Chapter 292
October was still short-sleeved season in Guangdong Province. Zhou Xiao immediately grabbed his jacket and headed for the exit as soon as he got off the plane. Only after catching a taxi did he finally have the leisure to appreciate the scenery outside.
Under the scorching sun, bougainvillea flowers are in full bloom, enveloping the pedestrian bridge. Brilliant yellow and fiery rose-red create distinct layers, interwoven with the protruding green leaves beneath a blue sky and white clouds, exuding a vibrant vitality so intense it almost overflows.
Zhou Xiao sat in the car, enjoying the cool breeze from the half-open window. Seeing many passersby with their phones raised, their backs facing her, pausing to record the scenery, Zhou Xiao unconsciously pressed the shutter a few more times with her camera.
The driver was very welcoming. Seeing Zhou Xiao's out-of-town appearance, he enthusiastically recommended nearby sights and local delicacies. While waiting at a traffic light, he spotted Zhou Xiao fiddling with her camera in the rearview mirror. He paused for a moment, then finally couldn't help but ask, "Beautiful girl, are you here for some photography conference?"
Zhou Xiao was a little confused by the sudden question, but at this point... as if suddenly enlightened, he smiled and asked, "Master, you've been seeing a lot of customers with cameras lately, right?"
"Hey, pretty girl, you don't know this, there are more than just people carrying cameras, there are also many whose addresses are similar to your destination! I just happened to pick up several of them in the past two days!" Seeing the red light flashing, the driver stopped talking, turned around and started driving seriously.
Zhou Xiao's lips curled up. This offline event was supposed to be quite lively. The "Asian Tide" venue and the Guangdong Provincial Photography Base were very close together, and the hotel she'd chosen was right between them. It wasn't surprising that a fan had booked the same hotel as her.
This time, she came to Guangzhou for two reasons: to attend the "Asian Trend Music" event and to shoot a Taobao TVC for Singles' Day. The latter shoot was originally scheduled for Shanghai, but due to NINE STAR's schedule, the brand contacted Zhou Xiao and arranged a shoot at the same location as the "Asian Trend" event.
She was still thinking that she might meet a fellow star-chasing person offline this time, but to her surprise, the first person who contacted her was not a fellow star but Zhang Hongyu.
"How's Mr. Zhou? Have you come to Guangdong Province yet? Would you like to be my assistant?" Zhang Hongyu asked with a grin on the other end of the line. Zhou Xiao could clearly hear the joke; he sounded particularly cheerful. His voice was so cheerful, he figured they should all have arrived at the hotel.
As a photographer for Nine Star, Zhang Hongyu's job is to take official photos and behind-the-scenes footage of the members before events. His photography skills are naturally neither good nor bad for fans, so he hasn't been the subject of protest posters, but neither have they reached the point of daily visits to his personal account to express their love for him.
A few days ago, Zhang Hongyu made a note of Zhou Xiao's attendance at Yachao after learning that she would also be attending. When they arrived in Guangdong Province, he figured Zhou Xiao would still be Ji Shao's fan club member, so he jokingly asked her if she wanted to come to the rehearsal sometime.
NINE STAR, the honored guest and performer at the "Asian Trend Music" awards ceremony, had already booked live rehearsals for the next two days. Two days seemed like a long time for Zhang Hongyu, so he started looking for someone to chat and gossip with.
Of course, the chances of getting in through the backdoor were slim, as this was the meat in the organizer's bowl. However, relying on my identity as a photographer and adding an assistant would be no problem, but having a better way would be much better.
Zhou Xiao tried hard to hold back her laughter. She knew that Zhang Hongyu was expressing his gratitude to her for taking him to shoot the TVC, so she agreed without much hesitation.
The two chatted briefly about the estimated time and place to meet at the venue. Zhou Xiao was about to hang up the phone when he heard Zhang Hongyu's voice suddenly increase on the other end of the line.
