Chapter 60 Promotion [VIP]

Chapter Summary: Don't take this show too seriously.

Bincheng, a little after 1 p.m.

Mu Zhi and her group checked into the hotel arranged by the production team, went out for lunch, and then returned to their respective rooms to rest.

After filming for three months, the movie wrapped up. Perhaps because she was able to step away from the busy filming schedule, Mu Zhi felt completely relaxed, both physically and mentally.

I slept from 3 p.m. until 7 p.m.

I'm sleeping very soundly.

Upon waking up, I felt a sense of disorientation, wondering "Who am I?" and "Where am I?"

Just then, the sound of a cell phone vibrating came from inside.

Consciousness gradually returned.

Mu Zhi rubbed her temples, grabbed her phone from the bedside table, and saw it was a call from her agent.

"Are you up yet?"

"I ordered takeout, and it just arrived."

Mu Zhi said she had just woken up and needed to wash up.

End the phone call with the agent.

Mu Zhi sat up in bed, went to the bathroom and washed her face with cold water. She felt more refreshed and shook off the grogginess she had felt after waking up.

5 minutes later.

Agent Ji Binghe brought packed food to Mu Zhi's room.

While Mu Zhi was eating, Ji Binghe gave a brief overview of the current situation regarding drama broadcasts on the four major video platforms.

"A few days ago, Jinmang Video Platform launched a workplace drama starring several actresses in leading roles, but the ratings were not good. The average number of views per episode was less than 5 million. There are no period dramas scheduled to be released in the near future."

Pudding Video is currently airing a popular rural comedy, and in early August, an S+ rated ancient costume fantasy drama will be broadcast, starring a top-tier actress with numerous representative works in period dramas.

Both Jinmang Video and Pudding Video have relatively few active users.

"Owl Video, the platform with the most daily active users, is a major producer of ancient costume dramas, all of which are played by popular celebrities. The currently airing drama has a daily front-end view count of over 100 million, but in reality, it doesn't even reach 20 million views per episode. The audience response is very lukewarm, and it's almost over."

In a few days, an S+ rated ancient costume fantasy drama will be broadcast, starring Du Qianqian and a second-tier male star...."

Mu Zhi knew about Du Qianqian's drama. Even before it aired, multiple topics were trending on social media every day to promote and hype it up. It was a huge production.

To summarize briefly, "The Bell Ringer" was caught in the middle, with the Owl platform's S+ level period drama airing first, giving it a head start, and then the Pudding platform's S+ level fantasy drama following behind. It was only an S level project.

The pressure is immense to stand out in two major dramas.

Ji Binghe comforted her, saying, "The main feature of the Green Apple platform is suspense dramas, which is very advantageous for 'The Bell Ringer'. The S+ suspense drama starring the award-winning actor Tai Feng, which is currently airing on Green Apple, has a popularity score of over 9,000, which is the highest popularity record for a suspense drama. The series has received very good reviews."

There are only 8 days left until the finale. Once it ends, "The Bell Ringer" will be released online.

Green Apple has popular dramas airing, and its users are very active.

The suspense drama has finished airing, but the membership hasn't expired yet. Users will watch any new dramas that are released. Historical dramas already have a certain audience base, and it's summer vacation, such a good time slot.

Overall, the competition is fierce, but it also presents opportunities.

"Owl and Pudding both use overwhelming marketing methods for their big dramas, while Green Apple platform doesn't pay much attention to non-self-produced dramas. 'The Bell Rings' is a commissioned drama from the platform, so it should be quite valued."

However, the production team is relatively poor in terms of publicity and marketing because they spent a lot of money on reshoots.

"Besides arranging for you and Ning Yao to appear on variety shows together for promotion, there will also be live streams, building visits, interviews, and other promotional activities for the actors after the show airs..."

The cast of "The Bell Ringer" can't compare to the star-studded cast of the S+ blockbuster drama that Owl and Pudding are going to star in, so they can only rely on more promotion and marketing to attract viewers and advertise for the show.

Next, agents Ji Binghe and Mu Zhi gave a detailed introduction to the variety show that would be recorded the next day.

"The Deduction Winner is a celebrity-immersive script-based mystery variety show launched by Green Apple platform. The first season had an average of 80 million views per episode, which is pretty good."

The second season started this year, and three episodes have aired so far. The episode you participated in recording will likely be released in the second week of "The Bell Ringer's Tale".

Mu Zhi only participated in one episode.

I've seen the detailed introduction of the show posted by the agent. At the beginning of each episode, an ordinary person dies, and each celebrity has a role. Everyone tries to deduce who the murderer is by searching for various clues.

I also know that this program has a script.

This is also what Ji Binghe wanted to say: "The show 'The Deduction Winner' has 4 regular guests, and each episode will also invite 6 celebrity guests, most of whom are popular artists. Speaking of this episode's celebrity guests, do you recognize some of them?"

Mu Zhi knew that she had seen the list of guests participating in this episode's recording.

