Chapter 252
"Xiaoxiao, I'm going to help push the cake, you just take the picture first." Zhu Jian turned sideways and whispered to Zhou Xiao beside him.
Zhou Xiao nodded, signaling her to hurry back. They'd also prepared cake for the offline support event. Originally, they'd planned to let the fans share it after filming the support video. Now that the main character had arrived, it was natural for Ji Shao to come in person.
Beneath the flower wall, the director bent down to take the speaker a fan had handed to the stage. Standing up, he affectionately patted Ji Shao on the shoulder. After the crowd quieted down a bit, he spoke, "Thank you to all of Xiao Shao's fans for coming to support our production of 'The Unparalleled General' today. Ji Shao is an actor with great potential. Rest assured, we'll be the ones to take him on next! I also wish everyone a happy and healthy Dragon Boat Festival!"
“Okay!” “Thank you, Director Zheng!” “Ahhhhhhh” “Very relieved” “…” The fans in the audience responded to the director’s words enthusiastically, and from time to time they excitedly waved the small light signs in their hands because Ji Shao scattered food from time to time.
"Hahaha, great, great!" Zheng Cheng, adorned with fans, smiled widely, his mood brightening. Looking at the cheering fans in the audience, he walked toward the photographer and pulled out ten red envelopes he had prepared earlier.
Just as Ji Shao was about to share his joy with his fans, he saw two fans pushing a cake over from the audience. Besides the fondant figurines on the pale purple square cake, there was also the words:
"Wishing the filming of "The Unparalleled General" a good start and a happy birthday to Ji Shao"
"Is this an early birthday for you?" Zheng Cheng looked at Ji Shao, who was looking very surprised, and teased with a smile.
As a director, he didn't know the basic information about the lead actor intimately, but he did have some impression of him. The producer had mentioned to him that they wanted to celebrate Ji Shao's birthday on set sometime soon.
"Yeah!" Ji Shao on the stage nodded heavily, his eyes full of emotion.
Zhu Jian and Baozi, assigned to push the cake, pushed it steadily to the front of the stage, seemingly going smoothly. However, Zhou Xiao, standing behind the fence, immediately noticed that the closer they got to Ji Shao, the stiffer their movements became.
After pushing the cake to the middle, the two of them didn't even have time to check whether it was placed correctly, and they ran to the left as if they were fleeing in panic.
"Ahhh, I'm dizzy from laughing." Li Mo, who was next to Zhou Xiao, couldn't help but burst out laughing when watching this scene. The head that was resting on her shoulder was shaking because he couldn't help laughing.
Zhou Xiao and Dong Xiaoyu, who was beside Li Mo, exchanged a glance, both smiling. Zhu Jian and Baozi were both seasoned fans, but now, seeing them like this, they were already beginning to feel sad for the two.
Thinking about how many friends would tease him about this clip once it went online, Zhou Xiao couldn't help but smile. After all, almost everyone was recording offline right now with a phone.
Ji Shao, standing on the stage, smiled as he watched the two fans' somewhat panicked escape. After accepting the red envelope and speaker from the director, he took a deep breath and said loudly, "Thank you all for your support. I will definitely seize this opportunity and live up to your love for me! And please be careful on your way back home and get home early!"
On that early summer morning, Zhou Xiao vaguely saw the burning fighting spirit behind Ji Shao. It was scorching, passionate, and full of vigor.
The scene was quiet for a moment, then erupted into enthusiastic cheers. Then, a fan in the crowd started to respond with a loud voice, "Ji Shao, you can do it! We all believe in you! And! Happy birthday!!!"
The fans at the event had come from all corners of the country, and they all knew that Ji Shao's birthday wasn't today. But on this day, with the cake in front, it was perfectly fitting. Following the chant of "Happy Birthday," the fans in the venue began to enthusiastically express their blessings to Ji Shao.
Ji Shao couldn't suppress the smile as he jumped off the stage, but he still reached out to muffle the noise. This was the film and television city's centralized fan support area, and nearby was also where the crew of "The Unparalleled General" was located. The overwhelming offline cheering was likely to disturb others.
Seeing Ji Shao coming to the cake, Chen Shenju, who was watching the fun from the audience but had a keen eye, had already opened a pack of tableware, took out a plastic knife and a tray and handed them over.
The cake followed the crew's opening cake pattern, but with the addition of a small fondant figure holding a microphone. Looking at the delicately outlined neem flower brooch on his chest, while the figure wasn't quite realistic, the iconic symbol made it clear that it was Ji Shao.
Ji Shao, dressed in ancient costume, stood in front of the cake, looking like he had traveled through time and space, creating a rather awkward feeling. A smile flickered in his eyes, and in front of him stood a group of fans clamoring for a piece of cake he had personally cut.
Seeing Ji Shao struggling to make the first move, seriously considering where to start, Zhou Xiao's eyes curved as he used his camera to record this rare moment of Ji Shao appearing before everyone.
Ji Shao seemed to have made up his mind and finally found a spot that suited his taste. He cut again and again, and after placing two pieces of cake, Zhou Xiao watched him walk to the left.
