Chapter 126: The Advertising Battle

Because the advertisement was to be broadcast before the Lantern Festival, the two immediately put the filming work on the agenda after the premiere of "The Fake Son-in-Law".

Apart from the previously agreed-upon film promotion events they were required to attend, the two of them are currently focusing all their remaining time on this short advertisement showcasing various styles of wedding dresses through the lens of a three-life love story that evolves with the times.

The script for this short advertisement is inspired by the development history of Guanhua, a time-honored wedding clothing store. The story of three lifetimes spans from the Qing Dynasty to modern times and then to the present day, showcasing three popular and common wedding attire styles: red wedding dress, traditional Chinese wedding gown, and wedding gown.

Of course, such commercials are inseparable from music, so Li Sishi recently acquired a new song, "Emotional Story," as the background music for the third modern installment.

In contrast, Shang Hanyou is responsible for the background music for the other two chapters. His upcoming album is not entirely innovative, but rather a compilation of new songs and classic hits. However, the album title is taken from the first single, "True Love Story," and is titled "True Love Selection."

With the script and songs finalized, the next step was undoubtedly a back-to-back period of filming during the day and recording songs at night. However, since her partner was Shang Hanyou, an old acquaintance who was both uninhibited in acting and had a good singing voice, Li Sishi didn't find the back-to-back schedule too tiring. Sometimes, she could even learn a trick from Shang Hanyou and learn a different singing technique from Le Yun.

In particular, the song "Love Story" that she was assigned was actually created by musician Kang Zhiren in imitation of the style of songs by Cheng Boyang, an idol and powerful superstar of the 1980s. Unfortunately, he did not find an opportunity to give it to Cheng Boyang, who had faded out of the entertainment industry to do business, so the song was left behind and never appeared in the world.

It wasn't until recently, when Huasheng was searching everywhere for suitable wedding love songs, and Kang Zhiren gradually transitioned from composer to music producer, that he finally brought out this song, even though he was a little short on funds. Of course, the most crucial point that made him bring out this song was knowing that the person who would be taking on this song was a female singer.

In the music industry, whether it's a cover with the same melody and lyrics or a cover with the same melody but different lyrics, later artists usually can't compete with their predecessors. The only way to break this curse of covers is to take an unconventional approach and have male singers or female singers sing the same song, using the voices of different genders to give the song a new feel.

This song couldn't be sung by the male singer he felt was most suitable, and Kang Zhiren wasn't going to compromise. He simply took a step back and rearranged the song to suit a female voice.

Key then signed a contract with Huasheng.

Both the melody and lyrics are good.

Li Sishi didn't hesitate to accept the assignment and immediately started practicing, preparing to record the song as quickly as possible so as not to fall too far behind Shang Hanyou's team.

Don't be fooled by the fact that Shang Hanyou is in charge of two songs this time; it's a combination of a new song and an old one, and his singing skills and experience are far superior to hers. Plus, he's been in great form lately, so recording this kind of love song is a piece of cake for him. If it weren't for his consistent pursuit of perfection and his desire to create an even more perfect version, Li Sishi probably couldn't keep up with his speed...

"Why are you in such a good mood lately? You're always so happy..." Li Sishi looked at the sound engineer with genuine admiration when she saw Shang Hanyou practicing singing happily during a break.

"Do you want to hear the truth or a lie?" Shang Hanyou put down the lyrics in his hand and turned around to ask.

"I'll listen to you, I'm all ears." Li Sishi waved her hand dismissively, finding it rare that he was in the mood to joke with her.

"How could I not be in a good mood when I'm getting married soon?" Shang Hanyou said with a smile.

Seeing Li Sishi's disdainful look that seemed to say, "Are you kidding me?", he coughed lightly and resumed his serious tone, continuing, "Okay, I'm not kidding you anymore—actually, it's just that I have new songs to sing and I can re-record the old songs to perfect them, which is why I feel so good every day."

Oh right, I almost forgot about the guy next to me's karaoke enthusiast tendencies.

There is no doubt that now is the time when his skills, abilities, and all other conditions are at their peak. Being able to reinterpret his favorite songs at the age when he is most capable must bring him an indescribable joy.

Having figured this out, Li Sishi nodded as she sipped her soothing tea: Since her partner was so motivated, she absolutely couldn't let her down!

She is probably the type of person who is easily influenced by those around her. With the encouragement and occasional help of the energetic Shang Hanyou, Li Sishi quickly mastered the new song. Then, she used the relatively short time during the evening filming to record the song again and again in the recording studio, striving to record the most satisfactory version of the song.

Meanwhile, mobile phone advertisements that Li Sishi had filmed earlier with Ling Chen began to be broadcast on screens of all sizes throughout the city.

As the female lead in the advertisement filmed for the second time and again in the early morning, and it was the same one...

In theory, most viewers would understand that this is an advertisement for a merchant's product. However, the problem is that Lo Kee Telecom seems to have really gone all out this year. This brand-new mobile phone advertisement, "Love Between Heaven and Earth," is almost worlds apart from the old advertisement, "Summer Promise," which featured a male star at a concert paired with an injured female fan.

Especially because this new version of the advertisement, unlike the old version of the "Summer Promise" advertisement which only filmed a part of the song, filmed the entire song, the advertisement is more than 4 minutes long.

A four-minute-plus advertisement certainly doesn't fit people's impression of advertising in this era. Therefore, Lo Kee Telecom divided the entire advertisement into three segments, each accompanied by a one-minute-plus song version recorded in the early morning according to the length of each segment. Then, this three-segment advertisement was broadcast on screens throughout Hong Kong.

