Chapter 049 Chapter 49
In the gym inside the hotel's presidential suite, Zhou Xiao stopped the treadmill, removed the towel from around his neck, and casually wiped his sweaty face. He stepped off the treadmill, leaned against it for a moment, and then reached for the water he had placed on the table nearby to replenish his body's water.
She drank some water while opening her phone and started looking at it. Just as Zhou Xiao opened her phone, Zhu Jian on the other end of the messaging app happened to send her a message.
Zhou Xiao opened the post, which was from the Xingtu 101 forum. The content of the post was an apology from the poster who had spread the rumor that she was a cosmetics woman.
After a quick glance at the post, Zhou Xiao noticed comments in the first few threads claiming the original poster had fallen flat. Later in the thread, some posts included screenshots of the original poster's frequent defamatory posts. Zhou Xiao thought for a moment and forwarded the post to Lawyer Gu, who was helping her with the case. When the rumor spread that she was a cosmetics prostitute, she immediately contacted this lawyer, with whom she had previously worked.
Zhou Xiao had come across Lawyer Gu by chance while working at her previous company. Her job had kept her from dealing with lawyers, as lawsuits and other matters were handled by the company's legal department. However, she had just joined the company and was assigned to a minor rotation position, so she was randomly assigned to the position.
A proposal created by a senior company executive was plagiarized. To facilitate the lawyer's evidence collection, Zhou Xiao was tasked with liaising with the senior (though, of course, this was also a bit of a slacking). Lawyer Gu handled the infringement with great skill, and Zhou Xiao enjoyed a pleasant conversation with her. The two later added each other's contact information, and she was the first person Zhou Xiao thought of when searching for a reliable lawyer.
…
At 9:00 AM the next day, Zhou Xiao received a call from the taxi driver she had called earlier and headed downstairs, camera in hand. Her destination was the Shanghai studio of perfume brand XS. As for why she was going there, it all started with what happened the night before, after she used her Business Photography Card.
Zhou Xiao was thinking about making two attempts to see how far the itinerary card could reach, regarding the newly acquired [Business Photography Card] and the [Artist Itinerary Card] that he had obtained earlier but never used.
Zhou Xiao acted immediately after thinking about it. She first used the [Business Photography Card] on Ji Shao. When she was about to use the [Artist Schedule Card], a text message popped up in front of her.
Teacher Zhou Xiao:
Hello, please arrive at the XS brand studio in Area A, Shanghai at 10:00 am on June 23rd for a commercial photo shoot of a single new perfume.
What is this? Zhou Xiao was a little surprised when she received the text message. She didn't expect that this [Business Photoshoot Card] seemed to be for Ji Shao, but in fact it was also a "business photoshoot" for her.
XS is a top-tier luxury fragrance brand in China, and it was also Zhou Xiao's first perfume after starting work. This was thanks to the quality of XS's products and extensive advertising. The slogan, "My first perfume at work," immediately inspired Zhou Xiao, a newcomer to the workforce, to invest in it.
…
Arriving downstairs at XS, Zhou Xiao thanked the driver, closed the car door, and walked towards the independent perfume brand studio which was filled with the atmosphere of an art studio.
XS is located in the suburbs of Shanghai, not far from Huashang Times, but it's already well-developed. Zhou Xiao spotted the lush, two-story building from his car. He pressed the wood-grain doorbell and soon heard the clatter of high heels clacking against the floor as someone headed toward the door.
As soon as the door was opened, Zhou Xiao's nose twitched slightly. The perfume on the visitor was a bit too strong. As if she knew that the perfume was too strong, the woman stepped back skillfully and kept a safe distance from Zhou Xiao.
"Teacher Zhou Xiao, right? My name is Qin Shi, just call me Xiao Qin." The woman named Qin Shi looked at the camera bag Zhou Xiao was carrying and said to him a little embarrassedly, "I'm really sorry, I was just shooting a perfume commercial for the last artist, and the smell on me is a bit strong."
After hearing Qin Shi's explanation, Zhou smiled and shook his head. After smelling the perfume for a while, he got used to it. Besides, it didn't smell bad, right?
Seeing Zhou Xiao's reaction, Qin Shi's smile became more sincere. She looked at Zhou Xiao and said, "Then I'll take you to the studio to prepare first?"
As soon as he finished saying "OK", Zhou Xiao followed Qin Shi who was leading the way into the house. The environment of the XS office was very good, clean and simple, with piles of vibrant green plants that echoed the greenery outside the house.
After entering the studio and looking at the several scenes that had been set up and the staff members coming and going around, Zhou Xiao found that no one was surprised by her arrival as a photographer, but rather seemed very accustomed to it.
I guess there's a system of props at work here, making everything seem normal and reasonable... Zhou Xiao looked at the blank expressions of the staff members passing by carrying props... Maybe the workers wouldn't care about the photographer at all...
