Rebirth of Chinese Entertainment, starting with the strategy of 95 flowers to counterattack

Chapter 267: A Conversation Between Sisters, Peach Blossom Village Arrives (Two-in-One Chapter)
Beijing, 7 a.m.

In Meng Ziyi's villa master bedroom, a ray of pale golden sunlight pierced through the gap in the curtains, falling on the messy bed.

Zhou Ye curled up on her side, half her face buried in the fluffy down pillow, her long black hair spread out on the snow-white sheets, making her skin look like jade.

She was wearing a pink and white bear-patterned pajama set, with round cartoon patterns covering the entire body. The cuffs and hems were trimmed with fluffy white lace, making her look exceptionally adorable.

The wide neckline of her pajamas was slightly askew from her sleeping, revealing a small patch of smooth shoulder and her collarbone, which was faintly visible, but the cute pattern on the clothes added a touch of childlike innocence.

The sleeves were too long, almost covering half of her hand, with only a few slender fingers showing. She was curled up on the pillow, like a kitten that had just woken up.

Meng Ziyi woke up first, and as soon as she opened her eyes, she saw Zhou Ye clinging to her like an octopus, with one of his legs pressing down on her waist without any hesitation.

She gave him a disdainful push: "Little one, can't you sleep in a better place?"

Zhou Ye mumbled a sleepy "Mmm," but instead of letting go, he snuggled his face closer to Meng Ziyi's chest: "Just five more minutes of sleep."

Meng Ziyi rolled her eyes and pinched her nose: "Wake up, don't you have a magazine shoot today?"

Zhou Ye finally struggled to open his eyes, lazily propped himself up, his long legs dazzlingly white in the morning light.

“Sister Meng,” she yawned, “your mattress is much more comfortable than mine.”

Meng Ziyi sat up, the strap of her silk slip dress slipped to one side, she casually pulled it up, and said irritably, "You sleep here five days a week, you might as well move in."

Zhou Ye grinned and leaned closer: "Sure, I'll pay your rent."

"Come on," Meng Ziyi pushed her face away, "Are you just keeping your villa empty to breed mosquitoes?"

Zhou Ye shrugged: "I live alone at home, it's no fun going back."

Meng Ziyi paused in combing her hair, glancing at her in the mirror: "What, you've got more energy now that Gu Yang's back?"

As soon as the words were spoken, the room fell silent for a moment.

Zhou Ye's smile froze on his face, and Meng Ziyi realized what she had said. The two looked at each other through the mirror, and a subtle awkwardness hung in the air.

They all liked Gu Yang. This was a secret hidden beneath their jokes and sisterly affection, like a thin layer of ice. Everyone knew it existed, but no one was willing to reach out and touch it first.

If we had met when we first got to know each other, with that reckless attitude, we probably would have argued until we were red in the face and lost our friendship.

But now, they just sat quietly, listening to the hum of the refrigerator cooling down, even their breathing became lighter.

Having spent the last two years navigating the industry, I've witnessed countless dramas of people turning against each other for resources and framing each other for advancement. I've seen through the complexities of human nature all the more, and thus cherish this delicate balance all the more.

Especially after Jiang Ye secured his position as a top director with a series of hit dramas, he was surrounded by even more women.

Today it's a rising star delivering coffee; tomorrow it'll be a newcomer sent in by investors.

Those of them who climbed up from the bottom with Jiang Ye, if it weren't for Gu Yang taking care of them in every way, helping them avoid unreasonable drinking parties, fighting for the maximum benefit in various endorsement contracts, and even quietly finding people to suppress trending topics when they were attacked by haters, they would probably have been swept away by the undercurrents in this industry long ago.

Gu Yang is truly good, so good that they can't bear to ruin each other or destroy the peace he so carefully protects because of these little thoughts.

He's a womanizer, but better than most people in the entertainment industry!
More importantly, these people are so successful but not good-looking.

Gu Yang's looks and figure are top-notch, so outstanding that they feel immense pressure, thinking they might not be good enough for him, and are always plagued by anxiety!
Moreover, Gu Yang treated them, whom he had known from the beginning as his own people, with a sincerity and thoughtfulness that others lacked.

Zhou Yexian broke the silence: "He's been filming 'The Legend of Canglan' in Hengdian recently, he's quite busy."

Meng Ziyi hummed in agreement and continued combing her hair: "Not only is Tian Xiwei here, but there's also Wang Churan."

There was another moment of silence.

Zhou Ye suddenly laughed: "Mengmeng, we're being so silly."

Meng Ziyi turned to look at her: "What?"

“Playing dumb,” Zhou Ye jumped off the bed, his bare feet stepping onto the soft carpet. “We both know what the other is thinking, yet we’re still beating around the bush.”

Meng Ziyi put down the comb and sighed, "Then what do you suggest we do? Fight it out?"

