Chapter 185
That afternoon, Zhou Xiao followed the location Li Mo and Zhu Fa had given him and arrived at a McDonald's near Shenzhen's Da'an Sports Center. Even before reaching the entrance, he could vaguely see through the glass windows that the restaurant was bustling with people.
Zhou Xiao quickly walked under the parasol with a large yellow "M" logo. Just as she was about to ask the two men to find her a spot, her eyes were suddenly drawn to the glass door opening towards her. A colorful decorative sticker showed Ji Shao holding a bowl of spicy wings in one hand, inviting everyone to try. Then, looking away, she saw a NINE STAR advertisement featuring Ji Shao on the other glass door.
She hadn't looked at the pictures carefully yet, but she remembered that this style of stickers had initially sparked dissatisfaction among other fans. Although the issue hadn't been brought up publicly, Zhu Jian and Cheese both looked delighted when they mentioned it to Zhou Xiao.
The offline advertising layout was assigned to the McDonald's representative in China, who was very satisfied with Ji Shao. This conclusion was actually made by Hua Yao, who was initially being pestered by the group's fans, though he quickly realized the inappropriateness and retracted it. With 11 people in a group, someone is bound to see it. Look, this reply was digitally captured.
Of course, the rest of the group later pretended nothing had happened. As for Digital, it was Huayao who specifically sent her a private message asking her not to publicly share that reply. Although only a handful of people within Ji Shao's fan circle knew about this news, Digital felt it was pointless for them to reveal it. After all, everyone in the fandom knew Ji Shao was a distant top player. It would be better to wait and see if other fans would share the news later.
Furthermore, McDonald's collaborative support was also timely. Ever since their last sports meet sponsorship with Blueberry Video, and knowing the strong cohesion and purchasing power of NINE STAR's fanbase, their operations department has invested heavily in producing a large number of blind boxes for individual raffles. A while ago, the buzz surrounding Zhou Xiao's massive gift packs sparked a backlash, and they've even secretly collaborated with NINE STAR on blind boxes.
McDonald's blind boxes are produced in large quantities and are relatively well-made, making them quite popular among fans. Regarding the design of Ji Shao's blind boxes, they even obtained authorization through Huayao. Zhou Xiao was somewhat surprised when he received this news, but he quickly contacted Gu Lu, with whom he had a good relationship, to help review it.
Of course, this was only done after he had confirmed it with the system. The copyright to the cute version of Ji Shao he redeemed from the system in this dimension belonged to him, which was a huge benefit. As for when the subsequent blind box would go on sale at McDonald's, Zhou Xiao had no idea.
After all, the other party was not only a giant in the catering industry but also a global toy distributor, and was also quite strong in marketing. Furthermore, this licensing deal was a significant deal worthy of serious negotiation for both Zhou Xiao and Gu Yun.
Zhou Xiao was still looking at the poster when Li Mo called her. "Xiaoxiao, are you almost there?" Li Mo covered her phone and spoke to Zhou Xiao on the other end. There were so many people inside McDonald's that it was bustling.
And judging by the various items everyone wore, it seemed like most of the people at McDonald's were NINE STAR fans. The reason for this was, of course, because NINE STAR was the spokesperson for McDonald's!
Zhou Xiao could hear the commotion from the doorway. Just as she heard everyone singing NINE STAR's song, she waited until the noise quieted down a bit before immediately replying, "I'm here. I'm standing at the door. Where are you guys? I'll come find you."
"Go through the gate and go straight to the left. Do you see a high-top bar? We're behind that wall!" Li Mo instructed Zhou Xiao over the phone, standing on tiptoe and peering forward. Seeing Zhou Xiao appear around the corner, she waved a pre-prepared, meter-wide sign at him.
He looked at the two people who had become the center of his attention with a certain amusement. The purple sign, after being modified, performed well even during the day. Zhou Xiao wasn't embarrassed, as there were so many illuminated signs in this McDonald's. However, while the crowds were a bit noisy and there was some light pollution, the ground was clear of trash wherever Zhou Xiao passed.
…
Outside the stadium, fans lined both sides of the red carpet, waiting for the artists to arrive after coming to support them offline. Because the Shenzhen Stadium required pre-ticket verification, Zhou Xiao and his group all had their tickets checked before entering. Before the party even began, the three of them continued their conversation.
"I'm truly impressed by Zhao's fans," Li Mo rolled his eyes and started a new topic. On the way, the three of them had already discussed various topics, from speculating about Ji Shao's outfit to discussing gossip posted by marketing accounts. There was no bottleneck in the conversation, and they chatted non-stop the whole way.
"Sisi is also really pissed off by this guy's fans!" Zhu Jian sighed, reading the messages in the group chat. Qi Sisi, who was also in the group, was also filled with indignation. After learning about the incident last time, she deleted the new Zhao Yitong drama she was halfway through. Who would continue watching a friend being bullied by an artist who couldn't even be called a wall-climbing artist?
Fans always have a filter when it comes to celebrities. Judging from the company's previous statement, even though it was already known from industry insiders that Zhao Yitong had stood up Zhou Xiao, and that many of her biggest fans had left because of this incident, some remaining fans still targeted Zhou Xiao, the photographer. While their number was small, they had picked up the sarcastic tone of some of the fan bloggers.