"Teacher Zhou, could you please familiarize yourself with the set?" Qin Shi said to Zhou Xiao while standing in front of one of the studios. "The artists will be here soon. Could you please wait a little longer?"
Seeing Zhou Xiao's unassuming demeanor, Qin Shi breathed a sigh of relief. She had been a bit nervous about sending in a photographer the other night, fearing she'd run into someone difficult to talk to. After greeting the studio colleague and asking her to follow Zhou Xiao's instructions, Qin Shi said goodbye to Zhou Xiao and left the studio.
Zhou Xiao had trained in the system's training room for shooting commercial films for celebrities, and his finished films had also passed the system's certification. Looking at the props around him, Zhou Xiao attached his camera to a tripod and began arranging the props according to his own aesthetic taste.
After a brief adjustment, Zhou Xiao seemed to remember something and asked the staff in charge of the studio, "Where is your new season's perfume?"
The staff member who was typing nearby looked up at the sound, glanced at Zhou Xiao, and quickly ran to the corner to move the pile of wooden boards to the ground nearby. Then he lifted the box under the boards, took out a bottle of perfume, and placed it in front of Zhou Xiao, "This bottle is for the photo you'll take later."
One bottle? Zhou Xiao looked at the other bottles of perfume neatly stacked in the exquisitely packaged box, then at the set Qin Shi had brought her to. It dawned on her that each bottle of perfume was to be filmed individually, hence the name "One Bottle" video. She had initially mistakenly thought they were filming an entire series...
I picked up the perfume from the staff. It was in a light blue glass bottle with a slightly wavy mouth like waves. The design of the bottle is somewhat similar to the clear sea.
Just then, the sound of conversation emanated from the studio entrance. The young man, wearing a black baseball cap pulled low, a simple, smart white T-shirt, and casual jeans, had just stepped through the doorway when he looked at Zhou Xiao inside with a touch of surprise.
"Hello~" Zhou Xiao heard the voice and raised the perfume in his hand to greet Ji Shao openly. Seeing Ji Shao's surprised expression, Zhou Xiao couldn't help but feel amused. However, the person in front of him quickly calmed down and greeted Zhou Xiao and the surrounding staff obediently.
"Ji Shao, go get your makeup done," Qin Shi said as she arrived at the door. Seeing Zhou Xiao's gaze, she nodded. Ji Shao followed the staff who had come with him to get their makeup done, then glanced back at Zhou Xiao. He was clearly happy and surprised, with a faint dimple on the corner of his mouth.
The agent who was accompanying him seemed to want to say something but hesitated when he saw Zhou Xiao. However, because he knew that this was not the place to chat, he quickly swallowed his words and went to the dressing room with Ji Shao.
After changing into a clean and fresh look, Ji Shao quickly regained his composure in front of the camera. He fiddled with the perfume in his hand carefully, showing the camera what he wanted to show in this video.
The shutter button kept being pressed. Zhou Xiao saw Ji Shao and the scenery in front of the screen through the camera, and gradually slowed down the action of pressing the shutter button.
She pondered for a moment, then paused. She said to Qin Shi, who was watching the filming, "I have an idea. Can we discuss it?"
Zhou Xiao made a pause gesture to Ji Shao in front of the curtain, then handed the perfume next to him to Qin Shi, "What do you smell?"
Qin Shi was a little confused. She was responsible for shooting the commercials for the new products. How could she not have smelled the new products that were about to be launched on the shelves?
But although she was a little confused, she still took Zhou Xiao's hand and gently smelled the faint fragrance of the bottle of perfume in the air.
Seeing her puzzled expression after smelling it, Zhou Xiao sighed, "Look at Ji Shao again."
Listening to Zhou Xiao's words, Qin Shi smelled the perfume, and looked at Ji Shao in the studio. Suddenly, an idea flashed in his mind. The biggest selling point of this bottle of perfume!
The refreshing sea breeze sweeps you into a dream, the unique scent of orange blossom lights up the dream, and finally you are completely captured by the gentle white musk.
What's the sea's best partner? Nature is the sun, wild and full of hope and strength.
Qin Shi looked at Zhou Xiao with sparkling eyes, "You arrange it!"
The change in camera position attracted a lot of attention. However, after learning that it was a commercial shoot, the curious onlookers gave up the idea and went about their own business.
Since there wasn't much to carry, Zhou Xiao and his group soon stood on the lawn outside. Shielding the strong sunlight from above with his hands, Zhou Xiao said to Ji Shao, who had already adapted to the venue, "Begin."
Under the scorching sun, Zhou Xiao's heart, like the temperature at the moment, was burning with excitement as he realized his ideas had made the final film even better. Looking at the images captured by the camera, his hand feeling today was simply amazing.
At this moment, Zhou Xiao couldn't help but think of a sentence: Photography is really fun~
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