Chapter 460
"Thank you, Sister Du." Zhou Xiao was stunned for a moment, then quickly reacted and sincerely thanked Du Huiyue with a smile on his face.
Zhou Xiao was truly grateful to the person who, working within CCTV, had relayed the newly confirmed news to her immediately. At the same time, this also meant she would have another project to complete in the system training room.
Du Huiyue's face on the other end of the phone had already flushed red. Although it wasn't the first time she heard Zhou Xiao call her Sister Du, and she was indeed much older than him, every time she heard this title, she would feel that she was taking advantage of him.
Especially recently, as Zhou Xiao adjusted to the CCTV director's assignments, she would occasionally ask for his advice. Beyond anything else, Zhou Xiao was truly skilled at directing. Du Huiyue sometimes felt itchy, dreaming of a stage where she could immediately pick up the camera and start filming.
While back in the day at the campground, the photography department had a chance to try their hand at directing, nowadays, at such a large-scale live evening event, being a fixed-camera photographer requires daily excellence.
"No, no," Du Huiyue said after calming herself down. "Teacher Zhou, please don't be so polite! By the way, have you booked a hotel in Beijing? If not, I can recommend a few!"
CCTV had all the flights and hotels covered for Zhou Xiao, so Du Huiyue, as the contact person, was responsible for helping him book the hotel. After hearing the person on the other end confirm the arrival time with Zhou Xiao, Du Huiyue happily hung up.
"How's it going?" Shang Xia, who had just arrived, poked her head out from behind the sofa. Du Huiyue, beaming, casually handed her a cup of coffee and said, "Sister, your favorite American coffee. I just grabbed some for you."
Du Huiyue accepted the coffee without hesitation and said happily, "Teacher Zhou said she will arrive in Beijing on the 27th, and she will also participate in the rehearsal of the Mid-Autumn Festival Gala."
"Then I have to prepare a full set of paper scripts for Teacher Zhou in advance." Shang Xia was even more impressed when she heard that Zhou Xiao had specially arrived a day early.
In fact, Zhou Xiao didn't appear on stage much at this Mid-Autumn Festival Gala. After all, due to her lack of experience, the station's leadership didn't dare to let her off too much. The large opening and closing stages were still handled by the general director, with only the pure dance performances and energetic singing and dancing stages requiring aesthetic expression being assigned to her.
Rehearsals are undoubtedly an intensified form of exhaustion. Previously, during the Qixi Festival Gala in August, Shang Xia lost ten pounds due to stress and fatigue. Although she's noticed a bit of weight gain lately, she didn't consider this a good way to lose weight. When she got home, her grandparents were heartbroken.
After some thought, Shang Xia decided that in addition to spiritual "food," she should also prepare some high-calorie snacks for Teacher Zhou. Unlike other jobs where you can find a place to take a nap when you're tired, directing requires high-intensity, continuous work.
Although she couldn't help much, as the assistant assigned to Teacher Zhou by the station, Shang Xia believed that these small things were all things she should have done in advance! If she could get along well with Teacher Zhou, then she wouldn't have to be forced to look at Sister Du's "finished product" every day.
…
Elsewhere, after hanging up Du Huiyue's call, Zhou Xiao paused for a moment, waiting for the system notification to sound. What surprised her was that the system, which usually issued tickets incredibly quickly, hadn't responded at all this time, as if nothing had happened.
This has never happened before. Could it be that... Zhou Xiao couldn't help but frown, wondering if there was some problem with the stage this time, which caused Ji Shao to not go on stage in the end?
After a moment's thought, Zhou Xiao decided to speak directly, without beating around the bush. But he was also curious, so he deliberately used a condescending tone to ask the system, "Tongzi, you heard what I just said. Is there something wrong with the stage?"
The system responded to this exceptionally quickly—
[Ding! Ji Shao's participation in the CCTV Mid-Autumn Festival Gala has been detected. Because it conflicts with the host's side quest, "TV Director's Palm Cut," no tickets will be issued this time.]
Something was wrong. This was very wrong. Zhou Xiao had clearly sensed the system's tendency in the previous mission rewards: it hoped she would become a full-time fangirl for the generous rewards.
As if sensing Zhou Xiao's thoughts, before she could speak, the system's electronic voice rang again -
[If the host gives up the side quest, the ticket will be issued as usual]
This patch is...
Zhou Xiao… Zhou Xiao suppressed his smile and shook his head, saying decisively, "I won't give up!"
The system seemed to be waiting for this answer. After replying "I understand", it disappeared again.
The director will inevitably be unable to participate in the stage shooting. Zhou Xiao realized this after knowing that all members of NINE STAR will join the CCTV Mid-Autumn Festival Gala.
Faced with this situation, she didn't ask CCTV to give up her directorship. Besides the fact that she had already signed a contract and couldn't break it, Zhou Xiao truly felt she had fallen in love with directing, just as she had with photography. And she knew for sure that CCTV would definitely give her the stage for NINE STAR!
Rather than simply showcasing her stage presence online, Zhou Xiao hopes this platform can become even larger. Just like this time, it could be as large as broadcasting her performance directly through CCTV onto televisions in millions of homes across China. Just like the May Day Gala, allowing even more people to experience the charm of the stage and her abilities!
The surging ambition is like a surging wave, constantly crashing against the rocks on the shore until it conquers them and reaches the shore.
Zhou Xiao was very happy because she felt the system change. After she felt that the system was beginning to become more humane, it clearly prioritized her.
