"Brother Kuo, if you watched the kind of dramas young people like these days, would you actually watch them?" Guo Hongyu asked, first nodding in agreement with a knowing look, then posing the question.
"I followed Palace Within Palace with my kid a couple years back," Kuo Hai said, "I heard it was pretty popular at the time."
Guo Hongyu nodded. "It's said to be the most influential Asian drama since He's from Another Star. It was definitely a hit."
It was more than a hit. That drama had launched two half-top-tier stars—first Meng Wuping, then Lin Xia. But for Meng Wuping, going big overseas might not have been all that great…
"Was it watchable?" Guo Hongyu asked.
"Not really," Kuo Hai replied. "I thought it'd be some kind of palace intrigue thing, but after two episodes, I realized not only was the plot sloppy, even the fight scenes looked floaty and unconvincing."
"Yeah, that's basically it," Guo Hongyu said. "If there's another drama like that in the future, you probably won't watch it either. But what if there's a show with a similar theme and it features Teacher Wu Kangxie? Would you bother checking it out?"
"Definitely," Kuo Hai nodded. Wu Kangxie was his idol, a veteran artist praised for both skill and virtue, with countless brilliant roles under his belt. Having played so many emperor roles, netizens even joked he'd acted through five thousand years of Chinese history.
"Every generation has its own tastes," Guo Hongyu summed up.
Kuo Hai knew what she meant. To appeal to young audiences, you had to bring in the young stars they liked.
Still, he felt a twinge of frustration. He hated it when seasoned actors got sidelined while young stars hogged the spotlight despite little screen time.
"Brother Kuo, you're still bothered?" Guo Hongyu asked. "Little Chu is a good kid. There's no reason to be upset with him."
"No, I'm not targeting Little Chu. He's polite, and he earned his current popularity through real effort. I'm just annoyed at how the entertainment world is now," Kuo Hai said.
Guo Hongyu got it. She thought as long as actors did their job well, that was enough. Everything else was beyond their control.
The reporters present were restrained. Even though two-thirds of their questions were about Chu Zhi's role in the soundtrack, they didn't pry into unrelated matters. It wasn't easy, considering the past two weeks the global internet had been flooded with discussions about Chu Zhi, especially yesterday's news about his response letters.
After the press event, the producers invited everyone to dinner. Chu Zhi had planned to slip out, but the TV station's production department had organized a banquet. The Emperor Beast decided not to refuse, especially since his company had just been awarded "Top Ten TV Companies" by the station this year.
He'd never understood the official criteria for excellence awards, but Aiguo Media donated a lot every year and partnered with the national publisher on numerous projects.
In a restaurant in the capital, three tables had been set.
Dynasty had two Best Actor winners, one Best Actress, and six veteran actors, a true gathering of talents.
"Too bad the schedules don't align. I'd love to work with Little Chu someday," Director Sun said. "Teacher Wang once mentioned that kid, though his acting isn't perfect, he has great talent."
Even Director Sun, a gold-standard director, respectfully addressed Wang Anyi as Teacher. Despite Wang Anyi's previous film flopping—fifty million in investment for a 140 million box office—their standing in the industry remained untouched. Their credibility with investors was intact.
Chu Zhi was similar. Even if an album underperformed, his reputation and fan perception remained strong. Of course, some critics would still claim he'd "lost his touch," since the nitpickers could always find a sharp angle.
"Teacher Wang supported me," Chu Zhi said. "I'd like to work with Director Sun if I get the chance."
The Emperor Beast had no idea how much praise Wang Anyi had spoken on his behalf. He was great at interacting with elders, so they held him in high regard.
The third table was filled with the attending reporters from platforms like CCTV, Kantaihai, and CBox. Basically, these were all official platforms, so no wonder they followed rules so strictly.
"Can we go over and toast? My dad really likes Director Sun's dramas and wants an autograph," a Kantaihai reporter asked curiously.
"You're doing it for Director Sun? It's clearly your idol, Teacher Chu, over there," a CCTV reporter said.
"I'm getting an autograph for my dad too," the Kantaihai reporter admitted, a bit embarrassed.
