AWB Chapter 606 Zhang Jingyi: The bag? Gu Qing gave it to me!
Chapter 606 Zhang Jingyi: The bag? Gu Qing gave it to me!
……
……
"Did you buy these trending topics?"
On the eve of his journey back to Shanghai, Gu Qing leaned back in the back seat, his gaze fixed on the trending topics list on the screen, a hint of confusion in his eyes, and his eyebrows slightly raised.
"Boss, we didn't buy the trending topics."
Xu Wei, who had come to report on his work, sat in the passenger seat and turned to face Gu Qing:
"As you instructed us before, our team hasn't bought any trending topics about creating hype for couples in a year."
Most of the trending topics we saw before were either pushed up by fans and netizens on their own initiative, or...
His voice suddenly stopped, as if he didn't want to say more.
"Could it be that Sister Liying bought it?"
Gu Qing understood, and continued to scroll down, flipping through the trending topics list from top to bottom again.
Top five on the trending search list
Apart from one entry, "Running Man Team Spirit Reappears," which ranked fourth, all the other entries were about his and Zhao Liying's CP-like interactions on the show.
He casually clicked on the most popular post, "Gu Qing and Zhao Liying are so sweet," and the comment section below was completely flooded with comments.
Netizens were so engrossed in the story that they lost all sense of time and space, with exclamation marks and crying-laughing emojis flooding the screen at lightning speed.
"The 'Ying' in Gu Ying's name seems to be the same 'Ying' as in my Ying Bao's name!"
"Meeting at the top makes all the difference. Every time Sister Zhao and Brother Gu Qing collaborate on a new drama, it becomes a hit. This was true for 'The Journey of Flower,' 'The Mystic Nine,' and I expect it will be true for 'Duckweed' as well!"
"To be honest, both of them have been criticized by the entire internet. The younger brother helped Zhao Jie with her role in 'The Journey of Flower,' and after Zhao Jie became a sensation, she helped her younger brother with his role in 'The Mystic Nine.'"
"The two of them help each other and keep each other warm. It's so sweet and romantic. This is the kind of couple that adults should ship, not those melodramatic scenarios that people fantasize about."
Gu Qing looked at these comments, her thumb hovering over the top of the screen for a moment.
It's common knowledge that trending topics on blogs can be bought.
What he is particularly concerned about is...
If Sister Zhao bought it privately, how much money did she actually spend?
Blogs usually send annual subscription packages to popular celebrities like them.
The prices range from standard to deluxe versions, with costs ranging from hundreds of thousands to millions of yuan per year. Common features include:
Multiple trending topics were locked in, keyword push notifications were implemented, and negative public opinion was suppressed, etc.
However, if you want to lock in the top spot on Toutiao, that's a different price.
The number one trending topic in the Chinese entertainment industry in 2017 cost 300,000 yuan per post.
This fee only guarantees that the entry will appear at the top of the trending search list once, usually for a duration ranging from tens of minutes to several hours, and does not include maintaining it throughout the day.
If you want to stay on the list all day long—then you'll have to pay extra, and it won't be a small amount.
The top five trending search terms cost at least 100,000 yuan per hour, and the longer they stay online, the faster they burn through the search results.
"Brother Wei, how long have I been trending on Weibo?"
Gu Qing looked up and asked.
"It's been almost two days."
Xu Wei suppressed a laugh and replied.
Two days?
Gu Qing rubbed his forehead, then gently massaged his temples with his fingers, feeling a slight headache.
Is it possible that Sister Liying, that spendthrift woman, has already spent almost all of the salary she was given for "Duckweed"?
Within two days, four of the top five trending search terms on the blog were on the same platform.
Even disregarding the organic traffic that fans spontaneously push to the edge of the trending topics, the amount spent on securing the core time slots that actually require payment is at least close to five million.
Five million—even for top-tier celebrities, this is not a small sum that can be squandered at will.
She's the one who got all the attention on trending topics.
Just so I could be paired up with him.
……
"Boss, perhaps Teacher Liying loves you very much and is very affectionate towards you."
Xu Wei had long admired him immensely.
What are the downsides of being handsome? He hasn't discovered any yet.
"Viagra, stop messing around."
Gu Qing put down her hand that was rubbing her temples and brought the topic back on track, "How's the situation over there?"
"Boss, the situation is excellent, you were right after all."
Xu Wei straightened his expression. "The CP group that Xiao Xu infiltrated was disbanded yesterday. Many fans can't accept your very ordinary remarriage with Teacher Yang."
