Chapter 328 Career
At the Modern Fashion magazine building, everyone was bustling with activity. Fang Zai, for one, had even brought a computer directly to the publicity department, acting as if he was staying there tonight.
He had made countless preparations for this day, but even so, he still felt that time was running out and he was too nervous.
"Brother Fang, could you please take a look at this copy for the marketing account?" The employee with glasses raised his hand and greeted Fang Zai. His tone was also more respectful than the previous time they had communicated.
The copy was naturally prepared in advance, but this is because Zhou Xiao's ranking far exceeded everyone's imagination! So it needs to be polished again to make this honor more popular.
Fang turned sideways, looked at the text on the screen, and nodded. He was now thankful that Zhou Xiao had declined his earlier proposal for a celebration banquet. Otherwise, even if he were celebrating in a restaurant right now, he wouldn't be able to take his eyes off the meeting.
As the editor-in-chief of the award-winning August issue, Fang Zai truly reaps the rewards of this achievement. For him, no matter how hard or tiring the work, it's all a mark of happiness.
"Brother Fang, an artist has approached us and asked if we want to collaborate," another girl across the table raised her hand and asked.
"Which one?" Fang asked seriously, frowning again. The publicity sparked by "Modern Style" gradually spread throughout the domestic entertainment industry. Starting with top artist Ji Shao, who was the first to post on Weibo, a tornado of congratulatory messages followed suit.
As for Ji Shao? Fang wasn't surprised he'd posted a congratulatory post. For one thing, the inaugural issue of "Modern Fashion Idol" featured NINE STAR, and for another, and most importantly, he and Zhou Xiao had a close relationship.
And from Fang Zai's point of view, the most gratifying thing is that Ji Shao did not issue any binding press release at all, which took away the limelight and popularity of this award that should have belonged to "Modern Fashion".
The ZYQ Top Ten Cover Award currently holds greater significance for Zhou Xiao and his publication, Modern Fashion, than for Zhou Xiao. It's no exaggeration to say that this award could potentially disrupt the balance of power among China's leading women's magazines.
You know, the Chinese fashion circle has been struggling to win any major awards for a long time! Previously, "XZC" was able to win the best cover selected by the headquarters, which was already a rare honor in the circle.
"Well... there are Zhao Yitong and Jiang Linhe," the girl replied with a frown, an indescribable expression on her face.
The fashion world is full of hype. When these two were at the peak of their popularity, they only appeared on the inside pages of "Modern Style" as a promotional brand. I don't know where they got the confidence to talk about cooperation with them?
The content sent by these two agents is indeed related to Zhou Xiao. However, the former has only worked with Zhou Xiao once, while the latter is outrageous, saying that it is "the male lead of the drama for which Zhou Xiao served as the photographer."
The publicity campaign of "Fan Hua Xing" may be very popular in the industry, but for them, actual results are the most important.
Fang rolled his eyes again and said nothing more. He thought it was someone else. If they wanted to talk about cooperation, they could at least appear on the cover of Modern Magazine once before talking.
Thinking of the text message he just received, he waved his hand and was about to leave when he suddenly stopped. "Keep a close eye on Fashion Pioneer. Don't let them take advantage of you."
This is also why Fang Zai must divert public attention to "Modern Fashion". As far as he knows, Zhou Xiao shot the other party's first quarterly issue some time ago.
Before crafting the marketing plan, Fang Zai actually had no problem praising Zhou Xiao. Besides Mei Yi's concerns, he also hoped to deeply bind Zhou Xiao to the magazine. However, the ability she had demonstrated so far was already enough to allow her to freely choose the magazines she liked.
The birds perched on the windowsill chirped and called out. Fang Zai's gaze lingered for a moment before shifting. He took a deep breath, not knowing who he was talking to, and murmured softly, "It's great to be young!"
He knew that even so, he could not tie Zhou Xiao down, as talent and youth were the biggest bargaining chips in the other party's hands.
…
Hainan Island.
Qi Ping, squatting at the entrance of the local Forestry Bureau, lowered his head and hung up the phone. He couldn't hide the joy on his face; this time, his bet had paid off!
Thinking of the congratulatory phone call just now in which Zhou Xiao was still asking him what he thought of the first draft, Qi Ping's heart was filled with appreciation and admiration.
This is a big prize! If it were him, he wouldn't be able to express his joy without hosting a few banquets. He hadn't expected Zhou Xiao's professionalism to be so high that he couldn't help but want to hurry back to the hotel to hold a discussion.
"Brother Qi, Brother Qi!" Ding Yixuan, who had followed, was full of disbelief and continued to chatter, "Teacher Zhou really won the award!"
Even though she was still new to the industry, she knew how important this award was. Just looking at Brother Qi's excitement, even though the award went to Modern Fashion, he acted like he had won the lottery.
Qi Ping propped himself up on the cement floor and slowly stood up. After he steadied himself and simply brushed off the dust from his palms, he replied, "First, would you like to count how many times you've repeated this to me? Secondly, do you remember what our current mission is?"
Ding Yixuan nodded seriously, repeating like a tape recorder, "First, contact the well-known online bird identification blogger, and then follow up with the local authorities on the New Year's plan for Fashion Pioneer!"
After saying this, she subconsciously pinched her fingertips and said, "Hmm... finally, do we still need to contact Teacher Zhou about this award?"
Qi Ping snapped his fingers loudly and crisply. Although the young woman before him was still quite inexperienced, judging by this last point, she possessed a keen sense of media skills, having been chosen among the numerous interviewees.
He turned his head and looked at the sign behind him, his lips curled up. What a lucky trip! What kind of photographer could have happened to capture the Spoon-billed Sandpiper, a nationally protected species, while shooting a magazine cover?
