Chapter 126
When Zhou Xiao and Yu Du grabbed their equipment and ran towards the dinner ticket gate, the originally bustling entrance had become much quieter, with only a few fans and entertainment reporters like them going through the gate inspection.
Putting his hands under his knees to catch his breath, Yu Du looked at Zhou Xiao, who appeared fine, and felt a surge of envy. Zhou Xiao waited patiently for Yu Du to recover from the slight abdominal pain from the acceleration and excessive tension. Then the two of them exchanged glances and handed their tickets to the staff at the gate for inspection.
Behind these staff members stood two rows of bodyguards. Zhou Xiao looked thoughtful, presumably to prevent any unforeseen circumstances. But she glanced at the barrier again; the area itself was completely off-limits to outsiders. Of course, the more thorough the security, the better. After all, the celebrities attending tonight were all quite influential, and any possibility of danger had to be eliminated.
The ticket inspector at the door took their tickets and checked them, then kindly reminded them, "Next time, try to arrive early for dinners like this. This will make things easier for you, whether you're meeting people or catching up with your idol."
Before the dinner officially begins, people are free to wander around. Many people with tickets and eager to network will arrive early. After all, many prominent figures often leave early to avoid the rush, eliminating any chance to network.
Zhou Xiao understood the good intentions of the staff member in front of him. After thanking him with Yu Du, he passed through the narrow ticket gate and entered the banquet hall.
However, after turning a corner, they found themselves in an empty space, a massive display board, two or three feet tall, suddenly appearing before them. Printed on it were every cover of Vogue, from its first issue to the present day, it looked incredibly rich. This was the perfect way for magazines to showcase their strength and experience, laying the cards on display, letting you dazzle yourself with the characters on the covers.
Each cover on the display board tells the history of "Vogue", and after Zhou Xiao learned the order of arrangement, his eyes immediately turned to the row at the bottom of the display board.
The magazine covers at the bottom were all shot this year, and one of them carries a lot of resentment from Star 101 fans—a term often used to describe it as "black history." Currently, it's quietly printed in the third-to-last position.
Zhou Xiao and Yu were the last to enter the banquet hall. They both had to support each other and carefully watch their steps. Before entering the banquet, the staff member specifically emphasized that flashlights and flash photography were forbidden, and that phones must be set to vibrate and night mode.
Before entering, the two were asked to turn on their cameras to check the shooting situation. After seeing them switch back to the no-flash mode, they were waved away by the staff.
The lights in the banquet hall were incredibly dim, like Zhou Xiao's Star 101 competition, with the lights turned off while waiting for the stage to begin. Speaking of stages, this fashionable dinner also had one, and many people were still socializing and interacting in the ambient light emitted by the stage.
A minute or two after entering the venue, her eyes had completely adjusted to the brightness of the banquet hall. Zhou Xiao helped Yu Du find table 25, and then separated from her. She walked further forward, searching for her seat. The dinner ticket issued by the system showed table 14.
Table 14, according to the magazine's order of attendance, should have been the "pay-to-win" zone. As Zhou Xiao passed Table 10 and reached Table 14, he spotted some of the guests who had been on the red carpet. As for the few people still seated at Table 14, Zhou Xiao, with his rather good memory, had little recollection of them.
Several women at the table who were wearing expensive dresses were obviously stunned for a moment when they saw Zhou Xiao. Then, after a friendly look, one of them even picked up the wine glass on the table and gestured to Zhou Xiao.
A large, blooming flower was placed in the center of the round table, and there were drinks and beverages on the table. Zhou Xiao poured a glass of Coke into the glass and returned the favor. She didn't like drinking, but it wasn't that she couldn't drink. However, in this environment, Zhou Xiao would do her best to keep a clear mind.
The lights in the banquet hall were dim and ambiguous. Managers and their artists were socializing, highballs in hand. But that was normal. Isn't this the most valuable moment of a dinner? The young artists, following their managers, were also seizing the opportunity to make future connections in the industry.
At this moment, Zhou Xiao felt her phone vibrate twice. The person who sent her the message was Zhang Hongyu, who seemed to be curious about whether she had not attended the dinner.
Lin Qianxia had given her the ticket to the Yudu dinner, so Zhou Xiao wasn't surprised by how Zhang Hongyu knew her location. She raised an eyebrow slightly as she read her second message.
SY-Zhang Hongyu: Mr. Zhou, you are so confused! Why don’t you come to participate in such a good opportunity? I was thinking of introducing you to some colleagues in the industry.
Zhou Xiao: I am currently at table 14.
SY-Zhang Hongyu:!!!
SY-Zhang Hongyu: Teacher Zhou, that Gou Fugui... you know, we met on the same talent show! Hahaha, forget it, no more jokes. Don't rush to leave when the show is over. I'd like to introduce you to some people in the industry, and I'd also like to take this opportunity to thank you for your guidance on my filming a few times before!
Zhou Xiao responded with an OK gesture and continued typing.
Zhou Xiao: I gave the ticket that Mr. Lin gave to my fans. If you are around, please help keep an eye on it.
SY-Zhang Hongyu: OK
Zhou Xiao finally felt relieved after hearing Zhang Hongyu's reply. Watching the clinking of glasses at the dinner party, she was still a little worried about the negative impact of giving the ticket to Yu Du. Just in case, Zhou Xiao lowered her head and sent Yu Du a message.
Yu Du, who received the message, was sitting in her seat feeling bored. Zhou Xiao had reminded her of the precautions before she came in. Now she was drinking milk and watching the adults interacting, feeling a little excited.
