Generation Z Artists

Chapter 355 Fishing for a Cherry Blossom

In the hours leading up to the signing event, Xidan transformed into a large, unusual trading market.

"First-row seats available, those who are serious about getting them, hurry up!"

"Brother, you're so handsome! Can you give me a discount?"

"Sister, I'm selling accounts, not my body. Your praise won't help; it's really not going to be cheap."

"Sure, sure~~~ Brother, do you have a girlfriend? I really want to be friends with you."

"I have a boyfriend. 2000 yuan, do you want it or not?"

"Your ranking is already well past 500, why do you expect to be ranked 2000?"

"Then walk a little further ahead and stop wasting your breath on me. I can't sell it anyway. Once I sign it, I'll definitely get more than 2000 for it when I resell it on the official website!"

“Hey, you…”

"What are you doing? Are you bullying the male star?"

"You damn scalper, you're a worthless male celebrity!"

……

The area outside Xidan Shopping Mall was bustling from midnight yesterday until the signing event began.

Typically, a group of women surround a man, negotiating the price in whispers. Once they've reached an agreement, the man leaves, and the women rejoin the group.

When negotiations failed, the man arrogantly waved his hand and said, "Next batch!"

The girl walked away with a sullen face...

cough cough.

It sounds absurd, and it really is absurd.

The TV reporter arrived at the filming location a little after 7 a.m., thinking he had gotten up quite early, but by then the ambulance had already come three times...

Between midnight and early morning, people who tried to cut in line broke into scalpers and vendors several times. It was only after the local police officers stayed up all night on duty that the chaos was brought under control.

As for why it's chaotic...

In 2006, you could get 2000 yuan for free by queuing overnight. Just imagine how many people would rush forward like that.

By the way, the 500th spot costs 2000 yuan, and the front row spots cost much more.

Around 8 o'clock, a reporter from the Capital TV station finally managed to squeeze through the crowd with his colleagues to the front, hoping to film the transaction process from the front row.

Along the way, Wang Qiang was surprised to find that different phone number segments offered completely different scenery.

Those ranked below 1000 seem to be just there for the fun of it. They're taking a shot, whether they're lucky or not, and even if they miss, just glancing at Fang Xinghe is fine.

Between 800 and 1000, a sense of anxiety permeated the atmosphere.

With the number of people dropping from 800 to 500, they should be able to sign in, so their anxiety decreased and a sense of apprehensive anticipation became the norm.

From 500 to 100, there was excitement, excitement, and chaos.

The transactions are smoothest when the number of people is between 100 and 50. One scalper after another takes the money and leaves, while one female fan after another joins the queue.

The top 50 are all either rich or powerful.

Reporter Wang Qiang walked to the front to conduct an interview, but several men, who appeared to be assistants or bodyguards, blocked his way: "Hey, don't take pictures randomly, don't you know the rules?"

"Okay, okay, we won't turn on the camera. I'll just conduct a verbal interview, is that alright?"

"Then you should be careful. I'm not afraid to tell you frankly, you can't afford to offend any of the people who can get a front-row seat."

Wang Qiang looked closely and saw that there were no scalpers among the top 10 or even top 20. The men were mostly bodyguards and assistants, and the women were all leading horses and carrying donkeys.

Well, there are very few donkeys; Hermès is the mainstream.

Wang Qiang really wanted to interview the man who ranked first, but the man just waved his hand with a straight face and said, "I'm sorry, I'm just a small employee and I don't know anything."

Wang Qiang didn't dare to offer any more advice, so he could only continue searching one by one.

The first seven were all assistants; the main person didn't show up. Finally, on the eighth spot, they found a pretty little girl who looked very lively and outgoing.

"Miss, I'm a foreign reporter from Beijing TV, here to promote Fang Xinghe. Can we chat for a bit?"

The tactic worked, and the girl readily agreed: "Sure, go ahead and ask!"

"Okay, thank you, thank you! Beautiful ladies, did you buy your front-row seats, or did you line up for them yourselves?"

