"The magazine officially launched pre-sales last Saturday and has already reached nearly 40,000 copies during the pre-sale period alone, with pre-sales exceeding one million yuan. When it officially went on sale yesterday, it sold over 20,000 copies in a short time, far exceeding everyone's expectations. The distribution department is already preparing additional print runs, and it's estimated this issue's final sales will reach around four million yuan."
Liu Rulan kept rattling off statistics, yet Xiao He's expression remained utterly confused.
Huh? What numbers and quantities? I don't understand any of this.
Only the final "four million" registered with Xiao He—that was indeed a huge amount.
But what did that have to do with him?
Xiao He didn't really get it.
Liu Rulan was left speechless, at a loss for words.
Indeed, sometimes it's better to keep things simple. When you use fancy terminology, the other person might genuinely not understand what you're talking about.
"That award-winning actor with billions in box office may be impressive, but his audience is mostly middle-aged and elderly groups," Liu Rulan could only explain. "These people don't have strong purchasing desire for magazines, you could even say they pay no attention at all. Generally only young people buy like this, so among this magazine's purchasing army, your fans formed the main force."
In other words, this magazine's sales revenue was purely supported by Xiao He's fans—even though Xiao He wasn't the cover star, just an invited interview guest, and their official studio hadn't conducted large-scale promotions either. It was purely the fans' own doing.
Xiao He finally understood what Liu Rulan meant, then looked shocked: "Huh? My fans are actually that rich?"
He was astonished—his fans were that loaded?
This made Xiao He recall the paparazzi selling photos last time, where they casually asked for one hundred thousand, yet his fans paid up without hesitation, not batting an eye.
Only now did Xiao He belatedly realize one thing—
Perhaps his fans were actually quite wealthy...
-
In one of Xiao He's fan groups.
[Wuwu, who actually managed to get the latest issue of CKOOL Magazine? I'm going crazy! I usually never see so many fellow fans! Why is it so hard to get? I'm really fed up. Everyone usually stays quiet without speaking, I thought nobody was here, but turns out you were all lurking?]
[Didn't get it during the official website pre-sale, but managed to grab three copies offline, hehe.]
[Got it +1. Even though I'm already an old hand in fandom circles, I still felt pressure grabbing magazines this time. I didn't hear anyone else discussing it before, I thought nobody was going for it.]
[Huh? You're all still in the group? I thought everyone had already moved on to other idols.]
[How could that be? I'm still waiting for Little He to become an award-winning actor, why would I leave?]
[Recently been watching Hidden Star Shine, not really daring to speak much. Mainly because Brother Xiao's acting is just too villainous, I'm afraid saying too much might provoke public outrage.]
[It's not that serious, not that serious. This just shows Xiao He acts well, it doesn't mean my Brother Xiao is actually a bad person.]
[To be honest, based on Brother Xiao's current performance in Hidden Star Shine, I think he has very good chances for Best Newcomer next year.]
[Just keep appropriately low-key, no need to be all secretive about it. Just don't be like that other fandom next door, always making a huge fuss bragging about acting skills.]
[Group Admin: Warning once, please do not discuss other celebrities in the group. No comparing or stirring up drama, otherwise direct removal from group. Thank you for your cooperation.]
[Sorry, my mistake, please don't kick me out!]
[Help! SOS! Anyone have extra copies of the latest CKOOL Magazine willing to transfer? My girlfriend asked me to buy it for her, but I actually didn't manage to get it. I feel like I'm doomed!]
[Hahaha, then I simply must show off my magazine. [picture.jpg]]
In front of his computer, Zhou Bowen looked at the group situation, quite troubled as he ruffled his hair.
Zhou Bowen and Lin Zhuwan were a young couple.
Previously, this young couple went together to watch Killing Life at the cinema and were deeply impressed by Xiao He's performance as Zhu Third Brother. Later when Thief Catcher aired, knowing his girlfriend's interests, Zhou Bowen decisively invited her to watch Thief Catcher together. Xiao He's portrayal of Shen Jue made both of them see him in a new light. Since then, both had been quietly following Xiao He's development and upcoming works.
Recently, Lin Zhuwan learned from fan groups that Xiao He would appear as an interview guest in CKOOL Magazine's latest issue. This counted as Xiao He's magazine debut since entering the industry, his career's first magazine feature. In a sense, this meant some connection with the fashion circle. If he developed well later, he might get more fashion resources.
You should know, based on Xiao He's current development trajectory, wanting to get more resources in fashion circles or even other resource circles was almost impossible.
After all, as everyone knows, brand image is tied to public perception. These brands generally avoid negative association risks—meaning actors like Xiao He who frequently appear as negative characters basically find it very difficult to achieve the brand effect these brands want, to convey more mainstream value orientations. So among all actor choices, Xiao He would never appear on their consideration table.
The most widely known similar situation is that certain fruit phone rule—"In all film and TV drama plots, characters using fruit phones must be good people."
Although this rule is just playful teasing, it has become one way many drama watchers judge whether an appearing character is good or bad. It's even spread extremely widely—many people who don't even watch dramas have heard of this rule.
If you observe carefully, you can also discover that in most cases, fruit products have almost become symbolic props for "high-intelligence characters" and "social elites." Conversely, other types of phones represent lower classes and tradition, symbolizing instability and danger.
This is brand marketing's conscious penetration.
And this kind of "symbolic association" has extended to actors themselves, especially rare "pure villain" actors like Xiao He in the industry, leaving even fewer paths available to him.
—Unless Xiao He can break through boundaries, truly separate person from role, completely divide actor value from character impression.
But this is almost impossible—actors and roles are inherently bound together. Discussing actors apart from roles is like setting aside acting skills—how could that work?
Despite this, fans' love remains pure, mixed with some unrealistic fantasies, hoping through everyone's efforts to secure more opportunities and other commercial resources for Xiao He.
Even Lin Zhuwan originally planned this way.
Unfortunately, recently Lin Zhuwan has been busy with her team's experimental project and truly couldn't spare time to make purchases, so this "arduous" task was handed to her boyfriend Zhou Bowen.
And Zhou Bowen was completely unfamiliar with these things, having no idea you needed to time purchases exactly at launch, thinking you could just normally buy when available... Then when he opened the webpage, the words "sold out" directly stunned Zhou Bowen.
Finally having no choice, he could only use his girlfriend's account to seek help in the group.
But fortunately, when heaven seals one door, another opens—the administrator spoke up at this moment—
[Azure Sky Cloud Crane: Little He's magazine is already in hand! [picture.jpg]*3, showing off my Little He matrix chart. This western cowboy style photo set is really great~ Also randomly distributing around 200 extra magazines in the group. Anyone who needs can contact me.]
Zhou Bowen's eyes immediately lit up—
[Contact contact contact, save my life!]
[I want it too! Thank you Sister Yunhe! I love you so much!]
[Contact! Want it want it!]