Chapter 166 Fan Economy
In a private room of a teahouse next to the signing venue building.

"Gulu gulu~~"

Chen Yuexi bit the straw and stared at Chen Mo with resentment.

Chen Mo couldn't help but be amused, "I'm buying you a drink, and you're still staring at me like that, is that reasonable?"

"Then I won't drink it." Chen Yuexi loosened the straw in her mouth, leaned back, crossed her arms over her chest, continued to exude resentment, and stared straight at Chen Mo.

Chen Mo looked at the empty cup on the table, not knowing whether to laugh or cry, "You've already finished it."

The little girl raised her chin and said, "So I won't drink it."

Chen Mo clicked his tongue and said, "You little girl, you're quite shameless to deny me after you've had enough to eat and drink."

Chen Yuexi snorted, "You are so embarrassed to lie to a child, why should I be embarrassed?"

"There's no milk tea here, there's nothing I can do about it." Chen Mo pretended to be helpless, "But didn't I order a cream cake? If you take a bite of the cream and then a sip of the lemon tea, the taste will be about the same."

"That's not what I'm talking about!" Chen Yuexi said angrily, "Who likes milk tea? Do you treat me like a child?!"

Chen Mo asked in confusion: "Just now you said I was lying to children, and now you say you are not a child. If you are not a child, then it is not you that I am lying to, right?"

“No, I’m a child.”

"Then I ordered a cream cake to compensate you."

“No, I’m not a child.”

"Then you are not the one who was deceived."

Chen Yuexi was a little confused and fell into a logical loop for a while.

Fang Taichu next to him couldn't stand it anymore and reminded her, "Yuexi, don't you usually like to drink taro bubble milk tea the most?"

It’s okay to admit that you are a child, because we are children anyway.

Clarify demands and grasp the main contradictions.

"That's right!" Chen Yuexi reacted, "I'm just a child. You didn't trick me into drinking. You deceived my feelings."

Chen Mo quickly stopped her, "Hey, hey, hey, you can eat whatever cake you want, but you can't say anything you want."

Fortunately, this is a private room, otherwise it would be really funny if someone heard an underage girl saying these metaphysical words to him.

Chen Yuexi said angrily: "Did you lie to me?"

Chen Mo said with a smile: "What did I lie to you about?"

Chen Yuexi complained, "You said you could take us to the book signing event, but now the book signing is over!"

Chen Mo shook his head and corrected, "I said I would take you to meet your destiny, but I didn't say I would take you to the book signing event."

"How can we meet if we don't go to the book signing?"

The little girl felt a little aggrieved. She could have endured the darkness if she had never seen the light.

At this time, there was a knock on the door of the box.

"Here you are." Chen Mo looked at the little girl with a smile, then stood up and walked over to open the door.

"Brother, am I not late?"

"No, it's just right."

Hearing the sound coming from the door, Chen Yuexi looked at Fang Taichu and asked what was going on.

Fang Taichu shook his head, indicating that he didn't know either.

Just as the two were staring at each other, a woman wearing a mask and a baseball cap walked into the box.

When Chen Yuexi saw the woman walk in, she was a little confused, but she felt that the woman's figure was familiar. Then, when she saw that she was fully armed, she suddenly had an unbelievable guess in her mind.

When the woman came in, she was also surprised to see other people in the box, "Brother, what is this?"

Chen Mo explained with a smile: "I met two kids who were waiting outside your book signing event. They said they didn't have enough pocket money and couldn't afford a spot at your book signing event, so I wanted to help them save some money."

The woman smiled and said, "So that's how it is."

At this time, Chen Yuexi, who had heard the conversation between the two, had already widened her eyes in daze.

The woman took off her mask, revealing a delicate face. Because she came directly after the book signing event, her face was still fully made up as it was when she attended the event.

Therefore, when Chen Yuexi saw the familiar face on the posters and photos that filled her room, her brain instantly froze.

Chen Mo waved his hands in front of her eyes and said, "Wake up, you are dreaming."

