Chapter 18: Dio's Favor

Gu Jingyi shrugged. "Is that so? That’s pretty normal."

"This time it’s different. 'A Little Thing Called First Love' is incredibly popular in South Korea. Amorepacific sent us an endorsement offer. Are you interested?"

Lin Ze turned and listened carefully to Gu Jingyi’s opinion.

"The new sub-brand spokesperson for Sulwhasoo this year? Didn’t they already send something before?"

Sulwhasoo is one of South Korea’s top two luxury skincare brands, under Amorepacific. The prices are extremely high; a single skincare set starts at over a thousand yuan.

In 2018, Sulwhasoo was launching a new anti-glycation product line called Sulwhasoo Sulyu, and the brand wanted Gu Jingyi to be the spokesperson to help open the market.

But Gu Jingyi had no intention of taking that deal.

As always, he didn’t want to exploit his fans.

The Sulyu line was priced over 2,400 yuan, even more expensive than Sulwhasoo’s star products. Its effects were somewhat underwhelming and unnecessary.

"Pass on it. Fans work hard to earn their money."

Gu Jingyi waved his hand, showing no interest.

"It’s not Sulwhasoo this time, but Laneige under Amorepacific. The brand invited you to be the spokesperson for the entire line. Are you interested?"

Lin Ze smiled brightly. Laneige is Amorepacific’s mid-range brand, with popular products like the primer and sleeping mask priced around two to three hundred yuan.

"That’s acceptable. Lin Ze, please handle the negotiations."

Gu Jingyi nodded and accepted the Laneige business.

"Good. Perform well on 'Idol Producer.' I’ve seen a lot of pre-release hype on Weibo lately. Your intuition is probably right. This variety show might become as popular as 'Super Girl' across the country."

Lin Ze nodded and rifled through his briefcase, pulling out a stack of documents and handing them to Gu Jingyi to review.

"Two brands have invited you to be their spokesperson: Vivo smartphones and Peacebird. Vivo sees potential in you and wants to invest early. Peacebird wants to leverage your influence among young people to expand their market."

Lin Ze glanced over and guessed the brands’ intentions.

Peacebird is positioned as a fashionable brand for urban youth in China, mainly targeting the 20-35 age group.

Due to declining profitability, Peacebird urgently needed a charismatic spokesperson to bolster their image.

Thanks to 'A Little Thing Called First Love,' Gu Jingyi’s popularity surged rapidly with a reasonable cost-performance ratio, making him a prime candidate.

No matter where, Gu Jingyi had a good reputation among audiences of all ages.

Peacebird chose Gu Jingyi even though his endorsement fee was the highest among potential candidates. Once the agency confirmed, the brand immediately sent the contract.

Lin Ze had Gu Jingyi’s rest time planned meticulously. Just coming out of the studio, he hurried to the next shooting location to start the Peacebird commercial.

Wearing a red Peacebird baseball jacket and holding a branded Rubik’s cube, Gu Jingyi posed under the backdrop, shifting smoothly with the changing camera angles.

An assistant adjusted the reflector to ensure the lighting perfectly highlighted Gu Jingyi’s face.

"Don’t make the lights too bright. Yes, just like that! Perfect!"

"Jingyi, face the camera from the side. Turn around, then come back."

"Good, now don’t look at the camera. I’m shooting from the side. Great!"

Inside the studio, the commercial director kept murmuring instructions to Gu Jingyi.

But during filming, he didn’t expect any replies.

He just watched Gu Jingyi switch poses and positions, showcasing Peacebird’s latest collection.

The director’s smile grew wider. With such emotional expression and camera awareness, no wonder he was an actor; working with him was efficient.

"Cut!"

With Gu Jingyi’s final pose frozen, the director announced the shoot complete.

As soon as filming ended, Gu Jingyi stepped out from behind the reflector.

He greeted the crew warmly, receiving many friendly responses. It was clear the staff were pleased with his efficiency.

Lin Ze, who had been following all along, quickly grabbed a down jacket and draped it over Gu Jingyi.

"Good job. Put this on quickly. We have a new schedule tomorrow. Don’t catch a cold."

As Gu Jingyi zipped up, the Peacebird publicity director approached.

"Jingyi, this commercial shoot was perfect. Once the finished product is ready, we’ll coordinate further promotions with Huace Film and Television."

"Thank you for your hard work."

After exchanging pleasantries, the brand representative left the set.

Gu Jingyi and his team packed up and prepared to leave.

The director approached with a warm smile.

"Gu Jingyi, it’s been a pleasure working with you. Here’s my card with my contact info. If you have any future commercial shoots, feel free to reach out."

In the industry, only top-tier stars usually have the privilege to choose their directors.

The director waited until the shoot ended to say this, deliberately giving Gu Jingyi some face.

It might seem insignificant now, but once Gu Jingyi really became a top star, the director—his talent scout—would rise alongside him.

Gu Jingyi smiled and accepted the card. In front of everyone, he exchanged WeChat contacts with the director.

After leaving the set, it was already midnight.

"Jingyi, Vivo wants to work with us on the X23 series. It’s not out yet, so the commercial shoot will be a while later."

His manager Lin Ze glanced at him in the rearview mirror and updated him on current business.

"Okay, sounds good. 'Idol Producer' forms the group in April, but let’s not rush to sign the contract now. My commercial value will be worth more than just these endorsement fees."

Gu Jingyi smiled confidently.

"Of course, we’ll compare prices later. If Vivo can’t meet the offer, Oppo should be able to, haha."

Lin Ze was happy too; his salary was based on commissions. The better Gu Jingyi did, the more he earned.

"Lin, any new fashion resources lately?"

When the car stopped below the apartment building, Gu Jingyi asked.

"Yes. Dior is now evaluating you."

"Dior?"

Gu Jingyi nodded, a bit surprised.

It was December 2017, before the wholesale era of major luxury brands.

In April 2017, Dior announced Yang Ying as their China brand ambassador. In May, Huang Xuan was also announced with the same title. Zhao Liying, after changing agents, was trying hard to work with Dior to secure the Blue Blood title and boost her fashion status.

In addition, Wang Luodan, Wang Likun, Huang Jingyu, Chen Feiyu, Zhang Huiwen, and others were all trying to gain Dior’s favor.

Gu Jingyi had never tried to ingratiate himself; this attention from Dior was somewhat unexpected.

"Surprised? I was shocked when I first heard it too," Lin Ze laughed and teased him, "Did you forget your popularity in South Korea and Southeast Asia? Dior sees great potential in you and intends to grant you the title of Asian Brand Friend."

The Asian Brand Friend title ranks on par with domestic artist titles but is globally set by luxury brands.

Strictly speaking, China’s brand ambassadors are regionally limited...

Overseas, there are only three titles: Global Brand Ambassador, Regional Brand Ambassador, and Brand Friend.

China, however, complicates things with many titles that make people dizzy.

Currently, Dior is still background-checking Gu Jingyi, but the hint is that Brand Friend is just the beginning.

If this favor became public, many domestic artists would be envious.

"So, Xiao Yi, you must get plenty of rest tonight. Tomorrow we have a Dior launch event—Fashion Bazaar’s New Year double cover."

Before the wholesale era, luxury brands would promote their favored artists with fashion resources.

Such as magazine covers, wide distribution, ad campaigns, seating at fashion shows, and official brand recognition on foreign platforms.

As a New Year issue, Dior’s sincerity was truly impressive.

Gu Jingyi smiled. "So, who’s my partner for the double cover this time?"

"Dilraba!"