, she felt as if she were walking on clouds.

Meanwhile, another fan holding an album sat down opposite Gu Jingyi. "Hello," the fan greeted him.

By the end of the signing event, Gu Jingyi's wrists were already starting to ache, but his smile remained constant. After signing the last album, Gu Jingyi got up and left, surrounded by security guards.

As he reached the exit, he suddenly stopped and turned to look at the fans outside the railing who, despite not being able to enter, were still waving their light sticks frantically.

Even from a distance, he could clearly hear the voices calling his name.

Gu Jingyi smiled and greeted them before leaving.

Although I already knew I had many fans in Japan, I felt their enthusiasm during the autograph session.

Many fans brought various gifts, hoping to take advantage of the autograph session to personally deliver them to Gu Jingyi.

Aside from Japanese comic book merchandise and figurines, there are also plenty of luxury brand gifts.

Gu Jingyi, of course, did not accept it, in addition to the revenue from album sales and concerts.

His income in the entertainment industry this year is expected to exceed one billion yuan.

The scariest thing is that this is all cash flow.

This ability alone is enough to make many bosses envious.

In addition, there are the dividends from TikTok, which generates huge profits, and Good Gu, which has already become a model of celebrity streetwear.

Looking back, Gu Jingyi's net worth has now made him the undisputed number one in the entertainment industry.

He's already so rich, of course he wouldn't accept luxury brand gifts from fan site admins at autograph sessions like some K-pop groups do.

Gu Jingyi only accepts letters and handmade gifts from fans, and his reputation is unparalleled in the Chinese entertainment industry.

The fan meeting went very smoothly, running from July 6th to 9th. Five shows were held over three consecutive days in Japan, and all were sold out.

Not only did the fans give positive feedback, but Gu Jingyi also frequently trended on Japanese Twitter.

In any case, this was a formal debut for Gu Jingyi, who had only produced works before but had never participated in any events in Japan.

On July 10th, Gu Jingyi posed for the cover of Japanese Vogue with Takuya Kimura's two daughters.

With this, Gu Jingyi has successfully collected three Vogue covers.

In terms of fashion resources, we are already far ahead in Asia.

HuaCe also secretly instructed its own marketing accounts to release rumors that Gu Jingyi had appeared on the cover of the Japanese edition of Vogue, thus generating buzz.

Gu Jingyi's status and prestige have also subtly given many casual observers a profound understanding of her.

However, Gu Jingyi himself was unaware of all this, as he was still appearing on a popular Japanese variety show.

With the concert just around the corner, Gu Jingyi naturally wants to appear on variety shows to make a big splash.

After two days and three recording sessions, Gu Jingyi's pre-recorded promotional work was finally completed.

On July 12th, after the last variety show recording ended, Gu Jingyi, led by her agent, smiled and waved goodbye to the production crew before quickly leaving the studio to go to a restaurant she had booked in advance for dinner.

Lin Ze made a reservation at a privately owned sushi restaurant in Japan, renowned as the "Sushi King." It's said the owner has been working in the sushi business since he was very young, and has passed down many techniques over 40 years.

Gu Jingyi found it just average; there were simply too many delicious foods in China. He wasn't used to eating raw or cold food, and no matter how fresh the ingredients or how exquisite the plating, nothing beats the appeal of Lao Gan Ma fried rice in his eyes.

After dinner, Gu Jingyi went to give Chopin a business presentation.

Gu Jingyi will not renew his Chopard endorsement contract with the company this August.

It's not that Chopard is bad, but Van Cleef & Arpels has a higher level of sophistication.

A good bird chooses its tree to perch on, and today Chopin is no longer a good match for Gu Jingyi's own development.

After some wrap-up activities, they concluded their week-long trip to Japan and, amidst the enthusiasm of their fans, flew back to China.

My first day back in China was July 13th.

Huace announced that Gu Jingyi will be holding her first concert tour. Gu Jingyi, who has been in the industry for two and a half years, will start her tour in Beijing and then travel to different cities in Asia.

The first batch of tickets will go on sale at 1:14 PM on July 13th through the online pre-sale website Damai.

The news immediately sparked jubilation among fans, as holding a solo concert was a significant milestone in Gu Jingyi's singing career.

Judging from Gu Jingyi's illustrious singing career, he would truly be a "hexagonal warrior" if he only lacked the concert component.

When the news of Gu Jingyi's concert was officially announced, countless fans who had been eagerly waiting were overjoyed and wept tears of joy.

Everyone is hoping that the stingy Huace will rent a large venue for their idol. Given Gu Jingyi's incredible popularity and number of fans in Asia, there's no need to worry about tickets not selling out or seats not being filled. Fans will only worry about the venue being too small and not having enough seats.

