China Entertainment's whatever you want

As time went by, although the scandal involving Gu Wei and Liu Yifei was still brewing, its popularity gradually subsided.

That's how the entertainment industry is; no matter how famous or high your status is, you can't always dominate the spotlight.

Even the most sensational news will only be seen by most passersby, who will be surprised for a moment, discuss it briefly, and then go about their business as usual, likely ignoring it the next day.

In particular, in the following days, Gu Wei and Liu Yifei began to promote the drama "Go to the Windy Place" together, which made netizens believe that the so-called dating and romance were just a publicity stunt.

In the week leading up to the TV series' release, television stations, video websites, and production companies joined forces, releasing a deluge of press releases that made "Youfeng" increasingly famous.

On average, dozens of marketing topics related to "wind" appear on platforms such as Douyin and Weibo every day.

Although the TV series has not yet been released, various trailers have already whetted the audience's appetite.

#The pilot episode of "Go to a Windy Place" is sure to satisfy#
#Xie Zhiyao and Xu Hongdou's kissing scene#
#Gu Wei is so good at kissing!#
#Watching the behind-the-scenes footage of "Going to a Windy Place" made me hungry#
#Gu Wei and Liu Yifei's kissing scene in a windy place#
#Latest stills from the drama "Where the Wind Blows"#
#Sweet behind-the-scenes footage of Liu Yifei and Gu Wei clapping hands#
#Gu Wei invites you to see the windy place together#
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Every day, at least dozens of topics related to the TV series trend on social media, and many behind-the-scenes clips take turns topping the Douyin entertainment chart and Weibo's trending list.

The show is being broadcast simultaneously on Tencent and Mango TV platforms, and the number of pre-orders on these platforms has exceeded 500 million.

On January 1, 2023, [Go to the Windy Place] released a set of New Year's Day posters.

On January 2nd, a full lineup poster was released, revealing a panoramic view of Yunmiao Village.

On January 3, a drama-watching calendar was released.

"Great! The video platform released 6 episodes on the first day."

I'm definitely going to stay up all night to watch all six episodes tonight!

"Big sister, aren't you going to school tomorrow?"
It starts airing at 8 PM today; I won't finish watching all six episodes until late at night.

In a family home in Beijing, two girls who looked about sixteen or seventeen years old were chatting together.

The two were dressed in pink and light yellow loungewear respectively. One was lying on the bed in the bedroom scrolling through her phone, while the other was sitting next to her looking at her computer.

"I can't worry about that."

I've been looking forward to Gu Wei's drama ever since filming started, and now that it's finally airing, I'm definitely going to watch all the episodes at once!

The girl, who was lying on the bed playing on her phone, glanced at her childhood friend and asked, "Do you have a website membership?"

This question made the girl in the pink dress, who was looking at the computer, pause.

She knew the show was being broadcast on both Tencent Video and Mango TV, but unfortunately she didn't have a membership to either of those platforms.

She had just spent all her allowance from last month a few days ago, and her parents hadn't given her any for this month.

"You don't need a membership, but you can watch TV. The first two episodes will air, and you won't have to stay up late," the girl in yellow on the bed teased, noticing her childhood friend's predicament.

The girl in pink thought for a moment, then her eyes darted around before she pounced onto the bed.

"Hey Dandan, I remember you have a Tencent Video membership, lend it to me, let's watch it together!"

According to the online broadcast schedule released by the production team, "Go to the Windy Place" will premiere with 2 episodes on Hunan TV, with 2 episodes airing every day from Monday to Thursday, and 1 episode airing every day on Friday and Saturday.

On the video platform, members can watch the first 6 episodes, while other broadcast rules remain unchanged.

As a result, the video subscription service consistently aired 4 episodes ahead of the television broadcast.

As a loyal fan of Gu Wei, no one can resist the temptation to watch four more episodes and know the plot in advance.

"You're so heavy, get off me!"

"Lend it to me, lend it to me, please, Dandan!"

"Take it, take it!"

"Haha, Muah!"

Seeing that her childhood friend agreed, the girl in pink happily kissed him on the cheek.

"Ugh, you stinky Mai, you repay kindness with enmity, you've got my face covered in your saliva!"

"Hehe, by the way, Dandan, why don't you stay at my house tonight?"

Let's go together.

You can still wake me up tomorrow morning.

The two girls are childhood friends, having grown up together since they were little. They not only live across the street from each other but are also in the same class, and their relationship is no different from that of sisters.

"I don't want to. You watch the show; I want to go to bed early."

"Didn't you used to really like Gu Wei's movies and TV series?"

We watched "Go Go Squid!" and "Joy of Life" together.

Let's watch this episode of "Go to the Windy Place" together.

Okay, okay?

The girl in yellow couldn't resist her childhood friend's persistent nagging in the end and shook her head helplessly.

