Huayu: Traffic is king

Chapter 224 The Finale Night of the Nationwide Drama Binge

The days of filming on the set of "Little Red Flower" always seem to fly by. Before we knew it, "Go Go Squid!" had reached its finale.

As soon as Gu Jingyi got into the van, he saw Xiao Pang take out a small photocard featuring Han Shangyan's character. With a fawning expression, he stepped forward and said, "Boss, could you sign this? My sister wants an autographed photocard from you; she's been begging me for a long time."

Seeing Gu Jingyi smiling without saying a word, the chubby boy handed the marker closer and closer.

"Hey Fatty, isn't your sister a Chris fan?"

Gu Jingyi twirled his pen and spoke with a smile.

“Hey, that’s ancient history,” the chubby guy grinned like a cunning minister: “Boss, no one can defeat Han Shangyan with the background music playing.”

This flattery was a direct borrowing of a recent trending meme from Douyin (TikTok).

Netizens had already taken screenshots of the comments section of "Go Go Squid!", including those saying things like "Sorry Lu Han, I need to cheat on you for two minutes first."

"Sorry, Chris, Gu Jingyi smells so good."

"Sorry, Millennium, I need to switch servers first."

In short, turning on the bullet comments reveals all sorts of scenes of people circumventing the Great Firewall.

Most fans initially tuned in for Han Shangyan, but after watching the show, they all became fans of Gu Jingyi.

The scene was so spectacular that it practically filled the entire screen, and the viewership on both iQiyi and Tencent was quite impressive.

It is expected that Gu Jingyi and Yang Zi will sweep all the awards by the end of this year.

The release of "Go Go Squid!" made it easy for iQiyi to achieve its KPIs.

The long-tail effect of "Ashes of Love" combined with the huge success of "Go Go Squid!" allowed iQiyi to make a fortune just from new members.

If you casually open the discussion forums for "Go Go Squid!" on Tencent Video or iQiyi, the top comments are all related to Gu Jingyi.

Even on Douban, the platform with the most serious fandom, threads related to Gu Jingyi are full of praise for him.

[Top-Tier Domination Building] Emperor Gu Ascends the Throne! Han Shangyan = Human Gu Weapon 2.0
The original poster@璟奕の正宫风音

"From Phoenix to GUN God, Emperor Jing's cold-faced aesthetics have reached the pinnacle!"
Phoenix Burns the Sky: Bloodstained Eyes, Battle-Damaged Beauty

Han Shangyan's evidence: Adam's apple bobbing, abstinence killing
Conclusion: Gu Jingyi's cheekbones are like those of Nuwa (the goddess who created the goddess Nuwa), and his jawline is like a weapon of torture!

5.8 likes | Reply: The votes I cast for him for center position in the idol drama back then have now appreciated to the value of ghost money.
@Dior Global ATMs
"Han Shangyan's 30 black trench coats are all Dior haute couture! Gu Huang can conquer a city when he wears a mink coat, and dominate the charts when he wears Dior."

@DiorGlobalATM: The moment he loosened his tie, revealing his collarbone, the same trench coat he wore on the Dior website sold out instantly. Dior's official Weibo account reposted the post, saying, "Dior Asia Pacific Brand Ambassador Gu Jingyi (@顾璟奕) perfectly embodies the Dior spirit, taking everyone on a journey through the streets of a rainy Parisian night."

@Mortgaging Dowry to Boost Sales, Mother-in-Law Asks if It's an Investment in Imperial Green Reply to OP: "Is Gu Jingyi still the Asia-Pacific brand ambassador? Wasn't it always rumored he would become the first Asian Dior global brand ambassador?" 4.2 Likes

The original poster, @DiorGlobalATM, replied: "The dowry money has already been used to boost sales. When the mother-in-law asked, it was an investment in Imperial Blue. Gu Jingyi's contract as Dior's Asia-Pacific brand ambassador was signed last September and expires in October. It's only September now; anyone with a bit of sense at Dior would know what to do. The artistic director of LV, who is also in the same group, has repeatedly praised Gu Jingyi's outfits on foreign websites. The fans don't mind Emperor Gu jumping ship to become an LV ambassador."