Zhou Xiao would go into the system training room whenever she had time to practice. She had imagined the system might disappear, so she concentrated on learning knowledge. Only what she mastered could be taken away or taken back by others.
His rare good mood lasted for most of the day, until Director Fang's book review arrived in his email. Zhou Xiao had become quite accustomed to this, and he maintained a humble attitude towards seeking advice. To receive unreserved guidance from a senior was something anyone could only dream of.
However, this email today was a little different from the usual ones. Under Fang Xi's usual comments, there was a separate line of small words at the end:
"Next time I'll take you to the director's office at the station ^_^"
Wow! Director Fang is really generous!
Zhou Xiao's eyes lit up instantly. How come Director Fang was like Santa Claus, who could guess what people were thinking? During her time as a director, she had indeed developed a certain curiosity about TV directors.
But Zhou Xiao knew she couldn't chew too much, so even though she was a little curious, she put the thought aside. Unexpectedly, Director Fang saw through her thoughts and offered to take her to see the director's office.
Little did she know, this was simply Fang Xi's love for talent. After reading Zhou Xiao's sentimental reflections, she felt as if she were seeing herself back then. She shared the same curiosity, the same exploratory spirit. Since she'd encountered this youngster, she didn't mind giving him a little push.
…
CCTV Building.
After much anticipation, rehearsals for this year's CCTV Mid-Autumn Festival Gala finally began. Unlike the few people who attended offline events the previous two days, Shang Xia, waiting at the gate to greet Zhou Xiao, noticed a large number of NINE STAR fans.
Although the group has disbanded, the fans holding blue banners at the scene are particularly conspicuous. In addition to the fans hugging the group, the surrounding area is also dotted with colorful light signs, making it look very lively.
Seeing this, Shang Xia, who has a fondness for NINE STAR, wanted to step forward and tell these young fans that NINE STAR wasn't attending rehearsal today. However, since the official lineup hadn't been announced yet, she worried that such a revelation would be exploited by someone with ulterior motives and could affect her work.
After all, there were a lot of eyes on them from the outside world, so they could only silently mourn for these fans in their hearts. A few minutes after the moment of silence, Shang Xia saw a girl wearing a mask walking towards them from a distance. As she passed the security guard who stopped her, she took out her phone and showed it to him, and was then allowed in.
Shang Xia immediately recognized Zhou Xiao from his height and build. Despite the suspicious stares from the distance, Shang Xia quickly ushered him into the CCTV building.
"Why are there so many fans here?" Zhou Xiao was pulled in by Shang Xia at a jog. Even though he was wearing a mask, he did not start panting after running such a distance like the others. Instead, he asked leisurely.
She knew who was participating in today's rehearsal, and she also knew that there were many NINE STAR fans standing outside. Seeing Shang Xia's expression that said "I have a secret to tell you," she casually passed on a message.
Zhou Xiao guessed this had something to do with the fans standing outside. Sure enough, he saw the expression on their faces, as if they'd hit on something. It was clear they'd discovered some little secret.
As they walked and talked, Shang Xia tilted her head and said to Zhou Xiao, "Teacher Zhou, have you noticed the percentage of fans outside?"
Zhou Xiao thought about it for a moment, nodded, and said, "I found out, there are a lot of NINE STAR fans."
Shang Xia's reminder also made Zhou Xiao realize something was amiss. You know, within the NINE STAR fandom, the number of group fans is like the "tenth family" of fans. This is something many domestic agencies, both male and female, envy; even the most popular members of their groups don't have that many fans.
But even in Beijing, the number shouldn't be overwhelming. Moreover, now that the members are all solo, the small number of fans outside the venue seems a little unreal.
"These agencies are really something," Shang Xia shook her head, a little angry that they didn't remind the group's fans. "They all knew the exact rehearsal time for Nine Star, but they didn't even mention sending a message to the group's fan club."
So that's how it is. Zhou Xiao couldn't help but smile inwardly.
Because there is no news about Ji Shao yet, netizens have assumed that one or two members will have solo performances at the CCTV Mid-Autumn Festival Gala. However, the management companies behind these members are not like that. They clearly know that Ji Shao will return to participate in the stage rehearsal and also know the rehearsal time.
So, some have already started releasing marketing press releases. Of course, when talking about the group NINE STAR, they all use "very likely" and "perhaps" as promotional slogans.
The fans of the singles have their own agencies to tell them the correct rehearsal time, but the fans of the group... of course, it's just a blind cat catching a dead mouse, and it's a good thing for the main character to meet anyone. So on the first day of rehearsal, there were so many fans of the group outside.
Pressing the elevator button, Zhou Xiao finally understood why Shang Xia had said this. In late September, the temperature difference between morning and evening in Beijing was quite large, and if it was cold, it was really cold. Just looking at the thin coats on the fans outside, even those watching could sense that they were getting a bit overwhelmed.
"Can I give them a heads-up?" Zhou Xiao replied, "It won't affect the rehearsal."
Shang Xia looked at Zhou Xiao for a few seconds, then burst into laughter. When Zhou Xiao almost wanted to ask her what was wrong, she stopped laughing, blinked, and said, "Teacher Zhou, you are a good person!"
Rehearsals for CCTV's major gala performances usually begin a week in advance, and according to the station's schedule, NINE STAR would arrive on the fifth day at the earliest. Shang Xia knew this, so she felt a bit sorry. Zhou Xiao, knowing this, readily followed up on the conversation.
"You are doing well too." Zhou Xiao, who was one step ahead, turned around and said softly as he stepped out of the elevator.
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