Chapter 158
"Here they come!" a voice called out from nowhere, and the crowd near the platform moved like a wave. Zhou Xiao, like most people in the backfield, stood up and looked behind him.
The people who arrived weren't the artists, but rather several burly bodyguards. They were all holding megaphones, urging fans to make way for them. The crowd below was also cooperative, but due to the sheer density, progress was incredibly slow.
By the time the bodyguards had barely managed to connect the entrance to the previously established passage, more than ten minutes had already passed. More and more fans and onlookers were rushing in offline. Even the mall's escalators had been paused, leaving many people standing by to watch the excitement.
This unsafe behavior was soon noticed by the mall manager. In addition to persuading the person to get off, they also arranged for employees to monitor the escalator.
A middle-aged man on the DL platform watched the scene, wiping his sweat with a handkerchief. Zhou Xiao, who was sitting in the audience, thought that even with the spotlights on the stage, it shouldn't be this hot at this time. It could only be said that this man was a little mentally unstable.
Zhou Xiao, sitting not far from the stage, could faintly hear a man's hoarse voice above the clamor of the crowd. He made two requests to the person on the other end of the phone. First, more security was needed; the situation on the scene had exceeded expectations. Second, the teleprompter on the scene was broken and a new one was needed immediately.
A short-haired girl sitting next to Zhou Xiao couldn't help but sigh at the sight. "DL is a bit too arrogant. Didn't they even research Ji Shao's popularity offline before inviting him here?"
She held a fan that had belonged to Ji Shao. Though her tone hinted at disappointment, she waved it with a carefree air. As she spoke, her gaze met Zhou Xiao's, and the two quickly reached a mutual understanding. Yeah, they were definitely on the same page!
"I've considered it, but it's still beyond my imagination..." Zhou Xiao continued after the crowd outside the venue gradually quieted down.
"I guess I only considered Zuo Xing and Qiu Haoyan's offline appeal before, and thought of being lazy and directly comparing Ji Shao one-on-one. I didn't expect to fail now." The short-haired woman shook her head and curled her lips.
Zhou Xiao nodded and cast her gaze back. The crowd was already agitated. Zhou Xiao didn't watch much drama, and wasn't very familiar with the other two stars on the stage today. Of course, she had specifically researched the two artists who would be performing with Ji Shao.
According to online reports, Zuo Xing and Qiu Haoyan are longtime friends of DL, having been recognized as close friends of the brand earlier this year. So, with Ji Shao sharing the stage with these two, many online sources have been reporting that DL is planning to sign Ji Shao and give him a close friend title.
Zhou Xiao and his friends had discussed this in their group chat, but everyone agreed that it was a no-go for the year, at least. Just look at XS: luxury brands that want to collaborate deeply with Ji Shao have to use NINE STAR as a group agent. Furthermore, this was DL's first collaboration, so if this event made a good impression on the brand, it would be ideal for future collaborations.
"Ahhhh" "Ji Shao!" "Xiao Shao, look here!" "..." The original little restlessness immediately changed qualitatively. Because of Ji Shao's arrival, the situation in the mall was almost out of control.
Zhou Xiao stood up and pointed his camera at Ji Shao, who was currently being guarded by bodyguards. Standing in the crowd, Ji Shao, dressed in a light blue suit and a white T-shirt, looked exceptionally clean and fresh.
"Ji Shao! You smell so good!!!" A voice from the offline section seemed to break through a barrier, echoing clearly throughout the entire mall. Ji Shao, who was being reminded of his own fragrance for the first time, couldn't help but laugh. Looking around and not finding anyone shouting, he and his bodyguard signaled to stop.
Zhou Xiao saw him standing on tiptoe, raising his hands high and spraying perfume around and upwards. After he "sprayed" twice, as if completing a task, he sighed and said, "Okay, now you smell better than me~"
"Help!" Zhou Xiao and the short-haired girl beside him were so adorable by Ji Shao's gesture that they couldn't help themselves. Even Zhou Xiao, who considered himself a seasoned man, thought so, not to mention the many fans offline who were meeting Ji Shao for the first time. Their faces flushed red at the humiliation, unexpectedly bringing a brief moment of quiet to the mall.
Once inside, the bodyguards who had been protecting him breathed a sigh of relief. After thanking the other big brothers, Ji Shao quietly waited for the other two artists to arrive. But even though he was quiet, the fans around him couldn't calm down even after returning to normal.
Standing still, Ji Shao heard the shouts from the crowd. Hearing the shouts, he smoothly spun around in a 360-degree circle, greeting everyone. While attending to the fans on the ground floor, he also kept in mind the fans upstairs. Thanks to his sincerity and positive attitude, Ji Shao's online chat room immediately gained a large number of new fans shortly after the stand ended.
Fortunately, because he was attracting the attention, the remaining two artists were able to enter the DL platform with relative ease under the escort of bodyguards. With the arrival of all three artists, the DL offline performance officially began.
