Top Chinese celebrity: Debuted from Running Man

Chapter 291 Parasites and Win-Win (4.1k)
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What is Lu Han's team's choice?

Simple and clear – “cold salad”!
When the news of Gu Qing and Wang Baoqiang's return was confirmed, Lu Han's team did not hesitate at all.

Why leave their own top-tier artists as a "control group" to be repeatedly criticized by the audience for setting a high bar?

Absolutely impossible!

They adjusted their schedule immediately. During the episode featuring Gu Qing's return, Lu Han "happened" to have an important "commercial performance" that he couldn't refuse, perfectly avoiding a direct confrontation.

After this season of Running Man ended, the team decisively decided not to renew the contract.

Lu Han has no shortage of exposure, and among the four returning idols, he originally had the best public image.

However, after joining Running Man, criticism followed him relentlessly: "He's too concerned about his image," "He's too reserved," "The script is obvious," "He's being heavily promoted by the production team"...

Factors such as audience complaints,
There is only one reason: the best is yet to come.

The first two seasons of Running Man that Gu Qing was on were just too perfect.
The natural chemistry between the members, the sparks that fly, and the genuine sense of daring and fun have long been an unforgettable "white moonlight" in the hearts of countless viewers.

No matter how hard Lu Han tries, he can never reach the purity and passion of that peak period.

Continuing down this path will do far more harm than good.

The team made a decisive decision: to withdraw from Running Man and focus all their efforts on the film and television industry.

Lu Han's team's proactive "retreat" relieved the Running Man production team.

They quickly polished the script and finalized the recording details for next week with Gu Qing and Wang Baoqiang.

This comeback is not simply a "nostalgia trip," but rather deeply intertwined with film promotion, creating a mutually beneficial partnership.

Director Chen's gray hair will finally stop falling out.
He directly arranged for Tong Liya to team up with Wang Baoqiang to form the "Detective Chinatown" team for the recording.

Tong Liya wasn't initially keen on going, but after getting to know her younger brother, 'Gu Qing,' during filming of 'Detective Chinatown,' she felt they had developed a very deep bond.

Therefore, in order to investigate the younger brother's past.

When Tong Liya was bored at home, she often binge-watched his movies and variety shows.

among them,

The intense competition on "Running Man" left a deep impression on her.

It was common to see girls tearing each other's hair, boys rolling on the ground, and ripping off t-shirts and ripping open clothes.

Of course, this refers to the first two seasons.

Tong Liya felt that she was not up to the task.

"Didn't you always complain about how Xiao Gu doesn't reply to your messages, and whether he's actually going to study at the Central Academy of Drama?"

Chen Sicheng pinpointed her weakness and added fuel to the fire, saying, "Yaya, for the sake of the Central Academy of Drama's reputation for enrollment over the next twenty years, just think of this as a 'family visit' combined with 'recruitment'! Success or failure hinges on this!"

"Okay, I'll go check on my brother."

Tong Liya was told she was smitten.

Other than that,

Gu Qing is having a bit of a problem with 'selecting people'.

The production team gave him maximum freedom: he could choose anyone, even Hu Xia, who made a cameo appearance in "The Left Ear".

But can one do whatever one wants with such a huge network of relationships in the entertainment industry?

Being able to ride the top-tier traffic train of Gu Qing's "return to Running Man" is equivalent to placing a 24K pure gold billboard in front of hundreds of millions of young viewers!
If they can deliver outstanding performances, they'll gain fans far faster than filming several period dramas. This allure has made the financial backers of these two "little princesses" restless.

The "parents" of both of them almost simultaneously extended an olive branch to Gu Qing's agent, Li Li, subtly expressing their desire for either "Ma Sichun" or "Guan Xiaotong" to become Gu Qing's partner.

Gu Qing couldn't make up his mind for a while, so he simply called a meeting with the core team.

Isn't a highly paid think tank precisely what's needed to solve these kinds of thorny problems?

As for the so-called exchange of benefits?

Frankly speaking, given Gu Qing's current status, the "benefits" that Ma Sichun or Guan Xiaotong can provide are almost negligible.

This is more like a one-sided "vampire" situation.

If the industry behind them were truly that capable, they would have already propelled their artists to the top.

The results of it?
Which of the top celebrities currently active in the entertainment industry were promoted by the industry?

It's difficult to even produce a top-tier artist!

But you can't ignore the 'circle'.

They might not be able to offer help in times of need, but they could easily become the last straw that breaks the camel's back.

In the meeting room——

"Everyone, who should we choose?"

Gu Qing spread his hands and asked.

Agent Li Li spoke first, her tone crisp and decisive, carrying a professional assessment: "Xiao Gu, Sister Li's opinion is very clear—choose Guan Xiaotong."

