The Road to Superstardom: Starting as a Singer

Huang Weijie picked up his phone and saw that, in addition to his friends abroad, he had received messages from some people in the Chinese entertainment industry who had his contact information.

Fan Bingbing, Li Binbin, Huang Xiaoming, Zhang Liangying...

No, nobody needs to sleep?

It's 9 PM here in Milan, which should be 4 AM in China, right?

There are no secrets in this industry. The announcement was made no sooner than everyone in China knew about it.

With nothing else to do, Huang Weijie decided to take a look at everyone's congratulatory speeches, but upon closer inspection, he discovered...

Fan Bingbing: Weijie, congratulations! Becoming Armani's global ambassador is amazing! See you at the fashion show tomorrow, looking forward to meeting you!

Huang Weijie was taken aback. See you at the show tomorrow?

You've come to Milan too?

In my memory, the "Queen of the Red Carpet" only started two years later at Cannes, right?

(ps: The "dragon robe dress" is the work she wore to the Cannes Film Festival in 2010. It was also her first red carpet appearance that established her label as a "carpet star". Although she was later questioned for not having any works and just trying to get on the red carpet, the advantage was that her international fame increased rapidly and her exposure was not low.)

The information I found shows that Fan attended an international fashion week in 2007 and sat in the front row as a guest to watch Armani's fashion show. (I'll slightly adjust the timeline here.)

Indeed, if you want to amaze the world, you have to work hard in secret and accumulate experience quietly.

Thinking about how he himself had also studied vocal music and singing techniques diligently since childhood to achieve the amazing timbre and voice he has today, Huang Weijie immediately understood.

Fan Bingbing must have been working hard behind the scenes, and perhaps the idea for the "dragon robe dress" came from this early accumulation.

Huang Weijie: Thank you, Sister Bingbing. See you tomorrow, looking forward to your red carpet look.

Fan Bingbing: Haha~ Then I'll try my best not to disappoint you, little brother~

Tsk...

The following afternoon at 3 PM.

A quiet historic district in downtown Milan has begun to stir.

21 Borgonovo Street, a building converted from an old chocolate factory, is one of the heart of Giorgio Armani's fashion empire.

Exposed red brick walls, an industrial-style space with a ceiling height of nearly ten meters, a black steel frame structure...

This place is known in the fashion world as "Armani's Abbey" because it preserves traces of Milan's industrial history while also embodying the most cutting-edge contemporary fashion expressions.

Today, this "monastery" will host its Spring/Summer 2009 fashion show.

3:30.

The sunlight bathed the ancient streets of Milan in a golden glow.

The weather in Milan is fine today; it's as if even the heavens know that today will be a dazzling day.

A red carpet was laid out along a 50-meter-long passageway at the building's entrance, and behind the metal railings on both sides, it was already crowded with media and fans from all over the world.

The lineup of celebrities who arrived one after another was also quite impressive.

International stars such as Cate Blanchett, Leonardo DiCaprio, Tilda Swinton (the Ancient One), and Monica Bellucci were all present.

Two well-known domestic artists also came: Zhang Ziyi, an internationally recognized Chinese actress who followed Gong Li in gaining international recognition, and Fan Bingbing, one of the "Double Bing" (Fan Bingbing and Li Bingbing).

Fan Bingbing was the first to appear.

Today she was wearing an ivory white one-shoulder dress.

The dress is made of silk crepe, which shimmers with a soft, pearly luster in the Milanese afternoon sun.

The one-shoulder design reveals her beautiful shoulder and neck lines, and the skirt narrows from the waist and suddenly flares out into a fishtail hem below the hips, flowing like water when she walks.

The makeup choice also leans towards the Chinese style of "fair skin and red lips," which is delicate but not overly bright.

Her base makeup was clear and fair, her eyebrows were thin and long like distant mountains, her eye makeup was light, and only her lips were a bright red, full and luscious.

This makeup look stood out and appeared sophisticated amidst the dark makeup of the many European and American female celebrities in the room.

She stood at the starting point of the red carpet, but instead of walking forward immediately, she turned slightly so that all the cameras could capture the full look of the dress.

This move was professional and confident.

