During this stage, designers do not need to be hands-on. If time permits, they can go to the site from time to time to give guidance. If time does not permit, it is also fine to monitor remotely.
Ji Mingshu's time was limited, as she had already devoted herself entirely to the challenge of the new project, "Impressions of Old Streets."
At first, when the producer told Ji Mingshu that they wanted to recreate the atmosphere of Shanghai, he thought the renovation location would require a business trip to Shanghai. He never expected that it would actually be the Shanghai Street in the capital.
Hujie Street is a hidden gem in the city, boasting a prime location. However, due to various historical reasons, it is difficult to completely relocate the area, nor has it received adequate architectural preservation.
The old residential building they were going to renovate was one of the few buildings in Shanghai that had already been demolished. It was a three-story villa, and its dilapidated appearance could not hide its old-fashioned Republican-era charm.
This renovation involved both internal and external aspects. The external aspect focused on repairs, and because it involved professional issues such as wall structure, the production team invited well-known architectural designers in the industry.
The interior renovation was completed by Ji Mingshu and several other interior designers, along with an architect.
The production team initially estimated the renovation time to be two months, but they greatly underestimated the difficulty of the renovation.
Moreover—the production company is a bit capricious. Originally, it was all agreed that the old, uninhabited apartment buildings would be transformed for exhibition, but the producer and screenwriter suddenly said, "It's not warm enough, not human enough."
So they had a sudden inspiration and reached an agreement with the relevant departments to also take over the apartment building next to this old building, which was full of elderly, weak, sick and disabled people.
When Ji Mingshu first heard the news, she was furious and wanted to quit and let someone else do it. But the producer reasoned with her and appealed to her emotions, and she ended up agreeing in a daze.
Due to the unexpectedly heavy workload, everyone spent the entire summer on this project, and they only managed to complete about two-thirds of it.
By the time the project was officially completed in late autumn, Ji Mingshu felt as if he had been completely transformed.
The uninhabited building was easy to renovate, but the inhabited one was a real headache. Every day, she could hear ten thousand chickens, ducks, and geese chattering away, and she felt like she was back in the small-farm era.
The residents' unwillingness to demolish their illegally constructed buildings, their fierce competition over half a square meter of public land, and so on, all belong to a completely different world from Ji Mingshu's life.
She had only ever heard that poverty limits one's imagination, but now she realizes that wealth can also limit one's imagination.
It must be admitted that this last-minute renovation plan hit her weak spot; she's really not good at putting herself in people's shoes and making designs relevant to everyday life.
Despite the difficulties, everything eventually came to a satisfactory conclusion. When filming ended, Ji Mingshu seemed to have gained many insights that he had never had before.
The renovation delay has brought about many subsequent problems, such as the inability to change the broadcast schedule provided by the TV station.
There was no other way but to work frantically to finish the post-production, and the promotional video was released a week after the renovation was completed.
Ji Mingshu quietly reposted the official Weibo promotional video. She thought it was just a formality, but after being silent for more than half a year, she suddenly came back to life, and her popularity data was still very impressive.
The main reason is that her resurrection was too coincidental. Recently, a well-known rich and beautiful blogger who frequently posts vlogs showing off her bags, watches, and walk-in closets was exposed. The plot twisted again and again, causing a huge uproar on Weibo and various forums for three days.
The incident started when the wealthy and beautiful blogger was unboxing a Hermès bag. A young fan questioned the pattern of a Chanel bag that was being used as a background prop, and as a result, the young fan was attacked by other die-hard fans.
The young fan was indignant and managed to find various pieces of evidence that something was wrong with the little fragrance, which she then submitted to the relevant bot.
The controversy surrounding the wealthy and beautiful blogger who was accused of selling counterfeit goods has now escalated. The blogger claimed that the Chanel bag was a gift from a friend and even implied on her alternate account that the gift-giver was a former online friend who had already left the internet.
The two sisters have explosive tempers. Even their online withdrawal was brought back by her. After clarifying that they did not send counterfeit goods, they used their main accounts to diss this rich and beautiful woman for faking her academic credentials and being kept by a wealthy businessman. This directly triggered a three-day drama in which bystanders dug into the truth and fans defended their idol.
Ji Mingshu neither knew nor cared about this trivial matter that had nothing to do with her, but the onlookers could easily link them together!
Of all those online posts portraying themselves as rich, beautiful, and successful women, I only accept the image of a CEO's wife.
