Chapter 205
Zhou Xiao was still a bit dazed when she returned to the stage. When the Photographer of the Year award was announced, she subconsciously glanced around. Tonight's awards ceremony had already revealed to the guests the significance of each award.
Zhou Xiao is confident in her skills, but this award holds immense significance. So much so that the previous two winners had a deep connection with Shang Ken Magazine, and both parties were still enjoying a rosy honeymoon period. Meanwhile, she has only collaborated with Shang Ken Magazine twice, and the second issue she shot hasn't even been released yet.
When the two editors on stage jointly announced the winners, the media in the audience were surprised and then confused. Their eyes shifted from the other nominees to Zhou Xiao's face, which looked too young compared to her peers.
How could he be outshined by such a newcomer? But when his eyes fell on the collection of candidate covers on the big screen again, everything seemed to make sense.
Why do photographers shoot unconventional covers? Do they enjoy it? Most answer "no." After realizing their own aesthetic limits, when a visually striking image happens to spark a new trend, many professionals find a shortcut. They begin to compete to be innovators of fashion trends, rather than just curators of the current aesthetic.
The most excited person in the audience at this moment was Cai Hua. She didn't care about other people's eyes at all. The way she cheered for Zhou Xiao made outsiders think that the two of them had a very good relationship.
Many other agents were startled. Someone in the room was a rival of Cai Qi's, and their minds raced, vaguely recalling his eagerness to collaborate with Shang Ken on the cover. Combined with Zhou Xiao's presence on stage, it seemed to coincide with the timing of Shang Ken's anniversary celebrations. Could it be...? Looking back, they were overwhelmed with indescribable emotion. Such incredible luck.
Guan Shanqing, on the stage, handed the trophy to Zhou Xiao and said with a smile, "Did you ever imagine that we'd see each other on stage again so soon?"
Zhou Xiao was stunned. *Yes, this editor-in-chief was naturally well aware of this award. And it was highly likely that this award would still need to be reviewed by Guan Shanqing. Simone, standing beside her, had already embraced her warmly, saying in a foreign language, "Good girl, your cover photo is truly eye-catching! I look forward to collaborating with you in the future!"
Simone's words on stage naturally carried through the microphone to the entire audience, and no one paid attention to Zhou Xiao's acceptance speech on stage. Everyone's focus was on the invitation to cooperate, even if it was just a verbal invitation, but the master version of "Shang Ken"?
This was the dream of so many photographers at the event, yet it was so easily promised to a newcomer. Many photographers at the event cast their gazes at Zhou Xiao again, their eyes filled with envy.
…
The next morning at 9:59 AM, not only Cai Qi's fans, but also many media outlets and industry insiders were closely watching the preview for the March issue of Shang Ken. The previous night, its author had received a prestigious honor, and today, the publication immediately faced public scrutiny of its "quality."
At 10:00 AM, the magazine's scheduled blog post automatically went live. Cai Qi's magazine cover was instantly shared with all the major marketing accounts. These accounts, accustomed to plagiarizing online posts, had already prepared their copy to capitalize on the buzz, saving Cai Hua, who had already prepared a significant marketing budget, a significant amount.
@圈内小瓜农V: Let’s take a look at the magazine trailer shot by Zhou Xiao, who won the Best Photographer Award last night, for Cai Qi. What do you think?
[Image][Image]
[Ahhhhhh, it's so beautiful, I'm calling you wife! ]
[This sister was photographed very beautifully this time]
[A true mermaid princess on the run!!! Bonus to the photography teacher!]
The women captured by Zhou Xiao truly possess unique characteristics and charm, and they also allow me to appreciate the fashion of beautiful things. I wish there were more photographers like him!
I heard there are two concepts, and I'm looking forward to the release even more [love]]
【……】
As soon as Cai Qi's trailer was released, it triggered a lot of positive discussion. Many people were used to seeing her image in the drama, but now they were amazed by the finished film.
The underwater scene studio where Zhou Xiao filmed Cai Qi became an instant hit. In just half a day, the venue was booked until May.
Besides those in the industry following the trend, influencers with keen sense of smell also caught the trend of hot items. In addition to the mermaid style, water ripples became a regular feature in photo shoots for a period of time.