She reasoned clearly, "Let's not talk about what we can get in return for this favor. Just considering the 'cost' and potential trouble of refusing, it's definitely easier to refuse Ma Sichun than to refuse Guan Xiaotong."

As for Chen Duling?
This was completely outside of Li Li's considerations.

A complete amateur, without even a talent agency, and running a family business, would probably only be able to stay in the lower to middle ranks of the entertainment industry.

If you encounter someone with connections and influence, they'll snatch your resources like it's nothing, leaving you no chance to fight back.

"Boss, if you ask me,"

Gu Qing's easygoing personality meant that many of the young people on the public relations team didn't live in constant fear, and they even dared to crack a joke occasionally.
"Let's not choose anyone else, let's choose Professor Hu Xia! Anyway, choosing anyone will offend one side, so let's choose the safest option, the 'brotherhood'!"

"Ha, great minds think alike."

Gu Qing was amused, propped her face up with one hand, and sighed, "But there's nothing I can do. Brother Xia couldn't handle the pressure and logged off as soon as he heard my suggestion."

The tense atmosphere in the conference room eased a bit, and a few soft laughs rang out.

After the joke,

Xu Wei, the core member of the team, pushed up his gold-rimmed glasses and smiled, "Boss, if I had to choose one person, my suggestion would be: choose that little girl named Li Er."

"why?"

Gu Qing was puzzled. "In terms of popularity, resources, and background, Xiao Erduo is the weakest. Choosing her seems to offer me the least 'benefits'?"

He couldn't quite understand the logic behind it.

Xu Wei looked at his boss's handsome face, which still carried a youthful air and a slightly naive look, and a helpless yet tolerant smile appeared on his lips.

He patiently explained, "Boss, you're oversimplifying the entertainment industry's 'ecosystem.' Do you know what a 'parasitic relationship' is?"

"Parasitism? Viagra, I know that."

Gu Qing was even more confused. "But Little Ears doesn't seem like it could parasitize me, does it? We're on different tracks."

"Viagra..."

Xu Wei's refined, intellectual facade nearly crumbled. He took a deep breath, suppressing the twitching at the corner of his mouth, and explained in more blunt terms: "Boss, it's precisely because she's the 'weakest' that she's the 'safest' for you!"

"She lacks the capital to 'parasitize'."

An ordinary person, without a professional team to manage things, and without funds to buy trending searches, create topics, or promote a romantic pairing, will not have any impact on you.

Once the show ends and the movie's popularity fades, she won't even have the chance to see you again.

"Secondly, it's highly controllable. Her exposure and the topics she generates almost entirely depend on you."
This means her team (if they have any) has virtually no bargaining power or means of retaliation against you, and is even less likely to engage in bundled marketing like established capital firms.

Xu Wei's tone turned serious, "On the other hand, consider the capital forces behind those two little princesses."

Once you choose any of them, their teams will inevitably use this collaboration as a springboard for deep integration.

It's easy to buy trending topics like "deep sibling affection" or "perfect chemistry" every now and then.

They themselves may not mean it, but their team's goal is clear—to extract the value of your top traffic until your popularity fades, and then ruthlessly cut ties.

"This is the coldest and most common 'survival rule' in the entertainment industry." After Xu Wei finished speaking, the conference room fell silent.

After saying that,

Xu Wei was afraid that his tone might be too harsh and offend his boss.

The boss of his own company is incredibly well-behaved. He works hard, focuses on improving his skills, and doesn't engage in promiscuous behavior in private. He only dates the female lead.

He can be called the 'Number One Pure and Innocent Male Star' in the Chinese Entertainment Industry. Where can you find such a good boss?

then,

He softened his tone, adding with a hint of reassurance and absolute confidence, "Of course, boss, you have every right to be 'capricious'."

If you already have a preference, our team will definitely clear all obstacles for you.

Our existence is to ensure that none of your choices will truly harm you.

"Brother Wei, do you have to be so cheesy?" Gu Qing rubbed her arms, both amused and exasperated. "I'm already twenty, don't try to coax me like a child."

He stood up, his tone relaxed: "Okay, whatever you say. We'll choose Little Ears."

So what if I don't have a background? Didn't I make my way up step by step just like everyone else?

"That's all, meeting adjourned."

Gu Qing waved his hand, preparing to get up and leave.

"Boss, there's something I'd like to discuss with you privately."

Xu Wei suddenly spoke up.

"Oh."

Gu Qing sat down again.

People gradually left the conference room, and soon only three people remained.

Xu Wei looked at Li Li apologetically.

Li Li pointed at herself incredulously: "Xiao Xu! I'm Xiao Gu's agent, what is there that I can't know?!"

"Sister Li," Gu Qing said to Li Li in a gentle tone, "Could you help me organize my schedule for this afternoon? I'll head over after I finish talking with Brother Xu."

