Before this incident, SPF’s internal projections were that it would trend at the top for an entire day.
In the past two years, Uncle Jiang had been not only securing resources for Corona but also studying the trends of the industry. He had built a large team of professional human water armies and was searching for technical and data personnel to understand the threshold and patterns of Weibo’s trending topics.
Even before Corona debuted, the company had held a meeting.
“This trending topic thing could potentially be sold for a price in the future.” Uncle Jiang smoked his cigarette and looked at Pei Ruye. “The profits and exposure are immense.”
Although Corona had just recently debuted, its influence was continuously expanding, and the efficiency of gaining fans was like a treasure trove.
Before the popularity of Weibo, celebrities would strive to stand out by dressing up for red carpets, competing for positions and camera attention. They would “accidentally” expose scandalous relationships, doing everything they could to direct the attention of television and magazine reporters in a certain direction.
But now, the rules had changed.
Earlier this spring, a small artist from a neighboring company unexpectedly trended, propelling them from a sixth-tier to a second-tier artist.
“No TV station or magazine can lift someone to that level.”
“Currently, it’s based on the system’s automatic capturing of popular search tags,” Pei Ruye analyzed while flipping through the data. “But in the future…”
“My idea is to take preemptive action and cultivate a water army,” Uncle Jiang stubbed out his cigarette butt. “Regularly retweet, use programs to write half-truths and half-lies as original posts to increase their statistical weight during the capturing process. When the time is right, we’ll blend in with those fans’ tags and help boost the traffic.”
“Redirecting all internet traffic to our designated topics?” Board Director Su frowned. “I feel like that’s not enough.”
“In fact, when the number of fans is large, even with vague guidance, they can bring a topic to trend on their own.” She presented them with data from the past six months and cautioned, “Directly involved personnel should not participate in these activities. We should find peripheral individuals within the company to engage with influential fans. There will be plenty of opportunities for collaboration in the future.”
Pei Ruye twirled his pen around, withholding immediate comments.
Qi Ding, sitting in the COO position, raised an eyebrow. “Didn’t we have internal sources leak information that a new feature called ‘super topic’ will be launched next year, and there will be more business opportunities related to trending topics?”
“Wait until 2013?” Uncle Jiang retorted. “Even if trending topics can be bought in the future, will we spend money without considering our home company? If we can spend money to push positive topics to the top, can’t negative ones be pushed as well?”
“Do you want to have control yourself? Uncle Jiang, that’s impossible.” Qi Ding felt that this idea was too naive and shook his head in denial. “The stage belongs to others, no matter how many water armies you have, you’ll still have to abide by the rules set by other companies.”
“It’s not just about water armies,” Pei Ruye suddenly spoke. “We need to cultivate influential big accounts.”
Water armies blended in among real fans, with one person controlling dozens of accounts simultaneously, creating the illusion of a hot topic and quietly stirring up controversies.
In the shadows, one had to have a backup plan, just as in the light, one needed a helmsman.
Uncle Jiang paused, furrowing his brow. “How do we proceed?”
“I’ve written up a plan.” Board Director Su pushed another folder toward them.
“Boss Pei is right,” she whispered softly. “We can’t put all our eggs in one basket.”
On June 23rd, before 8 a.m., Huo Ren topped the trending topics.
Every three to five hours, there were constant leaks of information from various channels and forums. Forty percent of the leaks were concentrated on the official forum, and another forty percent came from entertainment news accounts on Weibo. The firepower was carefully controlled.
Rumors started circulating in the early morning, and the promotional campaign began in the morning. By noon, almost all the online traffic was focused on Huo Ren alone.
But this was just the beginning.
Uncle Jiang knew that Huo Ren had prepared a notebook and swiftly brought the original copies to the company to have the team create merchandise. The next day, when the topic’s search volume was steadily declining, they added fuel to the fire.
@corona Official Weibo: To celebrate the premiere of “Crown Animal Zoo” on Xinghong TV tonight at 8:00, retweet this post immediately for a chance to win one thousand sets of Cain notebook replicas! Wishing our little crowns success in both life and studies. [Pictures]
The pictures showed full-color prints of the notebook, and even the asterisks marked by Huo Ren were clear, showing the strokes of the pen.
The fans had been celebrating all day and were somewhat exhausted. But they never expected that the next day, the official Corona account would give away Huo God’s limited edition notebook for free. Some people even created three or four accounts just to frantically retweet.