The agent continued, "The program's script is designed to ensure the show's highlights, its overall effect, and the screen time and roles of the big-name celebrities."

"Don't worry, this is a variety show produced by Green Apple. The production team arranged for you to be on the show, and Ning Yao is a regular guest. There will be a segment at the end where you promote the show, and there will also be improvisational segments during the recording process..."

I know that Mu Zhi isn't very interested in appearing on variety shows; she only goes on shows to promote her dramas.

Ji Binghe told Mu Zhi to relax and treat it as a fun trip, and to just complete the promotional task with Ning Yao.

Don't take this show too seriously.

Mu Zhi: "...Okay, I understand."

Early the next morning.

The celebrity guests mostly brought their own stylists, did their own makeup in their hotel rooms, and wore their own clothes.

Mu Zhi did her homework and watched the first and second episodes of the second season of "The Deduction Winner" to learn that there was a segment where players would play games to get clues.

Considering the convenience of playing games, Mu Zhi asked the stylist to braid her hair into two braids and prepared a set of grass-green work clothes, which looked fashionable, heroic, and capable.

Then a staff member knocked on the door and put the microphone on for me.

Once everything is ready, you can go downstairs and set off.

Mu Zhi and her team went down to the first floor, where a car arranged by the program was already waiting at the hotel entrance. After getting in the car, they headed to the first location for the program recording.

Upon arriving at the recording site, many staff members were already waiting.

Mu Zhi was the first celebrity guest to arrive.

After sitting and waiting for a few minutes, the second guest arrived.

The person in the white shirt and black pants is Xie Chaoyun.

This was the first time the two had met since the final night of "Chasing the Light Girl".

Xie Chaoyun walked straight towards Mu Zhi.

Because they were wearing microphones and the production crew was filming them.

Upon reaching her, he merely gave a slight smile and said to Mu Zhi, "Long time no see."

"Teacher Xie, it's been a long time."

The third guest to arrive was Guan Qier, another mentor on "Chasing the Light Girl".

The fourth guest was a member of the boy band Tiger, who was a guest on the final night of the group's formation. He had a minor career resurgence after starring in a movie last year and has been active on various variety shows recently.

......

Finally, the four regular guests of "The Deduction Winner" took the stage.

Ning Yao naturally walked over and stood next to Mu Zhi.

"The Bell Ringer" is about to air.

Mu Zhi and Ning Yao, as the female and male leads, have reached a friendly consensus with their respective teams to avoid creating a real-life couple image. However, both artists will demonstrate a professional attitude and promote the drama diligently.

Mu Zhi's appearance on this mystery show wasn't for personal exposure; it was mainly to promote her new drama with Ning Yao.

After all the guests arrived, the program director gave a general overview of the program's schedule.

The formal recording began very quickly.

The show invited Xie Chaoyun, Guan Qier, and one of the members of the Tiger boy band to this episode. Mu Zhi was also scheduled for this episode, which was not a coincidence. This episode was about talent shows, so it was a deliberate arrangement.

Mu Zhi was assigned a commoner role, the kind that was dispensable. She adopted a "just lie down" attitude and followed the script and procedures of the show.

The 10 guests were to be divided into two teams to search for clues. Ning Yao pulled Mu Zhi into one team. As the artist with the lowest status among the 10 guests, Mu Zhi got some screen time because of Ning Yao's help.

We moved to the second recording location.

During the segment where the two teams obtain clues by playing games.

Ning Yao and Mu Zhi were on the same team, but Mu Zhi was too "honest" and had very few scenes.

She gave her chance to answer the questions to Mu Zhi.

Ning Yao is the youngest of the regular guests. He has recorded nine episodes with the other three regular guests and they have a good relationship. The others take good care of this younger brother.

Seeing that Ning Yao had spoken, he also chimed in.

Mu Xianyu Zhi had no choice but to stand up, and the other team sent Guan Qi'er.

The guests cheered, calling it a battle of beauties.

There are 3 questions in total, best of 3 rounds.

The program's director came to ask questions.

The first question: "What items were found in the room of the deceased Jia Xingxing? Name three within five seconds."

The director had just finished saying "Begin".

Mu Zhi: "Cellphone, cup, hair."

The second question: "What was Jia Xingxing's ranking on the night of the final competition?"

"10th place."

Before Guan Qier could even speak, and before the other guests could react, Mu Zhi had already finished answering the question.

They secured a point for the team and obtained a clue about the murderer.

They made their presence felt in this segment.

In the afternoon, the production crew moved to their third location, the Bincheng Botanical Garden, for filming.

Search for clues about the poisoning of the deceased.

The program's segment was designed to have the guests identify whether some common plants are poisonous or not, thus educating viewers at home.

The information boards in the botanical garden contain some popular science information about plants.

Mu Zhi noticed it as soon as she came in, because the big shot had a scripted storyline to follow.

She didn't; she could easily follow behind the crowd.

So I quietly browsed the information on the bulletin board.

