Starting from a Bar to Sign Internet Celebrities-Chapter 99 - 97: How Could This Be?

When the ad for the Rice socket went live, Chen Jincheng’s fans were the first to see it.

They were floored when they saw the ad, especially the final scene where he took off the mask. It was just unbelievable.

"Holy shit, Cheng Zhen actually went and filmed a socket ad! Oh my god!"

"LMAO, the moment he took off the mask, I realized this isn’t a socket, it’s a ’scumbag-socket’."

"Haha, but it’s so fitting. A socket can take any plug, and Cheng can get with any girl."

"..."

After that, the socket ad quickly gained traction. Many people were drawn in, and everyone who saw the video was stunned.

"You can film ads like this? The fans made it a meme, and Chen Jincheng just went and did it, didn’t he?"

"But this universal socket from Rice actually looks really good. I’m thinking of buying one."

"This is definitely the most insane ad of the year. Rice is going to make a killing on these sockets."

"..."

Over at Tiao Yin, Liu Xian was naturally working overtime with his department, keeping a close eye on Chen Jincheng’s ad. He was even using internal software to monitor the video’s data and growth trends.

As the head of Tiao Yin’s advertising operations department, he could, of course, tell that the ad was brilliant. Or, to put it another way, it was one of a kind.

This made him worry that the ad might just blow up.

The quality of the ad was just too high, after all.

However, based on the current growth trends from their monitoring data, the video would easily surpass three million likes, but it was unlikely to go much higher. It would even be a struggle to hit four million.

After all, it was just an ad for a socket. Even with its high quality, the audience was limited.

In that case, their ad-driven sales would still fall short of Sister Feiye’s current 3.6 million, posing no threat to her number-one spot on the rankings.

Unless Rice Group suddenly and inexplicably decided to pour resources into promoting this ad for such a minor socket business, the outcome was already set.

Just as he was thinking this, an employee suddenly exclaimed, "President Liu, something strange is happening. The traffic and traction for Chen Jincheng’s ad video just started accelerating. It seems like some new catalyst is driving a surge in traffic."

"???" Liu Xian was stunned for a second. He rushed over to look and saw that the data was indeed accelerating. Moreover, it showed no signs of stopping.

"Find out what’s going on, now," Liu Xian ordered immediately.

The employee scrambled to investigate. When he found the cause, he was dumbstruck. "President Liu, this is unbelievable! The big boss, Lei Xiaojun, just made a post on Weibo. He included a link to Chen Jincheng’s ad and even tagged him!"

"What?" Liu Xian’s eyes widened. He reflexively opened Weibo and searched for Lei Xiaojun’s profile. Sure enough, he saw the post from the tycoon.

*A fantastic ad. I’m planning to submit it for an award!* @Chen Jincheng.

"You’ve got to be kidding me," Liu Xian muttered, seeing the post.

’In his mind, there was no way Rice Group would waste resources promoting such a minor product line, and indeed, the company itself had been silent. But he never imagined that a titan like Lei Xiaojun would personally make a move.’

A move from a titan like Lei Xiaojun would have no less impact than a full promotional push from Rice Group itself.

’The key question was, why would he do something like this?’

’A man of his stature, personally tagging an internet celebrity like Chen Jincheng? What had Chen Jincheng done to deserve this?’

The employee sighed with emotion. "President Liu, with this move from Boss Lei, Chen Jincheng’s ad is going to blow past five million likes."

Hearing this, Liu Xian felt a knot tighten in his chest. If that happened, given the contract between Second-Life Star and Rice, Chen Jincheng’s ad sales would surpass Sister Feiye’s.

’He suddenly wondered, was Chen Jincheng his natural nemesis?’

’He prided himself on his vision and strategy—he wouldn’t be the head of Tiao Yin’s advertising operations otherwise—but why did things always go sideways when it came to Chen Jincheng?’

’Honestly, if it weren’t for Chen Jincheng, the strategic plan he’d designed would be proceeding perfectly.’

It wasn’t just Liu Xian; countless netizens saw Lei Xiaojun’s post, and many found it unbelievable.

For a titan like him to so openly tag an internet celebrity...

It was a first.

But as people clicked the link and watched Chen Jincheng’s ad, they were all astonished. Even those who knew nothing about advertising could tell it was captivating.

As for those who understood advertising, even people within the industry, they were floored by the ad.

No wonder the titan had made such a post.

The ad’s creativity, design, and style truly made it award-worthy.

...

「In the restaurant.」

Second-Life Star’s team-building dinner was in full swing. They hadn’t invited everyone from the company this time—just those who had participated in the shoot, along with the editing department.

This would be the model for post-shoot dinners going forward as Second-Life Star grew and took on more projects.

The team at Second-Life Star was also the first to notice the sudden spike in the socket ad’s data. Sister Hong spotted it and immediately reported to Chen Jincheng, "Boss, the numbers on our ad are suddenly climbing much faster!"

Chen Jincheng, of course, immediately pulled up his video to check.

He figured out why almost instantly.

Comments like "Came here from President Lei’s Weibo" gave it away.

After opening Lei Xiaojun’s Weibo, he said in astonishment, "It’s President Lei! He tagged me on Weibo and posted a link to the ad."

His words silenced the entire table.

After all, this was Lei Xiaojun—a true titan, a figure so far beyond the reach of Second-Life Star, or any internet celebrity for that matter.

And now he was personally recommending their Second-Life Star ad, even leaving a link to promote it.

This meant their ad was truly excellent, enough to earn the high regard of President Lei himself.

Even Jiang Hong was surprised by the news. He instinctively opened President Lei’s Weibo and, sure enough, there was the post.

’He really posted it.’

’Unbelievable!’

As for Sister Feiye and Hu Jing, upon hearing what Lei Xiaojun had done, they both scrambled to pull out their phones and check.

The news was just too shocking.

Sister Feiye, especially, was stunned. Seeing that President Lei had actually tagged Chen Jincheng and posted the video link, she unconsciously glanced over at Chen Jincheng, her mouth hanging slightly open.

She tapped the link, and her Tiao Yin app opened automatically in the background, popping up Chen Jincheng’s ad.

’So President Lei really did value his ad this much.’

’Does that mean Second-Life Star might be able to build a connection with Rice Group in the future?’

She was in the same business, but no matter how many ad deals she landed, they were always with small companies. Danny Clothing Company was already considered one of her better clients.

But landing a dozen ads from companies like that couldn’t compare to a single ad from Rice Group.

Getting an ad from a major corporation like that was a status symbol in the industry. Even A-list celebrities coveted such contracts. Why else would some lesser-known starlets be willing to accept the "unspoken rules" just to land a commercial?

If even starlets were that desperate, for an internet celebrity, a contract with a major corporation was practically unheard of.

Her own collaboration with Second-Life Star hadn’t even been filmed yet. As she looked at Chen Jincheng, her gaze now carried a new, calculating glint.

Chen Jincheng was highly sensitive to the gazes of women. He glanced up at Sister Feiye, who immediately looked away as if nothing had happened, picking up her phone and pretending to scroll through videos. Suddenly, a sound blared from her phone, making everyone at the Second-Life Star table freeze in shock.

...