When will I be the queen

Chapter 464 CP
"..." That's really strong.
Mei Zhang mentioned that there are also awards for the most beautiful scenic area of ​​the year, the most rated tourist attraction of the year, the worst tourist destination of the year, the region with the highest mortality rate of the year, and so on. These awards are all conducted globally, although most of the winners are Chinese. In short, the reason why the Huamei Awards is the world's largest event is truly because there's nothing it dares not to award.

"The outermost circle is for pure audience members, mostly fans, but also some companies and departments that received complimentary tickets. The inner circle is for people from all walks of life who were invited to attend, with the entertainment industry making up the largest portion, a mix of domestic and international attendees. Many won't fill the entire time slot for the event, so there will be replacements. Other industries don't have minimum time requirements, but in the entertainment industry, many well-known artists not only have time slot requirements, but also duration requirements."

Mei Zhang told Cai Cai, "You and Xianjun are required to sit for at least two hours. Any time beyond that will be paid by the minute, with no upper limit. You can sit until the ceremony ends at nine o'clock if you want. However, if you leave after two hours, your seats will be given to other artists. Eight to nine o'clock is also a good time slot, and the best seats are highly sought after by many artists."

When Cai Cai heard that she would be paid by the minute, she was quite tempted. "If it's possible, I'll sit for an extra hour, and I can join in the fun." An extra hour wouldn't make much difference.

Mei Zhang said casually, "It's not a big deal. Logically speaking, six o'clock is indeed prime time, but seven to eight o'clock is not, especially seven to seven-thirty. Most TV stations will broadcast the news, and only a few entertainment platforms will broadcast 'Hua Mei'. Although online platforms are not affected, there are still so many fewer TV stations. So if you want the prime time of six o'clock, you have to be in your seat until eight o'clock."

There's also the red carpet time. "12 o'clock is also prime time, but it falls in the middle of the day, so there will definitely be people who are busy eating or taking a nap. Arranging for you to walk the red carpet during this time is also to boost the ratings." Anyway, "generally, the most popular and hottest artists walk the red carpet between 11 o'clock and 1 o'clock."

Cai Cai doesn't think there's anything wrong with this. "Capital always uses people this way, making the most of everything. The most obvious example is those celebrities on variety shows. Do they really want to go shopping after a long flight? Do they really want to be woken up in the middle of the night? Do they really want to appear on camera without makeup and looking unkempt? Would they want to eat those strange and unusual foods? Capital has paid for it."

"During filming, does the director not know that even props hurt when they hit you? Does the director not notice that some actors were actually hit in the face without any camera tricks? Does the director not know how uncomfortable it is to be suspended by wires? The director knows all of this, but as long as it looks good on screen, the director can pretend not to know."

Cai Cai often hears celebrities convincing themselves they've earned so much money, and audiences echo this sentiment. But if making money were so easy, no one would tolerate this kind of situation. That's why there are all sorts of commercials, appearances, and endorsements. Capitalists understand that they need to give big stars opportunities to make money easily.

However, "If you want to make money easily, you won't become a big star." The greater the fame, the easier it is to make money, but the greater the risks that come with it. "So there is no such thing as a perfect thing in the world. No one can have it all."

Cheng Meixia then spoke up, "And you can find a rich man. Male celebrities can find wealthy female celebrities, and female celebrities can find wealthy male celebrities. They can easily make money, it won't affect their fame, and there's not much risk involved."

Cai Cai laughed, and Mei Zhang laughed too. "You're in the industry now, how can you be so naive? In that industry, marriage is the riskiest thing for anyone. Think about it, there will be someone who has no blood relation to you, but has guardianship, inheritance rights, and the right to have your reproductive ability. They will also have guardianship and inheritance rights over your children. If this person is a good one, it's fine, but if this person is even slightly bad, you'll suffer more than you'll get a divorce."

Cheng Meixia retorted, "But marriage is indeed the easiest way to acquire wealth. As for risks, don't other ways to make money also carry risks? Many are even illegal."

