Chapter 231
As night fell, a deep blue sky twinkled with stars. The area around Lin'an Stadium, where the streetlights hadn't yet come on, was now divided into distinct fan zones by clusters of colorful lights created by offline cheering signs.
The stadium, now closed, had its outer LED lights turned off, leaving only the white sign advertising "Lin'an Stadium" hanging high overhead. Looking down from above, a dazzling array of multicolored lights surrounded the white space through the iron fence.
"It's on! It's on!" Down the street, Cheese looked at the illuminated streetlights and quickly called for everyone to turn off the power-hungry signs. He placed the stack of lunch boxes on the tablecloth spread across the lawn.
Their spot was right next to the stadium's entrance. Behind them, separated by iron bars, was a massive screen, currently showing Ji Shao's stage cut. Cheese watched Ji Shao's beautiful performance on the screen as he ate a mouthful of food. This was precisely how they'd secured this prime spot.
If any fan of a certain group saw that the big screen behind them was Ji Shao, wouldn't they feel nauseous? It would be difficult to even shoot offline support videos.
The fan club booked this big screen in advance through connections. Although the organizers raised the price due to the NINE STAR concert, everyone feels it's money well spent!
Seeing Zhu Jian, a fellow fan club member, still untouched, his eyes fixed on the other side, Cheese, who had already taken several bites of her meal, couldn't help but ask, "What are you guys looking at?" She then looked over.
The Water City Financial City's opulence and bustle can be felt even across the river. But for fans, it's the city's renowned extravagant light shows that truly matter.
"Look!" Li Mo, who was following Zhu Jian, noticed the change in lights on the tall building opposite and immediately shouted.
This sound attracted the attention of the other illegal workers present. They watched as they stood up and walked to the upper steps, as if waiting to confirm something. After a while, someone turned around and beckoned everyone to come and see.
In reality, everyone on the field had already seen it, needing no reminder. The LED lights on the tall buildings across the river began to change, with the first to activate being the multicolored spotlights, which had a considerable range. Amidst exclamations, Ji Shao's photo and a line of words appeared on the two tall buildings facing the stadium.
Li Mo, holding her phone, read the words, calmed herself down, and said to Zhou Xiao, who was on the phone with her, "I wish Ji Shao all the best at the Lin'an concert—Oh! There's something else next to it?!"
How could a savvy developer miss out on this prime feng shui location? Every high-rise building surrounding the Water City Financial City is inlaid with LED lights. The moment the light show turns on, the lights on several other buildings follow suit, albeit with a slight delay.
Seeing the lights of several other buildings light up, Li Mo's heart was like ants crawling. Then he suddenly remembered something. Just because they couldn't see it here didn't mean that other places couldn't see it! Thinking about the wide range, maybe other houses were watching at this time. The thought made him feel happy!
Inside the office of the developer in the financial city, Zhou Xiao heard Li Mo's surprise and couldn't help laughing. "Of course! Since you can see it clearly, I'll hang up first."
Li Mo quickly echoed him from the other side. Zhou Xiao put his phone away. He looked at the drone footage on his computer screen and the smiling face of his manager. He smiled and shook the man's outstretched hand before signing his name on the light show contract.
At the edge of the stadium, the crowd of fans, craning their necks to watch the other side return to normal, fell silent. After a moment, a faint voice rang out from the crowd, "Is this the light show for the "Pounding Heart" group?"
If the stadium's big screen support is the must-have for offline support, then the light show across the river is the king of the show. It's both beautiful and impressive, but the price is still too high for fans at this stage. At best, they're only available for anniversaries and birthdays, but compared to the scale of a concert, it's hard to believe they'd be able to offer this kind of support.
Now, because of the concert, the price of this light show has been raised again and again, and the cost-effectiveness is even lower! Instead of spending so much money and being criticized for waste afterwards, it is better to use the money for charity. At least when there are negative trending searches in the future, you can use this to promote fan charity and reduce the heat.
Zhou Xiao also used the system store to exchange for recognition points. As recognition points accumulated, she was no longer the little girl who felt pained when she saw the exchange value (no, now she was terrifyingly strong!
