Chapter 186
On the big screen, a video pre-edited by the organizers was displayed. At the final announcement, the voice of the Vice President of Blueberry Video on stage merged with the video, "The most popular group of 2023—NINE STAR, the new generation national boy group from the beginning of Star 101!"
"Let us congratulate NINE STAR and invite everyone to come up on stage to receive your awards and accept the honor that belongs to you," Yu Di said in a loud voice. "We would also like to invite Mr. Jin Gong, our honorary presenter of this award, to present the awards to the members."
On the stage, as soon as Yu Di finished speaking, he took advantage of the moment when the camera was moving towards NINE STAR and hurriedly grabbed Jin Gong, the vice president of Blueberry Video, who was unfamiliar with the procedure and was about to leave the stage.
Under Zhou Xiao's lens, Ji Shao, who was in the audience, stood up along with the other members. His crisp black windbreaker made him look especially neat and tidy, and he moved with a certain coolness and elegance.
"Okay, everyone, please stand in the middle," Yu Di, who had helped the other members get into position, said jokingly, looking at an old acquaintance standing alone. "Teacher Jin Gong, after you finish presenting the awards, you have to stand next to Ji Shao. Otherwise, it will be difficult for our media staff to take photos!"
Jin Gong, standing on the stage, looked around. His height was considered quite good for an average person, but the long line of tall people surrounding him immediately exposed his height issue. He had originally considered standing to the side, but after being urged by his old acquaintance Yu Di, he generously approached Ji Shao in the crowd, shook his hand, and then naturally stood in the middle.
As a senior executive at Blueberry Video, Jin Gong treated NINE STAR with a kindly, childlike warmth. Breaking free of his usual aloofness, he not only shook hands with each member but also joked about his height with Ji Shao and Wu Yanyan, who were standing beside him on stage.
With nine members plus Jin Gong, a noticeable dent quickly formed on the stage, prompting a flurry of good-natured laughter from the audience. Ji Shao, who was on stage, also heard it. After a moment's reflection, he reached out and patted Wu Yanyan's shoulder. The two exchanged glances, then, in tacit understanding, simultaneously stepped back slightly to the side, visually filling the dent.
All of this was recorded by Zhou Xiao in the audience. Many middle-aged artists at the round table were the most cheerful, and of course they were also big names. During the filming, she suddenly realized why so many artists were still there.
Today's artists are not like the old ones who would usually leave the venue directly after receiving their awards, but today it seemed that there were quite a few people staying in the backstage.
Wu Yanyan, the team leader, was speaking on stage, while Ji Shao and Jin Gong had already started chatting nearby. Zhou Xiao saw that the two seemed to be getting along quite well. Although he couldn't hear what they were saying, the smiles on their faces suggested a good atmosphere.
While they were talking, Ji Shao in the camera showed a pensive expression on his face after hearing what Jin Gong said to him. After a long while, he resumed communicating with the other party.
After the Blueberry Video Starlight Gala awards ceremony concluded, the members gathered to discuss something after receiving their trophies and returning to their seats. Zhou Xiao remounted his camera on the tripod, adjusted the lens angle, and turned his gaze toward the stage.
The original electronic screen was divided into three sections: Variety Shows, Film and Television, and Music. The artists, who hadn't left the stage after receiving their awards, were all watching intently, many even taking out their phones to film the action. Clearly, none of the resources advertised had yet been exposed to them.
In the variety show section, Zhou Xiao saw Blueberry Video's eye-catching Ace Online Variety Show, and also saw the NINE STAR group variety show revealed by Zong Zhengqian at the concert below, and the estimated broadcast time above was the third quarter of this year.
She lowered her eyes and saw that Zhu Jian had already posted the broadcast schedule to the group, sparking a heated discussion within the group. Zhou Xiao, after reviewing the chat logs, concluded that everyone in the group estimated that the group variety show would most likely be recorded in the first quarter, or even this month.
Before the vice president left the stage, Ms. Zeng, who oversees entertainment at Blueberry Video, arrived, and the two began analyzing market developments. As Zhou Xiao listened, he suddenly noticed Ji Shao and his group, bent over, being escorted away by assistants.
Some of the artists in the backstage even offered greetings, showing no sign of displeasure at being interrupted. Only once NINE STAR had completely left did a few roll their eyes in annoyance. Zhou Xiao's camera faithfully captured all of this. Although it was later cut during the editing of Ji Shao's evening show, all the original footage has been carefully preserved.
After a brief delay, by the time the discussion on stage reached her ears again, the two Blueberry Video executives had already moved on to other areas. Zhou Xiao simply unloaded her camera and prepared to export the photos for editing. Although the noise on stage was low, Shanren had a clever idea. She pulled noise-canceling headphones from her bag and engaged in immersive photo editing at the party.
Zhou Xiao's three selected photos seemed to be edited quickly. She took off her headphones just in time to hear Engineer Jin coming to the end of his speech, which happened to be on the show "Everyone's Running." She quickly edited and sent the edited photos, then listened intently. Zhou Xiao recalled that this melon had once been linked to NINE STAR.
