Read Novel Full Chapter 50 - Promotion
**Chapter 50: Promotion**
Translator: Namizaki
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Zaki has something to say:
Hello everyone, translator here :), before we start chapter 50 let me say a few words. When I decided to pick-up the novel, I told Boss Seven I will continue from here (Chapter 50– as Baobao had already done Chapters 1-49) and he agreed. So I went back to read from the start– a common practice for translators to familiarize with names, places, etc. etc. to make the flow of the story the same no matter who picked up the novel to translate. However, to have a continuous flow and to accommodate my style of translation, I had to edit/re-translate some chapters from the start (in which I had been doing for the past weeks). I would like to thank Bao Bao for the previous translations and thank you Boss Seven for allowing me to edit and re-translate some parts. For those new readers who reached this chapter, well done hehehe. But for those who had been waiting for KOI chapter 50 for so long, I suggest you read from the start again and enjoy the novel one more time.. Happy Reading Sweeties 🙂
Among the myriad of comedy films, <Campus Prince and Campus Belle> stood out as particularly bizarre. A nonsensical comedy that managed to be both emotionally moving and surprisingly heartwarming? What was going on?
Some recent graduates commented, “I wish I could rush back to school right now and take two more exams, or sneak into the teachers’ office and give my homeroom teacher a bear hug.”
Those with low tear thresholds openly wept in the theater.
In truth, the actors in <Campus Prince and Princess> were mostly inexperienced, their performances far from polished. Some barely scraped by with passable acting.
First-time viewers barely noticed the acting, but by their second or third viewing, their attention shifted from the film itself to the actors. When audiences finally recognized the actors’ imperfections, their initial reaction wasn’t mockery, but a knowing smile.
Because the characters were a group of free-spirited high school students, the actors’ immaturity perfectly mirrored the characters’ youthful awkwardness.
Facing this rawness, viewers felt as if they were looking at their younger selves. In their eyes, the actors’ clumsiness was almost endearing.
This isn’t to say the actors weren’t dedicated. In fact, they had strived for natural performances and largely succeeded. Otherwise, first-time viewers wouldn’t have overlooked their acting entirely.
Among the group of fledgling actors, Chi Zhongqiao stood out prominently.
No matter how many times viewers re-watched the film, they couldn’t find any flaws in Chi Zhongqiao’s performance. In fact, with each viewing, they grew increasingly astonished by the subtlety and nuance of his acting.
One film critic praised Chi Zhongqiao’s acting in a review, writing:
[ “Chi Zhongqiao’s performance can be summed up in two words: deeply moving. He effortlessly conveys the emotions he wants to express with just a glance or a subtle gesture, requiring no extraordinary empathy from the audience. While others act ‘like’ their characters, he ‘becomes’ them.” ]
To say that an actor ‘becomes’ their character is high praise indeed.
Yet viewers who had watched the film multiple times wholeheartedly agreed with this assessment. While other actors’ youthful inexperience blended seamlessly with their roles, Chi Zhongqiao’s acting alone brought the campus heartthrob to life.
Unsurprisingly, <Campus Prince and Campus Belle> became an unexpected hit.
Just as Chi Zhongqiao had predicted when he first received the script—”an unconventional approach”—the film’s success lay in its unconventional approach. Its inherent brilliance, combined with its quirky style and abundance of meme-worthy moments, allowed it to rapidly amass a substantial fanbase.
Chi Zhongqiao’s fans were among the first to rush to theaters. After seeing the film, they flooded group chats with fervent recommendations: “Go see it! If it’s not good, I’ll give you my head!”
A Group Admin, known for their high tear threshold, lamented, “I’ve watched it three times. I didn’t cry the first two times, but this third time, Baby Qiao’s gaze suddenly pierced me, and I just burst into tears.”
A week after its release, <Campus Prince and Campus Belle> saw its attendance rate not only hold steady but actually increase. In this pressure-cooker modern world1where you can call existing in a permanent state of anxiety and stress while joylessly reacting to circumstances — often unthinkingly — as “living.” Just because we’ve adapted to the broken and dysfunctional patterns of the “Pressure Cooker” life it doesn’t mean we’re healthy, happy or even really living!, who wouldn’t want to unwind with a comedy? With such glowing word-of-mouth and countless film recommendation accounts promising “I’ll give you my head if it’s not good,” giving it a try seemed like a no-brainer.
