How can you ascend to heaven when you are a star?

Chapter 458 The icing on the cake
At this moment, the temporary stage set up in the mall was surrounded by people. Some were fans of Future Girls, and others were passersby. Although they were not fans of Future Girls, they were very curious about this group that had just experienced the scandal at the Golden Melody Awards. They all wanted to see what kind of newcomer could cause the Golden Melody Awards to fall apart.

The event officially began at 10:30 a.m.

The host came onto the stage, holding a microphone, and said with a smile: "Dear guests, new and old customers of Aoli, good morning! Welcome to the Aoli brand's winter renewal themed event."

"Aoli has always been committed to creating comfortable and fashionable clothing for young people, using design to convey youthful vitality. Today, we have specially invited a group of guests who are also full of youthful energy and have recently become very popular. They are the Future Girls Group, who have gained countless fans with the hit song of the year, 'The Best of Us,' and are also our brand ambassadors for Aoli!"

As soon as she finished speaking, thunderous cheers erupted from the crowd. Fans gathered in the front row waved posters vigorously, shouting "Future Girl" all around.

As the intro to "The Best of Us" began, Zhao Tong, Zhang Jiajia, Cheng Sisi, Chen Silu, and Su Jin, dressed in new outfits from the Aoli brand, slowly walked onto the stage from the entrance to the rhythm of the music.

With smiles on their faces, they waved to the audience, and the cheers reached another peak, echoing throughout the mall. Fans in the audience also raised their phones to record this wonderful moment.

The host smiled and waited for the cheers to subside before continuing, "I believe everyone is familiar with Future Girls. Since their debut, the five members have always proven themselves with hard work and strength. Even after experiencing setbacks, they have always maintained their original aspirations. This spirit coincides with our brand philosophy of 'staying true to ourselves and shining brightly'."

"I don't know if you noticed, but the outfits worn by the Future Girls during their performance at the New Year's Eve Gala broadcast on China TV last night were from our company, Aoli. So today, they will not only interact with you up close, but also share their fashion insights."

Upon hearing this, the fans erupted in cheers that grew louder and louder.

Next, the host handed the microphone to the Future Girls and invited the members to share their thoughts on the clothing.

Knowing in advance that there would be this interactive segment at the event, Zhao Tong and the others had made thorough preparations beforehand. When faced with the host's question, they confidently shared their prepared answers.

Even when faced with questions from fans at the scene, the five remained calm and composed, demonstrating exceptional responsiveness and drawing continuous applause from the audience.

What surprised the fans the most was that halfway through the event, the song "The Best of Us" was suddenly played. The five members of the Future Girls group sang along to the music in perfect harmony, and the fans in the audience sang along as well. Many passersby raised their phones to record the event, and the scene instantly turned into a mini concert.

Looking at the lively scene before him, Zhang Wen felt a sense of satisfaction.

Seeing the popularity of Future Girls, Yang Yuhong suddenly had an idea and turned to Zhang Wen to ask, "I heard that Future Girls is going to release a new album?"

Zhang Wen nodded and replied, "Yes, it's on the 7th of this month. Pre-orders have already started, and I'll send one to Sister Hong later."

“One isn’t enough,” Yang Yuhong said with a smile and a shake of her head.

Zhang Wen was slightly taken aback and looked at the other person with a puzzled expression.

Yang Yuhong held up a fist and said, "I want 100,000 copies."

"What?" Zhang Wen's eyes widened in surprise, staring at the other person in disbelief. "What do you need so many for?"

If it were just a few or a dozen, he might be able to guess that they were simply for giving to friends or clients. But with 100,000, he really couldn't think of any use for them.

"It's very simple, it's to give back to the customers who support and buy Aoli clothing." Yang Yuhong finally revealed the purpose of buying the album. "I plan to launch a promotion in Aoli stores nationwide: 'Buy a certain amount of new Aoli clothing and receive a free copy of Future Girls' new album.' This will not only thank customers for their support, but also further boost clothing sales and help Future Girls' album sales. Isn't this a win-win-win situation?"