This less than two-minute preview of the light show seemed to give Ji Shao fans a temporary black-work buff. When Zhou Xiao returned to the support area occupied by his team from the other side, he saw a scene of people busy moving boxes.
Seeing Zhu Jian carrying a large box of support items like a strongman, but his body was shaking a little, Zhou Xiao hurried forward to lend a hand.
She didn't see Li Mo, but she did see a lot of unfinished lunch boxes on the picnic blanket. Zhou Xiao looked at Zhu Jian with a puzzled look, asking her what was wrong.
It's no wonder she was confused. The sight of someone only eating half their meal was truly bizarre. If this were caught by those media outlets that love to cite things out of context, it would definitely be a hot topic – #JiShaoFansOfflineWasteFood#
After Zhou Xiao and I carried the boxes to their destination, Zhu Jian rubbed his head sheepishly. "I don't know. After watching the light show, everyone suddenly wasn't hungry anymore, so we thought of bringing in all the things we hadn't moved before!"
"Look, I have endless energy!" Zhu Jian bent his arms, patted his thin biceps making a "pa pa" sound, and insisted on rolling up his sleeves to show Zhou Xiao.
As the two were playing, they heard a tuneless song coming from not far away. Zhou Xiao paused and listened carefully, hearing the strangely familiar words. When one of them broke his voice, he finally understood what song they were singing. It was "It's Destined," Ji Shao's new song that he had recently released with Bai Yunqing.
As the two offline fans, working together to carry a long box, passed by Zhou Xiao and Zhu Jian, one of them, whose voice remained consistent, smiled broadly at them. They didn't know each other, but because they shared the same burden, they seemed especially friendly.
"This is exciting!" Zhou Xiao looked at the two people walking briskly, turned his head to look at Zhu Jian, and was a little eager to do something. "Ah, why don't we go help move some more!"
The next second, one of her "sisters," who was holding a plastic bag filled with small flags, heard Zhou Xiao's words and said cheerfully, "No more! I have the last batch, and there's not enough to go around! You two should go eat!"
…
Not far away, two staff members from the Ji Shao Information Station were interviewing fans offline using self-service microphones. Throughout the interviews, laughter could be heard from the onlookers. The undocumented workers who had arrived at the stadium early to help came from all corners of the country. After an initial awkwardness, they quickly integrated into the group.
Zhou Xiao looked over and happened to see a fan who was being asked by the host when he started liking Ji Shao.
The man pondered for a long time, and finally said, "I don't know when I fell in love with Xiao Shao. I first started paying attention to him when I saw a picture of Xiao Shao posted by Xindongjie on the forum. I am a fan of Mu Qiang, so I can say that, right? His performance during the second public performance amazed me. It was around that time that I was completely hooked."
The interview continued, but Zhou Xiao was lost in her memories. When she came to her senses, a microphone with a purple sign that read "Ji Shao Information Station" appeared before her.
"Miss, could you help us with the post-production editing?" a sweet female voice rang out. "Just tell the camera which province or city you're from!"
Besides the microphone, the person who handed over the item was also a mask, which was a must-have for the interview. This was a thoughtful gift from the information station for the fans. The mask was also a custom-made peripheral from the station, and there was a Q-version icon of Ji Shao holding a microphone in the lower left corner.
Zhou Xiao didn't refuse, taking the microphone and putting on her mask. She looked at the camera already recording, so simple and unadorned without any lighting or props, and could easily predict the resulting image. But she felt it would be a good piece, because everyone present at that moment had pure hearts.
…
The next day at noon, Zhou Xiao and two friends made an appointment and arrived at Lin'an Stadium early from their hotel. The weather was fantastic, perfect for drying large items. Even as they emerged from the shade of the trees, the heat forced them to retreat back under them. Even so, the stadium was packed beyond their expectations.
Shielding my eyes from the glare of the lights, I watched the crowd at the stadium. Many fans were walking around the square wearing their fan club's T-shirts. Long lines had already formed offline, each waiting to collect their offline support items and merchandise. The longest lines stretched from the stadium entrance almost to the side of the road, where the official merchandise redemption point was located.