"Our DL stage is truly star-studded today!" the host said with a smile, looking at the three people on stage. "I'm sure all the fans here know our three guests, but I think they should still introduce themselves! How about letting our new friend Ji Shao come and say hello to the fans first?"
Ji Shao, standing on the far left, readily raised the microphone and said, "Hello everyone here, I'm Ji Shao from NINE STAR! I'm very happy to be participating in DL's activities. At the same time, Ji Shao and DL hope that everyone will like them~"
As soon as Ji Shao finished speaking, someone on the second floor shouted down loudly, "I love it so much!" Everyone laughed, and the atmosphere on the scene became much more cheerful for a while.
Zhou Xiao was photographing Ji Shao when he suddenly noticed the brooch pinned to his suit collar. It was a delicately crafted lavender chinaberry flower brooch. It resembled lavender clouds blending into the blue sky, adding a unique sense of vitality and softness.
After a brief moment of distraction, Zhou Xiao looked at Ji Shao, who was actively collaborating with the host on the stage to explain the skincare benefits of the DL brand. Compared to the other two spokespeople, who only offered simple, dry refrains like "staying up late less and going to bed early," Ji Shao seemed to have done his homework.
Offline appearances usually don't last too long. With three artists on stage, Zhou Xiao estimated it would be over in an hour at most. Because the new teleprompter hadn't arrived yet, Zuo Xing was stumbling a bit when discussing DL's skincare ingredients. Zhou Xiao noticed Ji Shao nearby putting down the microphone and whispering a reminder.
As for another person who was speechless, Qiu Haoyan could only introduce another skin care product to the audience after a brief silence, relying on the host's prompts.
Zhou Xiao looked at the calm face of the DL representative standing in the audience and realized that this situation was commonplace for the brand. However, Ji Shao's behavior, which seemed normal to most people, surprised him a little.
As a newcomer, Ji Shao not only actively cooperated when the host cue him, but also "secretly" greeted fans on the stage when the host asked questions to the other two artists, allowing the fans present to fully enjoy their offline experience.
This performance made even some fans who came specifically for Zuo Xing and Qiu Haoyan sigh in their hearts that Ji Shao was very capable.
At that moment, Ji Shao, having heard the exclamations from upstairs, looked up and waved. His bright eyes flickered upward, and when he saw the banner hanging on the guardrail, a dimple appeared at the corner of his mouth. He pointed at the banner that read, "Hello Ji Shao, check out my abs," and waved his index finger back and forth in response.
When Zhou Xiao moved the camera lens towards the banner and then back to Ji Shao on the stage, she discovered that the young man on the stage was looking at her camera.
Seeing the camera of his fangirl turn back to himself, Ji Shao puffed out his chest slightly and proudly showed off the brooch he had specially customized.
——【Forum】——[October 24th evening]
【Topic】It’s really easy to tell if an artist is just empty-headed at an offline event
[Main Post] Just came out of the trending search and was about to check out the next forum, but I found there were no posts discussing it. Ah, it turns out that their group's favorite was completely crushed by our newcomer Ji Shao~
1L
Hahahahahahaha
26L
I heard that the offline prompter was broken this time, but as an artist, you should at least prepare carefully when endorsing a brand. If you don't bring your brain, you will just do it.
59L
If anyone says that there is a gap between show people and actors, I will throw a heart-pounding video to them and let them see who has the gap in the video.
97L
If you ask me, there is no need to use a heart-moving video. Just go to Ji Shao's super chat and find a video shot by an offline fan.
131L
Aren't you curious about each of NINE STAR's signature items? I heard Huayao will be releasing a series of merchandise alongside their physical albums. So far, Ji Shao's is neem blossom, Wu Yanyan's is jasmine, but what about the others?
167L
Reply to 131L: Xiaogua previously revealed that there are not only plants but also animals. Anyway, it depends on what the various fan clubs submit to Huayao, and then add the members' preferences to find out.
…
After the group’s press conference, each fan club received a notice from Huayao, asking the members to choose one of the representative items they submitted as their own exclusive logo.
Zhou Xiao wasn't sure about the other families. Initially, his family had considered choosing from a variety of animals, but the fan club left the decision to Tiaosi. After a series of nominations and a final vote, they selected several items and submitted them, including the chinaberry flower.
When Zhou Xiao first saw Ji Shao's brooch, he immediately thought of the original vote and wondered if he would choose the chinaberry flower. But when he saw him deliberately display the brooch in front of the camera, he confirmed Ji Shao's final choice.
It wasn't just her. Ji Shao's fans at the scene erupted in cheers of excitement upon seeing his actions. This left the other two fans somewhat bewildered. Why were they so excited? Ahem, I was also in the stands watching Ji Shao just now, and I didn't seem to notice anything unusual about his actions.
Little did they know that this was a small interaction between Ji Shao and the fans at the scene that was tacitly understood.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
