Chinese entertainment: Top stars have no holidays

It was nighttime at the hotel where Jiang Bai was staying.

After a quick wash, Jiang Bai changed into his pajamas and leaned against the bed.

He was wearing Bluetooth earphones and chatting with someone.

"So, after discussing it with your agent, you decided to take on this role in 'Ever Night'?"

Jiang Bai picked up his phone, and the screen showed a WeChat video chat window.

The person he was video chatting with was Tian Xiwei.

She has now moved out of the dormitory, and the company has rented an apartment for her in Shanghai, mainly to make it easier for her to travel for work in the future.

After all, Tian Xiwei, who has become famous, has officially started working. Her daily routine is different from her roommates, so it's not appropriate for her to continue living at school.

This made it convenient for Jiang Bai and Tian Xiwei to video chat.

I feel more relaxed in my own room than in the dorm.

Don't get me wrong, I mean saying sweet nothings or something, without worrying about your roommates overhearing and teasing you, or the risk of your secrets being leaked.

After all, you can know a person's face but not their heart, especially in performing arts programs, where classmate relationships are not reliable at all.

If there's a celebrity in your dorm, any news about them can be resold for hundreds or thousands of dollars. How many students can resist the temptation?

"Yes, my agent picked out a few scripts for me, and I think 'Ever Night' is the best one."

On the other end of the video call, Tian Xiwei enthusiastically explained the script outline of "Ever Night" to Jiang Bai.

After the hit drama "A Love So Beautiful", Tian Xiwei did not rise to the top of the entertainment industry like Jiang Bai, but she still became a real star.

Many web dramas currently in development have sent her audition offers for the lead role.

"The Night Prince", "Young Blood", "Cannon Fodder Strategy", and "Eagle Hunting in the Pit" were all carefully selected by agent Sister Li.

One of them is "Ever Night".

"This is a huge project to adapt a novel!"

"We still need to start filming in Turpan!"

"I play the female lead, Sang Sang!"

"Sister Li said that if the show does well, they'll make a second season!"

Is "Ever Night" a good project?

Among the projects for which scripts were submitted to Tian Xiwei, this was considered one of the better ones.

If Jiang Bai were to choose, he would probably pick "The Great Song Youth Chronicles".

Although this drama had a small budget, it received excellent reviews, making it one of the few web dramas to achieve both critical and commercial success.

We can make several more in the future.

But it's not surprising that Tian Xiwei and her agent, Sister Li, chose "Ever Night".

Tencent Video's big-budget web series has an investment of 300 million yuan per season, of which 100 million yuan is spent on special effects.

Although the male lead is a newcomer, his father is Chen Kaige!

With such a large production and a strong background, playing the female lead in such a drama would significantly boost Tian Xiwei's status in the industry.

"Sounds pretty good," Jiang Bai said with a smile. "I've never acted in a movie with such a big budget before."

"No way!" Tian Xiwei retorted. "Your debut film, 'Rush to the Dead Summer,' had a budget of 3 million!"

"I'm only doing this because of you. Without the huge success of 'A Love So Beautiful,' no production team would have asked me to act."

Did the production of "Rush to the Dead Summer" really have an investment of 3 million yuan?

Jiang Bai was skeptical.

He knew better than anyone how much of the 300 million yuan investment in "Rush to the Dead Summer" was inflated.

But he didn't need to take it seriously, so he just gently coaxed Tian Xiwei, saying, "That's true, but this 'Ever Night' is different. It will cost 100 million yuan to produce special effects alone, and it also has a famous director as producer and veteran actors in the cast."

"Acting in this drama will broaden my acting range and enhance my status; it's a truly lucrative opportunity."

Upon hearing this, Tian Xiwei's eyebrows curved even more, and she smiled softly, "Does that mean I have amazing taste?"

"Yes, you have a good eye." Jiang Bai praised her, "I don't have to worry about you, you can pick out the best resources yourself."

The sudden, straightforward praise made Tian Xiwei a little embarrassed. Even through the screen, she couldn't help but raise her hand to cover her face, saying, "Don't praise me like that, I'll get cocky!"

"Then let it float." Jiang Bai chuckled softly.

Tian Xiwei bit her lip, unable to suppress the upturned corners of her mouth, and muttered softly, "Then when I go to Turpan to film, it's very far away, the conditions will definitely be much worse than in Hengdian, and I won't be able to see you."

As she spoke, a hint of sadness welled up in her eyes, like a kitten reluctant to part: "What if I miss you?"

Jiang Bai's heart softened, and she gently comforted him, "If you miss me, just call me or video chat. I'm online 24/7."

He carefully considered his schedule and promised, "When you join the crew, I should also join the crew of 'Twinkle Twinkle Little Star'."

"I'll try my best to visit you on set when the time comes."

"I've already come up with a reason: I'll say I want to do some after-sales promotion for the show."

One sentence instantly soothed all of Tian Xiwei's disappointment. Her eyes lit up, and she nodded emphatically, "Okay! It's a deal! No going back on your word!"

"I won't go back on my word," Jiang Bai replied gently.

The two chatted for a long time.

It was getting late, and considering that Jiang Bai had to film the next day, Tian Xiwei reluctantly hung up the video call.

......

The next morning, the sky over Hengdian was bright and clear.

Jiang Bai arrived at the filming location of "Legend of Yunxi" on time. Makeup, costume change, and positioning were all completed in one go, and she quickly got into work mode.