Li Li's face turned ugly. She glared at Xu Wei, her high heels clattering on the floor, and stormed out, slamming the door in a fit of rage.

Only two people remained in the meeting room.

"What's wrong, Brother Xu? Is there something that Sister Li can't listen to?"

Gu Qing felt helpless.

Xu Wei walked to the door to make sure it was closed properly before returning to his seat, placing his hands on the table. "Boss, do you remember the 'parasitic relationship' I mentioned earlier?"

Gu Qing was slightly taken aback, then chuckled: "What? Brother Wei, you don't mean to say that I... have been parasitized?"

He found the idea somewhat absurd.

Xu Wei did not laugh; instead, he nodded very slowly and solemnly.

"Who?"

Gu Qing's smile froze, her brows furrowed, and her mind raced, filtering through every possible name around her.

"Boss, don't worry, I'm not talking about those two young actresses."

Xu Wei first gave himself a get-out-of-jail-free card.

"You're not talking about Gulnazar, are you?"

Gu Qing was speechless. After thinking for a long time, the only person he could think of was this 'little loser'.

"Not her either."

Xu Wei shook his head, "Although she occasionally mentions you in interviews or interacts with you on social media, the team has been quite restrained, and there has been almost no large-scale buying of trending topics to link with you."

"Brother Wei, just tell me what's going on. Who is it?"

"That guy from Running Man."

'who? ! ’

……

"Brother Xu, you're not kidding me, are you?"

Gu Qing frowned, her tone full of disbelief, "Baby's popularity is probably the highest among all the female celebrities I know, right?"

"It is the largest, but also the most illusory."

Xu Wei pushed up his gold-rimmed glasses and calmly analyzed, "Aside from becoming a sensation through Running Man, she doesn't have any TV series that can maintain her popularity."

The movie he made, "Pocahontas," was a complete flop.

Even Gulnazar has a drama called "Legend of Nine Tails Fox" to back her up, which received good reviews. But what about her? Unanimously negative reviews.

He leaned forward slightly, his tone more certain: "Without supporting works, she can't live up to the image of a top female star, and it's only a matter of time before her popularity declines."

I've been carefully analyzing the trending topics data over the past few months, and almost every two weeks, a trending topic about a romantic pairing between her and you appears.

He paused, looking directly into Gu Qing's eyes, "It was her team that bought it! We didn't spend a single penny."

"Then what should I do?"

Gu Qing rubbed her temples. "I can't just call her and tell her not to buy it, can I?"

"No, boss, I mean, we'll buy it too!"

"what?!"

Gu Qing suddenly looked up, her back snapping from the unexpected turn of events.

He stared wide-eyed at Xu Wei, his gaze as if he were looking at some demon or monster. "What are you talking about?"

"Boss, I didn't tell you to cut ties with her."

Xu Wei chuckled and smiled, "The 'parasitic relationship' I mentioned before is just one way to survive in the entertainment industry."

There's an even more respectable and cost-effective way, but I didn't have time to mention it..."

"In what way?"

"A win-win approach!"

Xu Wei said firmly, "Why should she get all the benefits? We can also profit from the CP (couple pairing) hype!"
Boss, do you know that just because you two appeared on the same stage the day before yesterday, the box office of "The Left Ear" surged to nearly 2 million in just two days!
For a youth film, how terrifying are these statistics?!

His tone revealed a hint of excitement: "With this kind of popularity, wouldn't it be a waste if we didn't seize it?"
They do this before every movie is released; it's hard for it not to be a hit!

He leaned forward, his voice low but seductive, "Boss, anyway, you and that person have 'made peace' now, and you're going to record a show together soon."

Let's sit down and discuss this properly, and work together for a win-win situation!
Instead of letting her take advantage of us for nothing, let's take advantage of her together and get even more!

"This..." Gu Qing felt a sudden itch on her scalp and couldn't help but scratch it hard, her tone conflicted, "Isn't this... treating the fans a bit too much like韭菜 (a metaphor for exploiting them)?"

"Boss, how could this be??"

Xu Wei immediately interrupted his incorrect thoughts:

"Do you think fans will feel cheated when they see the two of you interacting on stage, or will they scream with excitement?"

What they gained was real happiness and emotional value!
You and that person gained real financial support and popularity. Isn't that a win-win situation?
Do you really want her to keep reaping all the benefits? That would be a real loss!

He declared firmly, "As long as you, boss, nod your head, I'll talk to their team before next week's recording. I guarantee they'll be happy!"

"..."

Gu Qing was speechless for a long time before finally saying, "Then... go and give it a try."

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(P.S.: My biological clock is completely messed up. I had a binge last night, and I'm going to die from exhaustion.)
(End of this chapter)