Chapter 113
The comments section under the latest "Pangrenxindong" blog post was no longer simply a place for fans to promote Zhou Xiao and tag their studios seeking collaboration. Fueled by forum users and major marketing accounts on Weibo, the comments section had devolved into a regular battle for control.
This behavior of practicing manipulation on their own fan page also made many Ji Shao fans feel that these outsiders were disrespectful to their legendary site and to Ji Shao himself. They scribbled something in their little notebooks. If the fan club hadn't emphasized that everyone shouldn't get involved, they would have been so excited that they would have been manipulated.
After Zhou Xiao learned from Zhu Jian that their fan club was planning to privately raise funds to buy likes and suppress other fans' comments in his comment section, he simply turned on the selection function in the comment section under the blog post.
As for the reposting section, that's perfectly normal. Shortly after the post was published, it was dominated by marketing accounts like @馮圈練習手書V, who jumped on the news. These marketing accounts often have a large number of reposts, resulting in a high volume of reposts, which is why the reposting section appears relatively clean.
After selecting the comments, Zhou Xiao reopened his messaging app and first saw a message from Wang Jiangchang's agent, Chang Ping. The message essentially asked if Zhou Xiao was available on September 12th and 13th, hoping to discuss further details of their collaboration.
Zhou Xiao had carefully read the message and was pondering how to respond when Ji Shao's assistant, Song Xiao, sent her a message. In the message, Zhou Xiao noticed the same date as the one Chang Ping had sent her. So, was there any event on that day?
Xincheng—Song Xiao: Mr. Zhou, are you free on the 13th? I've been asked to schedule a photoshoot with you!
Zhou Xiao: Excuse me, could you please tell me if there are any activities on the 13th?
New Town—Song Xiao: Oh, I should have introduced you first. The anniversary dinner for the top men's magazine, Fashion, is on the 13th, and celebrities from the industry will be invited to attend.
I'm contacted by Chen Si's agent. You should know Chen Si, right? Her agent wants to know if you're available on the 13th to help with a set of official photos.
Speaking of Chen Si, even Zhou Xiao, who had never been a fan of celebrities before, had heard of her. She's starred in many hit TV series, earning her a strong reputation both among the general public and through word of mouth. Ms. Zheng had also taken Zhou Xiao to watch many of her dramas, and Zhou Xiao had spotted a comment from Chen Si's fans in the selected comments section just now.
Although she was somewhat curious about the big star Chen Si, Zhou Xiao hesitated, remembering that Wang Jiangchang, whom Song Xiao had recommended to her last time, was a relatively good artist to work with. But wait, could these two be participating in the same event?
Despite some hesitation, the computer screen displayed the official account of Chen Si Studio. As Zhou Xiao scrolled down with his mouse, the Qixi Festival photo posted by Chen Si Studio had significantly more reposts and comments than any other blog post, already exceeding 10,000.
At this time, she had smelled something bad, and sure enough, when she clicked on the comments below the studio, she saw a flood of negative comments. Among them, because Chen Si's last red carpet look was a mature style with big waves and hair draped over her shoulders, she was directly scolded by fans below: a bunch of idiots who only know how to stick to their comfort zone every day.
For established artists with well-established teams, even if the styling and photography are impeccable, if there aren't any new changes, the team will inevitably be criticized for not paying attention. And if the changes are even slightly unsatisfactory to the fans, they'll be dismissed as a bunch of useless people who copied good work.
The artist team was obviously impatient, so after seeing the photos Zhou Xiao took of Ji Shao and Wang Jiangchang on the Internet, they immediately decided to ask Song Xiao to be the middleman to see if they could negotiate a new cooperation with Zhou Xiao.
However, this posed a problem for Zhou Xiao. Since both Wang Jiangchang and Chen Si had invited her, how should she choose? After thinking about it, since both parties were recommended to her by Song Xiao, Zhou Xiao directly asked him for advice on how to choose.
Xincheng—Song Xiao: Did Wang Jiangchang also invite Teacher Zhou? Personally, I suggest you don't agree this time. As far as I know, Teacher Chang Ping has already found a comprehensive photography and makeup team for Wang Jiangchang. If you help her shoot at this time, it might not reflect well on your future career in the industry...
Xincheng—Song Xiao: Also! I’m only telling you the truth because we’re close friends, so please don’t expose me [hush]
Zhou Xiao frowned slightly when she saw Song Xiao's last reply, and then she thought back to the entire process of her last shoot. Zhou Xiao, Chang Ping, and Wang Jiangchang hadn't had any unpleasant experiences during the shoot, so they probably wouldn't have set her up.
When she was about to ask Chang Ping this question, he happened to send a new message. Zhou Xiao first thanked Song Xiao for the tip, and then opened the message from Chang Ping -
Xincheng-Changping: Sorry to bother you, Teacher Zhou Xiao. Your pictures are really great and have inspired me to work with you again! But I just remembered that I already made an appointment with the photographer and makeup artist. I'm so sorry! Next time, if Teacher Zhou is free, come over and play with me. I'll treat you!