[The fake rich and beautiful woman flaunts her bags, watches, and walk-in closets every day, while the real rich and beautiful woman is doing charity renovations.]
[Please stop hyping up every 380-odd-tier prostitute as a socialite, okay? The CEO's wife hasn't even been hyped up yet, so please be quiet.]
Other bloggers who were at odds with the exposed wealthy and beautiful blogger also made their own revelations:
[They're not even in the same league; this moon landing attempt is just a publicity stunt.]
[The CEO's wife owns over 700 Hermès bags; why would she possibly do an unboxing video for a Kelly bag?]
[Have you heard of Bai Cui Tian Hua? The owner of the top floor is surnamed Ji. Let's find out.]
Ji Mingshu inexplicably gained a wave of popularity and received a "blood letter" from nearly a thousand people wanting to see more than 700 Hermes bags. She was a little confused and only managed to understand the ins and outs of the matter after Jiang Chun explained it to her.
Gu Kaiyang, who works in magazines and media, is very good at seizing hot topics. "You can make a vlog and film it casually. Isn't your documentary program going to be broadcast? You can promote it while you're at it."
Ji Mingshu had no idea how Gu Kaiyang could come up with such a terrible idea as making a vlog featuring people flaunting their wealth under their real names. Just thinking about it made her feel so ashamed she could hardly breathe.
However, Gu Kaiyang's words are not entirely without merit; for example, promoting documentaries is quite effective.
She didn't want to become a big star and reach the pinnacle of her life, but this filming took four or five months. If no one watched or paid attention to what she had worked so hard to produce, she would inevitably feel a little disappointed.
So after resting for two days, she asked Zhou Jiaheng to find a whole team to help her record videos.
...
"Actually, I have never been very good at home design. This time, I only found out that the plan had changed and that the renovation design of residential buildings would be added when the filming started."
"At first, I was quite frustrated because I often didn't understand the residents' real needs. In fact, I always thought that since I wasn't good at it, I didn't need to understand this part."
"But during this renovation, I encountered many things that touched me deeply. For example, one homeowner had difficulty walking, and another had an elderly person with Alzheimer's disease. In such cases, interior design must completely serve the homeowner's daily life. It's not just about having an artistic sense that makes interior design; a warm and welcoming life is also a form of interior design."
...
This video is only three minutes and forty seconds long, but it is divided into three parts in a very layered way.
Part of it is Ji Mingshu's design insights on protective renovation, part is his understanding of residential building renovation, and part is genuine promotion for the documentary.
She's quite good at making the most of things, and she even mentioned that the Junyi Yaji shopping mall, which will have its trial opening at the end of the year, also features her design work.
Fearing no one would read it, Ji Mingshu took Gu Kaiyang's suggestion and started a giveaway by forwarding the post.
Not being very familiar with giveaway trends, and worried that giving away too few would seem stingy, she thought for a moment and then posted: 【Forward this post for a chance to win one Hermes Birkin bag, ten items to have their shopping carts emptied, and one hundred items to receive a 1000 RMB red envelope.】
When Gu Kaiyang saw her quietly posted Weibo, he suddenly sent her a series of question marks: "Sister, isn't this a bit too extravagant?"
Ji Mingshu: [...Is there?]
The best part is yet to come: the official Weibo account of Junyi immediately reposted the announcement and is giving away one more chance to win a lifetime of free stays at any Junyi hotel.
The comments section exploded instantly.
[Rounded down, that's practically a free house.]
[Junyi Shuiyunjian Private Hot Spring Suite: 8999 RMB per night. Is this your price?]
[What kind of sycophant is the official Weibo account? Is it actually used by the CEO himself?]
Chapter 85
Ji Mingshu's generous spending further enhanced Junyi's lavish image, and the promotional video quickly went viral, with over 10,000 shares.
When the staff of "Impressions of Old Streets" saw this Weibo post, a barrage of comments flashed across their screens at double speed: "Waaaaah, the budget is burning up! Help the kids!!!"
The art department and post-production team stormed into the office, demanding to know why the budget was wasted on something as unsightly as this!
The producer was stunned for a moment, then denied it three times: If I didn't give him an innocent sentence, how would we have this budget?
After everyone calmed down and thought about it, it seemed that there really wasn't one.
So, this publicity was done by the designer herself? It's not impossible, after all, it's well known that the designer is the wife of the president of Junyi.
The CEO's wife has such a passion for art, I admire her.
