Chapter 149: Lao Ji’s Seventh Day Wake Hasn’t Passed, And Male Stars Are Singing And Dancing Again
The impact and shock Ji Hemming’s persona collapse brought to the internal entertainment circle were indescribable.
As one of the Four Great Young Actors, a popular top streamer on par with Yu Yan, Lin Yang Qianrui, and Chu Han Zhou, Ji Hemming’s persona collapse this time seemed fast, but that was because the offense he committed was too serious.
And after he collapsed, the “gold coins” and various resources that “exploded” from him were unimaginable to ordinary people.
In terms of endorsements, twenty-eight top-tier endorsements were lost, S++ film and television dramas were being negotiated, and movie opportunities with initial investments of four to five hundred million, or even one billion, were available, as well as various fashion resources…
And most importantly – after his persona collapse, the “market gap” he left behind, his massive top streamer fan base, where would they go?
So much so that all male stars in the industry rejoiced, and within less than a night of Ji Hemming’s persona collapse, the entire internal entertainment circle, almost all companies and artists, stepped in to compete and scramble for Ji Hemming’s “legacy.”
—Lao Ji’s mourning period hasn’t even passed its seventh day, and the male stars are already singing and dancing outside!
Some are opening champagne, others are doing the Yangge dance, and some are so happy they can’t sleep at night, clapping and praising, endlessly looping the song “Today is a Good Day” – a scene of vibrant growth, making a fortune from Ji Hemming’s downfall!
The last time such a scene occurred was during Meng Yixun’s persona collapse, one of the Dual Explosions of the Four Greats, but the Dual Explosions were just that; this is the first time a member of the Four Greats has had a persona collapse, and the feat it caused and the influence it brought were absolutely unprecedented.
Chi Ye played the role of the behind-the-scenes boss in this, being the “instigator” of Ji Hemming’s persona collapse.
Although he has never admitted it himself, many people in the industry speculate as such – whether it’s true or not, he’s wearing this “hat.”
And in terms of resource competition, Chi Ye had already made preparations before Ji Hemming’s persona collapse.
Coupled with his smart use of “bundled marketing” in this incident, while Lao Ji was collapsing, he was ascending…
This led to several major brand endorsements, which were originally difficult for Chi Ye to access at his current star power, showing interest in him.
The set of “Xing Ni.”
Director Liu called cut, and while Chi Ye was getting his makeup touched up, he asked Keke next to him, “Which brands are interested?”
Keke, wearing a long trench coat, looked at her phone and tablet and said softly, “Currently, Master Kang’s attitude is very positive, and we are also lacking a spokesperson for a national convenience food brand.”
“In addition, other brands, such as L’Oréal Men’s skincare line, are also what we need… Well, for sportswear, because we have the Xtep series endorsements, so Xtep didn’t approach us…”
“Besides these, LV also sent an invitation for a brand friend, and several luxury brands that Ji Hemming was associated with are very interested in us… but they are offering very few endorsements, mostly lower-tier ones. Only Bulgari seems promising for a series endorsement.”
Chi Ye listened, calculating in his mind.
Ji Hemming had too many lost endorsements. Lao Ji was known as the “Endorsement King” of the internal entertainment circle during his lifetime, and he was also known for his fashion-forward style, which is why he was very popular with international luxury brands, and fans often praised him as a fashion darling.
Whether this statement is true or not, the endorsements he had were indeed top-notch, with a “gold coin explosion” index reaching the maximum level boss.
However, Chi Ye’s current star power still couldn’t compete with other “Three Great Young Actors” and several explosive young stars. He has too few works, so luxury brands have always been a bit dismissive of him.
During the previous recording of “Xing Ni,” only Dior extended an olive branch, and it was because the character “Ye” in Chi Ye’s name happened to align with their “Wilderness” series perfume, plus his current popularity, that they offered him a series endorsement.
But after this wave, LV and Bulgari also started paying attention to Chi Ye. However, LV was previously a “die-hard fan” of Lao Ji and only wanted to offer Chi Ye the status of a brand friend, with the implied meaning being: your current star power is not enough, but I can give you an opportunity to get acquainted, and if you become more popular in the future, I will improve your treatment.
Chi Ye was not interested.
To reiterate, brand friends and ambassadors like this are just things for fans to get excited about; they are not recognized in the industry and have little value.
What he cared about were the endorsements that had a chance of success.
Master Kang’s sincerity was the highest. Because this brand is so well-known, it no longer needs endorsements from top-tier stars like Yu Yan and Lin Yang Qianrui – frankly, Master Kang didn’t want to spend that money.
But if they found an unpopular star, it would seem less prestigious, like Chi Ye in the past, which felt a bit lacking.
But after this wave, Master Kang felt that Chi Ye’s star power was perfectly suitable.
They even directly offered him the title of spokesperson for Master Kang’s Braised Beef Noodles Classic series, a title that previously belonged to top streamers like Ji Hemming and Yu Yan.
And then there was Bulgari. Endorsements for Bulgari jewelry have always been the most sought-after “top luxury” in the industry. Based on Keke’s tone, there was indeed an opportunity this time, so Chi Ye wouldn’t mind taking it.