"I don't know about others, but I bought my account. Maybe some people's accounts were arranged by their family members."

"Such a prime location, is it very expensive? Can you reveal the specific price?"

"I can't say, it's not that expensive."

"Is there anything in the lower five digits?"

"Ha ha!"

The girl laughed heartily. Looking at her expression, Wang Qiang's heart skipped a beat: Wow, it seems there's more than that!

He couldn't get the specific numbers out of him, but he became increasingly curious about the reason.

"Why are you willing to pay such a high price to be at the front of the line? I've looked into Fang Shao's book signing rules. It seems there are no special autographs, only regular autographs. Theoretically, there's no difference between being in the top 10 and being 500th, right?"

"Of course there's a difference!"

The girl patiently explained and carefully popularized the science.

"Although the books they received were the same, those who were at the very front of the line could have a brief chat with Fang Fang, and he would also remember the fans in the front row."

Once he finishes signing in, his attention will be less focused.

So whether it's a signing event or a fan activity, the most important hidden perk is to see Fang Fang at her most energetic and leave an impression on her!

For example, the girl who ranked first is always among the top performers in every event, so Fangfang is very close to her and considers her a friend!

"Oh, I see!"

Wang Qiang suddenly realized: "As long as you can get an autograph, there is no difference between being ranked 50th and 500th, so the prices after that are about the same, all around two or three thousand yuan per number."

But the top twenty is different from the top ten; it's a battleground for fans, right?

"Mmm-hmm." The girl nodded vigorously. "That's right~"

"How many times have you participated?"

"Four times!"

The girl counted on her fingers: "Once in Japan, once in Korea, twice in China... Last time I queued up to buy 'Les Young' was when I was still in middle school. I sneaked out of the house in the middle of the night to squeeze into the crowd with my girlfriends. I almost got a beating when I got home. It was so much fun~~~"

"So you're still a high school student?"

"Correct!"

"Is the family no longer taking care of things?"

"Now my mom and I are pursuing Fang Fang together. She provides the funding, and I do the work, hahaha!"

Is it because of "The Return of the Condor Heroes"?

"No, no, my mom likes the song 'Less You.' My dad won her over by rescuing her from a damsel in distress back then~~~"

"And what about you? What do you like most about Fang Xinghe or which of his works?"

"I will always love Prince Yu the most! Although Yang Guo is handsome and Xiao Bei is cute, Prince Yu is my faith! I am an eternal Prince Yu supporter!"

Wang Qiang was startled. What was wrong with this child? He suddenly seemed to be acting strangely...

Before he could even react, a loud slogan suddenly rang out from behind: "Down with the Lone Party! May the Celestial Star Shine Forever!"

"Hahahaha!"

A burst of laughter erupted nearby, leaving Wang Qiang completely bewildered.

"What's going on? Are you guys at Full Star fighting amongst yourselves?"

The girl couldn't help but chuckle: "Hey, this is nothing! The baby's breath inside is a complete mess the whole time~~~"

Wang Qiang's interest was piqued: "How chaotic is it?"

The girl started counting on her fingers again: "Based on attributes, there are film and television factions, literary factions, kung fu factions, action factions, sports fans... Among them, the film and television faction has five major halls: the Prince Hall, the North Hall, the Yang Hall, the Immortal Star Cult, and the Acting Hall..."

Based on the nature of their fans, there are career fans, mother fans, older sister fans, romance fans, dream girl fans, fans of their works, fans of their personalities, fans of overseas cults, etc.

Based on their attitude towards foreign affairs, they can be categorized into radical fans, conservative fans, balanced fans, and fans who only enjoy themselves...

In short, the situation at Baby's Breath is much more chaotic than outsiders imagine. We should really get down to business when nobody's criticizing Fang Fang anymore!

Good guy!
Wang Qiang was amazed and felt that he was really out of touch with the times.

How exactly did Fang Xinghe create this fandom thing?