Zhou Xiao wasn't angry, as many people in the industry had come to comfort him after the incident. Naturally, he knew that most people in the industry knew about it, and some even took the opportunity to tell about the suffering they had endured at Zhao Yitong's hands, and then stepped on Zhao Yitong.
Zhao Yitong's reputation in the industry hasn't been bad for a long time, and perhaps her competitors are behind the scenes fanning the flames. Furthermore, she received a special New Year's greeting from Zhao Yitong's agent. Not to mention that she didn't take it seriously, even if she was really angry, her agent's attitude would have eased it.
The "Blueberry Video Starlight Gala" had announced the red carpet schedule on its official account. As the group chatted, Zhou Xiao occasionally kept an eye on the guests. When she saw the guests two spots ahead of NINE STAR had arrived, she beckoned Li Mo to the seats they had already chosen.
The red carpet was star-studded, with many artists Zhou Xiao had worked with present. Zhou Xiao's seat was very close to the artists' round table, and she even unexpectedly greeted Di Jiangtong.
After not seeing each other for a while, Zhou Xiao felt that Di Jiangtong looked much better than when they first met. He had parted ways amicably with New Town at the beginning of the year and was now working for a well-known international music production company.
Zhou Xiao knew about it earlier than netizens. At the end of December last year, Di Jiangtong even sent Zhou Xiao an invitation. She invited Zhou Xiao to shoot a set of photos for her, giving herself and her fans a fresh start.
It was at this point that Zhou Xiao realized he was looking to leave New Town. Recalling Di Jiangtong's interactions with the crew during the shoot, she wondered if he was still considering whether to renew his contract or sign with a new company. Zhou Xiao wasn't sure, but she accepted the offer.
NINE STAR's red carpet is always full of style, and seeing Ji Shao in his long black trench coat whirring in the wind was incredibly handsome. Besides the cheers he drew on the red carpet, the audience erupted in screams when a group of artists, most of whom were over 1.8 meters tall, arrived in unison.
Zhou Xiao estimated the time and spotted Ji Shao the moment he entered the venue. His windbreaker swayed as he walked, and his hair, dyed black again at some point, gave him the air of a Hong Kong film star from the last century.
However, this feeling was quickly shattered. The drinks on the NINE STAR round table were all milk. Apparently, there were some activities going on, and alcohol was strictly prohibited.
Looking at Ji Shao, who sat with a serious expression, shaking the milk in his red wine glass... Zhou Xiao couldn't help but smile as he filmed, watching the assistant holding a liter of milk, preparing to refill the glass. It seemed that this assistant teacher had a good relationship with the members, and this appearance of a professional "wine pourer" was quite fitting.
The red carpet's star attraction was Yuan Yili, who had just returned to China. She appeared on the red carpet in the same dress Zhou Xiao had photographed for her. For an artist of her caliber, fans can't really care about her anymore. The departure photo was taken at Shen Lin's suggestion, and surprisingly, it turned out quite well.
The wind in Shenzhen was particularly beautiful today. Walking on the red carpet, the flowing organza ribbons were blown by the wind. The beautiful face and the figure wrapped in the organza once again stunned everyone.
Yuan Yili's red carpet performance and departure photos have once again become a hot topic. Previously, many people thought that while the studio photos were stunning, the actual scene wouldn't be much better. However, it wasn't until the release of videos and media photos of the live red carpet that people realized how rare it is to capture this ethereal beauty in photos.
Inside the evening's venue, as various celebrities took their seats, the awards ceremony began. Unlike previous performances, NINE STAR did not perform during the opening stage. When all the performances ended, with no Easter eggs, many in the audience kept their eyes on the members at the round table.
Yu Di, the host of the evening, couldn't help but smile as he observed the audience's gazes as he cueed the proceedings. He glanced at the cue card in his eye and gestured for the award presenter, seated in the first row, to come on stage. After a speech, the awards ceremony began.
Zhou Xiao looked down at the chat in the small group. Several people were talking animatedly about the fact that NINE STAR didn't have a stage.
【Happy and auspicious】
Li Mo (Little Tail): The evening party without Ji Shao's stage is like a pile of loose sand TAT
Qi Sisi (Sisi): No stage? Then I'll just wait for Xiaoxiao's candid video, boring!
Zhu Jian (Yirou Kegang): Hey, maybe there is one? In the past, there was always a stage at the evening party, but this time we are back at home, so no one thought to ask if there is a stage at the connecting party.
…
#BlueberryStarlightGala# was trending, with fans eagerly anticipating this event after not seeing a fresh performance for two weeks. Huayao was also closely monitoring online public opinion, and as the response grew, staff quickly reported the information.
Meanwhile, the Vice President of Blueberry Video stood center stage, announcing the "Most Popular Group of 2023." As soon as the award was announced, many eyes turned to NINE STAR. As the last winner, the members seemed to be sitting on the sidelines from the start, concentrating on eating at their tables.
Ji Shao was chewing his food in the audience. When he heard the words "Most Popular Team" in the venue, he keenly met Wu Yanyan's eyes, swallowed his food, and reminded the other members.
Ji Shao had a good idea and returned to normal before the camera moved towards them, but he forgot that there were many cameras in the audience seats at the back that were always aimed at them.
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