Chinese entertainment: Top stars have no holidays

After a kissing scene, the atmosphere between Jiang Bai and Tian Xiwei seemed to have changed a bit.

In this ambiguous and tense atmosphere, the filming progressed rapidly, and the crew, having regrouped, was back on the fast track.

From the People's Hospital to Maozhubu Bridge.

From Xiongfeng Xintiandi to Changlongtang Commercial Street.

From the Seeking Knowledge Bookstore to the City Square.

From Zhejiang University to the National Academy of Fine Arts.

One scene after another was successfully filmed, leaving behind the footprints of Jiang Bai and Tian Xiwei.

And time quietly moved on to April 28th.

Jiang Bai's first film and television work is finally about to be broadcast.

That evening, at 7:40 PM.

As soon as the opening sequence of Hunan TV's Golden Eagle Theater finished, the camphor green scenery of "Rush to the Dead Summer" appeared, and the atmosphere in Xin Jiadi's office, who was concerned about the show's performance, instantly accelerated.

Zeng Xichen, the publicity staff member in charge of monitoring the broadcast results, was so hot that her hands were burning as she held the mouse.

The moment the loading bar for TaoChang's playback interface finished on the screen, the Weibo trending topics list seemed to have been switched on.

The hashtag #SummerRushPremierePremiere# trended on social media at lightning speed.

Following closely behind are #ChuYuxun's original voice is so sweet# and #LuZhiang plays himself#.

She refreshed the page twice, and the topic square was already flooded with comments from book fans and drama fans.

"The camphor tree in Asakawa is incredibly well-reproduced!"

"Li Xia's sweet, childlike voice is such a perfect fit for the character! Zheng Shuang made the right choice this time!"

"The newcomer who plays Lu Zhiang is just like a sunny young man who stepped out of the book. The scene on the tennis court was hilarious."

Of course, there were also a few scattered complaints, such as, "Why does Chen Xuedong's Fu Xiaosi always have such a blank expression?"

"Is Li Yanran's screen time too much?"

The landline on the desk suddenly rang. It was Old Zhang from the distribution department, his voice brimming with barely suppressed excitement: "Xichen, have you checked the ratings data?"

"CSM national network penetration rate exceeded 2%, and 1.114% in 52 cities, making it the top-performing drama series premiered this year!"

Zeng Xichen opened the data panel of the online broadcast backend. The real-time playback volume curve was showing a steep upward trend, and the density of bullet comments was so high that it almost covered the screen.

Whenever Fu Xiaosi, Li Xia, and Lu Zhiang appear together in a scene, the screen is filled with exclamations praising the three of them.

She casually took a screenshot and sent it to the work group, which immediately sparked a string of exclamation marks.

The producer, who had been holding back his anger and was finally able to vent his frustration, sent a red envelope in the group chat: "A resounding success for the premiere! Keep a close eye on public opinion afterwards!"

"Especially in the later stages of the series, we promptly followed up and responded to controversies surrounding the characters and accusations of added scenes."

Zeng Xichen switched back to Weibo and found that the hashtag #RushToTheDeadSummer# had exceeded 3 million views and over 500 million discussions, and the OST from the drama was also trending online.

The theme song "Summer Solstice" sung by Hu Xia soared to the top three on the new song charts on music platforms.

In the book fan group, someone posted a comparison picture of the novel and the TV series, exclaiming "a wave of nostalgia for youth".

Some people are also debating whether Cheng Qiqi's character has been changed.

But many more people are commenting that "Lu Zhiang and Li Xia's cycling scene was so sweet" and "Yu Jian's entrance was so powerful."

After glancing briefly at the comments and confirming that most were positive feedback, Zeng Xichen felt relieved and looked up to stare intently at the backend data.

......

In an old villa in Xuhui District, Shanghai, Lin Xi, a high school sophomore, is hunched over her desk, watching a TV series on her computer and television simultaneously.

