Chapter 154
On the day of the event, the "Asian Trend Music" venue in Shanghai was already packed with people. Fans from various artists had already divided up their own areas, awaiting the artists' arrival. Nine Star fans, in particular, clearly occupied a significant portion of the venue.
Zhou Xiao had just arrived at the scene. Because of her camera and the purple sign with the Chinese character "Shao" hanging on her bag, before she could find a good seat in the back, she was escorted from the outer circle of the crowd to the first row by her fans.
Zhou Xiao was escorted in and had just settled into the front row when Qimiao, who had already recognized her, tapped her on the shoulder. "What a coincidence?" Qimiao said with some surprise. She hadn't expected Teacher Xindong to be right in front of her.
Zhou Xiao originally turned her head to say something to Qimiao, but soon she saw two fans next to her who she had never seen offline, but were now carrying big guns.
As if sensing Zhou Xiao's confusion, Qimiao, who was standing behind her, explained in a voice only the two of them could hear, "We opened two new stands after the game. I first saw them when we were distributing the tickets."
Qimiao, like Cheese, is the fan club's offline manager, participating in the regular offline vote counts and vote distribution. She had previously emphasized to her co-hosts that Zhou Xiao and the other two fans should be given front-row seats. For the fan club, at times like these, it's essential to give the best seats to more suitable individuals, such as fans who can take good photos.
The reason this location is so good is because "Asian Pop Music" is imitating the Korean way of commuting. At various Chinese variety show recordings and evening parties, artists typically park their cars at the entrance, and they only greet fans at the entrance.
This time, the "Asian Trend Music" event temporarily installed a path between the parking lot and the main entrance for artists to use as a walkway to their work, effectively creating a red carpet. So, naturally, the front row seats are quite good.
Zhou Xiao nodded in understanding. Tickets would be automatically distributed after the match, and she usually didn't pay much attention to her offline ticket distribution group. Since Qimiao had mentioned tickets, the two new fans should have received tickets as well.
After waiting for a while offline, Zhou Xiao's group heard screams from behind. Apparently, the guests who were scheduled to perform on stage today had already arrived for rehearsal. While there weren't many stages for Asian pop music, NINE STAR was the organizer's designated performer. It was simple: it was all about traffic and excitement.
Once the person was within Zhou Xiao's camera's range, she silently lowered the camera. The person wasn't a Nine Star, but a well-known singer in the industry, Han Wei, who could hold concerts for tens of thousands of people. He was walking down the path, looking like a superstar in the spotlight.
Zhou Xiao, however, had no feelings for him, or even a slight dislike. She remembered a roommate in her college days who stopped following Han Wei after the media exposed his chaotic private life. It's only been three to five years since the revelations, but it's clear the public has completely forgotten his negative image.
Seeing the fans in the audience politely responding to his wave, Zhou Xiao curled her lips. The entertainment industry doesn't have memories, but she does. Amid the cheers from the crowd, Han Wei unceremoniously enjoyed himself before entering the venue.
Zhou Xiao suddenly heard a sound behind her. When she turned around, she saw Qimiao frowning, as if worried about something. Noticing Zhou Xiao's gaze, she whispered, "Xindong, look at this. Why is Han Wei so late compared to the rehearsal schedule?"
Zhou Xiao leaned over to Qimiao and looked at the phone she had held out to him. On the screen was a rehearsal schedule for "Asian Trend Music," which clearly stated Han Wei's rehearsal was from 9:00 AM to 10:30 AM, giving him an hour and a half. However, the phone displayed 10:09 AM, indicating he had arrived an hour later than indicated.
Qimiao remembered Han Wei's tardiness so clearly because according to the rehearsal schedule, Han Wei's next guest was NINE STAR. She was a little speechless and said, "At first I thought he wasn't coming. We won't have to wait another hour!"
Before Zhou Xiao arrived, fans had seen Fan Fang, the artist who was in the lineup above Han Wei, leave the stage after rehearsal. The "Asian Trend Music" event featured a limited number of guest performances, with rehearsals only yesterday afternoon and this morning. So, the crowds weren't just NINE STAR fans, but fans of other artists were also there to reserve seats so they could support their artists offline for the awards ceremony that afternoon.