"XS, only other top celebrities need to worry about losing their luxury brand endorsements. Gu Jingyi doesn't need to worry about that at all, as long as he wants to. There are plenty of top luxury brands offering huge sums of money to poach Gu Jingyi from their companies. Just look at Van Cleef & Arpels. The day Gu Jingyi was officially announced as their global brand ambassador, Van Cleef & Arpels' official website was completely sold out by wealthy female fans. All their offline stores were also swept clean, and their stock price soared."

Interestingly, the Douban users, who are usually the most fond of criticizing others, are now all rushing to speak up for Gu Jingyi, a stark contrast to their usual sarcastic and cynical posts criticizing other top celebrities on their homepages.

This is also Gu Jingyi's unique charm: top-tier dominance and impressive achievements. He is fully capable of breaking through the "top-tier limitation" and becoming a superstar who enjoys both popularity and public appeal.

On Zhihu, the question was asked: "What are your thoughts on Gu Jingyi having two hit male-centric TV dramas in one year?"

The top-rated comment was a response written in classical Chinese:
"In the summer of 2019, Emperor Gu Jingyi descended to the mortal realm to play Han Shangyan. On that day, Weibo crashed, Youku collapsed, and Dior collapsed."

Consort Jing wields data as her weapon and trending topics as her armor, building a formidable throne for herself.

Historically known as: 'The Beloved Coronation Battle'

This answer went viral, garnering 15 likes.

It even made it onto Weibo's trending topics, and "Dear Ascension Battle" went viral.

The concubines are numb to it all. Now they sign in every day, and if they're even a minute late, their ranking will drop to over 100,000.

Gu Jingyi's Weibo super topic also jumped up and became the first "Diamond Super Topic".

To be promoted, you need to have two million check-ins (after removing the negative data) and maintain over one million community interactions for a month.

Such stringent conditions are probably only something Gu Jingyi could meet.

A hit TV series can significantly boost an actor's career. For example, Deng Lun rose from a second-tier to a first-tier actor with his role as "Xu Feng," becoming one of the "top two stars of 2018," and receiving numerous offers for variety shows and commercials.

For example, Li Xian, who was previously unknown, rose from an obscure actor to a top star in a short period of time thanks to "Go Go Squid!"

Back then, they were all second lead actors in hit dramas, while Gu Jingyi was always the lead actor.

How would you describe Gu Jingyi's acting career?
The hit drama "A Love So Beautiful" propelled a previously unknown actor who had returned from a competition to become a top-tier celebrity in a short period of time.

"Idol Producer" became an instant hit upon its premiere, reshaping the landscape of online popularity in the Chinese entertainment industry. From the very beginning, Gu Jingyi's solo popularity soared to the top. After three performances, Gu Jingyi transformed all the drama fans and K-pop fans who had been drawn in by "Jiang Chen" into die-hard fans.

From the very first public appearance, Gu Jingyi embarked on her path to becoming a top star. Dior, after noticing that Gu Jingyi's Weibo supertopic had over 50 active users (even with minimal engagement), shortened the evaluation period and proposed the title of "Asian Brand Ambassador."

After the finale of "Idol Producer," Gu Jingyi became a "top influencer" with a million Weibo super topic check-ins. Dior officially announced the title of "Asian Brand Ambassador," surpassing the self-deceptive titles of "85 Flowers" Zhao Liying and Yang Ying, whose specific regional spokespersons in China are only visible to fans.

After Chopard, the global high-end jewelry brand, invited Gu Jingyi to the Barcelona Watch Fair, it directly ditched Wang Yuan, one of the "four big and three small" people it had been flirting with. Giving Gu Jingyi the title of global brand ambassador was a mere formality, while Wang Yuan was simply given the title of Asian brand ambassador.

