When will I be the queen

Chapter 465 Support
The immortal lord didn't elaborate on these matters. Cai Cai knew the extent to which celebrities could be commercialized, so having a general idea was enough.

"So even if these male supporting actors don't want to create hype, their companies won't let the opportunity pass. But you don't need to worry about them dragging you into creating hype. I've already made that point in the contract. Their people are all too new and have weak foundations, so they wouldn't dare to breach the contract."

The Immortal Lord knew what Cai Cai was thinking. "If the audience insists on shipping them, the company will step in. But I don't think the audience will be able to get into it."

Cai Cai didn't understand, "Why? I have so many couples!!" In the Single Empire, she had many couples.

The immortal sage laughed, "You said it yourself, it's all in the drama, and they're all your character's romantic partners, not you in real life. Whether it's your fans or ordinary viewers, they all agree that no one is good enough for you." Think about it, the company was worried that Cai Cai would be paired up with all sorts of characters, but in the end, the audience couldn't get into it. It's just that Cai Cai is too perfect; the audience doesn't want to pair her up with anyone.

More importantly, Cai Cai can carry a drama series on her own. This is the main reason why she has become the unique leading figure among the new generation. In her generation, whether adults or minors, she is the only one who can independently manage a project. As long as she is there, the project will succeed and there will be no worries about sales. This ability to independently carry a drama series, whether from the perspective of the actor's own ability or market commercial value, is unique to Cai Cai.

The Immortal Lord didn't want to discuss this further. Cai Cai herself hadn't realized it, and Mei Zhang hadn't mentioned it, so it was even less appropriate for him to say it. He wasn't afraid Cai Cai would become arrogant, but rather that she might feel he was calculating against her.
Having known each other for so many years, while we wouldn't say we know each other intimately, we do know each other fairly well. Besides, Cai Cai is a very simple person; her thoughts are written all over her face. When discussing things with him, her face would often reveal things like, "Your damned assets!" or "As expected of you!"—not exactly positive praise. In short, probably because his first impression of Cai Cai wasn't very positive, he's had little hope for anything positive from her over the years.
Not bad.

Completely unaware of what the Immortal Lord was thinking, Cai Cai couldn't stop laughing. Was he praising her? It was rare for the Immortal Lord to be so sweet-talking.

Okay. Actually, Cai Cai isn't that opposed to creating a romantic pairing, it's all work, but after listening to what Xianjun said, it feels like the world of creating romantic pairings is too complicated. She's just a small-time actress, she should stick to acting.

At that moment, Gu Sheng handed over a tablet. "The picture is there."

Cai Cai looked over and saw an aerial view of a street and cars. Just as she was about to ask, she saw a large number of support groups and fan groups on the roadside, with flowers, colorful flags, banners, balloons, and everything else.

"What? This is a live stream? It started right here?"

The immortal reminded Cai Cai, "Hua Mei started yesterday, and the live stream has actually never stopped."

Cai Cai then remembered that the Huamei event was a two-day event. Yesterday's event involved online celebrities and social media influencers, and even in the early hours of the morning, there were many foreign influencers participating, taking advantage of the time difference in other countries. However, due to copyright and content restrictions, yesterday's Huamei event wouldn't be broadcast on television, but it would be broadcast live on television today, and a full version would be available later.

As the live stream feed switched between more and more camera angles, it was clear that there were several cameras positioned both above and below the ground, both indoors and outdoors.

That's a really big deal.

Cai Cai exclaimed, "It truly lives up to its reputation as a global event!"

The immortal showed Cai Cai the support she had made for her from the vegetable garden.

In the early days, whether it was a grand event or other ceremonies, fans would scramble for support areas. Amidst the chaos of obsessive fans and various marketing tactics, it was common to waste money and be scammed. The safety issues arising from these conflicts were the most critical, making headlines countless times and causing a very negative impact. Later, the clandestine dealings between artists and fans had to be brought into the open. Artists would step in to arrange support activities and handle safety, essentially demonstrating responsibility to fans and society on the surface. However, who was truly responsible behind the scenes, especially regarding the money, remains uncertain.