Zhou Xiao watched as two large trucks parked near Guan Zhou's collection area. There were at least a dozen staff members inside. Although a staff member had brought out a high-powered fan to provide ventilation, everyone was already sweating profusely from the heat.
The loudspeaker on the table kept repeating, with standard Mandarin blaring out: "Plenty of merchandise! Plenty of merchandise! Fans, please screenshot the redemption code in advance. To purchase merchandise on site, please go to the far right!"
Zhou Xiao and Li Mo exchanged a glance, feeling incredibly fortunate they hadn't chosen to distribute the merchandise offline this time. The weather today was almost as hot as last year's, and some people in the square were already rolling up their long-sleeved shirts and trousers due to the heat.
"Let's take a walk around. We don't know how long we'll have to wait in line now!" Zhu Jian said as they walked forward holding hands.
The person handing out merchandise happened to be someone everyone knew, and her pink hair was particularly striking. She was also feeling the heat, and it was none other than Four Seasons' sister, Yu Du. She didn't have much merchandise to hand out, but the crowd that had gathered around her was already making it quite lively.
"Let's go to our fan club to get them. There are also small fans!" Zhu Jian looked at everyone busy and turned to the two of them and said, looking like he knew everything about the offline support.
"Why weren't you caught and forced to work as an illegal laborer?" Zhou Xiao said with a smile as he looked at the collection point around the fan club in the distance which had not yet "opened its stall".
"There's nothing I can do. We have too many curious fans who have signed up to be black workers. I, an old man, am willing to step down and fulfill the wishes of every friend who wants to be a black worker!" Zhu Jian laughed heartily.
But as soon as Zhou Xiao got there and joined the line, Cheese came over and stuffed a bag of groceries with him. Everyone present looked at Cheese, but he waved at Zhou Xiao and said, "Take it and go have some fun! This offline event is quite lively!"
As for the other two, they didn't get the same treatment. Zhu Jian couldn't bear it any longer, and with a look of grief and indignation, he shook Li Mo's hand beside him. They looked at Zhou Xiao and said in unison, "Go play!"
Carrying the merchandise she had been forced to buy through the backdoor, Zhou Xiao couldn't help but smile as she watched the two people still waiting in line. After promising to call them to pick it up if they were in Guan Zhou's line, Zhou Xiao then wandered around carrying the merchandise Cheese had given her.
The areas outside the stadium where fans could display their support were already fully occupied, providing a feast for the eyes for many fans who had come from far away. Zhou Xiao was currently following the long queue of people pulling up a banner next to Ji Shaoyi, watching the whole procession.
After she finished looking through them one by one, she happened to come across a cover page that was about to set up a "sale" nearby. When the other party saw Zhou Xiao, he was also quite surprised. Then, watching her leisurely strolling around, he curiously asked, "Have you finished giving out the merchandise?"
Zhou Xiao, however, was holding some merchandise and waved it towards her. "I'm here to collect the merchandise this time! You keep busy!"
"Hey, wait a minute." He glanced at the title page and handed Zhou Xiao a bag. "Then I'll give you some of the surroundings of the forest, too!"
The front page is Zheng Shulin's fan page, and he and Zhou Xiao had known each other offline at Star Path 101. Although they didn't often meet after the competition, they would chat in the fan group they had established when they had something to do.
"I'm so moved. Consider this my way of thanking you! I love the magazine photo you took of my family's forest!" The cover page was extremely happy. Although there is competition among the fans, except for Wenger who opened two fan sites, there is no competition among the small group. Instead, they share information from time to time.
Zhou Xiao took the peripherals handed to her by the title page, thanked her solemnly, and then set off in the next direction. But gradually, she realized that the situation was far more serious than she had imagined. Looking at the many peripherals in her hands, Zhou Xiao's steps became a little heavier.
Seeing the surprised looks from passersby, she felt like she might be mistaken for a merchandise dealer. With so much merchandise in her hands, even the fans of the group would be impressed. Fortunately, the mask on her face gave her a sense of security.
