Chinese entertainment: Top stars have no holidays

Chapter 90 Returning to the Film Crew

Back to the hotel.

Take a short break.

Jiang Bai and Tian Xiwei's work for today is not finished yet.

As planned in advance by the team, Jiang Bai and Tian Xiwei's next four days were packed with various media interviews, brand offline events, and promotional activities in Southeast Asia.

The itinerary is planned down to the hour, leaving almost no extra rest time.

Unlike the grand and lively fan meeting, the work ahead will focus more on practical cultivation of overseas markets and business implementation.

In the evening, we need to shoot promotional photos, solo and duo materials specifically for Southeast Asian fans.

Over the next few days, the two recorded interviews with several mainstream Southeast Asian media outlets, including Thailand's Channel 3, Vietnam's TV, and Singapore's entertainment channel.

Aside from media recordings, the most important part of the itinerary was several offline events featuring local Southeast Asian brands.

It covers multiple sectors including Thai local beauty brands, affordable luxury accessories, and casual wear, all of which are short-term cooperation models.

It's not a long-term endorsement contract; it only requires the two of them to appear at offline events, cooperate with the brand to promote the brand, interact with fans on-site, and take photos.

In just two or three hours of work, one can easily earn hundreds of thousands or even millions in appearance fees.

In fact, given Jiang Bai and Tian Xiwei's current domestic business rates, they don't need this little bit of overseas advertising revenue at all.

Thanks to the nationwide popularity of "A Love So Beautiful" and their top-tier status in the fan community, the commercial fees for the two in China have already skyrocketed.

The endorsement and sponsorship fees charged by top domestic brands are far higher than those of these Southeast Asian local brands.

After all, the domestic market is larger, and brands have more money.

If their sole purpose is to make money, they have no need to spend time cultivating short-term overseas business.

But the team and the two individuals understood that the core value of these overseas activities was not the fee for these announcements.

For the current Chinese entertainment industry, going global remains a rare and valuable asset for artists, as overseas influence serves as a top-tier endorsement of their status.

These seemingly scattered short-term endorsements and collaborations with local brands are actually a highly cost-effective market strategy.

On the one hand, frequent offline exposure and collaborations with local brands can maximize their exposure in Southeast Asia and continuously solidify their public image.

The popularity of "A Love So Beautiful" and the personal influence of the two leads can go beyond the broadcast of the drama and truly penetrate into the lives of ordinary people in Southeast Asia.

To avoid a rapid loss of overseas popularity after the series ends and its initial hype fades.

At the very least, they need to bombard their faces with messages over the next few days to leave a lasting impression.

On the other hand, every offline event generates a massive amount of high-definition behind-the-scenes footage, live videos, and media press releases.

These overseas business materials, when sent back to China, will serve as proof and evidence of the two individuals' successful overseas expansion and their unparalleled international influence.

The constant stream of overseas viral content can continuously raise the two's market value, public favorability, and industry rating.

Xiao Tian was able to get into the shortlist of leading ladies for most new projects, while Jiang Bai was able to solidify her status as a top star of the new generation.

In addition, each brand event attracts many fans, giving fans who travel from overseas more opportunities to get up close and personal.

In recent days, Jiang Bai and Tian Xiwei have consistently topped the social media trending lists in Thailand, Vietnam, Malaysia, Singapore, and other countries.

A massive amount of live video, high-definition fan-taken photos, and behind-the-scenes glimpses of the event are continuously being sent back to China, dominating major social media platforms.

For four days, the two maintained an exceptionally high level of engagement.

Although it was tiring, it was worth it.

Every event is solidifying their popularity, which will eventually translate into big profits!

The intense, non-stop work left both of them physically and mentally exhausted. They left early and returned late every day, returning to the hotel late at night after finishing work. After a short rest, they would start work on time again the next morning, without a single day of relaxation or slackness.

But seeing the continued rise in overseas popularity and the steady expansion of influence, there's nothing to complain about; it's all done willingly.

Time passed little by little in the midst of busyness.

On the evening of September 10, the two finally officially ended all their work trip to Southeast Asia.

Bangkok International Airport was packed with fans who came to see him off early in the morning, with numbers no less than those of previous airport welcome events.

Fans spontaneously gathered, holding light boards and banners, waiting quietly to bid farewell to their idols who had traveled a long way to meet them.

Many fans had tears in their eyes and looked reluctant to part. The frequent appearances and intense interactions over the past four days have turned many fans who originally just liked the drama into individual fans of the two, effectively purifying their fanbase.

The two waved continuously throughout the process, and amidst a crowd of fans, they slowly walked into the security checkpoint, turning back several times to look at the fans and offering them various kinds of food.

Even after the two figures completely disappeared, a large number of fans remained at the airport, unwilling to leave.

After all, who knows when we'll see each other again?

After bidding farewell to their enthusiastic fans in Southeast Asia, the group officially boarded the plane and set off for home.

The international flight was tedious and exhausting. The fatigue accumulated from days of high-intensity work came over them all at once. Jiang Bai and Tian Xiwei had no interest in chatting. They put on their eye masks, leaned back in their seats, and fell into a deep sleep.

When I woke up, the flight had already landed at Shanghai International Airport, and I was ready to transfer.