"Wait a bit. The main table is still eating. Now's not the time," the CCTV reporter said. "Teacher Chu is very kind. You'll definitely get an autograph."
Kantaihai managed the station's new media platforms, including WeChat, Weibo, Toutiao, Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, and more.
"If I can get an autograph, this trip's worth it," the reporter muttered, checking their phone as they ate. Work never stopped, and they had to stay on top of online trends.
Currently, the buzz on Chinese internet was—
"Which celebrities really treasure fan gifts besides Chu Zhi?"
"Another option for fans who love their idols"
"Why Zhou Yiyu becoming top-tier makes sense"
…and other similar sponsored articles. No doubt, it was Zhou Yiyu's promotion campaign. Other big-name celebrities didn't keep fan gifts, and most agencies never informed the stars, so no one else could leverage the hype.
Zhou Yiyu went through the warehouse, cleaning and sorting, as it hadn't been done for years. Many fan gifts had rotted or gone bad. He secretly disposed of half and displayed the rest, which was quite impressive.
"If we talk about spoiling fans, besides Jiu-yé, it's Zhou Yiyu," one fan said.
"Just saw Little Fruits getting praised earlier. Didn't expect Yufei to be doing great too."
"I think I spotted the little bear bracelet I gave. I made it myself, kinda excited."
"Of course. Zhou Yiyu is Jiu-yé's favorite young star, you think he'd ignore that?"
Even fandoms had hierarchies. Career fans looked down on appearance fans, male fans disliked female fans, and Yufei dismissed other fans. At the top of this chain was always Little Fruits.
Yufei's posts annoyed other fan groups.
A fan (Tao Ke) responded, "It's just playing badminton with Jiu-yé. Stop exaggerating. The kid Jiu-yé really favors is our Xiao Taozi."
The screenshot was from Chu Zhi attending the Eastern Billboard Awards, praising the Annual Breakthrough Singer.
"Keep striving, produce original Chinese music. That's great."
By age, Chu Zhi was a year younger than Tao Ke. Though Tao Ke had just risen as a top star, he was actually thirty-one. He felt a bit uncomfortable, but his fans were thrilled. The broadcast screenshot had been forwarded countless times; the watermark was nearly a foot thick.
Shizi (Sun Shi's fan) chimed in, "I can't with those blind fans. One image for months nonstop? Jiu-yé only said a polite word, and you twisted it. Eastern Billboard? Even a third-tier chart, and you brag?"
Fans who disliked Tao Ke called him Taozi. Other celebrities had similar nicknames in fandoms based on their behavior. Zhou Yiyu was "the bootlicker," Lin Xia was "mute," Sun Shi was "Sun Thief."
There were exceptions, though. Chu Zhi had no nicknames now, even though he'd been blacklisted online five or six years ago.
Who Chu Zhi favored most sparked a new round of fan arguments.
Soon, Meng Wuping arrived, albeit late. Top stars showed up, including some actresses who just joined the scene.
A Liu Jia fan said, "Jiu-yé probably likes Jia Jia's looks. Earlier, Jia Jia posted a nine-grid picture and Jiu-yé liked it."
Whether or not it was instructed by the agency, fans knew Chu Zhi's approval meant more than Weibo or TikTok awards.
That's why celebrities had to be careful; every move under the spotlight was magnified. Liking Liu Jia's post might have been a slip years ago on Weibo… Fortunately, the Emperor Beast was smart enough not to undo it, or it would've sparked more controversy.
The internet never rested. One day, top stars fought for dominance online, the next day someone wrote a guide on Xiaohongshu titled How to Get Brother Jiu to Accept a Gift.
Don't leave the mailing address too detailed; just use the street name, not the building or community.
Don't send overly expensive gifts. Some sisters sent bracelets worth thousands, but Brother Jiu returned them. He doesn't like fans spending too much.
Gift suggestions: thermos, ragdolls, notebooks are preferred. Handmade crafts, like folded little stars, are even better.4…
The guide even listed Aiguo Media's office address.
Many Little Fruits got it. Within a few hours, thousands replied. The trend spread from Xiaohongshu across the internet, since Little Fruits were numerous.
