"Take this, and look it over quickly," Ge Feng said, handing a piece of paper to Chen Jing.
"What is this?" Chen Jing asked, looking puzzled.
"It's the information about the sponsor you're appearing for later. You'd better memorize it, so you don't end up speechless and embarrassed," Ge Feng replied.
Wenyuan nodded, then began to read silently. Since he was taking their money, he still needed to put in some effort.
"By the way, some of the Elves should be showing up to support you today," Ge Feng said.
"I'm here to cash in, and they're supporting me too?" Chen Jing said with a smile.
"Mainly because you haven't made any formal public appearances since leaving the group and returning to China, so the Elves all want to know how you're doing and see what kind of shape you're in," Ge Feng replied.
Wenyuan nodded. Sometimes fans' enthusiasm could be a burden for celebrities, but their unselfish devotion truly warmed the heart.
Twenty minutes later, Chen Jing arrived at a large shopping mall. He went straight to the lounge to continue reviewing the materials, while Ge Feng went outside to coordinate with the organizers.
Five minutes later, Ge Feng came in and said, "It's time to go on stage. Good luck!"
Chen Jing smiled. "Don't worry, it's a piece of cake."
With that, Chen Jing walked out of the green room and came to the back of a large stage. A staff member handed him a microphone, and Chen Jing took it with a smile. "Thank you!"
"You're welcome!" The staff member was momentarily stunned, then replied with a smile.
"Today, we've also invited someone very familiar to you all—a hugely popular idol. Without further ado, let's welcome Asian pop idol Chen Jing!"
Wenyuan smiled, then stepped out from behind the curtain and onto the stage.
"Ah, it's the Little Sprite!"
"Little Sprite!"
"Little Sprite!"
"Ah..."
...
As Chen Jing stepped onto the stage, a burst of screams instantly erupted, leaving many people nearby completely baffled.
"Who is this handsome guy?"
"Haven't you heard? The irritating Asian idol Chen Jing!"
"An idol? More like an idol that irritates people?"
At that moment, a young woman wearing a sky-blue scarf couldn't hold back any longer. "You guys don't know Chen Jing? He just left a group in South Korea and came back to China! And he's a *popular* idol, not an *irritating* one!"
"How do you know?"
"Because I'm an Elf!"
...
Once on stage, Chen Jing glanced out at the audience and immediately spotted a group of young women wearing sky-blue scarves, many of whom were holding up Little Sprite support banners. Seeing this, Chen Jing waved at them.
Another wave of screams followed. "Ah..."
"Well, we can certainly feel the popularity of our Asian pop idol! Chen Jing, do you know about our product?" the host asked.
Wenyuan smiled. "Of course I do. This brand has a history of nearly ten years..."
After a round of flattery, the host invited Chen Jing to draw some lucky audience members and hand out today's prizes.
Naturally, Chen Jing favored his fans, the Elves, so they "luckily" carried away most of the prizes.
As soon as the chosen Elves got on stage, they eagerly hugged Chen Jing and kept screaming, making the atmosphere exceptionally lively.
Soon, half an hour passed. The event came to an end, and Chen Jing prepared to leave.
By then, quite a few Elves were still following Chen Jing, shouting "Little Sprite" non-stop.
Seeing this, Chen Jing stopped, looked at the excited young women before him, and asked with a smile, "Did you all like the prizes?"
"Yes!"
"We like you even more!"
"Hahaha..."
...
Ge Feng leaned close to Chen Jing and whispered, "We need to hurry. The next event is already waiting for you."
Wenyuan nodded, then smiled. "Thank you all so much for your support, but I have another event coming up. Let's take a group photo together, and then I have to go."
"Yay! Okay!"
Hearing this, the young women beamed, crowded around Chen Jing, and Ge Feng took out her phone to take the picture.
"Alright, I have to go. Make sure you all get home safely," Chen Jing said.
