Top Chinese celebrity: Debuted from Running Man

Chapter 391 So damn annoying! (6.3k)
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"Damn it, this is so annoying!!"

"Why are all these bitches trying to steal from me?!"

In a luxurious but cluttered mansion in Shanghai, a sharp, piercing sound shattered the afternoon tranquility.

Shuangzi was curled up on the expensive leather sofa, her hair disheveled, her originally pretty face contorted with anger, exuding an almost insane acrimony.

Her appearance has undergone tremendous changes; she is no longer the pure and innocent girl next door who captured the hearts of countless young men with her role as "Chu Yuxun" in "Meteor Shower".

At that time, she had a small head and a small face, a standard oval face with just the right amount of baby fat, which formed a perfect template for the "first love face".

Her bright, round eyes were clear and pure, like those of a startled fawn. Combined with her Samoyed-like, incredibly healing smile, she was both lively and harmless, the white moonlight in the hearts of countless people.

however,
After her dramatic and heartbreaking breakup with Hantangzhu, she seemed to fall into a state of self-abandonment and began to undergo drastic cosmetic procedures on her face.

now,

Her facial features became sharper, the originally soft lines became more angular, and the bridge of her nose and the width of her eyes were significantly enhanced.

However, the tip of his nose appears somewhat droopy, and from certain angles, it even subtly reveals a cruel look that is inconsistent with his age, almost like a "witch."

Fortunately,

With her naturally outstanding bone structure from her youth still intact, even after these changes, her overall image remains remarkably beautiful and refined.
However, that "refined" quality is mixed with too many traces of artificial embellishment and an inescapable sense of hostility.

"Wang Wang-"

A meticulously groomed brown teddy bear dog lay at my feet, seemingly sensing the oppressive atmosphere emanating from its owner.

He cautiously approached, gently tugging at her expensive slippers with his wet nose, and let out a pleading whimper.

"Shut up!!"

Sawako, who was already at the peak of her agitation, seemed to be completely ignited by this subtle sound, and suddenly kicked away the small creature at her feet.

The force was so great that the puppy let out a painful whimper and curled up in a corner, trembling.

"Scream, scream, scream! If you scream one more time, I'll throw you away tomorrow! I won't want anyone else!!"

She cursed viciously, her eyes showing no affection for her pet, only fury at being offended.

She felt both boundless grievance and was consumed by raging anger. She grabbed her phone and slammed it onto the marble-topped coffee table, the screen instantly shattering into a spiderweb of cracks.

She began talking to herself in the empty living room, her voice sometimes filled with grievance, sometimes with anger:
"Compete with me? You've all conspired to bully me, haven't you?"

"And this damn production team! I'm going to kill you all!!"

She gritted her teeth, her nails digging deep into her palms. "They made it all clear during our initial contact, implying that the female lead was most likely me..."

And now they've stood me up again, saying they 'need to consider it further'?

"Just because Gu Qing is going to play the male lead?!"

As if she had suddenly figured out the key point, her beautiful eyes flashed with a stubborn light, "You all think that I am not good enough for him, right?"
Absolutely! You all look down on me! You think I'm washed up? That I'm not good enough for an artist of his caliber?!

Shuangzi sat cross-legged on the sofa, her pretty face like a palette of colors, her emotions shifting unpredictably.

She was suddenly filled with ferocious rage, wishing she could tear apart everyone who stood in her way;

She pouted sadly, her eyes reddening, like a child abandoned by the whole world;

In an instant, she was overwhelmed by grievances, crying and laughing at the same time, acting like a madwoman.

In the empty mansion,

Only her hysterical voice echoed, highlighting a disturbing loneliness and chaos.

"Gu Qing... Gu Qing... The more you don't want me to act with him, the more I want to act!!"

She murmured the name.

Shuangzi suddenly looked up, her gaze falling on the huge, luxurious LCD screen that occupied the entire wall in the living room.

The show playing on the screen is "Detective Chinatown," a series that has been airing repeatedly on Channel 6.

Even though the movie was taken off the shelves, the sixth princess's favoritism towards Gu Qing was still obvious. She promoted the movie and its male lead almost every day in this way.

