MMB Chapter 135 The Reshuffling of Traffic
Chapter 135 The Reshuffling of Traffic
In May, as the early summer breeze swept through the streets of Nanjing, an online carnival initiated by Haofeng Network swept across the entire Chinese internet in a down-to-earth and even somewhat vulgar manner.
On the most prominent positions of the homepages of iQiyi and Bilibili, a self-produced web series called "Diaosi Men" was launched simultaneously.
This collection of short stories, with each episode lasting only a dozen minutes or so, set in simple locations and lacking even a complete main plot, is undoubtedly considered a second-rate amateur production by the bigwigs of the traditional film and television industry.
However, this web series, which was scorned by traditional filmmakers, easily surpassed 50 million views in just three days after its release!
The reason is simple: while Da Peng's comical face and various outrageous jokes are certainly eye-catching, what really makes netizens click and watch the show repeatedly is the "outrageous" guest cast!
Imagine the protagonist, Da Peng, getting into all sorts of hilarious mishaps in a roadside foot massage parlor, a street food stall, or a cheap rental room.
The woman sitting across from him, massaging his feet, accompanying him on blind dates, or being approached by him, is none other than Yang Mi, currently a superstar in the Chinese entertainment industry! She's also the ethereal Liu Yifei, the sweet and elegant Tang Yan, and the nation's first love, Li Xin!
When netizens saw these usually aloof top actresses seriously cooperating with Da Peng to perform those down-to-earth comedic skits in the drama, they were all excited!
"Holy crap! Has Haofeng Film & Television gone mad?! They actually let a goddess like Liu Yifei act in this kind of skit?!"
"I'm dying of laughter! I watched the scene with Yang Mi at the foot massage parlor ten times! The contrast is absolutely adorable!"
"What do you mean by 'prestige'? In the entire Chinese entertainment industry, who else could put these four leading actresses together for minor roles in a ten-minute web series? Only Haofeng's own boss could give such a direct order!"
With its low production cost and the boost from Haofeng Film & Television's internal resources, "Men's Diary" created the first traffic phenomenon in the history of Chinese web dramas! iQiyi and Bilibili's daily active users saw another surge!
Meanwhile, Yang Mi, at home, couldn't help but feel secretly fortunate as she watched the overwhelming discussion online.
When she first heard the term "web series" in the film and television department, she thought it was low-class, but due to her blind trust in the boss's strategy, she not only did not resist it, but was also the most uninhibited when making a cameo appearance.
It now seems that these fragmented short dramas are spreading even faster than traditional TV dramas in the mobile internet era!
……
And so, amidst the lingering popularity of "Men's Diary," time moved calmly into June.
The annual Chinese internet traffic extravaganza: Haofeng Weibo's "Four Emerging Actresses" and "Four Top Influencers" coronation gala has arrived as scheduled.
This year's gala will once again be held at the Jinling Olympic Sports Center.
However, compared to last year's fierce competition among top players, this year's list presents a suffocating sense of class solidification.
In the back-end data monitoring center, Li Feng looked at the final vote count without the slightest surprise.
The rankings of the "Four Little Flowers" among female stars remained largely unchanged, with almost no surprises.
Yang Mi capitalized on the long-tail effect of the phenomenal hit drama "Palace" and her unexpected breakout performance in "Men's Diary," which propelled her to a commanding lead, leaving the second-place winner far behind!
Liu Yifei remains in second place.
Over the past year, Liu Yifei's films have been released one after another. Although "Shaolin" and "Flying Swords of Dragon Gate" did well at the box office and maintained their high-end image, the promotion and distribution cycle of the films was too short, and the topic could not dominate the hot search for years like TV series.
Even though she had lowered herself to please the boss in every way, her votes were still firmly suppressed by Yang Mi in the face of overwhelmingly popular lower-tier audiences.
What terrified her the most was Liu Shishi, who came in third place!
The power of "Scarlet Heart" is too strong. Liu Shishi's votes are extremely close, almost right behind Liu Yifei's heels. She could overtake him at any time in the next election!
Tang Yan secured fourth place thanks to her popularity with "Summer's Desire" and consistent media exposure, completing the cycle of the "Four Little Actresses".
The fifth goalkeeper is Li Xin.
Ni Ni secured eighth place thanks to her continued efforts in film resources.
In this list dominated by actresses from Haofeng Film & Television, what truly shocked and surprised the industry was a completely unfamiliar name that, like a dark horse, stormed into the top ten!
10th place: Zhao Liying!
With no background whatsoever, this "baby-faced" girl who was just an extra at Huayi Brothers a little over a year ago has managed to carve out a path through a sea of star-studded celebrities and secure tenth place simply by playing the lead role in the recently aired sequel to "Palace 2: The Lock of Pearls."
This not only proves how strong the "Palace" IP is, but also proves the terrifying star-making industrial assembly line of Haofeng Film and Television!
Compared to the uneventful female star list, the changing of the "Four Top Male Stars" on the male star side illustrates a cruel reality: in the second decade of the 21st century, traditional film stars have been abandoned by the era of internet traffic!
The number one spot still belongs to Han Geng, the original top star who returned to China to develop his career!
