Huhai, Huangpu District – Dongzhu Department Store.
Dongzhu Department Store was a well-known shopping mall in Huhai, situated in a prime city-center location just a few hundred meters from the Huangpu River. It was one of the most popular spots for Huhai residents to shop and hang out.
Especially on weekend evenings, the mall would be packed. Men and women carrying shopping bags roamed between the various shops and restaurants, swiping their credit cards freely, boosting the GDP with every purchase.
Even around 7 or 8 PM, the entrances to the restaurants on the fourth and fifth floors were still crowded with customers waiting for a table.
At the central atrium of the mall, the performance stage was surrounded by a sea of people. Dozens of security guards were sweating profusely as they struggled to maintain order, clearly overwhelmed by the crowd.
That evening, the cast and crew of 'Sweetheart CEO' were hosting a promotional event there. The male and female leads, the director, and even the original author of the novel all made an appearance, warmly interacting with the passionate fans.
'Sweetheart CEO' was part of WeChat Video's major IP development project. This self-produced series had started filming two months ago and featured several well-known domestic film and television stars. The male lead, Tao Sicheng, and the female lead, Jing Yao, were both considered rising stars on the cusp of A-list status, currently enjoying widespread popularity and a large fan base.
The series was being filmed in Huhai, and Dongzhu Department Store was one of its sponsors. Many scenes in the drama had been shot right here.
Tonight's promotional event was also part of the sponsorship agreement.
Amidst the cheering fans, Tao Sicheng and Jing Yao had just finished performing a romantic duet and stepped off the stage, heading toward a temporary backstage area to rest.
At that moment, a reporter wearing a press badge around his neck approached them, accompanied by a cameraman holding a video camera. They blocked the pair's path and extended a microphone toward them.
The logo on the microphone identified the reporter as from NetEase Entertainment.
Soon, two more reporters from other media outlets joined in, hoping to get a few scoops while riding the wave.
Seeing this, both Tao Sicheng and Jing Yao stopped in their tracks and flashed their professional smiles.
Press coverage was expected at such promotional events. The organizers had paid and handed out red envelopes; no matter how tired or moody they felt, giving interviews was part of their job.
The NetEase reporter began with a few routine, harmless questions before suddenly asking Tao Sicheng: "'Sweetheart CEO' premieres tonight on WeChat Video. As the male lead, what are your expectations for the view count?"
As an online drama exclusive to WeChat Video, the primary metric of success was the number of plays, similar to traditional TV ratings.
But compared to the highly authoritative TV rating systems, video platform play counts were often quite questionable, especially for self-produced shows, where inflating numbers with fake data was child's play.
Still, major platforms like Youku and WeChat Video generally had better integrity than smaller competitors.
Of course, play count wasn't the only performance metric.
Tao Sicheng responded smoothly, "I believe this drama will do very well. I have full confidence in its quality and am sure audiences will enjoy it!"
This kind of textbook answer obviously didn't satisfy the reporter. He followed up, "As I understand it, 'Autumn in My Heart' is also premiering on WeChat Video tonight. How do you view this competitor?"
Now that was a loaded question, a potential trap. One careless remark and the media could twist it into a sensational headline.
For entertainment reporters, drama and catfights were goldmines!
But Tao Sicheng wasn't some rookie who had just debuted. He wasn't about to fall for that.
Without batting an eye, he glanced at the reporter and said, "'Autumn in My Heart' is an excellent production. Premiering on the same night as 'Sweetheart CEO' serves as motivation and encouragement for us. I sincerely wish them great success."
His response was airtight.
In truth, he hadn't even seen 'Autumn in My Heart''s trailer. All he knew was that it starred Chen Fei'er, the diva of the music industry. That was it.
But that didn't stop Tao Sicheng from acting like he was well-informed. Neither praising nor belittling the rival show, just a cool, experienced response.
Seeing he couldn't get anything juicy from Tao, the reporter turned his mic toward Jing Yao and asked, "Miss Jing Yao, what are your thoughts on 'Autumn in My Heart'?"
Jing Yao gave a faint smile.
But her smile was cold. She said, "I don't think 'Autumn in My Heart' is our competitor. The two dramas aren't even comparable."
'Huh?'
Tao Sicheng turned to her in surprise, 'what the hell was that?'
Was she intentionally stirring controversy?
Jing Yao wasn't new to the industry either. She should've known to be cautious with her words. But her response had clearly crossed a line.
The reporter, thrilled by the sudden turn, eagerly pressed on: "In what way are they not comparable?"
Ignoring Tao's subtle cues to back off, Jing Yao bluntly replied, "In every way, storyline, investment, cast, 'Sweetheart CEO' is on a whole different level."
