Chapter 169
On the second floor of the teahouse, Zhou Xiao and Li Mo sat at opposite ends of the tea table. They listened to the melodious music and enjoyed a moment of tranquility. Since they were already in Zhejiang Province, they were in no rush to return. After a morning of exploring the local gardens at the appointed time, they found a well-reputed new Chinese-style teahouse nearby to rest.
Zhou Xiao took a sip of tea and saw the willow branches outside the teahouse swaying in the wind, falling through the wooden window. She felt a sudden sense of comfort. Just as she turned her head to look out at the shimmering emerald green lake, Li Mo across from her exclaimed in surprise at what he had seen.
"Xiaoxiao, you..." Li Mo's brows furrowed. She glanced at the screen, then at Zhou Xiao, then handed the phone to him. Still a little angry, she said, "Xiaoxiao, take a look at that blog post Sisi posted in the group chat. Was Zhao Yitong really that rude to you during the shoot?"
Zhou Xiao instinctively searched her pockets, only to realize her phone had died and automatically shut down, right there charging. "I was stood down, but it's not so bad, is it?" She recalled the filming scene, then took Li Mo's phone and read the blog post Qi Sisi had shared with the group.
The person who posted this blog post is a well-known black marketer in the industry. Besides accepting advertisements, every post they publish is full of attacks on artists. Zhou Xiao understood the source of Li Mo's anger after reading the content of the post. She tried to appease the person and explained, "The filming was normal at the scene. The above description is a bit exaggerated."
As if remembering something, Zhou Xiao handed the phone back to Li Mo and turned on the one charging nearby. A moment later, when she logged into her messaging app, she saw hundreds of new messages. Most of them were messages of comfort, inspired by the news of that incident. Zhou Xiao responded to each one in order, saying, "Everything's fine." Then Zhang Hongyu sent a new message, and Zhou Xiao clicked on it, seeing the contents of his previous message.
SY-Zhang Hongyu: Holy shit, Teacher Zhou, did Zhao Yitong really treat you like that? [Blog link [Note 1]]
SY-Zhang Hongyu: I'm really sorry, I've worked with Zhao Yitong before [bows] I never thought she would be like this now
SY-Zhang Hongyu: Sister Zhou, Teacher Zhou!!! Do you want a signed physical album from NINE STAR? Or I can get you one signed by Ji Shao?!
Zhang Hongyu was shocked when he saw the news. After asking Zhou Xiao immediately, he hurriedly asked the makeup artist who accompanied NINE STAR to the Double Eleven Gala for information.
After getting the first-hand information claimed by the other party, Zhang Hongyu combined his many years of experience in the circle and his experience of working with Zhao Yitong to make a judgment, and he was probably sure that the other party was a bit of a big shot on the set.
As for more, such news in the industry is always exaggerated. Zhang Hongyu felt that if Zhao Yitong really scolded Zhou Xiao on the spot, given Zhou Xiao's personality, she would definitely not post Zhao Yitong's photo shoot on her account without any resentment.
Zhang Hongyu heaved a sigh of relief after figuring it out. He rolled his eyes as he and the makeup artist engaged in a "fight." When he asked why the makeup artist hadn't kept up with him about the gossip, the makeup artist, somewhat innocently, told Zhang Hongyu that she'd heard too much gossip the previous night and had forgotten about it.
Zhang Hongyu: Okay, I am in a different world, I can understand
Zhang Hongyu, who had returned to the studio, saw that Zhou Xiao hadn't replied yet. He immediately saw the stack of physical albums in the studio and started typing and sent them over. Just then, he received a message from Zhou Xiao:
Zhou Xiao: That’s an exaggeration. It was a normal shoot, but I won’t shoot her again in the future. I also have a physical album, so you’re welcome.
For Zhou Xiao, Zhao Yitong's on-set attitude was somewhat unexpected. But she wasn't disillusioned. While uncooperative NPCs sometimes appeared in the training room, Zhou Xiao had learned how to comfortably complete filming in these situations. But unlike the training room, reality was different; she still had the right to choose whether to cooperate.
As Zhou Xiao was replying to messages of concern one by one, a friend request with the name "Sun Manping" and the note "Zhao Yitong's agent" popped up.
Li Mo, who was standing opposite him, noticed Zhou Xiao's pause and said softly, "Xiao Xiao, what's wrong?"
Zhou Xiao told Li Mo in front of him that Zhao Yitong's agent had added him. Li Mo quickly stood up and excitedly squeezed next to Zhou Xiao to see what the other party wanted to do with Zhou Xiao.
Sun Manping's attitude was excellent. She first apologized on behalf of Zhao Yitong and Zhou Xiao, then offered to connect Zhou Xiao with resources within the industry as compensation. Finally, she explained the purpose of her visit and stated that their studio was preparing to issue a clarification statement. The statement's content could be reviewed jointly by both parties, and Zhou Xiao could either forward the statement or remain silent.
Before Zhou Xiao could respond, Sun Manping sent a screenshot of her prepared statement, which appeared to be quite sincere. Zhou Xiao clicked on it and saw that the first part asked the marketing account that spread the rumor to delete the post, while the second part stated that Zhao Yitong was professional and did not make a gloomy face during the shoot, nor did she curse at the photographer on set.
Zhou Xiao and Li Mo had just finished reading it when Sun Manping sent another draft over, but this time she deleted words like "black face".