Some platforms exploited this for traffic without care. The trend was essentially "guide fans to send gifts," but Xiaohongshu blew it up because topics could go viral.
At the company, Wang Yuan was already in a meeting to handle it.
Xiao Zhuzi felt tense, not because of the meeting. She was just the personal assistant and not under Wang's department. She was nervous because she was about to ask a friend, Wen Xinxin, for a loan. The amount was large, so she hesitated.
"Xinxin, can you lend me twenty thousand? I'll repay it when I get my year-end bonus."
"What? Twenty thousand? I don't even have ten thousand. I can only lend you two thousand," Wen Xinxin said quickly. "Remember to pay me back on time."
Xiao Zhuzi, a culinary prodigy in the dark cuisine world, was momentarily confused, not because she was stupid, but because Wen Xinxin spoke too fast.
"Just kidding," Wen Xinxin said, patting her head. "WeChat or Alipay?"
"Alipay," Xiao Zhuzi said.
She stayed on the Alipay page. Wen Xinxin paused, then asked, "Xiao Zhuzi, your salary isn't low. You shouldn't be short on cash. You're not investing in stocks or funds, are you?"
"I don't do luck-based stuff," Xiao Zhuzi immediately shook her head.
Wen Xinxin wasn't just a colleague; they'd gone to university together, and Wen had introduced her to the company. Aiguo Media's employee benefits were possibly the best in China, if not the world. Many people queued just to get in.
Because they were close, Wen asked to make sure Xiao Zhuzi was financially stable.
"I won a lottery and need to pay the down payment," Xiao Zhuzi explained. "Sixty-plus square meters in Qingpu, not downtown. I'd saved for the down payment, but my mom was hospitalized, so I need a bit of cash just in case."
"What happened to your mom? Is it serious? Which hospital? Why didn't you tell me?" Wen asked.
"Don't worry, Xinxin. It's complications from high blood pressure, an old problem. Usually nothing serious. I'm just being cautious," Xiao Zhuzi said, spitting on her words. "Nothing will happen, but if it does, I'll be prepared."
Looking at her habits and appearance, people thought Xiao Zhuzi was scatterbrained, but she planned ahead. Makes sense; if she was truly forgetful, she couldn't handle being a personal assistant. Chu Zhi was a good boss, but not running a charity.
Wen Xinxin sighed and transferred the money, adding an extra five thousand.
"I spent a lot last month, so not much left," Wen Xinxin said. "I ate fine, my family's okay. No urgent expenses. Pay me back when you can."
"I'll sort it out once I get my bonus," Xiao Zhuzi said. "Don't worry."
Wen Xinxin said, "I'm not worried… but Xiao Zhuzi, you have an older sister too. You shouldn't cover your mom's expenses alone. Your sister should contribute."
"My nephew's in kindergarten, which costs a lot. My family's finances aren't great either. My brother-in-law had his salary voluntarily cut. I'm unmarried, so I have no pressure," Xiao Zhuzi explained.
Better to clarify, otherwise people take it for granted. Still, this was Xiao Zhuzi's family matter; even with close friends, she couldn't overshare.
"I must repay your kindness. Tomorrow night, Brother Jiu's schedule isn't busy. Come over, I'll cook you a big meal," Xiao Zhuzi said. Lending a friend five figures now was real friendship.
"Cooking yourself?" Wen Xinxin was shocked. "Holy shit, Xiao Zhuzi, why repay a favor with a meal?!"
Everyone was just living seriously.
After twists and turns, The Matrix was scheduled for April 1 next year.
The date was chosen carefully: April Fools. Meanwhile, Yunmengze, selected for classical cultural promotion, was renamed Spring and Autumn Tales, set for a Christmas release and an entry to the Tokyo International Film Festival.
Chu Zhi only had a cameo in Spring and Autumn Tales. Liao Dachong wouldn't trouble his little brother again; he owed enough favors already.
Unexpectedly, Chu Zhi actively posted online to help promote it.
He posted a photo eating a big orange with the caption:
[@Spring and Autumn Tales Official - Scheduled for December 25. This is the most beautiful movie I've seen. If you love cinematic visuals, look forward to it.]