Chinese entertainment: Top stars started being pursued by young actresses

Chapter 179, Section 178: The Awkwardness of Livestreaming with Exes (6K)

Zhou Ye suffered from insomnia after initiating the breakup.

Even if I don't look at my phone or do anything else, I still can't fall asleep.

She stared blankly at the sky, the echo of her conversation with Lin Shaobai still ringing in her ears.

Are you dating Zhang Jingyi?

"Ah."

Zhou Ye had seen Lin Shaobai's every move at that time, or rather, he had engraved it in his heart.

If you were to ask Zhou Ye if she would be willing to part with it, she would definitely say no.

She has liked Lin Shaobai very much since 2017.

This feeling has never changed.

But now that this has happened, she can't accept it.

First it was Zhang Jingyi, then her friend, time and time again, it's driving everyone crazy.

It's better to separate, right?

That's right.

God, Heavenly Lord, Jade Emperor, Goddess Nuwa, tell me, am I doing the right thing?
Zhou Ye frowned slightly, his smile looking rather bitter.

"I originally planned to sign with his company, but now that he brought it up, I guess I can't do that anymore."

"How about we go to Kazumatsu?"

Zhou Ye rolled over and tapped his phone screen with his finger: "It's a big company, and Teacher Li Binbin said that she values ​​me a lot and will probably give me a lot of support."

"Let's talk to Teacher Li about it tomorrow."

"But no one in this circle will treat me as well as Shao Bai did..."

"oops!"

Zhou Ye rubbed his hair.

Since you've already broken up, don't dwell on the past or feel regret!
This will only make you more internally conflicted!
Zhou Ye stomped his leg and fluttered around on the bed like a pupa.

Zhou Ye's roommate, who was still playing games in bed, peeked out after hearing Zhou Ye's noise.

She noticed that Zhou Ye had been crying at the beginning, but he was feeling better now.

Then I can play games without worry!

So what exactly happened to Zhou Ye? Why did he come back so late at night, crying like that?
Can't figure it out.

……

Meanwhile, Lin Shaobai took a shower and sat on the sofa at home.

I rushed back without an umbrella and got soaked to the bone.

At that moment, I didn't care about the dampness on my body; my mind was completely focused on talking to Zhou Ye.

"Tsk."

Lin Shaobai crossed his arms behind his head, leaned back, and closed his eyes.

Looking at my senior's expression at that moment, she was truly heartbroken.

If I go to see her again these next few days, all I'll get are the words "Don't come any closer."

Lin Shaobai felt his mind was in a mess, both chaotic and heavy, like the chaos before the creation of heaven and earth.

Just then, his assistant, Xiao Liu, called him.

"Hey?"

"Boss, where have you been?!"

"I've arrived in the capital."

"Oh dear! I was so worried, I couldn't find you!"

"I'm fine, I'm not dead."

Assistant Xiao Liu is the kind of honest, traditional college student with clear yet naive college student eyes.

He just wanted to do his job well and assist Lin Shaobai.

"But boss, you don't need to rush back to Xiamen. Tomorrow at the Weibo building in Beijing, we're going to hold a live broadcast of 'A Little Reunion'."

"..."

Lin Shaobai was dumbfounded.

That makes sense. With such high popularity since the drama's premiere, how could there be no reaction on Weibo?

Having the main actors of a TV series go live and interact with the audience is also a way to increase viewership.

In the past, Lin Shaobai would have thought this was just one of his daily jobs in the entertainment industry.

"Teacher Haiqing, Teacher Sha... will all be there. But Weibo is mainly inviting you, boss. You have a lot of traffic and you also play Fang Yifan in the drama."

"I know."

Lin Shaobai rubbed his head, thinking that he would be meeting Senior Sister Zhou Ye again soon.

The two of them met this time because they were ex-boyfriend and girlfriend.
Zhang Jingyi, another protagonist in the chaotic scene, also didn't sleep well tonight.

Zhou Ye suddenly hung up the phone during the chat, which made her wonder what he did after hanging up.

She probably went to talk to Lin Shaobai, right? What will the two of them say?

Zhang Jingyi slowly curled up, shrinking into a small ball.

"Will they let Lin Shaobai choose only one? And who will Lin Shaobai choose?"

"No, no matter who I choose, I don't want to leave Lin Shaobai."