Zhou Qing looked at her and asked, "You're not thinking of getting married, are you?"

Cheng Meixia glared, "Am I crazy? Dressing up Cai Cai is my lifelong pursuit and everything!! Let those who want to get married handle marriage."

"Then why do you talk like you're desperate to get married?"

Cheng Meixia shrugged. "I don't need to say anything, you'll all find out in a few days. There's already been a leak. I have a former classmate from art school who works as a stylist in the industry. She married a male celebrity, and it was a shotgun wedding." She then mentioned the male celebrity's name. Everyone except Cai Cai knew him because he was quite famous, under forty, and had never married. In his youth, he followed the idol route and was a very talented young actor. Now, he has a good standing in the industry, sometimes a top-tier actor, sometimes a second-tier one.

After Cai Cai learned about this person, she was just as surprised as everyone else because this male celebrity was constantly creating on-screen couple pairings with various male celebrities of the same age. He'd create these pairings with every drama he filmed, and even off-screen, even though every drama had a female lead, his on-screen partner was always a supporting male character. He was the kind of person who easily created on-screen couple pairings with male celebrities; it had a very "contacts-book" vibe.

There are quite a few male celebrities of this type in the industry, most of whom have a submissive appearance. Fans who ship them as couples often portray them as irresistible, the kind of persona that attracts and adores all the male celebrities they work with. If someone can truly capitalize on this "bromance" trend, they can skyrocket to fame. This particular male celebrity's rise to stardom was due to his on-screen couple with the second male lead in a drama becoming a sensation, even winning a prestigious "Couple of the Year" award. The two were portrayed as close friends, and they happily accepted the award together, giving their acceptance speeches, which ignited the CP (couple) fandom and propelled them into the mainstream. Afterwards, they toured the world together, earning a considerable amount of money. They later went on to start their own companies and pursue solo careers.

"He's been passively profiting from the 'bromance' image for years. Outsiders can see he wants to break free of it, but he hasn't succeeded. This time, he's probably going to go all out," Cheng Meixia said, expressing pessimism. "He's really benefited too much from it, for over twenty years. Outsiders all think he's the one. Now that he's middle-aged, he wants to change his image, but it won't be easy. His fans won't let him off the hook. He doesn't want to spit out what he's taken in; he just wants to watch others do it. He doesn't feel disgusted, but others do.

Ugh, that's a really disgusting way to describe it.

"Many celebrities in the industry who engage in CP (couple pairing) have failed because of their attempts to break up the CP and purify their fan base. The most serious cases are BL (Boys' Love) CPs." Fang Qiao felt that these people deserved it. "When they're profiting from the hype, they don't think about the consequences. When they want to change their image, they betray their fans. They're so naive. So many male celebrities have acted in films and TV series with gay themes in the past, and they can still play tough guys and devoted men who are deeply in love with the female lead. Besides their good acting skills, it's because they take acting seriously and don't engage in hype."

Zhou Qing thinks it's normal for celebrities to do this. "They're all just trying to climb the ladder. If there's a shortcut, why wouldn't they try their best? They might find the path blocked, or they might have already discovered it, but since they haven't reached the end, there's no other way to continue climbing, so they have to find another path. As long as there's no messy stuff going on, I think it's fine. CP fans are easily swayed, but they're also easily swayed. There will be a constant stream of CPs being created in the industry; when one is gone, another one comes along."

Cai Cai thought it made sense.

Mei Zhang also felt that the male celebrity's actions were too drastic. "Releasing news of marriage and shotgun wedding at the same time is considered a black mark. But marriage itself isn't a big problem; with good PR, it can even upset fans. However, shotgun weddings, unless there's a very good PR strategy, are unlikely to succeed."

Cheng Meixia only said, "My classmate was very happy. She posted a lot of wedding photos on her WeChat Moments and invited almost all of our classmates to the wedding. We have a good relationship and are both in the same industry, so she shared her and her husband's wedding photos, the diamond ring, the car, the house, and even the nanny's monthly salary with me privately."

