CSGM - Chapter 50
Chapter 50: Leaving the Show
The next day, Yu Yixue received a pleasant surprise.
Yesterday, she had just been frantically casting a wide net, sending Chu Xi's resume to various production crews, hoping to find a role for her-a role with a decent billing. She never expected that today, in addition to the crews that were gradually starting to reply, an unexpected endorsement offer would land right in her lap!
And it wasn't just any ordinary endorsement. It was fashion-related-a makeup brand.
In Yu Yixue's mind, this was no different from a pie falling from the sky.
That was because resources in the entertainment industry had their own pecking order. Typically, the fashion and film circles were at the top, the television drama circle was in the middle, and variety show regulars were at the bottom, looked down upon by the rest.
As a result, unpopular celebrities who couldn't land any acting roles could only make the rounds on variety shows to gain some exposure.
In Yu Yixue's eyes, the new artist she had just signed-Chu Xi-was an unknown.
It wasn't just her opinion; the big data reflected it too! It wasn't that she was biased against Chu Xi; her assessment was simply based on facts.
It got to the point where during a company meeting today, Boss Cheng, who saw Chu Xi as a future star, even criticized her a little-
"Yixue, you're still not farsighted enough. You can't spot potential."
Yu Yixue could only sit there and nod repeatedly. Right, right. Could Chu Xi really be a potential star? How had she failed to see it? Even fashion-related capital was now taking the initiative to invite Chu Xi to be a brand ambassador.
Although she couldn't claim to be particularly discerning, she was extremely dedicated to her work with Chu Xi. She was conscientious, serious, and responsible, and she submitted a dozen-page document titled "Analysis of Chu Xi's Various Data and Value Metrics" for Boss Cheng to review.
As the meeting's host, Boss Cheng projected clips of Chu Xi's performance on Our Restaurant for everyone to see. He also included screenshots of several recent trending topics about her and the shift in public opinion over time as part of his analysis.
During today's meeting, they had discussed several artists, but when it came to Chu Xi, the buzz of discussion in the room grew several times louder.
"Her personal style is certainly unique."
"Other companies would probably have a hard time creating an artist with this kind of high-IQ persona."
"Is this artist really a middle school graduate? The contrast is huge. That's a highlight..."
"Personally, I think an artist like this has a lot of stability. After all, it's hard to find a replacement for her in the industry."
"She's beautiful. Actresses with a heroic aura are hard to find, and her features are very refined."
"This is the artist who came over from Star Han? Excellent, excellent..."
Compared to the unremarkable clips of other artists, Chu Xi's were far more exciting to watch.
High in both looks and intelligence, with a unique style, she was a breath of fresh air.
And she was new blood for their company.
Boss Cheng stated directly in the meeting that for this year's star-making plan, the newly signed artist Chu Xi was to be one of the key talents they would cultivate.
Incredible. The company was already treating Chu Xi as an artist "poised to blow up" this year or the next?!
Yu Yixue was overwhelmed by the unexpected favor, and she noticed several other senior executives nodding in approval.
Aphrodite, the makeup brand personally invested in by Xiang Xian, successfully signed an endorsement contract with Chu Xi.
Worried about missing this great opportunity, Yu Yixue moved extremely quickly to seal the deal.
On her end, Xiang Xian felt that Chu Xi's agent was much easier to talk to than Chu Xi herself, and much more efficient. In just one day, the partnership was finalized.
As the new brand ambassador, Chu Xi received a pile of Aphrodite cosmetics and skincare products while she was still working on Our Restaurant.
She turned around and gave the whole pile of bottles and jars to Ren Zhi.
Right in the middle of the show's live broadcast.
"Here, Ren Zhi, this is for you."
"What's this?" Ren Zhi, wearing rubber gloves for cleaning, stopped what she was doing at a table where customers had eaten lunch and looked at her.
"It's Aphrodite's fragrance mist. It smells great, and they say it brightens the skin. You can have it."
Looking at Ren Zhi's big yellow gloves, Chu Xi directly slipped the mini fragrance bottle into the pocket of her jeans.
"I have more to give you tonight, like lotion, concealer, and other things. They're all part of a set. It's Aphrodite's new beauty package, providing comprehensive care for every face, so those with decision paralysis will never have to struggle again."
"Okay, thanks then," Ren Zhi replied with a sweet, cooperative smile.
【Ohhhh~ My god, my unknown idol actually got an endorsement!】
【This show must be a hit. They even have product placements now.】
【Am I the only one who thinks Chu Xi's delivery of the ad copy was really stiff?】
【I think she was a little embarrassed by the ad. She clearly paused before saying 'beauty package,' hahahahahaha.】
【Think about it, everyone. Why did Chu Xi only give it to Ren Zhi out of all the cast members? Anyone who doesn't ship ChuChu dong Ren is in for a hard time!】
【On the surface, it's an advertisement, but in reality, it's just the ambiguous games of a little couple, hehehe...】
The live broadcast of Our Restaurant was proceeding smoothly, even managing to successfully insert a commercial break.