Thinking of this, Qi Ping suddenly started to have a headache. It seemed that the New Year's plan, which was originally centered around fun, would also have to start getting busy.
Hainan Province is a great place for vacation, but I don’t know how the lazy people who really enjoy traveling will scream when they find out that their workload has become heavier.
"Ding ding" the cell phone in his pocket rang, Qi Ping picked up the phone and looked at the big words "Mr. Shu" displayed on the screen.
As soon as the call was connected, Shu Jingcheng's cold voice sounded on the other end. He spoke directly, "How are the materials for the quarterly publication being prepared?"
Qi Ping breathed a sigh of relief, and was filled with gratitude to Zhou Xiao for sending him the draft last night. After calming down, he told the editor-in-chief about his team's progress. Without interrupting, he also mentioned the environmental protection topic they were discussing today.
"Are you sure the bird accidentally entered the camera?" There was a pause on the other end of the phone, and the tone sounded much softer.
"That's right!" Qi Ping said seriously, "We also have a video recording of the scene. I'll send it to you, Mr. Shu, later."
Ding Yixuan, standing nearby, had already recognized the voice on the line. Wasn't it the editor-in-chief of Fashion Pioneer, who had sat in the center of the room during the final interview? Recalling the man's powerful presence and pointed questions, she felt as if she were back at the final audition all over again.
"Xiao Ding, Xiao Ding!" Qi Ping, who had already hung up the phone, looked at Ding Yixuan, who was standing there motionless, and stretched out his right hand, waving it in front of her eyes. After calling her several times without any response, he gently patted her shoulder.
"Ah? Ah?" Ding Yixuan was a little confused at first, but when she saw Qi Ping, her memory gradually came back. She asked a little embarrassedly, "Brother Qi, are we going back now?"
Qi Ping glanced at her sideways, then nodded to indicate the taxi was arriving. He walked towards the passenger seat ahead of Ding Yixuan, saying casually, "I've got a mission for you. Maintain friendly interactions with Zhou Xiao in the near future."
"By the way," Qi Ping said with a smile after opening the car door and pausing in his tracks, "We need to publish the materials for our quarterly publication half a month in advance. When we get back later, everyone should come and select the draft that Teacher Zhou sent us!"
…
On the other side, after craning his neck to read the message sent by his agent, Jiang Linhe sat on the sofa, lowering his head and biting his nails, looking quite nervous.
The withdrawal of "Flower Walk" was unexpected, and many of his schedules were postponed due to the schedule change. But fortunately, producer Tong Yin recently sent a new message that the series is being revised and will be rescheduled to the end of February or early March at the latest.
As for why he asked his agent to contact "Modern Style"? Naturally, it was because he was really lacking in popularity. So when he saw the news of Zhou Xiao's award on the trending search, after his agent reminded him, he realized that he could have a connection with Zhou Xiao.
"The magazine rejected it," Fu Qiu said to his artist on the sofa, looking at the reply from the other side. This reply really didn't surprise him at all, and he accepted it naturally and calmly.
"Whoosh!" A pillow was thrown at him. Fu Qiu reached out and grabbed the soft force. He curled his lips and said helplessly, "Dahe, you should go to the gym. Didn't you see how many netizens complained about you after the press conference?"
"It's so annoying. When will "Flower City" be aired?" Without a good agency to back them up, they have to personally find the producer to confirm when the show will be aired.
"This..." Fu Qiu's words were stuck in his throat. He didn't understand why the show was not airing. You know, being able to air the show now is already a victory. Not to mention, it's a costume drama.
The fact that the show was able to secure broadcast approval so quickly was enough to make its peers filming period dramas at the same time drool with envy. It was precisely for this reason that Jiang Linhe's team pushed aside other plans to ensure the full month of promotional time. Who would have thought that the show would be postponed shortly after the press conference?
"Buzz buzz" the phone in his hand vibrated as it received a new message. After Fu Qiu looked down at the message, his expression looked strange and complicated.
He glanced at Jiang Linhe, who was slumped on the sofa, and after a moment of hesitation, he asked, "There's good news and bad news. Which one do you want to hear?"
Jiang Linhe waved his hand and said indifferently, "Whatever... then it's good news." In his opinion, no matter how bad the news is, it should be that "Fan Hua Xing" will be postponed to April or May.
"The good news is," Fu Qiu paused, "the crew of 'Flowering Journey' invited Zhou Xiao to shoot a promotional video for the cast."
Jiang Linhe's eyes lit up mid-sentence. As he signed autographs for the crew, he was already pleased with himself in the photos. Thinking of Zhou Xiao's reputation within the industry, he was already thinking about how to attract fans through his videos.
Seeing that his artist had forgotten to ask him what the bad news was, Fu Qiu coughed lightly and said, "The bad news is that the starring team shooting the drama promotional video this time... does not include us..."
Jiang Linhe didn't react at first, but the next moment, he felt like his lungs were about to explode with anger. Why didn't he come with them for the promotional shoot? He was still the lead actor in "Flower Walk"! Could it be... could it be that it was just because he was angry at them back then...
The more he thought about it, the angrier he became. He looked at his agent and said, "Haha, it was that Zhou Xiao who refused to film me, right? Great, that's great!"
Fu Qiu pursed his lips, and after seeing his artist calm down a bit, he continued, "It was the producer's initiative."
On the screen of his phone, producer Tong Yin had sent a private message to Fu Qiu, telling him not to attend the upcoming filming for the drama's promotions. Although the other party didn't explain, he subconsciously knew the reason.
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