I’m Really a Superstar

Sunday.

In the morning.

Outside the window, the clouds were a cottonlike presence.

“It looks like quite a good day today.”

“Daddy, I want to go out and play.”

“Where would you like to go to play?”

“I don’t know. I want Daddy and Mommy to bring me out to play.”

“Alright then, but you’ll have to let you Mommy shower you first.”

“I, I don’t want a shower.”

“Be good. If you clean up, Daddy and Mommy will bring you out to play.”

“Oh, will Sister Chenchen be going too?”

“Yes, we’ll all be going together.”

“Mhm!”

Zhang Ye signaled to Old Wu with his eyes.

Wu Zeqing smiled slightly and took Sisi to the shower.

This little girl was good in every way and was usually very obedient as well. However, she would always start getting resistant at the mention of a shower as she did not really like it. This was why Zhang Ye and his wife always had to work together to cajole her into taking one.

Two hours later.

At a vacation destination in the suburbs.

The family drove their car and went on an outing.

Fishing.

Swimming.

Soaking in the hot springs.

Sisi was having heaps of fun and feeling spoiled.

Zhang Ye laid down on the deck chair and commanded, “Chenchen, watch your sister closely. Don’t let her bump into anything, and keep her away from the riverbank. Make sure she doesn’t fall into the ditch as well.”

Chenchen was furious. “Zhang Ye, why are you so lazy!”

Zhang Ye laughed and said, “This bro hasn’t had any rest at all during the two months of filming, so why can’t you let me have some rest now?”

Chenchen said angrily, “You said over the phone that you were bringing me out to play. Zhang Ye, how the hell did I believe you!”

“Sister Chenchen!” Sisi pointed at the river and exclaimed, “It’s a big fish! A big fish!”

Chenchen wanted to shirk her responsibility. “Get your daddy to help reel it in.”

Sisi grabbed Chenchen’s hands and playfully waved them around. “I want Sister Chenchen to catch it for me.”

Chenchen rolled her eyes. “I’m gonna end up becoming your little nanny soon.” Although she said that, she still used the kid’s fishing rod to reel in the fish earnestly.

“It’s a big fish! Sister Chenchen, hurry! Sister Chenchen, quick!”

“I know, I know, don’t rush me.”

“Ah, there’s another one!”

“Stand further back. Be careful of falling in.”

“Quickly! Quickly! Ah, quickly catch it! Oh! You’ve caught the big fish! Mommy, come and see. Daddy, come and see! The big fish is so big!”

“Hey, that’s cool!”

The whole family was enjoying themselves and having a great time.

When it came time for lunch, it was a feast of grilled fish.

Wu Zeqing was smiling as she fanned the flames. She had taken the responsibility of grilling the fish. Off to the side, three mouths were waiting eagerly to eat them.

Old Wu said, “OK, I’ve got one that’s ready, a non-spicy one.”

Sisi called out, “Mommy, give me, give me.”

“Alright, eat it slowly. It’s hot.” Old Wu handed it to her.

A moment later, another piece was done.

Chenchen called out, “It’s mine! Mine!”

Zhang Ye tried to snatch it from her. “Give it to me!”

Chenchen said in annoyance, “This one’s mine!”

Zhang Ye said, “You can have the next piece.”

The two of them nearly got into a fight over a piece of grilled fish.

Finally, Wu Zeqing had to step in and say something. “No fighting over the food. Let Chenchen have this piece first.” She stretched out her hand to block off her husband and personally handed the grilled fish to Chenchen.

Chenchen gave Zhang Ye a look before gobbling up the fish.

Zhang Ye harrumphed.

Wu Zeqing laughed and said, “You’re an international star. Why are you still fighting over food with a child?”

Zhang Ye rolled his eyes. “An international star still needs to eat, right?”

At this moment, Zhang Ye’s cell phone rang.

It was from the studio.

Zhang Ye answered: “Hello, Sister Ha.”

Ha Qiqi immediately said: “Director Zhang, something big has happened!”

Zhang Ye laughed and said: “I’m most afraid of something big happening right now. Is it good news or bad news?”