Left? This was the direction Zhu Jian and Baozi had been after pushing the cake. Because the fence on the left was closed, the two of them stayed inside quietly, watching Ji Shao.
Zhu Jian, squatting in the corner, felt his heart almost stop beating as he watched Ji Shao walk towards them. Just as the previous tension had faded, a new excitement came.
When Ji Shao held the cakes in his hands in front of him, and Zhu Jian felt a shadow over his head, he finally felt the reality. He subconsciously glanced at Baozi beside him, and when their eyes met, they both looked at the cake in his hands and stretched out their hands.
When Ji Shao turned around, he saw a group of hands reaching out to him from behind the fence, which made him feel a little amused. Chen Shenju had unpacked the tableware, which only contained ten trays. After Ji Shao handed the director the third piece of cake, the audience erupted in howling and clamoring for more cake.
Hearing the sound, Ji Shao, who was cutting the cake, immediately sped up. He loaded each plate and personally carried them out. When he finished loading the last two plates, he simply carried them to the fence. Looking at the many hands stretched out before him, he carefully placed a piece of cake on one of the outstretched hands.
Looking at the fans who hadn't received their cakes yet, Ji Shao asked softly, "I have to go back to the crew with the director later. Can you guys divide the cake among yourselves?"
Many fans at the scene were seeing Ji Shao up close for the first time. Looking at him, it felt incredibly unreal, and the words they wanted to say stuck in their throats. Some fans, even those who had burst into laughter at Zhu Jian and Baozi's actions, felt a deep sense of identification.
Zhou Xiao watched the sudden hesitancy and immediately understood what his colleagues were feeling. He suppressed his laughter and spoke for everyone, "Okay!"
Who knows, could Ji Shao really be detained and cut the cake for everyone present? Zhou Xiao felt that this was just a thought, after all, there was a director standing next to him who wanted to bring Ji Shao back to the crew.
"Thank you!" Along with a smiling thank you, a piece of cake was handed to Zhou Xiao.
Zhou Xiao had just reached out to take the cake when she saw Ji Shao pull out the red envelope the director had given him from his sleeve. He trotted past her to the far right and began handing out the cakes carefully as he walked.
When he came to Zhou Xiao again, Ji Shao shook the remaining red envelope in his hand at her. Then, Zhou Xiao heard Ji Shao smile at her and said, "Sister has just received it. I'll give it to you next time!"
After saying this, Ji Shao handed out the last red envelope. After saying goodbye to the fans at the scene, he returned to the crew with director Zheng Cheng.
Yu Du, in the crowd, looked at Zhou Xiao and spread his hands to indicate that he didn't get a red envelope. However, there was no disappointment on his face; instead, he looked happier than the people who got the red envelopes.
…
By the time Zhou Xiao returned to the hotel, it was already evening. The three of them had a good reunion with Dong Xiaoyu, who hadn't been offline for a while. After having a great time, they dispersed and went home.
In the space of a day since he'd been away, he'd opened the door to find several more packages. They were mostly holiday gifts from brands or companies, but Zhou Xiao could already predict that every box would contain zongzi.
Luckily, the crew was handing out red envelopes today instead of rice dumplings, otherwise it would have been a real headache. The head of the previously hired landscaping company sent her a message at noon, saying it was almost done and asking when she could go in for inspection.
This meant they had to return to Shanghai. Zhou Xiao was just thinking about whether to send all the rice dumplings home along with the holiday gifts, or leave them at the hotel and distribute them directly to the front desk. Suddenly, the system in his mind started to ring.
[System Task: Support Ji Shao's Start-up (1/1), reward: one year's stay at the Film City Hotel, accumulated based on actual stay time]
After hearing about this system reward*, Zhou Xiao began to think seriously. Although it wasn't very useful right now, now that Ji Shao had joined the team, he would have a stable place to stay when he came back in the future.
With satisfaction, she cast her gaze over the packages that arrived today and sorted them out briefly. The Dragon Boat Festival gifts she received today included not only NINE STAR's agency, Huayao Xingyu+, but also a partner platform, Blueberry Video.
The package Blueberry Video had delivered was a letter, light and exceptionally thin. Curious, Zhou Xiao opened it and saw two cards inside. One was a one-year VIP card for Blueberry Video, the other two vouchers for any item at the Blueberry Video mall.
This year's VIP video... Zhou Xiao thought about the VIP time on his account and was silent for a moment. Never mind, it's not activated anyway. When Ji Shao has a drama or variety show airing on the platform, he'll give it away in a raffle.
This is just a product redemption voucher. Considering that the prizes for Blueberry Video's second-tier activities are usually either autographed photos or video membership cards, it is quite generous.
Just as she was about to open the package sent by Huayao, the phone on the coffee table beside her rang. Zhou Xiao was a little surprised that someone was looking for her at this time. She picked up her phone and saw that it was Modern Fashion - Fang Zai
Zhou Xiao picked up the phone with some confusion, and heard Fang on the other end directly explain his purpose, "Zhou Xiao, are you interested in shooting the cover of the August issue of Modern Style?"
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