Chapter 9 Popularity
She is no longer a young college student.
Mu Jiu concentrated and calmed himself, performing the corresponding actions as the dialogue began.
She works tirelessly in filming year after year, and she tries her best to do all the action scenes herself, even the most difficult ones.
The injuries she has all over her body, coupled with a series of minor ailments caused by her irregular sleep schedule, make her hesitant to try strenuous exercise right away.
The Eight-Section Brocade exercise, a nationally promoted exercise, is excellent.
From the moment she became aware of the book, she started practicing for a while every morning. Although it hadn't been long enough to have an immediate effect, she could vaguely feel that her energy and spirit had improved a lot. Perhaps after a while, she could start trying morning runs to improve her physical strength.
As for why her boyfriend suddenly appeared beside her, it must be because he loves practicing Baduanjin (Eight Pieces of Brocade).
[Last night's trailer didn't confuse me, thank goodness, I almost got hooked. But when I entered the live stream and saw that the two of them were still in the same style, I felt relieved.]
[The editing is amazing! They managed to create such a heartbreaking tragic ending with just these two oddly styled people. The production team should really bow down to the editor.]
[XSWL suggests that the editor ride the director to work every day]
【Don't you guys think it's pretentious? Mu Jiu even said 'I won't meet anyone better than him,' but everyone knows she was chasing after Fang Yucheng before!】
[The person mentioned earlier isn't the only one; they're just trying to ride the wave of popularity. This time, their persona is better than before, which has convinced many uninformed people.]
After shifting their focus away from the peculiar atmosphere surrounding Mu Jiu and Ling Zhao, the artists, who had weathered many storms, gradually regained their composure.
Guo Zifu noticed Xiang Wan and, as if they were old friends, said, "Wanwan, would you like a salad? I just took out some ingredients that haven't been prepared yet. I can make it for you."
Hearing this, Xiang Wan shook her head: "It's okay, I can do it myself..."
"Ah, good morning, Wan'er."
At this moment, Meng Shuning also came to her senses: "Do you want to get up early and exercise with us tomorrow? I remember you also practice yoga, right?"
"...No, I'm too tired lately, I can't get up."
Xiang Wan forced a smile and said, "I'll make plans with you guys again when I feel better."
Seeing that she was in low spirits, Meng Shuning wisely said a few comforting words and then sat down with Guo Zifu in the restaurant to eat salad.
Xiang Wan breathed a slight sigh of relief and took the eggs out of the refrigerator.
Before cooking, she glanced at Mu Jiu and Ling Zhao, who were leisurely practicing Baduanjin in the sunlight.
She hadn't really observed the way the two of them interacted before, but in Xiang Wan's opinion, if it weren't for yesterday's conversation, she wouldn't believe that they were thinking about how to let go of their exes.
Their relationship is perfectly fine, unlike mine...
Just then, a voice came from the stairwell: "It smells so good."
Upon hearing the familiar voice, Xiang Wan stiffened.
The omelet in the pan is taking shape.
She fried two more as usual.
When Qi Youxiang arrived in the kitchen and saw her, his eyes flickered slightly before he put on his familiar smile again: "Can I have a bite?"
Xiang Wan lowered her eyes and pursed her lips: "No."
Four people were sitting at the table, and they could all clearly hear the conversation between the two of them, so they looked over with some surprise.
Oh no, I've made it too obvious.
Xiang Wan quickly composed herself, smiled, raised her head, and waved her index finger: "Ladies can mooch breakfast from me, but gentlemen must fend for themselves."
Just then, Mu Jiu and Ling Zhao finished their Eight Pieces of Brocade exercise and overheard their conversation as they passed through the living room.
It was at this moment that Mu Jiu met Xiang Wan's gaze.
After understanding the meaning in the other person's eyes, Mu Jiu casually leaned closer and asked, "Is there any for me?"
This time, Xiang Wan smiled genuinely: "I'll pack it for you in a bit."
Mu Jiu's face was always cold, but she seemed to be in a good mood this time, her eyes narrowing: "Thank you for the gift from my beautiful and kind roommate."