In the screen,
Gu Qing is handsome, sunny, and full of youthful energy, especially in the moment when he smiles at Tang Ren, played by Wang Baoqiang, in the film.
Clean and warm, it seemed to dispel all the gloom in the world, so beautiful as to be unreal.

That smile, however, became incredibly irritating to Shuangzi.

She's a bit like... her former self.

A complex mix of jealousy and inferiority welled up inside me.

She felt an inexplicable, strong urge to tear apart the flawless smile on this person's face.

It's obviously fake!
This is the entertainment industry, why pretend to be innocent!

How can someone smile so purely and warmly, as if they have never been tainted by this world?

Why is it that everything you do goes smoothly, and you easily gain so much love and admiration?

and I?
All I wanted was to have a proper relationship, but I was relentlessly attacked and criticized by the entire internet for so long, and people are still bringing it up now!

This is not fair!

This is absolutely unfair!!

"Wang Wang-"

In the corner, the little teddy bear that had been kicked away seemed to have recovered and began to whimper softly, trying to regain its owner's attention.

Upon hearing this sound,
"Ah—didn't I tell you not to shout?!"

Shuangzi clutched her head and let out a hysterical scream, as if the sobbing was the last straw that broke the camel's back.

She sprang up from the sofa, rushed to the corner, roughly grabbed the dog by the scruff of its neck, ignoring its struggles, and casually stuffed it into an unused luxury shoebox next to her.

Then he picked up the box, his face grim, and strode out of the house.

……

And on the other side,
Since the production team of "Love O2O" officially announced that Gu Qing would play the male lead "Xiao Nai",
The battle for the role of "Bei Weiwei" has escalated into a silent "battle of the gods" among female celebrities and the capital behind them in the entire entertainment industry.

Just ask,

Which female celebrity in the entertainment industry today doesn't yearn to work with Gu Qing?
He's practically a walking "gold mine" and a "perpetual motion machine of traffic"!
Industry lucky charm, box office panacea, wife-boosting destiny...

These mystical labels have been verified time and again.

not to mention,
He also possesses top-tier good looks and is in the prime of his life, young and wealthy.

To be able to act as the female lead in a movie with him is an incredibly tempting opportunity!
Many female celebrities privately wish that there would be more kissing and intimate scenes in the script.
If she could spark a romance with Gu Qing and become a popular couple, making the audience genuinely "ship" them,

Wouldn't the resulting traffic and popularity skyrocket?
Look at Yang Ying, Zhao Liying, Liu Shishi, Gulnazar, Chen Duling...

These actresses who have worked with Gu Qing or merely appeared in the same frame as him still have a large number of dedicated fans online who tirelessly dig up old posts to find any sweet moments between them.
Its fans' loyalty and activity level are terrifying.

Seeing the enormous, readily apparent profits, all the female artists and their teams vying for the position now only had one thing on their minds:

"rush!!"

The companies of top actresses and rising stars are pulling out all the stops, using every possible connection and network to desperately try and get their artists into the cast of "Love O2O".
Secure this top-tier resource that could change the course of your career.

now,

The happiest yet most troubled crew members must be those of "Love O2O".

From investors and producers to directors and casting teams, everyone is caught in a "happy dilemma."

There are simply too many candidates, and each one has a significant background and a complex network of connections, making it dazzling and difficult to choose.

For every plan you devise, there's a countermeasure. Faced with offers of support and pressure from various parties, the production team found itself in an unprecedentedly complicated and difficult situation.

at this time,

Screenwriter Gu Man, who was staying in a suite at a star-rated hotel in the capital, had a thick stack of information and photos of female celebrities spread out in front of her. She rubbed her throbbing temples and felt waves of headache.

As the original author and a screenwriter with considerable influence, her suggestions are often adopted by investors.

Therefore, she became the most concentrated target of all sides' "offensives," and received the most "greetings" and "sincere intentions."

Almost all of the top actresses who knew her or had worked with her sent their resumes, expressing their strong interest.

The most intense competition is among the five female artists.

The first thing that catches the eye is Zhao Liying, who co-starred with Zhao Liying in "Boss & Me".