She struck a pose for two seconds before taking her first step. As she walked down the red carpet, her steps were composed, and her smile was bright and poised when facing the camera.

In contrast, look at Zhang Ziyi later...

Yes, she looks beautiful too. But there's really no need for her to come to a place she's not good at. She should just continue acting and shining in the spotlight.

Inside the fashion show, the front row seats signified status.

Cate Blanchett sat on the left side of the center, and Leonardo DiCaprio sat on the right side of the center.

Zhang Ziyi and Fan Bingbing were seated in the second row, with a few seats between them.

The scene was somewhat noisy, with the seated guests chatting in small groups.

The conversation inevitably turned to the new global ambassador, who has yet to make an appearance.

"So, that Chinese boy is really going to sit in the very center of the first row?" an Italian actress whispered to her companion.

"The seating chart was arranged personally by Sofia (Armani's Italian regional director)," his companion shrugged. "And it's not just 'you're supposed to sit,' it's 'already reserved'! His seat is between Kate and Leonardo."

"A 16-year-old pop singer sitting between two A-list Hollywood stars?"

"His album sold over thirty million dollars in three days," his companion reminded him. "Don't forget he's only been in the industry for four months. I think Armani's gamble this time is definitely worthwhile."

Not far away, Zhang Ziyi hesitated for a moment, but decided to take the initiative to talk to Fan Bingbing.

To be honest, she was extremely reluctant to take the initiative to communicate with or show goodwill to the other party.

Four Dan is Four Dan, why do you have to come along and tie up a Double Ice!

Outsiders thought it sounded great, but Zhang Ziyi felt its value had diminished.

Moreover, among the Chinese entertainment stars who came to Milan Fashion Week this time, she and Fan were the only ones.

Putting everything else aside, just based on her performance on the red carpet, Zhang Ziyi herself knows that she was outshone again.

After returning to China, the other party will inevitably release a lot of press releases. She doesn't even need to think about it; one of them will definitely be "#Fan Bingbing outshines Zhang Ziyi".

It's annoying, but there's nothing I can do about it.

There were plenty of foreign celebrities around Zhang Ziyi who didn't know them. If she really didn't want to talk to Fan, she could have gone and chatted with someone else.

But there's something... she really wants to get to know Huang Weijie!

Although it's possible to approach and talk to them, there are so many people today, it's possible that Huang Weijie will just give them a perfunctory response.

If Fan Bingbing leads the interaction, the chances of the other party remembering you and even becoming your friend will greatly increase.

Although Huang Weijie is not currently working in mainland China, many of his recent news stories have been making headlines in domestic media.

Fan Bingbing also frequently presents herself as being very familiar with Huang Weijie in front of the media.

Everyone in the industry knows she's trying to piggyback on others' fame, but firstly, the person in question hasn't come out to object, and secondly, the iconic photos of the two from a previous Nike launch event are still widely circulated online.

Therefore, most people assume that the two people at least know each other, whether they are friends or not is uncertain, but they can definitely talk to each other.

[I just need someone who can speak; I don't expect you to sincerely introduce me to someone, just act as a middleman.]

Zhang Ziyi thought to herself, "I think both Huang Weijie and I are involved in international circles. What if we could collaborate in the future?"

It's perfectly normal for singers to cross over into acting.

Everyone in the industry laughs at Jay Chou's acting skills, but everyone envies his box office appeal.

Because sometimes a singer's fans are even more devoted than an actor's.

No matter how well an actor performs, some fans like the actor as a person, while others simply like the character they portray.

But singers are different; singers cannot be replaced.

Especially someone like Huang Weijie, who sings well and is also handsome.

Once the idea of ​​making a movie is revealed, countless people will be waving money and inviting him to join.

Regardless of the film's quality, its die-hard fans will definitely contribute a significant amount to the box office in the early stages!

"Bingbing," Zhang Ziyi sat down in the empty seat next to Fan Bingbing, smiling politely, "You look really beautiful today."

Fan Bingbing turned to look at her, a hint of surprise flashing in her eyes, but it was instantly replaced by a warm smile: "Sister Ziyi, it's you! This burgundy dress really suits your temperament! I saw a lot of foreign media taking pictures of you on the red carpet just now."