โ-Forget about being a sophomore or junior in high school, even if you can get your hands on this, it could be worth a lot of money if you sell it later!! Even if it’s just a replica, it’s a valuable and priceless replica, okay?!
Huo Ren remained steadily at the top of the trending topics for two and a half days.
This had never happened before, to the point that even many ordinary people who weren’t interested in entertainment news were searching for “Who is Huo Ren?”
How hot does something have to be to generate such a level of discussion?
Am I outdated and unaware of the new trends?
On Monday, Uncle Jiang had to go to the neighboring city to discuss stage design for a concert with a design team. That evening, he spent ten minutes talking to Huo Ren.
When he appeared on Saturday, Huo Ren had a smile on his face. But now, seeing their team captain trending for two full days, it seemed like he had completely entered a state of readiness, with his back tense like a bowstring.
“Uncle Jiang?” Huo Ren gestured for Long Jia and the others to go wash the dishes and stood by the lakeside where recording and filming were not possible, accompanying him to enjoy the night breeze.
Uncle Jiang finished a whole cigarette, pressed the cigarette butt against a fallen leaf, and squatted by the reef without saying a word for a long time.
“We started working on a plan last year, and we discussed it with you,” he finally spoke.
“Yeah, I know,” Huo Ren replied.
“If SPF’s team hadn’t stepped in yesterday and today, your trending topic probably would have lasted only three to seven hours.” Uncle Jiang turned his head to look at him. “But we made it happen.”
SPF’s excellent publicity and public relations scored top marks in today’s battle.
They strategically released information at key intervals, continuously deepening and expanding a simple topic, linking journalists, fans, and the official account to progressively increase their influence. In the end, even people who had no interest in the entertainment industry became aware of this name.
Huo Ren stood silently behind him, bowing his head. “You want to keep moving forward.”
“Traffic,” Uncle Jiang pondered over these two words. “We need to turn Corona into the epitome of traffic.”
High attention, high topic engagement, and it must go beyond the entertainment and fan circles.
“Since trending topics could be arranged for you this time, we can arrange them for Corona a second and third time as well.”
He stood up, turned around, looked at Huo Ren, and said in his powerful, hoarse voice.
“You need to adapt to this.”
Huo Ren frowned. “Are you talking about hype?”
“No, it’s about excessive exposure.”
Uncle Jiang’s new plan was to make Corona trend every two to three months.
If there were no explosive events, they had to create them. And in the future, there should be no periods of silence in their schedules.
If they took a break and went into seclusion for five or six months to work on an album, they might be replaced by newcomers in the blink of an eye, and there would be no trace of them in the entertainment industry.
To stand firm at the peak for the next five years, they needed a broader perspective.
Huo Ren instinctively spoke up, “But Corona isโ”
“What?” Uncle Jiang interrupted him. “Do you think you’re incredibly popular now? That you’ll never fade away or face a decline?”
“You may have a massive breakthrough this year, but in the next three years, there will be new boy groups popping up like mushrooms after rain, and you won’t even be able to count them on both hands.”
According to the intelligence he had gathered, four or five companies had already started working tirelessly to create similar male groups. Scouts and managers were scrambling to sign new talents.
Huo Ren stood frozen in place, but his eyes unconsciously shifted to the people behind Uncle Jiang who were singing and washing dishes.
They were leading the pack now because there weren’t enough competitors.
“There are plenty of idol groups that can be popular for a year, but how many can you name that have remained popular for three or five years?” Uncle Jiang sneered. “Even Mei Heng rose and fell repeatedly over the years until he unexpectedly became a movie star, got married to a leading actress, and turned things aroundโ”
Huo Ren lowered his gaze and admitted his mistake. “Please calm down. I spoke without thinking.”
Uncle Jiang realized that he had been too harsh in his tone.
The seasoned manager took a breath, reached out, and lightly patted Huo Ren’s shoulder.
“At eighteen years old, you’ve experienced too little. You’re still naive.”
“Let’s take it step by step in the future.”
“You are the backbone of Corona. You have to trust me.”
Huo Ren had many questions he wanted to ask, but in the end, he held them back.
“โI trust you.”
Uncle Jiang considered lighting another cigarette, but after a while, he put the cigarette case back in his pocket.
“Go back now. Tell them they don’t need to walk me out. Get some rest after washing the dishes.”
After Uncle Jiang left, Huo Ren went back to help them wipe the tables and sweep the floor, remaining silent for a while.