Clutching the well-worn original novel in her left hand, she frantically spammed comments on her phone with her right: "Cheng Qiqi's hairstyle is so tacky! In the book, she clearly has long, wavy hair!"

Her mother came in carrying fruit and glanced at the screen: "Isn't this the little girl who acted in 'Love O2O'? She's quite pretty."

Lin Xi didn't even look up: "Mom, you don't understand, this is the pinnacle of youth angst literature!"

As they were talking, a scene appeared in the drama where Li Xia and Fu Xiaosi looked at each other in the art studio, and the screen was instantly flooded with comments.

"Ahhh, that's an iconic scene!"

"I cried my eyes out when Fu Xiaosi painted Li Xia!"

Lin Xi's eyes welled up with tears, but she heard her mother mutter behind her, "These two kids don't look like high school students at all; they look like recent college graduates."

In a rented room in an urban village in Guangzhou, a young migrant worker named Juan is watching a TV series with her roommate.

Both of them were fans of the original novel. When they saw Lu Zhiang riding his bicycle and giving Li Xia a ride through the camphor tree path, A-Juan suddenly covered her mouth and said, "When I was in high school, a boy also gave me a ride like that. It's a pity that we didn't get into the same university."

Her roommate patted her back to comfort her, then turned around and was amused by a funny scene in the show: "Lu Zhiang was caught eating snacks in class by the teacher. This scene is so real! My deskmate was eating spicy strips in class and was punished by the teacher to stand for a whole class."

As the melody of the interlude "That Boy" played, Juan took out her phone and opened the music app: "This song is so nice, I want to set it as my ringtone!"

She didn't notice that the number of views in the upper right corner of the screen was skyrocketing at a rate of three digits per second.

In 2017, Zheng Shuang's popularity among young people and in idol dramas was undeniable.

This is why Cehua Entertainment, despite having an unpleasant experience working with Zheng Shuang on "Rush to the Dead Summer," still invited her to star in their newly invested drama.

She's a top-tier actress who can truly guarantee high ratings and viewership!

Moreover, "Rush to the Dead Summer" is Zheng Shuang's latest idol drama after "Love O2O".

The new fans she gained from "Love O2O" have high expectations for "Rush to the Dead Summer".

The good viewership numbers at the start of the broadcast are to be expected.

Meanwhile, Jiang Bai was sitting in front of the large TV in his hotel room, watching "Rush to the Dead Summer" which was being broadcast on Hunan TV.

The filming of "A Love So Beautiful" is almost finished; there are only two or three days left to shoot.

With plenty of time remaining, the director gave the crew half a day off, since today was the premiere of Jiang Bai's first starring drama.

Yes, the second male lead is definitely considered a main character!

But Jiang Bai wasn't actually interested in watching the show air; in fact, he didn't even want to watch the show he acted in.

I don't know why, but he just felt it would be weird to watch himself act in a play.

If Tian Xiwei hadn't been so curious, even more so than he was, and hadn't come to his room insisting on dragging him to watch the premiere, Jiang Bai would never have watched it.

Isn't it enough to just focus on comments and feedback?

At that moment, he was holding his phone and looking at the comments on Weibo, completely ignoring Tian Xiwei's shouts and screams beside him.

Jiang Bai is exactly the Lu Zhiang I imagined! His eyes crinkle when he smiles, he's sunny and clean-cut, and he looks like the heartthrob of high school when he wears his school uniform.

[The only light in the whole series! Lu Zhiang's acting is so brilliant, lively, roguish yet gentle, he brought the youthful spirit to life.]

[The most dazzling little sun of Qianchuan Middle School, Lu Zhiang, lit up the whole scene the moment he appeared. Jiang Bai perfectly captured the boy's unrestrained yet gentle nature.]

Actually, when the show first aired, there weren't many fans or viewers discussing Jiang Bai or Lu Zhiang.

After all, when the show first aired, everyone's attention was focused on the male and female leads, and the main storyline was also setting up for them.

But Jiang Bai specifically looked for comments about him in the #SummerRush# topic square, and read them with great interest.