Just then, a member of the production staff hurried over to the Director and whispered something in his ear.
The Director's expression changed instantly. He stood up and went out with the staffer.
Police? What were the police doing here?
Could it be that one of the celebrities on his show didn't pay the taxes they should have, and slept with people they shouldn't have?!
That was the Director's first thought, and he went to meet the police officers with a pounding heart.
These uniformed officers were from the local police station. They greeted the Director, introduced themselves, and then got straight to the point, asking about Chu Xi's situation.
Chu... Chu Xi?!
Chu Xi was a woman, so she couldn't have been sleeping around.
So it was taxes?!
No way! When the Director heard their target was Chu Xi, his head started buzzing.
The officers politely explained that the police station in X City hoped Chu Xi could make a trip there, and they were the local colleagues responsible for relaying the message.
The police were surprisingly courteous when summoning someone these days. The Director could only be even more polite as he tentatively asked, "Officers, may I ask... what sort of business do the X City police have with Chu Xi?"
The officers glanced at each other. They had anticipated this question, but they had also discussed it beforehand. It was better not to say, and they couldn't say.
"We need her to cooperate with an investigation," was all they could tell the Director.
As law enforcement, they had a duty to protect the identity of anyone assisting with a case. They couldn't say Chu Xi was there to help solve a crime. Otherwise, if the case was solved, the suspect was caught and served their time, and then was released, there was a possibility they might seek revenge.
When the police said "cooperate with an investigation," they meant cooperating with the investigation of someone else's case.
When the Director heard "cooperate with an investigation," his vision almost went black. The common interpretation was that they were investigating Chu Xi.
Chu Xi, oh, Chu Xi, with such a sharp mind, how could you be so foolish!
But there was nothing he could do. He had to call Chu Xi out from the show and hand her over to the police.
In the live broadcast room, the Director could only announce to the other members and the audience: Chu Xi has urgent business and will be leaving the show for a while.
The other four members were stunned for a long moment. The notice was too sudden, too unexpected. And Chu Xi was gone just like that, without any warning. A few minutes later, she was no longer in the RV restaurant.
The cast members, who had spent over ten days with her day and night, suddenly felt a sense of unease.
The audience didn't understand either.
Why did she suddenly leave? There wasn't even a hint. It was so abrupt!
【Chu Xi left???? So suddenly???】
【Ah??? What happened to Xixi QAQ??】
【When is she coming back? I want to see Chu Xi!】
【Could she be sick? Do you guys remember she got some medicine from the pharmacy a couple of days ago?】
【Why didn't they say anything beforehand? Now there are only four people left in the restaurant. It's over, the head chef is gone.】
Everyone speculated, but there were no answers.
Chu Xi got into the police car with the officers and finally frowned, asking, "Why are you looking for me?"
The officers could finally explain the situation. They detailed the request from their colleagues and the whole story, then looked at her excitedly.
"Teacher Chu, your plane ticket has already been booked. We'll have to trouble you this time!"
Chu Xi: "..."
It sounded like a lot of trouble, even requiring a round-trip flight.
That Director. He didn't even ask if she agreed before handing her over, did he?
However, she didn't refuse.
She still possessed the twenty-four-character socialist core values. As a citizen, one should be patriotic, dedicated, honest, and friendly.
She nodded and said, "Alright, I'll do my best."
That afternoon, Chu Xi's flight landed in X City. She was picked up by a police car and taken directly to the local station.
A paparazzi who loitered around the station's entrance every day, hoping to catch a legal-case celebrity, never thought his career would get such a boost tonight!
The paparazzi was ecstatic.
When the scoop was sent back to the news agency, the media staff were ecstatic too!
That night, the story they broke shot up the trending topics list.
As expected, the biggest traffic-drivers in the entertainment industry weren't movie stars or fashion icons, but legal-case celebrities!
The allure of a legal-case celebrity was that no matter if netizens knew the person or not, they would click to take a look, to see which fanbase's world was collapsing today, and which film or TV show was now doomed to be taken down or never see the light of day.
#ChuXiTakenToPoliceStation#
#ChuXiTemporarilyLeavesOurRestaurant#
The two topics trended one after the other. By ten o'clock that night, the first topic had even surged to the number one spot on the hot search list.
Clicking on it revealed photos taken by the paparazzi.
There were photos of Chu Xi getting out of a police car and photos of her being led into the police station surrounded by a group of officers. Although they weren't clear, the person and her identity were recognizable.
The remaining members of Our Restaurant also saw the news that evening. The four of them felt as if they had been hit by a massive shock, feeling dizzy and disoriented in the remote countryside thousands of miles away.
Uh, this... this, this, this... would Chu Xi even be able to come back?
The netizens were just as concerned as they were: what law had Chu Xi broken?
Except the netizens' concern was merely that of a spectator enjoying the drama.
Comments
Post a Comment