Chapter 474
Zhou Xiao didn't expect that when he was about to leave the hotel to find Cheese and Qimiao, he would be bombarded with messages on the communication app.
Most of these messages came from friends, shocked and inquiring about her role as the director of this year's CCTV Mid-Autumn Festival Gala. A smaller portion came from congratulations from former collaborators and family. Amidst this long list of well-wishes, Zhou Xiao even received a video from Chen Shenju.
The video shows a large, three-person sofa surrounded by a large crowd. The nine members, centered in the shot, are still in their stage uniforms. Zhou Xiaoyou recognizes Song Xiao, standing on the periphery, making a scissors sign. Together with a group of staff, they surround the members.
The members looked happy; even Ji Shao's face was filled with pride and surprise. Watching them noisily vying for center stage, Zhou Xiao inexplicably felt that the members were even closer now than before the group disbanded. It was a strange feeling, but it was unique.
In the video, Yan Shu, standing behind the sofa, used his advantage to brazenly press down on the head of Lin Nan, who was now squeezed onto the sofa and flapping his hands. As he looked towards the camera, he grinned with a look of utter smugness. Perhaps because he was inflicting pain on someone else, he seemed particularly cheerful.
Seeing this scene, Ji Shao and others did not stop it. Instead, they smiled at each other, and then, in tacit understanding, stretched out their evil claws towards the heads of the five members squeezed on the sofa.
Zhou Xiao could tell from the screen's fluctuations that the person filming with their phone seemed helpless. It seemed they'd tried to organize the situation, then realized their voices were completely ineffective and gave up.
From the beginning of Chen Shenju's voice——
"Everyone, please sit down and thank Teacher Zhou for directing such a wonderful performance for us."
Then to——
"I'm recording the video, Old Feng, Old Song, and the rest of you, stop watching! We should take care of our own children!"
at last--
"Hurry up, hurry up, my hands are tired! If you guys keep making noise and don't say anything, I won't film you!!!"
It seemed as if this had worked, as everyone quickly quieted down. But the situation didn't look much better. Aside from the staff members who were laughing their heads off, the members' once neat uniforms were now wrinkled, their hair messed up, and they looked a world away from how they had looked just a few minutes earlier.
"Sister Zhou, Sister Zhou, smooch smooch, love you," Zheng Shulin said enthusiastically. "You've been on so many variety shows, your image is pretty much ruined. It's so hard to finally be cool in the industry again."
Zheng Shulin's shameless self-complaints obviously angered everyone. Wu Yanyan and Ji Shao almost simultaneously reached out to cover his mouth with one hand, and other members also began to "beat" him, making the scene look even more chaotic.
Just don’t even mention whether anyone tried to stop it. Just look at the managers and assistants standing by, laughing as if the people “fighting” are not their own artists, and you’ll know that this commotion won’t calm down anytime soon.
…
Chen Shenju, holding his phone, felt a little regretful. If he hadn't been in charge of filming, he might have been the one in the crowd laughing with Song Xiao and the others. But when he thought about sending this video to Zhou Xiao through his account, a feeling of shame began to linger in his mind.
But Chen Shenju also understood this emotion very well. Not to mention the members, the staff who were huddled in the dressing room were all stunned when they saw the footage broadcast on the screen.
Almost immediately after the performance ended, the various agents and assistants in the room were using their ingenuity to uncover the director's identity. After all, the station hadn't issued a gag order. The previous appearance of the "Watercolor Painting" stage had already sparked an internal discussion. Now, after consulting with some CCTV staff, they could probably figure out what was going on.
Song Xiao and Chen Shenju crouched in a corner, discussing this matter under the envious gazes of almost everyone in the room. "If you knew this director was my artist's fangirl, you'd also think I'm lucky." This statement was immediately tangible.
Finally, everyone waited for the members to come down from the stage and projected the freshly-released stage cut from a certain blog onto the big screen, allowing everyone to watch this stage that couldn't be more successful.
"Brother Chen, isn't your phone facing me?" After a new round of "melee", Xiang Rui, who was standing on the edge, raised his hand seriously like a primary school student, blinking his eyes at Chen Shenju who was distracted.
Before the contract ended, each member had already reached a tacit understanding about which assistants would be leaving with each other. Besides, after two years of being together, no one was willing to leave each other.
Except for some staff members who signed supplementary contracts with Huayao and enjoyed a small amount of shares and promotions and salary increases, most people followed the members to leave Huayao and go to their original brokerage companies.
If the competition between assistants used to be quite subtle, after NINE STAR disbanded and moved to a broader platform, former rivals have now become valuable business partners.
One of NINE STAR's strengths is the lack of competition within the group. This is one of the reasons why so many endorsement deals were offered to them during their early years. Their versatility, strong style, and high audience appeal have always been key factors in their appeal to brands.
Xiang Rui felt comfortable bringing this up because he was familiar with Chen Shenju. He'd replayed the performance at least four or five times, each time focusing on a different point. But the more he watched, the deeper his admiration for Zhou Xiao grew.
In fact, during the silent moment as they boarded the elevator to the stage, everyone had a premonition: the next full-member stage performance would be even more difficult.
This was the first time Xiang Rui felt the elevator was moving so slowly, so slowly that he felt a heavy sense of pressure and a slight uncertainty about the future. The elevator was very quiet, without the fan-favorite cheering each other on, as they had said countless times during rehearsals.
Zhou Xiao left the most perfect ending for all NINE STAR stage fans.
Under the camera, each member, whether alone or in a panoramic shot, captured everyone's best side on stage. Perhaps when filming a drama or recording a variety show and feeling tired, this stage can also give me some strength?
Xiang Rui thought so, and was also grateful to Zhou Xiao from the bottom of his heart. When Xu Zhou on his right side put his arm around his shoulders, he said the words he and everyone else had agreed on -
…
"Teacher Zhou, you must work with us NINE STAR again in the future!"
It's a promise, an expectation, a yearning and a lingering uncertainty for the future. The members and staff cheered in unison, transporting us back to the moment of their formation, filled with dreams and eager to embark on their journey.
When the video paused and returned to 0:00, Zhou Xiao clicked on the video again without hesitation and watched it again. Her emotions were surging, but this time, her eyes were filled with smiles, just like everyone else's.
All the past is a prologue.
Zhou Xiao never believes that she can present a good performance by herself alone. As long as the public is satisfied, those who work hard with her for this stage are the greatest contributors.
At this moment, Zhou Xiao feels fortunate to have witnessed all of this and is filled with anticipation for everyone's future. As for her commitment to NINE STAR, she's also willing to accept it. She looks forward to seeing them reunite someday.
"no problem!"
After typing this reply and sending it to Chen Shenju, Zhou Xiao, who had been standing at the entrance, took out the hotel room card and walked towards the main door to meet up with Cheese and Qimiao, who had already made an appointment.
The performances she was responsible for were recognized by the audience and the members, and this trip was perfect for Zhou Xiao. She also took this opportunity to reunite with her offline friends, which was probably her only entertainment activity before joining the group.
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