By the end of April, the temperature had risen significantly compared to the previous month. People no longer needed to wear heavy, cumbersome clothing when going out, and outdoor activities had increased.
Jiang Juyou glanced at the bright sun outside the car window, then looked down at her phone displaying a temperature of 25 degrees Celsius.
Despite the pleasant temperature, Jiang Juyou felt as if she were shivering in minus 25 degrees.
Previously, she had always worked behind the scenes, mostly involved in internal company projects, rarely interacting with people outside the company.
But today was different—
Jiang Juyou had been invited to attend the platform's annual gala, making her the first person from Random Entertainment to participate in such a large-scale event this year.
The car drove along the road towards the venue, with fans holding banners or fans lining both sides of the sidewalk.
Whenever a black van passed by, everyone would crane their necks to look, shouting out artists' names as if placing bets.
Inside the car, Jiang Juyou couldn't stop trembling, her hands and feet feeling weak.
Given Jiang Juyou's personality, she would never normally attend such an event. However, due to the platform's large scale and the company's lack of available artists—some were filming, others were in training—she, as an employee, had no choice but to attend on behalf of the company to maintain their presence.
On the way there, she quietly comforted herself, "It's okay, just get a feel for it first. If I can't handle it, I can still negotiate the terms."
Jiang Juyou, who was about to graduate, had reached the stage of negotiating contract terms with the system. While joining the company was certain, she could propose any conditions within reasonable limits.
She hadn't decided exactly what to propose yet. The system had told her to first experience what the entertainment industry was like, and the next second, her assistant informed her that they had received an invitation from the platform for her to attend the gala.
So Jiang Juyou found herself thrust into this situation unprepared.
Due to the sudden invitation, there wasn't time to prepare an outfit. Chen Xi helped by contacting a styling team.
That morning, while getting styled at the hotel, she heard the comings and goings of artists and staff outside, and her inner anxiety and regret began to grow. Now, as they approached the venue, her desire to escape the car intensified.
She feared not knowing anyone there and being unable to make conversation if someone approached her. So before coming, she had done extensive research, quickly reviewing last year's hit dramas, currently popular shows, upcoming blockbusters, and even catching up on gossip she had missed.
For instance, "21 Heartbeats of Youth" had reignited the idol selection show trend, with several platforms launching such programs during the winter holiday season.
Previously, these shows followed foreign formats, but now they were copying "21 Heartbeats of Youth," adopting a no-elimination system, selling merchandise, and creating rankings.
This had led to conflicts between the "train conductor sisters" (fans of the original show) and these new programs.
She specifically reviewed this gossip because one of these shows offered the reward of an opening performance at this very gala. The group that received the most on-site votes in the second public performance would become the opening act.
As soon as the platform announced Jiang Juyou's attendance at the gala, the show's production team released this preview, clearly trying to ride on Jiang Juyou's popularity.
This incident led to another round of criticism from the "train conductor sisters" towards the show, with those who liked Jiang Juyou being particularly sarcastic.
Little did they know that this was exactly the effect the production team wanted. The more criticism, the more excited they became, as it meant higher popularity and better data for the show.
This was also why these shows were desperately trying to associate themselves with "21 Heartbeats of Youth."
Due to the high level of friction, bystanders were waiting to see the drama unfold, and there would be many entertainment reporters at the event. She feared being asked related questions.
Jiang Juyou had been anxious all the way, worried about making mistakes or becoming a laughingstock at the event.
On the live streaming interface, fans were on standby, while casual viewers scrolled through Weibo, waiting for marketing accounts to push news to their feeds.
Artists' topics were climbing the trending list one by one, with marketing accounts posting various comparisons and put-downs on Weibo. Today, the most frequently appearing word on the internet was probably "uniquely beautiful."
Jiang Juyou hadn't made it to the trending list, but she appeared in discussions on various platforms and forums.
"Title: Gossip Theory Discussion / In an unnoticed corner, the hangover cure quietly outshone some people."
"Her suit looks good, it's from an independent designer brand. I thought the hangover cure would be nervous attending this kind of event for the first time, but she seems quite calm and has a strong presence."
Comments section:
"Outshone ( )"
"Hubby, I love you."
"Why didn't they arrange a trending topic for our Jiang?"
"Oh ho, it's trending now."
"Yes, that's my husband."
"This GIF is killing me, what did the hangover cure write? MMM?"
"Hangover cure: M trait explosion! Frantically writing M!"
"That pocket-inserting move makes me feel a bit... hehe..."
In the GIF, Jiang Juyou casually drew a few strokes on the backdrop, then handed the pen to someone beside her and turned to walk towards the photo spot.
She wore a beige suit with a casual cut and fit, the hem and pants swaying as she moved. Jiang Juyou wore only one accessory—a wing-like silver ornament on her right ear, embedded with a baroque pearl.
Her hair was straightened and hung down her back, full of drape and luster, reinforcing the cool aura around Jiang Juyou along with the silver ornament.
