First Kiss Diary - Chapter 11
Jining initially thought Ji Shixian was joking with her, but later when she searched online, it turned out to be true.
T Company’s style is mainly bold and sexy, and of course, very teasing. Moreover, European and American brands have always been much more open-minded than domestic ones, which can be gleaned from American TV shows.
In the past, major brands didn’t pay much attention to the Chinese market, but in recent years, they realized just how strong and exaggerated the purchasing power of the Chinese people is, so they all rushed to get a share and tap into this fertile soil.
T Company’s qipao series is mainly aimed at the Chinese market. There will definitely be a lot of promotion and various shows by then. If she signs, the subsequent exposure and fashion benefits will be very substantial.
Nono saw Jining staring blankly at the promotional video, which had played five or six times automatically without her saying a word, and felt a bit worried: “Don’t you want to sign?”
“What a joke, of course, I’ll sign.”
Resources from top luxury brands, the kind that even connections might not necessarily secure, it would be foolish not to sign.
“I thought you looked so serious, I thought you might refuse because the scale is too big.”
“The scale issue should be adjusted later. After all, qipao can’t be too sexy.”
Nono swallowed her saliva, thinking to herself that you haven’t carefully appreciated how tempting you look in qipao, with your curves accentuated. This kind of thing is difficult to shoot… and who wouldn’t want to take some sensual pictures with Ji Shixian?
Sure, here’s the text with space between paragraphs:
—
However, the assistant didn’t dare to speak up, just nodding frantically with conflicting feelings: “Yes, of course!”
Jining leaned back again and asked, “Why do you think they chose me?” Was it someone’s recommendation?
“Good temperament, looks good in cheongsam, has appeal,” Nono gave a thumbs up, “In short, you deserve it.”
“If you sign, the promotional video won’t be shot anytime soon. After all, the process with big brands takes time. After the contract is signed, the clothes will be modified according to your image, and an exclusive promotion plan will be developed. Don’t worry too much about the future,” Nono said.
“The program team is going to officially announce the three pairs of partners tomorrow, you know that, right? We’re going to take promotional photos later.”
Jining nodded, “I know.”
The program team of “First Kiss Diary” indeed acted swiftly and moved the official announcement time to tomorrow. However, the announcement was just a warm-up, and the broadcast time had not yet been finalized. They would notify later.
Around noon, Jining arrived at the studio, where the program team had prepared a variety of clothes for them to choose from. Just as Jining was about to choose, the cameraman looked at the two of them and smiled, “You guys are wearing couple outfits, no need to change, just wear your own.”
Jining looked at Jishiyan beside her. He was wearing black and white plaid today, echoing her plaid skirt. Such common elements couldn’t be considered couple outfits. She tugged at her earlobe and unexpectedly felt some warmth.
The two of them stood side by side and took a dozen photos, then the photographer waved his hand, “Lean on his shoulder.”
Jining looked up, “Huh?”
“Lean on his shoulder,” Jishiyan repeated, adjusted his collar, “If you’re not used to it, you can borrow my position to take the photo.”
She could have done it originally, but hearing him say that, she felt awkward to say, “Brother, can I?” She took two steps forward, creating a dislocation leaning on his shoulder through the lens’ visual perspective.
The man’s breathing was close, and the familiar scent of amber and ebony stirred her heartstrings.
Before taking the last group of photos, there was a halftime break. The man leaned against the edge of the table and drank juice. After glancing at her, he casually remarked, “Why are your ears so red?”
Jining lowered her head to find a reason for herself, “Maybe I also applied blush on my ears just now?” Her ears were indeed beyond her control; they turned red as they pleased, quite freely.
Even if sometimes she didn’t think of anything, her earlobes would change color naturally—although occasionally being with him didn’t belong to the category of “clearing the mind of impure thoughts.”
“Can blush make your ears this red?” The man seemed to chuckle softly, “Don’t bully me for not knowing makeup.”
He had only seen such red ears at fan meetings. His voice was extremely magnetic, as if the enclosed space added an option of three-dimensional surround sound. It was unclear whether it was intentional or a professional habit, but the word “bully” carried a hint of romance and profound meaning.
She pursed her lips and pushed her hair forward to cover her ears, “Will this be better?”
He tilted his head, composed, “Do you think covering your ears will make it better?”
“…” Jining didn’t know how he got tangled up with her ear problem. She looked up at him, “Will my ears affect you?”
In the instant she looked at him, the man turned his face slightly and glanced at the nearby light board, “A little.”
It was so amusing; her ears… would affect him… work.
Certainly, here’s the text with spaces between paragraphs:
Ji Ning and Ji Shiyans’ photos usually don’t require much retouching. They quickly took both couple and individual photos and then returned to the hotel. After resting for a night, Ji Ning began preparing for the afternoon press conference. The format adopted by the program team was to hold the press conference first, followed by official announcements on social media.
Since this was Ji Ning and Ji Shiyans’ first appearance as a CP (couple pairing), she took a long time choosing clothes and meticulously applying makeup. By noon, everything was done, and she headed to the venue for the press conference. Just ten minutes into the drive, she saw her name trending again. This time, the trend was “#JiNing Receives Orders#.”
“Receiving Orders” was a variety show she filmed last month and aired yesterday. This variety show didn’t garner much attention, and Ji Ning was cautious. Despite the program team requesting no makeup, she chose to go completely makeup-free to avoid criticism. Even the staff praised her sincerity. But how did she end up trending again?
She clicked to see and found numerous marketing accounts with similar wording: “Yesterday’s ‘Receiving Orders’ episode showed the cast urgently assembling in the military at 3 a.m. Everyone had to be ready within five minutes of waking up, and the female celebrities all appeared without makeup. Unexpectedly, Ji Ning managed to put on makeup in such a short time. With perfectly groomed eyebrows and lipstick, she stood out from the rest. Is this the legendary natural beauty?”