After watching, many viewers immediately joined the ranks of those recommending the film.
Of course, some didn’t quite get the hype around <Campus Prince and Campus Belle>. After watching, they found it merely average. Online trolls and haters seized on this to mock the film’s “overhyped marketing,” but they were swiftly shut down.
“Since when did ‘marketing’ become a dirty word?” One retort shot back. “Don’t you know there are entire professions dedicated to marketing? What’s wrong with appropriate promotion? Did they trash other films? Make unfair comparisons? No? Then what’s your problem?”
This triple-barreled rebuttal quickly silenced the trolls.
A prominent influencer posted, “This film is undeniably trending everywhere, but calling its marketing ‘overhyped’ is just wrong. Paid bots can’t generate this kind of genuine buzz. Besides, they’re just hyping themselves up—if it bothers you, just block them.”
Thanks to reliable promotion, <Campus Prince and Campus Belle> gradually gained attention, with numerous film critics and recommendation accounts simultaneously releasing videos and reviews.
Videos with titles like “Must-See Movies for June” and “Great Movies Underrated Due to Their Titles” flooded various platforms. These videos shared a common thread: They all recommended <Across the Water>.
As word-of-mouth for <Campus Prince and Campus Belle> continued to spread, <Across the Water>, which had been patiently biding its time, finally exploded in popularity.
Despite their contrasting styles and genres—the former a youth comedy, the latter a melancholic tale of pets and their owners—both films were frequently mentioned together.
This was because both movies, released in close succession, had garnered high praise despite their stark differences in style and genre. As a result, they were often compared and discussed in tandem.
Meanwhile, <A Sea of Falling Stars>, which had initially received positive reviews, struggled to attract a mass audience due to its overly artistic and niche appeal. Although it retained a dedicated fanbase that repeatedly contributed to its box office revenue, its momentum steadily declined over time.
Du Yusheng maintained a composed facade, but inwardly he was secretly delighted. He hadn’t forgotten the mess of <April in the Human World> deleting a significant portion of Chi Zhongqiao’s scenes. Now that <Campus Prince and Campus Belle> was overshadowing <A Sea of Falling Stars>, how could he not be pleased?
Unfortunately, Chi Zhongqiao was a slow-paced person. When he received Du Yusheng’s call and heard about the box office success, he simply hummed twice and said, “Okay, I understand.”
Du Yusheng: “…What are you doing?” It was truly bizarre for an artist to be even more composed than his Manager.
Chi Zhongqiao who was putting back his mask replied. “I’m going out.”
Du Yusheng grew wary. “Little Master, can you please behave yourself for the next couple of days? Don’t get mobbed by fans.”
Chi Zhongqiao: “I’m going to see a movie with Yuzhou.”
Du Yusheng became even more alarmed. “What movie? It’s Sunday, so it’ll be crowded. Don’t go to crowded places.”
Chi Zhongqiao: “We’re going to see <Across the Water>… Yuzhou wants to drink plum juice. Brother Du, I’m at the cinema now, gotta go.”
Du Yusheng: “…Wait, you’re already out?!”
“Why are you still watching <Across the Water>? Don’t you know we’re in direct competition with them?”
Chi Zhongqiao chuckled. “I know, I’ll be careful. As for the box office, Brother Du, don’t worry too much. <Across the Water> wasted too much time early on. They have less time left in their theater run than we do, so it’ll be hard for them to catch up. Even if they do, it won’t matter—we’re not even in the same genre.”
What a carefree attitude, Du Yusheng thought to himself, then quickly reminded him, “Since you’ve wrapped filming, make sure you get plenty of rest these next few days. The reality show filming starts soon.”
Chi Zhongqiao nodded. “Got it, Brother Du. I’m heading out now. See you later, Brother Du.”
With that, he hung up.
Lu Yuzhou, who had been waiting outside of the refreshment stall, adjusted Chi Zhongqiao’s hat. “Du Yusheng sure talks a lot.”
