Chapter 192: Coke vs. Pepsi
Jiang Shu looked at the two invitations in his hand with surprise.
One from Coke, one from Pepsi.
These two truly live up to their reputation as globally renowned rival companies; even their invitations show such tacit understanding.
Coke/Pepsi: We cordially invite either your company's Karina or Yuan Ying to serve as our brand ambassador for the Korean region next year.
Jiang Shu found it amusing.
They really do have a tacit understanding.
One for Xiao Liu to endorse, one for Xiao Yuan to endorse, what kind of fight will the fans get into then?
Jiang Shu found the thought of that scene very amusing, especially since Liu Yuan are no longer on the same team, so their fans would tear into each other without any reservations.
Who should he give it to?
Jiang Shu thought for a moment and decided to give the more well-known Coke endorsement to Liu Zhimin. After all, Zhang Yuanying from IZONE would be completely overshadowing Liu Zhimin for the next three years, so a balance needed to be maintained. A gap was acceptable, but not an imbalance.
How to achieve balance?
Of course, by the company intervening and allocating resources.
IZONE is not solely dominated by Zhang Yuanying; there are three other center positions like hers. And aespa naturally promotes Liu Zhimin; although the other three are not mere accessories, they are not main centers either.
Therefore, the allocation of resources can, to a certain extent, slow down the gap between them.
Jiang Shu's battlefield in his mind was when Zhang Yuanying went to IVE, but the real fans would not follow his thoughts, so he still had to intervene.
Thinking of this, Jiang Shu picked up the desk phone and called Choi Ji-yeon in.
“Chairman.”
“Give these two endorsements to President Li. The Coca-Cola endorsement goes to Xiao Liu, and the Pepsi endorsement goes to Xiao Yuan.”
“Understood.” Choi Ji-yeon stepped forward and took the endorsement invitation documents.
“How are the preparations for the variety show collaborating with SBS coming along?” Jiang Shu inquired.
“It's all ready, just waiting for you to free up the room,” Choi Ji-yeon said.
“Let's find another one. I spoke with the landlord about this, and the landlord was worried about potential impact on the house and didn't agree. Let's find and rent a new house instead,” Jiang Shu said.
He spoke tactfully, but in reality, the landlord was afraid that the production team would leave behind cameras or other things in the house that would affect his subsequent rentals.
Choi Ji-yeon was stunned.
“You didn't buy that house?”
“Why would I buy it?” Jiang Shu looked at Choi Ji-yeon in surprise.
He didn't know when he would return to China, so why buy a house?
“My apologies, I misspoke.” Choi Ji-yeon bowed and apologized.
“It's not important. Have them find a villa, a bigger one. Bae Joo-hyun and I can't really sleep in the same room at night,” Jiang Shu arranged.
A variety show is a variety show, but if they actually slept in the same bedroom, wouldn't the fans explode?
“Understood.”
After Choi Ji-yeon left, Jiang Shu picked up another document and began to read it.
ITZY's third comeback continued to gain momentum. Compared to the previous one, this comeback had already solidified their position as a second-tier group. This comeback actually had the potential to push them into the first tier, or at least touch its threshold.
A rookie award was out of the question; IZONE also counted as a rookie this year, and with IZONE around, such awards were just for show.
However, next year's Bonsang or Daesang…
Jiang Shu's eyes flickered slightly. For the fourth comeback, ITZY could no longer follow their original path. Jeon Soyeon's true role would have to be brought into play.
He also wondered how high Jeon Soyeon could take ITZY. After that, they would need to slow down the frequency of comebacks, otherwise, they would collapse too early, and it would be another repeat of a fallen genius.
Looking at the data that was already comparable to Red Velvet, Jiang Shu felt a hint of worry.
This is tricky.
…
October 13th, filming location for “We Became a Family.”
The production team specially rented a city villa in Cheongdam-dong, where every inch of land is precious. It covered an area of over 300 square meters, not including a small courtyard of over 100 square meters.
For this innovative variety show, the production team spared no expense.
DM Entertainment and SBS were not short on money, especially the former. Since their own Chairman was coming to film, wouldn't the show's budget be maximized for him?
“Do I really have to call it that?” Bae Joo-hyun stood in front of the PD, asking helplessly.
“Yes, you must call out the name.”
“Oh Mom, I don't mind.” Zhang Yuanying suddenly leaned over, smiling.
Bae Joo-hyun: “…”
If she calculated their ages, and if she had tried hard in ancient times, she really could have given birth to Yuan Ying's predecessor.
But it still felt so absurd…
“Yuan Ying, I'm sorry.” Bae Joo-hyun said apologetically.
“Oh, Mom, look how easy it is for me to call you that.” Zhang Yuanying smiled and reached out to hug Bae Joo-hyun.
“How shameless,” Liu Zhimin sighed from the side.
“Hey!” Zhang Yuanying immediately widened her eyes, “Karina, how are you speaking to your senior?”
As the one who debuted first among those who debuted a second time, Zhang Yuanying could now completely refer to herself as Liu Zhimin's senior.
“I'm the eldest sister in the family, Yuan Ying.” Liu Zhimin snorted with a smile, “You should show some respect to Ouni.”
“You called me shameless! You're pretty shameless yourself!” Zhang Yuanying said, displeased.
“Hey, don't argue.” Bae Joo-hyun said with a bitter smile, stepping forward to separate the two, “Chairman will be angry when he gets here.”
“Why should he be angry?” Liu Zhimin blurted out, and then she regretted it.
Everyone's gaze towards her shifted slightly.
Zhang Yuanying knew the inside story, but that didn't stop her from taking the opportunity to blend in.
“You shouldn't talk about Dad like that,” Bae Joo-hyun said, thinking quickly to help Liu Zhimin get out of trouble.
Liu Zhimin glanced at Bae Joo-hyun gratefully, pretending to let out a cold snort.
“It seems everyone is getting into their roles quite quickly,” the PD said with a chuckle.
“Chairman Jiang will be here soon. Everyone, please take a look at your characters and the script first.”
Every variety show has character settings and a script; the only difference is that excellent variety shows can extend beyond the script to create many unconventional highlights.
The script for “We Became a Family” was minimal, mostly just settings, and the character settings weren't too restrictive; they were all based on the original personalities.
For example, the setting for this family of four: Dad Jiang Shu is the chairman of a famous company and the pillar of the family.
Mom Bae Joo-hyun is an excellent artist who raised two daughters who are also artists.
The eldest daughter, Liu Zhimin, is the leader of a popular group and a freshman at Dongguk University.
The youngest daughter, Zhang Yuanying, is a member of a popular group and also an artist.
Essentially, the real-life background was slightly altered to make it easier for the audience to watch.
Before long, Jiang Shu arrived. After a brief look at the script, the first recording began.
What's the first thing a newly formed, makeshift family does?
That would, of course, be taking a family photo.
Jiang Shu sat in the chair, with Bae Joo-hyun, dressed in a luxurious style, standing beside Jiang Shu, while their two “daughters,” Liu Zhimin and Zhang Yuanying, stood on either side of them.
Click.
The Jiang family's first family photo was complete.