Chen Yuexi turned her head to look at Fang Taichu dully. Fang Taichu understood what she meant and reached out to pinch her arm hard.

"Ouch~~"

With a scream of pain, the little girl finally felt "awake".

She immediately jumped up and rushed to Ning Zhihe at lightning speed. She took out the photo album from her small bag, opened her mouth, but the words were stuck and she stuttered for a long time without saying anything.

Ning Hehe smiled knowingly and asked softly, "Do you want me to sign for you?"

The little girl nodded quickly.

Ning Zhihe smiled and reached out to take it, but found that he didn't bring a pen.

Upon seeing this, Chen Yuexi immediately lowered her head and rummaged through her bag.

Chen Mo said regretfully, "Oh, I can't sign without a pen."

Ning Zhihe glanced at Chen Mo in a reproachful manner and said soothingly, "It's okay. If you don't have a pen, we can just borrow one from the waiter."

"Yes, yes, I remember there were some." Chen Yuexi buried her head and anxiously rummaged through her bag, sweating slightly on her forehead.

"Let me see if I can sign this." Ning Zhihe thought about it, took out an eyebrow pencil from her bag and tried it. When she found that it could be signed, she signed it directly with her eyebrow pencil.

Chen Yuexi was stunned for a moment, then asked cautiously, "Isn't this expensive?"

Ning Zhihe shook his head and smiled: "It's not expensive, and the boss reimbursed it."

"Ah?" Chen Yuexi was surprised. "The boss still cares about this?"

Ning Zhihe glanced at someone with a smile, "Isn't that something I should be in charge of?"

Chen Mo shrugged.

Chen Yuexi also recovered by now, and hurriedly "confessed" to him: "Sister, I have liked you for a long time. I have bought all the albums of your group, and I have collected a lot of your small cards as well."

The girl talked a lot about her "star journey", some of which were inconsistent and it was obvious that she was nervous and excited.

Ning Zhihe was not impatient or perfunctory, but listened carefully to the end, and then said sincerely: "Thank you for your support and love all the time. I will try my best to do better to repay your kindness."

"You couldn't attend the book signing today, but you still came to support us outside."

Ning Zhihe thought about it and suggested: "I'll give you a signed album. I hope your trip wasn't in vain."

Chen Yuexi's eyes suddenly lit up and she asked excitedly, "Really?"

Ning Zhihe smiled and nodded, "Yes, but I don't have it with me now, I'll ask my brother to give it to you when the time comes."

Chen Yuexi nodded vigorously, then she suddenly thought of something, pointed at Fang Taichu behind her, and said shyly: "Well, I came here with my classmates."

Ning Zhihe laughed dumbly, "Okay, then give one to your classmate as well."

Upon hearing this, Fang Taichu quickly expressed his gratitude.

Chen Yuexi was still hesitant to speak, "That."

Chen Mo said in advance: "We can't take a group photo today."

Today he came to talk to Ning Zhihe about the future signing. Although Ning Zhihe has already told the company that she will not renew the contract, the contract has not ended yet, so she still has to be a little cautious about her current employer and not make a big fuss about it.

Most children like to show off. If a group photo is taken and posted online, it is bound to cause trouble.

This is also why Chen Mo did not bring Fang Taichu and the others directly to the signing event, but chose to meet Ning Zhihe here.

Ning Zhihe also looked apologetic and said, "Actually, I sneaked out now. I can't let anyone in the company know."

"No, no." Chen Yuexi quickly waved her hands and explained, "I was wondering if I could get an autograph for my classmate as well? She likes you, too, but she's a bit shy." Fang Taichu showed a "shy" smile just right.

Ning Zhihe smiled and agreed: "Of course."

Chen Yuexi took out a small card from her bag and said, "Sister, this small card is your autograph card from last year. I received it with great difficulty."

Photo cards are cards printed with artists’ unpublished photos or selfies, and are often seen by fans as a symbol of their love and support for their idols.

Ning Zhihe took it and looked at it, then asked casually, "It's not expensive, right? You're still studying, don't spend money recklessly."