“Have your team handle the negotiations. Ji Hemming was not a good person, but his endorsements were of good quality. With his collapse… the industry will be scrambling for a long time.”
After discussing work with Keke, Chi Ye had anticipated the impact of Ji Hemming’s persona collapse, but he still didn’t expect everyone to “fight” so fiercely.
—It wasn’t just endorsements and film and television; what all the companies and artists were eyeing was the vast “market” that became vacant after Ji Hemming’s persona collapse.
The demise of one Ji Hemming could at least elevate two “explosive” top streamers. Whichever company occupied this vacant market first would get the money tree.
Chi Ye naturally also had his sights set on this, but his current situation was rather awkward – because this kind of market filling couldn’t be achieved with small tricks; it could only be done through a massive hit with his works, instantly absorbing the most popularity and benefit.
Therefore, after returning to the set of “Xing Ni” from “Actors, Please Take Place,” Chi Ye began to film urgently, striving to capitalize on the biggest benefit of Ji Hemming’s persona collapse.
Thus, time flew by, and in the blink of an eye, it was early September, and “Xing Ni” had been filming for nearly three months.
It was about to wrap up.
That day, Chi Ye was idly playing with the Empress Dowager. As the Empress Dowager was eating spicy strips, Keke came to the set again and informed Chi Ye about the collaboration negotiations.
“Master Kang and L’Oréal have been finalized, but… Bulgari didn’t work out.”
Keke’s face looked a bit tired, clearly overworked during this period.
“It didn’t work out?”
Chi Ye was a bit surprised.
Because among the previous luxury brand endorsements, Bulgari had been the most sincere, and he had even thought that Master Kang might not succeed, but Bulgari would.
“No.”
Keke’s expression was a bit grim: “We were intercepted.”
“Hmm?”
The Empress Dowager, who was eating spicy strips, looked up, her beautiful eyes turning towards Keke.
“Who intercepted it?”
She asked.
“Yu Yan.”
“…Get it back!”
“Yu Yan?!”
Jin Xia and Chi Ye exclaimed different sounds.
But after the former spoke, she also paused for a moment before reacting: “He… does he need this luxury brand? Why would he intercept Teacher Chi’s opportunity?!”
After speaking, she became angry again: “This person is too annoying! Auntie invited him many times, and if he didn’t agree, fine, but now he’s intercepting Teacher Chi’s opportunity…”
Everyone: “…”
They ignored the Empress Dowager’s biased support, and Keke explained, “Penguin has a collaboration with Yu Yan… it’s likely that they made a request. Yu Yan’s studio is now affiliated with a Penguin System company, so…”
“Yue Na’s doing?”
“Yes.”
Chi Ye realized: “That explains it.”
As for why Bulgari chose Yu Yan over him… did he even need to ask?
If he were Chi Ye himself, he would choose Yu Yan.
Because other artists compete for resources, but Yu Yan doesn’t have to compete; with his star power and popularity, luxury brands are basically scrambling to get him to endorse them.
As expected.
Keke continued, “Originally, Bulgari offered us a series spokesperson position, but as soon as Yu Yan’s team contacted them, they offered him the Global Brand Spokesperson title…”
—Global Brand Spokesperson, the highest honor.
Chi Ye rubbed his chin and asked, “What about the others?”
“Well… the competition for other resources is equally fierce… The current landscape for male stars has also basically taken shape.”
Keke elaborated.
…
It had been over a month since Ji Hemming’s persona collapse, and news of his arrest had just spread, but the internal entertainment circle’s male star landscape, which had been in chaos for over a month, was gradually stabilizing.
In fact, since Meng Yixun’s persona collapse last year, the internal entertainment circle’s male star landscape had experienced a small-scale shock, followed by Shen Qing Yu’s incident, which didn’t cause much stir due to his star power.
It wasn’t until this incident that a complete reshuffle of the past five years was accomplished.
Currently, the competition among the so-called Four Great Dual Explosions and Dual Top Streamers is becoming increasingly fierce and blurred.
Because of a severe shortage of people and too many artists approaching this position, fans and marketing teams from all sides have begun to confuse concepts.
However, no matter how blurred it gets, the Four Great Young Actors remain top streamers at the apex of the pyramid, namely: Yu Yan, Lin Yang Qianrui, Chu Han Zhou, and the vacant position left by Ji Hemming.
The Dual Explosions are: Wang Helin, Peng Chen.
The Dual Top Streamers: Jiang Yi, and one vacant spot.
Below them are Chi Ye and a large group of quasi-first-tier artists, popular traffic stars, second-tier young actors, and various soon-to-be-successful actors who want to move up but haven’t yet released works to solidify their position.
Regarding female stars, we won’t discuss them, as there have been too few female stars with persona collapses. Except for Jin Xia, whose career has shown some decline in recent years, the landscape remains the Four Little Ones and Three Young Stars.
Speaking of male stars, out of the eight most prominent figures in the internal entertainment circle, two have directly collapsed. Of the remaining six, Yu Yan and Lin Yang Qianrui are both leading by a significant margin.
