Chinese entertainment: Top stars have no holidays

Jiang Bai quickly tugged at Tian Xiwei's arm and chuckled in a low voice, "Keep your voice down, or you'll be in big trouble."

Tian Xiwei stuck out her tongue, winked playfully, and lowered her voice: "What are you afraid of? I'm just telling the truth."

Even so, she still glanced at Zhang Han subconsciously. Seeing that he wasn't looking at her, she breathed a sigh of relief and shook the bag in her hand.

"Quick, look at all the good stuff I brought you! It's all your favorite strawberry daifuku and iced Americano, and this too..."

She pulled a small keychain from the bag, with a miniature drum kit hanging on it. "I bought this especially for you because I knew you were playing the drummer in the film crew. Isn't it cute?"

Jiang Bai took the keychain, his fingertips touching her warm fingertips. A slight flutter stirred in his heart, and he smiled and nodded, "It's quite cute, thanks."

He glanced at the curious stares around him, then at Zhang Han, who was still looking gloomy not far away, and pulled Tian Xiwei toward a corner on the other side of the set. "There are fewer people here. Let's talk over there. Let's not join the fun here, or we'll get surrounded."

The two walked to a quiet corner and sat down against the prop box. Tian Xiwei then dropped her playful expression and complained softly, "Don't blame me for coming over so suddenly."

"It's all because you were gossiping with me on WeChat last night."

Jiang Bai was taken aback for a moment, then chuckled: "So, after I complained to you yesterday, you came here to join in the fun today?"

After finishing work yesterday, he returned to the hotel with nothing to do. Thinking about the argument between Zhang Han and Gulnazar during the day, he found it somewhat amusing and casually sent a WeChat message to Tian Xiwei.

He imitated Xiaotian's old ways when he was on set, rambling on about some gossip from the set, his tone full of amusement.

I never expected Tian Xiwei to come today.

He was quite surprised to see Xiaotian's flight and train information in the morning, and quickly arranged for his assistant and driver, Brother Wang, to pick her up.

Tian Xiwei's cheeks flushed slightly, her eyes darting around. She subconsciously tightened her grip on the hem of her clothes, her tone softening: "Who, who's here to join in the fun? I'm just..."

"It just so happens to be the weekend today, and I don't have much to do. I heard you talking about the film crew, so I thought I'd come and see you, and also to see Sister Nazha."

As she spoke, she secretly glanced at Jiang Bai before continuing, "I never expected Zhang Han to still be here today."

"I thought he left right after the argument yesterday. If I had known he was still here, I would have come at a different time. How awkward."

Jiang Bai didn't notice the unnaturalness in her tone and smiled as he ruffled her hair: "It's okay, you're here now, no one's stopping you anyway."

"But you do know how to find the time; it just so happens that we have to film a kissing scene."

"Ah, a kissing scene?" Upon hearing the words "kissing scene," Tian Xiwei's eyes sharpened instantly, she sat up slightly, and her tone became more serious: "Who is it, you and Nazha?"

She stopped calling out to her sister.

Jiang Bai, both amused and annoyed, flicked Tian Xiwei on the forehead: "What are you thinking? She's the female lead, and the kissing scene is with Director Dapeng."

"Uh..." Tian Xiwei touched her slightly sore forehead, slapped Jiang Bai's arm in annoyance, and carefully chose her tone, "Don't blame me for overthinking it."

"Think about it, women are most vulnerable when they are heartbroken, and they are also most easily taken advantage of. I'm afraid you might make a mistake in a moment of confusion."

"I came here specifically because I heard that Sister Zha seems to be breaking up with Zhang Han."

Upon hearing this, Jiang Bai suddenly realized what was going on.

Looking at Tian Xiwei's serious expression, he couldn't help but laugh out loud: "What are you thinking about with that little head of yours?"

"Naza and I are just colleagues. We hardly interact outside of filming. How could I possibly take advantage of her?"

"Besides, I'm not the kind of person who takes advantage of others in distress."

"That's not necessarily true." Tian Xiwei frowned slightly and said seriously, "Sister Zha is so beautiful, she's a goddess-level beauty. Even if she's heartbroken, she'll still be very charming."

"Besides, you see each other on set every day, you're bound to run into each other all the time. What if you can't control yourself for a moment, wouldn't that be troublesome?"

She said that, but in her heart she was thinking: I can't let other women take advantage of me. I haven't even taken advantage of myself yet.

Jiang Bai found her jealous expression even more endearing and teased her deliberately, "What's wrong? Are you jealous?"

"Who's jealous!" Tian Xiwei instantly bristled, her cheeks turning bright red. She quickly waved her hand, "I was just reminding you, so you wouldn't ruin your reputation in a moment of confusion."

"Our drama 'A Love So Beautiful' hasn't even aired yet, you can't let something like this ruin it."

Seeing that she was about to jump up in anxiety, Jiang Bai stopped joking and said, "Okay, okay, I'll listen to you."

"I promise I'll stay far away from Naza and won't make any mistakes, okay?"

That's what he says, but what he really thinks is anyone's guess.

Tian Xiwei nodded in satisfaction, her bright smile returning to her face.

She took a strawberry daifuku out of the bag and held it to Jiang Bai's lips: "That's more like it. Here, have a daifuku to replenish your energy. We still have to film later."

It just goes to show that she's too easily swayed by men's words.

Jiang Bai opened his mouth and took a bite of the strawberry daifuku. The sweet and creamy filling melted in his mouth, carrying a faint strawberry aroma.