"Why, I feel that this person is strange... strangely fair." Li Mo looked at the content of the latest draft, exchanged a glance with Zhou Xiao, scratched his head and said naively.
Sun Manping wasn't doing this for the sake of fairness, but rather because she was considering the possibility that her artists might collaborate with Zhou Xiao later. Thinking about the male artists like Ji Shao and NINE STAR that Zhou Xiao had photographed, she felt a little tempted.
And from her understanding of Zhao Yitong's personality, she wasn't one to curse on stage. After all, she was already a celebrity, so she was more careful, but her sullen and uncooperative behavior was commonplace. After Sun Manping's repeated attempts to persuade her before the New Year failed, she gave up completely.
She deliberately sent two drafts to let the other party know her sincerity. Zhou Xiao, on the other hand, did understand and carefully read the content of the second draft. She clarified that the point it clarified was indeed a fabrication by the marketing account, so she quickly replied "OK".
When Sun Manping received Zhou Xiao's message, she was a little surprised. Agreeing so quickly? But issuing a statement as soon as possible was paramount. Only after the remote control studio stamped the agreement and posted a scanned copy on a certain blog did she finally feel relieved.
…
After finishing his meal and parting with Li Mo, Zhou Xiao had just returned to the hotel when he heard the electronic sound of the system.
[Ding! Help Ji Shao get the first screen of 3 mainstream apps (1/1), and get a reward of 200,000 yuan in system funds]
[Ding! Detected that the host's mission has been doubled and exceeded, rewarding the photography base with 200,000 yuan in exclusive renovation funds. Please keep up the good work!]
Zhou Xiao heard the system notification tone and opened his phone to access Taobao's exclusive NINE STAR portal. He saw that the previously illuminated unlocking channel had now completely turned dark gray and closed. Below Ji Shao, six glittering logos appeared: those for Blog, Forum, Little Red Potato, Douyin, Hulu, and Jinjiang Literature City.
With the exception of Ji Shao, who has a significant gap in the group, and Chu Cheng and Yan Shu, who are in the second tier, the other members of NINE STAR are all competing closely. While other groups focus on just one, getting six apps to open on the screen is undoubtedly a display of fandom muscle.
Zhou Xiao was also a little surprised. She took screenshots of the six apps and opened the prize directly -
@Flipped_Pingran_Xindong·Ji Shao: Congratulations to @Muzi_Teacher_V and 666 other users for equally sharing the ¥66,600 cash prize. The official results of this lottery have been verified. //@Flipped_Pingran_Xindong…
[picture]
【Ahhh, I won! Thank you, Teacher Xindong!】
[Teacher, remember to spank me next time! I’m crying right now.]
[It is my fate to be a runner-up for eternity. I understand, but I will come again next time [clench fist]]
[Teacher, you drew 666!!!]
【……】
The original draw was for 600 prizes, but Zhou Xiao thought for a moment and decided to send a more auspicious number to cheer everyone up. Seeing a group of friends in the small group wailing about not having won, Zhou Xiao generously sent out a wave of red envelopes, acting like a "giver of wealth." Just as he was about to log off slowly, he received a message from Lin Qianxia.
Zhou Xiao clicked on the message and saw a photo. This time, he didn't even need to click on it to know what it was. The image on the photo was exactly the album cover Xiao Yi had given him earlier. Although the original cover was obscured by the members' signatures, it was the same cover as the one on one of the lyrics books.
She and Lin Qianxia didn't communicate much after the competition, but they would still greet each other on important holidays. In a message from Lin Qianxia, Zhou Xiao learned that the physical album she had bought in seconds at the auction had been shipped, and she estimated that she would receive it the next day or the day after tomorrow.
HY-Lin Qianxia: Mr. Zhou, I've specially prepared a signed physical album of Ji Shao for you. Thank you for your continued support. Is the address still at the Huashang Times Hotel?
Zhou Xiao had originally decided not to collect any more albums; she had no particular fondness for them. But then she realized she didn't need them and could give them away, so she told Lin Qianxia she could send them to the hotel.
Just as she finished chatting with Lin Qianxia, Ji Shao's assistant, Song Xiao, sent another message. Zhou Xiao took a look and, sure enough… it was another album! She accepted both, unsure how many copies they had sent, so she simply accepted them all.
Afterward, Zhou Xiao* pondered, "Huayao's appetite is quite large this time?" Although Huayao was a newly established agency after the competition, their practices were quickly understood by their fans. Only when something is truly "excessive" can the other members' original agencies benefit from Huayao.
Zhou Xiao also didn't detect any resentment towards Huayao from Song Xiao during his conversations with them, suggesting that Huayao didn't ask the members' original management companies to pay for these albums, but rather "gifted" them to them.
Just now, Zhu Jian mentioned in the small group chat that New Town had contacted Ji Shao's fan club. New Town staff asked Digital to give them the address, and they would send ten albums to the fan club. This album was specifically given to the members of the fan club.
As a fan of the show, Zhu Jian was initially shocked. Could the agency be so generous? But seeing the other people in the group looking unsurprised, she finally realized that this was actually a benefit that was publicly offered in the domestic entertainment industry.
Huayao's making such a big fuss, could it be... Zhou Xiao suddenly thought of a book signing event? Or a concert? It didn't seem like a big deal!
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