After Reuniting with My Aloof Movie Queen Childhood Friend - Chapter 25

Ji Youyi ultimately did not appear in any of the drama’s promotional activities.

Although she didn’t show her face, she stayed backstage the entire time, making it convenient to train the two female leads whenever needed.

The things they needed training on were quite simple, helping them find their way back to the mindset they had during filming, so they could present themselves during promotions in images that closely matched their characters in the drama.

The promotional strategy during a television drama’s peak broadcast period is different from that of a movie’s theatrical release.

For the vast majority of audiences, a movie is watched all at once, whereas a television drama has a long broadcasting cycle, giving the audience a prolonged period of following the show.

Therefore, the experience of following a drama becomes exceptionally crucial.

During a drama’s peak broadcast, promotional activities essentially serve as side dishes to the main course. Audiences who haven’t watched yet are drawn in by the promotions to check out the show, and consistent characterizations will improve audience retention rates.

As for those who are already following the show, after finishing the latest updates, they continue watching the promotions to see the characters they like. This not only expands the promotional reach and deepens audience affection but also helps the main actors convert character popularity into personal popularity, which is beneficial for their future career development.

The character traits of the two female leads in Golden Bones contrasted significantly with the actors’ real-life personalities, but their situations were completely opposite.

The second female lead, Li Anran, looked like a cold, aloof beauty on the outside, but in private, she loved surfing the internet, spoke wittily, and knew popular internet memes better than anyone.

She only needed to pay extra attention to controlling her posture and facial expressions during promotions. The occasional complaints that slipped from her mouth could instead create a charming contrast, helping an otherwise ethereal character like Princess Qingyan feel more grounded.

The difficult one was Wen Yang.

Cao Qiu, played by Wen Yang, was a standard “beautiful, tragic, and strong” character, with the core emphasis being on “strong.”

Yet Wen Yang herself was exactly the opposite. She had a very soft personality and a weak, timid way of speaking. Early in the filming process, she frequently found herself unable to understand the script because she couldn’t comprehend Cao Qiu’s logic.

Back then, she would often ask Ji Youyi, “How does Cao Qiu dare to do that? What if she fails?”

Ji Youyi told her, “Because Cao Qiu never hesitates or looks back. If she wants something, she goes and gets it. It’s as simple as that.”

Now, Ji Youyi felt as if she had returned to two months ago, continuing to chat with Wen Yang about characters, growth, and how to conduct oneself.

She did this not just for the drama’s promotion, but also because she hoped Wen Yang could absorb that sense of strength from Cao Qiu.

In a dog eat dog place like the entertainment industry, being consistently soft-hearted was not a good thing.

On June 28th, Wen Yang and Li Anran had another interview, while Ji Youyi and Li Zhulan went along to handle the logistics.

When the interview ended in the afternoon, the girls gathered in the lounge to discuss what to eat later.

While it was said that all four of them were ordering together, in reality, only two were actively choosing takeout.

Li Anran loved fine food but needed to maintain her figure, so she meticulously browsed through store after store while pulling out her phone to calculate calories.

Li Zhulan liked both sweet and spicy food, she could eat anything, but she was picky about everything and cared a lot about the chef’s culinary skills. While Li Anran acted as a mathematician, Li Zhulan frantically scrolled through shop reviews, acting as a literary critic.

As for the remaining two, Wen Yang could only drink coffee, so she didn’t need much consideration.

Ji Youyi didn’t need to order at all; she was the only one among the four who could stomach the staff meals. She had wolfed down two boxed lunches at noon and planned to take the remaining two back to the hotel for dinner.

Although she had been forced to swallow a handful of digestive tablets by Li Zhulan after lunch, her stomach was still aching with bloating at the moment, evidently showing that the digestion hadn’t been successfully aided.

Ji Youyi never paid attention to this minor pain.

She sat side by side with Wen Yang on the lounge sofa, seriously answering Wen Yang’s questions, when they suddenly heard the other two scream beside them. “Ahhh, come look quickly, Teacher Meng is livestreaming!”

Wen Yang rose hesitantly, but seeing that Ji Youyi didn’t move, she sat back down.

Ji Youyi asked leisurely, “You guys aren’t even this excited when you see her in person. What, does the livestream filter make her look better?”

Li Zhulan simply ran over holding her phone and plopped down right next to Ji Youyi. “Who says we aren’t excited to see her in person! I just don’t dare to show it in front of her, alright? I’m just afraid of embarrassing you!”

Only Little Ji could remain so calm when facing that face sculpted by Nuwa herself, looking at a grand movie queen as if looking at a head of ordinary cabbage. It was hard not to suspect that she had seen her too often and become immune.