It was alright. His debut was a great success, and the vast majority of comments were praising him.

Some praised him for being handsome, saying his image and temperament perfectly matched Lu Zhiang's.

Some praised his acting skills, even saying that he acted better than the male and female leads.

I haven't seen many comments criticizing him, or if anyone is criticizing him, it's all about criticizing the entire series "Rush to the Dead Summer," and no one is criticizing his portrayal of Lu Zhiang.

That was bad enough, but when Jiang Bai opened the comment section of his own Weibo, the praise in the comments became even more intense!

[The only watchable character in the entire series is Lu Zhiang. Jiang Bai's acting completely outshines the male lead. Fu Xiaosi is expressionless, and Li Xia is distracting. Lu Zhiang is the only redemption.]

[Lu Zhiang's youthful charm is amazing. Riding a bicycle with Li Xia, playing around on the rooftop, handing her snacks, and secretly watching Li Xia—his acting is so natural and effortless, without any trace of acting.]

[Brother, you don't just rely on your looks, you really have acting skills! You portrayed Lu Zhiang's transformation from a sunny young man to a silent and stoic one with such nuance, and your eye acting was absolutely amazing!]

[The male lead, Chen Xuedong, is too wooden, and Zheng Shuang's acting is also mediocre. It's only your portrayal of Lu Zhiang that carries the show; otherwise, it would be unwatchable.]

Wow, seeing these praising comments, even if Jiang Bai was mentally prepared, he couldn't help but feel a little smug.

He instantly understood why some celebrities, after becoming famous, gradually become arrogant and diva-like, and then their self-awareness becomes unclear, commonly known as losing their sense of self.

How can a celebrity who is constantly praised by a group of fans and completely surrounded by flattery and mindless praise not misunderstand themselves?

Isn't this a kind of information cocoon?

Jiang Bai kept his composure and tried his best not to be influenced by the flattery and praise.

However, no matter how well you try to stay calm, the facts are undeniable.

"Xiaotian, I think I'm about to become famous." Jiang Bai said proudly, pointing to his Weibo followers, which were increasing rapidly every minute.

"That's great." Tian Xiwei, turning her gaze away from the television, glanced enviously at Jiang Bai's phone, then smiled brightly: "But I knew you'd definitely become famous!"

"Without you, the entertainment industry is like the West losing Jerusalem!"

After saying that, Tian Xiwei suddenly jumped up from the sofa, put her hands on her hips, and laughed loudly twice: "Haha, but I, the Great Queen Weiwei, will catch up soon!"

"The entertainment industry can't do without me, Tian Xiwei!"

"Just like America can't live without the Statue of Liberty!"

"Great!" Jiang Bai shouted, giving a loud round of applause, and said with a grin, "I also have high hopes for Queen Weiwei. You'll definitely become a huge star after our drama 'A Love So Beautiful' airs."

Actually, I've been a fan of yours for a long time.

"Really?" Tian Xiwei chuckled and sat back down cross-legged on the sofa. "By the way, what's your fans' name?"

"Um..." Jiang Bai scratched his head awkwardly, "The fan club account set up by the company's operations team held a poll."

"In the end, 'white rice' won, which means that the fans are Jiang Bai's 'ironclad rice' (a term used to describe loyal fans of Jiang Bai)."

"Oh, that's really cute!" Tian Xiwei nodded, looking on with anticipation. "What do you think my fans should be called?"

"He's the head chef, I guess," Jiang Bai replied casually.

"Why?" Tian Xiwei was a little confused.

Jiang Bai then realized that Tian Xiwei didn't have such thoughts at this time.

He raised an eyebrow and explained with a smile, "Look at how much you can eat. You're a real glutton on set. You love to post pictures of food on WeChat Moments and Weibo every day, and you even carry chili sauce in your makeup bag."

"Then why don't the fans just call themselves the head chef? They'll be in charge of feeding you delicious food. That would be so down-to-earth!"

"That makes sense!" Tian Xiwei nodded emphatically.