Long Jia saw that Huo Ren seemed down, so he approached him and fed him a freshly braised kelp knot.
“Is it delicious?”
“It’s delicious.” Huo Ren nodded. “Very fresh.”
“Why is the little top scorer not happy?” Long Jia rubbed his head. “Tell me, what did Uncle Jiang scold you for today?”
“It’s not that.” Huo Ren sighed. “He said there will be a lot of boy groups competing in the future, and the road may not be easy.”
So, he was anxious.
Long Jia wrapped his arm around him and walked towards the kitchen, casually snatching the broom from his right hand.
“What’s there to be afraid of?” He smiled. “If we have to face them head-on, we can treat it as a team-building activity.”
“How many people do you think can surpass us when it comes to strength?”
Besides, SPF is one of the top three established entertainment companies in the industry, and their status and abilities are not to be underestimated.
Xie Lianyun was cooking buckwheat noodles and stood under the range hood, waving at the two of them. “Let’s have cold noodles for dinner today. How about adding some tomato and crushed peanuts?”
“Huo Huo is feeling down.” Long Jia pushed him in front of Xie Lianyun. “Uncle Jiang made him nervous for no reason. Look, our little brother is all droopy now.”
“I’m not.” Huo Ren protested. “I just thought about it for a while.”
“What were you thinking? Is there a need to think?” Xie Lianyun casually poured the noodles. “Even if the sky falls, us three older brothers will hold it up. Don’t worry.”
Huo Ren pondered, “But Uncle Jiang saidโ”
Xie Lianyun reached out and pinched his face. “Come over and teach me how to add sesame paste! Stop mentioning Uncle Jiang!”
“Ouch! It hurts, bro!”
“Well, well, your face is quite soft.”
-2-
Dinner was cold buckwheat noodles with boiled chicken breast.
This weekend was filled with press conferences and taking photos with enthusiastic fans, making everyone so hungry they could roast swans and eat them.
Huo Ren’s mood improved after being comforted by Long Jia and Xie Lianyun a few times. He casually cooked a pot of onsen eggs for everyone to enjoy.
When the egg yolk split open, it flowed down like molten gold at sunset, with beautiful layers and a delicious taste.
Everyone hummed songs, ate, and chatted. The team assistant hurriedly approached, holding a phone.
“Mei Shengyao, a call for you.”
“Is it from my dad?” Mei Shengyao wondered. “That’s strange. He contacted me just the day before yesterday.”
“It’s your mom,” the assistant said with a smile. “I missed the first call because it was on silent, and this is the second consecutive call.”
Mei Shengyao’s eyes instantly lit up, and his smile couldn’t be contained even before answering the call.
“Mom,” he answered the phone, “are you filming in Finland?”
Everyone involuntarily stopped their conversations, eating and pricking up their ears to listen.
“Mhm, I’m eating right now. The recording for today’s show is a bit late,” Mei Shengyao’s happiness was practically radiating, and he was gloating. “I’ll take good care of myself, and make sure you stay warm during filming.”
“Are the Northern Lights beautiful?”
Huo Ren heard their conversation drifting into trivial daily topics, and he relaxed, continuing to peel the boiled eggs for Bo Jue.
“Huh? Okay…”
Mei Shengyao mouthed a word to them, then took the phone and went to the lakeside where it couldn’t be recorded.
The other five people looked at his retreating figure, pausing for a few seconds before simultaneously saying, “…Was it necessary to go to the lakeside specifically?”
Huo Ren suddenly stopped in his tracks, realizing that the child seemed to be trembling.
Something was not right. What was she saying to him?
He quickly set aside the eggs and walked briskly over.
At a time like this, he would rather overstep boundaries than let Yao Yao get hurt.
By the time Huo Ren caught up, Mei Shengyao had already hung up the phone and was standing motionless under a willow tree.
Their eyes met, and the young boy’s face was streaked with tears.
“Brother,” Mei Shengyao couldn’t control his emotions. His eyes were wide open, and his tears fell like broken beads.
Less than a minute had passed.
Huo Ren reached out and pulled him into his arms, increasing the pressure to make him feel his presence, repeatedly stroking the young boy’s soft hair.
The other five people also realized that something was wrong and put down their things, rushing over one by one.
Chi Ji squatted down and took out tissues to wipe his face, while Bo Jue turned around to check if there were any other cameras nearby.
Photographers and sound recordists who wanted to film the show were blocked by Xie Lianyun and Long Jia at the same time.