Zhang Wen's eyes lit up after hearing this. "Sister Hong, your idea is great. It will not only let more people know about the album's release, but also reach more potential fans through Aoli's channels. This combination of clothing and music will also make Aoli's brand image more youthful and attract more young consumers."

Yang Yuhong smiled and nodded: "Aoli has always wanted to get closer to young people, and most of Future Girls' fans are young people aged 18 to 28, which is exactly Aoli's core target customers. 100,000 albums can be distributed in two parts, online and offline, and a portion can be reserved for members as exclusive benefits. At that time, clothing sales will definitely increase significantly."

After hearing this, Zhang Wen couldn't help but admire her. She truly lived up to her reputation as a powerful businesswoman. Other brands would at most send two photos, but she sent a music album directly.

The price of an album is 30 yuan, so 100,000 albums would cost 3 million yuan. This 3 million yuan would bring Aoli Clothing tens of millions or even hundreds of millions of yuan in sales, which would be much better than spending 3 million yuan on advertising.

Alternatively, offering an album as a gift with clothing purchases is itself a very eye-catching news item that can bring huge exposure to the brand.

"Sister Hong, I'll have the album production team operate at full capacity right away, and I guarantee that 100,000 albums will be delivered to your company before the album is released, so as not to delay the subsequent activities," Zhang Wen said confidently.

"Then I'll have to trouble you." Yang Yuhong smiled.

"It's no trouble at all. I should be thanking you, Sister Hong," Zhang Wen said sincerely.

"We're not strangers, saying thank you would be too formal," Yang Yuhong said, waving her hands repeatedly.

Actually, when talking about the benefits, she forgot to mention one thing: these 100,000 albums would allow her to get closer to the young man in front of her. Even if more and more customers buy the Life Essence in the future, she will still be the one with priority.

"Excuse me... are you Teacher Zhang Wen?"

At this moment, a young woman wearing black-rimmed glasses walked up to Zhang Wen, her eyes scanning his face.

“My surname is indeed Zhang, but I don’t know if it’s the Teacher Zhang you’re talking about,” Zhang Wen said after hearing this.

"You must be Mr. Zhang, the songwriter? I'm a reporter from Entertainment Weekly. May I ask you a few questions?" The woman's eyes immediately lit up with excitement after hearing Zhang Wen's words.

I originally came here to shop with my friends, but I never expected to not only see Future Girls attending a business event, but also to bump into Zhang Wen. It's like winning the lottery.

What's the hottest news in the entertainment industry right now?
It's a scandal at the Golden Melody Awards.

If we can interview the person in charge of the incident, it will definitely attract a lot of attention.

“Sure, go ahead and ask,” Zhang Wen said.

Since throwing away the trophy at the Golden Melody Awards ceremony, he has become a celebrity. Not only is he more famous than before, but more people also know him.

The female reporter's face immediately lit up with joy, and then she asked, "Mr. Zhang, the Golden Melody Awards have been embroiled in controversy these past few days. What's your opinion on this?"

“I’ll watch it on my phone,” Zhang Wen said, taking his phone out of his pocket and staring at the screen. “I’ll watch it like this.”

The female reporter's lips twitched. Did they think she was a fraud and were trying to fool her like this?
Yang Yuhong, who was standing to the side, couldn't help but burst out laughing.

The female reporter pursed her lips awkwardly and explained, "What I mean is, as the person involved and also a victim, what are your thoughts on the Golden Melody Awards being manipulated and now being returned to you?"

"Whatever," Zhang Wen shrugged, looking indifferent.

"What are your thoughts on your boss suppressing you?" the female reporter asked, feeling that the other person had answered the question, but also that they hadn't really answered anything.

“I completely understand,” Zhang Wen said.

"Huh? Why?" the female reporter asked, puzzled.

"Because I'm too outstanding, she was afraid other companies would poach me, so she suppressed me, stripped me of the Golden Melody Award, and gave other companies the illusion that I wasn't good enough," Zhang Wen said seriously.

"what?"

