Chapter 35
Chapter 25
Contestants who become famous overnight in talent shows must not only be good-looking and have good singing and dancing skills, but also have a strong stage presence.
When Lan Xu participated in the competition, she was in the visual kei category.
His near-perfect bone structure makes it impossible for him to hide his stunning beauty even with dark and heavy makeup. He managed to bring visual kei heavy metal rock songs, which were not mainstream in China, to the stage simply by relying on his good looks.
Later, Lan Xu was reported for "having a negative impact on underage children due to his makeup and styling". The program team asked him to wash off his heavy makeup, but some people described him as "suitable whether light or heavy makeup is applied".
This incident was used as a hot topic by the production team at the time, and "Lan Xu removing her makeup" was released as a selling point in the trailer.
Then, the production team used three different camera angles to film Lan Xu removing her makeup.
After a few pumps of cleansing oil and a five-minute facial massage and wash, a delicate face that was indistinguishable between male and female appeared on camera, instantly making Lan Xu, who was already very eye-catching, even more popular.
Seeing that Lan Xu was on the verge of becoming a big star, GIGABYTE Entertainment directly negotiated with Hunan TV and sent a styling team to give Lan Xu a refreshing and handsome short hairstyle instead of the long, wavy hair that he had kept for ten years.
The next round of competitions required the contestants to change their musical style and challenge themselves in unfamiliar territory.
The contestants, who specialized in singing pop songs, looked pale and sickly. This competition, however, was exactly what Lan Xu wanted—heavy metal rock was such an obscure genre that not many people liked it anyway.
Lan Xu then sang a love song that had previously become popular in an idol drama, which boosted her popularity once again.
However, at the end of the competition, Lan Xu only came in second place.
GIGABYTE Entertainment acted swiftly, using entertainment news about "fake rankings" to entice and solidify their fanbase, and then released an album for Lan Xu that "included competition songs and original music." Despite rampant piracy, the album sold an impressive 200,000 physical copies, propelling Lan Xu to the pinnacle of a new generation of popular idols.
Afterwards, GIGABYTE Entertainment made a high-profile announcement that Lan Xu would first study at a renowned music academy abroad for six months, but would not give up music creation. Then, they secured twenty advertisements for fast-moving consumer goods brands for him. Once the advertisements had taken over the screen, they announced to fans that Lan Xu would be releasing his second album, opening online pre-orders, and that he would be singing the theme song for a major production.
GIGABYTE Entertainment is best at making empty promises, raising fans' expectations, getting them to automatically target the project, generating buzz, and then using the data to negotiate collaborations with related projects.
GIGABYTE Entertainment's operating model has had its share of failed attempts to cash in, but what capital values is always the ability of celebrities to make money. As long as Lan Xu's popularity can be monetized, then what he wants will always be within his grasp.
After getting the opportunity to sing the theme song, Lan Xu will definitely take the opportunity to join the cast as a guest star, and then "discover" his love for acting, transforming from a singer to an actor.
In fact, if Lan Xu's character wasn't so much better than Sang Zhuo's, Lan Xu should be the one being heavily promoted by GIGABYTE Entertainment right now.
Jiang Mingyue could see this smooth little combo very clearly.
If you calculate the time, it's right now when Lan Xu is "recording". He's not flying all over the country, busy filming music videos to accompany his album. He actually managed to shake off his manager, assistant, and fans and come to the hospital to visit Lan Xu.
What are popular idols most afraid of?
The fans rushed forward, screaming in fear and excitement.
Judging from Lan Xu's expression, he was still standing with his right foot in place, but his left foot and body had begun to rotate backward, as if he would run away if Jiang Mingyue made even the slightest move to scream and reveal his identity.
It seems he's been blocked by fans quite a bit.
Jiang Mingyue smiled inwardly, but then adjusted the brim of her hat and spoke softly, "Hello, Senior Lan."
Only people within the industry can be called "senior".
Lan Xu instantly relaxed his tense shoulders, covered his face with one hand, turned around and closed the ward door tightly.
He looked at Jiang Mingyue carefully for a few moments after he returned, and said uncertainly, "We participated in a program together, right? Haha, maybe the environment was too chaotic, and my memory isn't good, so I didn't recognize you right away. Sorry."
He clearly had no recollection of Jiang Mingyue at all, but he was still forcing himself to believe it.
She's really concerned about maintaining a good image.
With a faint smile on her face, Jiang Mingyue solemnly extended her hand: "I play the third female lead in 'Seven Stars Alignment,' it's a pleasure to meet you."
We didn't know each other before.
How embarrassing.
Lan Xu's gaze darted left and right, wishing he could disappear into a crack in the ground. In just a few seconds, his entire face turned bright red.
He offered a dry compliment: "Oh, I see. 'Seven Stars Align' is a very big production. It's amazing that you got the third female lead role. Your agent is quite capable—"
Lan Xu's eyes lit up as he found a way to ease the awkwardness. He quickly changed the subject: "Oh, by the way, are you free lately? My music video needs a female lead. Have your agent contact my agent."
Lan Xu immediately took out a business card holder from his shoulder bag, pulled out a card, and handed it to Jiang Mingyue.
"Okay, thank you for the opportunity, Senior Lan." Jiang Mingyue put away the business card, glancing at Old Mrs. Zhou out of the corner of her eye.
Grandma Zhou was so excited that her face turned red. Jiang Mingyue's gaze shifted to Grandma Zhou's electrocardiogram monitor, where her blood pressure had exceeded 160.
She decisively said goodbye, "Mom, I should probably go back now."
"Go back and rest for a while. Be careful on the road." Liang Shuanglan saw through Old Mrs. Zhou's thoughts and quickly urged her daughter to leave.
Jiang Mingyue smiled as she left the ward.
Being the female lead in Lan Xu's music video is indeed a good opportunity, but if I rashly contact Lan Xu's agent through the number on that business card, the success rate will be low. Or rather, even if I succeed, I'll be severely pressured to lower my price.
That business card was something all agents distributed when they met with outsiders. When contacting business contacts, they would use a different phone number. As soon as Jiang Mingyue used this number to contact someone, that person would know that Jiang Mingyue was a newcomer to the industry and an easy target.
"I never expected that my first challenge would be 'finding a reliable agent for myself'." Jiang Mingyue waved her business card and started scratching her hair.
There are certainly many good agents in the industry, but if an agent is outstanding, their career prospects within the company must be very good. Why would they abandon the artist they are currently managing and jump ship to Xingchen Film and Television Entertainment Company under Fu's Group to manage Jiang Mingyue, such an unknown nobody?
Jiang Mingyue knew very well that there was no such thing as a "living Mary Sue" in this world.
To move someone, you must have something of equal value to offer.
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