Yes, while they are called the Four Great Young Actors, it’s clear that Chu Han Zhou and Ji Hemming were forcefully bundled into the Four Greats.
Because whether it’s Yu Yan or Lin Yang Qianrui, their star power and popularity completely surpass others.
For example, Yu Yan has few works, but his popularity is immense. Since returning from South Korea, his personal popularity has remained at its peak, easily breaking various Weibo Guinness World Records, and a trash can he casually recorded in a variety show can become a popular tourist spot.
With the highest popularity and traffic, some say there is actually only one true top streamer in the internal entertainment circle, and that is Yu Yan.
As for Lin Yang Qianrui… this young actor, whom Chi Ye has barely interacted with, is even more remarkable.
In a sense, his star power is even greater than Yu Yan’s.
Because he primarily works in the movie circle, and unlike Ji Hemming, whose films consistently underperformed, Si Zi’s movies have achieved outstanding box office results, with his personal cumulative box office nearing ten billion.
To compare him with any young actor would be an “insult.”
Therefore, Si Zi’s fans usually disdain competing with Chu Han Zhou and Ji Hemming. They even look down on Yu Yan, while Yu Yan’s side is extremely hostile towards Lin Yang Qianrui.
—These two factions are the true rivals, opponents on the same level.
Below them are other levels, not in the same world.
Therefore, seizing the opportunity of Ji Hemming’s persona collapse and the reshuffle of the male star landscape, both factions have tacitly marketed themselves as “Duo Top Streamers with a Disparity,” and everyone below them are considered unpopular stars.
Naturally, others are unhappy. Ji Hemming is gone, but Chu Han Zhou is still alive!
Therefore, Zhang Yu’s team has been desperately trying to bundle themselves with the two “Big Brothers” recently, hoping not to be left behind to “stand alone.”
On the other hand, Lao Peng, seeing Ji Hemming’s demise, also had eyes gleaming with ambition. He remained silent, but relentlessly marketed himself, filmed, and worked diligently on his desk at night for his old partner.
Clearly, he had his sights set on the vacant spot among the “Four Greats” and aimed to continue progressing.
“No, I’m just curious, why is Lao Peng singing and dancing when Ji Hemming is gone?!”
Upon hearing this news, Chi Ye was displeased: “I went to great lengths to deal with Ji Hemming, and he’s benefiting from it?”
“Next time he sees me, he must hold back his farts. If he lets one out, it’ll be a disservice to how ‘good’ I’ve been to him!”
Everyone: “…”
Jin Xia nudged Chi Ye: “Teacher Chi, no swearing!”
“Swallow it back, swallow it back!”
Chi Ye: “If I swallow my swear words, my heart will become dirty.”
Jin Xia: “…”
“Not really,” Keke couldn’t help but say. “Peng Chen’s momentum is indeed quite strong. His team contacted us yesterday to ask if you’d like to appear on the Mid-Autumn Festival Gala together…”
Chi Ye: “?”
He was dumbfounded: “Is Lao Peng cornered? He dares to appear on the same stage as me?”
Keke: “…He needs popularity now, he probably wants to bundle with us to help him push for a spot among the Four Greats.”
“No, no.”
Chi Ye repeatedly waved his hands: “Damn it, when will he return my dog? Then I might consider appearing on the same stage with him.”
“…”
Jin Xia nodded: “Someone who steals dogs really shouldn’t be deeply involved!”
Chi Ye: “Someone who steals people can be.”
Jin Xia: “?!”
“Ahem…” Keke coughed lightly. She wanted to advise him, but Chi Ye always had his own ideas regarding his career and marketing, and his methods were always highly effective, so she didn’t say anything further.
However… the competition and reshuffling among male stars had reached a critical juncture, and everyone was vying for the market vacancy left by Ji Hemming.
Chi Ye’s team had planned his next goal as directly ascending to Dual Top Streamer status, aiming to secure the star power and top streamer title first.
But… he really needed works, otherwise… what other tricks could he have?
Chi Ye actually had a trick.
Whether he became a Dual Top Streamer or not was secondary to him, because he had absolute confidence in “Xing Ni,” which was about to wrap up and was even more perfect.
What kind of top streamer? He would show you all what a real top streamer is then!
What he was considering now was how to quickly capitalize on the market vacancy left by Ji Hemming… This was the most crucial point; the longer it took, the more others would gain.
And in this regard, he actually had a stronger advantage than all the competing young actors.
—Singing.
Everyone else was desperately filming right now, even their teams were frantically pushing for late-stage release dates, waiting for their dramas to air, and then quickly benefiting from the popularity.
But how long was the production cycle for a drama or movie? It couldn’t be that fast.
But singing was different.
Don’t forget, Chi Ye was not only a popular traffic star now, but he was also a “musical prodigy,” a singer-songwriter!
This time, he would lead his masterpiece album and take the biggest piece of the pie that Lao Ji had left for him.
Lao Hua, make way for the top streamer position in the music scene, step aside!
