Chapter 222
The people at the photography base acted quickly. When they learned that the guest who rented the studio wanted another interior that was a 1:1 replica of the original one, they quickly began the renovation.
Zhou Xiao arrived just as the studio was being reconfigured. Inside, two waves of people were moving in and out, moving and dismantling things in an orderly fashion. She occasionally lent a hand, watching as the original, ancient-style set slowly transformed into a pure white space under the staff's tidying up.
Sunlight filtered through the wind-blown white gauze curtains, illuminating a matching duvet cover. Zhou Xiao walked over and pulled the curtains, which had been blown out of the window, back into the room. Feeling the force of the wind, he suddenly realized that a blower wouldn't be necessary for this shoot. After all, no matter how precise his control, nothing could match the natural harmony of wind.
There was a knock at the door. Zhou Xiao turned and saw a middle-aged man in a hat lowering his hand from the door. Seeing the owner inside, he pointed at the props he had placed on the ground and left.
Zhou Xiao stepped forward, picked up the tripod, and wiped the bottom of the stand with a tissue. The man brought over a tripod with a gimbal for overhead photography. A red sticky note was attached to the aluminum stand, stating that it was not included in the studio's props and would require additional payment at the end of the process.
After wiping the tripod clean and placing it on the bed, Zhou Xiao waited until it was firmly in place before giving it a try. She took out her camera and clipped it onto the tripod. Once she saw that the extended horizontal bar could accurately reach the pillow, she retracted it.
Looking around, all white is a constant. On a nearby low cabinet sits a high-end perfume in a white porcelain bottle—the very product I'll be photographing shortly. Unlike the mature and reserved black bottle, the white bottle exudes a sense of comfort, both in its scent and packaging. The elegant, subtle aroma of tea, the slightly tart lemon, and the delicate scent of freesia intertwine to create the finishing touch. The base notes of musk and cedar offer a calming and gentle soothing feeling.
Soon, Ji Shao, dressed in white cotton long-sleeved pajamas, entered the room, followed by a staff member. Zhou Xiao observed his makeup and couldn't help but give Shen Lin a thumbs-up. This veteran makeup artist undoubtedly understood what people liked. The look she'd given Ji Shao today alone was likely a candidate for the "2024 Male Artist's Scheming Makeup Awards."
With the positioning arranged and the lighting in place, even the wind came to the rescue. Ji Shao stood before the gauze curtain, feeling its lightness drifting through the air. The dynamic white became a self-contained entity, and as Ji Shao moved, the camera and all the lights followed him.
"Okay, let's change locations." After securing two shots, Zhou Xiao put away his camera and directed the other staff to carry the lighting equipment to the bedside. Qin Shi, who had already rushed to the studio, saw Zhou Xiao's gaze and cheerfully raised her right hand, gently shaking it with a thumbs-up, expressing her satisfaction with the shoot.
There weren't many staff members in the room. Looking at the five or six photography lights in the studio, Ji Shao, who had been recovering on the side, came over to help. The lights were in place, but Zhou Xiao paused when he saw Ji Shao's long sleeve slip down and get caught on his elbow.
Although the distance was not very close, she could clearly see a large abrasion on his forearm near the elbow joint. At this moment, she suddenly realized why Shen Lin gave him a long sleeve.
"Did you get injured while filming the show?" Zhou Xiaoxu pointed at Ji Shao's arm and asked in surprise. Such a large wound was obviously not caused by a simple process, and it looked like it was only recently injured.
Ji Shao pulled his sleeve back to his wrist and nodded. But then he said solemnly, "It's just a minor injury. It doesn't hurt at all. Teacher, please don't tell anyone else~" He was already smiling at the end of his words.
Ji Shao is aware of his fans' concern for him, and in the offline messages he receives, almost everyone asks him to take care of his health. Ji Shao doesn't want to worry his fans, believing that as an artist, his responsibility is to provide positive feedback to his fans. Bringing joy to his fans and audiences through his work is what matters most to him.