The immigration security check and baggage transfer process was cumbersome and time-consuming, which wasted a lot of time.

Jiang Bai also said goodbye to Tian Xiwei at Shanghai Hongqiao Airport, as the two were about to return to their respective film crews to continue working.

By the time Jiang Bai transferred to a domestic flight, landed in Qingdao, and then took a car to the hotel where the film crew was staying, it was already past 9 a.m. on September 11.

Four consecutive days of packed business and media schedules, plus nearly ten hours of flying and transfers.

Even Jiang Bai, who was in excellent physical condition, was already exhausted and his whole body ached.

He didn't have the energy to wash up or rest. After saying a quick goodbye to the staff, he carried his luggage back to his room, took a quick shower, and went straight to sleep.

There are no holidays to speak of, and don't even think about having a break or time to rest.

This is the price of becoming a top star.

At six o'clock in the morning, the sky was just beginning to lighten, the morning light was faintly visible outside the window, and the whole city was not yet fully awake.

In the quiet room, the shrill ring of a cell phone rang on time, abruptly waking Jiang Bai from a deep sleep.

It was a wake-up call from his assistant. The assistant was also busy with him, but woke up even earlier than him, urging Jiang Bai to get up quickly.

He still has to get his makeup done and go to work on set today.

Jiang Bai closed his eyes and rested for a few seconds, his eyes full of drowsiness and his head still a little dizzy.

A mere three hours of sleep is simply not enough to offset the fatigue from days of travel.

But he did not delay at all, nor did he intend to act like a newly crowned top star and take leave to slack off.

When you're on a film set, an actor's primary job is always filming. All business deals, promotions, and overseas trips are just icing on the cake; filming is always the top priority.

Moreover, this drama is related to whether he can maintain his top star status, so he has to take it seriously!

Jiang Bai quickly sat up, rubbed his cheeks, got out of bed to wash up and change clothes, tidied himself up, pushed open the door and walked out of the room to the film set to start a new day of filming.

The team's makeup artist, Sister Zhao, was also ready.

In the living room, Jiang Bai, half asleep, was given a thorough facial by Sister Zhao. Sister Zhao's technique was gentle and skillful, carefully concealing the dark circles under his eyes and the tired complexion caused by staying up all night.

His assistant thoughtfully handed him a cup of iced espresso. The rich, slightly bitter taste slid down his throat, instantly dispelling any lingering drowsiness and waking him up completely.

"Now I understand why those Koreans drink espresso iced Americano every day and can stay awake all night."

Jiang Bai even had the leisure to complain.

After getting ready, Jiang Bai pushed open the door of the hotel room and went to the filming location of "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star" with his assistant.

The film set was already bustling with activity by 7 a.m.

After getting out of the car, Jiang Bai put on a mask and walked discreetly towards the film set's rest area.

The assistant following behind was not empty-handed, dragging two bulging, large storage boxes, which were quite heavy.

It was filled with Thai local specialties that she had specially purchased during her free time in Bangkok.

Jiang Bai's overseas trip was very busy, and I didn't have time to wander around Bangkok.

However, he specifically instructed his team to take some time to purchase a large quantity of local specialties, intending to share them with his colleagues and staff on set.

The box contained a wide variety of gifts, all of which were well-known and highly regarded local specialties in Thailand.

"Brother Jiang, shall we start dividing it now?" The assistant put down the box, wiped the light sweat from his forehead, and asked.

Jiang Bai nodded, casually took off his mask, and said gently, "Let's break up."

He looked up and called out loudly, "Everyone's been working hard since early this morning! Come and collect your gifts, a small token of my appreciation from your business trip!"

As soon as she finished speaking, the assistant immediately opened the storage box, and a dazzling array of Thai specialty gifts instantly came into view.

Upon seeing this, the busy staff members all gathered around with smiles.

"Our handsome Jiang is back!"

"Brother Jiang is amazing! The internet has been flooded with reports of your activities in Thailand these past few days. The crowds were incredible!"

"Our Brother Jiang is now widely recognized as a top celebrity who's even become famous overseas!"

"Our top student from Jiangnan University went abroad to make big money and gain fame, and he still remembered to bring us gifts. How kind of him!"

Li Yitong, who had also arrived at the film set early, came over and patted Jiang Bai on the shoulder on tiptoe: "Hey, what did you bring back? Did you prepare a gift for me?"

"Absolutely." Jiang Bai pointed to his suitcase: "Hey!"

"They have the super popular Vaseline milk hand cream from Thailand, which is moisturizing but not sticky."

"We also have authentic Thai milk tea bags, which can be brewed hot or cold, and are sweet and refreshing."

"There are also popular snacks such as signature durian candy, handmade dried mango, and coconut chips, as well as the well-known Sleeping Buddha Herbal Balm, which is specially formulated to treat mosquito bites and muscle aches, making it an essential item for film crews."

"I've prepared a copy of all of these for you."

"It's not just you; I've prepared a set for all the main actors in the crew. Our main principle is to treat everyone equally!"

"Great job!" Li Yitong gave a thumbs up: "This young man is very perceptive!"

"It was worth it after five days of non-stop filming!"

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