[There are two more chapters later]
Let's rewind two weeks ago to the live broadcast of the first recording of "Cai Wei Fashion Apprentice."
"Brother Jun!" Huang Ming, who was somewhat handsome and someone no one could have predicted would become so greasy in the future, was still a fresh meat idol at this time. He walked up to a scruffy-bearded man and greeted him.
"Oh, Xiao Ming!" Hu Shuaijun also shook hands with Xiao Ming enthusiastically. Backstage at CCTV, Xiao Ming seemed to be the only acquaintance he could talk to.
"Could it be that the two of us are the finale of this show!" Huang Ming said with a chuckle. He originally thought he was the big star of the show. After all, his family had consecutively acted in several TV dramas, especially the household name "Emperor Wu of Han." Therefore, Huang Ming felt he could probably hold the position of a big star in a variety show.
At most, there would be two or three third-tier or obscure minor celebrities, and then he saw Hu Shuaijun. Huang Ming immediately realized that he couldn't dominate the entire scene alone. After all, Hu Shuaijun had recently filmed a very popular TV drama and had also won a Best Actor award. Compared to him, he was indeed a bit inferior.
However, Huang Ming was still very confident. He felt that the two of them, himself and Hu Shuaijun, should be the finale of this variety show.
"Should be! Perhaps there will be one or two senior artists, after all, Boss Huang personally called to put this show together!" Brother Hu was a bit clearer-headed. He had received a call a few days ago and didn't know much about the show.
However, he felt that since Boss Huang had personally made the call, the caliber of this variety show should be extremely impressive, and perhaps senior artists and big stars would appear.
Soon, another handsome young idol came over to greet them proactively. Although Hu Shuaijun didn't know him well and seemed not to have met him before, since he was invited here, he must have some standing.
"You are Hu Shuai Ge from Tangren, right? We met during the audition for 'The Romantic Young Tang Bohu'! I didn't expect you to be here too!" Huang Ming, standing beside him, recognized Hu Shuai Ge.
Back then, when "The Romantic Young Tang Bohu" was selecting its lead actors, the final two candidates were Huang Ming and Hu Shuai Ge. It was said that the director had a hard time making a decision until Huang Ming's "Emperor Wu of Han" achieved a massive surge in viewership, and he decisively chose Huang Ming.
"Yes, I am truly honored to be on the same stage with Brother Xiao Ming today!" Hu Shuai Ge said with a smile.
"So, he's an artist from Tangren!" Hu Shuaijun's heart stirred, and he couldn't help but feel a bit sour. Artists from Tangren were so lucky. Without any works, they could ride on his coattails to participate in shows and feed on his popularity. It was indeed amazing to have a good boss!
For the sake of Tangren, the three of them chatted quite happily. Then Hu Shuaijun said, "Little Hu, how do you think this show is going to be played today?"
Hu Shuaijun genuinely didn't know. After all, he only came after receiving a call from Boss Huang. As for the show's flow and content, he had no idea, nor did anyone tell him. He didn't dare to ask, just so humble and pitiful.
To come and participate in the show without knowing how it works, such a bizarre event, was probably something only Boss Huang could pull off.
"It seems like we're here to be models!" Hu Shuai Ge scratched his head. "I'm not clear about the specific rules either. I was directly pulled from the set by the company!"
"To be models?" Hu Shuaijun's face immediately fell. To have a star like him come to be a model?
Before Hu Shuaijun could complain, he heard Hu Shuai Ge continue, "But I heard that the male and female celebrity guests who win this variety show will become the official spokespersons for Liu Shang Qu Shui Cai Wei Shi, with a contract rumored to be for 100 million!"
"100 million RMB!" Hu Shuaijun and Huang Ming were both stunned. Even in 2021, there were no celebrities in the entertainment industry whose endorsement fees reached 100 million. Let alone in 2004, the highest celebrity endorsement fees at the time had just broken ten million.
Could this be a joke?
"No, it's 100 million US dollars!" Hu Shuai Ge said. "It should be true. Our group intends to build Liu Shang Qu Shui Cai Wei Shi into the world's top luxury brand. Then the endorsement fees of the celebrity spokespersons we choose must be the most expensive. Otherwise, with only a few million, how can we reflect the value of our brand? Wouldn't that be like street stall goods?"
"..." Hu Shuai Ge and Huang Ming exchanged glances, and then their bodies were instantly ignited with flames. It seemed that the winner of the championship would be decided between the two of them. This was a lifelong rivalry!
"Oh, right. If there's one male and one female, doesn't that mean there are female celebrity guests this time? Who are they?" Huang Ming suddenly asked curiously.
