Chapter 320 Career
The temperature in Hainan Province in January was just right. After Zhou Xiao applied sunscreen neatly in the hotel room, he took a thin jacket and a camera and walked towards the elevator.
Because it happened to be the local tourist season, and after the hotel repeatedly assured them that they would reserve a dedicated outdoor shooting area for the team tomorrow, their itinerary for today was to go to a nearby photography base for a relatively simple indoor shoot.
After entering the elevator, Zhou Xiao was about to call Tang Zhao when he unexpectedly called right on cue. He pressed the answer button and heard Tang Zhao's cheerful laugh emanate from the phone. "Teacher Zhou, An Xin and I are waiting for the elevator. Are you coming down yet?"
Watching the elevator descend and stop at the fourth floor, Zhou Xiao raised an eyebrow. Isn't this a coincidence? She was just a little curious. If she was waiting for the elevator, why was there such a distinct "click" sound coming down the stairs?
In the elevator lobby on the fourth floor, Hui Anxin watched the elevator slowly open as it arrived at her floor. Just as she was about to step inside, she was startled by Zhou Xiao waving at her from inside.
Hui Anxin couldn't help but press her pounding chest. Even though she'd walked on a high-altitude plank walkway in her past fashion shows, she still had a natural tendency to get scared easily. But the shock quickly faded. She instinctively glanced towards the open fire exit door, then quickly turned back and winked at Zhou Xiao.
Zhou Xiao, who was still talking to Tang Zhao while holding her phone, watched Hui Anxin wink at her and then step sideways into the elevator, then directly pressed the door closing button.
The voice on Zhou Xiao's phone—still her agent's—began to speak. Hui Anxin pointed at her phone and mouthed, "Give it to me." After successfully taking the phone from her, she smiled and said into the receiver, "Sister Tang, Teacher Zhou Xiao and I are getting off the elevator together. Let's meet in the first-floor lobby!"
It turns out Tang Zhao had a habit of walking into the stairwell while waiting for the elevator to make a call. It was quiet there, so she wouldn't be disturbed while she was talking. She also thought standing and talking on the phone was a waste of time, so she would often answer the phone while walking downstairs.
As for why Hui Anxin was so familiar with the route, it was naturally because it had happened so many times. She paid close attention as she entered the elevator, and noticing that she could no longer hear her agent's voice on the fourth floor, she guessed she must have reached the first or second floor.
Sure enough, Tang Zhao on the other end of the phone responded readily, "Okay, okay, I'm almost there!"
When the three of them met in the lobby, Qi Ping, the leader of the "Fashion Pioneer" team, and makeup artists Li Yiling and Ding Yixuan, who had been waiting for them in advance, stood up from the sofa in the lobby to greet them.
As for the rest of the team, since we were shooting indoors today, we didn't need too many people. Of course, there was still a lot of work to do, so we took advantage of this time to explore the island and add some cultural content to the project.
Because it was the peak tourist season, many people were checking in at this time. Plus, Li Yiling had to carry her suitcase around the piles of tourists' suitcases cluttering the lobby, so it took her quite a while to get there.
"Everyone has arrived at the right time. The car will soon arrive at the hotel." Qi Ping smiled gently. After briefly greeting Zhou Xiao and the others, he led them to the door.
Zhou Xiao followed Qi Ping, his gaze naturally falling on the newlyweds. Li Yiling, who had just arrived at the hotel this morning to join the others, looked small, but the suitcase she brought was enormous.
I remembered what Ding Yixuan had said before, that the other party hadn't come these few days because he had flown abroad to borrow L.T's antique haute couture for a magazine shoot.
"The car is here. It's the black car with the license plate number 5210." Qi Ping walked to the door and pointed at a nanny car parked at the door, motioning everyone to get in the car first. Then he turned around, rolled up his sleeves and helped Li Yiling "carry" the suitcase.
"Ah, Brother Qi doesn't seem to be doing well." Ding Yixuan spoke subconsciously at the car door after noticing the movement over there.
Zhou Xiao, who had already stepped into the car, turned around and saw that Qi Ping's face had changed from its previous elegant and gentle expression. He was gritting his teeth as he moved the suitcase. He stopped after every step. Although the distance to the car door was only a few dozen meters, he walked with great difficulty.
Next to him was Li Yiling, looking apologetic. Seeing Qi Ping's struggles, she also apologized profusely. There was nothing she could do. She had just discovered one of the wheels was broken after entering the hotel. While she could still drag the bike halfway, it would make a loud noise if her arm wasn't strong enough.
As the offline director for the inaugural issue of Fashion Pioneer, Qi Ping expressed his willingness to endure even more fatigue in order to maintain his composure in front of his new collaborator, Zhou Xiao, and the public. So, at this moment, he was relying solely on brute force to carry the items bit by bit.
The early morning sun was still glaring. As Qi Ping, grinning and squinting, worked on the suitcase, he felt a shadow loom over him. Suddenly, his hand felt lighter. When he came to, he saw Zhou Xiao steadily pulling the tilted suitcase toward the car.
