signingbooks Chapter 109: Unparalleled Pampering of His Sister, Complete Set of Autographed Photos.
Chapter 109: Unparalleled Pampering of His Sister, Complete Set of Autographed Photos.
February 8th, Beijing.
At 2 p.m., Chen Yang opened the door to his home carrying his suitcase.
A pair of pink slippers sat in the entryway, with a sticky note on them that read in a crooked hand: "Brother, this is your VIP lane. Please change your shoes."
Chen Yang chuckled, kicked off his leather shoes, and put on slippers.
The air conditioner was on in the living room, the TV was playing a rerun of "Happy Camp," and there was a sliced watermelon on the coffee table.
Zhang Xiulan peeked out from the kitchen.
"You're back? Are you hungry? I saved some food for you."
"Mom, I ate on the train."
Chen Yang placed his suitcase against the wall, slumped onto the sofa, and let out a long sigh.
Filming in Hengdian was a hectic affair, but now I can finally take a breather.
"Your dad went out on a driving trip and won't be back until tonight."
Zhang Xiulan brought over a bowl of mung bean soup and placed it on the coffee table.
"Have some soup first to cool down in the heat."
Just as Chen Yang picked up the bowl, the bedroom door was slammed open.
A girl with a ponytail rushed out barefoot, her eyes shining like two searchlights.
"Brother! You're back!"
I had just started summer vacation after my freshman year, and I was tanned all over, but I was full of energy.
She rushed to the sofa, plopped down next to Chen Yang, grabbed his arm and started shaking it.
"Brother, brother, brother..."
"Are you trying to call back the soul?"
Chen Yang almost spilled his mung bean soup because she shook it so much, so he quickly put the bowl down.
"Where's the signature? Where's the signature you promised me?"
Chen Yu stared at him expectantly, her expression just like when she was a child squatting at the school gate waiting for him to buy her candied hawthorns.
"What about Brother Hu's? What about Yang Mi's? And what about your Running Man team's?"
"Why are you in such a hurry? I'm not going to renege on my debt."
Chen Yang stretched, slowly stood up, and squatted down in front of his suitcase.
Chen Yu immediately followed, squatted down beside him, and put her head very close.
Unzipped the zipper, and Chen Yang pulled out a brown paper envelope from the inner compartment, weighing it in his hand.
"for you."
Chen Yu snatched it away and eagerly tore open the seal.
The first one is drawn.
The photo shows Hu Ge in his costume from the Chinese Paladin series, with striking eyebrows and bright eyes. His signature reads "Hu Ge" in the lower right corner, with a smiley face drawn next to it.
"Aaaaaaahhhhh..."
Chen Yu let out a scream that could shatter glass.
Zhang Xiulan shouted from the kitchen, "Chen Yu, keep your voice down! Aunt Wang downstairs is about to come knocking on the door again!"
Chen Yu couldn't hear anything; her fingers trembled as she scrolled down.
The second picture is of Yang Mi.
In a casual photo, she tilts her head and makes a peace sign, with the caption "Good luck to Chen Yu!" next to her signature.
"Brother! She wrote my name! Yang Mi wrote my name!"
"Of course, I made her write it."
The third one, the fourth one, the fifth one...
Deng Chao's, Li Chen's, Shen Teng's, Wang Baoqiang's, Zheng Kai's, Baby's, Chen He's.
Each one is a special signature by a single person, and each one is inscribed with "To Chen Yu".
Chen Yu's hands were already trembling.
Then she flipped to the last few pages.
Group photo.
The first photo is a group photo in a mud pit. The seven MCs are covered in mud and are laughing like idiots. Each of them signed their name in the blank space of the photo.
The second photo is a funny group photo in front of the Vermilion Bird Tower. Deng Chao is hugging Chen He's neck, Li Chen and Wang Baoqiang are showing off their muscles, Shen Teng is making a pinky finger gesture, Baby is squatting in front making a heart shape with her hands, and Zheng Kai is making a funny face in the back.
The signatures of seven people were crammed together, and someone even drew a little emoji.
Chen Yu held the photo in her hands, completely stunned.
Then she suddenly looked up, her eyes reddening.
"elder brother."
"Um?"
"You are the best brother in the world."
Chen Yang reached out and rubbed her head.