"It's fine, we chartered a bus! We're following you all day today!"
Chen Jing raised an eyebrow. They liked him *that* much?
"Fine, but still be careful, or I'll worry," Chen Jing said with a smile.
"Okay!" At those words, the group of young women looked so thrilled they could clutch their hearts.
After getting into the car and driving away, Chen Jing looked back and saw that a car was indeed following them. He couldn't help laughing. "Is this what an idol's daily life is like?"
Shaking his head, Chen Jing put it out of his mind. 200,000 RMB was safely in the bag; now it was time to rush to the next gig. With five events scheduled for today, his itinerary was pretty packed.
For the next four days, Chen Jing maintained a frantic pace of five events a day, constantly appearing at various commercial shows and paid gigs.
Reports about Chen Jing began appearing in the media as well. After all, he and Han Geng were the hottest topics of the moment.
"Chen Jing rushes back to China to hustle for commercial gigs!" --- Sohu Entertainment report
"Chen Jing rakes in a million RMB in a single day!" --- Sina Entertainment
"Chen Jing attends event; huge crowds and screaming fans follow him every step of the way!" --- NetEase Entertainment
"Chen Jing rumored to have signed with a new agency!" --- Tencent
...
Chen Jing paid no attention to the entertainment media's reports and speculations; he was entirely focused on his grand money-making scheme.
Even with five events a day, it wasn't actually tiring. He'd show up for about half an hour, make an appearance, say a few words, and pocket 200,000 RMB. Though meals were irregular, this was still much easier than being a trainee.
Moreover, after twenty events across four days, Chen Jing had grossed 4 million RMB. After deducting the agency's cut and taxes, he walked away with 1.28 million RMB in hand!
"Is this the last one?" Chen Jing asked.
"Yes, once this one is over, that's it," Ge Feng said. "Though tomorrow you have to shoot a commercial for Sina MicroBlog and officially launch your Sina MicroBlog account."
Wenyuan nodded. He had already planned to open a MicroBlog account anyway. After all, MicroBlog was going to be a crucial promotional window in the future and the best place for an idol to prove their popularity.
However, MicroBlog had only been online for a few months, and there were numerous competing products of the same type in the country. MicroBlog hadn't yet stood out from the pack, which was why they were pulling out all the stops with star power, hiring celebrity endorsers to promote the platform.
As it happened, Chen Jing had just left his group and returned to China, and his soaring popularity caught MicroBlog's eye, leading to a two-year endorsement deal worth 3.5 million RMB.
The organizers of this final event made quite a splash. Aside from hiring Chen Jing, they also brought in a dozen youthful and beautiful models to add to the atmosphere—a row of long-legged beauties in thigh-skimming cheongsams that rivaled any South Korean girl group, forcing Chen Jing to forcefully resist the urge to stare.
Still, Chen Jing couldn't help casting a glance, and that fleeting look made him pause.
Looking again and confirming he hadn't mistaken her, Chen Jing walked over to Ge Feng and whispered a few words in her ear.
Hearing this, Ge Feng looked at the row of long-legged models with a peculiar expression, then frowned and asked, "Are you sure?"
"Just go do it," Chen Jing said, seeing Ge Feng's expression and realizing her mind was in the gutter. He gave her an exasperated look.
With no other choice, Ge Feng went to carry out the task.
After the event ended, Chen Jing didn't leave the lounge; instead, he waited inside.
Soon, Ge Feng knocked on the door, brought in a nervous-looking young woman, and then stood guard outside the door with a look of utmost caution, acting like a common thief.
Seeing this, Chen Jing couldn't help rolling his eyes at his assistant, then turned his gaze to the young woman before him, who had delicate facial features and an exotic charm.
When the young woman saw Chen Jing, she looked a mixture of excited, puzzled, and defensive. She hesitated and asked, "You... are you looking for me?"
Chen Jing nodded, then asked, "What's your name?"