Zhang Jingyi was determined not to back down.

No matter what, we will not back down.

They won't move aside.

"Maybe Shao Bai... sigh."

Zhang Jingyi covered her head with the blanket until she could barely breathe before she came out.

"It's so boring..."

……

……

The next day
Zhou Ye took the initiative to send a message to Li Binbin.

The two arranged to meet at a restaurant for lunch.

After the food was served, Li Binbin couldn't help but ask, "Hey, Zhou Ye."

"Hmm?" Zhou Ye looked up.

Did you not sleep well last night?

"You noticed that?"

"It's obvious. Didn't you look in the mirror? Look at your dark circles, they're so heavy."

"……Feel sorry……"

"What's there to apologize for?"

Li Binbin was puzzled.

Zhou Ye didn't know why, but he just said it out of habit.

She lowered her head, extremely nervous.

Now, only she and Li Binbin are in this small private room.

She was just a minor actress, an incredibly minor one.

And sitting in front of her was a top-tier actress.

It would be a lie to say I wasn't afraid.

However, Zhou Ye tried his best to remain poised and graceful.

"I could tell you were troubled the moment I saw you. Is something bothering you? Would you like to tell me? I'll see if I can help you resolve it."

Li Binbin really liked Zhou Ye and was thinking of signing her to the company to train her.

This face even looks a bit like mine.

"It's fine."

Zhou Ye felt he had been rejected.

How could Li Binbin possibly know this?
Should I say, "I broke up with Lin Shaobai, and I'm having trouble sleeping because of the breakup?"

Wouldn't it be crazy to say it out loud?
Zhou Ye thought that she had just broken up with her boyfriend, not that she had epilepsy.

Even if Li Binbin said that, she couldn't possibly tell the truth.

Ultimately, they were just strangers I'd only met twice.

"Okay. I won't force you if you don't want to tell me."

Li Binbin smiled and said, "So you've come to your senses? You want to come and work with Song?"

Zhou Ye didn't speak. After thinking for a moment, she said, "I... can I ask how many years the contract is for?"

This is Zhou Ye's first time signing with a company, but he has heard a little about entertainment companies.

That's why she initially planned to sign with Lin Shaobai's company, since Lin Shaobai could help her.

Lin Shaobai... Lin Shaobai...

Zhou Ye shook his head violently.

Why does talking about this remind me of my ex-boyfriend?

From Li Binbin's perspective, Zhou Ye is currently shaking his head like a rattle drum.

This girl seemed quite energetic before, but now she seems a bit silly.

After a moment, Li Binbin was still charmed by Zhou Ye's cuteness.

Why are you shaking your head?

"Huh? Oh, no."

Zhou Ye immediately returned to normal.

"You're quite cute."

Li Binbin spoke frankly about her thoughts.

"Teacher Li, so the contract..."

"ten years."

"...Huh? It's a full contract."

Actors have commercial contracts, general contracts, and full contracts with their companies.

A typical business contract is usually signed for a minimum of one year, and after the one-year term expires, you can discuss with the company whether to renew the contract.

This provides protection for both parties.

However, the downside of this is that if you only sign a one-year contract, the company won't invest a lot of money and effort in you.

It takes several years of cultivation and extensive promotion for an artist to become famous.

If you're lucky, you might make a good drama that becomes a hit, but it usually takes a year from filming to release, and at the fastest, it takes half a year.

Since you're leaving after only a year, why should the company spend time and effort training you?

Therefore, companies typically sign contracts for several years.

The full contract is 8 to 12 years, or even longer.

Its advantage is long-term cooperation; the company will continuously and steadily invest resources in you.

However, the downside is that the contract takes too long.

During this period, artists can only follow the company's arrangements and have little say.

Therefore, we often hear that after signing with a company, the company doesn't cultivate the artists, and the lack of exposure is no different from being ignored.

The artist couldn't take it anymore; with no source of income, he wanted to terminate his contract but faced exorbitant breach of contract penalties.

So we can only keep dragging this out.

"ten years……"

Zhou Ye thought to himself, "I'm in my early twenties now. In ten years, won't I be over 30?"

Contract expiring in your 30s?

But these past ten years have been the best ten years for an artist, so what if things turn out to be unreliable?

