Chapter 149
Inside the banquet hall, soothing pure music filled the air. Guests chatted with their heads bowed, or stood up to join in, creating a truly social feast.
Zhou Xiao was led by a waiter to his table. The round table was perfectly positioned, right at the dividing line between the entertainers and the other guests. Besides the guests, there were a number of waiters milling about, as well as photographers carrying cameras through the crowd, filming the scene.
Declining a passing waiter's offer of a drink, Zhou Xiao scanned the banquet hall, trying to find Ji Shao. However, no one from NINE STAR, who had arrived earlier than her, was present.
Although the lights in the banquet hall were a bit dazzling, Zhou Xiao still spotted NINE STAR's nameplate on an empty table not far away. Seeing the table clearly tampered with, she guessed that Ji Shao and the others must have gone backstage to prepare for the upcoming opening performance.
Yes, a list of tonight's guest performers and a list of items for the charity auction were placed on everyone's table. Before Ji Shao appeared, Zhou Xiao opened his phone; the red carpet livestream wasn't over yet.
Many netizens on the trending search forum jokingly claimed that this red carpet livestream was the longest in history. They also happened to have seen the celebrity Zhou Xiao waving to the cameras on the red carpet before. It was none other than Lee An-ben, the second male lead in the Golden Week box office hit "Commander," and behind him was the film's leading male lead, Lin Qun.
The two walked the red carpet one after the other. From the live broadcast, the flashlights in the studio were visibly brighter when Lin Qun was walking. Zhou Xiao saw this and guessed that the red carpet was almost over. Ji Shao, who had "disappeared" at the banquet, should be taking the stage soon.
Soon, the ballroom's spotlights illuminated the stage, making it the brightest and most eye-catching area of the entire venue. As if on cue, the various people who had been socializing in the ballroom returned to their seats, awaiting the official start of the evening's gala.
Zhou Xiao's table had only just begun to gather. Many were holding their phones, recording the evening's events. No one showed the slightest interest in their tablemates. Even those sitting in their own chairs stretched their arms out to touch the back of the head of the young celebrity at the table in front of them.
After a while, when order had been restored, Lü Shi, the editor-in-chief of Luochen Magazine and the host of the evening, took the stage with a smile on his face. He enthusiastically shared with the guests the story of how the "Luochen Charity Gala" brand promotes public welfare.
After his speech, the audience applauded in unison. Lü Shi then continued on stage, "Tonight we're honored to have new friends join our big family. They're NINE STAR, who recently formed from a competition! Please welcome these nine handsome guys!"
Ji Shao, already dressed in stage clothes, followed Wu Yanyan onto the stage. The nine quickly lined up. At the host's signal, Wu Yanyan spoke first, followed by Ji Shao and the others, each introduced to the audience in their respective positions. Everything was going smoothly until Lu Shi introduced NINE STAR member Liang Wendao, mistakenly pronouncing his name as Liang Daowen.
On stage, Liang Wendao looked at the teleprompter across from him and thought to himself, "Liang Wendao!" Those three characters were correct. Then, looking back at Lu Shi, who had mispronounced his name again, he was visibly startled. But the audience was quite quiet at the moment, and no one seemed to notice the mispronunciation. In this atmosphere, Liang Wendao nodded and smiled in acquiescence, accepting the situation and introducing himself to the audience as "Liang Wendao."
Zhou Xiao, sitting in the audience, captured Ji Shao's expression through his camera. He tilted his head to his left, looking at Liang Wendao, his expression serious and thoughtful. In the end, Liang Wendao's response made him swallow back the words he was about to say, and he listened carefully to Xiang Rui and Lin Nan's self-introductions.
Lu Shi, who hadn't noticed she'd called the wrong name, started to cue the next steps after all the NINE STAR members were introduced. "Do you know that we sang the theme song for the movie 'Command'?"
The audience was completely silent, but after Lü Shi mentioned the scene from the movie, a murmur of conversation broke out. Lü Shi smiled and said, "It just so happens that the stars of our film are here too. Would you be interested in performing on stage with our cast?"
The large screen at the scene promptly showed Lin Qun and Li Anben in the audience. The two smiled at each other. Li Anben took the microphone handed to him by the staff on the sidelines and said jokingly, "We two who are tone-deaf, please don't sing. For the sake of everyone's ears, let's go to the original singer!"
There was a burst of laughter at the scene. Looking at the atmosphere, Lu Shi said cheerfully, "Okay, okay, next, please let NINE STAR bring you "You" and the debut stage "Four Seasons"!" Then, she signaled to the members around her and handed the stage to them.
Zhou Xiao, who was sitting in the audience, thought the production team had a pretty good idea of the arrangement. "The General" had been incredibly popular recently, and it was safe to say that many of the celebrities present had at least some familiarity with the film. After all, when the guest list for the gala was released, the two leading actors were undoubtedly the most popular and well-regarded male celebrities of the evening. In a social setting like this, if you want to gain anything, you definitely need to learn more about your target's recent work so that you can demonstrate your sincerity when approaching them.
On stage, Zhou Xiao's camera followed Ji Shao closely. The stage for the Luochen Gala wasn't large, and with the nine members spread out, it visually seemed slightly smaller. But the members quickly adjusted, and the moment the melody struck, along with Ji Shao's godlike introduction, Zhou Xiao, holding his camera, could sense the interest and surprise of many around him.
As for his debut performance, "Four Seasons" was a truly soothing song, fitting perfectly with the theme of the day. The lyrics depict the winds of each season, each possessing a unique healing and warmth. As Ji Shao stood at the edge of the stage, humming the final verse with a smile on his face, the audience erupted in applause.