“IโI don’t want to cry,” Mei Shengyao struggled to apologize amidst his fragmented emotions, his body involuntarily gasping for air. “I’m sorry, I can’t stop.”
“It’s okay to cry,” Huo Ren hugged him tightly and patted his back. “You’ll feel better after crying. Yao Yao, we’re all here for you.”
“It won’t get better,” Mei Shengyao let Huo Ren support him as he covered his face, trying to control his breathing. “My mom, she just asked me to convince my dad… to agree to a divorce.”
Huo Ren’s movements froze, suddenly unsure of how to comfort him.
He now understood many things.
In the entertainment industry, it is essential to understand interpersonal relationships and the intricate layers of the past between different seniors. Otherwise, a careless word can seemingly offend an insignificant minor character, but in reality, it may destroy one’s entire future.
Wen Feng and Mei Heng initially developed a relationship through their work.
From falling in love to getting married, it only took them a year and a half, truly a perfect match and a major event of the century in the previous era.
Wen Feng started as a child star and was passionate about acting. From a young age, she won numerous domestic and international awards.
Mei Heng gained fame at a young age and became popular throughout Asia. His songs, written by himself, were eagerly covered in multiple languages, making him the first artist to hold a solo concert at the Times Sports Arena at the age of 18.
Huo Ren had watched this segment of their interview program before.
Mei Heng, due to his outstanding appearance, was accidentally chosen by the director to play the male lead.
He was not skilled in acting and gradually got into the role with Wen Feng’s patient guidance.
Their on-screen romance turned into a real-life relationship, and they publicly announced their love and got married when the movie became a massive hit. A year later, they joyfully welcomed their child on Valentine’s Day, a beautiful commemoration of their romantic love story.
“The night wind is too strong here. Let’s go inside,” Xie Lianyun quickly suggested, “If there’s something, we can talk in a warm place.”
Long Jia took off his coat and shielded the tearful Mei Shengyao, using his eyes to warn other cameramen not to approach.
Huo Ren and Bo Jue took the lead and moved all the recording and filming equipment away from the bedroom. After they entered the house, they locked the door to the outer room and then locked the door to the inner room with two locks.
Chi Ji brought a soft blanket and wrapped Mei Shengyao in it, while Bo Jue poured hot water for him to warm his hands.
“Take your time,” Huo Ren calmly said, “Yao Yao, if there’s something, just tell us directly.”
“We’ll always be here.”
Mei Shengyao was actually a very resilient child.
Even when he accidentally scratched his leg with a nail while practicing dancing alone, he would practice silently until the end before going to bandage the wound, smiling and thanking the nurse for taking care of him, saying that the stitches didn’t hurt at all.
His only weakness was his family.
After a long while, the young boy finally calmed his emotions, wiped his face with the back of his hand, and smiled bitterly. “I’m fifteen now, I’m not a child anymore.”
“I’ve actually known all along,” Xie Lianyun sighed softly.
“Mom never intended to get married and have children from the beginning. She only loves acting.”
Mei Shengyao held the cup of hot tea in his hands, suddenly becoming calm as if he was talking about someone else’s story.
“She fell in love with my dad because of that character.”
“The movie was so well made… It made everyone deeply immersed in it.”
The media wanted them to get married, their parents wanted them to get married. Both of them had struggled and yearned for love after fighting alone for so long.
So they actually got married.
“My mom didn’t want to have children,” he murmured with his head lowered. “Giving birth is a difficult thing for women.”
Their bodies would undergo deformation, and there would be a long period of time during pregnancy and postpartum when they couldn’t work.
And when Wen Feng unexpectedly became pregnant, she was in the midst of negotiating an important script with a director.
Coincidentally, the antibiotics she was taking caused the subcutaneous implant to fail.
To maintain her appearance in wide-angle shots in the movie, she had a low body fat percentage for a long time, and her physical condition was never good.
The doctor said that if she terminated this pregnancy, she might never have another chance to conceive.
“She chose me.” Mei Shengyao hugged his knees tightly, murmuring, “Then she gave the script to Aunt Jiang.”
Jiang Yanzhi won the Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival because of that movie and then went on to win the Golden Lion Award and the Golden Globe Award. She had an uninterrupted streak of success and became an esteemed member of the Oscar judging panel before leaving the entertainment industry to study in France.
–She remains unmarried and childless to this day, living carefree.