"It's not expensive. I got this at a steal. I only spent three hundred dollars on it. It would cost four or five hundred dollars now."

Chen Yuexi was a little proud, "But this is nothing. Sister, you don't know that you have a rare limited card, which is worth more than 10,000 now."

"How much?!" Even Ning Zhihe was shocked when she heard the price. She even suspected that she had heard it wrong.

"Someone in the group offered 10,000 yuan for 10,000 yuan, but unfortunately I don't have that much money." Chen Yuexi didn't think there was anything wrong with it, "But I plan to wait for this year's autographed card sale."

Ning Zhihe didn't know what to say when he heard this.

The small card was originally a gift given by the agency to promote album sales, but now the price of this gift is even higher than the album, even to an outrageous level.

Ning Zhihe thought for a moment and said directly: "If you really want these cards, just print them yourself."

"Ah, is this okay?" Chen Yuexi suspected that she had heard it wrong. Why would the idol himself ask fans to print it themselves?

Ning Zhihe blinked his eyes lightly. "As long as you don't sell it and keep it for your own collection, you can print as many as you want. Who can stop you?"

Chen Yuexi didn't expect that her favorite idol would be so "considerate". While feeling warm in her heart, she was also more convinced that she was not pursuing the wrong person.

When Mrs. Fang first saw Chen Yuexi get the autograph, she said goodbye at the right time, because she knew that Chen Mo had something important to discuss.

Chen Mo asked, "Do you want to go home? I'll get you a taxi."

"No, no, maybe we'll go somewhere else for a while."

Fang Taichu didn't want to trouble Chen Mo anymore. After expressing her gratitude to Chen Mo, she hurriedly pulled Chen Yuexi away.

Chen Mo didn't force them anymore, but just reminded them not to play too late and go home early.

After seeing the two off, Chen Mo asked Ning Zhihe to sit down.

Ning Zhihe joked, "Brother, you really acted like a worried old father just now."

"Really?" Chen Mo thought about it, a smile appeared in his eyes, "Maybe when you have someone you want to marry, you will naturally prepare for the role in advance."

Ning Zhihe said with a sigh, "It's a pity that I missed it yesterday, otherwise I really want to meet the sister-in-law who can make you laugh like this."

Chen Mo smiled and said, "I'll take you to see him when I have the chance."

Ning Zhihe smiled and said, "Then I'll be waiting."

Chen Mo nodded. "Thank you for your hard work today. You just finished the book signing event and now you are here for a fan meeting."

Ning Zhihe shook his head. "Actually, I quite like this opportunity to communicate with fans. There are a lot of people at the book signing event, and time is limited, so most of the time we are just going through the motions."

"But I didn't expect that you would be willing to listen to these kids' ideas."

Ning Zhihe could tell that the two children were not related to Chen Mo. However, Chen Mo was willing to bring the two children here even though he had something important to discuss.

Most adults don't have the patience to understand the minds of these little girls.

Chen Mo shook his head, "Not really, I just happened to get along well with that kid."

Some people make you feel close to them as soon as you meet them, for no reason.

Ning Zhihe asked curiously, "Is he the one who pretends to be my fan? Is there anything special about him?"

Chen Mo couldn't help but laugh, "You figured it out too?"

Ning Zhihe rolled his eyes, "Of course, I've seen a lot of fans, big and small, okay? I can still tell whether they are passers-by or fans."

Just now, Chen Yuexi played a little trick and claimed Fang Taichu as a fan as well, in order to ask for an extra autograph and album.

Seeing that the two of them cooperated very well, Ning Zhihe did not reveal her little secret.

Chen Mo shook his head and smiled, then continued, "Actually, there's nothing special about it. If I have to say, it's probably because that little girl just fits my fantasy of a daughter."

Ning Zhihe nodded, "I understand. Who wouldn't want a cute and adorable little girl?"

It was not difficult for Ning Zhihe to understand this idea. She was very pretty when she was a child. When relatives and elders in her family saw her, in addition to praising her for looking like a doll, they would sometimes sigh and say, "I also want to have a daughter."

