Chapter 154: The Signing Event
The entertainment industry was a blend of illusion and reality, truth and deception. Many fans were no longer supporting the actual celebrity, but only the public persona that artist presented.
Consequently, when that persona collapsed, it was like a massive building toppling over. It sent dust flying everywhere and left behind a scene of complete disarray.
Fans who had been infantuated uwith that manufactured image were left heartbroken. As a result, they often abandoned their support, and some even turned from fans into critics.
"...So, to truly gain a lasting foothold here, you must either firmly establish your persona and never let it fall, or simply show your true self to attract fans who genuinely like that type of person." Yin Chengjue said with a serious expression.
"Mm, I understand." Rong Yu also nodded solemnly.
While speaking, this episode of "Extreme Joy" finished broadcasting. As Yin Chengjue had predicted, the show placed the game that was originally played first at the very end, allowing everyone to see the "Blood Mist" main cast, who had been winning continuously earlier, lose utterly, unable to guess even half a song title.
In the end, the "Worlds Apart, Yet So Close" team's points successfully surpassed "Blood Mist" in this final round, becoming the ultimate winners.
Watching the host raise Lu Xiaoyang's hand to declare victory, Rong Yu couldn't help but sigh: "This clearly wasn't the scene where the host announced the final victory, it was just from when the 'Worlds Apart, Yet So Close' crew won one round during one of our games. No wonder the host makes a grand announcement every time someone wins—it's all for post-production editing. This way, no matter who wins, there's a scene of the victory announcement. So, the actual outcome on site isn't important at all, post-production is the real mastermind."
As he spoke, Rong Yu posted a screenshot of his playlist on Weibo, adding text as Yin Chengjue had suggested: Already cramming, we definitely won't lose next time.
He tagged the other seven people at the end.
As soon as the Weibo post went out, the comments section quickly filled up. The routine demand for selfies quickly took the top comment spot, while the second and third places were occupied by comments laughing hysterically.
Regardless, this episode of "Extreme Joy" had finished airing. Although the editing seemed designed to build the cast up only to make their failure more dramatic, complaining about "Extreme Joy" over this tactic would have seemed unreasonable and domineering. Therefore, thinking of their idols, most of the Yuxiang Rousi fans refrained from saying anything inappropriate. Once Rong Yu posted on Weibo, some fans quickly occupied the top comment spots to prevent comments from less tactful fans from being seen and used as leverage by others.
Moreover, the first season of "Blood Mist" had already ended and dropped off the new drama rankings, so the promotional effect of "Extreme Joy" was only reflected on the recently concluded drama charts.
Fortunately, Yin Chengjue had already prepared various related merchandise and set the time for the signing event.
Because the artists of the "Blood Mist" main cast were signed to different companies and had different schedule availabilities, this signing event only managed to gather four members of the main cast, making five people including Rong Yu.
When the upper management of the Yin Group saw Yin Chengjue making huge profits here, while Huansheng Entertainment's accounts showed no movement, they investigated in confusion. Only then did they discover that Yin Chengjue had initially invested in "Blood Mist" in his own name and hadn't used Huansheng's name at all. This meant that the Yin Group executives who held shares in Huansheng Entertainment couldn't share in any of the profits brought by Blood Mist's explosive popularity.
Seeing the news coverage of the successful signing event, many Yin Group executives who had previously scorned Yin Chengjue for being parachuted into Huansheng grew deeply envious, yet none dared to voice their resentment.
[空降 (kōngjiàng): lit. parachute drop; fig. to be appointed from outside, often to a high position without working up through the ranks].
After all, Old Master Yin was still at the top, and while Yin He had gone on vacation to relax, it couldn't be denied that she held nearly half the shares.
Yin Chengjue had only been working at Huansheng Entertainment, under the Yin Group, for just over a year, but he had clearly fought a good battle. Compared to those incompetent heirs who created chaos or even drove companies into debt after assuming their positions, Yin Chengjue's management abilities appeared particularly remarkable.
With the momentum Yin Chengjue was showing, it was estimated that Old Master Yin would soon arrange for him to try handling some affairs at the Yin Group headquarters.
Old Master Yin only had one biological daughter, Yin He, and Yin He now only had Yin Chengjue, this one son. As long as Yin Chengjue had some capability, Old Master Yin would undoubtedly hand the Yin Group over to him. The upper management in the company were all well aware of this.
But the complication lay in the fact that before Old Master Yin and his wife had their daughter Yin He, they had adopted a boy, named Yin Qiushi, who was two years older than Yin He. In terms of seniority, he was Yin Chengjue's uncle.
Yin Qiushi grew up under Old Master Yin's care, taught personally by him. Through constant exposure, he inherited seven-tenths of Old Master Yin's drive and temperament. His abilities were outstanding, and he had long since taken over managing the Yin Group's affairs on Old Master Yin's behalf.