…
With a "tsk" sound, Zhou Xiao closed his phone, pressed one hand on the table to gain leverage to stand up, and slowly walked from the bedroom to the living room.
She called the kitten softly as she walked, searching carefully in every corner of the house. Now there was only one person and one cat left in the house.
Ms. Zheng and her friend went to pick lychees together again. I don’t know who of them kept saying that lychees are too hot and you can’t eat too many of them, but they still enjoyed picking lychees. Mr. Zhou went to and from get off work on time. If he was not busy, he would play a few games of chess with others in the community before coming back.
Of course, Zhou Xiao was used to this. His family had always had a good relationship, and Zhou Xiao had grown up in this environment. Now that he was growing up and his parents were approaching retirement, it was a good thing to have a rich and diverse entertainment life.
…
After several days of resting at home, Zhou Xiao had gone from enjoying life to looking like a clown on the verge of running away with her bag. It turned out that it wasn't just during her student days that being idle at home would lead to being disliked. Now, after only a few days back, she was already being "disliked."
When Zhou Xiao sat on the sofa for the Nth time with her feet in her arms, waiting for Ms. Zheng Jinghua to mop the area under her feet, she knew that the most important thing she should do at this time was to pack up and leave immediately.
The memory of the past suddenly attacked her. She especially remembered how Ms. Zheng's attitude towards her changed from being a sweetheart on the first day to being disgusted afterwards. Zhou Xiao suddenly remembered something and looked up at her mother, "Why haven't you used the robot vacuum I bought for our family last time?"
Zheng Jinghua, holding a mop, paused for a moment and said, "I forgot..."
Amidst the chaos, Zhou Xiao dug out the robot vacuum he had bought earlier from his storage room. Although the packaging had been opened, it was clearly unused.
Taking the machine out of the express box, Zhou Xiao squatted on the ground, looked up at her mother and said, "I'll call and make an appointment for an installer to come and install it."
Zheng Jinghua took a look and nodded decisively. She wouldn't tell her daughter, at least not yet... The reason she forgot was because she had originally planned to have Lao Zhou come back to install it, but they both forgot. Having never experienced a robot vacuum before, the couple didn't think much of it and didn't take it seriously. But after all, it was something her daughter had bought specifically for her, so she felt a little embarrassed.
As Zhou Xiao lowered his head to look at the instructions, Zheng Jinghua suddenly asked, "When are we leaving?"
Zhou Xiao put down the instruction manual in her hand, looked at her mother's face, and smiled, "The day after tomorrow! I have to go to the scene to watch the show!" After comforting her mother a little, Zhou Xiao turned her attention back to the instruction manual.
…
On the afternoon of August 29th, Zhou Xiao returned to the Huashang Times Hotel with a suitcase full of local specialties. Among these specialties was one that Ms. Zheng specifically asked her to bring to Qi Sisi (her mother). By the time Qi Sisi arrived at the hotel, Zhou Xiao had already packed the items.
On the table was what looked like a large red plastic bag. Qi Sisi curiously opened it and was immediately surprised. "Dried cuttlefish, red mushrooms, dried shrimp..." Qi Sisi looked at the ceiling and said, "Xiaoxiao, your mother gave you too much!"
Zhou Xiao shrugged, "I brought all of this back with me, so cherish it!"
"Oh, by the way, is Ji Shao really going to record a variety show?" Qi Sisi gently moved a large bag of things back to its original place, and immediately started chatting about gossip with Zhou Xiao.
Rumors have been circulating on forums since yesterday that Ji Shao has accepted a regular role on a certain variety show. The rumors are quite plausible. While no name was mentioned, the source's tone suggests they're referring to a domestic competitive variety show. The show's hosts have changed several times, but its popularity has kept it a top-tier variety show even today, making it particularly attractive to emerging talent.
At first, Zhou Xiao was still listening to what Qi Sisi was telling her, but when she heard that the fourth season of this variety show would start its first recording on September 1, Zhou Xiao probably had some idea in her mind.
"Did the fan club say anything?" Zhou Xiao clicked on the forum and read the post about this matter. This post had more than 500 replies, which was considered quite popular.
Qi Sisi shook her head regretfully, "No, and the response from both sides is 'no contact'!"
"Then why are you so excited?" Hearing this, Zhou Xiao looked at Qi Sisi with some curiosity. Could it be that someone had tricked her? After learning about the information the fan club had received, Zhou Xiao was certain it was definitely fake. Perhaps they were just using Ji Shao's popularity to liven up the atmosphere.
"I have a melon, do you want to try it?" Zhou Xiao looked at Qi Sisi, "Ji Shao will participate in the "Speech Under the Starry Sky" on September 1st." After that, she took out an invitation letter from the drawer beside her.
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