The program's director gave the two teams a task: to identify which plants were poisonous, locate them in the botanical garden, and take photos of them.

The team that completes the mission the fastest will obtain clues about the deceased's poisoning.

Someone from the other team remembered the notice on the bulletin board, and the group quickly went to check it out.

And Mu Zhi's team.

Mu Zhi: "I think I know the answer."

Looking at the photo, they immediately named the three poisonous plants, and the group of five split into two teams to search for them.

Mu Zhi and Ning Yao went together to find the poinsettias that were located some distance away, as shown on the botanical garden's distribution map.

When they arrived, they saw another female guest from the other team, Zhong Bing'er, one of the new four little flowers, wandering over alone and finding Yipinhong a step ahead of them.

So fast?

Zhong Bing'er was holding her phone in one hand and reaching out with her other hand to break off a poinsettia from a single branch.

"Wait, don't pick this."

The photographer was about to speak up, but seeing Mu Zhi and Ning Yao arrive, he remained silent.

Zhong Bing'er turned her head and explained, "I was just taking a picture."

Mu Zhi walked over quickly and pulled Zhong Bing'er's hand down: "Just take a picture with your phone from a distance. Don't touch or pick it. The poinsettia plant is poisonous."

He glanced at Zhong Bing'er's hands and saw no trace of the juice, so he breathed a sigh of relief.

A serious warning: "The white sap that flows from the stems and leaves of poinsettias can cause allergic reactions if it gets on the skin, cause temporary blindness if it gets in the eyes, and cause poisoning if ingested, especially the stems and leaves, which can be life-threatening."

Zhong Bing'er was so frightened that she immediately jumped three meters away, trembling with fear and looking completely bewildered: "Huh? They said the plant they wanted to photograph was non-toxic."

Ning Yao took out his phone and snapped two photos of the poinsettia.

He said to Zhong Bing'er, "Are you mistaken? Or is the mission different from ours? The plant we need to photograph is poisonous."

Regardless of whether your task is to photograph poisonous or non-poisonous plants, poinsettias are poisonous; do not touch them.

Zhong Bing'er: "Then why plant these poisonous plants?"

Mu Zhi: "...If you take normal care of it and treat the poinsettia as an ornamental plant without touching it, there will be no problem."

Seeing a water tap nearby, I reminded Zhong Bing'er to wash her hands.

"Thank you." Zhong Bing'er went to wash her hands with a grateful expression. When she returned, Mu Zhi and Ning Yao were nowhere to be seen.

Mu Zhi's team won this part of the recording.

However, during the final segment of the recording of "The Deduction Winner," the contestants had to vote for the murderer.

They failed to catch the murderer, who escaped.

The murderer was in Mu Zhi's team; he was the eldest of the four regular guests and the main guest on the show.

It is said that this is the first time this regular guest has played the role of a murderer.

Actually, halfway through the recording of the show, Mu Zhi guessed who the murderer was. She discovered it through micro-expressions. The other person was talking about information about their own role and was suspected and questioned by the other guests as to "be the murderer" because they were lying.

However, in order to enhance the show's effect, she only voted for the murderer herself, and the production team did not give her a chance to tell the other guests.

The recording of the program came to an end.

The six guest stars can promote their own work, which is one of the reasons why everyone appears on the show.

Xie Chaoyun is here to promote her new song: "I recently released a new single called 'Heartbeat'."

He sang two lines a cappella.

When the song ended, everyone applauded and praised it as "beautiful." Xie Chaoyun glanced at Mu Zhi's location out of the corner of her eye.

Finally, Mu Zhi and Ning Yao promoted "The Bell Ringer" together.

"On Thursday, July 21st at 8 PM, on the Green Apple platform, I hope everyone can give me their support!"

Thank you everyone!

They recorded from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m.

We're finally done.

The filming took place in several locations in one day, similar to filming a movie, but Mu Zhi personally felt it was a bit more tiring than filming a movie.

As Mu Zhi was about to leave, Xie Chaoyun called her back.

"Teacher Mu, can we talk? It will only take a few minutes of your time."

During today's recording, Mu Zhi always lazed at the back of the group in a relaxed manner, and Xie Chaoyun also walked at the back intentionally or unintentionally.

He didn't speak.

However, Mu Zhi caught two or three glances that seemed to come over intentionally or unintentionally.

Mu Zhi thought for a moment and nodded: "Okay."

After saying goodbye to his agent, he and Xie Chaoyun walked to a row of benches next to a street lamp.

Neither of them sat down; they stood at opposite ends of the bench.

How have you been lately?

This question sounds like a greeting between very familiar friends.

However, within the industry, anyone who is interested can easily find out how an artist is doing by searching their schedule.

It was another opening remark that made the relationship seem very distant.

Mu Zhi replied in a calm tone, "It's fine."

Xie Chaoyun remained silent for a moment before speaking again.

"Sorry, this might be a bit abrupt, but I'd like to know why you chose to participate in the 'Chasing the Light' talent show in the first place?"