.........

Has Damai opened its ticketing channel yet?

"Tickets won't go on sale for another three minutes... You've been urging me for ages, you could have refreshed the page a few more times."

As Liu Haoli berated Ren Min, her finger kept scrolling down to refresh the page. She had repeated this mechanical action hundreds of times; it was tedious and boring.

In the past, she would have gone on strike long ago, but she held back because it was Gu Jingyi's concert.

Ren Min looked at the familiar page and gave a somewhat embarrassed smile.

"Hey, do you think we can manage to snag one?"

"It's hard to say. Although Gu Jingyi is holding a concert at a top-tier venue like the Bird's Nest this time, with a large number of shows and many seats available, there are just too many fans. Forget about VIP tickets, even stands tickets are hard to get."

Liu Haoli spoke in a deliberately accusatory tone, but the upturned corners of her mouth betrayed her pride.

The more famous Gu Jingyi becomes, the better her judgment is.

Of course, she hoped Gu Jingyi would get better and better; her boyfriend was undoubtedly the best in the world.

After filming "Under the Cliff", Liu Haolin went to the Platinum Film Festival with Zhang Yimou and came back.

Her schedule also became free, if it weren't for Gu Jingyi constantly working on new projects.

The two of them have been inseparable for a long time and no longer have to rely on "online dating" every day like they do now.

Of course she's going to Gu Jingyi's concert this time!
Not only do you have to scramble for tickets, but you also have to grab a scenic spot where the "float" will pass by.

The thought of giving Gu Jingyi a surprise when he passed by made Liu Haolin's eyes crinkle with laughter.

"Hey, when did you become such a die-hard fan of Gu Jingyi? Didn't you say you had some feelings for him when you were watching 'Idol Producer'? Wasn't Zhou Yinchao your favorite singer before? Why didn't I see you fighting for his tickets, but you're so interested in Gu Jingyi instead?"

Ren Min, sitting there with his phone in hand, was a little bored, so he looked at Liu Hao, who seemed to be facing a formidable enemy, and teased him.

She didn't think too much about it; she was just curious.

"Is it that obvious?" Liu Hao asked somewhat timidly.

"Please, it's super obvious."

Liu Hao paused for a moment, hesitated, and said, "To be honest, it's not that I particularly like listening to his songs... I just really like his stage performances, I think they're very good."

"Are you sure it's not because Gu Jingyi is good-looking?" Ren Min drawled, his smile mischievous.

"That's part of it, after all, it's a concert. It definitely needs to combine audio and visual elements. If I were really that obsessed with sound quality, why wouldn't I just pull out a pair of HiFi headphones and listen to the same song on repeat all afternoon?"

Liu Haolin chuckled, "Visual impact is probably the most direct feeling of a concert."

Looking at Ren Min, who seemed lost in thought, Liu Haoli, worried that she might have noticed something amiss, asked again, "Minmin, aren't you a fan of his looks? Didn't you always say you wanted to enter a lottery to buy tickets to meet Gu Jingyi in person?"

“That’s right,” Ren Min said with an expression of agreement. He said matter-of-factly, “Although Gu Jingyi’s singing skills are also very good, he’s still a bit inferior to Lin Gougou. If I really want to hear someone live, there’s someone else. I’d rather go to a concert for sex. Besides, the hottest male star right now is Gu Jingyi, right? He’s the man who’s leading by a wide margin on several major charts, as officially certified by the QQ Music White Paper.”

"His singing skills are the best among the new generation. He's talented and handsome, of course I like him. This story started with one person, and I carefully wrote it into 'us'..."

As he spoke, Ren Min even sang a few lines of Gu Jingyi's new album's title track. It sounded like he had no technique, just pure emotion.

"Wow, after following celebrities for so long, there's only one male star as good as Gu Jingyi. No one can sing as well as him, and no one can sing as well as him. If he had been born in the 80s or 90s, the Four Heavenly Kings would have become the Five Heavenly Kings."

Liu Haoli also added a few words of praise, his joy evident in his eyes and brows.

She's currently head over heels for Gu Jingyi, so of course her boyfriend is perfect in every way.

Gu Jingyi is happier when someone praises her than when she praises herself.

Suddenly, the alarm clock rang.

Liu Haojian specially ordered this alarm clock so that it would ring to remind him when there was one minute left on the countdown.

As soon as the alarm clock rang, Liu Haojian and Ren Min lost interest in chatting.

"I'm not talking to you anymore, it's about to start, get ready!"