"1, 2, 3..." A total of 7 handbags, one of which was provided by Cheese from her own fan club, and the other six were given to her by fans from other clubs whom she met.
When they noticed Zhou Xiao holding some merchandise, the others, as if they had discovered something interesting, forced their offline merchandise onto her. This behavior drew the attention of fans who were queuing up to receive the merchandise, and a rumor suddenly spread offline and sparked discussion online.
——【Forum】——[May 1, noon]
[Topic] I heard that there is an offline staff member around the philatelic station?
[Main Post] Is this true or false? If it is true, can you please be a little nicer to me after you receive the peripherals?
1L
It's true, I encountered it! It was a young lady, and she already had a lot of merchandise in her hands. My station sister was very enthusiastic to greet her. If she wasn't a staff member, how could her attitude be so nice? I feel like she might be a senior executive!
24L
I mean, aren't these girls a little too licking? Shouldn't they improve their skills? What's the point of being a good licker?
56L
24L, just mind your own business. That staff member seems really nice! The merchandise isn't anything valuable; can't we just get along well offline? And these sites are all big ones that have been following the talent shows since the draft, and they're known for producing amazing images, okay?
81L
I'm so envious! There were so many people offline this time, and the weather was so hot, I almost got a sunburn from waiting in line!
103L
I'm asking online how to become an artist staff member. I also want to experience the joy of just going around offline and getting merchandise!
…
Carrying a colorful array of merchandise, Zhou Xiao calmly ignored the glances from fans. He returned to the area where his fan club was distributing merchandise and borrowed a cardboard box from Cheese.
The merchandise on their side had already been distributed. Cheese, who was sitting nearby taking a break with a small fan, couldn't help but laugh at Zhou Xiao's harvest and said, "Oh, Teacher Xindong has a great harvest!"
The relationship between NINE STAR's various fan clubs isn't too bad; even if there are conflicts online, they rarely affect their offline relationships. Just like Zhou Xiao knows the fans from each fan club, Cheese also has a large offline fan club, which includes the offline person in charge of the group's fan club.
Zhou Xiao, who had been looking down at a message, looked up. She saw a message from Zhu Jian. It mentioned that Zhu Jian and Li Mo were already waiting in line with Zhou Xiao, and asked if she wanted to go over. Or, she could give her the redemption code to help her redeem the merchandise.
"Teacher Cheese, I believe you can do it too!" Zhou Xiao had actually sensed something was amiss when he received the third package of merchandise everyone had sent him. He checked the group chat, and it turned out that several of the fans who had arrived at the event had already started a chain game and were waiting for Zhou Xiao offline.
Zhou Xiao, who had originally planned to return, saw everyone so enthusiastically participating in the chain game and decided to go along with it. After all, if you think about it, this was actually quite fun.
After replying to Zhu Jian that he would be there right away, Zhou Xiao asked Cheese, who had already received the official Zhou cheese, to help preserve his box of peripherals, and then quickly came to the stadium entrance.
Unlike before, the line was noticeably shorter. Zhou Xiao looked at the trucks nearby and noticed they looked different from what she had initially seen. She ran into Zhu Jian and Li Mo, both carrying a number of bags.
"Here I am! Here, this is your peripheral!" Zhu Jian, who was walking and looking, finally found Guan Zhou who helped Zhou Xiao exchange the peripherals when he was 2 or 3 meters away from her.
"Xiaoxiao, open it quickly!" Li Mo, standing by, had already opened his own box with quick movements. "Let's go down to the square and exchange them later!"
Zhou Xiao glanced around after hearing this. No wonder there seemed to be fewer people around; it turned out they had found a place to trade. Although she had already received a complete set of peripherals from Ji Shao, which took him twenty-six boxes to complete, the existence of blind boxes still piqued her curiosity.
"Ahhh Xiaoka!" On the side, Li Mo, who had already finished dismantling the boxes, almost jumped up with excitement. It was obvious that he had drawn Ji Shao.
Zhou Xiao carefully opened the gift box in his hand. What came into view was a postcard from Ji Shao under the aurora, the same one signed "TO" at the beginning.
Oh wow, double luck!
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