"Haha, there are no outsiders here, so let's skip the small talk." Zhang Ziyi smiled, her gaze seemingly casually sweeping over the empty seat in the center of the first row. "Armani has really invited some impressive guests this time; Cate Blanchett and Leonardo DiCaprio are both here."

"Yes, after all, it's a highlight of Milan Fashion Week," Fan Bingbing echoed, while inwardly trying to guess Zhang Ziyi's intention in striking up the conversation.

Although the two belong to the "Four Dan and Two Bing" title, which is often associated with them by the media, they have very little interaction in private and have no real friendship.

Zhang Ziyi nodded slightly, as if casually mentioning, "By the way, I heard that Armani's new global ambassador will also be here today?"

Fan Bingbing's beautiful eyes flashed, and she had already guessed the other party's purpose, but her smile remained unchanged: "You mean Weijie? He should be coming. Armani just made the official announcement last night; he can't possibly miss this big show!"

Pshaw, calling him "Weijie's brother" so intimately, and sucking up to him in front of the domestic media for so long, but he hasn't responded to you at all.

A fleeting thought of disdain crossed Zhang Ziyi's mind, but she smiled at the other person and said, "You two seem to know each other quite well, right? I saw the photos of you two at the Nike launch event last time. You seemed to be having a great time, and the photos were really good."

"It's alright. We usually keep in touch, but we're both too busy. We haven't seen each other yet since we came here."

Fan Bingbing sensed the probing in his voice and directly refused, saying, "Although I know him, don't even think about getting to know him through me. I won't give you that chance!"

Zhang Ziyi smiled broadly, seemingly oblivious to the underlying meaning in Fan Bingbing's words: "Yes, who can argue with that? That's how it is in our line of work; when things get busy, we lose track of day and night. Sigh, I've noticed he hasn't been back to China for quite a while. He's doing so well in the US now; I wonder if he'll ever come back."

"Probably, his nationality hasn't changed, has it?"

"Wow, he makes so much money, this is a piece of cake! They're practically clamoring for him over there! It's just that it's still early, but who knows what will happen in a while..."

"..."

Seeing that Fan Bingbing hesitated, Zhang Ziyi added, "They say things change and people change. He's still young, and his personality might change drastically if he stays abroad for a long time."

"That shouldn't be the case. When I talked to him, he seemed quite mature and not at all pretentious."

This is exactly what Zhang Ziyi was waiting for.

She leaned forward slightly and said bluntly, "Bingbing, I know you're close to him. Actually, I've always wanted to get to know him. We mainlanders are still too weak when we're trying to make it abroad. You see, in this kind of event, if we don't count him, we can only be in the second row at most."

I know you came to this fashion week to increase your international profile, but it's too difficult to do it alone. If we could team up, things would be much better!

Fan Bingbing's smile remained unchanged, but her mind was already racing.

The other party spoke eloquently, but their purpose was very clear.

That is, they want her to be the middleman.

All that talk about "uniting" is utter nonsense!

Fan Bingbing believed that if any news unfavorable to him were to emerge, the other side might not be the first to charge into battle, but they would definitely be among those who took advantage of the situation.

This is tricky. It's not easy to refuse her directly since we're being so open about it. When Weijie arrives, even if I don't introduce her, she'll definitely fawn over him.

But thinking about it, it seems alright. I'm naturally beautiful, and Weijie only treats me as a friend. How could someone like you, with no breasts, no butt, and a face that's not even as good-looking as yours, possibly attract his attention?

Thinking this through, Fan Bingbing felt relieved, her face still beaming: "That's easy to say. When he arrives, if it's convenient, I'll introduce you. Weijie is a very easy-going person, but he'll probably be very busy on this occasion and we might not be able to chat for long."

Zhang Ziyi smiled and nodded: "Of course, he's the main character today."

She knew Fan Bingbing was being perfunctory, but she didn't care.

As long as she has a pretext to naturally strike up a conversation with Huang Weijie, the rest is up to her.

The two chatted for a few more minutes about trivial topics in the fashion industry, and the atmosphere seemed harmonious, but in reality, they each had their own thoughts.