"I'm scared of you. I'll go home and tell my mom later."

"Dandan is the best!"

Mai Mai raised her hands and cheered, then snuggled up to her best friend.

Soon, it was 7:30 PM.

Two young girls sat in front of the computer, half an hour before the broadcast of "Go to the Windy Place".

However, today there was an event with the lead actors present. In the live broadcast room, Gu Wei and Liu Yifei appeared on screen and were answering some questions from the host.

"Wow, Gu Wei is so handsome! He truly is my idol!"

Mai Mai is a huge fan of Gu Wei, and she got excited when she saw her idol appear on the computer screen.

"Fangirl~"

Dandan muttered something under her breath, then looked at Gu Wei and Liu Yifei in the live stream.

"However, to be fair, those two faces do look incredibly authoritative."

Studio.

Host: "May I ask both of you, how did you end up accepting this role?"

The two exchanged a glance, and Liu Yifei raised her head slightly: "Gu Wei contacted me and told me that there was a very good script, and the female lead was perfect for me."

I asked him, "Are you going to act or not?"

He said he wanted to act, and since I trusted him, I naturally agreed.

The host looked at Gu Wei, who smiled and explained, "Initially, Huace approached me, saying they wanted to collaborate with me on a TV series."

Later, I read the script and thought it was a pretty good story, and it was a type of role I had never played before, so I accepted the role.

At that time, I was filming "The Wind Chaser" in Hengdian, and Yifei was filming "Dream Record". We were not far apart.

When we went out for a meal during our free time, I looked at her and thought, "Isn't this the chosen one, 'Xu Hongdou'?" So I invited Yifei.

"So you could say it was a coincidence."

The host said something, and Liu Yifei looked at Gu Wei and asked, "If we hadn't eaten together back then, who would you have chosen to be the female lead?"

Gu Wei turned to look at her, smiling as he raised his hand: "Okay, it was my imprecise expression that wasn't precise enough."

I should say that when I saw the script, I felt that you were the most suitable to play 'Xu Hongdou', it just so happened that we were both filming in Hengdian.

I took the opportunity of this dinner gathering to tell you.

After he finished speaking, Liu Yifei nodded slowly with a satisfied expression.

At this point, the comments section in the live stream went crazy.

I knew something was up between those two!

This is so sweet, I can't wait to watch the drama!

Judging from the tone of their conversation, I'm the first person who wouldn't believe they're innocent!

There's no such thing as pure friendship between men and women, especially between two people who are so good-looking. It's no wonder they're attracted to each other!

[A ten-year friendship—it would be wonderful if Gu Wei and Liu Yifei could really get together!]

[I really want to see how these two act in the drama. They're already such a great couple in real life, their on-screen chemistry is unbelievable!]

Host: "From the exchange just now, everyone can feel that the two teachers have a very good relationship."

I remember the first time the two teachers collaborated was on "Brotherhood of Blades" in 2012, and they later collaborated on "Detective Chinatown 2" and "How Long Will I Love U".

This is the fourth collaboration between the two teachers, and the first time they have acted in a TV series together.

How did this filming experience differ from your previous collaborations?

"Well, we're both older than we used to be."

I was 20 when I filmed "Brotherhood of Blades," and I'm 30 this year.

Gu Wei said jokingly.

"You can't tell at all. Teacher Gu Wei and Teacher Yi Fei look almost exactly the same as they did ten years ago in 'Brotherhood of Blades'."

You two are so well-preserved!

The host made a flattering remark.

However, what she said was basically true.

Putting Gu Wei aside, Liu Yifei, who appeared in the live broadcast today, was in excellent condition.

She didn't dress up excessively, just wore light makeup. Her fair and rosy skin stood out exceptionally well in the photos, and her slender figure no longer showed any signs of the plumpness seen in some of her previous online photos.

Her beautiful appearance, which looks like she's in her early twenties, combined with the languid charm of someone in their thirties, makes her exceptionally attractive.

Of course, this is all thanks to being inseparable from Gu Wei these past few days.

We work together during the day and exercise together at night, taking care of our beauty and body, and our condition is getting better and better.

Host: "What are your thoughts on the drama 'Where the Wind Blows'?"

Gu Wei: "【Go to the Windy Place】is essentially a modern pastoral healing drama."

Modern society is fast-paced and stressful, and people inevitably experience negative emotions such as impatience, urgency, or confusion in their work and life.

【With Wind】The pastoral life in the pastoral idyll is leisurely, peaceful, and full of positive energy. The heartwarming stories and beautiful scenery can also cleanse the soul.

Therefore, I think this drama can greatly soothe the minds of some viewers and bring them a very good viewing experience.

Gu Wei didn't reveal any plot details, only giving a general overview of the drama's theme.

Liu Yifei also said, "One of the main characteristics of our drama is that it is 'slow'."

