Chapter 179
At the book signing, the prelude to "Wind" began to play. As the lead single from NINE STAR's debut mini-album, and with Xiao Yi personally producing it, the song has become quite popular online.
The fans in the venue all sang along, their parts coordinated perfectly, and with such tacit coordination, the performance was surprisingly effective. Just as the climax chorus was about to begin, the members, microphones in hand, walked to the center of the stage, accompanied by bodyguards, singing along.
Zhou Xiao, watching Ji Shao mutter his final words with his eyes closed, moved his camera. The book signing event itself didn't include a performance, so many people were pleasantly surprised to hear the members' performance live.
"Fans, please line up in advance according to the lottery order..." After the announcement repeated three times, the first eighteen fans in the lottery were ready. Before the signing event began, everyone scanned the QR code displayed on the large screen in the center of the stage to determine their unique signing order.
Zhou Xiao's seat was in the middle of the first row, a perfect seat with the right time, place and people. Although he had drawn number 666, he had to admit that the feeling of chasing stars up close was really too comfortable.
After the members took their seats and waited for the first fan to come from the left to the right, many of them took this opportunity to interact with the fans in the audience.
Zhou Xiao, sitting in the audience, was feeling a mix of emotions, watching the camera flash through multiple eye contact scenes in a single second. No wonder some book signings, which rely on album sales, are so fiercely sought after!
Besides the fans who truly love the rich woman, the fans on the fan page are also desperately trying to get to the front. It seems that there are simply too many views in the first row, and they can quickly recoup their losses by simply selling them in bulk.
On the stage, some fans, their brains twitching with nervousness, were now obediently lining up. Especially when it was their turn, their minds were already a blur. Those with little autograph-signing experience were forced to squeeze out a few dry words with their brains blank.
At the start of the book signing, the staff were quite strict. Not only were proxy signings prohibited, but there was also a strict one-minute time limit. As the timer ran out, the stern-faced bodyguards would glance over. Only after the atmosphere gradually brightened did these restrictions begin to ease.
When a fan brought her own headband onto the stage and asked the members to wear it, and as the staff nearby opened the box and took out the headdress, Zhou Xiao in the audience suddenly realized what was in the box.
After Huayao announced the signing event, the fan club solicited headpieces from fans, which would be sent to Huayao. While some fan clubs purchased props with their own funds, some even sent in large, handmade velvet flower crowns, a craftsman who garnered considerable attention in Ji Shao's fan circle.
Zhou Xiao, watching from the sidelines, noticed a bodyguard carefully lifting a wooden box from a crate. She immediately realized the box's size was familiar. As the vibrant velvet flower peeked out from the slowly opening box, Zhou Xiao immediately unhooked her camera from its tripod, waiting for the moment Ji Shao was about to put it on.
The intangible cultural heritage velvet flower came alive under the stage lights. As the corolla moved, its branches and petals trembled slightly, making it appear as if a real wreath of fresh flowers had been placed on Ji Shao's head. The lavender china blossoms dangling from his right ear accentuated the craftsmanship. Zhou Xiao observed the harmonious interweaving of man and velvet flower captured by the camera, and for a moment, he was intrigued.
After donning the flower crown, Ji Shao at the field responded attentively to fans' requests. When he took the phone from the person in front of him and took a selfie together, the crowd immediately erupted in excitement.
Holy Light series, plush fox ears, face chains, bubble machines... from headwear to facial accessories to various props in the hands, coupled with Ji Shao's energetic interactions every time, even passers-by who watched the entire autograph session video shot by Zhou Xiao afterwards couldn't help but get into the game.
"No. 658, 659... 666 are ready!" Zhou Xiao reattached his camera to the tripod after hearing the staff's instructions. The camera had been in Zhou Xiao's hands since he first took it off to shoot.
The signing event wasn't slow. Although many fans were reminded to leave after exceeding the time limit, it still took less than an hour and a half for Zhou Xiao to get her turn. She pulled out her album and autograph book from her bag. Huayao only allowed these two items for fans to bring on stage for autographs; they didn't even need to bring a pen.
Compared to other fans, Zhou Xiao is considered a staff member who has worked with NINE STAR. Some members recognized Zhou Xiao when signing autographs, but everyone was very polite. Zhou Xiao simply chatted with them about the weather or asked for any special food recommendations.
When it was Ji Shao's turn, Zhou Xiao handed over the album and autograph booklet at the beckoning of a bodyguard. Contrary to her expected calm demeanor, she inexplicably became nervous in the atmosphere of a book signing.
Sitting behind the stage, Ji Shao was wearing headphones. With his pink hair, he looked like the lead in an esports drama. While waiting, he'd occasionally interact with the fans.
After receiving the item, Ji Shao lowered his head, opened the notebook, and carefully signed his name. Before he spoke, he raised his head and said something to the bodyguard beside him. Then he looked at Zhou Xiao, his eyes sparkling.