"Huh?" Gu Qing's eyes widened.
"...Uh, sorry boss, it's about making up."
Faced with Gu Qing's wide, clear eyes, Xu Wei quickly and awkwardly changed his words, raising his hand to rub the bridge of his nose, his gaze somewhat guilty.
"I usually pay attention to the chat history in the group, and I've been a little brainwashed."
Those girls have such a smooth way of speaking; it's easy to get carried away watching them.
"Boss, how did you guess what the CP fans were thinking? It was so accurate!"
Xu Wei was both impressed and curious; he had been pondering this question for quite some time.
Even professionals who have worked in the industry for over a decade sometimes struggle to keep up with the quirky thought processes of their fans.
Fans' thoughts are like quantum states—you think you've observed something, but the moment you observe it, it has already collapsed into another state.
He has seen too many cases where PR teams in the same industry have been severely criticized for not understanding the psychology of their fans.
But this young boss of his own company trains his fans like he trains a cat.
With a wave of his hand, the fan exposed his belly.
He was genuinely surprised.
Gu Qing is only twenty-two years old, a pure and innocent newcomer in this industry, but his grasp of fans' psychology is as if he shares the same brain with those brainless fans.
"I didn't actually expect it to work so well."
Gu Qing turned her head to look at the rows of roadside trees flashing past the car window, her voice calm and frank, "I originally thought that at most they would be somewhat affected, and make a fuss for a while, but..."
As time went by, and seeing that we no longer had much to talk about, things gradually calmed down.
He paused, then looked away. "The editing by Zhejiang TV really deserves the credit."
I don't know if Yao PD's brain was finally opened by Huang Zitao's punching bag, or if Zhejiang TV finally realized it.
Gu Qing's patience with them was nearing its limit.
If Zhejiang TV dares to manipulate the editing again, it will force Gu Qing, who debuted from Running Man, to become the most popular top star in China.
They issued a statement on the spot denouncing the malicious editing and bringing the matter into the public eye.
For Running Man, whose ratings have been declining, that was definitely the last straw that broke the camel's back.
Therefore,
The editing of this episode presents a state that is both normal and abnormal.
Throughout the entire program,
The sweetness between Gu Qing and Zhao Liying is simply off the charts.
The various slow-motion water rescue scenes were accompanied by a gentle piano background music that gave you goosebumps.
The highlight moment of the building blocks being lifted up was replayed twice.
The image of two people whispering to each other on the bus was filtered with a soft-focus effect.
Even the scene where Sister Zhao jumps onto the acupressure mat and bumps into his arms is accompanied by a special effect of falling flower petals.
The production team's post-production team seems to have mastered the art of "creating pink bubbles," with every shot cut perfectly and every background music piece a stroke of genius.
The promotional footage for "Duckweed" included all the scenes, from the initial appearance to the games to the training, showing everything in a positive light without any trace of malicious editing.
This was absolutely a perfect promotional campaign, as evidenced by the consistently high number of trending search terms.
It is precisely because of these comparisons that
The few scenes of Gu Qing exchanging pleasantries with Yang Ying on the show seemed so ordinary. A greeting, a smile, and that was it.
Even the scene where Da Baobei falls into the water and Gu Qing rescues her—played in slow motion underwater.
In the past, CP fans could have written a 12,000-word essay about this, crashing the blog's trending topics list and pushing the super topic to the top of the rankings.
But with Sister Zhao setting an example ahead,
The two shots were edited together by the production team, creating a stark and cruel contrast.
The main point of discussion among netizens can be summed up in just four words: "The outcome is already decided."
The film has no hint of malicious editing; the entire cast is harmonious, united, and fighting—all scenes are positive.
Even the scene where Sister Zhao hugged Big Baby tightly while she was jumping on the acupressure mat has been flooded with comments and become a new iconic CP moment.
The number of shares for this GIF surged to tens of thousands overnight, and a new CP (couple pairing) group has quietly emerged in the comments section.
Their name is "Shuangying".
The strangest thing is,
Sister Zhao's Fireflies and Big Baby's Yang Family Generals, two groups of fans who were once sworn enemies, have actually started visiting each other in a friendly manner.
Zhao Liying's fans left a message in Yang Ying's super topic saying, "Thank you Baby for taking care of our Yingbao."
Yang Ying's fans visited Zhao Liying's super topic and said, "Liying is so cute, welcome to come and play on Running Man often."
The two interacted enthusiastically, as harmoniously as long-lost sisters.