Li Zhulan handed the phone over, her tone filled with immense excitement. “Look! Teacher Meng is visiting her sister on set. I really haven’t seen her on camera in such a long time!”

Ji Youyi was surprised. “She has a sister?”

Li Zhulan was even more surprised: “Don’t you surf the internet? How do you not know something the entire nation knows?”

Ji Youyi replied righteously. “Where would I find the time to surf the internet!” Even if she had time, she wouldn’t!

The topic had entered Li Zhulan’s comfort zone, and she began to speak eloquently. “Teacher Meng and her sister have a wonderful relationship. You know Teacher Meng’s family owns a company, right? That incredibly wealthy, powerful family, the Changfeng Group.”

“Their mother was busy with work, so the two sisters grew up keeping each other company since childhood. Teacher Meng only starred in Eye of the Storm because of her sister. She also personally said in past interviews that her sister is the most important person to her. Look, look, her sister is so cute!”

Meng Xingshu actually turned out to be a sister-con.

Ji Youyi’s curiosity grew deeper, and she looked toward the screen.

The reporter visiting the set of Decree of the Phoenix was currently broadcasting live.

In the center of the camera was a girl dressed in a pink palace gown, charming and lovely, exuding elegance and refinement. Her eyes were curved in a smile as she introduced her character to the reporter.

She was articulate and spoke with clear logic, appearing both vibrant and driven, which left a good impression on Ji Youyi.

But, Meng Xingshu’s sister was actually the female lead of Decree of the Phoenix?

That was truly… incredibly unlucky.

Ji Youyi propped her chin on one hand, her index finger rhythmically and lightly tapping against her cheek.

She previously had the privilege of being an extra in that drama, the kind where she didn’t even get to perform. That production crew, at a single glance, just wouldn’t do.

On the screen, Meng Xingshu was still dressed in a simple black top paired with long pants, her long hair draped naturally over her shoulders, and her facial expression was as detached as always.

While her sister was being interviewed by the reporter, she stood at a large table in the back, cutting an enormous birthday cake, placing the slices onto plates, and then handing them out to the set crew members with her own hands.

Perhaps because they had entered the livestream a bit late, they never heard Meng Xingshu speak from beginning to end, nor did they see her share any eye contact with her sister.

Unlike the other two, Wen Yang wasn’t a fan of Meng Xingshu, so she didn’t know as much about her. She couldn’t help but ask, “Is Teacher Meng this cold to everyone?”

“Pretty much,” Li Zhulan, an eleven years veteran fan, shared. “Generally, when the camera is on her, or when hosts and reporters talk to her, she will give a polite smile. But right now, she isn’t the one being interviewed, so it’s normal not to smile.”

Wen Yang said in a low voice, “That’s good then. I thought she didn’t like me very much…”

Li Anran thought of something and began to suppress a laugh.

Looking at how Wen Yang was holding Ji Youyi’s arm with her head resting on Ji Youyi’s shoulder, she cleared her throat. “Ahem, maybe she thinks you’re standing too close to a certain someone.”

The phone’s audio was on speaker, and the sweet voice of the girl in the pink gown inside the livestream drowned out Li Anran’s implication. “In previous years, Sister and I always spent our birthdays together. It’s a pity I have to shoot with the crew this year, so Sister had to work hard to come to the set to eat cake with me!”

Li Anran found it strange: “Isn’t Teacher Meng’s birthday tomorrow? Why didn’t she come visit the set tomorrow instead?”

“Who knows. She probably has to host a birthday banquet at home tomorrow, right? After all, Meng Xiao is filming in D City, which is quite far from S City.”

Li Zhulan read the livestream comments while watching Meng Xingshu cut the cake, her tone carrying a touch of genuine emotion, “I really want to join their crew. I want to eat cake cut by Teacher Meng too.”

Li Anran joked: “Why would you need to join? Just beg Director Ji to call her over, wouldn’t that do it?”

Li Zhulan agreed completely. “Yes, yes! That kind of cake would taste even better!!”

While the people around her were chatting happily, Ji Youyi didn’t pay close attention to their conversation. She was carefully watching the livestream or rather, carefully observing the situation of the production crew presented in the livestream frame.

The more she looked, the more serious her expression became.

After Meng Xingshu finished distributing the last piece of cake, she left the camera frame and never reappeared.

The reporter also seemed to have known this process beforehand. After interviewing Meng Xiao, they immediately turned to interview the director and other main creators.

The comments in the livestream flashed a stream of crying faces saying, Boohoo, why is it over just like that? I thought she would say a few words, but she really just came to deliver a cake? After that, the popularity plummeted.

The several people watching the excitement outside the screen also dispersed with fading interest and went back to choosing their takeout. Only Ji Youyi seriously watched until the very end.