Superstar's Development Diary
Chapter 182 Launching the Campaign

Chapter 182: Chapter 182 Launching the Campaign

The exchange imperceptibly shifted to video, and as the two peered into their screens at the other’s image, neither spoke, a tender atmosphere slowly enveloping them.

He Jinxia rubbed her eyes while looking.

Sheng Yan saw this and said softly, "Close your eyes and go to sleep, I’ll tell you a story."

He Jinxia typed a few words in response, "What about you?"

Sheng Yan replied, "After I’ve lulled you to sleep, I’ll go to sleep too, watching you sleep."

He Jinxia’s face flushed with awkwardness, feeling inexplicably as if Sheng Yan was treating her like a child.

But they hadn’t seen each other in a long time, relying on nightly video chats while filming on set. Now that she wasn’t in Film City, the distance between them was greater, intensifying their longing.

He Jinxia let her phone face her as she closed her eyes to rest, thinking that it was okay to be a bit childish; after all, he doted on her.

However, in Sheng Yan’s mind, the thought was mutual.

So, who exactly was doting on whom, who was indulging whom was still up in the air ╮(╯▽╰)╭!

The next day, just after He Jinxia woke up, she received a call from Brother Luo.

Now that her career was progressing, her popularity was continuously rising, and her team was established with all matters proceeding smoothly. Brother Luo, as her agent, no longer had to run around with her like an assistant as before.

Brother Luo spent more time in the office, sorting through the countless offers, selecting useful ones for her, planning her career path, and handling crisis public relations online—steadily keeping the home front secure.

Early in the morning, a call from Brother Luo made He Jinxia’s expression tense, with a bad premonition.

Answering the call, indeed, Brother Luo did not bring any good news.

He asked, "Have you had any disputes with anyone recently, or offended someone?"

He Jinxia thought carefully, her eyebrows furrowing as she said, "My recent schedule has been filled with running promotions with the movie crew. I’ve been interacting mostly with crew members, not outsiders."

Brother Luo then asked, "So did you upset someone in the crew?"

An incident involving Li Li last night immediately came to He Jinxia’s mind.

She countered, "What do you mean?"

Brother Luo said, "Early this morning, suddenly a bunch of marketing accounts started exposing you online, stirring up stories about your diva behavior from before. They’re saying you don’t respect your seniors after becoming famous and that you have bad relations with JY members."

Finally, he affirmed decisively, "This is definitely a planned attack by someone with an agenda. They wanted to tarnish your image but were too stingy to pay for a high-traffic slot to release a press note, so they could only hide and pick times like two or three in the morning, or three or four."

He Jinxia’s brows eased as she said, "I know who it is, it’s Li Li."

Brother Luo was somewhat surprised, "Her? Why hasn’t she learned her lesson yet? She’s been bashed by your fans so harshly and still wants to harm you?"

He Jinxia then told Brother Luo the entire story of how Li Li grabbed her hand the previous evening, wanting to take a photo together and upload it to W blog.

After Brother Luo listened, he sighed, "With that intelligence, it’s impressive that Li Li managed to make it to the second tier in the entertainment circle without anyone wanting to mess with her."

Otherwise, with just a casual move, she could easily be knocked into the dust. Given Li Li’s temperament, it’s all too easy for someone to get a hold of her weaknesses."

He Jinxia said indifferently, "With a wealthy and powerful family, even top celebrities are reluctant to oppose her. How could anyone want to go after her?"

After pondering for a while, Luo You said, "As for Li Li, let’s just endure it if we can. Her family background is indeed not easy to mess with. With Dong Qiin in the crew as well, she can only play these little tricks in the dark.

I’ve already taken care of your public opinion management. A bit of defamation at midnight is nothing; your fans will see it and explain it for you. They’ll also criticize the marketing accounts for having nothing better to do, dredging up matters from several months ago.

Right now, I’m just waiting for your movie to be released. Once it’s out, we can send out press releases with some clips to help change people’s impressions of you. Focus on filming, ensure the quality of your work, which can break through anything."

He Jinxia replied with a sound, "Okay."

Before hanging up, Luo You said with implied meaning, "Jinxia, I know you don’t like resorting to certain tactics, but ’if others don’t offend me, I won’t offend them.’ If someone comes to hit you, you have no reason to simply take it. If Li Li continues to go too far, I’ll make some countermeasures."

He Jinxia’s gaze firmed slightly, and she said faintly, "Brother Luo, it’s all in your hands. Do what needs to be done. I’m not a saint, I understand what you mean. I just don’t want to be entangled in these matters, but—"

Her words took a sharp turn, resolutely stating, "If someone keeps provoking me again and again, there is a limit to what I can tolerate. You take care of it as you see fit; you don’t need my consent."

Luo You approved with a sound, "Good, understanding the big picture and keeping things in proportion. It would be hard for you not to become popular. I’m hanging up now!"

Listening to the dial tone on the phone, He Jinxia put down her phone, belatedly realizing that Luo You had just self-praised with his remark.

She smiled softly, and after freshening up, once again immersed herself in the busy work of promotion.

Time flew by, and He Jinxia had already spent a whole week in Huadu. This week, she barely had any rest, either shooting for magazines or on her way to shoots.

The only consolation was that she wasn’t alone; the entire crew, including Song Zilin, was busy in the same way.

Dong Qiin intentionally arranged for more magazine shoots to promote the crew. Although breaking the record with seventy or eighty magazines in a month was out of reach, keeping up with the pace of shooting one magazine per day was essential to attract the attention of fashionistas and conquer the higher-end fashion world.

Meanwhile, the promotion for "Chen Xiaohui, Go Forward!" started to roll out in waves.

What is a hard ad?

In simple terms, it refers to advertising spaces.

The hard advertisement for a movie typically involves buying advertising spaces at such places as bus stops, subway and high-speed rail stations, airports, cinema halls, commercial properties, and on major websites. Depending on the release date of the film, the cost for these spaces can vary.

Better locations are inevitably pricier than the less desirable ones. If the crew wants to start the campaign a month before release, the price could double.

Many crews spend half or more of their total marketing budget on hard advertisement. It’s literally splurging real money in order to familiarize the public with the film.

When shooting the movie, Dong Qiin had said this was a multi-million-dollar investment. At least half of the investment would be allocated to promotion. He Jinxia estimated the actual costs of filmmaking, which weren’t that high during the shooting period.

Firstly, the remunerations of several main actors were low, totaling less than a million. Renting venues also wasn’t too expensive—it was just leasing a floor in an office building for several months.

The office building wasn’t located in a prime area. It was on the outskirts, where rent could be settled for a few hundred thousand or even just tens of thousands.

As He Jinxia headed to her magazine shoot in the car, she had already spotted the poster for "Chen Xiaohui, Go Forward!" at some bus stops, and it wasn’t even April yet.

Even though Huadu is not a key city in Hua Country, Dong Qiin’s deployment of posters over a month in advance showcased a grand and lavish financial power.