Chapter 75

After Shen Mingyou finished her call with Jiang Chen, she received some surprising news.

The TV series “Hello, President” that she filmed recently was set to air on Orange Satellite TV’s prime time in two days!

Shen Mingyou was a bit surprised. Typically, shows on Orange TV’s Prime Time Theater are promoted with multiple advance notices. However, “Hello, President” had not released any trailers or promotional content yet. Shen Mingyou was puzzled as to why the show was scheduled so abruptly without any preparation.

Upon further inquiry, Shen Mingyou discovered that the show “Hello, President” was being aired on short notice to replace another show.

A recent scandal involving one of the leading actors had caused significant backlash, leading to the withdrawal of endorsements and affecting their related film and television projects. As a result, “Hello, President” was chosen as a replacement.

“Lin Simeng plays the leading female role in this drama, and this is her first role since her debut,” Geng Feng, on the other end of the phone, said with concern. “This drama is also your first work after your return. I had planned extensive promotion before it aired. But now, with the sudden scheduling, we haven’t prepared anything. What should we do?”

Shen Mingyou played the second female lead in “Hello, President,” while the first female lead was Lin Simeng, an artist with Star Entertainment.

Xingchen Entertainment valued this drama highly, but the unexpected announcement caught Geng Feng off guard.

“What can we do?” Shen Mingyou was not overly worried. “The drama has already been filmed, and early publicity is secondary. The audience’s reception will ultimately depend on the quality of the work.”

Geng Feng understood this but had other concerns. He said, “You don’t know, but this drama is competing with another highly anticipated show.”

“Do you know who the heroine of this competing show is?” Geng Feng sighed. “It’s Gu Aifei.”

Shen Mingyou raised her eyebrows. She was aware of Gu Aifei’s recent drama, which had been frequently trending online.

“I won’t go into details about Gu Aifei, but she’s exceptional when it comes to TV dramas. Her choices are always top-notch. In recent years, her dramas have been very successful. The drama she’s about to air is a workplace series, marking her transformation. If successful, it could advance her career. Plus, her drama will be broadcast on Tomato Channel at nearly the same time as ‘Hello, President.’ It’s really tough to compete against her,” Geng Feng said, distressed.

Geng Feng was not lacking in confidence, but realistically, “Hello, President” faced significant challenges due to its competition.

Additionally, Shen Mingyou and Gu Aifei had appeared together on the variety show “Super Mom.” Shen Mingyou gained significant popularity from the show, surpassing Gu Aifei. Now, with both dramas airing simultaneously, they would likely be compared, which could negatively impact “Hello President’s” viewership.

If the drama “Hello President” could avoid Gu Aifei’s drama, be broadcast at a better time, and have more promotion in the early stages, Geng Feng believes its broadcast effect would significantly improve. This might even make Shen Mingyou and Lin Simeng popular and elevate Xingchen Entertainment.

Unfortunately, the drama is being used as a stopgap and was scheduled hastily, making Geng Feng feel regretful.

While Geng Feng was on the phone, events began unfolding at the TV station and production company. The TV station quickly started promoting “Hello President” on various channels, airing a short trailer repeatedly during advertising time. The producers also contacted the leading actors to assist with promotion.

The main promoter for the drama is Shen Mingyou. Both the male and female leads of “Hello, President” are new actors, so the promotion relies heavily on Shen Mingyou, who gained significant popularity from the “Super Mom” variety show. Her online following exceeds 30 million, making her the most notable member of the cast. Thus, the promotion task naturally fell to her.

@《Hello President:《Hello President》will air on Orange TV Golden Theater at 7:40 pm the day after tomorrow. See you there! @Male lead @Lin Simeng @Actress Shen Mingyou

Shen Mingyou noticed the Weibo post had only been up for a few minutes with no comments or shares. It was clear that no one was paying much attention to the drama.

Originally, Guan Qiang was cast as the second female lead in “Hello President,” but due to issues with Guan Qiang, Shen Mingyou was cast instead. After terminating Guan Qiang’s contract, the official Weibo account faced criticism from Guan Qiang’s fans and was inactive since then. Consequently, many people are unaware that Shen Mingyou is in the drama.

Shen Mingyou decided to repost the announcement.

@Shen Mingyou: See you there!

Her repost quickly drew attention from her fans, leading to an increase in comments, shares, and likes.

Shen Mingyou did not check her phone further. Upon arriving at the restaurant, she took Nian Nian out of the car and went inside.

Tang Qian waved her over as she entered and served milk to Shen Mingyou and Nian Nian. He smiled and said, “I planned to celebrate our filming wrap with a drink, but since you brought baby Nian Nian, I can’t persuade you to drink.”

Nian Nian, who disliked being called a baby, said, “I’m not a baby!”

Tang Qian replied, “Okay, okay, you’re not a baby; you’re my little apprentice.”

Nian Nian was even more upset: “I’m not your little apprentice either.”

Tang Qian enjoys teasing Nian Nian and has imagined having a daughter like her with Lin Jing. However, Lin Jing seems uninterested in marriage, which troubles Tang Qian.

“If you don’t want to be my apprentice, how about being my goddaughter?” Tang Qian suggested with a playful smile. “I’ll be your godfather, and your Aunt Lin will be your godmother. Aunt Lin will be thrilled!”

Although Lin Jing isn’t fond of children, she’s kind and patient with Nian Nian, who likes her a lot.

Nian Nian took a sip of milk and thought for a moment before saying, “I can be Aunt Lin’s goddaughter.”

Tang Qian was pleased, thinking Nian Nian had agreed, but she added, “But you can’t be my godfather.”

Tang Qian asked, “Why not? Aunt Lin is your godmother; why can’t I be your godfather?”

Nian Nian explained, “Because you and Aunt Lin are not married.”

Tang Qian was taken aback and said nothing.

Seeing Tang Qian’s reaction, Shen Mingyou smiled and wiped Nian Nian’s mouth. Tang Qian, feeling dejected, poured himself a glass of milk to console himself.

During dinner, Shen Mingyou asked Tang Qian to watch over Nian Nian while she went to the bathroom. As she was finishing up, she ran into Gu Aifei, who was coming in.

Shen Mingyou hadn’t seen Gu Aifei since “Super Mom” and greeted her with a nod. Gu Aifei returned the gesture. The restaurant, near the film and television city, is a common spot for film crews, so running into acquaintances is not unusual.

Shen Mingyou wiped her hands and walked around Gu Aifei.

Gu Aifei suddenly said, “This time, I will defeat you.”

A quarter of an hour ago, Gu Aifei discovered through hot searches that Shen Mingyou’s new drama would air the day after tomorrow, just like hers, at the same time. It seemed like there was a real connection between them.

Gu Aifei wanted to surpass Shen Mingyou so badly. In the book she dreamed of, she was the sole heroine, and Shen Mingyou was just a supporting character. However, reality was different. As long as Shen Mingyou was around, Gu Aifei felt she wasn’t the heroine.

She couldn’t help but compare everything with Shen Mingyou: family background, appearance, in-laws, husband… She hoped to outshine Shen Mingyou, but ultimately, she felt she was falling short.

Being around Shen Mingyou constantly made her feel frustrated.

Gu Aifei didn’t want to accept this, but she realized something: her true advantage shouldn’t lie in external things. As actors, the most important thing is their work. There’s no need to compare with Shen Mingyou on anything else.

Previously, she was too short-sighted and emotional.

Now, she still wants to surpass Shen Mingyou, but this time, she’ll compete based on her own abilities!

***

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