At the same time, Gu Jingyi's teammates were either suing their former companies or endorsing micro-businesses.

Only Gu Jingyi's commercial ventures are all high-quality, high-end luxury brands or endorsements that boost national popularity.

What defines the top blue-blooded prodigy of the post-95 generation? It's none other than Gu Jingyi!

He took every step correctly, and his steps were steady.

The youth film "Take My Brother Away," which grossed over 10 billion yuan, showcased Gu Jingyi's strong box office appeal to the Chinese entertainment industry.

This mini-album broke sales records in the Chinese entertainment industry, prompting veteran singers to exclaim, "Times have changed?"
"Ashes of Love" established Gu Jingyi's fanbase, transcending age limitations. This wildly popular fantasy drama was a hit not only domestically but also internationally.

That's when he broke into the mainstream and earned the title of "Apop's first person".

When the English single "Butter" achieved the best Billboard chart result for a Chinese single, reaching number 7 on the Billboard Hot 100 without any promotions or music festivals, it ignited national pride. "The last superstar of the new generation," "The last little king of the new generation," and "A-pop leader" were the terms used by countless media outlets to describe Gu Jingyi during that period.

Gu Jingyi's collaboration with Fuyin on a viral Douyin album achieved the top spot across multiple domestic streaming platforms. Leveraging the rapid spread of short videos, Gu Jingyi has become one of the most successful singers to break into the mainstream.

With the release of his first official album, building upon the foundation of his previous two albums, Gu Jingyi officially launched his assault on the title of "Little King of Pop." The overwhelming popularity and record-breaking sales easily broke through years of constraints, securing him the title of "Little King of Pop."

With these qualities, the popularity of "Go Go Squid!" was several times that of the original Li Xian.

Now, Gu Jingyi is known not only as the "Green River's Fugitive CEO" but also as the "Su Broken Leg".

Han Shangyan's charm is different from that of the school heartthrob Jiang Chen and the war god Xu Feng.

The difference in physique and sexual tension between him and Yang Zi made him the dream lover of countless women.

Not only do young girls like it, but mature women love it too.

Gu Jingyi's number of wealthy female fans has surged again, taking the lead.

One of Gu Jingyi's business activities today is to visit the Van Cleef & Arpels boutique to watch the finale of "Go Go Squid!" with his wealthy female fans on the final night.

The wealthy women who are invited are all those who have spent at least hundreds of millions at Van Cleef & Arpels.

Gu Jingyi didn't need to accompany them the whole time; he just showed up suddenly near the end. He randomly selected a row of lucky wealthy women to sit with and watch.

Upon arriving at the Van Cleef & Arpels flagship store in Shanghai's Hang Lung Plaza, Gu Jingyi was led to the private VIP lounge by a waiter.

The air was filled with the cool scent of perfume and rare leather, and the huge curved screen was playing the final episode of "Go Go Squid!"

The screen's glow illuminated the few dozen or so people in the hall. They were relaxed, and the Alhambra four-leaf clover or Perlée gold bead bracelets on their wrists shimmered with a warm, precious metallic luster under the soft light.

However, these wealthy women, whose net worth is measured in "small goals," held their breath at this moment because of Han Shangyan's question on the screen, "Did you bring your household registration book?" The drama happened to be showing the famous scene of Han Shangyan and Tong Nian getting their marriage certificate.

During the commercial break in the series, the crystal chandelier's light was turned up two notches.

The store manager bowed and whispered, "Mr. Gu has arrived."

Almost silently, the side door slid open. Gu Jingyi, dressed in a Dior Men midnight blue velvet smoking suit, collar unbuttoned, revealed a faint shadow on his pale collarbone. His fingertips casually rested on the edge of the glass display case as his gaze swept across the room.

"Sorry to disturb everyone watching the ending."

When he spoke, his voice was less cold and hard than Han Shangyan's in the drama, and more genuinely lazy.

The wealthy women maintained polite smiles, but some clutched their crocodile Kelly handbags tightly, while others unconsciously twirled their Lotus rings halfway around.