The female reporter was stunned. Wasn't it rumored online that Li Lehua was targeting the other party and Future Girls because the company received less money due to changes in Future Girls' contract? How did it suddenly become a concern about being poached by other companies?
However, this analytical perspective has never appeared online before, and it should attract many netizens to read on.

"Does Li Lehua often suppress you at the company?" the female reporter asked.

"Not often, only once every two or three months," Zhang Wen answered truthfully.

"When you were being suppressed, did you ever think about giving up? After all, Li Lehua is the general manager of Tianxi Media. You can't fight against her." The female reporter continued to ask.

Zhang Wen pondered for a moment, looked at the future girl on the stage, his gaze deep, "To be honest, I have had moments of confusion, but every time I see the students practicing hard for the stage, and see the fans supporting them silently, I tell myself that I must persevere."

Yang Yuhong turned her head to the other side, afraid that she might accidentally laugh.

If she hadn't known that her younger brother was behind it all, she almost would have believed it; his account was just too moving. The female reporter beside her was clearly touched, her eyes filled with admiration as she looked at her interviewee.

Imagine this: a low-level employee who is often beaten, scolded, and suppressed by the general manager must feel so helpless. Yet, in such an environment, he can still write such excellent songs and cultivate such excellent singers. What a strong heart he must have!

Physical strength does not make one a strong person; inner strength is what truly makes one a strong person.

Zhang Wen, however, seemed oblivious to the fact that he hadn't noticed, and continued, "To thank our fans for their support, there's a song I wrote specifically for them on Future Girls' new album. The song is called 'Chasing the Light,' and one of the lyrics goes like this: 'Thank you for accompanying me through the darkness, walking towards the starlight together.' I hope this song can bring strength to everyone, and I also hope to witness more beautiful moments with our fans in the future."

The female reporter's eyes lit up; she hadn't expected to get an interview related to Future Girls' new album—it was a truly unexpected bonus.

"Thank you, Teacher Zhang. I look forward to the new album from Future Girls and hope that you can create more excellent musical works. Don't let difficulties defeat you," the female reporter said sincerely, while clenching her fists tightly, as if to encourage her interviewee.

"Yes, thank you." Zhang Wen nodded.

The female reporter left happily, not even bothering to stroll around the streets. She quickly found a quiet place, took out her phone, wrote down the interview content, and sent it directly to her editor.

There are many news reports about Zhang Wen online, but she is the first person to be able to interview Zhang Wen herself. Although she didn't ask many questions, she believes that her sincere answers will definitely move countless people.

Watching the female reporter's hurried departure, Zhang Wen's sincere expression finally crumbled, and he quickly rubbed his face to relax.

Yang Yuhong then turned her head and said, suppressing a laugh, "If your boss heard this, she would be furious."

In the interview just now, although the younger brother rarely mentioned the boss of Tianxi Media, the "forbearance" and "persistence" he showed when answering questions made it easy for people to imagine the boss of Tianxi Media as a vicious capitalist.

“I’m telling the truth.” Zhang Wen looked innocent. “After all, I’m so outstanding, it’s normal for her to worry about me being poached.”

“You’re just so talkative,” Yang Yuhong said with a shake of her head. “But this interview was great. It addressed the controversy and promoted the new album at the same time, killing two birds with one stone.”

Zhang Wen thought so too; since someone wanted to interview him, he naturally had to make good use of the opportunity.

The event lasted for more than an hour before it ended.

As the girl from the future stepped off the stage, a burst of cheers erupted from the crowd, and many fans began to surge forward.

"Zhao Tong, Zhang Jiajia, Cheng Sisi, Chen Silu, Su Jin, you guys have to do your best!"

"Future girl, your original aspiration remains unchanged! Future girl, your brilliance will always shine!"

"We will always support you!"

As Zhao Tong and the others left the venue, they bowed to their fans and said thank you. Finally, they left the scene under the escort of the mall security guards.

Zhang Wen greeted Sister Hong and politely declined her invitation to dinner. After all the group members had changed their clothes, he led the five of them into the van.

The van slowly drove away from the mall, but the five people inside were extremely excited.