"Okay, I'm starting to buy tickets too."

The webpage kept refreshing, and both of them had serious expressions on their faces.

At 13:14 PM, Damai immediately displayed the ticket window for Gu Jingyi's concert. Almost instantly, countless clicks flooded in, quickly overwhelming the network.

Did you manage to snag one?

Ren Min's phone was a bit laggy, and the link didn't light up immediately after she clicked on it. She refreshed the page and tried again, only to find that all the tickets were sold out.

She looked at Liu Haojian with some urgency, hoping to get good news from her friend.

"Me neither... I just saw it light up briefly, clicked to submit the order, but it won't submit. It keeps showing 'out of stock,' even though I clicked in right at the last second..."

Liu Haojian looked at the "sold out" sign on the screen, his voice tinged with disappointment.

"What?! Neither of us can get a concert ticket. Tickets weren't this hard to get for Nine Percent's concert. This is too much! Are they really that sought after? Are they just making a fool of us?"

Ren Min was displeased and began to complain.

"Can this be compared? Nine Percent's first show was also very difficult to get tickets for. It was only later that Jingfei (Gu Jingyi's fans) became unhappy because Idol World Records (a fan club) was unhappy that they were giving credit to everyone equally on their official Weibo account, and felt that Gu Jingyi was dragging the group down without getting a single kind word. So they started to defend their rights, but Idol World Records didn't take any concrete measures. Meanwhile, Yuehua's three members were late or left early for two or three shows because they were combined with Next's concert. Jingfei felt that Gu Jingyi was being treated too unfairly, and even took leave from the filming crew to support the group."

Liu Haojian spoke fluently and knowledgeably about these things; she had been keeping a close eye on Gu Jingyi's activities.

Seeing Ren Min's admiring gaze, she continued, "Gu Jingyi is so famous yet he still follows the rules, while his teammates are so inconsiderate. Plus, the official channels have been biased and haven't supported Gu Jingyi. Many of his fans have become disillusioned, and the group fans are heartbroken by the actions of the Yuehua trio. They feel that Naipaose lacks group spirit, and their hearts are wavering. You didn't see the forums back then; Naipaose had a new nickname, 'Sui' (碎). Gu Jingyi and Cai Xukun were respectively replaced by Sui 1 and Sui 2. At that time, people on Douban were saying they supported Sui 1 going solo and holding his own concert..."

She chattered on and on for a while, satisfying Ren Min's curiosity.

Liu Haojian glanced at Xianyu again and sighed.

"Hey, it seems no one is willing to buy tickets for Gu Jingyi's first concert..."

Seeing her so disappointed, Ren Min said confidently, "It's okay, Gu Jingyi's tickets are selling so well. Huace will definitely add more shows, and we can try to snag some together then."

"Okay," Liu Haojian said, his head lowered, but his eyes suddenly narrowed slightly.

Gu Jingyi is so popular, it's hard to snatch him now, and it might not be easy to snatch him later either.

She didn't want such a slim chance, so she had to seek "off-field assistance".

Gu Jingyi replied quickly, "Give me the address."

Liu Haojian glanced at Ren Min, who was still refreshing Damai (a Chinese e-commerce platform) hoping that some fans would refund their tickets, and sighed, "Fools are sometimes lucky."

It's time for Ren Min to experience what it's like to be carried by her friends.

The news came out the next day: Gu Jingyi's Asia tour concert would premiere at the Bird's Nest in Beijing on July 15th. A total of 100,000 tickets were available, with a four-sided stage.

The tickets sold out in just 0.9 seconds after going on sale at the ticket window.

That's 0.9 seconds! Most people are still stuck outside, unable to click the link, and they've already missed out on getting tickets.

Or some people are just a beat too slow when submitting their orders, or they hesitate for a moment and are immediately told they've lost their chance.

The feeling of going from high expectations to disappointment is truly unpleasant; not being able to snag a ticket is also incredibly frustrating and infuriating.

Some of the more angry fans even smashed their phones in a fit of rage.

Unsurprisingly, Huace was once again overwhelmed by countless fans who couldn't get tickets.

"Go to hell! Go bankrupt!"

"HuaCe has gone bankrupt! Zhao Qinghuan, if you can't do planning, then get out of the way and let your grandma Zhao Yifang do it!"

"Speechless. Do you really not know how popular he is, or are you pretending? 10 copies? That's nothing!"

"Damn it, don't you know how capable Jingfei is? Huace's annual financial report last year showed a net profit of 2.7 million, and your father, Gu, brought in 2.4 million of that. If we don't expect you to be successful, can't you just lie low?"