Zhou Xiao nodded slightly, looking at the camera lights already set up around him. While hinting to Ji Shao that he wouldn't tell other fans and worry, he felt a bit complicated.
If this scratch happened to any other artist, it would have been trending on social media, selling their image and torturing their fans. While artists market themselves, they gain the public's love and positive impressions, but they all ignore the fans who are truly concerned about them.
The filming continued. Zhou Xiao put aside the chaotic emotions in his mind and raised his camera to shoot seriously. For a moment, the only sound in the studio was the sound of the wind blowing the gauze curtains.
Lying in bed, Ji Shao clutches a freesia, casually admiring it. Its white petals, pale yellow stamens, and lush green stems are the only bright spots in this otherwise white space. The camera pans, capturing the joyful interaction between his fingertips, the sunlight streaming into the room, and the gauze curtains.
The white porcelain perfume bottle exudes a lustrous glow and stands quietly next to Ji Shao. One can seem to feel the tranquility and peace even through the screen.
After finishing this shot, Zhou Xiao deftly attached the camera to the tripod, from which the horizontal bar had been extended. After several attempts, the camera finally captured Ji Shao's expression perfectly. Qin Shi, watching from the monitor, thought that this shot alone, with a simple, soothing soundtrack, could be turned into a commercial.
"Cut!" Zhou Xiao retracted the horizontal bar and took down the camera. To ensure that he would have lenses readily available for later use, this was his fifth take.
Following her words, Chen Shenju, who had been waiting nearby, immediately put his coat on Ji Shao. As time passed, the temperature in Shanghai was getting lower and lower, and the wind was getting stronger.
Watching the curtains rustle in the wind, Chen Shenju, who was watching and filming nearby, began to worry. CCTV's May Day filming would begin in a few days, and Ji Shao couldn't afford to get sick and affect his performance.
Ignoring Chen Shenju's anxious movements, Zhou Xiao had already sat down next to Qin Shi. They watched the previously filmed footage together, and the two of them kept talking while watching. They even mentioned the incident that had happened earlier.
Qin Shi saw Zhou Xiao and realized there was no one else around. Then she said to her helplessly, "You don't know. Fortunately, you let me book a studio directly. Wang Zhao is still filming!"
"Wang Zhao?" Zhou Xiao thought about the name. Didn't it seem like he was an entertainer? She asked tentatively, "Is it the thin-looking photographer?"
"Yes! You know him?" Qin Shi recalled her previous phone call with Zhou Xiao. However, she simply ignored it and continued, "But after this, we probably won't work together again."
Zhou Xiao raised an eyebrow. Looking at Qin Shi's nonchalant expression, she suddenly realized she was actually working for a luxury brand. While the comment wasn't directed at her, Zhou Xiao keenly realized that the best way to maintain a relationship with a brand was through technology.
XS Perfume's May Day campaign featured photographers who were long-time collaborators. Zhou Xiao was the least experienced of the five, though he had a good relationship with Qin Shi. But what about Wang Zhao? He must have had a good relationship with the brand, too. But now, because of a photoshoot that didn't go smoothly, he's been unilaterally blocked?
Seeing Zhou Xiao didn't respond, Qin Shi seemed to remember something and urged Zhou Xiao to leave the photography base first. "Alright, I'll take over here. Pack up the finished product and send it to me before the 26th. If you don't leave now, you might be drafted!"
Inside the studio, Ji Shao, who was talking to his assistant, noticed Zhou Xiao packing her things and quickly called out to her. Puzzled, Zhou Xiao paused and turned to look at the two of them. Ji Shao was busy rummaging through Chen Shenju's backpack, and soon pulled out a plane box.
"This is the peripheral gift box that the company is about to launch." Ji Shao pushed the airplane box in front of Zhou Xiao, and said with a bit of pride, "Everything inside is the 'me' that I opened!" After these words came out, Zhou Xiao became even more confused, but he saw Chen Shenju next to him with a red face, and then immediately broke his composure and couldn't help laughing.