This will cause immeasurable harm!
……

That's what Wang Qiang thought, but he didn't dare say it out loud.

In the program broadcast at noon, he submitted a rather substantial article, explaining in detail to the public the existence and prosperity of the "Fang Family Collection" market.

Riding on the power of the Divine Condor, the people were in an uproar, and the signing of "The Chronicles of the Primordial Era" had an explosive impact.

Question: Why are Fang Xinghe's autographed collectibles so expensive? Are they really worth that much money? Can they truly create a new market category?
Basic premise: Fang Xinghe is a global superstar whose value is recognized by all developed countries in the world, including the United States, Europe, Japan, and South Korea.

Basic demand: The long-term desire for Fang's collection, fueled by tens of millions of star-shaped beads.

Basic supply: In the 6 years since his debut, he has held two or three autograph sessions on average each year, and the total number of autographs in existence does not exceed 15000.

Basic components: four languages, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, and English, each with several thousand entries.

Basic categories: posters, photo albums, DVDs, books, sporting goods, group photos, and special items.

The problem is: large market, many varieties, small inventory, and low growth.

The surge in demand corresponds to the small inventory and low growth of each category, creating enormous collectible value.

These items are not works of art, but rather emotional products used to satisfy spiritual needs and emotional connections. Their value varies from person to person and from item to item.

Because of rampant forgery, ordinary autographed posters have a lower market price. Posters with a chain of signed evidence can sell for more than 1 RMB, while ordinary autographed posters without such evidence can only sell for a little over 1000 RMB.

The limited edition Galaxy 1 sneakers with official autographs have been resold for nearly $40,000 a pair.

The collector's edition of "Less You" with a standard signature is also worth $1.

TO visas are difficult to forge, and products transferred personally by the visa holder have extremely high price fluctuations and potential for appreciation.

Final Recommendation —

Don't rush to sign Fang Xinghe's autograph. Fang Xinghe is only 20 years old, and his future is still uncertain.

At the same time, do not easily buy Fang Xinghe's regular autographs. Fans who want to collect should try their best to get a chance to participate and get the autograph in person to ensure that what they get is genuine.

The Fangxinghe general ticket market is in chaos right now; today's scalpers will be tomorrow's you.

Conclusion: Be a rational fan and maintain your independence.

……

Just as the media was urging children to study hard, Chen Xiao from Shijiazhuang No. 4 Middle School arrived in the capital on a green-skinned special train, squeezed into Xidan Shopping Mall, raised a borrowed camera and aimed it at Fang Xinghe, taking a whole roll of photos before being kicked out by security guards.

He waited until the book signing ended, but never got to see Fang Xinghe again, so he turned around and went to the Great Hall of the People.

According to reliable sources, Fang Xinghe will attend the premiere of "Ten Years of Extremes" tonight.

Chen Xiao wandered around, trying every possible way to finish taking another roll of photos, then dusted himself off and hitched a ride home.

When he left, his pockets were so empty that he could only afford to eat two steamed buns.

After getting home, I developed the photos and sold them to the baby's breath plants at school, earning a total of over 6000 yuan.

The media always offers various perspectives, but reality never lies—after The Return of the Condor Heroes, Fang Xinghe's private photos have become even more valuable.

After finishing his "business," Chen Xiao, in a great mood, passed by a bookstore and reluctantly bought a copy of the recently popular book, "The Primordial Era."

He was a poor student who didn't do well in school and didn't like reading. He watched a pirated copy of "Hero" and found it very enjoyable, but when he watched "You Are My Destiny" again, he felt it was just so-so.

"The Return of the Condor Heroes" was alright. He hadn't read the original novel, so he found the obsessive love stories noisy. Only the action scenes and the final war scenes were very exciting.

He doesn't follow celebrities, and his feelings towards Fang Xinghe are rather negative, but since she has made so much money, he buys her an authentic book to support her—that's considered considerate.

Chen Xiao, a man of principle, returned home, lay on his bed, and opened Fang Xinghe's new book without much hope.