"Hmm, look, aren't two of them here?" Hu Shuai Ge gestured with his mouth towards the distance, and then Huang Ming and Hu Shuaijun saw two refreshingly beautiful women walking in shoulder to shoulder.
"It's the Double Bings!" Hu Shuaijun and Huang Ming's eyes lit up at the same time. The looks of these Double Bings were not low at all. Partnering with them wouldn't be a problem.
However, immediately after the Double Bings, two more beautiful women walked out, making Hu Shuaijun and Huang Ming freeze. Aren't these Zhu Meiyin and Wang Xian? These two actually came too. Was he going to be paired with these two great beauties?
Then, Liu Hua led Li Ming onto the scene as well. Huang Ming and Hu Shuaijun felt their legs go a bit numb.
Then, one celebrity after another entered in an orderly fashion, filling the entire backstage. The Heavenly Kings and Superstars who were usually high above were all present at the same time. Especially when Brother Long and Brother Jie came out arm in arm at the end, they were completely stunned.
It wasn't just Huang Ming and Hu Shuaijun who were stunned. All the celebrities present were stunned. Those who hadn't received any news thought only a few people were invited, so when they saw so many peers and superstars appearing, they were all dumbfounded.
And those who had received news and knew that many celebrities had been invited thought that these celebrities would appear in batches. They never imagined that Jiangnan Group would actually gather all the celebrities to appear on the same day.
Only Brother Long and Li Jie, who appeared last, seemed to know something and were aware of the situation. The juniors or friends around them immediately surrounded them, asking for the reason.
Many people showed expressions of serious dissatisfaction. They came out of respect for Boss Huang, but they were not here to be part of a large group of human backdrops. With so many superstars present, would they still have room to perform? Would they still have opportunities to increase their fame?
"Don't ask me, just ask the main person!" Brother Long said with a smile, and then Boss Huang also appeared backstage. Boss Huang greeted all the celebrities warmly, shaking hands and saying a few words of thanks.
These celebrities could only put away all their thoughts in their hearts.
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"The show has finally started. I really want to know how this show will be played!" In front of the television, Fan Rui and Zhao Yao were both watching the TV show curiously and intently. As for reading, it had naturally been thrown to the back of their minds.
At the same time, the host Wang Y said with a microphone, "Welcome to our Cai Wei · Fashion Apprentice program. This is a fashion designer selection program jointly produced and broadcast by the internationally renowned brand Cai Wei and us, CCTV. Our goal is to find the most outstanding young designers in China. This young designer will become the apprentice of Ms. Qu Wei, the chief designer of Liu Shang Qu Shui Cai Wei Shi, and the chief designer of the Cai Wei brand, responsible for designing Cai Wei's clothing!"
"Next, Ms. Qu Wei is the foremost fashion designer in China. Her designs 'Dragon and Phoenix Present Auspiciousness,' 'Hanfu,' and so on...!" Wang Ya spent nearly three minutes introducing how amazing Qu Wei was. Then, amidst a spectacular stage performance, Qu Wei slowly appeared.
She appeared in a pure white long dress. The dress looked very simple, without rich color changes, but it made everyone who saw this dress by Qu Wei's design widen their eyes and unconsciously drool.
Of course, women drooled over the dress, while men drooled over Qu Wei. It had to be said that this dress was too beautiful, too stunning. The effect of its appearance made countless male and female viewers have a strong reaction.
Well, it was indeed appealing to both men and women.
To be fair, these designs in 2021 would be about mid-to-upper level, but in 2004, in the eyes of audiences who had never seen top-tier Hanfu, this was like celestial attire.
It had to be said that, just by this outfit, countless viewers had no doubts about Qu Wei's design ability and status. Wang Ya then continued to introduce, "Our program has undergone four months of preparation, and we have openly recruited from major fashion design colleges nationwide and from all sectors of society."
"These contestants will submit their works to the program team, and we will submit the contestants and their works together to Ms. Qu Wei for evaluation. Finally, 64 finalists will be selected. These contestants will be divided into eight regions: Northeast, Central Plains, Northwest, Frontier, Huaiyang, Wu Yue, Southwest, and Overseas, for evaluation. And today, the 8 contestants from the Northeast region will appear!"
"Now, please welcome the first contestant!" As Wang Ya's voice fell, the program began to play pre-recorded contestant introductions. This was a Northeastern man named Quan Jin.
Well, having a Northeastern man open the show was indeed quite innovative. Even more innovative was the fact that this contestant was actually involved in embroidery. When the audience saw such a burly Northeastern man holding a thin embroidery needle and embroidering exquisite mandarin ducks playing in the water on the fabric, they were all dumbfounded!