When her phone vibrated, Yu Du swiped open the message and was touched. It was from Zhou Xiao, telling her not to get drunk with others and to go find her upstairs if she was forced to.
As Zhou Xiao carefully surveyed her surroundings, she felt a gaze directed at her. She looked up and saw Wang Jiangchang excitedly shaking a goblet toward her. She had worn a smart little dress for the dinner, looking light and energetic.
As Wang Jiangchang was about to come over, Chang Ping intercepted her and took her to talk to other artists. Seeing Wang Jiangchang shrug helplessly at her, Zhou Xiao raised her goblet and responded from a distance.
But after that, Zhou Xiao kept trying to find Ji Shao at the dinner. She realized that NINE STAR would split up, but when she still didn't see a familiar face, Zhou Xiao was a little puzzled.
Just as she was thinking about this, a bony hand patted her shoulder. A familiar scent of perfume lingered around her, and Zhou Xiao subconsciously knew who was standing behind her and patting her shoulder.
As expected, Chen Si, dressed in a long green silk dress, looked at her with a smile. Seeing Zhou Xiao turn around, she forced a smile and leaned slightly backward. The figure of the young man who had been behind her also appeared before Zhou Xiao's eyes. It was none other than Ji Shao, the man she had been looking for!
The young man was wearing a neat suit at the banquet. When he saw Zhou Xiao's surprised look, he smiled and said hello with a bit of surprise, "Good evening, sister~"
Chen Si looked back at Ji Shao in surprise and said, "You are a good boy. Come with me."
Seeing the two people in front of him seeming to be talking about something, Zhou Xiao, as an outsider, was a little confused, but he didn't say much. However, the way the young man politely followed Chen Si out and even went out of his way to greet him made Zhou Xiao feel that today's trip was worthwhile!
Watching the two of them leave, Zhou Xiao couldn't help but raise his camera to take some photos. But later, when he found out that Chen Si was intentionally taking Ji Shao to identify someone, Zhou Xiao, who was pressing the shutter, couldn't help but be surprised for a few seconds.
Although Ji Shao is an artist from New Town and there is no competitive relationship between the two, this kind of overt support undoubtedly shows how much it will help Ji Shao's future development.
After looking at the images captured by the camera with some hesitation, Zhou Xiao finally sent one of them to Chen Si's agent, Qin Wan, asking if she could send this type of photo. After sending this photo, Zhou Xiao seemed to remember something and sent the red carpet photo she had taken of Chen Si on the red carpet as well.
What Zhou Xiao hadn't anticipated was how much traffic these two photos would later attract. By then, she could finally relax and wait for the dinner to begin.
The editor-in-chief of a fashion magazine also made her debut amidst everyone's anticipation. Zhou Xiao found that she really didn't like hearing such stories of struggle. As a photographer, she should actually pay attention to what the magazine editor-in-chief said. After all, many photographers in China are proud to work with major magazines.
But Zhou Xiao was not like that. After listening carefully to the editor for a minute or two, he found that it was all clichés. Although the magazine had the fine tradition of using fancy words, to be honest, it really did not arouse much interest.
As her eyes began to wander around the table, they suddenly met another pair of eyes. The person across from her looked at Zhou Xiao, and Zhou Xiao looked at her. Under the dim light, the two of them raised their goblets and clinked them in unison as the fashion editor reminisced about the past.
Although they didn't know each other's names, it did improve Zhou Xiao's view of the dinner. Especially in this kind of environment, it was very easy to discover the interesting or unusual side of others.
As the editor-in-chief was about to take the stage, those who had been socializing at the dinner party immediately returned to their tables, prompted by others. Zhou Xiao hadn't noticed at first, but as she waited for a middle-aged violin virtuoso to perform, the stage lights brightened enough for her to spot NINE STAR, seated at the table next to her. This was pure "darkness under the lamp," she thought, reflecting on herself, who had been searching for someone, and silently raised her glass and downed the Coke in one gulp.
The round tables, originally set to seat eight people each, had been expanded to accommodate the group of teenagers. However, it was a red plastic stool that didn't fit in with the space.
As for how Zhou Xiao knew this, she was slightly distracted as she stared at the red plastic stool being handed to her by a staff member on the camera screen. It was a fleeting glimpse, but wasn't this a typical chair from the Fujian and Guangdong provinces? How could it be in Jiangsu Province, and at this "high-end" banquet? Could it be some kind of bad taste...
But seeing the teenagers vying for the stool, Zhou Xiao also felt quite happy. After all, these teenagers had all grown up under the watchful eye of her, the nation's producer. Now, seeing them caring about each other, Zhou Xiao...
Zhou Xiao decided to retract his thought. The reason these teenagers were scrambling to sit on that plastic stool was because the legs were faulty. One leg curved noticeably with just a little pressure, making it look like it was of poor quality. And they were scrambling to experience the risk of falling off...
For the first time, Zhou Xiao felt that she could do without the system props. Just as she was considering whether to remove the [Heavenly Sound Lock] prop, the predictable tragedy (comedy) happened. After enduring the malicious twisting of several people, Wu Yanyan, who was sitting on it, unsurprisingly almost fell to the ground with her butt.
As a bystander, Zhou Xiao also had an indescribable burning feeling on his face. While the violin was being played melodiously by the master, the half-spitted "woc" obviously added a bit of "fun" to it.
Ji Shao and Chu Cheng, who were sitting next to Wu Yanyan, also grabbed one of his arms at this critical moment, preventing him from falling to the ground. Wu Yanyan desperately swallowed back the words that had come out of his subconscious.
Zhou Xiao: I’m asking online, do you want to edit this dinner video?
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