Chapter 415 Career Line
Just after Zhou Xiao recruited Dong Xiaoheigong and Li Xiaoheigong offline at the end of the month to help her distribute the surrounding products, she received a call from Shunan's teacher Ren Yaqi, quite coincidentally.
As a well-known stylist, Ren Yaqi maintained a harmonious relationship with many magazines. His sudden call to Zhou Xiao was also a request from someone.
This time, Ren Yaqi, acting as a middleman, approached Zhou Xiao on behalf of Graceful Her magazine to submit a collaboration proposal. As a gesture of goodwill, the magazine invited her to shoot during the most important September season for fashion magazines.
Graceful Her, a leading international women's magazine, has been firmly established in China for decades. Its cover cast, like its name, features outstanding Chinese women.
After Zhou Xiao hung up the phone, he also thoroughly searched online for information about the magazine. As a purely women's magazine, Graceful Her has always been considered the most reliable gauge of a Chinese actress's national popularity within the entertainment industry.
Flipping through past covers, female scientists, athletes, and accomplished women in various fields have become its hallmarks and banners. In these faces, Zhou Xiao can sense their peace, sharpness, and a will to climb upward.
Among them, she also saw two familiar faces. One was Mei Yi, considered a senior figure among all current Chinese photographers, and the other was Wang Lanying, whom she had met once in Xincheng.
Both of them have reached the top in their respective industries, and they are like a spirit that inspires the younger generations to surpass them and climb to higher peaks.
Zhou Xiao had already been tempted by Mei Yi's photo the moment he saw it. This was because the photographer's name on Mei Yi's promotional post was her own.
A strange feeling rose from the bottom of his heart. When Zhou Xiao saw the two identical names overlapped, he suddenly became curious about this magazine.
Just like winning the "ZYQ" award, it seemed as if fate had led Zhou Xiao to follow Mei Yi's path. Thinking of this, Zhou Xiao picked up the phone on the desk and prepared to call Ren Yaqi back.
The phone beeped a few times before the call was quickly picked up by the person on the other end. Zhou Xiao didn't beat around the bush and directly told Ren Yaqi that he had accepted a photo shoot for the September issue of Graceful Her.
Ren Yaqi on the other end of the line seemed surprised that Zhou Xiao agreed so quickly. As the middleman, he should have been delighted, but now he hesitated. "Um... Mr. Zhou, I'm not sure if you're aware that the compensation offered by Graceful Her is somewhat lower than that of other top women's magazines in China."
Graceful Her is quite different from other magazines in terms of the choice of cover characters, and is slightly inferior to other magazines in terms of advertising and investment.
Funding for top women's magazines comes largely from luxury brand advertising, and for luxury brands, celebrity-driven publicity is clearly more direct. While this magazine lacks in this area, it remains a favorite among professional women, and therefore, continues to attract luxury brands.
"That's no problem," Zhou Xiao smiled slightly, "I took the role because it suits my taste."
"Even though you said that, Teacher Zhou, I still want to thank you on behalf of Graceful Her." Ren Yaqi's tone immediately brightened. "Then I'll give the magazine your contact information, Teacher Zhou, so you two can discuss it in detail?"
"Then I'll trouble you, Teacher Ren!"
Seeing the other party hastily hang up the phone, Zhou Xiao began to look forward to the next contact and filming. After waiting for less than a minute, a new friend request appeared in the communication software.
…
The next day.
After a brief discussion with Xing Kexin, the person in charge of "Graceful Her" who was in contact with her last night, Zhou Xiao, who was still at the Huashang Times Hotel the day before, took a taxi to the photography base early this morning.
Although Zhou Xiao had been assigned to the September issue of Graceful Her, which was still a long time away from the end of August, Xing Kexin told him that the magazine was currently working on a certain brand's fashion show collection, and if they could borrow it in advance, they would have to hurry up and shoot.
Furthermore, for the cover shoot, finishing it by the end of July would undoubtedly save a lot of effort. If it were postponed to August, Zhou Xiao might even have to accompany the planning team on a week-long trip to the Hexagonal Kingdom.
The 2026 Spring/Summer Fashion Week wasn't just watched by major magazines, but also by experienced stylists and studios in the domestic entertainment industry who were worthy of competing with them for clothing. Zhou Xiao was quite relaxed about it, having already received PZ's reassurance.
Although she wasn't sure what PZ could gain from providing her photography studio with couture and runway clothing, she felt that every decision made by capital had its significance. Since they were willing to provide it without any strict requirements, Zhou Xiao considered it as a way to enrich her studio's clothing reserves.
By the time Zhou Xiao arrived at the photography base, Lu Qian, whom she had contacted earlier, and Xue Xi and Shu Nan, who were attending the meeting, were already waiting for her in the conference room.