Unlike other romance dramas filled with misunderstandings, conflicts, and dramatic, life-or-death love, the romance in "There's a Wind" is like a slow simmer, gradually blossoming and deepening over time.

As the live interviews continued, it gradually came to 8 o'clock.

The premiere has officially begun.

The plot of "Go to the Windy Place" is actually very simple.

Xu Hongdou is a migrant worker in a big city, her life and work repetitive and endless.

One day, her best friend was suddenly diagnosed with pancreatic cancer.

The news was like a bolt from the blue, and Xu Hongdou couldn't accept it for a while.

Soon after, her best friend passed away.

This also dealt a huge blow to Xu Hongdou.

She tried to numb herself with work, but her body started showing warning signs.

Finally, to heal her wounds and to fulfill her best friend's dying wish, Xu Hongdou quit her job and went to Yunmiao Village in Dali, Yunnan, to relax.

Here, she met Xie Zhiyao, who had returned to his hometown to start a business, and a new story began between them.

The first two episodes aired quickly, and the live-streamed viewing session had long since ended.

"This drama feels quite different from other modern idol romance dramas I've seen before."

Sitting in front of the computer, Mai Mai said with some emotion after watching the first two episodes.

"Didn't Gu Wei say that this drama is a pastoral, healing type?"

"Yunmiao Village is so beautiful, especially the part where Liu Yifei rides a white horse and Gu Wei leads the horse back to the village, it's so beautiful!"

Blue sky, white clouds, clear water, and green grass—it's like stepping into a painting!
At that moment, it felt like the prince and princess came to life!

"The village prince and the cow dung-stepping princess, huh?"

"Haha, I think their meeting was quite romantic."

Dandan, would you like to go to Yunnan? Let's go there together during the holidays!
"That place looked so beautiful in the TV series!"

Dandan instinctively wanted to retort to her childhood friend, but remembering the show she had just watched, she hesitated and said, "We'll have to ask our parents first; they have to agree to take us."

"I'll stop thinking about it now and keep reading!"

Mai Mai started watching the third episode, and Dan Dan, who was next to her, didn't mention going to sleep. She stayed up with her childhood friend to watch it.

Mango TV.

"Director, the first two episodes of 'Go to the Windy Place' have aired, and the premiere ratings have exceeded 2, with an average rating of 2.28, a peak real-time rating of 2.46, and a market share of 9.3%, ranking first in its time slot."

Online comments were also full of praise.

I just checked, and this drama has a high initial rating of 8.7 on Douban, making it the highest-rated contemporary romance drama in the last 5 years.

Director Tian from Hunan TV looked at the data sheet his subordinate brought over with a satisfied expression.

"Gu Wei plus Liu Yifei is a winning combination in the TV drama field."

A great start! If this trend continues [and there's potential], they have a good chance of winning this year's Best Drama!

The subordinate promptly offered flattery: "It's all thanks to your insightful vision, Director, that you secured the broadcasting rights for 'Go to the Windy Place' in time!"

Director Tian smiled and waved his hand, saying nothing.

This has absolutely nothing to do with his judgment.

Everyone in the industry knows that Gu Wei's dramas are highly likely to be hits, especially since the female lead of "Where the Wind Blows" is Liu Yifei. With two top stars and the buzz surrounding them, even if "Where the Wind Blows" is only so-so, it's bound to be a success.

Hunan TV was able to secure the broadcasting rights not only because of its long-standing good working relationship with Huace Media and Weiming Tianxia, ​​but also because of the high price they offered.

When it comes to being financially powerful, Hunan TV has never taken other local TV stations seriously.

After the live stream ended, Gu Wei and his colleague finished their day's work and went back to rest.

After some exercise, Liu Yifei lay on Gu Wei's chest, her slender, white fingers tracing his chest.

"You're joining the production team now, right?"

Her voice sounded reluctant.

Gu Wei had previously stated that after finishing the promotional work for "The Wind" after New Year's Day, he would begin filming.

Now that I think about it, it's about time.

"Hmm~"

Gu Wei responded softly.

Liu Yifei felt a little annoyed, so she lowered her head and gently bit Gu Wei's chest.

"Oh dear, are you a puppy? Why are you biting people?"

"I have a lot of cats, I learned it from them."

Gu Wei chuckled, supporting Liu Yifei's slender waist as he lifted her up, looking into her captivating eyes: "I contacted the film crew today, so I can go a few days later and spend two more days with you in Beijing."

"Ugh, why didn't you tell me sooner? You were just teasing me."

She nestled her head on Gu Wei's arm and lay down on her side: "Let's go see a movie tomorrow~"

"Okay, what do you want to see?"

"Your company's film, 'Sheep Without a Shepherd 2,' has had the best box office and critical reception during the New Year's holiday!" (End of Chapter)