The other staff members quickly accepted the idea and were overjoyed by the unexpected popularity, but the producer still couldn't quite believe it, so he made a special call to Ji Mingshu to confirm.
He simply couldn't understand why Ji Mingshu, a designer who had to go through four or five rounds of legal wrangling to get the recording fees, design fees, and specific terms sorted out, and who was afraid the production company would take advantage of her even a penny, would be willing to selflessly cut her wrists and bleed after filming. This could easily be listed as one of the most baffling behaviors of the year.
When the producer made the phone call, he tactfully expressed his confusion, and Ji Mingshu also gave a tactful response.
The producer paused for a moment, finally understanding. To put it bluntly, what she meant was: What I care about isn't the recording fee or the design fee, but my worth. Even a lottery isn't enough to make you think I care about the few stinking bucks you give me!
Wow, the CEO's wife is so passionate about art, I admire her.
In ancient times, a generous reward would surely attract brave men.
In the 21st century, substantial rewards are bound to generate buzz.
Ji Mingshu's promotional Weibo post went from over 10,000 to over 100,000 reposts in less than half a day, and it's still rapidly approaching 200,000, with the comments section also growing at a breakneck pace.
[Wow! The CEO's wife is alive!]
[Beauty filter warning! Birkin warning!]
[Waaaaah, it's just a documentary! I'll just watch it! I'll be waiting for the CEO's wife to open again! (sad face.jpg)]
[A woman who possessed beauty, intelligence, and even money!]
[You're wrong, she also has a devoted CEO husband. /doge]
Although Ji Mingshu is not a celebrity or internet celebrity, she has a natural talent for generating buzz. She only posted this Weibo post once every six months, and it was not only repeatedly forwarded on Weibo, but also sparked a discussion about socialites, rich and beautiful women on various forums.
Moreover, an insider couldn't help but reveal: Ji Mingshu is truly an incredibly wealthy man!
That short, three-minute video on Weibo could be filmed by anyone with a rougher setup using a phone stand, or by someone with a more refined approach using a ring light.
But our CEO's wife insisted on hiring a filming team of more than a dozen people, handling everything from makeup and hair to lighting, angles, and editing. Every second she appeared on camera was truly exquisite from head to toe!
Netizens clutched their hearts and said: I will never say I am a delicate piggy girl again, it's too pathetic.
Ji Mingshu was just posting a Weibo to promote the show, but unexpectedly it was supported by various derivative revelations, and the popularity lasted for two or three days.
Just as the hype was starting to die down by the weekend, some industry insider suddenly jumped out and posted a photo of Cen Sen attending the Asia-Pacific Financial Asset Management Summit a while back.
In the photo, Cen Sen sits in the front row, wearing a tailor-made suit, gold-rimmed glasses, his legs crossed, leaning back in his chair, exuding an elite aura, his noble and aloof demeanor almost overflowing from the screen.
[Okay! I accept this CEO! From now on, I have a reason to watch those domineering CEOs fall in love with me stories!!!]
[Just how good-looking is this couple? They're so adorable, this CEO couple is just too perfect!!!]
[Seriously, shouldn't this CEO couple just debut as a couple? Their faces, their charisma, their figures—it's a complete waste that they're not!]
Some people even dug up Ji Mingshu's Weibo post from New Year's Eve, showing off her relationship, and put the photo she posted at the time—the two of them holding sparklers—together with this leaked solo photo, repeatedly brainwashing viewers: "Look at our CEO! He's so cold in meetings, but when he gets home, he's holding his wife's hands and lighting sparklers! It's so sweet, ladies!!!"
Some even turned his meeting photos into memes: "[Stop your babbling, I need to go home and set off fireworks with my wife.jpg]"
For a time, major forums were filled with warnings about fireworks.
The photo was released so suddenly, and not through any media outlet, that by the time Cen Sen found out, it had already spread widely.
He didn't really like exposing his private information in public, but having learned from the lesson of Ji Mingshu's second uncle forcibly controlling public opinion when things were in the spotlight, he didn't let anyone do anything big. He planned to wait until the hype died down in a couple of days before slowly cleaning up the traces.
After hearing his idea, Ji Mingshu looked at him with new respect.
She thought this old man's understanding of the internet was only slightly better than her second uncle's, but now it seems he's quite knowledgeable.
When it comes to the antique aspect, Ji Mingshu had some preconceived misunderstandings about Cen Sen.
Although Cen Sen is not particularly enthusiastic about social media, he is not completely ignorant of online trends.