"Graceful Her" has its own stylist, a decision that was discussed with Zhou Xiao from the outset. Today's small meeting was to have Lv Qian design a theme that fits the characters being photographed.
"Junior sister, who is this Su Wenjun?" Lu Qian asked first when she saw Zhou Xiao push open the door of the conference room.
She had searched online last night but couldn't find any artists or outstanding figures with the same name. This made her anxious and wanted to ask Zhou Xiao, but she thought that since they were going to meet tomorrow, there was no need to do so.
As for the name "Junior Sister," hehe, it was just a verbal advantage. Anyway, her teacher always praised Zhou Xiao every time he called her, and after discussing it with her fellow seniors, they figured, well, they're all the same!
And Zhou Xiao didn't refute it. Calling her "Junior Sister" was much more comfortable than calling her boss! After all, she was also a "pieceworker" and didn't have to work in the office, so she still had a lot of freedom~
"Su Wenjun, the captain of the Thunder Vanguard," Zhou Xiao paused and continued, "It's normal that you didn't find her, because Su Wenjun is her real name."
"Thunder Vanguard?" For those unfamiliar with esports, the team's name was a source of confusion. They couldn't imagine its status in the esports industry. And in the entertainment industry, which celebrity could it be associated with?
"Have you seen the trending searches lately? The inaugural Olympiad eSports Games will be held in Hexagon Country at the end of this month." Zhou Xiao didn't mince words and went straight to Su Wenjun's results. "Thunder Pioneer is one of the participating teams, and they're a strong contender for the championship."
"Hiss, so the person we're going to film this time is this contestant?" Shu Nan asked in surprise. Although she didn't pay much attention to this industry, to be the first contestant to win glory for the country was a bit exaggerated, wouldn't this family tree have to open a new chapter?
"Wow, is 'Graceful Her' a bet?" Lu Qian raised an eyebrow, looked at Zhou Xiao and said, "I'm afraid there won't be just one issue in this year's Golden September issue, right?"
Zhou Xiao nodded. Xing Kexin had explained to her last night that this year's Golden September issue would have two issues. Which of them would become the main issue and the supplement (as well as the supplement and special edition) would depend on the achievements of the cover star.
It's a bit cruel, considering it's the Golden September. And the impact of the main and supplementary publications is so different. And Graceful Her kept both the photographer and cover subject secret.
"What if the bet goes wrong?" Lu Qian asked in a deep voice. She was thinking about how to make Zhou Xiao gain greater benefits if she failed.
When people talk about magazines, they don't even pay any attention to the supplements. Take the "Modern Fashion Idol" section, for example. It's because NINE STAR was the first publication to take on the responsibility. Otherwise, who would care about the supplements?
Zhou Xiao was silent for a moment, then replied, "They said they would compensate me with ten silver coins."
As soon as these words were spoken, the tense meeting room suddenly became filled with a cheerful atmosphere. Shu Nan also reacted. She took out a piece of paper and wiped the tears from her eyes. "It seems that this magazine is a gambler!"
To outsiders, being able to photograph the cover of Graceful Her, a leading women's magazine, is an unparalleled honor. After all, to be able to shoot such a significant month requires not only the photographer's skill but also a certain level of reputation within the industry.
But Shunan and others believe that after Zhou Xiao won a major international photography award, perhaps all she needs is time to mature. And in China, where talent is prized, if Zhou Xiao were to truly want to film Jin Jiufeng, perhaps someone would even be willing to help her connect with him.
Xue Xi, standing by, fell silent. Although she felt that this environment was somewhat different from her previous work at XZC, she compared the qualifications of the photographers she had previously "worked with" with her boss. Hmm... what Sister Nan said made sense!
But before Zhou Xiao could finish her words, she pulled out a chair and sat down on it, supporting her chin with one hand and blinking. "The person who contacted me about 'Graceful Her' also said that I could participate in the selection of the cast for the Silver October filming."
As for the percentage of participation, Zhou Xiao felt it shouldn't be very high. After all, magazines selecting cover figures had never been heard of consulting with photographers.
But she actually had a vague guess in her heart that if nothing unexpected happened, the October issue of "Graceful Her" would welcome a new female artist.
Oh~ No wonder people say that capitalists have dirty hearts!
The reaction on the scene was somewhat different from what Zhou Xiao had expected, especially Lu Qian, who was frowning at the beginning and worried that she would suffer a big loss. Now she was looking at Zhou Xiao with complicated eyes.
"Boss, please take more orders from now on," Lu Qian's eyes quickly transformed into one filled with sincerity. "Especially big-brand advertising! If you want planning, ask me to be your boss. I'm an expert! From now on, I'll be following you!"
Shu Nan on the opposite side held Xue Xi's head with one hand, and the two of them nodded one after another like the paws of a lucky cat.
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