When do you feel sleepy?
One page? Three pages? Five pages?
People who are not very sensitive to words find it hard to get through five paragraphs of classic works. Impatience accumulates quickly, and they either fall asleep or throw the book away.

But this book is different. After skipping the preface, the first page of the main text pulls him into a world he had never imagined.

……

"Master, I may be ill."

"Layman, please speak."

“I often see a scene that suddenly feels familiar, as if I’ve experienced it before, but no matter how hard I try to recall, I can’t find any basis for it. It’s clearly my first time in this city, my first time meeting this person, my first time doing this kind of thing, but it seems to have been rooted in my memory for a long time, as stubborn as some kind of ghost…”

"Layman, there is no need to worry. This situation is not necessarily a bad thing."

"How could this possibly be a good thing?" The boy grinned, his expression a mix of laughter and tears. "I even suspect I'm mentally ill..."

“Layman, I understand your confusion. Your feelings tell you: I have experienced this moment before. But your reason tells you: this moment is definitely the first time it has happened. So you begin to doubt your own existence, wondering if it is all a dream, or if you are in a time loop in a science fiction story.”

"Yes, yes, yes!" The boy exclaimed excitedly, leaning forward. "Taoist Master, can you heal me?"

"I can't cure it."

The thin Taoist priest, who was setting up a fortune-telling stall, stroked his long beard, shook his head and smiled at the boy, his eyes filled with half envy and half reminiscence.

"This isn't an illness, so how can I treat it?"

"what is that?"

"It is an innate spiritual perception that allows one to receive higher-dimensional information, a talent that is difficult for ordinary people to attain, and the Dao fruit that we cultivators dream of..."

The Taoist priest extended his index finger and gently touched the boy's brow.

"You... are a celestial being."

A deafening boom seemed to erupt from the chaos, and the young man felt boundless light bursting forth from between his brows. That light brought a vast, indescribable feeling, filling his mind, and countless gods and Buddhas appeared within the light to offer their congratulations—

"Welcome back, celestial beings! Welcome back, celestial beings!"

Chen Ye opened his eyes, and the strange phenomenon disappeared instantly, but where was the fortune-telling stall in front of him?
The bustling modern city seemed like a dream. He appeared in a desolate mountain wilderness, in a dilapidated temple on the mountaintop, sitting cross-legged on the altar.

……

After reading the first page word by word, Chen Xiao had goosebumps all over his body.

"Holy crap! Novels can be written like this?!"

The boy, who had never read online novels before, was completely unable to describe his excitement at this moment. His mind was filled with only one thought—I've felt it too! I'm a celestial being too!
What happened next? What happened then?!

The impatient boy was hooked by Fang Xinghe like a cunning little fish.

In fact, the leader of the online trolls did not use the later online novel writing style that had been iterated many times. Instead, he took a half step between tradition and innovation, starting with a sense of immersion.

To immerse himself in this core concept, he chose a phenomenon that is both common and mysterious in modern society—déjà vu.

How common is this thing?

Most normal people will experience this at least three to five times in their lifetime.

However, at the same time, humanity still lacks an accurate understanding of its mechanisms.

In China in 2006, very few people knew this word, and there was nowhere to find related information.

The familiar creates a sense of immersion, while the mysterious creates a powerful impact. As the first writer to apply the phenomenon of "déjà vu" to his novels, Fang Xinghe almost drove this group of immature teenagers crazy.

At this moment, not only Chen Xiao, but almost all young men felt a sense of excitement and secret pleasure, as if they possessed extraordinary talent.

As for what exactly the Celestials are... that's not important.

This opening simultaneously satisfies the requirements of novelty, interest, mystery, straightforwardness, and penetrating power, so the suspense that is left unsaid makes it even more captivating to the reader.

The new book has not received high praise from the literary world, but it is about to be released globally in 43 languages.

It's time to let the world know about Chinese online literature!
(End of this chapter)