Chapter 203
Inside a Shanghai recording studio, the elegantly decorated control room was packed. Aside from the producer and recording engineer, who sat at the front, diligently overseeing NINE STAR's album, the sofas and chairs in the room were occupied by the members and their assistants.
This is a rare reunion of all NINE STAR members. Six months after forming, everyone now has their own regular variety show appearances. Their residence in Huashang Times Square has become more like a storage "warehouse."
Under the warm yellow light, Chen Shenju sat upright, not joining in the discussion between the members and the assistant. He was now listening attentively, just like the producer, to the harmony between Ji Shao and the other two members in the recording studio.
Although Chen Shenju didn't understand music, he knew the answer when he saw the producer in front of him nodding his head and enjoying the harmony.
The phone in his pocket vibrated. Chen Shenju was puzzled. Was someone calling at this hour? Without giving it much thought, he immediately pulled out his phone and saw Cui Wen, his WP contact, on the screen.
Before entering the studio, everyone was required to switch their phones to vibrate or silent mode to avoid interrupting the recording session. Chen Shenju, phone in hand, strode toward the door. Some colleagues cast quizzical glances. He smiled and gestured to them, his pace unwavering as he pointed at his phone.
After the call ended, an unknown amount of time passed. In the smoking room next to the recording studio, Chen Shenju, holding an unlit cigarette, quickly sent three photos to Zhou Xiao, adding a few polite words. After the editor sent them, he leaned against the wall, inhaled deeply the lingering smoke from the smoking room, and savored a moment of peace.
After becoming Ji Shao's assistant, Chen Shenju had already quit smoking. Domestic public opinion is generally not favorable towards smoking, otherwise the cigarettes wouldn't be blurred out frame by frame in TV dramas. This was also done to prevent paparazzi from misinterpreting his smoking.
A huge weight finally lifted from his chest, and Chen Shenju tossed his unlit cigarette into the stainless steel trash can. He briskly opened the glass door and was about to step out when his sharp eyes caught a flicker of red light in the darkness ahead. Perhaps it was paparazzi or perhaps a fan, but at the moment, he paid no attention. He briskly returned to the recording studio and waited for Ji Shao to finish work.
Above the door that was opened and then closed hung an artistic musical note clock. The mechanical hour hand was turning, and it had already reached one o'clock in the morning.
…
The next day at noon, Zhou Xiao hurriedly sent the three edited official photos to Chen Shenju. On her phone, which she had placed beside her, everyone in the small group chat was buzzing with discussions about NINE STAR's upcoming overseas group variety show.
Zhou Xiao finished work and looked up her phone when she came across a link sent by Li Mo. Curious, she clicked on it. The post was quite long, but basically, it was a big fan of Chu Cheng complaining that Huayao had arranged for them to go abroad to record a group variety show so that they wouldn't celebrate Chu Cheng's birthday.
The recording time for the group variety show hasn't been set yet, but based on Huayao's usual style, fans speculate that it will fluctuate around a month after the reveal. Regarding birthday support, while the official ban on sending gifts is strictly prohibited, birthday check-ins (on large screens, billboards, etc.) are permitted.
The wealthy fans of Chu Cheng's family who were willing to pay for his support actually wanted to be recognized for their support. Now that they knew that he might not be in China for his birthday, many fans who were interested in buying a big screen to support Chu Cheng couldn't sit still.
Returning to the group, he saw everyone still discussing the matter. For fans, gossip and rumors were eternal topics. Zhou Xiao's heart skipped a beat. But on second thought, he decided to discuss this matter with Chen Shenju beforehand.
…
The second episode of "Running Man" sparked renewed discussion upon its release, but the reception was a complete reversal from the first. Because the guests were primarily slouchy, the show's excitement was naturally diminished. However, Ji Shao, a former member of the original cast, became a much-anticipated return for many viewers on the variety show's super chats and forums.
As NINE STAR is a nine-member group, many viewers who hang out on forums or super topics know that they are given a maximum of three spots in each episode of "Sprint".
While three members might not seem like a lot, for a show with around 20 members, they represent a significant portion of the show's audience. While the NINE STAR members are in their youthful, passionate prime, which better suits the show's requirements, having too many members from the same group at once, once it's labeled a "NINE STAR group variety show," will undoubtedly lose some potential viewers.
Knowing this, many already-committed viewers suggested that Ji Shao be made a permanent guest. Unexpectedly, this demand only intensified in subsequent episodes. Everyone wanted to see the Ji Shao from the first episode, who shrugged off the hunters, and a guest who actively participated in the show, rather than one who hid and retreated, afraid of the hunters and unable to move.
The topic of "Running" remained a hot topic until the next day, and Ji Shao, the topic center, triggered a second wave of heated discussion. The reason was simple: luxury brand WP officially announced Ji Shao as its brand ambassador.