"Wow! Teacher Zhou, the microphones you customized for Ji Shao have arrived! So many boxes! Wow, this is a huge box!" Zhang Hongyu's voice on the other end of the line sounded particularly excited. After piquing Zhou Xiao's curiosity, he continued, "Let's not talk about it anymore. I have to go record this scene for you! I'm hanging up now!"
After hanging up the phone, Zhou Xiao pondered the situation, then opened his chat app and found the previous conversation between him and the hand-microphone production team. The order was due around this time, even a few days earlier than previously predicted.
I'm not sure what the actual draft will look like, but I'm a little nervous about it. Just as I was about to scroll up to take another look at the final draft, the previous chat message in the dialog box suddenly moved upwards. It was a new message from the other party!
SEN China Region - Xiaomai: Dear, the microphone, earphone and headset you customized for us have been completed. And have been delivered to the temporarily changed address. Looking forward to the next cooperation [handshake]
SEN China Region - Wheat: [Picture]
The photo sent to me shows several boxes of varying sizes stacked against a backdrop that looks like a hotel lobby. The boxes, with their matte, deep black exterior and Ji Shao's signature in bronze-gold, look understated yet stylish.
Looking at the photo, Zhou Xiao's nervousness gradually calmed down. At this moment, she was more curious about what Ji Shao would look like when he got the microphone than the microphone in the box.
…
Inside the Songwu Hotel, this room, originally a relatively spacious one, now seemed quite crowded due to the nearly overflowing crowd. Everyone's attention was focused on several matte black boxes carefully placed on the carpet.
Ji Shao, who was surrounded in the middle, said with a helpless tone, "Logically speaking, shouldn't this be done in the training room or on the rehearsal stage?" Having said that, if the corners of his mouth hadn't remained curved upwards, his persuasiveness would have been stronger.
Zhang Hongyu, having hurriedly hung up the phone with Zhou Xiao, was now holding up his precious camera. Having become close friends with the other members, he was now enthusiastically cheering them on. This frenetic nature of his, even the members, who had grown somewhat estranged from their scattered filming schedules, smiled at each other, and the awkward feeling instantly dissipated.
To enhance the atmosphere, Xiang Rui even ran to the window and drew the thick curtains. Almost as soon as the room darkened, seven or eight cell phone flashlights, operated by their owners, finally lit up in a flurry of activity.
"Brother, at least tell me when you're pulling the curtains!" Chu Cheng said with a frown. His feet had been stepped on several times in the dark room. His suspicious eyes wandered around, finally settling on Yan Shu, who was standing next to him.
Yan Shu, who was being watched, was looking at the box seriously, as if he were studying something, mumbling something incomprehensible. In fact, if you listened carefully, you would find that his words were all randomly spliced together.
"Tsk, as soon as I saw Ruizi's action, I cleverly turned on the flashlight." Xu Zhou smiled and looked very proud, as if he had won a great victory.
Silently, Ji Shao reached out to straighten his hair that had been messed up by a few pairs of thieving hands. His "cold" eyes moved as if he was "quietly" examining the suspicious individuals who might secretly attack him.
The interaction between the young people made Song Xiao and Chen Shenju, who were watching from the sidelines, grin at them. Having been accustomed to the intrigues of the group, the members' interactions at this moment made them feel a long-lost sense of relaxation.
The darkness brought everyone closer together, and the presence of light added a touch of warmth. Amidst the noise and chatter, everyone's attention returned to the box.
The matte black box shone with a warm, jade-like glow under the light. Suddenly, a hand reached out, and Liang Wendao lifted the box. In his unique tenor voice, he spoke in a strange, translator-like voice, "Oh! My dear warrior, please take the treasure you have obtained!"
"Hahahahahahahahahahahahaha" "I'm dying of laughter" "..." A mere door couldn't stop the laughter of a dozen people. The other assistants sitting in the living room looked at each other, and after the laughter died down, they couldn't help but reveal expressions of helplessness yet a hint of doting.
Inside the room, under the spotlight, Ji Shao's slender fingers rested on the lock. With a crisp "click," the box opened. As expected, the next moment, a chorus of "wows" filled the air.