In the photo, her sweet and adorable chubby face still exudes a friendly charm.

However, Teacher Gu Man's heart was like a piece of cold, hard iron. Without any hesitation, she directly passed over Sister Zhao's photo and put it aside.

She even picked up her phone and sent Xiao Zhao an apologetic message, while also delivering a sharp remark: "Liying, you're great, but the Bei Weiwei we need this time is a stunningly beautiful woman."

You don't look... well, you don't really look very smart, so you're not really suited to playing a computer science major's top student and most beautiful girl.

What image of Bei Weiwei in the book is she in her heart?
With an impressive height of 169cm,
"Beautiful eyebrows and eyes, alluring gaze, and eternally rosy lips."
Her overall temperament is intense and vibrant, with a strong visual impact. She can be described as a "flower of wealth and nobility" and a typical stunning beauty with striking features.

Zhao Liying's youthful and sweet style, leaning towards a "sweet girl" image, is far removed from Bei Weiwei's character, and Gu Man simply doesn't like her.

She turned to the next photo.

The second to appear was Tang Yan, one of the "Four Little Actresses".

They collaborated on the TV series "My Sunshine".

“The height is up to standard,” Gu Man examined the photo, frowning slightly, “but the looks… I feel like they’re lacking something. They’re a bit rustic and not stylish enough to carry off Bei Weiwei’s campus beauty aura.”

She shook her head and placed Tang Yan's photo on top of Zhao Liying's photo.

Turn to the next page.

"Who is this?"

Gu Man frowned even more as she looked at the exquisite face with its exotic features in the photo.

She flipped the photo over and saw the name "Nazha," then suddenly remembered, "Oh... isn't she the little girl who acted with Gu Qing in 'Legend of Nine Tails Fox'?"

Their pairing is called something like... 'Word Spirit'? Quite a few people online seem to ship them.

"But... why did Tangren Media send me her photos? Shouldn't they be promoting Liu Shishi?"

Gu Man felt somewhat puzzled.

She personally has a good impression of Liu Shishi, who is one of the actresses she admires among those she has not yet worked with.

The other person's gentle and quiet appearance and temperament, although inconsistent with Bei Weiwei's bright and beautiful character, have excellent national popularity and audience appeal.

Given the lingering popularity of her previous collaboration with Gu Qing in "The Imperial Doctress," audience anticipation would undoubtedly be high if they could work together again. Gu Man was actually willing to give Liu Shishi a tentative opportunity.

Unfortunately,

Liu Shishi herself certainly wanted to come, and she was also eager to collaborate with Gu Qing a second time to solidify their popularity.

But coincidentally, during this period, the film "The City of Light," for which she had reached a cooperation agreement at the Huayi Brothers gala last year, was in the midst of its intense filming.

He was supposed to be paired with Deng Chao, but due to scheduling conflicts, he was unable to attend and had to miss the opportunity.

"Nazha... what a pity."

Gu Man's gaze returned to Nazha's photo, her tone filled with obvious regret.

It's not that her exotic face doesn't fit the persona, nor is it that her figure isn't good enough; there aren't many female celebrities in the entertainment industry with good figures.

Gu Man even felt that the contrast between this exotic style and the campus goddess might create a wonderful chemical reaction, bringing a high-end sense of fashion.

Unfortunately, his lack of star power is a major drawback.

Naza's current fame and influence are not even in the same league as Gu Qing's; they are worlds apart.

If Gu Man hadn't thought about it carefully, she would have almost forgotten who this person was.

Ultimately, this drama is a female-centric drama.

Given Gu Qing's current top-tier status, she would definitely choose to be listed as a co-star.

Even if Gu Man makes a mistake, she can't choose a second or third-tier female celebrity to be on equal footing with Gu Qing, can she?

This is simply humiliating.

What will Gu Qing's team, company, and his incredibly powerful fan base think?
This will likely cause an uproar and trigger a huge public opinion storm.

Gu Man's minimum requirement was that the actress must be well-known to the public and at least a recognized top-tier actress to be qualified to act alongside Gu Qing.