Because money is the most direct form of love. Celebrities certainly don't lack money, and the money fans spend may not necessarily end up in the artists' hands, but the relationship maintained through spending money is the purest, strongest, and longest-lasting between artists and fans. Therefore, whether from a profit or emotional perspective, artists need fans to spend money on them.

And fans' love is often irrational, unreasonable, and easily gets them carried away.

Looking at the overwhelming pink support banners in the picture, Cai Cai really felt unworthy.
"What have I done to deserve this?" Cai Cai blushed. She was just an ordinary person, with many flaws, but in the eyes of her fans, she seemed like a goddess.
The large banners bore her name, the titles of her works and characters, and messages of blessing. Low-hanging balloon banners featured full-body images of her, mostly in character, along with various well wishes. Other banners and streamers were so densely packed that the text was illegible. Behind them was a large flower wall, also displaying full-body images of her.

Mei Zhang then informed Cai Cai about the support activities at the vegetable garden. They covered all the expenses, but the fans likely still paid out of pocket because the actual support effect was more extensive than they had planned. "I've already asked in the group chat, and I'll summarize all the expenses later." This was because Cai Cai had seen the information, and he felt compelled to clarify things with her. In fact, Cai Cai didn't know much about many of the support activities; he only gave her a general overview, and he handled all the coordination.

It wasn't that I didn't want Cai Cai to know, but I was afraid of adding to her burden. For example, right now, Cai Cai was clearly getting nervous. She felt unworthy.

The Immortal Lord understood this feeling all too well. He too had experienced this self-doubt long ago. Back then, he was just a teenager, possessing only a handsome face and a privileged background. He tried hard to demonstrate his acting skills, to appear professional and mature, but deep down, he was terrified of being an actor. He couldn't even understand his own performances; the praise around him seemed like a trap, a mind-altering drug. He was clearly a very confident, even arrogant, person, but when faced with fans loudly proclaiming their love for him, he only felt absurdity—towards himself and towards his fans. What did he have that his fans liked back then?

Neither he nor Cai Cai are people who doubt themselves. Yet, when it comes to fans, they are particularly prone to self-doubt. It's just that the love fans give is inexplicable and uncontrollable.

Compared to Cai Cai's self-doubt tinged with emotion, his self-doubt at that time was more about questioning the love from strangers. He knew what kind of emotional journey Cai Cai would go through, but he himself had indeed gone through a very complicated and arduous emotional process to get to where he is today, able to face his fans with a bit more peace.

In his early years, the Immortal Lord couldn't understand it, but after reading many analyses, he barely grasped it. Projection, reset, longing, admiration for strength, expectation, disappointment, coercion, and so on—in short, complex and difficult to control. Difficult to control yet easy to manipulate, he still had to be responsible for them, countless unfamiliar responsibilities. In the Immortal Lord's life, there were few things beyond his control, and few burdens outside of himself; fans had always been his greatest worry. A great worry, yet also a great love, heavy yet encompassing.

The Immortal Lord has been making great efforts to maintain peaceful relations with his fan base and the Celestial Court. The Celestial Court is also sensitive and intelligent, and knows his bottom line. Therefore, he has become much more at peace with them. However, Cai Cai is clearly still in the early stages of connecting with her fan base and hasn't yet found a way to maintain peaceful relations with them.

This is partly due to Mei Zhang's continued isolation of Cai Cai, and partly due to Cai Cai's own lack of interest.

Cai Cai's lack of concern isn't about not caring about her fans; it's that she has absolutely no intention of cultivating or managing her fanbase. She offers neither positive nor other forms of guidance. Even she herself tried to manage her fanbase early on. Back then, lacking experience, she followed the company's data-driven approach to fan management, resulting in major mishaps. Several of the major fan leaders in the Celestial Court who are either invisible or act outrageously are products of those early missteps.

The immortal told Cai Cai, "There are experiences to share about everything in this world, but when it comes to fans, all those experiences are nonsense."

Because fan groups are truly uncontrollable!!! You can't try to control them just because they love you!!!

So when Mei Zhang asked Cai Cai if she wanted to get off at the support position, even though he understood Cai Cai's anxiety and helplessness, the Immortal Lord couldn't help her.