The hand microphone, tightly encased in a black-gray sponge, shimmered under the light, like a pearl nurtured for centuries in the deep sea. The purple-white-purple gradient hand microphone was sprayed with a pearlescent lacquer, giving it a luxurious and refined look. This was why everyone had noticed a halo when Ji Shao opened it earlier.
With his eyes focused, Ji Shao exerted force with his fingertips and pulled out the hand microphone. As he turned it, he could see the elegant neem flowers inlaid with purple gemstones on the front of the microphone, which was not tacky but extremely lively.
The members' reactions were equally astonished. Liang Wendao, holding the box, was now completely captivated by his vocal instincts. He stared intently at the hand mic and then yelled, "Ahhhhhhhhhhhh! No! Don't stop me! I want a custom hand mic too! And I want it encrusted with diamonds!"
The microphone was passed around the group, and when it finally returned to Ji Shao, he leaned in closer to Zhang Hongyu's camera. After ensuring the microphone was fully in frame, he pointed his finger at the chinaberry flower mark, his wide smile deepening the dimples on his lips.
Her eyes sparkled as she stared directly into the camera, and she spoke with a rare shyness, "Kuaike! This is my first custom microphone! I'll use it well!"
…
"How about this position, isn't it?" Zhang Hongyu put his hands on his hips, turned around proudly and looked at Zhou Xiao who was holding a camera.
Today was the second and final day of NINE STAR's rehearsal. After figuring out the organizer's attitude, Zhang Hongyu took the opportunity to formally bring Zhou Xiao to the rehearsal site.
Of course, they weren't the only ones watching the rehearsal. Zhang Hongyu could easily spot a few fans burrowing behind their seats, their heads half-peeked out. While rehearsals were usually off-limits to outsiders, these private matters were something everyone understood.
"It's pretty good. It would be even better if you didn't stand in the front and block people." Zhou Xiao, who was sitting in the audience, put down her camera and waved to him. When she raised her camera again, the shot showed Ji Shao, who was rehearsing on the stage without makeup.
After a full day of rehearsals yesterday, the members have recovered to about 70% of their usual form. The song NINE STAR chose for "Asia Trend Music" wasn't particularly difficult to perform; the difficulty level involved simply showcasing the typical chorus dance routine expected of a boy group.
After all, "Ya Chao" is a professional music stage. Even though the members' skills are excellent, the guests and seniors in the audience still have room for improvement. Furthermore, singing and dancing stages are inherently more prone to unstable breathing than standing still, so the high-intensity singing stages were directly rejected. They are now focusing on the group dance.
"Tsk, tsk, tsk, tsk, look at you, are you regretting this?" Zhang Hongyu leaned over. "I've been looking for so long, and I still haven't seen the microphone you gave me! This kid is so stingy, that microphone is like it's precious. I only used it for the last rehearsal yesterday!"
The regret Zhang Hongyu was referring to was the video he'd filmed yesterday, which he'd intended to send to Zhou Xiao, but she'd refused to watch. It was simply because he'd said it was for future material, and Zhou Xiao had flatly refused. That was why he'd been grumbling for so long today.
As he finished speaking, a sharp whistle emanated from the speakers on either side of the stage. The performers on stage paused momentarily, their gazes to the left. The next second, everyone rushed towards the fallen Xu Zhou.
Zhou Xiao, who was originally sitting in his seat, stood up with a "dong" and together with Zhang Hongyu, he held on to the back of the chair in front of him, watching the situation in the field with some nervousness.
The directors, watching the rehearsal, quickly called over the loudspeaker, "Quick, quick, call a doctor! Everyone on stage, please don't crowd around Xiao Xu. Keep the air circulating!"
Ji Shao, who had already quickly supported Xu Zhou, saw that he seemed to have something to say. He casually passed his microphone to Xu Zhou's lips, and everyone heard his rather energetic voice echoing throughout the venue, "It's okay, I have low blood sugar. Give me a candy!"
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