"Who said we had a conflict? That's just nonsense circulating online! Our respective celebrities clearly got along very well on the show!"
"Girls' friendships are the best in the world! Those who try to sow discord are just trolls in disguise!"
"Cool and aloof younger sister x gentle older sister, one burying her head in her arms while the other helplessly catches her, I'm totally swooning!!"
The fandom is just that amazing.
The fierce battles between the two fan groups, the online feud between "Siblings 1.0" and "Siblings 2.0," are still fresh in our minds.
The vicious words used by both sides in their mudslinging could fill an entire football field if printed out.
But as long as the two main figures smile politely on the show, hold hands, or hug, all the deep-seated hatred vanishes instantly as if by magic.
Conflict? Hatred?
nonexistent.
Those fans who had participated in the online battles were quickly labeled as "fake" and "trolls," and were purged by their own camp as a stain on their reputation.
Any fan who dares to jump out at this time and question "that's not what you said before" has already been expelled from the fandom.
If you're a die-hard fan of the Gu Qing and Yang Ying couple, you'll be sitting in front of the screen watching this unfold.
Seeing Gu Qing and Zhao Liying's excessive sweetness,
Watching Yang Ying and Zhao Liying embrace harmoniously,
How do you feel when you see fans of two once sworn enemies starting to visit each other's fandoms?
"Is the Chinese entertainment industry destroyed, or blown to smithereens?! Zhao Liying can even be paired with Baby now?!"
"Burning Winter Literature? You three being together is more important than anything else—then what are we?!"
"We waited two years, and what we got was Zhao Liying?!"
What truly dealt them a devastating blow was a tweet.
"The premiere of 'Duckweed' will be on December 15th. Please support my brother and Liying's new movie. I'm going to rent out the whole theater to support them!"
Huang Xiaoming retweeted the official announcement of "Ride the Wind and Waves" with enthusiastic text and a flower and clapping emoji.
His blog homepage had featured selected comments for two years prior, and now it's finally coming to the fore.
Witnessing this scene,
"puff--"
Even the most obsessed and resilient CP fans, at this moment, are like Dui Chuan Chang from "Flirting Scholar," spitting out a mouthful of blood, exploding into a shrill blood mist in the air, and then typing out two capital letters—GG.
Looking around, everyone is either a good buddy or a good buddy. Gu Qing and Zhao Liying are great partners, Yang Ying and Zhao Liying are a new on-screen couple, and Huang Xiaoming is renting out a whole theater for Gu Qing's movie.
Everyone was laughing; everyone was one family.
What exactly have we been protecting?!
Tired, destroy it.
Huang Xiaoming's tweet made netizens both laugh and cry, while marveling at his ability to be flexible and adaptable.
After all, everyone in the industry knew about the previous fight for the role, and now he can still forward and book a whole theater without batting an eye - officially bringing the public's attention to the premiere of "Duckweed".
……
Before we knew it, it was December 15th.
At 1 p.m., the students of the 2017 Experimental Class of the Performance Department of Beijing Film Academy, looking excited, gathered one after another at the school gate, just as agreed in the class group chat.
The capital city is dry and cold in winter. The wind blows from the north, making the bare sycamore branches on campus creak.
But this did not dampen the students' enthusiasm in the slightest.
Most of the first to arrive were boys. In the open space at the school gate, four rented luxury sports cars were lined up, reflecting a dazzling luster in the winter sun.
Even for students from the capital city, getting a car with a Beijing license plate is not easy.
But for art school students like them, spending a little money to rent a luxury car for a trip to make a good impression is more than enough.
"A Porsche 911? A BMW 7 Series? Wow—"
A boy dressed in flamboyant clothes stared wide-eyed, circled the silver-gray Porsche, and clicked his tongue in amazement, "A Ferrari and a Rolls-Royce Phantom? How much do those cost!"
"It's not expensive, only three thousand five hundred a day."
The boy leaning against the white BMW 7 Series replied casually, twirling the car key in his finger, the key ring leaving silver arcs as it swung between his fingers.
He was wearing a tailored black wool coat, with the collar of his shirt neatly turned up, and his hair was clearly styled; the scent of hairspray could be smelled from half a meter away.
He spoke casually, but the smug smile on his lips was impossible to suppress, and his gaze swept over the onlookers with a subtle sense of superiority.
"Hey hey hey—you little brat, don't touch things like that with your paws!"