“We ignore him when we’re on vacation,” Chi Zhongqiao replied. “<Across the Water> is actually pretty good. I watched it once before…”
Lu Yuzhou let Chi Zhongqiao lead him through a winding, cautious route into the theater, where they settled into seats in the back row.
After settling into his seat, Lu Yuzhou couldn’t help but think with a touch of resignation that this was already the third movie he’d seen this month. Brother Qiao had never been much of a moviegoer before, but for some reason, he’d been insisting on taking Lu Yuzhou out to see films lately.
Chi Zhongqiao whispered, “Yuzhou doesn’t like this movie?” His expression seemed genuinely concerned.
Lu Yuzhou replied, “I don’t mind. It’s just… isn’t Brother Qiao usually not a fan of movies?”
Chi Zhongqiao paused, then murmured, “I’m going to be filming a show next week and doing promotional work. I won’t be back for a whole week.”
Lu Yuzhou knew about his schedule; Chi Zhongqiao would be busy soon. These were truly his most free days, and he was dedicating almost all of that time to Lu Yuzhou. Though Lu Yuzhou hated to see him go, he would never stand in the way of Chi Zhongqiao pursuing what he wanted.
Staring at the screen, Chi Zhongqiao said slowly, “Since I’ll be gone for a week without you, I thought I’d make up for it while I’m still home.”
Lu Yuzhou’s heart stirred.
In the flickering light of the screen, Chi Zhongqiao smiled. “Remember when I was filming on location? You kept calling to say you missed me.”
My kind of missing you and your kind of missing me are probably two different things, Lu Yuzhou thought to himself.
Du Yusheng, who was on vacation at home, found it odd that Chi Zhongqiao had gone to the movies with Lu Yuzhou.
“Why does this feel so… gay? What kind of guys go to the movies together?” He muttered to himself, finally concluding that Chi Zhongqiao was just bored and needed something to do.
Driven by his workaholic nature, Du Yusheng packed his bag and headed out.
That afternoon, Chi Zhongqiao had just collapsed onto his sofa after watching the movie when Du Yusheng called.
Du Yusheng sounded elated, his voice high-pitched: “Zhongqiao, I got you a promotion!”
Chi Zhongqiao, who was half-asleep and slumped on the sofa, jolted awake. “An ad shoot?”
He had just finished a promotional campaign and was looking forward to a few days of rest.
“No! Just a Weibo post!” Du Yusheng replied.
Just a Weibo post?
Chi Zhongqiao paused, stunned. “A Spicy Strip2Spicy Strip~ latiao is made from wheat gluten (a high-protein component of wheat flour) as the base, combined with soybean oil, water, salt, and sugar, then flavored with a mixture of chili pepper and other Chinese spices like Sichuan pepper and cumin. The mixture is processed into a chewy, spicy, and tangy strip through extrusion and seasoning promotion?” Wait, would even spicy strip brands want him to endorse them?
Du Yusheng’s voice was brimming with cheer: “What are you thinking? I got you a great promotion! What was it called again… let me check.”
Chi Zhongqiao’s heart sank. Brother Du can’t even remember what he’s promoting? Where did he dig this up from?
The sound of rustling papers came from Du Yusheng’s end. “Oh, it’s called <Secret Scroll: 108 Sets of Mock Exams for Junior Year Preparatory Students, Ready for Senior Year’s Final Sprint>! Edited by Wang Qianjin! My nephew told me these practice exams have been selling like hotcakes. Sounds pretty high-end, right?”
Chi Zhongqiao: “…Brother Du, are you serious?”
Our little girls will hate me for this. My followers are going to drop like flies.
That evening, Chi Zhongqiao’s fans noticed he had posted an update.
[ Aww, our Baby finally posted! Let’s see what it is—food? Or… practice exams?! ]
[ What the heck is this?! ]
[Chi Zhongqiao V: The ultimate Gaokao treasure for rising seniors<Secret Scroll: 108 Sets of Mock Exams for Junior Year Preparatory Students, Ready for Senior Year’s Final Sprint>! If you don’t know it, it’s all here.]
[ /Click here to claim your discount coupon/ ]
Fans: “……” Baby Qiao, were you hacked?
Zaki~ let me know if I overlooked some mistakes and typo-errors. If you like what you read. Consider treating me to a coffee and cream-puffs. Thank you 🙂