Uh, the group was a bit speechless. Mei Zhang complained, "Is she showing off to you? Does she even know you work for Cai Cai?" Cheng Meixia then burst out laughing, "Hahaha, she doesn't know! She always thought I was with some nobody, flying all over the world, and that I was a female celebrity. She thought I couldn't marry a big star like her. So I just posted a photo of myself and Cai Cai to tell her I was with Cai Cai! Hahaha, and she just stopped talking to me!!"

"She really doesn't pay attention to you."

Cai Cai's stylist is Cheng Meixia, which is known to many people in and outside the industry; it's easy to find out with a little inquiry. Yet, even fellow industry insiders and classmates didn't know.
Cheng Meixia sighed, "We were classmates at the Academy of Fine Arts. Later, I went abroad to study and entered the fashion industry. She was a minor internet celebrity when she was in school. After graduation, she signed with a company and entered the industry, her persona being that of a beautiful painter. After I became a stylist, I found out that she had also become an agent. We chatted a few times, and a little over a year later, she became a stylist herself. Art students do have an easier time with makeup and styling. But she... it's not that she doesn't pay attention to me, it's that she doesn't pay attention to anyone except herself. I think she went through a lot to go from internet celebrity to agent to stylist."

In front of Cai Cai, Cheng Meixia didn't want to say anything too harsh. But her classmate was truly a very goal-oriented person; from the very beginning, her goal in becoming an internet celebrity was probably to marry a star. Getting both money and satisfying her vanity would be a huge benefit, and that's definitely something this classmate would do.

Mei Zhang and the others understood, but they didn't say anything.

Cai Cai is pondering the character arrangements for "Ninth Princess." The Immortal Lord has written so many male supporting characters; he must also be hoping to capitalize on the BL (Boys' Love) trend. And the participating artists will inevitably be thinking about creating on-screen couples, whether with her or other male artists. Because the audience will definitely ship them. But is it the hype that fuels the audience's desire to ship couples, or is it the audience that fuels the artists' and investors' methods of creating on-screen couples?

The next day, when Cai Cai and the Immortal Lord set off together by car, Cai Cai asked the Immortal Lord this question.

The immortal lord paused for a moment, then said, "Let's encourage each other. The market determines demand, and supply determines direction. But you have to understand that audience preferences are truly uncontrollable. To put it bluntly, it's very mysterious. Often, the official pairings promoted by film and television production companies aren't the pairings that audiences are passionately shipping. And the chemistry between couples is also a very mysterious thing, but as long as the material is decent, it can be created. For example, through appearance and acting skills. However, any artist with decent appearance and acting skills can be paired with anyone by the audience, and it's not necessarily the official pairing."

"The concept of 'CP' (couple pairing) has a synergistic effect, where one plus one equals more than two. It reflects the audience's preferences and projections, hence its inherent high profitability. The advantage is that it's easy to remember, but the disadvantage is that it's difficult to stand out independently. Once a CP is established, both male and female celebrities will be constantly paired up. Whenever they appear on screen, the audience will subconsciously look for someone else in their lives. The range of roles they can play will narrow down. Girlfriend, ex-girlfriend, wife, ex-wife, boyfriend, ex-boyfriend, husband, ex-husband—these will become their deepest role imprints."

This is the most serious issue. Xianjun continued to explain to Cai Cai, "As long as they appear on screen, they can't be single characters. They have to be paired with someone, making them someone's girlfriend or boyfriend, so they can survive." He reminded Cai Cai, "Think about it, how many of these characters are there in the movies and TV shows you've seen? Some actors haven't even played single people or single mothers/fathers."

My goodness
Last night, while listening to Mei Zhang and the others talk about the benefits of being a "CP" (couple) celebrity, Cai Cai thought it was a great thing, or at least a good way to become famous. However, what Xian Jun said was far more specific and terrifying than what Cai Cai had heard about the difficulty of transitioning to a new image.

"Therefore, celebrities who rose to fame by creating on-screen couples will choose to break up these couples as soon as possible, and it's not just a matter of changing their image."