Are we just going to wait it out like this?
Teacher Li Binbin has a great reputation, but...

Zhou Ye became conflicted.

Good heavens, a ten-year commitment in one go, who wouldn't hesitate to give it to someone else?
"Ten years..."

"Don't worry, we will provide you with the best resources over the next ten years."

Li Binbin smiled.

Zhou Ye: "..."

It's scary; don't believe it easily.

As a result, Zhou Ye did not agree to go to Hesong until the end of the dinner.

Ten years is an exaggeration.

If you sign a ten-year contract and don't make it big, won't you be controlled by the company forever?

Is this acceptable?
For a moment after leaving the restaurant, Zhou Ye regretted breaking up with Lin Shaobai.

If we hadn't separated, I might have been able to sign with his company.

For him, even a ten-year contract would be worthwhile.

She's already getting film and television resources from Shao Bai even before she's signed with a company, let alone after she's signed with one.

Zhou Ye had a slight headache.

Too much has happened these past two days.

After quickly dealing with Li Binbin, she returned to her dormitory at Beijing Film Academy.

Sitting blankly in front of her laptop, this was the first time she felt lost about the future.

Yes, if you don't sign with a company, you have to rely on yourself.

Having to rely on yourself for everything must be incredibly tiring.

Zhou Ye picked up his phone and noticed a missed call.

When I dialed again, I heard a young woman's voice.

"Ms. Zhou Ye, we've finally managed to get in touch with you. Tonight, the Weibo platform is going to host a live stream of the 'A Little Reunion' crew, and everyone is really looking forward to you joining the live stream and chatting with us."

"Forehead……"

Zhou Ye's mouth was half open, and he hesitated for a long time before finally saying "Uh." "I'm going to do a live stream?"

"You're the actress who plays Qiao Yingzi. How could 'A Little Reunion' be complete without Qiao Yingzi? Besides, everyone really likes you now."

After the TV series aired, the veteran actors' acting skills were praised by everyone as always.

Of the actors who played these children, Lin Shaobai and Zhou Ye were the most popular.

Especially Zhou Ye.

She is a newcomer.

A newcomer who suddenly appeared out of nowhere, possessing a youthful and radiant face.

Naturally, everyone had a lot of curiosity about her.

Zhou Ye's portrayal of the character was so outstanding that even Li Binbin specifically sought her out to sign with his company and become an artist under the Song family.

So, is Lin Shaobai going?

Zhou Ye asked the female staff member opposite him.

"Of course he went! How could Lin Shaobai not go?"

How can live streaming survive without popular celebrities?

Those veteran actors have great acting skills and many awards, but they don't have much popularity.

Even after the live stream ended, many people were still asking, "What? Little Joy actually did a live stream?"

"Lin Shaobai is the actor who plays Fang Yifan, of course he'll go."

"Oh……"

"Let me add your contact information and explain it to you in detail."

"Oh."

Zhou Ye does not have a management company, so you can contact her directly for any issues.

In their eyes, Zhou Ye is still just a student at Beijing Film Academy.

After hanging up the phone, Zhou Ye felt like his soul was floating on air.

What is all this about?

She just broke up with Lin Shaobai, and now she's going to appear on a live broadcast with him again?!
And it seems like not only will they be doing live streams, but they'll also be appearing on various variety shows afterwards?
You can make money by appearing on variety shows.

It's impossible not to go.

What a dramatic and outrageous scene this is!

Zhou Ye felt really depressed.

A minute later, she accepted the staff member's WeChat message.

The staff sent the live broadcast schedule to Zhou Ye so that she could review it carefully to avoid any mistakes during the broadcast.

Zhou Ye was also worried.

This was her first time promoting a TV series in front of the public via live broadcast.

So from the moment I got the flowchart, I kept looking at it and memorizing it.

I was still watching when I arrived at the Weibo building at 8 p.m. to prepare for the live broadcast.

She huddled alone in a corner, familiarizing herself not only with her own words but also with the host's.

Tao Hong, who plays Song Qian, saw Zhou Ye sitting alone in the corner and, thinking she was nervous, took her hand and asked, "What are you doing?"

Zhou Ye looked up, somewhat at a loss: "Hello, Teacher Tao."

"Hello, hello. It's been a long time since we last met."

"Ah."

Zhou Ye nodded.