——【Entertainment Forum】——[February 18, noon]
[Topic] Both WP and LOLA, two major luxury brands, officially announced their ambassadors today. Who do you think won?
[Main Building] WP New Ambassador Ji Shao VS LOLA New Ambassador Zhang Xi
How come these two brands are like a duel today? From my personal aesthetic point of view, the difference is actually quite big!
[picture]
The picture is a combination of the official photos of the two people.
1L
You have stitched the photos together, and you still ask us how it goes? Anyone with eyes can see that Ji Shao easily defeated the other party.
47L
I remember Zhang Xi and Ji Shao attending a WP offline event together, right? Their interpretations of the two brands were incredibly different, and the result was incredibly obvious. But one thing puzzles me: hasn't he been at WP for over two years? Why did he switch to LOLA so quickly?
93L
Reply to 47L: Can I say that both of their current endorsements are due to this event? But Zhang Xi really shouldn't have done that. Even if WP's attitude remains ambiguous, there's no need to be discouraged and work with LOLA! Everyone knows that LOLA has ambassadors and close friends everywhere, and compared to WP, it's completely worthless!
159L
Ah! There are so many people in this building! It seems that part of Ji Shao's title is thanks to Zhang Xi orz
201L
Ji Shao's official photo is really overwhelming. If nothing else, just the set he is wearing is sold out on the official website [spreading hands] It is really 6
…
Ji Shao's fan groups were in an uproar. Although some marketing accounts had previously spread rumors that Ji Shao would be collaborating with WP, after his own fan club inquired with Huayao about the connection and received no definite answer, no one took it seriously.
The fan club and big fans knew about it earlier than the real people, but they were only notified half an hour before the official announcement.
As for Zhou Xiao, who saw all of this, she couldn't reveal anything because she signed a contract, but seeing her co-stars so happy, even though she took all of Ji Shao's official photos, she was also infected by the joy at this moment.
On a certain Weibo account, a frenzy of posting photos of WP orders had already begun, with fans using their own way to show support for the collaboration between WP and Ji Shao. Zhou Xiao took a look. Although she had received a VIP gift from WP Express while filming Dai Linfei before, Zhou Xiao also joined in the fun using her secondary account.
Unlike other websites that constantly needed to prove themselves with screenshots of orders, the existence of the "Pangran Xindong" website was a symbol of determination, and it even had many spiritual shareholders. Zhou Xiao naturally didn't switch accounts, but he didn't expect someone to actually run into the trap.
In Ji Shao's chat group, a dozen or so people looked at each other in bewilderment at the screenshots forwarded to them. Penguin, who was in charge of the fan club and chat copywriting, took a look and felt that such comments were basically unnecessary to post in the group and waste everyone's time discussing them.
Cosmetics? No posting? Freeloaders? As soon as these three keywords came out, Penguin immediately became alert. For some reason, she suddenly recalled the fan club version 1.0 that fell apart during the competition.
"Wait a minute before blocking it. First mark all the numbers that have interacted with this account. Next time there are any divisive words like this, they will be permanently blocked!" said Penguin, who has become the mainstay of the super topic.
Huayao clearly knows when to delight Nine Star fans. On the same day that center Ji Shao officially announced his luxury generation, the agency's big promise during the concert—a large-scale group variety show—was finally officially announced that afternoon.
"Fashion Week, climbing snow-capped mountains, chasing the northern lights..." Zhou Xiao read the group variety show concept given by Hua Yao, and the more she read, the more interesting it seemed. As a fan, she was still looking forward to Ji Shao's performance in these different environments.
As for concerns about language barriers, Zhou Xiao remembered that Ji Shao spoke foreign languages quite fluently on "Star Path 101." If communication were to be a problem, he could rely on a dedicated team. Most importantly, Chinese people are present all over the world! Many Chinese travel and business programs featuring Chinese people abroad feature a significant number of them.
At this moment, Zhou Xiao's attention was attracted by the reply sent by Chen Shenju.
HY—Chen Shenju: Confirmed to arrive at Huadu Guokent Airport on March 1st [smile]
After Zhou Xiao thanked him, she began searching online for businesses supporting Huadu. Suddenly, as if remembering something, she asked, "System, can I redeem the Huadu support screen from you?"
[The goods exchanged in this system store can be used at any time in this plane]
Zhou Xiao was somewhat surprised when he heard the system's reply, and then he sighed deeply. His mindset was still fixed, and he always felt that the system's electronic voice was in Chinese and couldn't be used abroad.
Fortunately, she had asked a few more questions casually. Thinking of this, Zhou Xiao had completely relaxed. He even felt like teasing the system. "Since we're going abroad to support, do you want to show your support?"
【……】
[System Task: Support Ji Shao on the big screen at Huadu Airport (0/1)]
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