The initial heat surrounding Gao Fei had already reached its peak, and now, with the paparazzi's latest exposé and a striking headline, it exploded even further.
Barely making it onto the trending list, the exposé immediately drew tens of thousands of netizens. In previous leaks, the five women in the photos had been described as curvaceous, and though the pixels were blurry, they were undeniably beautiful. Now, with the paparazzi revealing their identities, speculation ran wild.
Could they be those high-priced "flight attendants"? Or perhaps popular internet personalities? Or maybe even campus beauties from prestigious universities? As soon as the news broke, everyone's mind was abuzz with guesses about the women's backgrounds.
But when netizens clicked into the trending topic and saw the identities revealed by the paparazzi, those in front of their computers and phones were stunned into silence.
"My god, the one in the black bikini with the long legs is actually the daughter of Qiao Run Group, Qiao Sisi."
"The girl in the pink bow swimsuit is the daughter of Ling Xing Group, Su Ran! I knew a cute girl who liked pink wouldn't be just anyone, but I didn't expect it to be Miss Su. I should have known better!"
"Xu Mengxin, daughter of Baiyuan Pharmaceutical; Peng Gege, daughter of Qiandao Technology Group; Xie Xiaoxue, daughter of Dahua Real Estate Group; Oh my, they're all daughters of major conglomerates!"
"This is no 'flight attendant' or internet celebrity... this party was practically a gathering of wealthy heiresses! You lousy paparazzi, you nearly made me think Miss Qiao was some kind of escort. Damn you all!"
With the identities of the five women revealed, the comments section shifted dramatically. Compared to the earlier buzz surrounding Gao Fei, the current comments were dominated by a flood of sycophantic adoration. Even comments from fans and a few detractors were drowned out by praise for the five heiresses.
In just half an hour, the exposé about the heiresses' identities quickly climbed to second place on the trending list. First place was Gao Fei and Wang He hosting a party, and second was the five heiresses at that party. Both trending topics were related to Gao Fei, overshadowing all the movie promotions from various film companies.
Seeing these two trending topics, fans who had unfollowed Gao Fei began to follow him again. Ye Sucheng, who was monitoring hot news at the General Bureau, also breathed a sigh of relief. He had thought the young man was up to some scandalous business, but it turned out he was merely networking with the daughters of major conglomerates.
Yao Qiang and Wang Desheng from the military and police departments both shook their heads and chuckled wryly. It seemed the young man still had some boundaries.
Upon learning that the five women were daughters of major conglomerates, Chairman Tang and others who had participated in "Black and White Edge" also felt reassured. As men of letters, they strongly disliked gossip and disdained associating with people involved in such scandals. Fortunately, Gao Fei had not crossed their bottom line, and the literary titans finally relaxed.
At this moment, as the heat continued to rise, Ye Ju and others, in addition to fans, were beginning to suspect that Gao Fei was indirectly promoting his company's film. Although it bordered on gossip, it didn't cross the bottom line of morality or the nation's standards for youth. It had to be said that this kind of suggestive promotion was extremely clever.
However, the major film companies whose attention had been hijacked by Gao Fei were not pleased. They had spent a fortune using various channels for promotion, only to have this "Gao" guy stir up a scandal and steal all their thunder. Moreover, the top trending topic had surpassed a hundred million views, and the second had tens of millions. A single piece of gossip had managed to defeat the heat they had generated with millions in investment. Anyone would be upset!
...
At the chairman's office of Global Pictures.
"Damn it, the heat I generated with tens of millions is not as good as this kid's gossip, truly infuriating!" Looking at the steadily rising popularity of Gao Fei, Chairman Zhang Zhiwei felt a knot in his stomach. He had calculated that Fei He Pictures wouldn't have the funds for extensive multi-channel promotion. But he hadn't expected Gao Fei to find an alternative route, using gossip to indirectly promote the film. Director Zhang was furious, but now he had no means to deal with Gao Fei. Throwing mud? With the prominent families of the five heiresses, Director Zhang, even with a hundred intentions, wouldn't dare.
...
At Paiwei International Pictures, Hu Yuan, who had just taken office as a director, also felt helpless watching the trending topics. However, unlike Director Zhang, she didn't rage in her office. Instead, she categorized Gao Fei in the same tier as herself and analyzed him seriously. Hu Yuan had previously received information that the unconventional promotion by Chuangwei Technology had come from Gao Fei. Now, Gao Fei using gossip to promote a new film was, in her view, standard operating procedure. In Hu Yuan's eyes, this rising star should not be underestimated; if he developed further, he would undoubtedly be a formidable opponent.
"Director Hu, should we think of a way to sanction Fei He Pictures, or perhaps follow their lead to gain some heat?" the head of the publicity department asked.
"No need!" Hu Yuan waved her hand, stating clearly, "The film's promotional heat is already set. Even if we follow suit, it would be difficult to find individuals equivalent to those five heiresses. What we need to do now is wait for the film's release and intercept any films that could threaten our company."
"Understood!" Paiwei International Pictures did not retaliate to gain attention, and neither did Global Pictures. Although Zhang Zhiwei was furious, he understood that the battle for promotion was already decided and they could only make their move when the film was released.
