Huayu: Traffic is king

Chapter 50 This is His Fifth Year (4K Plus)

In the dormitory

Gu Jingyi locked the bathroom door and took out his cell phone to browse online messages.

Tian Xiwei's strange behavior today still caught his attention. Gu Jingyi rarely saw her lose her composure like that.

He logged into his secondary account and spent some time browsing the "Idol Producer" super topic.

A marketing account has already compared the number of followers gained on Weibo by 100 trainees, compiled a detailed table, and continuously updated it.

Apart from Gu Jingyi, the person with the biggest increase in followers is Fan Chengcheng, who gains an average of about 15 followers per day. Combined with the marketing before the show started, his number of followers has just exceeded one million.

The second is Chen Linong, whose average daily increase in followers is 13, and the number of fans has exceeded 83.

Cai Xukun, on the other hand, was somewhat unexpected. Kunkun's followers increased by an average of about 100,000 per day. It was a bit strange that his followers didn't exceed those of Fan Chengcheng and Chen Linong.

Despite this, Cai Xukun's fan base has reached 260 million. The increase in fans is not large, but the overall situation is stable.

As for Gu Jingyi himself, his fan following surpassed 400 million after the first episode aired. The popularity of "Idol Producer" fueled the popularity of "A Little Thing Called First Love", and some fans who were attracted by him were just getting hooked.

During the semi-closed recording period, "A Little Thing Called First Love" has become their spiritual pillar.

Gu Jingyi, with the character filter superimposed, has turned these show fans into die-hard fans in one fell swoop.

The youth drama of "campus male god" is also very consistent with Gu Jingyi's first stage attire.

Huace has even collected a bunch of materials and footage of Gu Jingyi at the Central Conservatory of Music, and has Zhifen release the materials bit by bit every day.

This once again reinforces the concept that "Jiang Chen" is Gu Jingyi, which makes the fans of the show itchy.

The show was only aired for three days, and Gu Jingyi glanced at the fan growth trend of the marketing account and

Idol Producer is sure to be a huge hit. This increase alone indicates this.

After leaving the "Idol Producer" super topic, he clicked into his own super topic again.

I finally understood what Tian Xiwei was referring to today.

After the broadcast of "Idol Producer", his "First A" was edited out...

Although the initial stage and "Battle" were broadcast normally, the instructors' comments were somewhat cut.

The program crew deliberately placed the "First A" on Cai Xukun, and the mistakes in the trainees' different standing positions were discovered by the sharp-eyed fans.

"Gu Jingyi's donut" is directly circled in a chart, and each item clearly shows that the "first A" belongs to Gu Jingyi.

Within 24 hours of the show airing, "Gu Jingyi's first album was stolen" was trending on the hot search list.

The program crew quickly paid money to remove it, but Tian Xiwei was not discouraged.

An hour ago, she posted another Weibo.

Tian Xiwei has extensive experience in video editing and condenses all the material into a video + text format. The content needs to be concise and focused on the key points.

She used a long video of about five minutes to briefly summarize Gu Jingyi's five years.

There was no title on Weibo, and above the video there was only one sentence: "This is his fifth year."

It starts with a black screen, and a simple sentence appears on the screen.

[For Gu Jingyi, five years was a deep tunnel with no light at the end of the tunnel.]
The video is like a documentary, and all the clips are pieced together from Gu Jingyi's trainee career and "Produce 202" footage or interviews.

Gu Jingyi is nineteen years old this year, but he has been pursuing the idol path for five years.

Five years ago, fourteen-year-old Gu Jingyi signed a contract with the South Korean agency YG.

He is young and has top-notch qualifications. He is the first Chinese trainee signed by YG since its establishment.

One year after signing the contract, Gu Jingyi joined IKON's debut group.

In the same year, he participated in a debut survival audition reality show with debut groups A and B. Only the winning group could debut successfully under the name of "Winner".

Gu Jingyi's group A lost, and he was relegated from the debut reserve to the ranks of ordinary trainees. "Winner" was hailed as a "monster rookie" and won first place in the first nine days after debut. Gu Jingyi could only work part-time at a coffee shop and distribute flyers to pursue his dream.

During the months of failure, Yang Hyun-suk frequently berated Group A, who had failed to debut. He called them losers and unworthy of the company's support. [Photo: Fangirls captured Group A standing outside the company's office as punishment, captured from a tree]
In September 2015, Group A, which had failed to debut, debuted under the name "IKON." Gu Jingyi, who had been in the debut group and had been trained as a "co-core" with team leader Kim Hanbin, was eliminated.