"Am I that kind of person?" Zhou Ye made a boxing gesture, then laughed and fell onto her bed. "We've been best friends since we were at the Beijing Film Academy. It's so beneath me to fall out over a man."

Meng Ziyi finally smiled: "Then what do you suggest?"

Zhou Ye sat up straight, cross-legged, unusually serious: "Fair competition. Whoever he chooses, that's who, and the other one isn't allowed to throw a tantrum."

“Okay,” Meng Ziyi nodded, “but if…”

“If he ends up marrying someone else,” Zhou Ye chimed in, “the two of us will team up to crash the wedding and elope.”

The two laughed at the same time, and the morning sunlight shone on them, as if casting a gentle filter on their conversation.

Meng Ziyi reached out her hand: "Shall we make a vow with a high five?"

Zhou Ye raised his hand and gave her a high five, the force of their palms touching carrying a childlike earnestness.

"Seriously," Meng Ziyi curled her fingers and rubbed them against her palm, then suddenly leaned closer, her voice low as if she were revealing a secret, "Don't you think... that guy is amazing?"

"Huh?" Zhou Ye's face turned bright red instantly. "I...I don't know!"

"I'll go with him."

Meng Ziyi chuckled mischievously, "And with your small frame?"

"It's alright."

"Exactly, kid, let me tell you, you might really have to manage on your own!"

Zhou Ye suddenly wanted to travel with him.
The scenes in the snowy forest, the warm light in front of the fireplace in the castle, the moonlight reflected through the hotel's floor-to-ceiling windows...

Gu Yang, that guy, usually looks refined, but when he's alone, he's like a wild horse with its reins loose, especially during that time abroad, when the sky was high and the water was wide, he had no more scruples.

"What are you thinking about? Your face is so red." Meng Ziyi nudged her with her elbow.

Zhou Ye snapped back to reality and mumbled, "Nothing... By the way, I heard Disney has a new limited-edition StellaLou parade. Are you free? Let's go together?"

"Didn't you say last month that there were too many people and it was too crowded?" Meng Ziyi raised an eyebrow. "Why the sudden change of heart?"

"Well... I suddenly wanted to relive my girlish heart." Zhou Ye tossed her hair, her voice softening. "I heard there's a fireworks show tonight, it's really beautiful."

Meng Ziyi thought for a moment and nodded: "Okay, next weekend? I checked my schedule, and we're all available."

She paused, then suddenly smiled mischievously, "Why didn't you call Gu Yang? He's the one who loves you the most, he'd definitely be happy to go along with something like this."

Mentioning Gu Yang, Zhou Ye's smile faded a bit: "He's never free. He said he was going to oversee an outdoor shoot a while ago, and he's been filming lately. He's only been able to reply to WeChat messages sporadically."

"You're just too honest," Meng Ziyi tapped her forehead. "Men, how can you wait for them to have time? You have to create opportunities for them."

Zhou Ye blinked: "How do you create it?"

"You're so stupid." Meng Ziyi leaned closer and lowered her voice. "Why don't you say you're not feeling well and ask him to go to the hospital with you? Then, when he rushes over, you can smile and say you were just kidding, that you actually wanted him to go to Disneyland with you."

"Does he really think he can just turn around and leave?" Zhou Ye chuckled. "That's such a dirty trick! What if he gets angry?"

"Angry?" Meng Ziyi raised an eyebrow. "Would he really be willing to do that? Besides, if you just act cute and say you want to watch fireworks with him, he..."

She drew out her words, her smile meaningful, "I guarantee I'll cancel all my social engagements and obediently go with you to queue."

"How about the three of us go together?"

"But...it's okay!"

"By the way, Sister Meng, isn't 'Our Peach Blossom Village' airing today? How about we skip the company today and just stay home to watch the variety show?"

"That works, but what about the announcements?"

"Oh, Sister Meng, didn't you just teach me? We asked Gu Yang for leave, saying we were sick..."

"..." Meng Ziyi was speechless. How could this girl learn so quickly!
……

At 8:15 p.m., Lin Yue finally shut down her computer, grabbed her bag, and rushed out of the company building.

The subway was packed like sardines in a can. She huddled in a corner scrolling through Weibo, where the trending topic was #FiftyKilometersPeachBlossomVillagePremiere#.

Her eyes lit up, and she quickly clicked on the Penguin Video app to make an appointment.

This is a variety show she's been looking forward to for a long time, with Wang Sulong and Zhou Ye both on it!
These are all celebrities she particularly likes!
When I got home, the takeout I had ordered in advance was already cold.

Too lazy to heat it up, she simply sat cross-legged on the sofa and opened the first episode of "Fifty Kilometers of Peach Blossom Village".

"Finally, I can relax a bit."

She let out a long sigh of relief and casually opened a bottle of iced cola!

The show begins with the celebrities arriving at Peach Blossom Village one after another.