"Wow, that's great!" "This boy band is pretty good!" "What's the name of this group?" "..." After the performance, many people in the audience were discussing it quietly. For some people in the audience, NINE STAR's newfound popularity outside of trending searches was their first time in the spotlight. After all, live performances are the most direct way to leave an impression.
Zhou Xiao, however, was rather curious. She watched Ji Shao, who was chatting with host Lü Shi in the camera, while a large group of people, their heads bowed, followed him. Ji Shao, speaking to Lü Shi offstage, lowered his head slightly, his expression relaxed and calm, as if he were simply chatting with a friend.
Lü Shi, who was listening carefully to Ji Shao's words, raised her eyebrows slightly, and then she looked at Liang Wendao behind Ji Shao with some surprise. The whole process was very quick. She patted Ji Shao's shoulder, turned her head and said something to Liang Wendao, and then went on stage with the male host.
On the stage, "Thank you to our NINE STAR for the wonderful performance," Lu Shi looked at the camera, "It also let us know that idol boy groups not only have handsome faces, but also have both strength and charm!" After saying this, according to the procedure in the script, the next guest performer should have been invited to the stage.
But Lu Shi didn't look at the prompter across from her. Instead, she turned to look at NINE STAR, who were still standing there. "I want to apologize to NINE STAR member Liang Wendao," she said seriously. "I'm sorry! The guests here tonight are so important that I was so nervous that I called out Wendao's name incorrectly!"
There was a burst of good-natured laughter from the audience, and Liang Wendao, who was standing next to Ji Shao, also waved his hands to indicate that it was okay. All of this was recorded by the live camera.
After seeing Liang Wendao's response from the audience, Lu Shi smiled and said, "Wendao's name, Wen Yi Ming Dao, I will also remember it well. Next time I invite you to dinner, don't refuse!"
Ji Shao in the audience glanced at Liang Wendao who was inexplicably embarrassed and lowered his head. He coughed and whispered, "Respond." Liang Wendao, who was reminded, nodded quickly and made an OK gesture to Lu Shi on the stage.
The incident quickly ended, and NINE STAR, following the waiter to their table, had a truly "star-like" experience. Many passing celebrities greeted them, and from Zhou Xiao's perspective, the nine of them acted like they were playing a little rhythm game, nodding and greeting each other as they made their way around a small circle before finally reaching their table.
The singers on stage belted out their songs, and many people in the audience were already looking for the artists to take photos under the bright, sociable lights of the party. NINE STAR, who had just come off stage and had a minor incident, became a hot commodity.
Guests at charity galas hosted by major magazines aren't necessarily high-end. In fact, aside from invited celebrities and prominent figures in the charity world, most attend at their own expense. For example, at the recent "Luochen Charity Gala," some private clubs received the guest list in advance, allowing interested members to pay tens of thousands of yuan to attend the gala and join the celebrities. Those dreaming of a celebrity appearance could even walk the red carpet.
Of course, this was limited to the club itself. Like Zhou Xiao, a fan page, since Huayao didn't provide tickets, Nine Star fans paid a fortune for their own dinner tickets. Regarding this, Nine Star fans are also complaining about Huayao's stinginess and are skeptical about the lack of tickets. Remember, Nine Star was there as a guest performer, so it's possible their agency used the tickets as a favor.
Many people came to the scene seeking photos, and almost every time one left, another automatically filled their spot. Fortunately, Zhou Xiao saw Huayao's manager enter the scene, seemingly realizing it would be difficult to refuse a new member of their own boy band. After a while, the people gathered around for photos dispersed, looking for their next target.
After the live performances, the evening's highlight came: the auction. While the charity gala featured a wide variety of items, all of them fetched good prices during this live broadcast.
NINE STAR, who participated in the gala, were present as guest performers. They didn't auction off their items or raise placards like other artists. Zhou Xiao didn't know about the performances of other talent agencies, but Huayao Xingyu's plaza had already been heavily criticized by fans. Fortunately, after the evening, the public finally calmed down when they saw NINE STAR's name on the donation list released by Luo Chen.
Of course, both Ji Shao and the other members gained a lot tonight. Not only did Li Anben and Lin Qun come over midway through the party, but throughout the entire evening, they also exchanged contact information with several artists of similar age.
The charity gala hosted by Luo Chen tonight not only raised a satisfactory amount of money for the organizers, but also gained a lot of attention. Many guests who paid for tickets secretly sighed that the money was well spent.
Entertainment forums were still buzzing with discussion about the evening's guests' outfits, but the transition from celebrity attire to whether there were any donations was seamless. Within the Star Path 101 forum, the focus of discussion naturally centered around NINE STAR.
——【Forum】——[October 10th evening]
【Topic】Lu Shi is really great!
[Main Building] As expected of the magazine editor-in-chief, she apologized on stage after saying Xiao Liang's name wrongly! Her attitude was also very good. I just want to say that I won't bother with her about mispronouncing the name hahahaha
1L
To be honest, Liang Wendao obviously made a profit. He is the editor-in-chief of one of the five major magazines... I can't even imagine being treated to a meal just because of a wrong name!
13L
Good luck, Xiao Liang's spring has come (not
26L
Didn’t you notice that the editor-in-chief said “you guys”? #Lu Shi wants to invite Liang Wendao to dinner# You can go to this trending topic and find a video posted by a marketing account.
48L
I said to the person above, maybe he just said it casually, the editor-in-chief is very good at doing things.
75L
Everyone, licking is fine, but know when to stop!
99L
Don’t you think it’s like someone specifically explained Liang Wendao’s name to her?
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