Caught in Affairs with Superstar

Chapter 957: Chapter 583: Imperially Granted Constable_4

”Alright.”

Zhou Lan finished saying these things and got up, ”Then I’ll go find Yuk Chu.”

”Wait a second, Sister Lan, could you give me the contact info for the director and screenwriter of ’Imperially Granted Constable’?” Zhou Yun suddenly said, ”Also, give me the script.”

Zhou Lan asked, ”Why? Planning to poach talent for Song Chi’s company again?”

”You praise them so much, it means they’re really talented. If this show gets popular, lots of companies will be scrambling to collaborate with them. I want a head start,” Zhou Yun said, ”Song Chi’s company already produces TV dramas. If they have suitable projects but can’t find a production company or secure investment, both Song Chi and I can help out. It’s a win-win.”

Zhou Lan shook her head teasingly.

”Always planning for Song Chi.”

Zhou Yun smiled and gave Zhou Lan a little shove, ”Hurry up and go find Wang Jing.”

Zhou Lan shook her head with a smile, opened the door, and walked out.

As she stepped out, unexpectedly, someone was walking from the left and bumped into her.

”Ah!”

Zhou Lan backed up a step.

”Sorry, are you alright?”

It was a young man’s voice.

Zhou Lan looked up, seeing a handsome face and eyes filled with apology and concern.

It was Xin Zhike.

Zhou Lan certainly recognized the actor who would be performing with Zhou Yun and Yuk Chu, even though it was the first time she’d seen him in person, only having seen him in photos and videos before.

”It’s fine,” Zhou Lan said.

Perhaps being stared at by those concerned eyes made Zhou Lan feel a bit nervous.

Xin Zhike said, ”Sorry, I was rushing and didn’t notice someone coming out.”

Zhou Lan shook her head, ”It’s alright.”

Xin Zhike relaxed when he heard it was okay, then noticed she had come from Zhou Yun’s lounge and asked, ”Is Xiao Yun there?”

Zhou Lan nodded, ”She is. Are you looking for her?”

Xin Zhike nodded, ”I’m here to go over the scenes we need to shoot later.”

”Oh, I see.” Zhou Lan turned back to Zhou Yun inside the room and said, ”Xiao Yun, Xin Zhike is looking for you.”

She stepped aside to allow him in, ”Go ahead.”

Xin Zhike nodded, flashed her another smile, and went inside.

He was quite polite.

This was Zhou Lan’s thought.

She went to find Wang Jing, and as she stood at Yuk Chu’s lounge door, she found her heart was still racing a bit.

Zhou Lan couldn’t help but mock herself; she still got nervous around good-looking men despite being in the entertainment industry for so long, having seen all sorts of handsome men.

...

Yuk Chu was taken away by Zhou Lan, and the focus shifted entirely to filming with Zhou Yun.

Zhou Yun and Xin Zhike already had many scenes to shoot together, so their workload was particularly heavy these past few days as they were mainly shooting their parts.

Zhou Yun barely had time to rest, going from one scene to another, sometimes joking and intellectually sparring with Xin Zhike, and in the next scene, she’d be firing back at him angrily, cursing and yelling, feeling like she had a split personality.

On the contrary, Xin Zhike was impressed and applauding, ”You change expressions so quickly, you’re amazing. I haven’t even processed it yet.”

Cui Xidong remarked, ”You know you didn’t process it? Keep your focus. Let’s do another take. None of your shots were usable, like a block of wood.”

Xin Zhike: ”...”

When Yuk Chu returned, Xin Zhike sighed deeply.

”These past two days have felt like exam season, I’m exhausted. Thank goodness you’re back; I don’t have to film with Xiao Yun constantly anymore,” Xin Zhike said happily to Yuk Chu.

Yuk Chu, unaware of what happened, looked confused.

”Huh?”

...

Yuk Chu’s ’Imperially Granted Constable’ premiered, thanks to Yuk Chu’s current fame, the show garnered some attention.

The premiere day brought plenty of criticism, mainly aimed at the poor acting skills of the cast, making it unbearable to watch.

Yuk Chu also faced a lot of backlash.

Zhou Lan didn’t try to control the criticism and opinions; instead, she deliberately spread the talk, attracting more people who knew nothing about the show.

From Zhou Lan’s perspective, negative buzz is better than no attention at all.

The more criticism, the more viewers. As long as they don’t completely abandon the show, the engaging plot can retain them and potentially turn around its reputation.

Zhou Lan monitored the online trends about the show.

Sure enough, seasoned viewers began to emerge. Several film bloggers praised the show for its engaging visuals and storyline, aside from the acting.

Zhou Lan immediately arranged for spreading these comments with the help of online mark

She didn’t plan to focus the marketing on Yuk Chu, but rather highlight the praiseworthy aspects.

Using the show to bolster individuals was Zhou Lan’s strategy.

First gain popularity for the show, and Yuk Chu becomes known as an actress who starred in a smaller hit.

Combining with April’s ’Despicable Love Object,’ Zhou Lan aimed to later market Yuk Chu as having a ’blockbuster’ quality. This was Zhou Lan’s design.

’Imperially Granted Constable’ received real criticism, some of it even from Zhou Lan’s own hired commentators, which may be unprecedented—hiring people to criticize one’s own acting as average.

Zhou Lan explained clearly to Yuk Chu not to be overly sensitive; her performance in ’Imperially Granted Constable’ was indeed average. But if this point could boost the show’s publicity and help the plot appeal to viewers, it would be a positive outcome.

As Zhou Lan predicted, the show’s plot truly captivated the audience.

Many criticized yet followed, drawn by the storyline.

Those captured by the plot criticized more harshly, partly because they found the story compelling, yet lamented that such a good script was wasted on subpar actors.

Seeing the consistent online buzz for the low-budget web series ’Imperially Granted Constable,’ the platform where it aired was indifferent about whether it was praised or criticized. For the platform, high buzz means viewers, attracting more advertisers.

The platform began to ramp up promotion spending for the show.

Promotion revolved around catchy quotes and captivating scenes, sparking discussions across social media.

Zhou Yun collaborated with Zhou Lan, posting daily viewing impressions.

As for the comments taunting her friend Yuk Chu’s poor acting under Zhou Yun’s posts, she ignored them completely.

However, Zhou Yun noticed that Yuk Chu’s mood was indeed impacted by the criticism.

It’s understandable, really, who can fully ignore overwhelming negative remarks about themselves?

It’s unlikely Yuk Chu didn’t take the negative remarks about her acting to heart.

But Yuk Chu also understood Zhou Lan’s intention, forcing herself to conceal her disappointment.

Just then, ’Imperially Granted Constable’s’ screenwriter accepted a media interview due to the show’s popularity, addressing the actors’ performance issues.