…
——【Forum】——[April 15th evening]
[Topic] Is Huayao Xingyu crazy about money?
[Main Post] Is this the most outrageous merchandise sale in the Chinese entertainment industry? Except for the cheering sticks, all the other members' merchandise is mixed together!!! I'm so pissed! Finding someone to replace them will be a disaster!
1L
I'm actually wondering if this is to allow fans to interact offline (?). They could bring their merchandise and exchange it one-on-one offline, so they can casually share their feelings and not let the delivery guy make a single cent!
26L
It would be good if the fans don't fight each other offline.
55L
But I'm really curious about what the members' photo cards and postcards look like... I heard Xiaogua say that the postcards were recorded during the group variety show, and I'm itching to do it.
76L
But this is quite interesting for Tian Wei who is going to the concert! I am worried that the price of peripherals bought online will definitely increase significantly. Offline, you can directly exchange with teammates and fans kkk and then capture my heart-beating teacher hehe
93L
Holy crap, everyone, hurry up and head to Weibo! Every member of NINE STAR posted a video of themselves unpacking their merchandise boxes!
…
Inside the Huashang Times Hotel, Zhou Xiao sat on the carpet, unpacking the merchandise Ji Shao had given him. The airplane box, densely emblazoned with the Huayao Xingyu anti-counterfeiting logo, lay on the floor. It was larger than a typical airplane box.
Upon opening it, the first thing he saw was a wrapped Star Path 101 badge. Zhou Xiao took a closer look and saw it was the exact metal badge Ji Shao had worn while holding a microphone during his trainee days. This series of badges has been released by various fan clubs and group fan clubs, but the official weekly newsletter featured even more refined details.
Under the badge were individually packaged cheering sticks, postcard posters, small cards, etc. When Zhou Xiao took them out and looked at them carefully, he suddenly discovered that the lower right corner of the postcard seemed to be Ji Shao's autograph?
With a thump, Zhou Xiao, who was sitting on the carpet, excitedly stood up, carefully holding a postcard by its edge. The front of the postcard, against the backdrop of the aurora, bore Ji Shao's signature, but that wasn't the point; the key point was the words written on the back!
TO: Flipped Heartbeat·Ji Shao
May the aurora borealis bring you good luck, and I wish you a prosperous photography career!"
Travel Season Postcards are back!
Zhou Xiao felt that the corners of her mouth were harder to suppress than AK. When she saw the topics discussed by her friends in the small group, she realized that the promotion of the concert's peripherals had already begun.
Seeing the laughter in the group, Zhou Xiao curiously clicked on a certain blog and saw that his friends were mocking Ji Shao Yishui's forwarding.
@以柔克刚: Hahaha, how could someone be so unreasonable! //@NINE STAR-纪韶V: Here comes the peripheral unboxing vlog! [Video]
[I opened 26 boxes before I got my own set. My little face looks really dark.]
[I seem to hear the assistant's laughter behind the camera]
[Hahaha, those shameless fans can now proudly say that they are fans of the main character.]
[Oh no, it suddenly occurred to me that this might happen to me too?!]
[I, Shao, have revealed the official guarantee mechanism, right? hhhh]
【Start building good relationships with teammates’ fans today (not)】
【……】
Zhou Xiao now knew where this box of peripherals came from, and also understood why Chen Shenju next to him couldn't help laughing when Ji Shao looked so proud. It seemed like he was witnessing the birth of a generation of confident non-Africans.
Seeing the latest post from the fan club on the homepage, reminding everyone that the deadline for concert group tickets was less than five days away, Zhou Xiao thought for a moment before switching back to her "Pounding Heart" account and editing the lucky draw post she had saved in her drafts. As for the prize, it was the four remaining front-row tickets she had on hand.
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