——A certain blog——
@FlippedPan Ran Xin Dong·Ji Shao: #Ji Shao Super Talk# Starlight Gala·Today's Starlight Gala
STAR-Ji Shao V
[Picture][Picture][Picture]
Picture 1 is Ji Shao walking against the light. The people and background behind him are blurred. His black windbreaker is supported by his broad shoulders. Combined with the sharpness in his eyes at this moment, it looks like a blockbuster photo shoot.
The second picture shows Ji Shao leaning against the back of the chair, with his right hand raised and holding a wine glass. In the atmosphere of the venue, he has a sense of unrestrained and uninhibited. Of course, the premise is to ignore the milk in the wine glass.
Picture 3 shows Ji Shao with bulging cheeks. He is holding a piece of bread with a big bite in his hand and is observing the photography teacher in front of him with a vigilant look.
[Ahhh, the teacher will post pictures! The contrast in the second picture! Why didn’t you photoshop Xiao Shao’s milk into wine, hahahahahaha]
[On the surface, he's a cool guy, but in private, he's a squirrel munching away on food! Huayao isn't providing food? Look how hungry the child is!]
[I’m determined to stand out among all the mom fans! There are so many photos of Xindong Teacher!]
I want the little animal in the third picture. Please transfer 3,000 yuan to my bank account. When you drive it to my house, please also bring a gift pack!
【……】
Less than a minute after posting these photos, they'd already been shared thousands of times. Elsewhere, in the stylishly designed office, the air was thick with the scent of high-end perfume. A woman sat in a chair, scrolling through the new photos Zhou Xiao had taken of Ji Shao, her expression a look of immense satisfaction.
On the other computer screen on the desk was the exact same departure map that Yuan Yili Studio had sent out at noon. Besides the two monitors, there was also a magazine on the desk, an unopened August issue.
…
Inside the venue, Jin Gong continued, "We plan to create a super star lineup for this project, and the first recording of 'Everyone Runs Away' will be held at the end of the month!" He smiled and said, "If any of the artists here are interested in trying out this large-scale creative reality game show, then we warmly welcome you—"
Amidst the applause from the audience, Zhou Xiao heard a system notification in his mind: [Beep! NINE STAR team event "Everyone's Running Fast" detected, automatically issuing press conference ticket*1]
This confirmed Ji Shao's participation in the recording. Zhou Xiao looked at the Blueberry Video vice president, who had already finished his speech on stage. He seemed to be covering his ears as if listening to the director's voice. "Everyone's Running" was the last segment of the evening show, and after the applause, people began to leave.
Zhou Xiao always waited until most people had left before leaving. At that moment, many people were jostling each other, anxious to leave. Staying last would only give him a few minutes longer than them. However, if he drank too much water during a session, he would definitely be in a hurry to leave.
"Ahem," a voice echoed from the stage. Zhou Xiao turned around and saw Yu Di speaking again. "Time was tight on the stage, so we didn't originally have this process. But because the audience, both live and on screen, had such high expectations for NINE STAR, the members took the initiative to ask to give everyone a song after learning about it!"
"Although the members had just finished filming and hadn't rehearsed before attending the party, I'm sure the melody of this song is already etched in their minds! Well, let's welcome '2023's Most Popular Group' NINE STAR to bring us 'Will', which is sweeping the music charts!"
As soon as he finished speaking, a familiar melody sounded. Zhou Xiao's camera, which he had not yet put away, faithfully recorded this impromptu extra performance.
Because they hadn't rehearsed, the prelude played before NINE STAR even took the stage. The members, who were still rushing to the stage, were already alarmed when they heard the melody, thinking something was amiss.
Many of the audience members who had been heading for the exits stopped in their tracks when they heard the melody. Hearing one more song was a steal, especially when it came from such a popular group. As the first verse was about to begin, and before NINE STAR even appeared on stage, a sudden clamor erupted from the audience.
At the same time, Zhou Xiao, sitting in the first row of the audience, vaguely saw a black figure running towards him. At the penultimate syllable, the figure thrust his arm toward the stage and, like a nimble cat, swiftly flipped onto the stage. The next second, Ji Shao's steady, god-like intro echoed throughout the venue.
"Who's this? He's a great fighter!" "Sister, can you do that?" "Wow! That scared me!" "..." At the round table, the artists who hadn't left were all more or less amazed by Ji Shao's moves. The sudden sight of his skill from such close range, coupled with the arc his windbreaker drew in mid-air, made many people's eyes light up in this situation.
While the artists were focused on their skills, the audience, aside from those in the front rows who remained intently watching the performance, were pleasantly surprised by Ji Shao's opening. The success of "Jiang" (Wang) stems not only from the film itself but also from the singer's voice. While many covers of "Jiang" have been released on various video platforms, Ji Shao's part remains unmatched.
Although they didn't know where Ji Shao came from at first, they could tell immediately that he was singing for real when they saw him sing a few more lines while the other members were still catching their breath. Many music producers in the audience lit up their eyes and began to look at Ji Shao, who was holding the microphone on the stage.
Although it was rushed and unrehearsed, and the director forgot to switch perspectives, the sudden arrival of "Jiang" was undoubtedly the most exciting performance of the night. At the end, some people in the audience joined in the excitement and shouted "Encore, Encore".
Seeing that the momentum was growing, Yu Di, the host, hurried forward and signaled with his eyes to Ji Shao and Wu Yanyan to leave the stage quickly. Then he began to skillfully speak his closing remarks.
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