“It’s good news.” Ha Qiqi said: “We have been approached for an endorsement contract.”

Zhang Ye wasn’t too interested in that. He said: “Is it a brand endorsement? Which brand is it for? If it’s any of those brand names that I had endorsed before, reject them. I won’t do it no matter how much money they are willing to pay. When this bro was sent to jail back then, all of them kicked me while I was down and took legal action against me for breach of contract. In the end, we had to pay so much in compensation that my wife even had to dip into her savings and pay them off for me. We nearly went bankrupt as a result. I’ll always remember them for that.”

Ha Qiqi laughed and said: “It’s not a domestic brand name.”

Zhang Ye said: “An overseas brand?”

Ha Qiqi said: “And you won’t be able to guess which one it is for sure!”

Zhang Ye blinked and said: “Which one?”

Ha Qiqi said something astonishing. “The number one beverage brand in the world.”

“Is it Cola?” Zhang Ye was taken aback.

“That’s right!” Ha Qiqi said excitedly.

Zhang Ye said happily, “Why would they come to me?”

Ha Qiqi said: “Your international fame is on a completely different level from before. You’re at the peak of your popularity right now, have you forgotten? The biggest sales market of Cola is China, so I guess that’s why they wanted you to be their brand ambassador. We’ve just been contacted by them, and this is an opportunity for us to increase our international presence and visibility. This is why we quickly got in touch with you to let you know.”

“How much are they offering?” Zhang Ye asked.

Ha Qiqi said: “10 million US dollars.”

“How long is the contract for?”

“One year.”

“When does the contract negotiation start?”

“Their representatives will arrive tomorrow.”

“OK, I got it.”

After hanging up, Zhang Ye was in a very good mood.

Wu Zeqing said, “I’ve finished grilling another one, who wants it?”

Zhang Ye immediately scuttled forward. “It’s mine, it’s mine!”

“Oh, you!” Wu Zeqing shook her head and laughed. “Who was that call from?”

Zhang Ye ate while answering, “It was from the studio. There’s a global brand endorsement deal from The Cola Company in America. It’s the leading international beverage.”

Chenchen loved drinking Cola the most. When she heard that, her eyes lit up. “Zhang Ye, you’re going to endorse Cola?”

Zhang Ye said, “What do you want?”

Chenchen said, “Get me ten boxes!”

Zhang Ye laughed and said, “Ten boxes? Do you want to die from drinking all of that!”

There weren’t many cola brands in this world.

Coca-Cola?

PepsiCo?

Future Cola?[1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Future_Cola]

All of those didn’t exist. There was only The Cola Company.

This brand was also the largest beverage brand in the world, with no other company coming close. Usually, a first- or second-tier international celebrity would be chosen to represent an international brand name like this, and the choice of the brand ambassador would be changed on an annual basis. Even for an international celebrity like Lillian, an endorsement deal from Cola was considered a huge contract. This was a slice of the pie many celebrities had their eyes on. And unexpectedly, just as the current endorsement deal for The Cola Company was running out, the first person they approached turned out to be Zhang Ye. This one movie did open up Zhang Ye’s international path.

…

The negotiations.

Signing the contract.

Shooting the ads.

Everything progressed very quickly.

Several days later, the advertisements were out.

A new batch of products was gradually pushed out onto the shelves all across the world.

…

China.

“What?”

“Why is Zhang Ye’s picture on this Cola?”

“Wasn’t it endorsed by Francis?”

“Ah! They’ve changed the brand ambassador to Zhang Ye?”

“Zhang Ye has taken an endorsement deal for a top international brand?”

…

America.

“There’s new packaging for Cola?”

“Zhang Ye is endorsing it?”

“This is such a big contract. Why did they get him to do it?”

“He’s become really popular.”

…

Korea.

“Holy shit!”

“Look at this ad!”

“Cola has changed its brand ambassador?”

“Does he even have the qualifications?”

“It looks like after Wolf Warrior 2, the entire world has changed its perception of the Chinese market.”