However, before they had filmed more than a few takes, the assistant came running over with her phone during a break between scenes.

Caller ID: Dai Lu.

Jiang Bai raised his hand to answer the call, his tone calm: "Sister Lu."

On the other end of the phone, Dai Lu's tone was filled with undisguised lightness and joy as she cut to the chase and announced, "Jiang Bai, another piece of great news! The overseas distribution channels for 'A Love So Beautiful' have been finalized."

Jiang Bai raised an eyebrow slightly, a hint of understanding flashing in his eyes: "Preparing to launch in Southeast Asia?"

"That's right." Dai Lu replied with a smile, "When I was doing the publicity and distribution for 'Addicted' before, I opened up the entire Southeast Asian film and television broadcasting channels."

"This time I directly contacted the platform to finalize the cooperation. It is confirmed that 'A Love So Beautiful' will be officially launched on mainstream platforms in many Southeast Asian countries in mid-August."

"It covers multiple regions including the Philippines, Thailand, Malaysia, and Singapore, and is simultaneously broadcast on local television stations and online streaming media. It has a wide reach and can be considered a solid foothold in the legitimate overseas channels."

Upon hearing this news, Jiang Bai instantly understood, and countless memories from his past life flooded his mind.

He was all too aware of the overwhelming popularity of "A Love So Beautiful" overseas, especially in Southeast Asia.

This drama was not only a domestic hit in 2017, but also a pioneering work for Chinese youth web dramas to go global.

It is the first domestically produced campus romance drama to successfully land on Netflix and reach more than 190 countries and regions around the world.

It can be said that it has completely opened up the overseas market for domestic youth dramas.

In its previous life, after "A Love So Beautiful" was released overseas, it swept across the entire Southeast Asian market, creating a phenomenal craze for watching the series.

In the Philippines, this is the first Chinese modern youth drama that ABS-CBN, a long-established mainstream television station, has imported.

The show's ratings soared throughout its run, peaking at over 15.9%, consistently ranking first in its time slot and far surpassing popular local dramas, making it a wildly popular hit in the Philippines.

In Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, and other places, it is also leading the pack in popularity.

The clean and heartwarming storyline of unrequited love on campus and the innocent and pure feelings between young boys and girls perfectly capture the aesthetic preferences of Southeast Asian audiences.

Thai romantic comedies set in school have always been popular in the Southeast Asian market.

"A Love So Beautiful" saw its viewership skyrocket across Southeast Asia upon its release, with overseas viewership alone exceeding 5 billion.

Not only did its viewership numbers explode, but its reputation also remained at the top.

Even in South Korea, "A Love So Beautiful" received a high rating of 9.1 on their local NAVER platform.

It is one of the very few Chinese web dramas to receive perfect scores in South Korea.

The related episode clips on YouTube have garnered over 87 million views and more than 10 million overseas comments, all of which are positive.

Even more outrageous is that this drama directly pioneered the overseas remake of Chinese youth dramas.

Subsequently, the two major film and television markets of Thailand and South Korea successively purchased the remake rights to "A Love So Beautiful" and launched localized remakes, which is enough to show how far-reaching its overseas influence is.

"A Love So Beautiful" is also the only idol drama to date to be remade by both South Korea and Thailand.

It was precisely through this drama that Hu Yitian and Shen Yue's campus heartthrob and first love goddess personas from the original timeline were firmly established in the hearts of Southeast Asian audiences, becoming the white moonlight of the Chinese entertainment industry in the hearts of countless overseas fans.

This laid an irreplaceable and solid foundation for their future overseas public image, business resources, and international influence.

While others become wildly popular only within China, "A Love So Beautiful" has truly gone global, exporting its culture and becoming a hit throughout Southeast Asia.

The two are even more popular in Southeast Asia than in the country...

However, Hu Yitian brought about his own demise.

Thanks to this drama, Shen Yue's posts on her overseas social media account, Instagram, consistently receive over a million likes.

This isn't the kind of fake million likes you see on Weibo...

Even in 2024, when Shen Yue was voted the most charming artist in Asia by foreign fans, she was still able to be voted number one, receiving five million votes, leading the second place by a full one million.

The important thing is that this ticket requires real money to buy; you can't just register an account to vote.

Five million votes would cost approximately 70 RMB...

It's safe to say that Southeast Asian fans really love Shen Yue.

And it all started with the explosive popularity of the drama "A Love So Beautiful" in Southeast Asia.

It can be said that this drama truly opened the door for the Chinese entertainment industry to Southeast Asia, which led to the successful overseas expansion of Lin Yi, Wang Hedi, Zhao Lusi and others.

It's just that most Chinese people don't pay attention to the Southeast Asian market, so they are completely unaware of it.

Just like how South Koreans don't really care about the influence of Korean dramas in China.

Jiang Bai suppressed his emotions and confidently predicted, "I know this subject matter is very popular in Southeast Asia, and the ratings will definitely be good after it airs."

"Southeast Asian audiences love this kind of light and refreshing campus drama, so our drama will definitely be a hit in Southeast Asia."

"We might even have to go to Southeast Asia to attend some events and hold fan meetings."

"Huang Jingyu was able to conquer South Korean airports with 'Addicted,' causing airport congestion."

"Our 'A Love So Beautiful' could very well conquer Bangkok Airport and cause a sensation, right?"