Often at this time, her brother would add honestly, "You can't give birth to such a beautiful child," puncturing that person's fantasy and making the adults present feel a little embarrassed.

Ning Zhihe thought about it for a moment, "According to what is said online, this is called the 'deceiving people into having daughters' series?"

"It shouldn't be a lie to me." Chen Mo thought seriously, "That child looks like her mother, so I think if I have a daughter in the future, she might look a bit like this."

"Ah?" Ning Zhihe was stunned.

This sentence contained too much information and she felt a little confused.

It's normal for a child to look like her mother, but what does it mean that your daughter will look like her?

What does other people’s children have to do with you?
What is your relationship with the child’s mother?
Chen Mo didn't know that Ning Zhihe was thinking about ethical issues in his mind. He just had a sudden thought and felt that Huang Yimei and Xu Hongdou had similar genes in appearance, and their daughter looked mostly like her mother, so was it possible that the children would also have some similarities.

However, considering the bonus of paternal genes, Chen Mo still thinks that his and Xu Hongdou's children will be better looking in the future.

Chen Mo shook his head, pulled back his thoughts, and said, "Actually, when I was with the two children just now, I wasn't just 'taking care of the children'."

"In the entertainment economy, young people are the main consumers. Chatting with these new generations can help us understand the real psychological needs of customers."

Chen Mo had some understanding of fan circle culture before, but after communicating with Chen Yuexi, an "insider" today, he indeed gained a new understanding.

Ning Zhihe immediately thought, "Xiao Ka?"

Chen Mo snapped his fingers, "Yes, you can imagine that behind this small card is a market worth tens of billions."

"Is it so big?" Ning Zhihe was surprised. Her impression of the small card was that it was a small piece of paper whose price was blindly hyped up by fans. She never thought that this little thing had such a huge transaction.

Chen Mo nodded, "Of course, there are not only girl group cards, but also other celebrity cards, sports star cards, and IP cards of various anime and games."

"These exquisitely designed and printed small cards only cost a few cents each. But their trading prices, not to mention those limited rare cards that are sold for thousands or even tens of thousands, just the common cards that are in large circulation, the basic price of a single card is more than 15 yuan. This gross profit margin is frighteningly high."

Ning Zhihe couldn't help but shake his head, "These prices are not the actual value."

Chen Mo smiled and said, "Don't think this is just a light card. It is actually a kind of emotional sustenance."

Ning Zhihe said soberly: "Generally speaking, people say this to increase the price."

Chen Mo smiled and did not deny it. Instead, he said: "The essence of the small card market is the entertainment industry's precise harvest of fans' emotional needs. It is a combination of fan economy and blind box economy. Its success lies in the random addiction mechanism and social value bundling."

"In fact, when you asked that little girl to print the cards herself, the cards lost their most important social value. Because they cannot be recognized by society, they cannot be circulated."

"If it cannot be circulated, it has no value. And how can people be satisfied by owning something that has no value?"

Ning Zhihe frowned slightly, "Brother, you mean to say that kid will still spend money to collect genuine cards?"

Chen Mo shrugged. "Although your photo is printed on the card, its value does not depend on your approval."

"Owning rare cards can gain attention and recognition in this group, and improve one's social status in the fan circle, so in addition to collecting commemorative cards, it is also a certificate of identity recognition."

"But the 'pirated cards' that you print yourself cannot be recognized by the group. They don't have these added values, so you can only entertain yourself behind closed doors."

Ning Zhihe pondered and said, "Actually, there's nothing wrong with entertaining yourself. You don't have to pay too much attention to the outside world."

Chen Mo smiled and asked, "Will a person who can get along well with others still chase after celebrities?"

The essence of star chasing is to find one's own meaning in others.

The fact that this focus is chosen to be the idol under the spotlight speaks volumes.

Ning Zhihe was speechless.

Chen Mo didn't continue talking, but got to the point, "Let's talk about your contract."

"If everyone doesn't chase stars, you'll be out of a job."

(End of this chapter)