"I have no experience in dealing with fans to pass on. I certainly don't want you to repeat the mistakes I made, but when it comes to dealing with fans, my pitfalls might not be yours. What works for others might not work for you. As I've mentioned before, you'll probably only know how to handle fan issues after you've made your own mistakes."

"..." Cai Cai glared, "Why are you cursing me!"
Looking at the sea of ​​purple support banners on the screen, Xianjun sighed deeply. He hadn't dared to interact directly with fans for many years, afraid of further provoking them. If it weren't for the fear of a fan riot, he wouldn't even want a support spot. He wouldn't have gotten off the bus. He had never gotten off the bus.

When people on the internet list celebrities who are least pandering to fans and least likely to flaunt their fandom, he consistently tops the list.

After Cai Cai learned that the Immortal Lord wouldn't get off the vehicle, Mei Zhang said that she didn't have to get off either.

But many artists, especially top-tier artists, will eventually leave the industry.

This is a closed section of road specifically designated for fan support activities; further in is the open-air red carpet. Celebrities will get out of their cars at their designated support areas to take photos and sign autographs with fans, engaging in other interactive activities. This is a standard procedure at many celebratory events.

However, since some support positions are close to the red carpet while others are quite far away, and the outfits celebrities wear on the red carpet aren't exactly formal walking styles, those with far-away support positions would simply open their car windows to interact with the celebrities. After all, the distance to the support position is a direct reflection of a celebrity's status.

It's not simply a matter of having money to secure a prime spot for an artist. The organizers tier the invited artists, with top-tier and currently popular artists occupying the very front row, where the closest support positions are reserved. Then, the order is determined by the artist's status and overall performance. If an artist doesn't arrange fan support, they are moved down the queue. This is because some artists' fan groups genuinely cannot organize support activities. Therefore, the power dynamics in the entertainment industry are everywhere. If you don't participate, you won't get a front-row center position, and neither will your fans.

What a vicious market!

To put it artistically, this difference in distance is something many artists can never shorten in their entire lives.

Of course, this is also when celebrities resort to all sorts of tricks. Some celebrities are willing to get out of the car to interact with fans and then walk a long way, manipulating their image while simultaneously creating a persona, followed by a barrage of press releases. Some celebrities don't feel ashamed at all after interacting with fans and then getting back in the car; they appear completely open and honest, yet their press releases are always vying for top attention. But most celebrities, for the sake of their self-positioning and persona, to maintain the illusion of being popular, won't get out of the car, won't open the window, and won't interact, pretending they're in a hurry. In short, there are more tricks than fan support. How can this not be considered a two-way street?

In other words, there are various ways to deal with whether you get off the bus or not.

Cai Cai looked at Xian Jun and said, "You spilled your food, didn't you? You've always been waving to your fans, haven't you?" She even teased her for being lazy when waving.
Xianjun wasn't surprised that Cai Cai even counted waving as part of her fan service. In her mind, responding to fans was considered doing business. "I'm an artist, how could I not greet them?" She just didn't do any marketing. "Artists like to market to their fans, it's also a way to attract fans. Some people like or even pursue the emotional value that artists provide."

Oh. After Cai Cai was given a bunch of information about things like fan support, getting off the bus, and food offerings, she didn't feel any pressure anymore.

"I'm getting out of the car. My main concern is that this might be some kind of business activity to stimulate fan spending. If it's just interacting with fans, that's fine." She patted Xianjun on the shoulder. "You're already a successful veteran artist. You have the confidence to stay in the car, but I don't." Xianjun only cooperates with promotional activities when there are projects or promotional periods. Otherwise, well, she's like a fairy. She doesn't have that ability. Whenever she's doing Cai Cai's work, she has to be in a promotional state.

The immortal didn't mention that this was actually a form of fan economy activity. After all, compared to other artists who built their fan bases, Cai Cai, while not exactly losing money, hadn't actively created any fan economy activities. There are tons of artists in the industry who make money from their fan groups, and many have failed miserably. But this kind of money comes easily, and people practically beg for it, so even though the risks are significant, many artists are still reluctant to give up this fortune.

Cai Cai then asked her what she was going to do after getting off the bus.