Yang Hyun-suk lightly denied Gu Jingyi's excellent performance for more than two years on the grounds that "he is still young and needs more training."

He used both kindness and force to move Gu Jingyi from the debut group back to the preparatory boy group "Treasure" to be trained as the "Captain + Ace".

That same year, his family urged him to return to China. With all his financial resources cut off, he was left to pursue his dreams by working several jobs.

YG almost gave "Treasure" a free rein, and the company had no intention of training them carefully.

Treasure has been broadcasting live streams sporadically over the past year to share updates about the trainees. During each live stream, Gu Jingyi would share a new dance she'd recently practiced, but few people showed any interest.

IKON is developing very well, and YG has once again delayed the debut plan of its new boy group "Treasure".

There are twelve people in the group, some of whom joined and some left along the way.

YG, almost as a handout, had given the boy group some commercial gigs, the kind with open-air openings. The payout, after deducting the company's cut, was a few thousand RMB, which had to be split among the twelve members.

Although he didn't make any money, Gu Jingyi got scolded a lot for free.

At the beginning of 17, YG experienced a series of leadership changes. Gu Jingyi was labeled a member of the "former senior management" faction by the newly appointed executives, and his contract was not renewed upon its expiration.

Almost out of pity, they gave her an "admission ticket" to debut - the opportunity to record "Produce 202".

Next up are some of Gu Jingyi's maliciously edited footage from Produce 202. All the footage before the first public performance totaled less than three minutes. He's clearly a member of Class A, but his debut performance was whittled down to just a few seconds.

[Gu Jingyi, have you ever regretted it?]
The screen suddenly went black, and all three of Gu Jingyi's performances on "Produce 202" were mixed in.

The drum beats in the video also became more exciting, and his ranking improved rapidly.

Finally, his ranking after the "Three Publics" was announced.

In the video, Gu Jingyi smiled gently, but the trainees in the audience looked jealous.

Posts on the PANN forums went viral, with South Korean trolls tagging "Produce 202" and criticizing it. Why did a foreigner get first place? They called him a "traitor to Korea" and urged people to petition the Blue House to ban Gu Jingyi.

There were many layers of replies under the post, and only a few people spoke up for Gu Jingyi.

The next day, Gu Jingyi announced his withdrawal from the competition and left the show.

The last flashback in the video is of Gu Jingyi walking out of the Huanghua Airport in Xingcheng. The sun shines on his face, and he smiles warmly.

The screen went black again, and a line of words lit up after a few seconds.

[This video is dedicated to Gu Jingyi's pursuit of his dream in the idol industry. This is his fifth year.]
The subtitles faded and then lit up again.

[Gu Jingyi, this time we will accompany you to the end! No one can steal all the glory bestowed upon you!]
Tian Xiwei cleverly edited in the scene from "Idol Producer" where the production team made a mistake by dropping the "First A" on Cai Xukun's head. She also included the scene where fans repeatedly topped the "trending hot search" list, only to mysteriously disappear just as they were about to climb to the top.

Then there was a sound of snowflakes, as if there was bad contact.

"What does debuting mean to me?"

Gu Jingyi, who was being interviewed in the interview room on the screen, had a gloomy expression on his face. After a pause, he slowly spoke:
“There was a time when I was very close to my dream, and then I woke up from it.”

The camera went gray again. Anyone who had watched "Idol Producer" would instantly recognize this scene from the show's premiere two days earlier. It was one of Gu Jingyi's scenes, and he didn't lose his composure during the interview like the other trainees who were asked this question.

He spoke in a flat tone, as if he was mentioning something trivial that was not worth mentioning.

When light and shadow intertwined on his deep and handsome eyebrows, he inexplicably added a bit of heroic spirit.

The entire video ends here.

After Tian Xiwei released this video, it quickly became a hot topic.

She did not mix in any subjective opinions, but simply recorded Gu Jingyi's trainee journey from a third-party perspective.

But it ignited everyone's emotions, and "This is his fifth year" directly climbed to the top of Weibo's hot search list.

Gu Jingyi clicked on the comments and everyone was praising him:

[Gu Jingyi is the "last conscience of the Chinese entertainment industry." If public opinion can't defeat capital, we will collectively report "Idol Producer" for vote fraud.]
As a fan of the drama, I have mixed feelings. A while ago, I saw Gu Jingyi appear on Idol Producer. My friends and I even scolded him, saying he wasn't doing his job properly. Please forgive me for being so self-righteous. I've never tried to understand Gu Jingyi, but instead blindly criticized him from my own moral high ground. From today on, I'm a die-hard Gu Jingyi fan. No matter what Gu Jingyi does, I support him.
[Tears welled up in my eyes. Although I had long suspected that Gu Jingyi's journey had not been easy, I never imagined that he had endured so much hardship.]
Gu Jingyi looked at these comments with mixed feelings.

