Chapter 441: First Domestic Autograph Session

Chapter 441: The First Domestic Book Signing

For products and merchants within the same category, one could only endorse one brand. Thus, Hu Yijing analyzed the pros and cons of each endorsement objectively, without any deliberate bias, leaving the final decision to Meng Fan.

When it came to Meng Fan’s affairs, Hu Yijing dared not and would not harbor any selfish motives—partly out of respect, partly out of awe, and partly out of genuine admiration, even fondness and reverence.

Meng Fan listened attentively, tentatively selecting one from each category and adding extra requirements based on Hu Yijing’s analysis. The next step was for Hu Yijing to negotiate; after preliminary discussions, Meng Fan would sit down with the client representatives to finalize the details.

Of course, whether these tentative choices would all be secured depended on the clients’ intentions and Meng Fan’s own inclinations—he might not take on that many endorsements anyway.

Additionally, Meng Fan asked Hu Yijing to subtly hint during negotiations that after landing his first endorsement, he might not accept any others for a while.

Given that Meng Fan’s “first endorsement” was already a hot topic externally, with many merchants eager to secure it, this move would only intensify the competition for that first slot, ultimately benefiting Meng Fan the most.

If he could earn the profit of two endorsements from one, Meng Fan would naturally choose that. He didn’t need more endorsements to boost his exposure or fame; his primary goal was the money, especially since there was a task to complete.

Of course, endorsements carried risks—not just product issues but also various hidden dangers. The fewer endorsements, the better.

For instance, an airline might list a Chinese province under the wrong country column or have flag issues.

Once the endorsement matters were temporarily settled, Hu Yijing brought up some invitations. Previously, Meng Fan had shot for the cover of *Elle*; now, *Elle* wanted him again through Hu Yijing for the September issue—the golden months of September and October—again with a double cover. Several other magazines had also approached him, including *Vogue*, the hardest to get into among women’s magazines, and *GQ* for men’s, both for September covers.

Meng Fan didn’t outright refuse: “How can I shoot that many? Just one. Sister Jing, schedule it so it doesn’t clash with the book signing, and keep the timing similar to before. You decide for me.”

“Mm, okay.”

Hu Yijing nodded with a smile. For Meng Fan, this was trivial, but for her, it was a matter of face.

As Meng Fan and Hu Yijing finished their discussion, the people from Tencent Animation arrived, including Yixin, the senior. They quickly formed a temporary team dedicated to organizing Meng Fan’s book signing. Soon, a plan was finalized. Based on Meng Fan’s preferences, four cities were tentatively set: Hangzhou, Shanghai, Beijing, and Shenzhen, with the possibility of adding more depending on circumstances.

The dates were set for August 26–29—the ninth volume would be released a few days early, starting in Hangzhou. The venue in Hangzhou was easy to choose: the Yellow Dragon Sports Center. Given the experience at the Nippon Budokan in Japan, a large venue was clearly necessary to avoid overcrowding.

When they contacted the Yellow Dragon Sports Center, the venue checked its schedule and agreed immediately, offering a very low rental fee, far less than what a concert would cost.

The venues for the other three cities were quickly decided as well. Upon contact, they responded like the Yellow Dragon Sports Center, welcoming the event and minimizing costs.

With all four venues confirmed, the temporary team had plenty to do—flying to the three cities outside Hangzhou in advance for setup and staffing.

As for promotion, it was just a matter of a single Weibo post from Meng Fan.

By now, Meng Fan’s Weibo followers had skyrocketed to over 70 million. He hadn’t posted anything since the Olympics, so the attention on his first post after the games was immense. The hashtag #MengFanFourCityBookSigning shot straight to the top of the trending list, a testament to his popularity.

*Vogue* was clearly in a hurry. Normally, the September cover model should have been decided by mid-August, given it’s one of the most important months of the year. But this time, they were so eager to have Meng Fan on the cover that they held out—if they waited until the last few days of August, they’d have to fall back on a backup. Coincidentally, other magazines were in the same boat, so it didn’t seem out of place.

When Hu Yijing informed them that Meng Fan had chosen *Vogue* and that his book signing would start the day after tomorrow, *Vogue* sent a photography team to Hangzhou on August 25. The tight schedule didn’t matter as long as they could shoot Meng Fan. First, having Meng Fan on the cover was enough. Second, Meng Fan looked good in any shot, so there was no fear of insufficient negatives—only the challenge of picking from too many great photos.

The shoot lasted just two hours, from 1 PM to 3 PM. The photography team left, exhilarated and wanting more.

*Vogue* also knew how much Hu Yijing had influenced Meng Fan’s choice. As a gesture of gratitude, they booked Su Qingcen for the October cover, making her another Chinese female star to have graced all five major domestic magazines.

Well—*Vogue* had actually hoped for Meng Caiwei on the October cover. Not just them, but other fashion magazines also wanted to feature the Meng siblings. Unfortunately, Meng Caiwei, who had already appeared on all ten major domestic men’s and women’s magazines, wasn’t interested. She had received invitations before but never responded.

On the morning of the 26th, before dawn, people were already queuing outside the Yellow Dragon Sports Center. When the sun rose and revealed the long line, it was so startling that it pulled in some clouds to hide behind, bringing a rare touch of coolness to the scorching summer day.

The venue opened at 8:30 AM. Perhaps learning from the Nippon Budokan experience, they let the crowd straight into the seats, waiting with their numbered tickets.

Meng Fan arrived at the venue at 9 AM. The seats were already packed with a sea of people. According to statistics, over 5,000 had entered!

Meng Fan waved and greeted them, quieting the cheers. Taking the microphone from a staff member, he said humbly, “Thank you all for taking time out of your busy schedules to attend my first domestic solo book signing. I won’t say much more. Everyone here today will get a signature, as long as I have enough time to make it to the next stop. If there are many of you, I’ll go faster; if fewer, I’ll take it slow. Also, I’m worried you might get bored waiting, so later I’ll have...”

He pointed to the large screens inside the venue, “...my competition highlights playing on those. Treat it like a movie.”

The fans in the audience were stunned—what kind of weird move was this? Then came a wave of teasing.

“Come on! How long can your highlights even be?”

“Damn, are you going to loop it until we’re sick of it?”

“A movie? Yeah right, more like a variety show!”

“Just sign properly, why all the flashy nonsense, hahaha!”

“If you’re really worried we’ll be bored, just sing a song!”

“...”

And so, Meng Fan’s first domestic book signing kicked off, lively and full of playful complaints.

(End of chapter)