Mei Zhang said, "Do whatever you want, just be careful." Cai Cai looked at Xian Jun, who said the same thing. They didn't want to find videos of other celebrities for her to look at as examples. Because Cai Cai should just be herself; that's best.

The cheers grew louder and louder as the car entered the support area. Even fans of other artists were excited to know that it was Cai Cai and Xian Jun's car.

Cai Cai then remembered to ask, "Are we going to walk the red carpet together?"

The Immortal Lord nodded, "The project is officially entering its promotional period." He hadn't originally planned it, but the project team contacted him and asked a question. The Immortal Lord also wanted to take care of Cai Cai, so he agreed. Hua Mei actually wanted them to go separately.

The car slowed down, and just in time, the red carpet was being cleared on the live stream. Two new hosts had been introduced, both of higher caliber than the previous ones.

The cheers grew louder and louder. Cai Cai looked through the glass at the crowd who could only see the car but were still shouting and waving. After thinking for a moment, she told Xianjun that she wanted to lower the window.

The immortal lord had no objection and indicated that he would cooperate.

Then, the car windows on both sides rolled down one after the other.

Cai Cai waved her hand while looking at the support banners for other celebrities. There were so many flags and banners, in so many colors, that she couldn't tell if they belonged to male or female celebrities. They were all celebrities she didn't recognize, and their names on the flags made them even less recognizable. After looking at one banner, she looked at Xianjun's banner, but still didn't recognize any of them.

The cameras followed and filmed from both sides, and the viewers in the live stream were initially very excited, finally able to see Cai Cai and Xian Jun.

Then I noticed that Cai Cai was looking at other people's support activities.

Stop looking, none of them are as magnificent as yours.

[The support from the Celestial Court is magnificent, right across from the vegetable garden!]

The support from the Celestial Court's Cold Palace is always grand, but unfortunately, the master doesn't even glance at it.

Cai Cai is getting prettier and prettier.

[Hahaha, the first person in the Chinese entertainment industry who doesn't pander to fans]

[The support for those in the Cold Palace is truly a waste of time and energy.]

Cai Cai is so beautiful!

I admire these crazy concubines in the cold palace. They've never been seen by their masters, yet they never miss a chance to show their support.

[Idols who are not popular or who fawn over their fans love to check in and show their support, but the immortal lord doesn't need it.]

[You're talking like you've never made money from fans. If you're so capable, why don't you get published in a single magazine?]

Whose mad dog was left unchecked?

Whose mad dog was left unchecked?

Whose mad dog was left unchecked?

The comments section got increasingly nasty, and the Celestial Court started spamming the chat. Meanwhile, Cai Cai silently watched from the shadows, observing the spectacle.

Cai Cai was still dressed as a princess. Cheng Meixia planned to cement this style onto Cai Cai, making her the only one who could pull off the princess look, to the point that no one else would look good in it. Being able to wear a style to its extreme isn't just about being in your comfort zone; it's about dominating it.

The headband was in the style of a gold tiara, with a gold chain woven into a loosely styled updo, subtly adorned with red crystals that shimmered along with the hair's luster. Besides the tiara, she wore a pair of long, floral-shaped gold earrings that dangled from her fair, rosy neck, swaying with her movements, seemingly about to fall, exuding a noble and graceful air. These earrings echoed the gold chain rings on her left and right hands, appearing to be a set, but were actually from different brands.

Amidst the screams of the fans, the car stopped in front of the support area. The car door opened, and Mei Zhang and his bodyguards got out first, taking their positions before he helped Cai Cai out of the car.

Cai Cai was wearing red Mary Jane chunky heels. Mei Zhang waited until both of her feet were on the ground before helping her stand up. Zhou Qing and Fang Qiao came over to straighten her dress, and Xian Jun handed her a red fur shawl from inside the car.

The dress was a wide-strapped, sleeveless, full-skirted ball gown with straight necklines in the front and back, revealing her beautiful, fair back. The outermost layer of the bodice and skirt was made of pearlescent, silky red satin, with a stiff waist and no visible seams, appearing seamless. But as Cai Cai moved, the skirt seemed to split open, layers of wispy tulle bursting open, revealing shades of red, mixed with white and several shades of pink, sweet and alluring.