He was used to fighting alone and never expected too much favoritism.

Now, what was pouring in his way was the audience's fervent love. They poured out their love for him freely on Weibo, and this treatment made Gu Jingyi flattered.

[My destined husband! A heaven for porn!]
Gu Jingyi's life is a youth anime that is always full of passion and excitement. I will always be the hero, and I must be happy.
[A person who only loves beauty, strength and misery, falls deeply in love with Gu Jingyi.]
There are many similar comments, and some viewers, or "drama fans", directly empathize with Gu Jingyi and become his die-hard fans.

Open the super topic or the Weibo comment section of the relevant marketing account. It is full of fans' praise and love.

The line, "There was a time when I was so close to my dream, and then I woke up," also became a popular saying on "Handsome Guy Bot" and "Fan Circle Bot," and many passersby became curious about Gu Jingyi.

Under the official account of the "Idol Producer" program team, fans one after another cheered for him.

Gu Jingyi was almost completely overwhelmed by this emotion. He read a few messages and quickly closed the interface.

He felt at a loss and a little uncomfortable.

I just feel that I am not worthy of Tian Xiwei's unreserved protection and the pure love of fans.

Thinking of Tian Xiwei, Gu Jingyi's heart couldn't help but soften.

Suddenly, even footsteps were heard in the corridor outside. It was the election officer in charge of this floor passing by.

With a "click", the door was pushed open.

The sudden movement startled Gu Jingyi awake. He turned off his hidden cell phone and hid it in the crack in the ceiling of the dormitory. He turned on the faucet again, letting out the sound of flushing water before walking out.

"Everyone, go to bed early. The performance will be tomorrow. Especially Gu Jingyi, you need to get a good rest."

The election officer's gaze lingered on Gu Jingyi for a while, and after giving him a reminder, he left.

Not long after he left, the lights in the entire dormitory building were turned off.

Gu Jingyi groped in the dark and got on the bed.

"Brother Jingyi, will we win?"

The young Justin was a little uneasy and asked nervously.

"It will win."

...

The first performance day was a long-awaited good day.

The warm sun slowly shines on the trainees, making them warm and comfortable.

One hundred trainees arrived at the venue one after another and waited for the bus to arrive in an orderly manner.

Gu Jingyi slept quite well the night before, and got up early to make himself a cup of black coffee to stay awake.

I got on the bus and took a nap leaning on the U-shaped pillow.

When the bus arrived at the performance venue, it was just dawn.

The streetlights on both sides of the asphalt road were still on, flickering a pale white glow. A group of fan girls wearing thick down jackets and carrying support items came into view.

Some of them brought folding stools, while others just sat on a blanket on the ground.

A gust of wind blew by, causing their hair and clothes to fly slightly.

Gu Jingyi stared at the group of girls and skillfully found himself among the cheering cards of "Ban Kun Yuanhang" and "Fairy on Earth".

The largest and most spectacular one is "Jing travels the world, only Yi travels alone".

Tian Xiwei, who was in the front row, had a slightly red face from the wind. She was very energetic in organizing the class, and when she noticed his gaze, she blinked at Gu Jingyi.

"What's wrong? Do you know him?"

Zhu Zhengting followed Gu Jingyi's gaze and looked over, feeling a little confused.

Gu Jingyi didn't reply. He felt a little distressed when he looked at the petite figure.

"Are fans allowed to enter so early? I remember the election officials said fans can only enter at 12 o'clock."

"Because apart from a few well-connected fans, most fans need to arrive early to get a good seat."

Cai Xukun spoke up. He had experienced "Star Asia" and had a little understanding of the process.

"That's too hard. You have to stay there for such a long time without eating or drinking."

Gu Jingyi looked in Tian Xiwei's direction and suddenly said with some relief: "Fortunately, it's a good day today. It's not as cold as before."

Otherwise, it would be hard for him to imagine how physically exhausted Tian Xiwei would be as she stayed up late to edit videos and control comments for him.

This girl from Sichuan and Chongqing always seemed to have a strong vitality. She would actively show her favor to him in a crowd.

It was really hard for Gu Jingyi not to be moved by her. It was hard for him to imagine that there was someone in this world who had quietly loved him in a corner for a long, long time.

　Add 2000 words to the previous leader's wish to return to life

　　
　
(End of this chapter)