The fans around Zhou Xiao were now whispering to each other. Initially, no one thought he was late. They all assumed the rehearsal had been delayed by an hour. Otherwise, Han Wei wouldn't have seemed so calm and composed earlier, leisurely interacting with fans offline before entering.
Less than ten minutes after Han Wei entered, a bus slowly pulled into the parking lot. As the people alighted, the atmosphere erupted in excitement. It was none other than NINE STAR, each one wearing a different-colored baseball jacket from the same collection.
The sound of shutter clicks rang out non-stop at the scene. Even the fans who were not fans of NINE STAR could not help but raise their cameras and press the shutter in such an offline atmosphere, not to mention the other fans who stretched their hands high with their phones.
"Ahhh Ji Shao!" "Xiao Shao" "Mommy's such a big son!" "..." When Zhou Xiao stepped onto the path from NINE STAR and rushed to the door of "Asian Trend Music", he could only hear the 360-degree surround screams of his peers.
When Ji Shao came running, the shouts around him all turned into "Ji Shao, don't run" and "Slow down." Hearing the voices, Ji Shao nodded a little embarrassedly, and his pace slowed down significantly, from running fast to moving slowly.
During this time, a sharp-eyed fan seemed to have noticed something and shouted at the top of his lungs in the crowd, "Ji Shao! You! Your bangs are getting longer, you need to cut them shorter!"
Ji Shao, who had been slowly walking towards the tree, paused when he heard this. Pointing at his bangs, he received a positive response from his fans. With a smile on his face, he used his fingers like a pair of scissors to cut through his bangs, as if trimming them.
The cheers at the scene intensified. When Ji Shao gave an OK sign and turned back to walk towards the door, another voice suddenly rose in the crowd: "Ji Shao, straighten your back for Mom. That's what Mom wanted to say, but Mom saw that your back is very straight and Mom is very satisfied!!!"
Zhou Xiao's hands nearly shook with laughter at the unstoppable roar. The fans at the scene were also completely awed by this woman's skill, and all of them were amused beyond measure.
Ji Shao, who was walking in front, was also amused by this incident. He pretended to slightly arch his straight back and tilted his face to one side, as if listening. At this time, a somewhat excited voice came from the crowd, "Ji Shao, straighten your back for the mothers!" Ji Shao nodded in response, pounded his back with a fist with his left hand, and then straightened up and gave the fans a scissors sign.
This series of actions can be said to have mesmerized the fans present at the scene today. It can be said that this kind of response is the scene that "Asian Trend Music" deliberately imitated to open the way to work that they most want to see.
This video was quickly circulated to various fan circles through Zhou Xiao's fan page. Among them, this response is also considered a classic, and is listed as one of the must-learn courses for future idols by many economic companies that send their idols to participate in auditions - the rules of attracting fans offline.
——【Entertainment Forum】——[October 20, noon]
[Topic] I'm going crazy, so are Xiuren fans really always eating so well?
[Main Post] Did he even put on a little interactive skit for the fans offline? I'm dizzy. Look at me, every time he goes offline, he wears sunglasses and a mask, he looks so dead and indifferent to the fans... I really, sir, I have a grudge!
PS: The video points to a blogger @Flipped 悸然心动·Ji Shao
1L
It's normal for people to not want to respond after a hard day's work. It's not working hours after all. And the person the OP mentioned is too good at flattering his fans. It's hard to comment on him.
28L
I hate you, OP. Looking at this, how am I going to watch my stinky-faced video of myself leaving get off work tonight? I suspect I share the same level of worry as you.
57L
Reply to 28L: I think it’s cool to have a sour face occasionally, but I think I’m sick if I have a sour face all the time
98L
After looking at 1L's homepage, the reaction was very real, explaining what double standards are -
I'm good to my fans:
I am good to my family and fans:
142
I don't know if Xiurenfen is really that delicious, but I'm really itching to try it. Why don't I climb down and take a look? Anyone want to join me?
206L
+1+1 Sisters upstairs, please guide me! Invite me to the group! I also like Ji Shao!
…
Ji Shao's short response to his fans went viral, with many influencers spontaneously reposting the heartwarming post. Many in the comment section felt that Chinese artists should emulate these younger idols; even if they can't reach this level, they should at least give their fans the proper respect.
Amidst the chorus of agreement below, someone suddenly posted a picture in the comment section, asking whether the boy group the blogger revealed was the same boy group NINE STAR that Ji Shao was in in the video.
