Caught in Affairs with Superstar

Chapter 626 - 459: A Beautiful Life

In today’s market, especially among the youth, people prefer seeing "genuine emotions" over the goodness and justice displayed by characters in films and TV shows.

They may not think "throwing a tantrum" is a good thing, but they are already fed up with "compromising."

They may not like "bitches and jerks," but "kind Holy Mothers" have become unbearable for them.

This is an era of being true to oneself, which means breaking stereotypes and no longer pursuing the perfection expected by the masses.

Reflected in dramas, traditional protagonists who embody truth, kindness, and beauty, and who always compromise for the greater good, are no longer popular. Instead, characters who are not easily provoked, have distinct personalities, and can be both dominant and charming are more appreciated.

Xu Siyao’s supporting character is gradually surpassing Zhou Yun in terms of audience reputation.

Zhou Lan noticed this and realized early on that it could be a potential crisis.

If Xu Siyao gains better audience reception than Zhou Yun in this drama, she will have the capital to stir trouble again. She can boldly climb higher, stepping on Zhou Yun’s shoulders.

Zhou Lan certainly does not want to see that happen, so she immediately called a meeting with her team to brainstorm solutions.

"Xiao Yun’s character undergoes a transformation, but initially, she does appear quite submissive, especially when she’s bullied by Xu Siyao. Even I found it annoying."

"Then we release some rumors early and create a topic: looking forward to how Zhou Yun will deal with the green-tea bitch later?"

"We should wait to launch that topic until the relevant episodes are aired. Doing it now is meaningless and might create a disconnect," Zhou Lan shook her head, rejecting the proposal, "If people see this topic and then think of Zhou Yun’s performance in the drama, they will be even more annoyed by her character. It could directly lead people to question her judgement in choosing roles."

"Should we dig up some dirt on Xu Siyao herself?"

"She has plenty of scandals already."

"Maybe we can remind the audience of Xu Siyao’s previous image along with her character in the drama. Everyone knows the actions of the character are fictional, so even if it’s bad, it’s not real. But Xu Siyao has done quite a few bad things in reality. For example, we could suggest that Xu Siyao is merely playing herself in this role. I believe the mainstream won’t truly love someone who has done so many bad things."

"That idea is okay," Zhou Lan nodded.

"But if we do this, isn’t it like we are launching an attack?" someone asked, "We have never attacked anyone proactively before."

"Our discussion today is based on the premise that Xu Siyao strikes first," Zhou Lan said, "And knowing Xu Siyao, she definitely will. She won’t be able to hold back in such a favorable situation."

...

Dingfengbo’s viewership ratings broke 1 the very next day.

This data astounded everyone in the industry.

In this day and age, there are fewer than ten TV shows a year that achieve a viewership rating over 1.

Dingfengbo, not even broadcast on CCTV, had such an impressive performance. Even knowing that Zhou Yun is a ratings queen, everyone was still shocked.

From Eighth Heartbeat to Heart Inquiry, and now to Dingfengbo, each of Zhou Yun’s web dramas or TV series is capable of ranking among the top few each year.

Such achievements, placed on any actress, are an unprecedented triple smash.

Not to mention her movie Life and the two significant Movie Queen trophies.

At this point, no one questions Zhou Yun’s popularity or her leadership status among the younger generation.

These accomplishments are solidly hers, unrivaled and unchallengeable by anyone.

By now, Zhou Lan has almost received collaboration invitations from all the top international brands.

The higher you stand, the harder you fall, so caution is needed.

Zhou Lan is wary of Xu Siyao, watching her every move closely.

Sure enough, unable to resist the favorable situation, Xu Siyao invested heavily in articles to market her acting skills.

Zhou Lan can tolerate this marketing as long as Xu Siyao doesn’t step on Zhou Yun. If Xu Siyao wants to reap the benefits from this drama, Zhou Lan does not mind.

Zhou Yun’s status is now beyond what Xu Siyao can easily shake.