The reporter latched on: "But 'Autumn in My Heart' stars Chen Fei'er."
Jing Yao replied indifferently, "She sings well."
And with that, the female lead turned and walked away, not giving the NetEase reporter any chance for a follow-up!
But the NetEase reporter was already more than satisfied and couldn't wait to rush back to write the story.
This was absolutely a golden topic!
By midnight that very evening, NetEase Entertainment had already published the article.
The headline was nothing short of sensational:
"Jing Yao Blasts Chen Fei'er, 'She sings well!'"
The entertainment reporter wrote with flair, vividly recounting the entire interview with Jing Yao, and zeroed in on her final remark, claiming that Jing Yao had criticized Chen Fei'er for only being good at singing and not knowing how to act, making 'Autumn in My Heart' completely incomparable to 'Sweetheart CEO'.
To be fair, the reporter hadn't twisted her words. Jing Yao's attitude in the interview video was quite clear.
In addition to NetEase Entertainment, two other media outlets also released articles later that night, focusing on the rivalry between the two shows. They dramatized it as if the two actresses were mortal enemies, recklessly speculating and stirring the pot.
And just like that, the controversy exploded.
In terms of overall celebrity status in the showbiz community, there was a noticeable gap between Jing Yao and Chen Fei'er.
But in the film and television industry, it was a different story. Jing Yao was a professional actress with several film and TV credits under her belt.
Chen Fei'er, by contrast, had only done a few minor cameos in films, more like a dabble than a serious acting career. So Jing Yao throwing shade at her acting wasn't entirely unfounded, she had the credentials to back it up.
What made it even spicier was that both 'Sweetheart CEO' and 'Autumn in My Heart' had premiered on WeChat Video the night before. The former pulled in over 7 million views, while the latter only garnered 1.4 million, which created a significant difference.
Jing Yao, as the female lead, appeared right from episode one, while Chen Fei'er wouldn't make her first appearance until next Saturday, giving them a timing advantage.
Lu Chen didn't see the news until around noon the next day.
By then, the gossip about Jing Yao blasting Chen Fei'er was all over Langchao Blog (a major blogging platform).
On Jing Yao's blog, countless Chen Fei'er fans were leaving harsh comments, tearing her apart. At the same time, many of Jing Yao's fans had gone to Chen Fei'er's blog to mock her, the two fanbases were locked in a full-blown online war.
"How the hell did it come to this?" Lu Chen was confused and couldn't help but ask the woman sitting across from him: "Do you have a grudge against her or something?"
The two of them were currently on set. It was lunchtime, and he had only learned about the whole situation because Li Feiyu had brought over his phone to show him the entertainment news. He was full of questions.
After all, unless it was a deliberate PR stunt, no halfway-decent celebrity would go around picking fights in public without a reason; they'd only make themselves a laughingstock.
Chen Fei'er, of course, had already known about the incident; she had just chosen not to tell Lu Chen.
Now that he asked, she smiled calmly and said: "There was one time, apparently, when she was originally offered a role, but the part ended up going to me. I didn't know anything about it at the time. It was a favor for a friend, so I took the role. I only found out about the switch afterward."
'So that's what it was!' Lu Chen suddenly understood. He couldn't help but ask, "What if you had known?"
Chen Fei'er responded confidently, "I did it for a friend; it had nothing to do with her. If she wants to overthink it, then that's her own problem."
Lu Chen grinned and gave her a thumbs-up. "Sister Fei, you're badass!"
Chen Fei'er playfully smacked his hand and said with mock annoyance, "Stop it!"
Lu Chen chuckled and asked, "Should we write a blog post back?"
He really disliked people who stirred up drama for no reason. A good slap-down felt well-deserved.
But Chen Fei'er shook her head and said, "No need. I've asked Sister Zhang to turn down all interview requests for now. Let the results speak for themselves. Without real performance, words mean nothing."
Lu Chen nodded. He knew Chen Fei'er wasn't the type to get dragged down into petty drama. The two weren't on the same level, taking Jing Yao seriously would only make her feel important.
As long as 'Autumn in My Heart' performed well, Jing Yao's "blast" would become a joke.
Plus, both he and Chen Fei'er would only appear in the latter half of episode three, which wouldn't air until next Saturday night.
So all this noise right now just made people look petty and cheap.
"Big Chen!" Right then, Li Feiyu rushed over, looking excited.
He said eagerly, "'Autumn in My Heart''s national viewership ratings are out!"
Lu Chen immediately perked up. "How much?"
Chen Fei'er was also visibly interested.
Li Feiyu grinned and announced: "0.22%!"
0.22%!
That was an impressive figure, an excellent start for a TV drama.
Lu Chen let out a long sigh of relief, all his earlier frustration melting away.
(End of Chapter)
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