Looking at Tian Xiwei's smiling face, he felt a warmth in his heart.

The girl really cared about him.

The two sat in the corner, chatting casually. Tian Xiwei rambled on about the fun things that happened after she went back to school.

Jiang Bai occasionally chimed in with a word or two, creating a relaxed and pleasant atmosphere that completely dispelled the awkwardness and tension of the film set.

After chatting for a short while, Da Peng's voice rang out from the set, shouting through a megaphone, "All departments, prepare! Actors, get ready to film the next scene!"

"Jiang Bai, come here right now!"

Jiang Bai quickly stood up, dusted himself off, and said to Tian Xiwei, "I'm going to film a movie now. You can find a place to sit and wait for me here."

"Don't wander off or say anything carelessly, lest you offend someone."

"Okay, don't worry about it." Tian Xiwei nodded and handed him an iced Americano. "Drink this when you're tired from filming, it'll keep you alert."

"I'll just sit here and won't wander off."

Jiang Bai took the iced Americano, ruffled her hair, and turned to walk towards the filming area.

......

At noon, the film crew had lunch and a break.

Tian Xiwei is a minor actress who has just filmed one web series, which hasn't even aired yet. She doesn't need to engage in small talk and socializing with directors and producers.

Jiang Bai took Tian Xiwei directly back to his RV.

The RV rented by the production crew wasn't big, but the assistant kept it clean and tidy.

Two lunch boxes were placed on the small table, their aroma filling the air.

Tian Xiwei took a bite of rice, her eyes sparkling as she looked at Jiang Bai, her voice brimming with excitement: "Jiang Bai, your performance in 'Rush to the Dead Summer' was absolutely amazing!"

"Your portrayal of Lu Zhiang was so gentle and vibrant, a handsome and warm-hearted man, you acted so well!"

Jiang Bai chuckled, picked up a piece of green vegetable with his chopsticks and put it in her bowl: "Is it as good as you say?"

"Of course!" Tian Xiwei nodded vigorously, her speech quickening. "You're incredibly popular now! I checked your Weibo yesterday, and your followers are skyrocketing—you've already surpassed three million!"

"The number of check-ins in the Super Topic has exceeded 20,000, and the individual V ranking data has consistently ranked in the top five."

"Many people are praising your acting, saying you're the biggest dark horse newcomer this year!"

She put down her chopsticks, looked at Jiang Bai earnestly, and said sincerely, "Jiang Bai, congratulations! I knew you'd become famous!"

She had said the same thing more than once, but Jiang Bai never got tired of hearing it.

Since the premiere of "Rush to the Dead Summer", Tian Xiwei has been paying more attention to the broadcast results than he has been.

I would report to him almost every night on the day's follower growth data, fan comments, and so on.

Moreover, she also helped promote Jiang Bai at school, getting her roommates and classmates to watch the show together and generating data.

To say I wasn't moved would be a lie.

Jiang Bai nodded with a smile, saying with a hint of smugness, "This is just the beginning."

"Episode 24 should be airing tomorrow, right?"

"Starting tomorrow, my follower growth rate may increase dramatically again."

"But I might start getting criticized too."

Starting tomorrow, the screen time of the male and female leads in "Rush to the Dead Summer" will be significantly reduced, while the screen time of the supporting couple, Lu Zhiang and Yan Mo, will increase dramatically.

At its worst, Zheng Shuang's character, Li Xia, might only appear for a few minutes in an episode, and those minutes would all be flashback scenes...

Of course, this kind of editing also has negative consequences, namely that Shuangzi's fans will direct their anger at the production team and Jiang Bai and Zheng Hehuizi, the two "extra scenes".

When that time comes, their comment sections will definitely be flooded with a bunch of fans having a group activity.

But the benefits are also significant.

Although "Rush to the Dead Summer" started strong but declined in popularity, its ratings are expected to drop further as Zheng Shuang's screen time decreases.

However, the storyline of the secondary couple, Lu Zhiang and Yan Mo, was indeed well-done.

The sweet romance between bickering lovers is far more appealing than the typical melodramatic youth literature, making it much easier to attract fans and promote characters.

The core of this couple is still Lu Zhiang, who is in turn Jiang Bai, and he can reap the greatest benefits from it.

Even if it means being part of a fan gathering, it's worth it.

Bai Jingting, who goes it alone, was able to establish himself firmly in the film and television industry with this role, instead of becoming just a variety show personality.

With Hua Ce's backing, Jiang Bai has an entire studio controlling public opinion and managing resources for publicity, so he will only gain more benefits and advantages than Bai Jingting.

All he had to do was endure the online attacks from Zheng Shuang's fans for the next ten days.

"Ahem..." Remembering this, Jiang Bai prepared Tian Xiwei mentally in advance: "Little Tian, ​​if a lot of people come to scold me next, don't pay attention to them."

"Those people are all a bit mentally unstable."

"You absolutely mustn't let them provoke you or argue with them online."

"You're going to be a star now, you can't leave any bad marks on the internet!"

"Remember this!"

If someone really starts hurling nasty insults at him online, that's a problem.

And just then, Oda saw it.

Jiang Bai felt that Xiao Tian was very likely to risk everything for his beloved.

Tian Xiwei pouted and said somewhat unhappily, "I would never do that. I'm not stupid."

really?

Looking at Xiaotian's die-hard fandom, who would give his heart for Jiang Bai.

Jiang Bai remained skeptical.