"This is the second year of his three-year short contract, and his popularity is still at its peak."
Looking at Han Geng's data, Li Feng coldly calculated in his heart, "There's only one year left. Squeeze out the last bit of his commercial value, and once the four returning idols and the three little ones emerge next year, he should step down."
Ranking second and third are Hu Ge and Huo Jianhua, who have dominated the television screen with their fantasy dramas and period dramas!
Fourth on the list is Huang Xiaoming, the only remaining member of the older generation of leading men.
As for the other male stars who once dominated the film industry, they barely made it into the top ten on Weibo, a platform where rankings and daily active users are purely based on fan support and data.
The list of top male celebrities signifies a complete victory for television stars over traditional film stars!
……
The venue was brightly lit and star-studded.
Li Feng watched the singing and dancing performance on stage with a lazy expression.
During the intermission, the undercurrents in the VIP seats were even more exciting than the performance on stage.
Yang Mi, dressed in a Chanel haute couture gown and holding a glass of champagne, gracefully walked to Li Feng's side.
"Boss~" Yang Mi bowed slightly, unabashedly displaying her impressive assets, her foxy eyes full of flattery and self-satisfaction, "I'll be Queen again this year, barring any unforeseen circumstances. I didn't let you down, did I? The party's over, how about I go to the manor to celebrate with you properly?"
Before Li Feng could speak, Liu Yifei, who was usually aloof, also came over with a wine glass in hand.
If Liu Yifei used to have some reserve, now, under the immense pressure of being overtaken by Liu Shishi, she has abandoned that ridiculous pride.
"President Li." Liu Yifei walked to Li Feng's other side, his voice soft but with a hint of urgency, "I just heard from Lao Han that the company's modern drama 'Let's Get Married' is about to start production. I've been studying the script recently, and tonight... I'd like to go to the manor to ask you about the details of the role in private."
Watching these two top actresses in the Chinese entertainment industry secretly vying for the chance to spend the night at the manor in front of everyone, the entertainment company bosses around who had noticed something were all swallowing their saliva inwardly!
This is the emperor-like treatment that Boss Li of Haofeng receives!
However, Li Feng simply smiled faintly as he looked at the two stunningly beautiful faces.
Over the past six months, he has certainly tasted enough of Yang Mi's various tricks and the contrasting appeal of Liu Yifei after his fall from grace.
Even the most delicious delicacies can become tiresome if eaten in excess.
"I'm a bit tired tonight. Let's talk about the celebration and script discussion another day. You all worked hard tonight too, go home and get some rest."
Li Feng's tone was calm, yet it exuded an undeniable authority, as he casually dismissed the two top actresses.
Although a hint of disappointment flashed in the eyes of both women, neither dared to show the slightest dissatisfaction in front of Li Feng. They could only obediently agree and return to their seats with their wine glasses.
Standing behind Li Feng, Zhang Xinyu witnessed everything.
She knows her boss all too well.
Is the boss... craving something new?
Zhang Xinyu's gaze swept across the back row of seats, and suddenly, her eyes fixed on the round-faced girl sitting at the edge of the tenth row.
Zhao Liying, the new leading lady of "Palace 2: The Lock of Pearls", has just entered the top ten of the popularity chart!
Zhang Xinyu understood immediately and quietly took out her phone.
……
At 10:30 p.m., the party was coming to an end.
Sitting in the back corner, Zhao Liying looked at the radiant senior sisters on the stage, her hands tightly gripping the hem of her dress.
Being able to sit here today, having achieved tenth place, is a miracle she never dared to dream of before.
But seeing how Yang Mi and Liu Yifei could attract everyone's attention even when they were just toasting, the wildfire in her heart burned brighter and brighter.
Just then.
Her phone, which was in her handbag, suddenly vibrated.
Zhao Liying carefully took out her phone, and when she saw the caller ID on the screen, her breathing became rapid!
It's a text message from Zhang Xinyu, the president's chief secretary!
After the party, I took a taxi to avoid the paparazzi. My boss wanted something lighter tonight, so I was prepared.
Zhao Liying's mind went blank, and then a wave of ecstasy swept over her!
Her hands trembled, her eyes were red, and she was so moved that she burst into tears!
She felt no humiliation whatsoever; on the contrary, she wept with joy!
Just now, she witnessed Liu Yifei and Yang Mi's battle of wits.
She originally thought that with her round face that didn't conform to mainstream beauty standards, she would never be worthy of entering that man's sight in her entire life.
but!
The boss actually rejected Yang Mi and Liu Yifei!
Tonight, at this lavish banquet filled with beautiful women, the boss actually chose her!
What incredible favoritism! What an extraordinary stroke of luck!
"I won't let him down... I absolutely won't let him down!"
Zhao Liying gripped her phone, silently screaming in her heart.
She immediately stood up, not even waiting for the final curtain call of the party, and rushed out of the Olympic Sports Center without looking back, taking advantage of the darkness and the noise.
She wanted to wash herself clean, to wash away all the earthy air she had accumulated from years of struggling at the bottom of society.
After tonight, Zhao Liying will truly have a place in this arena of fame and fortune called Haofeng!