Clutching the plush teddy bear given to her by a fan, Cheng Sisi's face flushed with excitement as she exclaimed to Zhang Wen, who was sitting in the passenger seat, "Teacher Zhang, look, this is a gift from my fans, isn't it cute?"

Zhang Wen completely understood the other person's feelings at that moment, so he replied with a "cute".

Zhang Jiajia waved the pink notebook in her hand, "Teacher Zhang, I also just received a notebook from a fan, which contains photos from our events."

"Are you sure it was a gift from a fan, or that a fan wanted your autograph and you accepted it as a present?" Zhang Wen joked as he edited the video from the event.

Zhang Jiajia was taken aback upon hearing this, and her smile froze on her face. For a moment, she didn't know whether the notebook was a gift from a fan or if they wanted her to sign it.

Looking out the car window at the scenery, Su Jin sighed, "I really hope there will be more events like this in the future, so we can meet our fans and let more people like our songs."

Sitting behind her, Zhao Tong patted her on the shoulder and said firmly, "Yes, as long as we continue to work hard and continue to sing and dance well, more people will definitely like us."

Zhang Wen posted the edited video online, then turned to Su Jin and Zhao Tong and said, "That's easy. Once your new album is officially released, I'll organize a nationwide autograph session for you."

"A book signing?"

Upon hearing this, the five members immediately became interested, leaning forward in unison with excitement in their eyes.

"Teacher Zhang, is it really possible to hold a book signing event?"

"Aren't our wrists a bit too small?"

"Won't it be awkward at first?"

I'm really looking forward to it, but I'm also really worried. What if no one shows up at the autograph session? Won't they be ridiculed by the whole internet? How will they ever be able to make a living in the music industry again?
"Don't worry," Zhang Wen reassured him. "Even if we can't get 10,000 or 20,000 people, getting 100 or 200 is still no problem. We can take it slow and accumulate little by little."

“Teacher Zhang is right,” Zhao Tong said firmly. “Even if there’s only one fan at the concert, we’ll still go.”

Zhang Wen smiled and turned around without saying anything more.

The location for autograph sessions is usually chosen at places where albums are sold. If there is only one fan at the event, it means that only one person is buying the album. If this is the case, then offline sales can only be described in four words: disastrous.

At that point, forget about achieving a sales target of two million; even exceeding one million will be difficult.

Zhang Wen escorted the group members to the entrance of the residential area, said goodbye, and then headed to Bai Lu's villa.

A dozen minutes later, the van stopped outside the villa. Zhang Wen told the driver to go back and rest, and then walked towards the villa.

As soon as he opened the door, a figure rushed over. Bai Lu, dressed in soft pajamas, wrapped her arms tightly around his neck, clinging to him like a koala, and said sweetly, "Darling, you're finally back. I've been waiting for you for ages."

Zhang Wen steadily supported the other person's buttocks and carried them towards the living room.

"I can't do anything about it. I can't exactly let Gao Yue, the top agent, take Zhao Tong and the others to the event, can I?" Zhang Wen said helplessly.

"You could ask Sister Yue to arrange an assistant for Zhao Tong and the others, and let the assistant be responsible for planning their future schedules. Wouldn't it be a waste of your talents for you to do these things?" Bai Lu offered her suggestion mainly because she wanted to spend more time with men.

Zhang Wen thought about it and felt that what the other party said made sense.

With the release of their first album, the girl will have more and more work in the future, and may even need to travel all over the country. He can't always follow her, can he?
Now that they've become famous, it's time to let go.

“Your idea is good. I’ll talk to Gao Yue later and have her arrange one assistant for Future Girls, no, two assistants, one to handle the schedule and the other to handle publicity and manage the fan group,” Zhang Wen said after thinking for a moment.

When Bai Lu saw that his suggestion had been adopted, a smile immediately appeared on his face. However, as he smiled, his eyes began to ripple like spring water.

"Sister Yue went home for a family gathering and won't be back tonight."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Wen immediately became excited. He wasn't a typical straight man, so he naturally understood what the other person meant.

"Then let's fight until dawn!"

……

(End of this chapter)