If Feng Chengda hadn't been standing in the way before, Yin Qiushi would likely have already single-handedly supported most of the Yin Group.
Now that Feng Chengda had been forced to leave with nothing and withdraw from the most fiercely contested areas within the Yin Group due to his extramarital affairs, Yin Qiushi seized the opportunity. He took over the problematic operations Feng Chengda had left behind. After dealing with those issues, he then took control of those areas. This effectively made him the person with the most authority within the Yin Group.
To put it more simply: Currently, there was simply no place for Yin Chengjue to insert himself into the Yin Group headquarters. Even if he could force his way in, he would have no real power.
If one really calculated it, if Yin Chengjue continued to manage that small plot of land which was Huansheng Entertainment, and managed it well, the profits he could gain would far exceed those from squeezing into the Yin Group headquarters where there was no place for him, and he would have much more freedom.
This was something Yin Chengjue was actually well aware of himself.
That was why he would rather start a new company from scratch, starting over from the beginning, than squeeze into that dreadful place which was the Yin Group headquarters.
Of course, in Yin Chengjue's view, rather than spending all day thinking about how to inherit the empire Old Master Yin built, it was better to take one solid step at a time and earnestly carve out his own world.
The step at hand was to perfectly execute this signing event, giving fans and idols a chance to interact.
At the same time, safety had to be guaranteed.
Because this was something Yin Chengjue had planned in advance, the venue booking and setup, the queuing and photo opportunities for the fans, were all supervised throughout by assigned personnel. There were also senior fans volunteering to help organize and maintain order.
Therefore, even though nearly ten thousand fans came to the scene, everything was orderly, without fighting or pushing, and there were no scenes of excessive screaming or jostling.
To ensure nothing went wrong, Yin Chengjue had also hired a group of tall, burly security guards. Each one was broad-shouldered and thick-waisted, and just standing there made people unconsciously restrain their excitement and queue up obediently.
To prevent any fans with poor stamina from being unable to endure standing for long, several ambulances were parked on site, clearly visible to the fans, which made them feel more at ease.
Seeing the so well-arranged venue, everyone also unconsciously restrained themselves, wanting their idols to see their best side.
Yin Chengjue had also set up over twenty beverage stalls at the venue. Fans who finished getting signatures could go to the stalls to get a tea drink and wait patiently. For every fifty people signed, there would be a group photo with the idol, then they would join a group chat where they could get the pictures later.
Originally, there was a mid-event break scheduled, giving Rong Yu time to stop writing and relax. Unexpectedly, Rong Yu was full of energy. From 7 AM until 12 PM, he maintained a good state throughout, even managing to exchange a few words with every fan who came up.
Seeing that there were simply too many people, Rong Yu directly asked Assistant Yang to order fast food. Using a loudspeaker, he informed the fans that he wouldn't take a break, intending to sign while eating. Fans who didn't mind seeing him eat could continue queuing up, while those who minded could go rest first.
The fans in the queue laughed together, unanimously expressing that they did not mind. Then, each person took out the bread and milk they had prepared in advance. Some fans even directly produced lunch boxes they had packed that morning. They ate while standing in line, and Rong Yu also continued signing autographs while he ate.
Thus, the group photos taken during the noon period all featured a bunch of fans and Rong Yu holding food together.
Rong Yu didn't eat as unrestrainedly outside as he did at home. Although his cheeks were still stuffed full, his movements were quite elegant, and he was also very careful about cleanliness, not letting food touch the fans' items.
Some fans standing close by recorded Rong Yu eating and posted it on Douyin, quickly garnering countless likes. The comments section was filled with laughter, many firmly believing Rong Yu must have been a hamster in a past life.
What is an idol image?
When confronted with food, such a concept simply doesn't exist.
Some of the female fans in line started touching up their makeup after eating, but Rong Yu didn't need to at all. He only wore light makeup to brighten his complexion slightly; the color of his lips was naturally bright red, so he didn't need lipstick at all.
After a full day of signing, much of the makeup had worn off. It was light makeup to begin with, so after a long time, it was equivalent to being bare-faced.
Seeing Rong Yu like this up close, many fans became even more convinced that his good looks weren't due to filters, strengthening their resolve to continue supporting him.
"Thank you all very much for coming here to support our signing event. After 'Blood Mist,' we will be moving into other dramas. If there are any you like, please give them your support." As the signing event neared its end, Rong Yu took the microphone and, together with the "Blood Mist" main cast members who had come, bowed deeply to the fans.
The fans erupted into warm applause.
"The day after tomorrow, I will be joining a new crew. This time, it's a role in a supernatural film, another different experience. Please look forward to the official announcement first."
The other "Blood Mist" main cast members also used this opportunity to promote the new dramas they were taking on. This signing event could be considered a complete success.
As if responding to Rong Yu's words, that very evening, the "Ghost Traces" official Weibo account was successfully registered and released a picture of a back view wearing red clothing.
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