And so, with each person interrupting the other, the atmosphere in the kitchen returned to normal.
Ling Zhao naturally took out the instant dumplings she had bought yesterday from the refrigerator. When she looked up, she saw Qi Youxiang looking at Xiang Wan and Mu Jiu with a complicated expression.
He thought for a moment, then tentatively asked, "Want to eat this, roommate?"
"……No."
Qi Youxiang smiled somewhat awkwardly: "I'm just a little greedy, my manager will bring me breakfast."
Deng Minzhou interrupted, somewhat surprised: "Xiao Xiang, are you going out?"
Qi Youxiang glanced at Xiang Wan and raised his voice slightly: "Today I'm going out with Shu Ning to shoot a music video."
I feel there's something strange about the atmosphere among these people, especially between Xiang Wan and Qi Youxiang.
I understand, it's that awkward feeling of seeing your ex again.
My mind is a complete mess of shipping options, all I know right now is to peacefully finish my Eight Pieces of Brocade exercises and get ready for breakfast.
[Hey, is this Ling Zhao and Mu Jiu's couple name? Does anyone still believe in on-screen romance these days? Isn't it all just acting?]
[I do not accept the word "whitewashing." Anyone who has done even a little research on Fang Yucheng knows that during his most difficult time, he was treated like a blood bank by these two people until he died.]
So, did these two get together because they both like to "ride the coattails" of trending topics? :)
What kind of person would fall for these two? Can't you use your brain before shipping them? Have these two ever crossed paths before?
...
Since the start of today's broadcast, as soon as discussions about Ling Zhao and Mu Jiu began to emerge, a large number of comments about Fang Yucheng and Meng Shuning were clearly visible in the background.
The director, who was monitoring the backend, frowned slightly: "Is there a problem with the data in the live stream right now?"
The staff member hesitated and denied it: "No, it was posted by an active account. It should just be a spontaneous action by fans."
These are just the filtered comments that didn't contain obvious personal attacks; the number of unfiltered comments is likely much higher.
He sat down in the chair, his expression clearly darkening: "First, we need to improve the intelligent filtering."
The producer at the door had just arrived and witnessed this scene, so he gestured to the staff inside.
After everyone else left, he finally spoke: "Old Wu, the higher-ups over there contacted me this morning..."
"Since they removed the trending topics from last night to this morning, we won't pursue it. We will still do the publicity, but I don't want this kind of deliberate suppression of the guests' popularity to happen a second time."
Director Wu tossed the mouse aside, turned his chair around, and looked at the other person with an unfriendly expression: "Our program is responsible to the sponsors and investors. Their handling of the situation will also affect the program's popularity and audience reach."
Last night, Fang Yucheng and Meng Shuning failed to reach the top and unlock the trailer. In addition to the program's rules and mechanisms, another reason was that many viewers who participated in the voting had watched short clips of the program during their free time during the day.
Even though trending topics on social media have been removed a few times, the viewership on short video platforms is still real.
Whether it's the opening scene where Ling Zhao and Mu Jiu are squatting by the roadside fixing a tire, or the shocked scene of Meng Shuning and Fang Yucheng after the two open the car door at the same time, or the contrasting interactions between the two sides when the four are shopping in the supermarket.
If Fang Yucheng's studio and Meng Shuning's company hadn't joined forces to suppress the show's popularity, there would be far more viewers watching the live stream than this.
The producer shrugged helplessly: "I knew you'd have this attitude, so I already discussed all the points you mentioned beforehand... But you know, the people over there have a lot of face to save, they won't give up until they hear it from you."
Director Wu snorted coldly: "Do I really need to tell you something that anyone with a brain could do?"
The producer didn't dare to directly refute his old friend's outburst, so he changed the subject: "By the way, I just checked the work group this morning, so you knew about the popularity of short videos and that's why you had them edit those two people's trailers first?"
“My wife, who hasn’t watched variety shows for years, sent me clips of those two kids. Do you think the show lost a lot of viewership?”
