"Emperor Xiang" took five months to shoot, and during this period, Ye Qiu celebrated her twentieth birthday. At the end of the year, the small-budget comedy she took on during the summer holidays also began to premiere in major cinemas.
In "The God of Misfortune", Ye Qiu played a stunningly beautiful yet haughty and indifferent young lady. Compared to the misfortunes and humor that befall the male and female leads in the film, her role was simply to be gorgeous.
The entire movie's budget was less than twenty million, yet the jewelry, costumes, mansions, and luxury cars used solely for her character cost over three million, and that was just the rental price.
It wasn't noticeable during filming, but at the premiere, the female lead looked like a beggar next to her, and Ye Qiu was keenly aware of the darkening expression on the face of the actress playing the female lead.
"The God of Misfortune" doesn't have a single serious antagonist. The whole story is about how the male lead has been unlucky since childhood and, after growing up, meets the female lead and successfully transfers his misfortune to her. The two of them share a journey filled with laughter and love.
Although Liu Ying, the actress playing the female lead, was not as stunning as Ye Qiu, she was a pretty little beauty. However, to fit the role described in the script, she had deliberately uglified herself, which made the contrast with Ye Qiu particularly harsh.
No woman does not love beauty, and even though the movie was thrilling and successfully made everyone laugh, comparing her ungainly appearance in the film with Ye Qiu's gorgeous and haughty young lady, Liu Ying found it difficult to remain cheerful.
Apart from the female lead, everyone from the crew was satisfied with the movie's outcome. However, as the production was small, there weren't many journalists or film critics at the premiere, and the movie theaters were equally unenthusiastic about scheduling the film, so everyone was still concerned about the eventual box office revenue.
Ye Qiu remembered that "The God of Misfortune", with its relaxed tone, good pacing, and no dull moments, stood out as refreshingly unpretentious among the end-of-year blockbusters. Although initially neglected, its popularity exploded later on, ultimately becoming this year's dark horse at the box office.
Ye Qiu had been promoting the movie early on Weibo. With the popularity of "Emperor Xiang", her fans numbered over ten million, which stirred quite a topic. This made the rookie director very grateful. After all, he had bet all his fortune on this film, and if the outcome had been poor, he probably would have heeded his family's advice and left the film industry he loved.
Fortunately, Bright Pearl did not gather dust. Two days after the movie's release, it gradually gained popularity online. Thanks to recommendations from major Weibo influencers and requests from netizens, theaters also began to increase screenings.
Ten days after its release, the box office had already surpassed 800 million. This was something that Director Song Chen hadn't even dared to dream of. He believed his film was good but didn't expect such warm support from netizens. As the sole investor in the movie, he also made a fortune.
As the second female lead in the film, Ye Qiu received a red envelope higher than her remuneration. At the same time, at the invitation of Song Chen, she was to join Jiang Wei and Liu Ying, the male and female leads, in attending Banana TV's variety show "Happy Rush."
It's especially envious when enemies meet. Although Ye Qiu did not take Liu Ying seriously, Liu Ying had been harboring intense hatred for her these days.
As the female lead of the movie, she was frustrated to find that she was less of a hot topic online than a supporting actress. Moreover, because of her role in the film, she was mocked wherever she went. She felt displeased inside, yet she had to laugh along with everyone, which was unbearably annoying, and she frequently faced the question, "Is Ye Qiu really as beautiful as she is in the movie?"
Although she did not want to admit it, the real-life Ye Qiu was indeed more attractive than her on-screen persona. She belonged to those who were not photogenic, but even so, she was brushed aside like dust.
To change her image among netizens, she turned down the white dress suggested by her stylist. It's not that she didn't understand her own style, but in order to catch everyone's attention, she deliberately chose to wear a black low-cut backless dress, knowing that Ye Qiu seldom dressed very revealingly in public.
Sure enough, Ye Qiu in the other dressing room eventually selected a silver-grey shirt with white wide-leg pants. Her makeup artist gave her bold red lips and a neat makeup look, and her long hair was tied up high. With her tall figure and long legs, her simple attire was surprisingly effective.
After slipping into high heels, Ye Qiu nodded satisfactorily as she looked in the mirror. The last time she was at Banana TV, her makeup was done by an apprentice, but today was her second visit, and she had her own makeup artist and dressing room. That's how the entertainment industry works. They serve you based on what you bring to the table. She wasn't dissatisfied; an individual's value determines the treatment they get, and she was quite content with that.
The makeup artist was extremely excited by the beauty she had helped create. Being from the entertainment powerhouse Banana TV, she had worked with countless female artists, but she had never met anyone with skin as good and as malleable as Ye Qiu's.
She had initially suggested a slit, big red dress, but her client had opted for the more conservative yet chic shirt and wide-leg pants. On the wrong person, this outfit could be disastrous, but on her, it was unusually lively, elegant, and stunning.
She truly was born for stardom, a God's favorite.
"Happy Rush" changed the format of indoor variety show recording in the middle of this year, opting for live broadcasts, which was undoubtedly a wise decision by the leadership.
Live broadcasts have a strong unpredictability and appeal. Ever since the format change, the show's ratings have skyrocketed.
And there are many artists who get exposed for their abnormal performances on the show, leading to very high discussion topics each episode. Despite this, the number of artists wanting to be on the show is still significant.
If "The God of Misfortune" were not currently a hit, Ye Qiu's influence alone would not qualify him to participate in this variety show.
This was a great opportunity, and before going on the show, Sister Yang repeatedly reminded Ye Qiu that it's better to be mediocre than to make major blunders.
At precisely 8 PM, the live broadcast of the show started, opening with the movie's theme song, performed by Ye Qiu, Director Song Chen, and male and female leads Jiang Wei and Liu Ying.
Meanwhile, online, Ye Qiu and Liu Ying's outfits also sparked heated discussions.
"Sis is so stunningly beautiful, my mom's asking why I'm drooling over my screen."
"Ah... What brand is Ye Qiu wearing? It looks so simple, but why does it look so good on him!"
"Sis has legs for days, so jealous and envious!"
"Er… Liu Ying looks so awkward, she seems so short next to Ye Qiu."
"Why on earth did she choose to wear a low-cut backless outfit? It really doesn't suit her."
"Am I the only one who thinks the outfit Liu Ying is wearing would suit Ye Qiu?"
"+1 to the comment above"
"+2"
"Disagree, the outfit on sis looks the coolest, I'm starting to question my orientation."
"Questioning my orientation +1"
"+2"
"+3"
"Liu Ying's looks can at best be described as fresh and youthful, suitable for white dresses or school uniforms. What she has worn in the past was quite elegant. What happened to her aesthetic today?"
"Feels like she's trying too hard to be avant-garde, kinda cringy."
"Cringy +1"
...
Seeing the online frenzy, the show's director almost laughed his head off. Great, he said to himself, live broadcasting is king.
And Liu Ying did succeed in attracting attention on the web, just in the opposite direction of what she wanted, which is why the production team, despite noticing her outfit issue, did not object. After all, they need the traffic, and as long as it stirs up the heat, good or bad, they win.