Indeed, Ji Ning looked different from the others in the photos. While everyone else appeared oily and tired, she seemed flawless with rosy lips and clear skin, hardly looking makeup-free. In reality, she had just put on her clothes early and washed her face while waiting for everyone else. Though the criticism in the comments might be delayed, it was never absent.
“She’s riding the trend of ‘flawless beauty’ bought by trending topics. Doesn’t she realize how much effort makeup artists and retouchers put in? It’s shameful to refuse to show your bare face.”
“I can’t stand people like her. Once at a gathering, the monitor suggested we all go makeup-free, but when we met, she had meticulously applied makeup, even individually brushing her eyelashes. Later, when we took group photos, she outshone us all.”
“So calculating. While it’s understandable for female celebrities to secretly wear light makeup for a better appearance, going all out to outshine others is just disgusting.”
“You don’t get it. Being outstanding has become the theme of our lives. Even during sleep, every strand of hair must be in place. Otherwise, how could we maintain a presence all day long, overshadowing others in qipaos?”
“I’m baffled by this logic,” Nono sighed. “The show’s gimmick was clearly for all artists to go makeup-free. It’s fine for others to spend two hours doing makeup in the morning and remove it at night, but if you remain makeup-free, you’re criticized for wearing makeup. Has the world gone mad? Is there no justice? Is it your fault for being naturally beautiful?”
Perhaps not conforming to the norm was her fault. Ji Ning took a deep breath. “Forget it, the show doesn’t have much traction anyway. The trending topic will die down soon.”
But what she didn’t expect was that within twenty minutes, while the discussion didn’t escalate much, the topic directly jumped to the sixth trending spot. “Who bought the trending topic?” Nono keenly remarked, “This topic clearly lacks momentum. How could it reach sixth place? Someone must be manipulating it!”
Whether her signing with T Company leaked, arousing jealousy due to her excellent resources, or someone simply wanted to tarnish her reputation, there were always inexplicable accusations she had to endure.
Nono asked, “What should we do? Counter the negative comments?”
“Countering won’t be very effective, and issuing a denial would seem petty,” Ji Ning suddenly had an idea, “The press conference is starting soon, right?”
——
At one o’clock in the afternoon, Ji Ning and Ji Shiyans arrived at the press conference venue. There were three CP pairs in the program, including them, Jiang Chuan and Li Yujia, as well as Zhang Yan and Shen Xin. The publicity department had already given each pair a name: Ji Ning and Ji Shiyans were called Double Ji, or the Double Click Couple; Jiang Chuan and Li Yujia were the Reward Couple; Zhang Yan and Shen Xin were the Medal Couple.
The press conference was lively, but most were there for the romance show’s highlights and the behind-the-scenes team, not so much for actors on the rise. After the first two CP pairs were announced, the audience and media became a bit bored, yawning and speculating, “The third pair probably won’t have any surprises. Let’s get it over with.”
Suddenly, as the screen flickered, the teaser began: “Stunning from the first photo in the art exam, debuting at 18, rising to fame with classic films at 19, and being hailed as the ‘acting actress’ among the new generation of starlets. Besides her character names, her small ears have also left a deep impression.”
Ji Ning had a certain amount of influence, especially after trending just now, so the audience became energized. “Small ears? Is it Ji Ning?!”
“Finally, someone interesting. The wait wasn’t in vain.”
“She just trended, wonder if she’s still on the trending list.”
The commotion from below hadn’t settled when the second teaser began. It wasn’t until people gradually noticed something odd about the introduction of the male guest: “…a singer who has broken 23 records and remains unchallenged to this day, a mythical peak superstar. Beneath his popularity and talent, the potential for a film emperor is brewing.”
“Why does this sound so much like Ji Shiyans…”
Sure, here’s the text with spaces between paragraphs:
“Don’t dream. Even if Jishiyan could participate in this variety show, I’d shave my head and fry it for you.”
“The show is bold. Besides Jishiyan, who else can match this kind of publicity slogan? Unworthy in character but not afraid to choke.”
The crowd started to murmur discontentedly. The host smiled mysteriously, “Let’s welcome Jishiyan and Jining with applause!”
For a split second, there was silence in the audience, then they all looked towards the stage, as if they thought they were hallucinating or mistaking them for someone else.
Discovering the man’s hard-to-replicate side profile was like opening a bottle of soda after vigorous shaking, cheers erupted, almost filling the entire venue.
At this moment, Jining felt a bit proud, thinking that his taste was really good.
The host nodded approvingly, “Alright, please introduce yourselves.”
A girl in the audience went crazy, “They don’t need to introduce themselves! One is my wife, the other is my husband!!”
The host chuckled, “Yours might be fake, but ours is a real CP.”
After a brief self-introduction and playing the trailer of the first episode, the host asked them to do something.
“Among these things in front of you, you need to choose one to interact with.”
In front of them were a bouquet, high heels, necklace, transparent barrier, and other items suitable for couples’ interaction.
Due to the show’s many brand partnerships, a skincare product was also included. Prominently displayed on the table in the upper right corner was their flagship makeup remover.
This makeup remover could be considered a choice, or simply an advertisement for their sponsor, no need for deliberation.
But Jining only pondered for three seconds before deciding on a strategy.
She looked up at Jishiyan, “Why don’t you help me remove my makeup?”
Live, on air, makeup removal.
For a female star, such a challenging task, yet she said it with such confidence and indifference.
Before the hot search for “Received Orders” faded, the golden PR time was two hours. Right now――was the perfect time to respond.
Half an hour later, Weibo crashed.