The Immortal Lord nodded. "Transformation, simply put, mainly involves stepping out of your comfort zone and changing your performance style, breaking through yourself both outwardly and inwardly. These are all very personal matters. But breaking up a couple, from beginning to end, involves two or even more people. When working together, one plus one is greater than two, but when separated, two minus one still won't equal one." In addition, "An ensemble cast is also a kind of couple. Breaking up an ensemble cast is more difficult than breaking up a couple."

"The most typical group is the group. Two or more people form a collective, take a name, and become a whole. Newcomers who are not easy to stand out and become popular as solo artists are often grouped together by companies to make it easier to attract fans and let fans pick and choose. Through interaction and hype, the fans are constantly stimulated. When fans are used to being immersed in these stimuli, breaking up the group is equivalent to cutting off the fans' happiness and the source of income for some fans. So even if many groups really disband, they dare not make a public announcement because they cannot bear the consequences."

Seeing that Cai Cai was listening attentively, Xianjun continued to give her examples, "There are also ensemble casts in film and television dramas. The most famous example is Journey to the West, with its four main characters—these are absolutely inseparable. No matter how much a film or television adaptation drastically changes Journey to the West, these four characters are always necessary. Many ensemble dramas are based on some kind of group, such as a school, workplace, family, sect, clan, school of thought, etc. The simplest way to create a romantic pairing in these kinds of dramas is to establish an enemy that most viewers will feel a sense of antagonism towards, such as a Japanese soldier in a war drama, a notorious gangster, a bully in a school, or an unreasonable elder in a family who favors sons over daughters. After the drama ends, the actors collectively promote their personal relationship by doing a group variety show, which is to appease the audience and also to make the actors more familiar to everyone."

The immortal lord seized the opportunity to remind Cai Cai, "Your underage team was initially created by someone else. If Jarvis hadn't been protecting you, the one who got engaged and pregnant would have been the one to break up the group. You saved her too, otherwise..."

Cai Cai took a moment to realize what was going on.

Oh, right. Because of the airing of "Empire," their public image has always been that of an underage squad. Jarvis always makes her the spokesperson for the underage squad because she's the only one who's actually still a minor. The focus of the publicity has always been on her. So even though Lily and the others are adults now, nobody says anything, and the media is quite friendly.

"I always thought Jarvis favored me and was deliberately letting me talk more. I never expected him to be this biased towards me." Cai Cai was quite emotional. "Actually, there was a suggestion to let Lily and Sara talk more, but Jarvis rejected it. Now, according to the rules of creating a CP (couple pairing) relationship, Sara is considered a traitor, right?"

The Immortal Lord replied, "What do you think? If he really favored you, he shouldn't have agreed to create that underage squad as a publicity stunt. The Empire isn't a children's play." The Immortal Lord was still quite resentful about this when he received the news; it was too late to stop him.

Cai Cai sensed the Immortal Lord's displeasure and asked the Ninth Princess about the project, "With so many male supporting characters, we'll definitely have to create some CP pairings, right?"

The immortal nodded. "Now it's not that projects are forced to create couples; it's that viewers will spontaneously ship and promote couples. People in the industry have become shrewd. Except for the official couples, who are more proactive, some projects don't even actively promote them. They just wait for the audience to start shipping couples spontaneously. Whichever couple has the best data, is easiest to manipulate, best for monetization, and can maximize profits, they will promote that one according to the audience's wishes. So you see many popular couples online; initially, it was indeed the audience who shipped them, but later, it was all deliberately managed by the companies."

Cai Cai asked curiously, "How does it operate?"

"It's all about constantly providing stimulation. The artists don't even need to do anything. They just create a few fan accounts lurking in the fandom to hurl insults. Once the fighting starts, the buzz and the data will rise. From beginning to end, the artists are everywhere, but they actually have nothing to do with the artists. Some companies will sell the artists' CP (couple pairing) resources separately to PR and management companies, and also to various social media platforms. Those who buy these CP resources will occasionally create some trouble to stimulate the fandom and the fans, all for the sake of buzz and money."