Superstar's Development Diary
Chapter 217 - 218: The Second Invitation

Chapter 217: Chapter 218: The Second Invitation

The car arrived at Dongting Lake Garden, and when He Jinxia got out, Luo You suddenly remembered something, slapped his forehead, and quickly stopped her, "Wait, look at my memory, there’s one more thing I forgot to tell you!

There’s a music show that wants to invite you to participate. It’s a show specifically for crossover singers to perform, are you interested? If so, I can schedule it for you."

He Jinxia lowered her gaze. If it were an important notice, the team would have directly arranged it for her. A music show was not like acting in movies or TV shows; she didn’t need to read a script before making a final decision.

Now that the team was letting her choose, it was evident that the show wasn’t very important. In her six-month development plan, it fell into the category of being optional.

He Jinxia thought for a moment, then shook her head and declined.

"No need, I won’t participate. I’m not yet firmly established in the entertainment circle, so going to sing now doesn’t seem right."

Luo You heard this and also nodded in agreement.

"I think so too, but this variety show has high viewership. It’s for the sake of increasing viewer impressions, so participating once wouldn’t hurt. Since you don’t want to, I’ll decline it then, and you should get some rest early."

After saying goodbye to Cheng Xiaohua and Luo You, He Jinxia turned and walked into the apartment.

After taking a shower, He Jinxia turned on the TV and casually flipped to Huadu TV Station’s "Today’s Hot News."

Coincidentally, "Today’s Hot News" was airing the episode their production team had recorded for the second time.

Watching herself on the TV screen, He Jinxia felt a slight pang of melancholy, not even sure what she was melancholic about. It’s just that... the self on the TV seemed like a stranger, as if it wasn’t really her.

With a critical eye, she watched for a few minutes, only to feel that she did several things wrong. What she said in one situation could have been more appropriate, and a different action in another could have been better...

In the end, He Jinxia only managed to endure for ten minutes before immediately changing the channel.

She had to change the channel. If she didn’t, she would’ve completely criticized herself, feeling like her role as a star was a failure.

He Jinxia lowered her gaze, wondering if watching herself on TV was always this awkward, and also whether Sheng Yan might feel the same way.

On a whim, she took out her phone to call Sheng Yan for a chat, but as soon as she held her phone, it suddenly rang.

Surprise flickered through He Jinxia’s eyes. She looked down and saw that it was from Master Tony.

"Dear Xiao Xiaxia, our team received an invitation from Decorum magazine today. They want to invite you for an exclusive photoshoot. However, considering the poor quality of their last shoot, I strongly oppose your participation in the Decorum shoot," said the voice.

He Jinxia furrowed her brow and asked in a low voice, "What do the others think?"

With a carefree tone, Tony said, "If possible, just do the shoot. It’s a second-rate magazine, but since your current movie project is quite popular, a shoot now could further boost your profile. There are also many benefits from the Decorum side."

It sounded like going for the shoot would be beneficial, but if the matter were that simple, Tony wouldn’t have started the conversation by strongly opposing it.

He Jinxia asked, "What’s your opinion?"

Tony smiled, "Xiaxia, I particularly manage the fashion segment resources for you, and the team is considering your image promotion at this stage. It would indeed be good if you could shoot a photo for a second-tier magazine."

But they don’t quite understand the fashion circle, nor do they have a clear picture of the current state of ’Decorum’. ’Decorum’ has been on a downhill path for half a century—decades ago, they had the potential to impact top-tier magazines, but that’s absolutely impossible now."

"From a professional standpoint, if ’Decorum’ doesn’t change its current team and find a new editor-in-chief, it will definitely be downgraded to a third-tier magazine within ten years."

Tony paused, his tone becoming serious, "The fashion circle is no simpler than the entertainment circle. Take the magazine company you visited some days ago, ’Fengshang’."

Although ’Fengshang’ is now just a second-tier magazine, everyone in the circle knows they will soon be elevated to the first-tier. So by shooting for ’Fengshang’, you were already getting in touch with a higher-tier circle ahead of time."

However, ’Decorum’ has continuously been declining. In a few years, if it steps back and gets demoted to a third-tier magazine, no matter how glorious its past was, the final impression people will have of it will just be that of a third-tier."

"Looking at future long-term goals, I don’t think you should waste your energy on ’Decorum’ anymore. Moreover, a star’s image shouldn’t be too fixed, as it could hinder future development."

"From your debut till now, you’ve only done two shoots for ’L&G Charming Women’, and just once for other magazines. I don’t think ’Decorum’ is worth shooting a second time for, especially since its influence has greatly waned."

It was rare for Tony to speak such a long and serious speech while not just prattling on. He Jinxia slightly shook her head, feeling a bit unaccustomed to it.

However, Tony’s words still needed to be carefully considered. After thinking for a while, He Jinxia asked, "When does ’Decorum’ plan to have me for the shoot?"

Tony snorted lightly on the phone, disdain evident in his tone, "’Chen Xiaohui, Go Forward!’ has been slowly rising at the box office since organizing a celebration for reaching 2 billion. It’s now at 2.3 billion and with a little more effort, should easily reach 3 billion."

"They want to capitalize on the movie’s momentum and shoot sooner to generate buzz. They’ve requested the shoot to happen as soon as possible, tomorrow if feasible."

He Jinxia frowned, "Isn’t that a bit rushed?"

Tony made no effort to hide his disdain for ’Decorum’, "Yes, they’re really in a hurry! They don’t treat the magazine profession as sacred. When you open it, it’s just a pile of advertisements, reeking of cash."

Having to shoot so soon was something that worried He Jinxia, wondering if the photo quality would be compromised. Had they decided on the theme, outfits, or even makeup?

Right now ’Decorum’ is a second-tier magazine. If there was an opportunity to shoot with a second-tier magazine, of course, that would be great since even some A-list stars go for second-tier magazines. However, if the photos turned out unflattering and it affected her image, it would be more loss than gain.

"I’ll give you an answer tomorrow morning. I want to think about it tonight," He Jinxia said.

Tony responded decisively, "Okay, I’ll call you again tomorrow morning."

After hanging up the phone, He Jinxia set down her phone and stared at the stack of scripts on the table, lost in thought.

But before she could think for long, her phone rang again with a musical tone. She picked it up—it was Sheng Yan.

He Jinxia couldn’t help but smile, her eyes curving into crescents and her dimples faintly visible as she immediately answered the call.

The two were on a video call.