"Does Huace not know how popular our Jingyi is? She's the real number one Apop artist! I've already seen Southeast Asian fans flooding into the Weibo live chat, and South Korean and Japanese netizens are also joining. They're all showing off their tickets, it's infuriating!"

"Is Gu Jingyi actually a Chinese male artist? Is Huace a Chinese company? Why is it that Gu Jingyi only has 17 concerts in China this time, but 5 in Japan, and even 3 in tiny South Korea, and 5 more in Southeast Asia? Damn it, Huace should have just held one symbolic concert there, and let them come to the motherland to watch. Huace, apologize to the entire nation!"

"Add more shows! Add more shows!"

The official website and Weibo were flooded with angry fans of Jingfei, some of whom were simply venting their anger by hurling insults, while others were urgently requesting additional performances.

Seeing this, Zhao Qinghuan also felt that Huace was still too conservative.

Who is Gu Jingyi? His digital album "Write Our Story" has sold 500 million copies. He's a "savior of the music scene" with 288 million physical album sales, and a rising star in the Chinese entertainment industry.

He is unparalleled in both record sales and reputation, and is the most popular active singer.

It's important to understand that a singer's fan base isn't measured by their Weibo follower count, but rather by their sales figures, which indicate how many die-hard fans are willing to spend money on them.

At the same time, this data is also the most convincing indicator for assessing tour box office and attendance.

Many singers are only famous for their songs, not for themselves; they lack widespread recognition.

Especially those Chinese style groups that became popular on Bilibili, such as the Sing girl group.

They may seem very popular and famous, but there aren't many die-hard fans willing to spend money on them. Most casual observers just join in the online buzz, commenting on related videos and expressing their liking for the group, but when it comes to actually buying tickets and albums, they all disappear.

Even if we exclude cases where many fans bought multiple copies of Gu Jingyi's 288 million physical copies, there are still at least 70 to 80 die-hard fans in China willing to spend money on her products.

The appearance of Gu Jingyi has also given a shot in the arm to the sluggish domestic music market.

His two previous songs, which performed exceptionally well on the Billboard charts, also boosted national pride, and many middle-aged people who don't follow celebrities were willing to support Gu Jingyi.

I learned about Huace's operating procedures from Gu Jingyi.

Gu Jingyi only learned a little bit about Chinese animated films, which directly expanded his public image and popularity.

In addition, idols who come from talent shows already have fans who are willing to spend money and support them.

These 10 tickets may seem like a lot, but compared to the hundreds of thousands of fans eagerly waiting for them, it's just a drop in the ocean.

Despite being verbally abused, Zhao Qinghuan wasn't angry at all. She had long since become desensitized to the constant nagging from fans about "XX going bankrupt."

When Ms. Du and Ms. Long first found it difficult to adapt, they also complained to her.

Because she already had a rough understanding and awareness, she didn't feel it was so bad when it happened to her.

Why are fans so eager for Huace to go bankrupt? Isn't it all because of Gu Jingyi?

Even so, Zhao Qinghuan and her team held a meeting with the planning department. After a series of discussions and communications, they finally issued a public announcement acknowledging that the previous plan was somewhat conservative and apologizing to the fans.

At the same time, it was announced that, in response to the fans' requests, the first tour, which was originally scheduled to have only 17 shows in China, will have an additional show on July 23. Tickets for this concert will go on sale at 7 p.m. a week later, and it will also be held at the Bird's Nest.

While some fans reluctantly accepted the addition of shows, many still complained that Huace had too few local shows, and even with the additions, there would only be a total of 18 concerts.

Moreover, even with an additional 10 tickets, it still couldn't meet the huge demand from Gu Jingyi's fan base.

This is because the approval process for concerts, involving both the organizers and relevant departments, takes a lot of time, and Huace cannot always get preferential treatment.

It's already quite good that Gu Jingyi was able to add an extra game at the last minute.

Huace just announced on its official Weibo account that, in response to fans' requests, an additional show will be added to the first tour, which was originally scheduled to have only one show in Shanghai, on July 23. Tickets for this show will go on sale at 7:13.14 tomorrow.

While some fans reluctantly accepted the addition of extra shows, many continued to criticize Huace for having too few local shows. Even with the additions, there will only be a total of 19 concerts.

Moreover, even with an additional 10 tickets, it still couldn't meet the huge demand from Gu Jingyi's fan base.

However, it's not the best, but it's not the worst either; it's barely acceptable.

Faced with these overwhelming accusations, the concert staff simply ignored them.

Let them scold us; they're used to being scolded anyway.

Just remember to pay for your ticket!

(End of this chapter)