Apart from Global and Paiwei, five other companies could only watch Gao Fei's popularity with envy and made no move. However, the remaining three companies couldn't resist and followed suit by creating gossip. They arranged for the film's protagonists to date other artists and then had the paparazzi leak the news. But the heat never reached Gao Fei's level, hovering around thirtieth place. The three companies eventually gave up and reverted to honest promotion.
....
In the evening, at Qingyuan Mountain Villa.
The male and female leads of the trending gossip were gathered in the villa's main hall. Aside from director Liu Weiqiang, who had left due to other commitments, Gao Fei, Wang He, Jin Qiqi, and the five heiresses were laughing and chatting around the dining table. The reason the five heiresses were present today and allowed themselves to be photographed by the paparazzi to create this gossip was twofold: first, they wanted to meet comrade Xiao Gao in person; second, it was at the invitation of Wang He and Jin Qiqi.
After a brief period of eating and drinking, Wang He and Jin Qiqi raised their glasses to thank the five heiresses, who, though appearing without makeup, were still as beautiful as ever.
"Sister Jin, no need for thanks. Now that you're returning to the entertainment industry, just bring me along for any good projects in the future!"
"Old Wang, don't be so polite. If you really want to thank me, get me a monthly pass for your hotel chain, and make it a nationwide one."
The five heiresses were gracious enough to appear, and Wang He and Jin Qiqi were equally accommodating, agreeing to their terms. Among the five, the elegant, stunningly beautiful, and long-legged goddess Qiao Sisi turned her gaze to Gao Fei and chuckled, "Comrade Xiao Gao, Sister Jin and Old Wang have already spoken. How do you plan to thank us sisters?"
The moment she finished speaking, the other four women also looked towards comrade Xiao Gao. Gao Fei didn't miss a beat. He stood up and looked at the five heiresses, "Since my sisters have spoken, your little brother will certainly express his gratitude. How about I personally cook for you five sisters? What kind of cuisine do you prefer, domestic or foreign?"
Upon hearing that comrade Xiao Gao would cook as a thank you, the five women started ordering dishes. After jotting down the orders, Gao Fei turned and headed for the kitchen, where he conferred with the chefs and began preparing the meal. After he left, the five heiresses immediately turned to Sister Jin and asked about comrade Xiao Gao's cooking skills. Jin Qiqi didn't elaborate, only telling them that after tasting it, any Michelin-starred chef outside would be considered trash.
A while later, a succession of exquisite dishes were served. Just from the aroma emanating from the dishes, the five women's appetites were whetted. They picked up their chopsticks and began to taste. Soon, gasps of "Wow!" echoed through the dining room. The five heiresses looked incredulous, showering Gao Fei's culinary creations with praise. Qiao Sisi even expressed her intention to invite Gao Fei, offering to invest in a high-end restaurant for him to be the head chef. The other four sisters also voiced their agreement and willingness to add further investment. In the end, the villa's designated head chef became Gao Fei's assistant, and the entire banquet that evening was personally prepared by him.
After a satisfying meal, the group dispersed, each taken home by their respective drivers. As Miss Qiao Sisi got into her car, she immediately logged into her social media account and posted a photo of Gao Fei's back as he cooked in the kitchen, along with staged photos of the exquisite food.
"Comrade Xiao Gao's cooking skills are amazing. After tasting his food, how can I possibly eat anywhere else in the world? (Whining/Crying emoji). With such great cooking skills, Comrade Xiao Gao's movies must be amazing too. I have to book out a whole theater to support him!" Miss Qiao posted, and the other four also posted simultaneously, along with photos they had taken. The captions on each were similar, praising Gao Fei's culinary prowess while helping to promote his new film. The combined fan base of the five heiresses reached fifty million. Shortly after posting, their messages received thousands of likes from male fans. The male fans' comments were incredibly envious, feeling more pain from Gao Fei dining and drinking with their goddesses than if they were killed. Although the male fans were envious of Gao Fei, at the urging of the five young ladies, each was willing to contribute a movie ticket and decided to support Gao Fei's film. If the movie was good, then it was fine! But if it was bad, or if his acting was poor, then he could expect online attacks from thousands of male fans.
With the help of the five young ladies' posts, Gao Fei also logged into his studio account, thanking them for their assistance while promoting his new film. Wang He was not to be outdone, logging in to promote the film and thank the five sisters for their appearance.
While other film companies were spending tens of millions on promotion, Gao Fei, with just the paparazzi's exposé and his interactions with the five heiresses, managed to generate tens of millions in heat for the film. This maneuver showed he had a complete grasp of online traffic.
Watching Gao Fei's popularity consistently rank first and second, all the companies were envious. But they also had to admire Gao Fei; he was truly a marketing genius. Since they couldn't win the promotional battle, everyone shifted their focus to April 5th, awaiting the final showdown after the film's release.
....
After four days of intensive promotion, April 5th finally arrived. Could the films from the eleven film companies compete for the top three spots, representing China and stepping onto the international stage? Starting today, it would be the final battle!