Therefore, she wouldn't even consider the information of those second- and third-tier female celebrities, and she would resolutely refuse to accept any amount of "sincerity" offered.

She placed Nazha's photo on top of Tang Yan's stack and sighed helplessly.

When she flipped to the next photo, her eyes lit up: "Mimi?"

The person in the photo is none other than Yang Mi, the queen of controversy.

She also played the female lead in the film adaptation of Gu Man's novel "Silent Separation".

Back then, because the film and TV versions were produced simultaneously, the two close friends, Yang Mi and Tang Yan, had some conflicts and estrangement.

“Mimi…Bei Weiwei…”

Gu Man tapped her fingers on the table in frustration, her mind in turmoil.

So alike...it looks so alike!

In her opinion, Yang Mi is almost the most suitable candidate for the role of Bei Weiwei in terms of appearance and temperament among all the current candidates.

With her striking and flamboyant beauty, curvaceous figure, and shrewd, intelligent fox-like eyes, she seemed to possess a high level of intelligence.

Although he is a little older than the character in the original work, he is very well-maintained and still looks great.

A set of photos of her wearing a sailor uniform and sporting pigtails previously went viral, sparking considerable discussion and proving that she handles the campus style with ease.

"Honey, honey... you're great in every way, except... you're not very pleasing to the eye." Gu Man sighed helplessly.

Leveraging the popularity accumulated over the years through aggressive marketing campaigns and controversial roles in films like the "Tiny Times" series, which have been considered low-quality productions,
And negative stories such as "being stern," "acting like a big shot," and "using a cell phone,"

Although Yang Mi has extremely high popularity, her reputation is quite polarized both inside and outside the entertainment industry, and she is plagued by negative reviews, almost to the point of being "hated by everyone".

Among the "Four Little Actresses", two of them have direct or indirect conflicts with her.

As a result, many large capital firms and brands now hesitate or even refuse to invest when they see Yang Mi in a project.

Gu Man herself wouldn't reject Yang Mi because of this, but she has to consider the overall viewership and commercial value of the show.

If it's really officially announced that Yang Mi will be the female lead...
This could very likely cause a large number of casual viewers to abandon the show due to their dislike, and Gu Qing's fans will also complain bitterly.

This, in turn, affects the ability to secure sponsorships from major brands.

It's safe to say that apart from Yang Mi's own fans who would be overjoyed, almost no one else would be satisfied.

"Undetermined... Let's leave it as is for now."

After much hesitation, Gu Man couldn't bear to let go of Yang Mi's high compatibility with the role and didn't immediately exclude her.

quickly,

The stack of photos that was originally thick was sifted through layer by layer until only one photo remained.

"Chu Yuxun?"

Gu Man's eyes lit up again as she picked up the fresh and lovely photo.

The girl in the photo still has that gentle and kind "innocent flower" look, with excellent public image and a seemingly innocent reputation.

Although her flat figure is completely opposite to Bei Weiwei's enviable "34C" bust in the book,

But this doesn't seem to be an insurmountable obstacle; on the contrary, it might bring a unique kind of "cuteness."

In her opinion, this might not be a bad choice.

Even Gu Man, who has a discerning eye, has a good impression of Shuangzi.

She briefly imagined that if news broke that Shuangzi and Gu Qing were collaborating, netizens would probably be mostly looking forward to it.
After all, these two have never crossed paths before, so their collaboration is full of novelty and unknown chemistry.

Moreover, Shuangzi herself became famous overnight through campus dramas, so playing this kind of role is definitely a piece of cake for her, and she can do it effortlessly.

Most importantly, there's another point that she and the entire crew couldn't ignore: it was cheap!

At the same time as obtaining Shuangzi's information, Gu Man received definite news from the producer:
Shuangzi's team revealed that no matter how high the salary offered by the production team to other candidates, she is willing to reduce it by half and only take 50% of their salary!

This is a real, substantial investment!
It's important to know that we'll be discussing the contract details with Gu Qing next week. Whether Gu Qing chooses a share of the box office revenue or a fixed salary, it will be a huge expense for the production team.