——A certain blog——
@世上好瓜千万个: Tsk, the popular show team that's now marketing and pampering fans, the seniors' agents come to rush them after they've just finished rehearsing. In my opinion, they should learn to respect their seniors before pampering their fans!
[The real industry insiders are pouring oil, hahahaha]
[Bloggers, be careful! Their fans will be there in three seconds.]
[I was wondering why I couldn't stand Ji Shao. It turns out he's like this in private.]
[Which senior? It can’t be Han Wei! ]
[Shocking, Han Wei can even push 666]
【……】
The information in this blog post was quickly carried by forums and marketing accounts, and many netizens who were unaware of the truth quickly sided with Han Wei and accused NINE STAR.
On the lawn, Zhou Xiaozheng and Qimiao were eating on thick picnic mats. Qimiao had driven over dozens of these mats. She'd explained that they were the fan club's offline assets, used as a place for fans to rest.
After Ji Shao left with the main group, the number of fans at the scene also decreased by half. However, no one dared to leave. They had to hold on to the good spots they had finally secured, and they also had to be wary of fans who had only arrived in the afternoon and tried to steal their spots.
Zhou Xiao was eating her meal when she heard Qimiao swearing across from her as she ate. After she understood the reason, she checked a certain Weibo account and saw that the blogger who broke the news had already retweeted it thousands of times. Furthermore, many marketing accounts had copied the blogger's nickname and passed it off as their own, stirring up trouble.
Looking at the numerous discussions filling the screen, many of them were on Han Wei's side. Zhou Xiao took a look at the content and found it a bit strange. Could Han Wei be so blind as to go to such a point?
But Qimiao, standing across from her, was also furious. She took screenshots of the photos and timestamps on her phone while cursing Han Wei for going crazy. They'd only arrived when rehearsal was almost over, so with so little time left, they'd probably only be able to get a private room and sing karaoke.
After a while, Zhou Xiao also saw Zhu Jianfa's post in the small group chat. Most of the fan club members were relatively sober. Qiqi, who had been initially angry, now calmed down after seeing the reasonable and well-reasoned comments from the group. The contact person within the fan club had already contacted Huayao and provided them with the arrival times of Fan Fang, Han Wei, NINE STAR, Yu Di, and Lin Haiyan, who had arrived for rehearsal as of this morning.
"Xindong, who else could it be if not Han Wei who is giving him a hard time?" Qimiao continued to read the comments under the marketing account with a somewhat unhappy look on his face.
Zhou Xiao felt...it couldn't be anyone else. While Han Wei's personal life was somewhat chaotic, he'd appeared on numerous variety shows and been praised for his high emotional intelligence, so he wouldn't be so foolish. Furthermore, he had no prior contact with Nine Star, and with so many fans outside the venue, their cameras and phones could have recorded his arrival.
The person who broke the news is likely trying to use Nine Star's popularity to hurt Han Wei. Of course, nothing is certain in the entertainment industry, so they might be trying to make things difficult for both parties.
If Huayao and Han Wei's economic team were smart, they could have staged a "hello, me, everyone, everyone is happy" drama before the live broadcast. After all, neither side needs this kind of traffic. If this really makes a big deal, the traffic and popularity the organizers can get today will probably increase several times.
Zhou Xiao thought it wasn't her turn to worry yet. As she refreshed the app's interface, Huayao's statement popped up. Just as Zhou Xiao expected, it was a joint statement from Huayao and Han Wei Studio.
Regarding the rehearsal incident, Han Wei apologized to NINE STAR in a statement before his supporters discovered the truth. He apologized for taking up the rehearsal time of his juniors. As for the online revelations, if the other party does not delete and apologize, both parties will take legal action to protect their own interests.
Because the incident was quickly resolved, many netizens who had previously participated in it felt sorry for Ji Shao and NINE STAR. Although Han Wei's lateness was later exposed by netizens, it also made the public feel more favorable towards Ji Shao and felt more guilty about his lateness.
After all, the initial criticism was basically directed at "Ji Shao's boy band", and during the process, Ji Shao's fans were very rational and did not argue with passers-by. After the incident was over, many netizens were actually recommended to Ji Shao.
After experiencing the ups and downs of this half day, the "Asian Trend Music" Awards Ceremony also attracted many passers-by who came to watch the show.
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