Zhou Xiao only had time to read the comments for Cai Qi's preview that evening. After last night, her messaging apps had exploded. Everyone who'd seen the excitement had sent her congratulations, even from the brands she'd collaborated with, with genuine messages.
Qin Shi, who was a closer friend, even joked, "The marketing department is regretting not asking you to be in the Valentine's Day movie. Promise me, next time you accept XS's invitation, be more ruthless! You're now qualified!"
Although she is now considered a senior executive at XS Perfume, she still takes advantage of the company's benefits! Who doesn't know how generous luxury brands can be? As a friend, she naturally favors her friend.
Seeing the trailer that "Shang Ken" had deliberately released, Zhou Xiao knew that the other party and Cai Qi's team were playing the card of extreme contrast. When she switched her Weibo account to @周笑V, the message in the lower right corner quickly jumped to tens of thousands of new messages.
Zhou Xiao opened her backstage account and found that in addition to the usual private messages from fans and various photo shoots, she had also received invitations from a number of second-tier magazines. One of them, especially familiar to fans who had followed the entire "Star 101" series, was an invitation from the first-tier women's magazine "Modern Fashion."
Zhou Xiao, who had paid attention to "Modern Fashion" during the game, still had a good impression of the magazine. The growth video produced by the other party in the form of a documentary after the game also won the tears of many fans.
Modern Fashion invited Zhou Xiao to participate in an interview with a magazine about NINE STAR's debut six months ago, and they will also be on the cover of the inaugural issue of "Modern Fashion Idol".
The inaugural issue of "Modern Fashion Idol," a popular male idol group, and a fan photographer who had just won an award—each of these was a news point in its own right. Modern proudly presented its preparatory group to Zhou Xiao, eager for her to join them and complete their trump card.
Would Zhou Xiao refuse? Of course not! She was grateful for Modern's recognition, for Ji Shao's outstanding performance over the past six months, and for her own ambition to join a top women's magazine. She knew this photoshoot would be a true stepping stone, a true door to a position at Modern Fashion!
…
"Dear viewers, please remember to pay attention to me and send me some gifts! I'm so grateful!" the airport paparazzi, holding a selfie stick, shouted in broken Mandarin. His camera clearly showed how bustling the airport was at that moment!
Qi Sisi couldn't help but gasp at the live stream. Today was the day Nine Star was leaving Shanghai to film a group variety show abroad. She'd originally planned to go see them off at the airport with Zhou Xiao, but as soon as she entered, a tablet with a live stream running was thrust upon her.
"I think even if we really get through, with the strength of the two of us, we can only stay on the periphery, right?" Zhou Xiao brought a plate of washed fruits and placed it on the coffee table, then sat cross-legged on the carpet.
The live broadcast continued. Seeing more and more viewers pouring in, the person running the live broadcast couldn't help himself. "Everyone, leave a comment and tell me who you want to see. Then I'll catch them and film them! Oh, so many people are filming Ji Shao? Great! I'll satisfy everyone! This live broadcast room is dedicated to filming Ji Shao!"
After saying that, he quickly changed the original live broadcast title "NINE STAR Airport Live Broadcast" to "Ji Shao Airport Live Broadcast", and then quickly started a PK.
It was Qi Sisi and Zhou Xiao's first time watching a live broadcast, and they looked at each other in confusion, not knowing what the host was doing. Then, the next second, they understood what the host was doing.
"Family! I'm now PKing with this guy who's filming Chu Cheng. Everyone, please support Ji Shao by giving him gifts and likes! Ji Shao is handsome and loves his fans. The friends in our live studio must help Ji Shao defeat Chu Cheng! Who does he think he is in front of Ji Shao?!" The long string of words was followed by a rhythmic voice. The effect was also very obvious. Some people had already started throwing gifts.
This person, relying on the bonuses from live streaming, became so complacent that anyone with a discerning eye could see that the two people involved in the online PK had colluded in advance. When the gift increase slowed, the streamers on both sides began to get angry and directly attack the two artists. The popularity of the live broadcast room continued to rise sharply, and the gifts, provoked by the streamers, became even more rampant.
