After a satisfying meal, Shen Fang and his group met H.O.T. and TVXQ, the pioneers of Korean idol groups.
The members of the HOT group—Moon Hee-jun, Jang Woo-hyuk, Ahn Seung-ho, Kangta, and Lee Jae-won—all sported extremely exaggerated, non-mainstream styles in red, blue, yellow, and purple. If they weren't handsome and relied on their looks to pull it off, they would have looked really silly. However, it was they who started this exaggerated style.
The "Shamate" and "non-mainstream" trends in China were influenced by them, resulting in a landscape across China in the 1990s where you could see young people sporting exaggerated afros and brightly colored hair everywhere. When those born in the 90s grew up and looked back on their embarrassing past, they were incredibly ashamed and found it difficult to describe what they looked like back then—it was almost unbearable to look at.
Although Liu Xiaoli had lived in the United States for many years and was considered quite open-minded, she still found it hard to like this hairstyle. Seeing Liu Qianqian's curious expression, she patted Liu Qianqian's head and warned, "If you dare to get this hairstyle, Mom will definitely make you feel the joy of childhood."
Liu Qianqian........
I'd heard of HOT, but I didn't really have a deep impression of them. However, one of Kangta's songs left a deep impression on me.
It's the kind of song that makes you move as soon as the background music starts; this song is the one Shen Fang used for his performance today.
TVXQ, well, let's not even talk about them.
There's a saying among Chinese idols: "Who hasn't loved the five-member TVXQ?" They were the starting point of the second generation of boy groups, and back then, they were the pinnacle of Korean male idols' music show performances. They even performed live for four hours in a torrential downpour without a single mistake.
TVXQ, in terms of physique, looks, and talent, is the best-in-class male idol group in South Korea to date. They became a supergroup that became popular as soon as they debuted, and their number of fans once set a Guinness World Record.
In their debut year, they achieved the second-highest total record sales in South Korea with two singles, "Hug" and "The Way U Are".
In 2005, TVXQ debuted in Japan with cool and flamboyant hairstyles, becoming pioneers for Korean boy groups in Japan. With their second album, they won their first popularity award and firmly secured the top spot in total album sales that year.
In their third year after their debut, they officially reached the top, with their album "0正反合" becoming the best-selling album of the year, sweeping the record industry awards and successfully establishing SM Entertainment's reputation as a star-making factory throughout Asia. Later groups like Super Junior and EXO followed their example.
They're the kind of companies that truly sweep across Asia, bringing in both first-generation and second-generation boy bands. It's practically a perk for Tencent's female employees. Don't assume Tencent is all male programmers; women actually make up over 40% of the staff.
Of course, the men weren't left out either. Jay Chou, Zhou Xiaoou, Black Panther, Cui Jian, Andy Lau, Aaron Kwok, and Jacky Cheung were all invited today. The first annual meeting had to be a grand affair. Shenzhen TV heard the news and even sent someone over to film and broadcast it, paying them to do so.
.........
By 6 p.m., the Shangri-La Hotel was packed with people. Everyone knew that many big stars would be attending the Penguin Annual Meeting, and many brought their families or girlfriends, all eager to see the stars perform.
"Have you heard? HOT is performing tonight!!!" a female accountant said excitedly.
"And TVXQ too!!! That's amazing!!! The boss really understands us female employees!!!!!!!!!"
One male employee scoffed, "You women are so shallow. What HOT, what TVXQ, they're all nobodies compared to Jay Chou."
The manager at the table offered a different opinion: "It still has to be Jacky Cheung. The charm of the God of Songs is unmatched. Tickets for his concert are impossible to get. Our Tencent is really awesome; they even managed to invite the God of Songs. We're so lucky to have him."
"All four Heavenly Kings are here today. I heard they were invited by our CEO Shen. CEO Shen is truly awesome!!!"
"Of course President Shen is amazing. He's only 19 years old and his net worth is already close to 10 billion. President Shen is also the chief strategist of Tencent. Tencent has been able to get to where it is today thanks to President Shen."
"He's so handsome, rich, and good-looking; he's practically a super eligible bachelor. I wonder what Mr. Shen's girlfriend looks like."
"She must be as beautiful as a fairy. She and Wang Yuyan in Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils are a perfect match."
Liu Yifei's fans were outraged. Even if he was an employee of Tencent and Mr. Shen was his boss, his wife was not to be trifled with: "How could he be worthy of her?! Liu Yifei is a member of our Liu Yifei fan club!!!"
"Hey, you fantasizing man!!!"
The staff members offstage were all eagerly awaiting the arrival of the celebrities.
When the hosts came on stage, they specially invited He Jiong and Li Weijia from Hunan TV.
"Hello everyone, I am He Jiong and Li Weijia. We would like to extend our New Year's greetings to everyone. 2003 was a fruitful year for Penguin, a year in which Penguin rose to fame. This year, the Chinese Internet witnessed the birth of a new king. This year was a year of Penguin's soaring development. Let's welcome our Penguin executives to the stage to give everyone New Year's blessings."
Seven people, including Xiao Ma, Shen Fang, Chen Yidan, Zeng Liqing, Zhang Zhidong, Xu Chenhua, and Zhang Xiaolong, stepped onto the stage, all dressed in sharp suits and beaming with smiles.
Little Ma took the microphone from He Jiong.
"Brothers and sisters, this year our penguin has finally stood up and become proud. I, Xiao Ma, would like to thank you all for your contributions to the penguin over the years. Tonight, I have nothing to say, so please eat well, have fun, and have a blast. Now, let's have our mysterious CEO Shen, who is also the handsome guy next to us, the penguin's top strategist, say a few words. Let's give him a round of applause."
The applause from the audience was thunderous. Shen Fang took the microphone and smiled at the crowd below.
"Brother Ma went too far. The biggest contributor to Penguin is not me, not Brother Ma, not the four Penguin generals beside me, and not our Penguin managers. It's you in the audience. In the midst of the cold wave, you were able to stay true to yourselves and never abandon Penguin. You have tirelessly carried forward the spirit of Penguin. Here, I want to thank all of our Penguin employees. Penguin's hard days are over, and the future will be better and better. There are no outsiders here today, only family. We are all one family at Penguin. As I always say, eat well and have fun."
"Everyone should have received the message before coming here tonight and brought their employee badges. Tonight we have prepared many big prizes for all employees. We will start the lucky draw when the program begins. I'll let you in on a little secret: the first prize is 2 million yuan in cash! Let's see who our lucky winner is tonight."
When the price of 2 million was announced, the employees in the audience went crazy. Wow, 2 million! In 2003, that amount of money could buy several apartments in Shenzhen.
They all started praying: "Amitabha Buddha, Infinite Heavenly Venerable, God bless me to win the lottery." Um... God can't control China... And shouldn't you all be praying to the God of Wealth?
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