Wen Feng returned to work continuously after giving birth, but her highest achievement so far is only a nomination for the Palme d’Or.
There was a world of difference between the two.
Bo Jue hugged him tenderly, patting his back repeatedly, with red eyes not knowing how to comfort him.
Huo Ren handed him another cup of hot water and remained silent.
“She wasn’t ready to be my mom, I know,” Mei Shengyao said softly. “And later, when she took on other roles, she gradually forgot about her past as Chen Yao.”
When Mei Heng looked at Mei Shengyao again, the tenderness and devotion in his eyes had turned into confusion and emptiness.
When Mei Shengyao was three years old, Wen Feng proposed the first divorce.
At the age of ten, the second time.
Mei Heng was deeply affectionate and faithful, never making any mistakes. Moreover, in these years, he took into consideration Wen Feng’s continuous film projects and spent more time accompanying Mei Shengyao as he grew up.
Wen Feng herself knew that all of this was a mess. If they were to divorce, it would also have countless impacts and disturbances on her career. So she simply lived in this half-dream and half-awake state.
And this year, she proposed it for the third time, this time personally pleading with Mei Shengyao, hoping he would intercede for her and his father.
“My mom only calls me once or twice a year.” Mei Shengyao allowed Long Jia and Bo Jue to hold him tightly, his voice hoarse. “I thought… she knew I debuted and finally remembered to ask about me.”
So it turns out… she only loves herself.
Mei Shengyao tightly held Chi Ji’s hands, sinking into the embrace of his two brothers, like a fragile child.
He looked at Huo Ren and murmured, “Now… what should I do?”
If he were to speak up and plead with his father, he would most likely agree.
After their divorce, what was he?
A mistake?
Xie Lianyun had been deeply immersed in the entertainment industry since childhood, following Uncle Jiang for a long time. He knew very well that these matters were not simply about love and hatred.
Once the divorce was discovered by the paparazzi, it would only cause more harm to Mei Shengyao. It could also have negative implications for CORONA.
But Mei Shengyao couldn’t possibly sort out these messy accounts. Two adults who had been married for over a decade couldn’t figure it out, so what could he do?
“Mei Shengyao, this matter has nothing to do with you.” Huo Ren suddenly spoke, his expression resolute. “You can’t make choices for her, and you shouldn’t bear this burden for her.”
Mei Shengyao’s face turned pale. “But what if…”
“For this unexpected situation, I will explain to the director downstairs that your pet suddenly fell seriously ill, clarifying any other circumstances,” Huo Ren gazed at Mei Shengyao. “Shengyao, don’t take on the turmoil and pain that doesn’t belong to you.”
Even if it is your mother pleading for you to bear it for her.
“What about the consequences?” Mei Shengyao said with teary eyes. “If they really get divorced, it won’t just affect me. It will affect all of us, won’t it?”
“Big brother is here,” Huo Ren held his wrist tightly, looking up at the determined gazes of everyone present.
“All of us big brothers are here.”
Author’s Note:
There are a few points that don’t seem to be affected by spoilers, so I’ll just explain them here.
1. Wen Feng herself knows that she failed the audition after getting pregnant, and it wasn’t her own choice to “give” the script away.
2. In the early days, it was indeed rare to have multiple appearances in the year-end hot search rankings. Being on the list more than ten times a year could invite ridicule. But now it’s not something new anymore.
3. In the story’s setting, CORONA will indeed become the first-generation powerhouse in terms of popularity, becoming a legendary existence for the younger generation.
The comment section will be opened in a few days, and I’ll answer some frequently asked questions here.
[Q&A for the Comment Section]
Q1: Can you provide individual character designs for each member of CORONA?
A1: They have been posted on my Weibo account @่ฐไธบไธๅๆ้ๅพ! (Dear moderators, please don’t lock this comment. It’s allowed to share Weibo links. Happy National Day!)
Q2: I’m worried that it’s all about enjoyment, and the plot seems thin.
A2: …Take it slow and don’t rush.
Q3: I’m concerned that there will be betrayal and suspicion among the teammates, with backstabbing and plot twists.
A3: There won’t be any among the teammates.
The six boys may have misunderstandings, but they will resolve them. They will remain loyal to each other and face challenges together until the end.
Enjoy the story!
Aaah, parents: their sole purpose in life is to mess things up for their children. If you don’t want a child, have an abortion. If you choose to give birth, then suck it up and be a proper mother. Same goes for fathers, but if course, they should have less say in the choice.