"Alright, stop getting sentimental, hurry up and put it away, or I won't mend it for you if you get it wrinkled."
"I want to frame it! And hang it above my bed!"
Chen Yu jumped up, clutching the stack of photos, spun around the living room barefoot twice, and then rushed back to hug Chen Yang's arm.
"Brother, could you take me to the recording studio next time?"
"Dream on."
"I'll just take a look from afar! I promise I won't cause any trouble!"
"no."
"Then I'll be your free labor! Moving props, handing out water, sweeping the floor—anything goes!"
Chen Yang flicked her forehead.
"Chen Yu, you're a freshman, why aren't you studying during summer vacation? All you do is think about is chasing celebrities?"
"I got straight A's in all my major courses!"
Chen Yu puffed out her chest defiantly, "Besides, I studied broadcast and television directing. Going to your program team is called an internship! It's a perfect match for my major!"
Zhang Xiulan walked over with a plate of washed grapes, shaking her head with a smile.
"Can you two just shut up for a bit? Your brother just got back, let him rest."
"Mom, look at him. He did give me the autograph he promised, but he won't let me go to the event."
"Why are you causing trouble at their workplace?"
"I won't cause any trouble..."
Chen Yang leaned back on the sofa, watching his younger sister act coquettishly and his mother nag, and the corners of his mouth unconsciously turned up.
The fatigue from work seemed to dissipate almost instantly.
That's the real reason he worked so hard.
Make my family comfortable, and let this girl follow her idols and buy whatever she wants.
He closed his eyes and dozed off on the sofa for twenty minutes.
When she opened her eyes again, Chen Yu had already taken photos of all the autographed photos and was hunched over her computer uploading them to QQ Space.
What are you doing?
"Post it on your social media! My classmates are so envious!"
"Don't send it."
Chen Yang sat up with a start.
"Huh? Why?"
"The program hasn't even aired yet, and these photos have already leaked out. I'll be punished by the station."
Chen Yu's hand hovered above the mouse, his face contorted in pain.
"Then... I'll just post one? Like the one with Brother Hu?"
"Not even one. You can send as many as you want after the show airs."
"elder brother!"
Calling me "brother" won't help.
Chen Yu angrily deleted the photo from the upload list and turned to glare at him.
You owe me.
"Okay, I'll make it up to you later."
Chen Yang patted her head, got up, and went back to his room to change his clothes.
I've had enough rest, time to get down to business.
……
At 4:30 the next day, at the old CCTV headquarters, in the office area of the variety channel.
Chen Yang pushed open the office door, and Zhang Lei was already waiting inside.
A stack of printed materials was spread out on the table, the top one of which read "Promotional Plan for the Premiere of 'Run, China' (Third Edition)".
"Lei Zi, tell me about the progress."
Chen Yang sat down and unscrewed a bottle of mineral water.
Zhang Lei opened the materials and pointed to the timeline.
"As originally planned, on August 8th, the day of the premiere, Sina Weibo will also launch its public beta test. Our program's official account will be among the first to join and will be linked with Weibo for joint promotion."
Has Sina confirmed the technical scheduling?
"It's confirmed. If Mr. Cao replied last week, the public beta will start on August 8th without any problem."
Chen Yang stared at the timeline for more than ten seconds, then frowned.
"wrong."
Zhang Lei looked up.
"What's wrong?"
"On August 8th, the public beta of V-Blog and our first broadcast coincided on the same day."
"Yeah, isn't this a perfect collaboration?"
Chen Yang shook his head.
"Think about it, what will happen on the day of the public beta launch of a brand new platform? What if the server crashes, the functions have bugs, and the user experience is a complete mess?"
"First, there's the technical risk. On the first day of Weibo's launch, millions of people flooded in at the same time. What if it crashed? After our program finished airing, viewers wanted to go on Weibo to discuss it, but the page wouldn't open... That would instantly kill the hype."
"Second, attention is diverted. On the day of the public beta, all media outlets, all influential figures, and all celebrities are registering and posting their first Weibo posts. Users' attention is entirely focused on the launch of Weibo itself, and the volume of our program will be diluted into background noise."
"Third, and most importantly... we squandered V-BetX's greatest value."
Zhang Lei frowned.
"What do you mean?"