Before Ji Shao and Chu Cheng even appeared, their traffic was already being maliciously consumed by these two people. Qi Sisi was furious when she saw the accounts using Ji Shao's avatar to send gifts. Some people in the comment section of the live broadcast room had already noticed and were urging their followers to stop sending gifts.
At this time, an account with the nickname #季韶垃圾# suddenly appeared in the live broadcast room, and frantically brushed a series of carnivals, and soon topped the gift list.
The comments section immediately erupted in excitement. Zhou Xiao, hearing Qi Sisi's angry outbursts, moved to her side to watch the screen. He then reached out and tapped his tablet, entering the livestream of another player in the PK. He happened to witness the top spot change in #Live Chu Cheng Boarding Livestream#, and the newly-crowned account's nickname was #Chu Cheng Big Trash#.
Zhou Xiao frowned. The situation was already clear. But the livestream was so popular that when he searched for Ji Shao's name on the platform, the first livestream that popped up was the one run by the airport paparazzi who called himself Lao Yu.
After thinking for a moment, Zhou Xiao seemed to remember something and picked up his phone to call Cheese. The call was picked up almost as soon as it rang, and he could clearly hear an unusually noisy voice on the other end.
"Xindong, what's wrong? I'm... at the airport now, it's too noisy here!" Cheese shouted on the other end of the phone.
"Open a live broadcast room on the Douyin platform, choose a title that includes Ji Shao and the airport, and then send me the link." Hearing the noise from the other side, Zhou Xiao responded straightforwardly.
"Huh? Okay! Wait a minute!" Cheese, who was offline, had obviously not noticed the livestream, but she knew Zhou Xiao wouldn't ask her to open a livestream room for no reason, so she immediately started the livestream after hanging up the phone. Not long after, Cheese saw an account nicknamed Zhou Xiao enter the livestream room, and the screen began to be completely flooded with gifts one after another!
The livestream's popularity soared, and Qi Sisi, standing nearby, quickly sent links to various groups. Because of the backdoor, the original airport livestream link sent to the fan group was withdrawn, and the group administrators tagged all members to move to the new livestream room.
Soon, the number of people watching Cheese's livestream quickly surpassed the popularity of other airport livestreams, becoming the most popular in the city! "Ah!" Seeing that big fans were posting new livestream links to strengthen the popularity, Qi Sisi felt relieved and tossed her phone aside. She knelt on the carpet, hugged Zhou Xiao, and excitedly shouted "Queen!"
In the fan connection group, Huayao's contact copied the live broadcast room links reported by fans one by one and then replied "Received!"
This was a planned, malicious livestream designed to incite fans into a PK. Knowing that fans are generous with their artists, they planned to incite competition and encourage studios to shower them with gifts in order to fuel their competitive spirit and maintain their own reputation. While the method was crude, it was undoubtedly effective, quickly attracting significant fan investment.
The people in front of the screen, who suffered the least, turned their gaze towards the dark live broadcast room. At this moment, only the faint sound of chaos and the rustling of phones in pockets could be heard. But looking at the top popularity in the upper left corner, and then looking down at the comment section where people were randomly placing bets and guessing what was happening, they couldn't help but frown.
Suddenly, a vague scream was heard in the live broadcast room, and the comments below rolled over rapidly. Qi Sisi, who was holding her mobile phone to "watch" the live broadcast, could no longer see the content clearly.
Zhou Xiao, who was standing by, reached out and swiped the comment area, and saw——
[Ahhh, is Ji Shao here? Is Ji Shao here? ]
[Please, host, let me see my big son~~]
[At this moment, the darkness makes people feel at ease [love]]
[It’s great to enjoy a free pirate ship in the streamer’s pocket]
[I don't understand, so I'm asking, how can a black screen make people feel dizzy? ]
【……】
Suddenly, the previously dark livestream room began to light up. As the brightness returned, a female voice rang out, "Oh, everyone, come and watch!"
The phone's camera began to move, following the arms, shoulders, necks, and hair of the people in the crowd... and then, Ji Shao suddenly appeared on the screen!
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