Director Wu rolled his eyes at him, annoyed: "You can tell whether a person can succeed on the show just by looking at them for the first time."
Mu Jiu and Ling Zhao.
Their popularity is nowhere near that of Fang Yucheng and Meng Shuning, but as long as the two are in the same frame, a steady stream of new viewers are drawn in.
Most importantly, the fact that the two of them still generate such a lot of buzz even without Meng Shuning and Fang Yucheng's cameras is already quite extraordinary.
There was another point that Director Wu didn't explicitly say, but the producer fully understood his thoughts.
If Fang Yucheng and Meng Shuning are popular but fail to qualify for the first night's vote, it will be difficult for this couple to reach the top of the popularity charts later on.
But top celebrities are top celebrities after all. As long as they maintain their public image and continue to move forward according to the roadmap planned by their company, they can still get plenty of opportunities and resources.
However, not many people in the live stream were aware of the undercurrents at play.
At least that's how it appears on the surface.
After Meng Shuning and Qi Youxiang left, Fang Yucheng also explained that he had work to do and would be leaving during the day.
So gradually, only Mu Jiu, Ling Zhao, and Xiang Wan remained in the small house.
Just before lunchtime, perhaps provoked by her ex, Xiang Wan told him she wasn't hungry and would cook for herself later, then went upstairs to rest.
Only Mu Jiu and Ling Zhao remained in the living room.
Mu Jiu hesitated for a moment, then said matter-of-factly, "You cook."
Ling Zhao hesitated for a moment, but quickly agreed: "Okay."
Perhaps the others in the cabin would feel more comfortable in this setting without outsiders. But for Mu Jiu, it was also a considerable challenge.
She has thoroughly studied the original variety show and has summarized a pattern in response to this situation.
Ex-boyfriends and girlfriends will naturally show intimacy when no one else is around.
To be honest, Mu Jiu couldn't quite control this level of precision.
Since they're not in the honeymoon phase, their physical interactions and eye contact can't be too over the top, otherwise it might seem like they're acting too "greasy." But if they're too indifferent, it would confirm the "tortured relationship" portrayed in the show's trailer.
In short, just follow the approach of being open and friendly with acquaintances and friends.
Ling Zhao: "What would you like to eat?"
Upon hearing the question, Mu Jiu rested his chin on his hand and thought for a moment: "I don't have much of an appetite in the summer."
"How about stir-fried shredded potatoes with vinegar, stir-fried bitter melon with eggs, and some cold noodles?"
Mu Jiu knew that Ling Zhao could cook. In the questionnaire she sent out, Ling Zhao stated that she had worked as an apprentice in the kitchen of a restaurant, and that she had not only formally learned to cook but also cooked.
Although such an experience seems unbelievable to celebrities in the industry today, when they first met, the other person was wearing a sad frog mascot costume and handing out flyers, which made it seem like they had really done all sorts of part-time jobs to earn money.
However... he just mentioned that the dishes he described were all her preferences.
Mu Jiu leaned against the kitchen counter, looking at him blankly: "You don't eat any of this."
Ling Zhao: "Yours is a small portion; I'll cook it myself in a bit."
Mu Jiu: "Then I'll assist you."
As soon as she finished speaking, and was about to open the refrigerator, she heard a short, sharp voice stopping her from behind.
"Don't move."
Mu Jiu paused.
Under her gaze, Ling Zhao walked over and pressed down on the refrigerator door with his right hand.
The height difference of half a head compared to hers made his gaze appear slightly downward.
Out of an actor's instinct, Mu Jiu unconsciously replayed the image of their positions under the camera in his mind—
Although the actual distance between them has not exceeded the safe distance, in the footage they appear to be in a rather intimate, semi-enclosed pose.
And now, her partner, still oblivious, said, "Your hand is injured, don't get it wet."
His domineering CEO acting is completely natural.
If it weren't for the cameras filming, she would have liked to applaud the other person.
A note from the author:
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Mu Jiu: My partner's acting skills have improved again today.
Ling Zhao: Me?
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