"Ahhh, Zhou Ye is here!" she exclaimed excitedly, kicking her feet.

In the footage, Zhou Ye is the first to arrive at the filming location.

She wore a cream-white knitted cardigan over a light apricot-colored slip dress, the hem of which swayed gently with her steps, revealing a section of her porcelain-white calves.

The morning light shone through the gaps in the leaves, casting a soft glow on her, even her hair.

"Our coconuts are so beautiful!"

Lin Yue shoveled a mouthful of rice into her mouth and exclaimed, "This outfit is amazing! It's both gentle and refreshing. No wonder she's the face of the post-95 generation!"

She took several screenshots to post on her WeChat Moments when she suddenly saw a comment on the screen: "Coconut's bare face is so stunning!" She quickly paused the video, zoomed in, and took a closer look.

"Oh my god, she really isn't wearing makeup! Just lip gloss? Is this skin even real?"

Lin Yue touched her newly broken pimple with envy, "The difference between a fairy and a mortal is truly remarkable."

Just as I was captivated by Zhou Ye's beauty, the scene suddenly cut to the second guest who arrived.

A black van arrogantly drove into the frame, the door opened, and a pair of feet wearing limited edition sneakers landed first.

"Tsk, Meng Ziyi." Lin Yue rolled her eyes. "Another one of those flamboyant entrances."

In the video, Meng Ziyi is wearing a pink short-sleeved jacket over a pure white short-sleeved T-shirt, with the hem casually tucked into light pink sweatpants.

Her slightly wavy chestnut hair was loose and swayed gently as she turned around.

"You're dressed quite properly, though," Lin Yue said, pursing her lips. "It's a pity that even the best outfit can't hide your pretentious nature."

She doesn't really like Meng Ziyi!
This actor isn't very famous, but he's known for being "dramatic".

Since her debut, she has been plagued by scandals, from being accused of being arrogant to having her makeup altered, and she has been severely criticized online.

He's been a bit quieter in the last year, and it seems he's even switched careers to singing!

Li Yue had heard her sing "Learn to Meow," the melody was simple and catchy, but it sounded like a pop song with no real substance.

"I've listened to 'Learn to Meow' so many times last year that I'm sick of it. Now it's ruining variety shows again."

She muttered something as she clicked on the live chat, and sure enough, she saw many people complaining just like her:

"The Drama Queen Has Arrived"

"Can't this woman just shut up for a bit?"

How will the production team invite her?

Lin Yue happily joined the吐槽 (tu cao, a Chinese internet slang term for sarcastic or critical comments) group: "They're obviously just here to ride the wave of popularity!"

At this point, the program flashed back to two clips showing Meng Ziyi before she set off.

The first scene is in the company's break room.

Meng Ziyi curled up on the sofa, holding a shiny fried chicken leg in her left hand and swiping her phone screen with her right.

The agent stood opposite him with his arms crossed, his brows furrowed, his tone serious with a hint of exasperation: "You know your constitution, huh? You're a magnet for negativity! When you go to Peach Blossom Village this time, remember three words: Don't cause trouble."

Meng Ziyi took a big bite of chicken leg and mumbled, "I know! If people are criticizing me, it must be because I didn't do well enough. If I have something to correct, I'll correct it; if I don't, I'll keep trying."

The agent sighed heavily and tapped his fingertips on the coffee table: "Can't you tone it down a bit? What if the editing is too exaggerated again?"

"Then I'll conquer them with my personality!" Meng Ziyi rolled her eyes, tossed the cleanly gnawed chicken bones into the nearby trash can with a pretty precise motion.

The agent choked for a moment, then finally managed to snort through his nose: "...You'd better really be able to do that."

"Don't worry." Meng Ziyi suddenly sat up straight, tossed her phone onto the sofa, her eyes lit up, and she became unusually serious. "I'll show everyone that I'm not just a show-off."

The agent seemed amused by her earnestness, but also more helpless, and added with a forced smile, "Don't let me see the news about your contract termination when you come back."

"You jinx!" Meng Ziyi grabbed a cushion from the sofa and threw it at him, but her manager dodged it with a laugh. The cushion hit the wall with a "thud" and bounced back onto the carpet.

The second scene shows her manager suddenly grabbing the car window and leaning his upper body over before her car departs.

She looked at the person in the car, her voice low but clear: "When you go to Peach Blossom Village, I'll give you four words: be strong and brave."

"Here are three more words for you: Don't be reckless! I hope you'll still be under contract with the company when you come back."

"Okay, okay! I promise I won't cause trouble!"

The agent didn't let go, tapping her knuckles on the car window, muttering with a hint of unease, "You said the same thing last time..."

"Hey, hurry up, hurry up!" Meng Ziyi frowned and waved her hand. "If we dawdle any longer, we'll miss the start time for filming. Are you going to take responsibility if I'm late for recording the show?"

(End of this chapter)