Under such financial pressure, a top-tier actress with extremely high national recognition and a good reputation proactively offered such generous terms.
This is a real lifesaver, something the entire production crew would be happy to see happen.

"Mimi... Yuqian..."

Gu Man's fingers moved back and forth over the photos of Yang Mi and Shuangzi, her brows furrowed, as she engaged in a fierce internal struggle.

On one side is Yang Mi, whose appearance is an extremely good match but carries a huge risk; on the other side is Zheng Shuang, who is cost-effective and widely accepted by the audience.

Considering the overall budget and commercial risks of the production, after hesitating for a long time,

She seemed to have finally made up her mind, took a deep breath, and was about to reach for Sawako's photo—

Just then, her cell phone rang abruptly.

"The wind and snow are faint, autumn's white hair is at the end, the lamplight is lush~ It wrinkles your brows. If you would shed a single tear..."

The song playing on the phone was the chorus of Gu Qing's "Puppet Show," and her ethereal and melodious operatic voice proved that she was a fan of Gu Qing.

"Hey, Lao Fang, what's up?"

Gu Man glanced at the caller ID; it was producer Fang Yin. She frowned as she answered, "I'm currently casting the female lead. Oh, by the way, I was just about to tell you, I've almost finalized it. What do you think of Chu Yuxun…?"

Before she could finish uttering the name "Chu Yuxun," she was interrupted by the cheerful voice of producer Fang Yin on the other end of the phone.

"Teacher Man, what's with all this talk about Chu Yuxun? The female lead has already been decided."

"It's settled? How come I didn't know?!"

Gu Man's voice instantly rose, filled with disbelief, "Who did they choose? Why didn't they discuss it with me?!"

She felt a surge of anger and offense rising within her. As the core screenwriter, how could she have been kept in the dark about such a big matter as casting?

"Teacher Man, please don't be angry or mind it."

Fang Yin sensed her displeasure and quickly explained on the other end of the phone, his tone tinged with helplessness, "This situation is rather special..."

They called our big boss directly.

The connections are incredibly powerful, and the benefits they offered are enormous... The person you mentioned voluntarily lowered their fee.
This guy brought his own funding to the project!

"So, given this situation, what other choice do we have?"

"Who?!"

Gu Man asked in a dark and unfriendly tone.

She wanted to see who had such influence that they could bypass her and directly finalize the role!
"Oh, it's Jing Tian."

Fang Yin calmly announced a name.

"Who?!" Gu Man wondered if she had misheard.

"It's Jing Tian, ​​the actress who played the female lead in Zhang Yimou's 'The Great Wall' during the Spring Festival, which ended up being a flop," Fang Yin added.

Gu Man: "..."

Her pent-up anger deflated instantly upon hearing that name, like a balloon punctured by a needle.
His eyes went from burning with anger to blankness, even with a hint of... clear stupidity?

How could it be this ancestor?!

She didn't ask anything, she didn't say anything.

Gu Man now only had one last, and most crucial, question left: "So... does Gu Qing know about this?"

"If he knew that the leading lady we paired him with was this so-called 'box office poison' Miss Jing Tian... wouldn't he just explode and quit?"

Ask the entire entertainment industry,
Who doesn't know about Miss Jing's "epic" inability to become popular and her mysterious "box office poison" attributes?
It seems that all the male stars who have partnered with her have been unable to escape the curse of a career decline.

"besides,"

Gu Man couldn't suppress her frustration and doubts. "Hasn't she always been in the film industry?"
"His resources are incredible; he can easily connect with Hollywood. Why would he suddenly have the audacity to come and act in idol dramas in our television industry?"

This is completely unconventional!

"We...we don't know either."

Fang Yin's voice was equally bewildered, "Perhaps... this young lady feels she's gotten tired of the film industry and wants to come to the television industry... to experience life?"

He paused, then revealed the most crucial information: "As for Gu Qing... that young lady brought her own investment to the production, and her only requirement is that Gu Qing stay!"

She made it clear that if Gu Qing hesitated because of the pay or any other reason, she would cover all the extra expenses!
In short, we must get Gu Qing to take this role, no matter the cost!

……

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(End of this chapter)