The high production cost and meticulous storytelling gave this advertisement visuals comparable to a movie. Therefore, after the first ad aired, many of Lingchen's fans thought it was an advertisement for his new movie, and excitedly anticipated his "new movie where he plays a particularly handsome and stylish spy"...

Soon after, the second advertisement came out, showing the plot of Ling Chen playing a secret agent who discovers the truth, breaks with the villainous boss, is attacked, and is finally rescued by his girlfriend Ah May. Coupled with Ling Chen's latest song "Which Day Have I Not Thought of You" with its poignant and romantic vocals, Ling Chen's fans were captivated and eagerly awaited the release of information about the new movie. They were ready to support their idol as soon as it was released.

However, Lo Kee Telecom seems to have capitalized on the buzz generated by the misunderstanding by delaying the release of the final segment. This has led not only to the early morning fans expressing their dissatisfaction and hunger, but also to many others who found this "movie advertisement" misleading.

The crowd of passersby protested, criticizing the producers for going too far in keeping people in suspense.

However, this "movie promotional ad" was really well-edited; each segment was practically a music video, except for being a bit shorter. Some people were so captivated by the ad that they recorded the first two segments during the TV commercial breaks and watched them whenever they had a spare moment, essentially using it as a way to quench their thirst with a mirage...

After much anticipation, the final segment of the advertisement finally premiered amidst the eager gazes of the audience.

So, the fans who had been eagerly anticipating seeing the film multiple times in theaters as soon as it was released, were caught up in the beautiful visuals and poignant emotions...

Amidst the unfolding drama, I watched in disbelief as the agent, played by Ling Chen, after sending his girlfriend to escape on a helicopter, resolutely faced the approaching encirclement of a large group of mercenaries sent by the villainous boss...

As the agents they were playing in the early morning were surrounded by the enemy and seemingly about to be killed, the corners of their trench coats fluttering in the strong wind in the square seemed like a cruel hand, stabbing their already tightly clenched hearts once again.

But the scariest thing isn't that the agent he plays in the early morning might be killed and unable to keep his promise that he would meet his girlfriend again if they were destined to meet again after he "tricked" her into leaving first. It's that this beautifully shot and touching advertisement is actually just an advertisement!

Watching the agent, played by Li Sishi, suddenly appear behind the door after failing to reach his girlfriend Ah May multiple times, with his cell phone beeping in response to her calls, and then seeing the Luo Ji Telecom advertisement gradually appearing on the screen... the fans who had been eagerly anticipating this "agent movie" of their idol almost couldn't catch their breath!

I was so angry I almost collapsed at home!

This angered not only fans of Lingchen but also those who shipped Lingchen and Li Sishi, a couple who were once considered a perfect match but have recently fallen out of favor: "Is this the kind of production quality you use to make a mobile phone ad that's less than 5 minutes long?!"

I thought you guys were planning to release a movie that was at least 120 minutes long!

Unfortunately, despite their anger, they reluctantly recorded the last commercial and then had someone combine the three commercials into a videotape almost the length of a music video, treating it as their new song's music video or short film released in the early hours of the morning...

Later, at the suggestion of "everyone", Lo Kee Telecom released a complete version combining the three parts, along with the full song "Which Day I Haven't Thought of You", which really looked more and more like a music video.

Having tasted success with this advertisement, Lo Kee Telecom quickly launched another marketing campaign. The advertisement's innovative features, being the first MV-style commercial in television history, impressed Ling Chen's fans, who generously spent money to buy mobile phones to boost sales and support Lo Kee Telecom, inviting Ling Chen to film another version…

They absolutely adored the spy image of Lingchen.

He's incredibly handsome!

The only point of contention is the conflict between solo fans and CP fans. Solo fans hope that the female lead, Ah May, will have fewer appearances or no appearances at all in the next episode, while CP fans express their support for both characters.

The framed image is so good!

It would be better to have more!

They have great appetites and teeth; they're not afraid of sugar being too sweet, they're only afraid that the sugar isn't sweet enough!

However, relatively speaking, with little after-sales support during this period, CP fans were no match for the large and powerful solo fans, and were severely suppressed during this time.

This situation has made Lo Kee Telecom, which originally planned to invite Ling Chen and Li Sishi to film a follow-up commercial, somewhat hesitant...

Time flies, and the Lantern Festival is just around the corner.

The two fan factions, still unable to reach a decision on whether or not to use the female lead in the next version, are still making a ruckus throughout Hong Kong. The only thing that can calm them down for a while is the rerun of the advertisement for "Love in the World".

However, the advertisement broadcast today was not for "Love in the World," which had been dominating the screens since the early hours of the morning with Li Sishi, but for "Love in Three Lifetimes," the latest drama filmed by Shang Hanyou and Li Sishi.

When they saw that the male lead had been changed, the solo fans who were originally very dissatisfied with Li Sishi as the female lead were immediately stunned. They didn't like Li Sishi as the female lead because they fantasized about being their idol's wife; unlike the CP fans who identified with Li Sishi or watched their idol and the beautiful girl who matched well sweetly showered each other with affection.

But the problem now is that Li Sishi has "run away" first, and she has joined a superstar of the same level as Ling Chen!

"Why! Why isn't Ah May with our Leo anymore?!" Only now did they realize that if Li Sishi ran away, it would be even harder for Ling Chen to find a female partner who was good-looking and wouldn't cause trouble to ride on his popularity. The fans were stunned and couldn't help but start wailing.

Holding onto the idea that "I can be single, but my idol can't lose to anyone else," the solo fans instantly abandoned their competitive spirit against the Chen Shi CP fans and instead joined forces with them, arguing with the You Suo Si CP fans who had specially formed a group to support "Three Lifetimes of Love" at the ice room.

"Ah May belongs to my family!"

：，，。