It's definitely more comfortable to be with people of the same age.

"So you were watching the live stream."

Tao Hong said she would answer whatever the host asked, adapting to the situation.

Kids tend to overthink things.

After a while, Haiqing and Teacher Sha entered the room together.

This time, only three veteran actors came, while the younger generation included Zhou Ye, Lin Shaobai, and Guo Zifan.

Lin Shaobai and Guo Zifan entered the room together.

The staff were still tidying up the room where the live broadcast was being prepared, while the crew of "A Little Reunion" stayed in the next room to rest.

As soon as Lin Shaobai entered, he spotted Zhou Ye squatting in the distance.

She already had a small frame, and when she curled up in that corner, she looked even thinner.

It looked as if it could be blown over by a gust of wind.

This action reminded Lin Shaobai of that rainy night.

Zhou Ye cried and said to him, "Let's break up."

I never expected to see you again after so long.

Guo Zifan found it strange.

If this were the old Zhou Ye, she would definitely have come over to greet Lin Shaobai.

Everyone could see that Zhou Ye had feelings for Lin Shaobai that went beyond friendship.

Why is it not moving at all now?
Don't be fooled by Zhou Ye's seemingly detached and indifferent demeanor in the corner; this cunning fellow has been secretly watching Lin Shaobai out of the corner of his eye.

Upon seeing someone who roughly resembled Lin Shaobai enter, they would immediately lower their heads.

Seeing that Zhou Ye was still huddled in the corner, Guo Zifan took the initiative to go over and said with a smile, "Senior Sister Zhou Ye!"

"What?" Zhou Ye looked up, but his gaze remained fixed on Lin Shaobai, who was chatting with Hai Qing in the distance.

"It's rare to see you so socially awkward, senior sister. This is the first time I've ever seen you so socially anxious."

"I've always been socially anxious."

"Give me a break. If you're socially anxious, then there's no such thing as social anxiety in this world."

Guo Zifan joked.

As they chatted, Guo Zifan suddenly realized that Zhou Ye hadn't been looking at him. He followed his senior sister's gaze into the distance and finally locked his eyes on Lin Shaobai.

"Oh, senior sister, you've been staring at Lin Shaobai but haven't gone to greet him. That's not right."

Guo Zifan seemed to have discovered some blind spot.

"Who's looking at him? I'm looking at Teacher Haiqing, don't spread rumors about me. I have fans now!"

Zhou Ye clarified the situation immediately.

Actually, he was still secretly watching Lin Shaobai.

Zhou Ye also felt that he was a bit of a loser.

It was clearly Lin Shaobai who was in the wrong first, and he was the one who suggested breaking up, so why is he the one who's still clinging to the past?
its not right.

We should have been more decisive!
"Seriously, I can't do anything with you two." Guo Zifan, hoping to play matchmaker, called out to Lin Shaobai in the distance, "Shaobai! Senior Sister Zhou Ye is calling you!"

Damn it!

Zhou Ye was dumbfounded.

She sprang up as if electrocuted, looking helplessly at Lin Shaobai in the distance.

Guo Zifan, of course, did not know that the two had broken up. He thought they had a quarrel and wanted to give them a push.

Lin Shaobai turned his head, looking completely bewildered.

Who?
who?

Who called?

Zhou Ye called?
real or fake?

Lin Shaobai looked at Zhou Ye in the distance and noticed that her expression contained not only confusion but also a hint of embarrassment.

Three seconds later, Zhou Ye angrily said, "Guo Zifan! What nonsense are you spouting!"

She was really angry.

That's called making things worse.

After finishing his sentence, Zhou Ye plopped down on the single sofa next to him, pouting as he tried to calm himself down.

The room was crowded with people, and apart from Lin Shao, Bai Haiqing, and Guo Zifan, no one noticed Zhou Ye's subtle actions.

Everyone thought the child was just playing around.

Guo Zifan grinned.

oi.

It seems like I messed up.

He walked with his hands behind his back, step by step, getting further and further away from Zhou Ye.

Hai Qing patted Lin Shaobai on the shoulder and said, "What's wrong with Zhou Ye? Do you want to go and see him?"

"..."

"I was just asking you, I heard you're going to be making a movie soon?"

"Yes. After finishing filming this TV series, we'll start filming a movie."