When taking photos, she didn't strike any particular pose, just putting one hand in her pocket and waving the other left and right.
No matter what the surrounding reporters called out, her facial expression never changed, making her look as if she were in a bad mood.
In reality, due to extreme nervousness, Jiang Juyou's hand in her pocket had clenched into a fist, her knuckles turning slightly white.
People online often say she looks fierce and has a strong presence, but in reality, this is all due to Jiang Juyou's appearance.
She was born with a naturally cool-looking face. Even when relaxed, she looks as if she's angry.
She suffers from what's known as "resting bitch face syndrome."
The only advantage of this face is that it doesn't reveal her nervousness, to the extent that Jiang Juyou's overly large steps due to anxiety and nervousness were praised as the gait of a person in power.
After coming off the red carpet, Jiang Juyou wiped the sweat from her palms onto her pants, then immediately regretted it. The outfit had cost over 20,000 yuan, and although it was paid for by the company, she still felt bad about it.
For the rest of the time, she wiped the sweat from her palms onto the back of her other hand to prevent giving others an uncomfortable feeling when shaking hands.
Jiang Juyou, feeling like she had walked into a maze backstage, couldn't comprehend the feelings of the gossip-hungry netizens.
Jiang Juyou had indeed trended, but it wasn't arranged by Random Entertainment. Instead, it was orchestrated by other video platforms and companies, aiming to ride on her popularity and warm up for the group about to open the show.
For this reason, she was even arranged to walk the red carpet alongside executives from companies managing boy bands.
To put it bluntly, inviting her was ostensibly to maintain Random Entertainment's heat in the industry and public eye, but behind the scenes, it was to fuel the video platform's show and boost its popularity.
Jiang Juyou only realized she was being used as a tool when she saw the red carpet arrangement.
From video platforms to social media platforms to the event organizers, everyone was treating her as a joke.
Even the rest area assigned to her was shared with invited internet celebrities.
These industry machinations are never openly discussed, and the public only sees the arranged plot, with even trending topics being products of capital manipulation.
#Jiang Juyou and Yang RPing pose together#
#Jiang Juyou appears in beige suit#
#Jiang Juyou's red carpet look#
The popular Weibo posts under these three topics all featured nearly identical images—solo shots of Jiang Juyou and her photo with Yang RPing.
Yang RPing is also a well-known figure in the industry, even considered the previous Jiang Juyou. He's half-Korean and half-Chinese, grew up abroad, and has experience with foreign entertainment industries.
His rise to fame was similar to Jiang Juyou's—he appeared as a company representative at a talent show finale and trended due to his looks rivaling those of the trainees.
Yang RPing even has a fan base similar to Jiang Juyou's.
Jiang Juyou's fans seeing the trending topics:
"Speechless, the organizers did this on purpose, right? Can that nasty man stay away from women?"
"Where's he putting his hand?"
"[eye roll]"
"So many trending topics in such high positions, and you're telling me that stingy Random Entertainment would pay for this?"
"Feels like the platform is messing with Random Entertainment..."
"No wonder the hangover cure looked so grumpy."
Backstage, Jiang Juyou didn't dwell on this matter for too long. Her family had significant influence, so it would be far too easy for them to target her if they wanted. There was no need for a direct confrontation.
Rather than wasting emotions on such matters, Jiang Juyou preferred to pick up her phone and handle affairs related to the trainees.
Tomorrow would be the first monthly evaluation for the trainees since they went abroad for further training. After receiving her award on stage shortly, Jiang Juyou would need to quickly depart for the airport to catch her flight.
Jiang Juyou was messaging the new group in Korea:
"Jiang Juyou: Have you all bought your plane tickets?"
"Guan Xiaoxiao: Yes, but the flight takes off after 11 pm."
"Jiang Juyou: That's fine, as long as you can make it in time."
"Guan Xiaoxiao: No problem then. The accommodation and itinerary in the US have all been arranged."
"Jiang Juyou: Good."
After sending the messages, Jiang Juyou looked up and told her assistant, "Once you've dropped me off at the airport, you can go home and rest. The staff over there will send you my return schedule, just come to pick me up at the airport then."
"Alright!" The young woman's tone was noticeably excited.
Jiang Juyou, putting away her phone, smiled and said, "Happy about the week-long vacation?"
"Hehe..."
Meanwhile, the trainees who had just been informed were now doubting their ears, asking for confirmation.
"We're going to Coachella?"
Guan Xiaoxiao quickly raised her hand to explain, "It's for learning, not for fun!"
But they barely heard the point, their minds filled with thoughts of going to America. The anxiety they had been feeling about the upcoming monthly evaluation dissipated.
Pei Luming shouted excitedly, "Ahhh! Coachella!"
Overexcited, Pei Luming threw away his towel and ran a lap around the practice room, "Ahhhhh!"
Yao Shuo, however, asked, "Is everyone going or just the first-place winner?"
Pei Luming: "...?"
Pei Luming: Celebrated too soon :)