Li Yiling, who had initially been submissive by his side, now followed Zhou Xiao closely with a look of admiration. The stark contrast made Qi Ping look down at his own hands, now red from gripping the suitcase. A silent silence gradually spread.
"Brother Qi, Brother Qi, Brother Qi Ping, please get in the car quickly." Ding Yixuan, who was panting and preparing to get in the car, accidentally discovered that Qi Ping was still standing there, and could not help but shouting.
Because he had just helped Zhou Xiao (actually, he hadn't been very helpful) put the suitcase in the back seat, Ding Yixuan realized the weight of the suitcase and transferred his admiration for his senior directly to Zhou Xiao!
The box is so heavy! It turns out it’s not Brother Qi who’s not good enough!
After everyone boarded the bus, Li Yiling, facing the suspicious looks from everyone, sat up straight, raised her finger, and said devoutly, "I swear, there's definitely no big piece of iron in there!"
Zhou Xiao tried her best to ignore Ding Yixuan, who was watching her with sparkling eyes, and said to Li Yiling with some admiration, "It must have been quite a hardship carrying human flesh back here, right?"
The box was indeed heavy. If she hadn't developed enough strength, it might have taken several people to lift it. Perhaps it was due to the long hours of camera training in the system training room, but Zhou Xiao was surprised to see her able to lift the heavy object so steadily.
Li Yiling's previous actions were originally intended to ease the atmosphere in the car. But when she heard Zhou Xiao's words, she couldn't help but curl her lips. She was working so hard this time because she knew that "Fashion Pioneer" had invited Zhou Xiao to shoot.
Like many makeup artists in the industry, she's driven to become famous. You know, Zhou Xiao's nomination for the ZYQ cover award has been a viral news in the industry!
While there hasn't been much discussion online yet, it all stems from Fang Zai's desperate decision. Fang Zai is ambitious and wants to wait until everything is settled before promoting the product. Of course, this was also discussed with Mei Yi and Zhou Xiao in advance.
Mei Yi was already retired, and she had long since lost interest in the awards she'd won. In fact, compared to them, they were even less important than the ancestral hall event she'd missed in rural Fujian Province.
For Zhou Xiao, Fang Zai's approach was also in line with her ideas. She didn't want to do things like opening champagne midway, and she wouldn't do it.
Li Yiling wasn't sure why this incident hadn't received much discussion online, but she didn't need to worry about it. The most important things to her were her colleagues, whose net worth and fame had doubled after their collaborations with Zhou Xiao, and whose films had become huge hits.
"How can it not be hard? Just those few meters have made me exhausted." Suddenly, Qi Ping, who was sitting next to the car door, continued Zhou Xiao's words.
Upon hearing this, Ding Yixuan, who was standing next to Qi Ping, started laughing. The scene of Brother Qi looking down at his palm suddenly flashed back to her mind. It was hilarious! And with her leading the way, everyone else in the car inexplicably wanted to laugh too.
Zhou Xiao looked at Qi Ping with some surprise. Although his words seemed a bit sarcastic, the tone, coupled with Ding Yixuan's laughter, immediately livened up the atmosphere in the car. If he had spoken later, Li Yiling might have seen red eyes.
Could it be that the seal has been lifted?
After a few days of getting along and the harmonious atmosphere, when the car stopped steadily downstairs of the photography base and the driver turned around to tell them that they had reached their destination, everyone realized how quickly time had passed.
The studio rented by "Fashion Pioneer" in this photography base is located on the first floor. When getting off the car, Zhou Xiao used her great strength to help Li Yiling pull the suitcase into the accompanying dressing room.
Under the astonished gazes of the crowd, she simply dusted off her hands and looked towards the studio she was going to shoot in. Compared to the studios she had used before, much of the equipment in this photography base was a bit older.
Unlike some photographers who insist on the latest equipment, or else have their team rent it, Zhou Xiao is quite tolerant. She focuses on one piece and makes sure it works.
While Zhou Xiao was using Hui Anxin's makeup to coordinate the props for the shoot with Qi Ping, a loud exclamation suddenly rang out in the studio.
The sound came from the dressing room, and because it was part of the studio's accessories, it echoed directly inside. Qi Ping paused, startled by the sound. He looked at Zhou Xiao, who showed no impatience, and said in a slow tone, "He must have seen the clothes Teacher Li brought. Newcomers are like children, full of curiosity about everything. Fortunately, it's just..."
Before Qi Ping could finish his words, Ding Yixuan inside started screaming in amazement again. Veins on his face bulged with anger. He turned his head toward the dressing room and, through gritted teeth, said word by word, "Ding Yixuan!"
These three words were very effective, and the laughter in the dressing room was immediately extinguished. Qi Ping wanted to speak again, but he saw the dressing room door "Ya Ya" being pushed open from the inside.
Upon closer inspection, it turned out to be Tang Zhao, a huge smile on her face. She waved her hands and exclaimed in amazement, "Don't even mention Xiao Ding! Even I was stunned by what Yiling brought this time!"
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