Superstar's Development Diary
Chapter 204: Overrated Reputation

Chapter 204: Chapter 204: Overrated Reputation

[The harsh reality of the workplace jungle is truly cruel. There used to be a heavyset person at my company, and I felt quite sorry for her. She did the dirtiest, most exhausting work. I wanted to help her, but I just didn’t have the courage to do it.]

[The weight loss process moved me to tears—it wasn’t just about losing weight; it was self-torture! Self-torture!! Self-torture!!! I was crying. [crying on the run][crying on the run]]

[Honestly, the whole drama doesn’t carry any profound educational message. It simply exposes a social phenomenon. The plot follows a clichéd trope of a dramatic comeback, rising to the pinnacle of life, and achieving a perfectly happy love life. The humor is decent, and the actors are neither here nor there, but its strength lies in its authenticity.]

One netizen made a very valid point. "Chen Xiaohui, Go Forward!" is just an average inspirational movie. The plot doesn’t have anything particularly special, but it does have one thing going for it—it’s authentic!

He Jinxia shed a staggering eighty pounds for this film. The relentless dieting and exercising she went through was heartbreaking and frustrating to watch, but it was this very process that stunned many people.

On the Pineapple Network, a professional film review website, the movie’s reputation quickly soared to a high rating of "8.0"!

[Unlike the typical films where female stars don prosthetics to appear heavier in "fake" weight loss narratives, this movie wins with its authenticity. Even though the weight loss process is only depicted for a brief twenty-plus minutes in the film, I witnessed a two-hundred-pound woman become a stunning beauty—truly shocking!]

[What is it that keeps He Jinxia persistently undergoing devilish weight loss training, running day and night without cease? Challenging the human limit for daily exercise? Oh, it turns out it’s her ideals, her dreams, her unwavering desire for a beautiful hope!]

[I’m not one to comment on movies. I’m just an ordinary person; I don’t understand the significance, the humanity, and all that. But just for He Jinxia’s desperate weight loss, she gets a ten-star rating from me!]

When He Jinxia checked the comments on her Weibo in the morning, she noticed that the entire internet was trending with explosive acclaim.

Her brows slightly furrowed, feeling something was amiss.

As one of the main shooting crew members of "Chen Xiaohui, Go Forward!", she was very aware of the kind of film it was. It deserved praise for her real-life weight loss journey, but such excessive adulation was over the top.

"Chen Xiaohui, Go Forward!" couldn’t handle such overwhelming adoration.

She immediately made a call to Luo You to inquire about the film’s real situation and voiced her suspicions.

Luo You and the rest of the team were analyzing data and planning marketing strategies, having just finished a meeting discussing how to market the film. Hearing He Jinxia’s concerns, he chuckled and said,

"Jinxia, you’re still too green, not understanding the intricacies. Don’t be fooled by all the rave reviews online; if even twenty percent of it is genuine, that’d be saying something."

A thought flashed through He Jinxia’s mind, and she frowned, "Are you saying that the positive reviews are being artificially boosted?"

Luo You affirmed, "Exactly, someone is manipulating the positive reviews. It’s probably Dong Qiin’s PR marketing at work. Many people have a herd mentality; when they see a flood of good reviews online, they naturally become curious and want to check it out.

Think about it, the movie premiered at midnight, and even by morning, it would have only been shown in three screenings. If several tens of millions of people have seen it that would be impressive, and not everyone among them is going to share their thoughts on Weibo or leave a rating on Pineapple Network.

So the current film ratings are definitely inflated! To see the real public opinion, you’d have to wait at least two or three days after the movie’s release to start seeing the true picture."

He Jinxia felt a bit repulsed by this sort of insincere hype, which was different from how her team had previously promoted her.

The team had hyped her as a paragon of perseverance and a spokesperson for positive energy. He Jinxia didn’t mind that because she felt she lived up to the persona they established and was true to herself, and she believed she could do it well.

But "Chen Xiaohui, Go Forward!" was a movie whose reputation was entirely built on false hype. Succeeding at that is a skill in itself, nothing to be criticized, but the real fear is that the higher you hype it, the more disastrous the fall.

Seeing He Jinxia’s silence, Luo You could probably guess what she was thinking and said:

"Don’t worry, this is a movie invested in by Dong Qin; she wouldn’t play with fire using her own child. Even you, a novice, think Dong Qin’s marketing is too much, do you think Dong Qin herself wouldn’t notice?

A movie that only receives praise and no criticism, let alone insiders, even outsiders would feel something is off. By this afternoon at the latest, the media will start voicing different opinions, but this is probably also Dong Qin’s doing."

Changing the subject, he said, "If I see that things are not going well, I will issue a press release to clarify your position. In these special times, you shouldn’t say or do anything."

Thinking of something, Luo You’s voice grew deeper: "Jinxia, in a film’s world where box office is king, in this day and age, almost all films rely on marketing. How many films can rise on reputation alone, and how many can make a miraculous comeback?

The movie-going audience isn’t foolish, but they can’t outsmart the more brilliant marketing teams. In the future, you’ll encounter marketing that’s even more over-the-top than Dong Qin’s. You have to learn to let go. How many films made by directors these days are truly for sentiment? Ultimately, it’s all for money."

He Jinxia lowered her eyes and murmured an "Mhm" before hanging up the phone.

She understood Luo You’s meaning, but she still couldn’t bring herself to agree with such marketing for this movie.

He Jinxia thought for a while and then sent a message to Sheng Yan.

Last night, just after two o’clock, Sheng Yan had sent her a message congratulating her on the huge box office success. By then, He Jinxia had already fallen asleep and hadn’t seen it.

She only saw the message this morning. Her thoughts distracted, she busied herself with opening the software to search for reviews of "Chen Xiaohui, Go Forward!" and temporarily forgot to reply, only remembering after her call with Luo You.

In WeChat, He Jinxia asked, "Don’t tell me you stayed up until so late last night [knife emoji]"

At this time, Sheng Yan had already changed into his costume and applied his makeup, waiting to start shooting. Hearing his phone ring, he took it out.

On the set, a crew member passing by saw Sheng Yan dressed in a general’s armor, his head adorned with a helmet, and his left hand clutching a long halberd, looking majestic and heroic. Yet, his other hand was holding a modern smartphone...

The crew member subconsciously lifted the camera hanging around his neck and captured this scene with a "click".

Unaware of this, Sheng Yan was chatting with He Jinxia.

The conversations between lovers, even when talking about mundane topics like "What time I got up today, what I ate, how I feel, what I did," are still filled with sweetness.

As He Jinxia chatted, the topic turned to the promotion of the movie, expressing some doubt and feeling that the backlash against the reputation could be significant.

A thoughtful look crossed Sheng Yan’s eyes. Just as he was about to type a reply, the assistant director came to call him to the set. Sheng Yan simply gave up on typing a response and, putting the phone to his lips, spoke a sentence to her—

"You deserve it."

The seven simple and direct words fully expressed the man’s trust in her and also his... dominance.