The boy, who had just been acting nonchalant, immediately sprang to his feet when he saw a classmate reach out to touch the Ferrari's hood. He rushed over and slapped the hand away.
"I have to pay for the scratch! The paint repair will cost you enough to eat in the cafeteria for a whole semester!"
He bent down, breathed on the spot that had been touched, and carefully wiped it with his sleeve, feeling as if it were his own face that had been touched.
Three thousand five hundred a day.
For these performing arts students who haven't debuted yet and have no source of income, this is actually not a small amount.
Even if you come from a well-off family, it's not so easy to boss people around in the capital.
The average monthly living expenses are only tens of thousands of yuan, and at most a little over one hundred thousand yuan.
If you abandon your daily dressing up, medical aesthetic expenses, and spending money on picking up girls and treating them to meals, there's not much left.
Those from less privileged backgrounds experienced another side of the entertainment industry at a young age:
They work as "atmosphere-setters" in various lavish settings, seeking out wealthy patrons, building relationships, and entertaining guests with drinks, exchanging sweet words for resources in those dimly lit private rooms.
"Sister's hungry, sister, give me a hug."
Enjoying the symbolic meaning of steel wool.
This is no secret; it's practically an unspoken rule in art schools.
Everyone knows a few classmates like this, but no one points it out.
These students can earn 30,000 to 50,000 yuan a month just for "living expenses," along with all kinds of brand-name clothes and gifts, making them live a much more comfortable life than those rich kids who only rely on their families for money.
Students who can truly stay in school, focus on their studies, and diligently hone their acting skills...
They are either people who claim they can carve out a path for themselves through acting skills—these people usually have an almost obsessive confidence in their talent and hard work.
Or they are the lucky ones who signed with an agency early on, have a safety net, and don't have to worry about their future after graduation.
But such people are few and far between.
up to now,
Of the entire 2017 experimental class of the Performing Arts Department, only Zhang Jingyi signed with a talent agency, and it was the very company founded by the renowned Zhou Xun.
Other students, even those who want to be exploited by talent agencies and yearn to be bound by a contract forever,
As long as there's guaranteed acting opportunities and money to be made, there's no need to end up as an extra in Hengdian, a production assistant on set, or begging for roles at various drinking parties after graduation.
However, they couldn't find a way to sign a contract.
Every year, so many people graduate from the performing arts department, but only one or two out of ten actually get signed with a company, and even fewer can get resources from the company.
Just as the boys were taking pictures around the luxury car.
……
"Wow, Jingyi, you're so beautiful."
"She looks stunning, no wonder she's our school beauty. Her charisma is undeniable, no matter what she wears."
"If I were as good-looking as you, I probably could sign with Zhou Xun's company too, right?"
In the girls' dormitory, several girls sat in front of makeup mirrors, carefully getting ready.
The table was covered with high-end foundation, eyeshadow palettes, lipsticks, and curling irons that the sycophant had given him, and the back of the chair was piled with clothes that he hadn't yet decided which one to wear.
Zhang Jingyi stood in front of her wardrobe and posed a couple of times in front of the small mirror on the inside of the wardrobe door.
When she turned around, those voices, feigning envy and tinged with jealousy, drifted from every corner of the dormitory, like mosquitoes buzzing in her ear—not deadly, but annoying.
Her outfit today was different from her previous down jacket looks.
A brown fleece coat paired with a vest and a denim skirt—not particularly stunning.
She has a larger frame and is not the typical slender, tall girl; her body proportions are also the most common 50/50.
However, when paired with her clean and delicate face and her inherent gentle temperament, she possesses a unique and enduring beauty.
"Jingyi, your outfit is too plain. It doesn't do justice to your title as the most beautiful girl at Beijing Film Academy."
The first girl to speak had already finished her makeup and was leaning back in her chair, scrutinizing Zhang Jingyi's outfit with disdain in her eyes.
"Yeah, this outfit looks pretty cheap, doesn't it? You've already played the second female lead in a whole series, and you still don't have money to buy new clothes?"
"I have a new dress here, from Marisfrolg, still in use. It's only a little over seven thousand, quite cheap."
"Jingyi, do you want me to lend you this? I'm not wearing it today anyway."
"No, no, it's getting colder now, I'm afraid my legs will get cold." Zhang Jingyi seemed completely oblivious to the sarcastic undertones in her roommates' words, and waved her hand with a smile.
She turned around, opened the wardrobe, took out a white scarf from a row of neatly hung clothes, shook it in the air by both ends, then wrapped it around her fair neck and loosely tied a knot.