Zhou Xiao's inexplicable nervousness naturally dissipated at this moment. With a smile, she asked the boy in front of her, as if chatting with a close family member, "Did you see the support last night?"
Ji Shao nodded vigorously several times, so vigorously that the headphones on his head almost swayed off. The corners of his mouth curled up with uncontrollable joy, "Thank you, Sister Xiaoxiao, I saw it all!"
…
At Huashang Times Square, more and more people were gathering offline. Cheese, squatting on the ground, looked at the fans, divided into groups of 50, and then at the many people walking towards them with arms around each other. She turned her head to look at the unlicensed worker standing with his hands on his hips and said solemnly, "Bao, why are there so many people offline?"
For a small-scale event like a book signing, while in-person support wasn't necessary, Cheese, being a fan club member, volunteered to help maintain order. He also helped organize the crowd and went along to the photo exhibition.
Zhou Xiao had previously given Cheese a conservative estimate of around 600 attendees, including fans who showed up for the book signing. But who could have predicted such a large turnout for a photo exhibition in such a remote location? Many even drove all the way there themselves!
After the book signing ended, Zhou Xiao and Zhu Jian emerged from the square, looking at the densely packed formations, like they were undergoing military training. A moment of silence passed between them. They exchanged a glance, each expressing their sincere admiration for Cheese's abilities.
"Hey, come here!" The dog hid stealthily under the streetlight. Cheese waved at Zhou Xiao and whispered, "There are probably several hundred people. Do you have enough cars?"
Zhou Xiao thought about it and realized that he had prepared twenty large buses for this photo exhibition. Each bus could seat 50-55 people, so there would definitely be enough seats.
"I've chartered twenty buses. With the fans at the signing event included, there should still be plenty of space left!"
"That's good. I was worried that the car you booked might be too small!"
But she didn't expect that some fans from other groups who were not originally in her calculations were moved after hearing the fans at the scene say that they were so excited that they wanted to charter a bus to take them to see the photo exhibition.
Many people thought about the satisfactory response they received at the book signing event and asked in detail whether there were any super topic level restrictions. After understanding the situation clearly, this group of people began to spontaneously form groups of 50 and expand one "military training" camp after another.
By the time the three returned to the venue, Huashang Times Square was already bustling with activity. Many fans, some of whom were fans of their own fans or teammates, were listening intently to Ji Shao's detailed replay of the event, creating a lively atmosphere in the square.
As she simply counted, Cheeseton, who had been relieved, felt something was wrong. The number of people on the field was now much greater than before she had discussed it with Zhou Xiao!
Zhou Xiao checked the time. It was already past five in the afternoon, almost the same time she'd booked on a certain blog. She glanced at the bustling but still orderly crowd, using the loudspeaker Cheese had placed in the car.
After opening it, he spoke with a small voice, "Hello, hello, hello? Hello everyone, can you hear me? Please stop chatting for a moment!" After repeating this three times, Zhou Xiao looked at the crowd that gradually quieted down and continued, "Hello everyone, I'm Pingren Xindong..."
Before he could even finish his words, many people in the hall cheered. Zhou Xiao played the previously recorded voice message three times, waited for the crowd to quiet down, and looked at the sparkling eyes of everyone in the hall looking at him.
The corners of his mouth curled up involuntarily beneath his mask as Zhou Xiao explained the bus capacity issue to everyone, saying it was a miscalculation, but that he would arrange taxis to take the remaining fans to the photo op. A girl standing not far from Zhou Xiao raised her hand. Zhou Xiao paused for a moment, then looked at her, signaling for her to speak.
The girl looked around and was initially surprised that the girl had noticed her behavior. Later, when the crowd looked at her, she said a little embarrassedly, "I drove here by myself. If you trust me, three sisters, please take my car!" After the girl said this, many people in the square followed suit.
"I drove here too, why don't you guys come with me?"
"Yeah, there are so many cars parked outside, it's going to hinder people from getting around! It's perfect, we can help share the burden and move the cars away!"
"Teacher Xindong, please don't take a taxi, we will make our own arrangements!"
"Well, sister, give me the address of the photo exhibition and I'll send a few sisters over."
“…”
Many fans at the scene had already finished their discussion and were waiting for Zhou Xiao to send the address. Someone seemed to remember that the address was on the "Pang Ran Xin Dong" blog post, and was calling on everyone to go and see it for themselves.
Zhou Xiao watched this scene, ignored the system prompt sound, ignored the soreness in his eyes, turned on his phone and contacted the person in charge of Huashang Times.
The big screen in Huashang Times Square has been advertising the housing prices of a certain villa complex. The fans who have been waiting in the venue for a while have almost been brainwashed and memorized it, but everyone just treats it as background noise.
When the passionate voices of "A famous city becomes a famous school" suddenly stopped, some fans who had been standing under the big screen and had been addicted to tea for a long time raised their heads sharply and saw that the advertisement had been replaced with the address of the photo exhibition.
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