After wrapping up the shoot, Zhou Yun didn’t get any rest.
"You haven’t been in the public eye for quite some time, so we need to increase your exposure to compete for that film role. Your advantage lies in your popularity. Thankfully, the director isn’t the type who dislikes female celebrities. If he had insisted on choosing a ’real’ actor, fame would have been a burden."
Zhou Yun returned to his apartment.
The apartment had been cleaned by a maid since he hadn’t lived there for a while, and stepping inside felt strangely unfamiliar.
Zhou Lan followed him into the apartment.
"Tomorrow we’ll go to the company. You need to sign a new contract, and there are some matters we need to discuss. The day after tomorrow, we’ll head to Beijing for a brand event you’ve been invited to. I’ve accepted it on your behalf. On Friday, VX is opening a store in Nanjing and, as a VX brand ambassador, you need to attend. In the evening, there’s a live stream for Xiao Chun Candy, and we’ve booked a session with a popular host. Oh, and Xiao Chun Candy wants to renew our contract for another half-year. I told them if they want to renew, it has to be for at least a year, we’re not doing half-years anymore."
"Sure, you decide. Just give me a schedule when it’s time," Zhou Yun said lazily as he sat down on the sofa, "Home is still the most comfortable
Zhou Lan took the opportunity to sit down on a single sofa next to him, "Don’t fall asleep yet, we have more matters to discuss. Your current low exposure isn’t good. You have no recent works, and your fans are all new. If you don’t maintain your visibility, your popularity will drop quickly, which is the downside of not having ongoing projects. We’ve relied too much on creating buzz before."
Zhou Yun asked, "Isn’t ’Eighth Heartbeat’ supposed to air at the end of the year?"
"They are waiting for the second part of ’Eighth Heartbeat’ to wrap up filming. They hope to seamlessly premiere the second part afterward, using your momentum to boost it," Zhou Lan explained.
"When will it be finished?" Zhou Yun shrugged.
"They expect it to take another month. I heard they wrote sixty episodes for the second part," Zhou Lan said, "Twice the first part."
Zhou Yun incredulously responded, "Are they crazy? They’re really stretching it thin with that many episodes."
Zhou Lan responded, "Anyway, it’s none of our concern. In any case, ’Eighth Heartbeat’ is expected to premiere early next year when students are on winter break. The target audience is students and young women. Before that, I plan to get you on several variety shows as a guest. Variety shows are the best way to keep you in the public eye, and they don’t take up much time."
"Don’t just say okay, choose some variety shows yourself. I’ve got invitations from over a dozen shows," Zhou Lan said. "Not many are looking for you for dramas, but there’s no shortage of variety shows. After ’After the Scandal’ was broadcast, everyone really appreciated how you performed in the reality show. You’re exactly what these variety shows love."
Zhou Yun took a stack of program descriptions that Zhou Lan handed him.
Among them, he recognized quite a few names.
One of the shows’ hosts was Lew Yuan.
Another show regularly featured Gu Huaichun.
Seeing the two pages Zhou Yun picked out, Zhou Lan smiled.
"I knew you’d pick these two."
"These two programs at least have people I know. I’m completely unfamiliar with the others," Zhou Yun said.
"Didn’t you and Zhou Benyuan both appear on ’The Charm of Competition’?" Zhou Lan pulled out another show’s introduction.
Zhou Yun definitely remembered that outgoing guy, but they had only met briefly and weren’t very close.
"Sister Lan, which ones do you think I should take?" Zhou Yun asked.
Zhou Lan picked out a show called ’Detective Trip,’ saying, "This show is newly created and hasn’t been aired yet. Before you became famous, this director gave you a chance to appear on another one of his shows. He specifically called me this time, hoping to have you on the first episode."
Upon hearing this, Zhou Yun nodded and said, "Sure."
"Then we’ll set this one first. What about the shows with Lew Yuan and Gu Huaichun? Do you want to accept those?" Zhou Lan asked.
Zhou Yun responded, "Sure, as long as there are no scheduling conflicts."
Zhou Lan confirmed, "Then we’ll take these three for now."
After discussing the variety shows, Zhou Lan took out another book of information.
Zhou Yun felt overwhelmed, reminiscent of cramming for finals during school days.
"This is about your current brand endorsements and business contracts. After your sudden rise to fame, the company randomly accepted quite a few on your behalf. Fortunately, at that time, many brands didn’t expect you to stay popular for long, so the contracts were mostly signed for either a quarter or half a year. Now, many of them are coming to an end, and we need to discuss which ones to renew and which to let go. Many brands have contacted us wanting to renew."
Zhou Yun yawned and sat up straight.
This discussion lasted nearly two hours.
"I’m hungry," Zhou Yun said.
"Should we order takeout?" Zhou Lan asked, "What do you want to eat?"
"I don’t want takeout. Let’s go out and eat something nice," Zhou Yun suggested.
Zhou Lan smiled apologetically and asked, "I’ve already got plans with someone, what about if Xiaoju joins you?"
"Xiaoju has been with me on set for so long, and she finally got a break today. She asked for leave early this morning to meet a young man from the same place as hers."
Zhou Lan exclaimed, "Xiaoju is dating?"
"Not yet, I think they’re just in a flirty phase," Zhou Yun said.
"Youthful times, indeed," Zhou Lan laughed.
"Sister Lan, what about you?"
"When are you going to get a boyfriend?"
"Where do I have the time for a boyfriend now? I’m busy building my career."
They exchanged smiles.
After Zhou Lan left, Zhou Yun was left alone in the apartment, bored. He took a nap, and feeling restless, he dressed up and went to the nearby market to buy some groceries, planning to cook something for himself. After spending quite some time in the kitchen, he made two dishes and a soup, felt very satisfied, took some photos to keep, and devoured everything.
Coming out of the intense schedule, Zhou Yun allowed himself some indulgence.
Soon, once tonight was over, and the sun rose tomorrow, a new battle would begin.
Zhou Yun picked it up and was surprised to see a message from Chen Fusi, whom he hadn’t heard from in a long time: Xiao Yun, I’m back in the country, in Shanghai. Are you free to meet tomorrow?
Zhou Yun was astounded.
After hesitating for a long while, he replied to Chen Fusi: President Chen, I need to go to the company first tomorrow, some matters have to be resolved, and I don’t know what time they’ll end. When are you available?