The scarf's tassels draped down her chest, the soft, fluffy yarn unexpectedly complementing her unassuming brown sweater, adding a touch of brightness to her whole appearance.
"Jingyi, why aren't you wearing your school uniform if you're afraid of the cold?"
"Yes, yes, down jackets are so warm, you wear them all the time anyway."
"Hahaha--"
Several girls in the dormitory persisted and burst into laughter.
Their criticism stems from nothing more than envy and jealousy.
"I'd love to wear it!"
Zhang Jingyi knew very well that the clothes in the closet were in a hidden compartment. She reached out and slowly opened the compartment, her tone slightly troubled: "But I can't wear my school uniform every day after washing it, can I?"
Speaking of which,
She took a brand-new black leather bag from deep inside the wardrobe, threaded her fingers through the thin chain, and delicately slung it over her shoulder.
Then he turned around and faced everyone in the dormitory.
The girl's smile was warm and bright as the morning sun shone through, completely unmoved by her roommates' barbed words.
Her eyebrows were curved, and the upward curve of her lips was natural and relaxed, without the slightest hint of displeasure at being offended.
"Sisters, are you all changed? We should head out now, be careful not to be late."
She tilted her head slightly, a sly smile playing on her lips, and added in a playful tone:
"Otherwise... Teacher Zhang might start yelling at you."
"..."
The laughter in the dormitory seemed to be abruptly stopped as if an invisible hand had simultaneously choked its throat.
Girls always have a keen eye, especially when it comes to bags.
That's an instinct etched into your bones.
Their gazes almost simultaneously focused on the bag on Zhang Jingyi's shoulder.
The black leather reflected a subtle yet luxurious sheen in the light filtering through the curtains, smooth and shiny, the bag itself a highly saturated glossy black.
But what's most attractive is the unique pattern on the bag.
It is composed of four repeating and combined shapes: alternating "L" and "V" letters, a four-leaf clover surrounded by a circle, a four-pointed star, and a four-pointed star enclosed in a concave rhombus.
This design is so classic that women all over the world, whether they can afford it or not, can recognize it in a fraction of a second.
"Jingyi...is your bag LV?"
The first to speak was the curly-haired girl who had just asked her why she wasn't wearing her school uniform.
She still held the curling iron in mid-air, but had completely forgotten about curling her hair.
She forced a smile, her tone tentative and incredulous: "This style looks like the latest one released this year... It's very hard to buy in China."
Where did you buy it? I've never seen you wear it before.
"Is this the latest model? I didn't know that before."
Zhang Jingyi looked down at the bag on her shoulder, took it off, and examined it closely.
She tilted her head, looking at her roommates with an innocent and confused expression.
Is it expensive?
"It's quite... expensive, almost 100,000 yuan a piece."
Another girl awkwardly replied, her tone laced with malicious speculation:
"Jingyi, judging from your half-understanding look... did someone give this to you?"
But before she could continue her sarcastic inquiry about whether it was a man or a woman,
Before the others could even begin to weave various speculative scenarios in their minds—
"Yes, this bag was a gift from Gu Qing."
Zhang Jingyi smiled, her lips slightly upturned, and nodded, her voice clear and crisp: "He was attending the Paris Fashion Week at the time, and he sent it to me from there as a thank you for the gift I gave him before."
"Gu...Gu Qing?"
The girls' smiles froze on their faces.
The air in the dormitory suddenly became very quiet, so quiet that you could hear the footsteps of someone wearing slippers walking in the corridor.
"Oh dear, it's getting late, I'd better go to the meeting point."
Zhang Jingyi slung her bag over her shoulder again, smiled, and waved her bare white hand to her roommates. Her wrists were free of jewelry, and her nails were clean and unmanicured.
But the black LV bag slung over her shoulder made up for everything, more than enough.
She turned around, her ponytail swinging smoothly in the air, the ends lightly brushing against the tassels of her scarf. Her steps were graceful and light as she walked towards the door.
Goodbye, sisters.
"Clap."
The dormitory door closed gently, the sound of the lock clicking not loud, but in the quiet room where you could hear a pin drop, the sound was exceptionally clear.
"hu~hu~"
And as soon as the door closed...
Outside the corridor, Zhang Jingyi's straight back suddenly bent over, panting slightly. She clutched her bag to her chest, covering it with her clothes, quickened her pace, her pretty face flushed, and ran out of the dormitory building with her head down in shame.
"Gu Qing, I didn't mean to!"
……
...(End of this chapter)