"Oh dear, you never give yourself a break. Alright, the staff let us through."

Lin Shaobai turned around and entered the live broadcast room with Hai Qing.

He was originally sitting in the corner, but was later invited by the staff to sit in the center.

Then Sha Zhantang, Tao Hong, and Guo Zifan walked in, and after a flurry of activity, only the seat to Lin Shaobai's right was left unoccupied.

Zhou Ye went to the restroom, and when he walked back into the room, he was dumbfounded. Why was he still able to sit next to Lin Shaobai even though he was the last one to arrive?!
Is someone deliberately trying to pair them up to create a romantic couple image?!
Although, there are many people online who ship Fang Yifan and Qiao Yingzi.

Zhou Ye pretended nothing had happened and sat down next to Lin Shaobai.

How embarrassing.

The scenes that unfolded on that rainy night seemed to be right before my eyes.

Lin Shaobai still looked ahead naturally.

It was 8:30 p.m. when the live stream officially began.

Not long after, the hashtag #LittleJoyLive# trended on the hot search list, and with the help of Lin Shaobai's fans, it climbed all the way to the top of the hot search list.

The number of viewers in the live stream skyrocketed, and many netizens were so stuck that they couldn't even get in.

Zhou Ye was extremely nervous, glancing either at the host or to the person next to him.

They spend relatively little time looking at the camera.

I finally got to watch it, and then I saw a comment saying, "Zhou Ye, stay away from Lin Shaobai."

hateful!

Zhou Ye cursed inwardly.

This person must be a 100% Lin Shaobai fan, right?

Is the person who made this comment blind?

Didn't you see that you were the last one to come in?
There's only one spot left!

Zhou Ye's face remained cheerful and gentle, but inside he was roaring wildly.

"First of all, let's welcome everyone from the Xiao Huan Comedy Team! Applause!"

"A Little Reunion won everyone's favor as soon as it premiered..."

"Let each teacher introduce themselves in turn."

A specially hired host was present during the process.

From left to right, everyone said their names one by one and introduced the roles they played in the TV series.

This was the first time Zhou Ye had experienced this situation; he was so nervous that it felt like he was waiting in line to recite texts in high school.

I will keep a close eye on where the train queue is.

"Hello everyone, I am Haiqing, and I play Wenjie, Tong Wenjie, in the comedy group Xiao Huan."

"Hello everyone, I am Sha Zhantang. In the TV series 'A Little Reunion,' I play Qiao Yingzi's father, Qiao Weidong."

"Hello everyone watching the live stream, I am Tao Hong, and I play Song Qian, Qiao Yingzi's mother, in the drama."

Lin Shaobai smiled and waved at the live stream camera: "Hello everyone, I'm Lin Shaobai. I play Fang Yifan in the TV series."

When Lin Shaobai spoke, the comments in the live stream chat were so numerous that it was dazzling.

【Ahhhhh, Shao Bai!】

[Lin Shaobai!]

[Lin Shaobai and Fang Yifan!]

[Shao Bai is so handsome!]

Lin Shaobai, I love you!

Zhou Ye's eyes followed the barrage of comments, unable to keep up with them all.

She was so engrossed in watching that she even forgot to introduce herself.

Seeing this, Lin Shaobai tapped her on the shoulder.

"Ok?"

Zhou Ye turned his head: "What?"

"It's your turn to introduce yourself," Lin Shaobai said calmly.

"Oh……"

Zhou Ye awkwardly turned his head back: "Ahem, hello everyone watching the live stream, I'm Zhou Ye. This is my first time meeting you all."

Why did she have to come here to do a live stream right after the breakup?
Whether speaking or making eye contact, everything seems so unnatural.

Hopefully, none of you watching the live stream have noticed anything amiss.

Meanwhile, Tian Xiwei, who was bored at home, noticed that Zhou Ye was acting strangely.

"Is this woman surnamed Zhou doing this on purpose? Or has she finally broken up with Lin Shaobai?"

"If she breaks up with him, the first thing I'll do is hug and kiss Lin Shaobai."

Tian Xiwei popped the peeled orange pieces into her mouth one by one.

"Why did she become famous first?"

"I wonder when Qingqing's daily life will be broadcast."

"Eh?"

Tian Xiwei suddenly sat up from the sofa.

"What if they break up?"

(End of this chapter)