A lady wearing a Xiangyun yarn cheongsam has a watch on her wrist, a hidden diamond-encrusted timepiece worth millions, whose second hand trembles slightly.

She is Cen Xi, the richest woman in "Consort Jing," who once won a spot to dance with Gu Jingyi at a Chopard charity event.

Gu Jingyi's gaze lingered on her for a moment before he naturally walked to the outermost edge of the curved sofa.

This is a row of three seats, but only two ladies are sitting there.

"Excuse me?"

The two women who were chosen paused in their breath, and the young woman in the middle wearing a mohair cardigan instinctively moved half an inch to the side.

Gu Jingyi then calmly sat down, crossing his long legs.

A vintage Alhambra tiger's eye cufflink on his sleeve reflected a honey-like light; it was a Van Cleef & Arpels cufflink that Tian Xiwei had put on him before he set off that evening.

The screen restarts, and Han Shangyan is placing his ID card on the counter.

Cen Xi, standing beside Gu Jingyi, suddenly chuckled: "Mr. Gu's tactic of withholding identification documents is even more efficient than our signing of contracts."

Gu Jingyi turned his head, a very faint smile curving his lips: "President Cen is joking. You can refuse to sign a contract, but what about your ID card..."

He paused, the screen light falling on his eyelashes, casting a small shadow, "...once it's out there, it can't be taken back."

These words were like a pebble thrown into a lake. Another wealthy woman with short, silver-gray hair next to her swished her champagne and chimed in, "When you left your ID card, were you thinking of Tong Nian or us onlookers?"

This is clearly a test, but it's wrapped in a joking tone.

If Gu Jingyi agrees, he will definitely have a very memorable night.

There are no ugly women in the wealthy social circle, even if their features are average. They can still spend a fortune at top cosmetic surgery clinics in South Korea, getting only one procedure done while preserving their original appearance.

This kind of effect is something that mass-produced idols can't compare to.

In addition, her pampered and privileged demeanor gives her a unique charm.

Gu Jingyi's gaze remained fixed on the screen, his voice as soft as a whisper: "I'm thinking... after tonight, will Van Cleef & Arpels' customer service hotline be bombarded with calls from people 'buying the same ring as Han Shangyan'?"

The room was filled with smiles. Cen Xi touched the diamond necklace around her neck and said with a smile, "Van Cleef & Arpels made the right choice in hiring Jing Yi as their spokesperson. You should talk to Van Cleef & Arpels about raising the endorsement fee next time."

Gu Jingyi smiled and said, "I will later."

These top-tier global endorsement deals are typically for two years. For example, Chris Pratt's previous global ambassadorship contract with LV was $1500 million for two years.

Gu Jingyi signed a two-year, $2000 million deal with Van Cleef & Arpels, a contract that is not only the highest in Asia, but also a very attractive one on a global scale.

Like Park Jimin of BTS in the original timeline, after his contract as a global ambassador for Louis Vuitton expired, he was immediately signed by Dior without a trial period, securing a two-year, $20 million endorsement deal. He is the only Asian face to join the club with signings worth over $10 billion.

Gu Jingyi's $2000 million two-year signing bonus from Van Cleef & Arpels is nothing compared to the most expensive signings globally, which include Oprah Winfrey, Leonardo DiCaprio, Cristiano Ronaldo, David Beckham, Justin Bieber, Taylor Swift, and other superstars.

Gu Jingyi's signing fee is still somewhat less than Jasper's $2500 million two-year contract.

However, Van Cleef & Arpels has set a good precedent, and next month Dior's global ambassador contract with Gu Jingyi will start at $2000 million for two years.

Spokespersons are unlikely to lower their prices; they will only become more expensive.

As soon as she finished speaking, Han Shangyan kissed Tong Nian on the screen. The VIP room fell silent, with only the tender background music from the drama playing.

Gu Jingyi also got up and walked to the central stage to begin tonight's auction.

(End of this chapter)