Random Entertainment loves to make surprise announcements, always revealing things just one day in advance, as if giving two weeks' notice would kill them. This habit drives some fans to grind their teeth in frustration.
Celebrities have their career fans, and so do companies.
The earliest batch of trainee fans who joined after the show's premiere immediately transformed into career fans. Their daily routine consisted largely of flooding Jiang Juyou's Weibo, urging her to promote the show more. They even brainstormed many ideas for the company out of sheer devotion, listing out all the excellent studios in the industry.
But it was of little use, as Jiang Juyou didn't seem to use Weibo much.
Yesterday's sudden announcement of the offline pop-up store again angered these career fans, who questioned Jiang Juyou why she didn't promote it earlier, leaving fans who couldn't travel on short notice in a lurch.
While online fans always had something to worry about, offline fans had their own troubles.
It's already 5 AM, and how come there are still so many people?
It's Monday, don't people have school or work?
Ling Cheng looked at the long queue in front of her and immediately felt the urge to turn back.
She had left home at 5 AM to catch the high-speed train from Nanjing to Shanghai, involving various transfers and walks. The whole journey took about three hours.
The pop-up store wasn't set to open until 10 AM, and she arrived with over an hour to spare, yet a long queue had already formed outside.
Early December in Shanghai was still quite cold, especially at dawn when the chill hadn't dissipated. The damp, cold air hit the skin with a stinging sensation, like pressing against an ice cube.
On-site staff wore uniform vests and carried large megaphones, busy maintaining order. Some were distributing hand warmers from boxes.
Ling Cheng had already applied hand warmers, but she still accepted one from the staff, acting like other fans by taking photos and posting on Weibo.
"Excuse me, I'd like to ask which machine has Sang Mo's mini cards concentrated in?" someone suddenly asked a staff member.
Upon hearing this, fans queuing behind immediately craned their necks to look forward.
The staff member who was stopped hesitated for a moment, blinking, "...Uh, you'll find out when you get inside."
All the on-site staff were temporary part-timers hired just yesterday. Their job was to maintain order and exchange cards. During last night's training, they got headaches just listening to the rules, let alone explaining them clearly. Fortunately, there were signs posted inside, otherwise they wouldn't have been able to get up to speed quickly.
After probing for a while, no one could extract any useful information from the staff, so they had to wait obediently for the doors to open. As time passed, more and more people gathered in the square.
The dense crowd made Ling Cheng's claustrophobia act up.
"You may now enter. Please follow the signage, and ask staff if you have any questions," the staff entered first, leaving only a few people in the square to maintain order.
The scene resembled a subway station during rush hour, with people squeezed together, inching forward slowly.
It took Ling Cheng nearly twenty minutes to get inside. Upon entering, she felt a wave of warm air, which helped ease her stiff, cold body.
When they first saw the address, everyone had a hunch that this might be the Shanghai branch of the Galaxy venue, but they didn't expect it to be so large, seemingly much bigger than the Beijing location.
The stage and seats inside had been removed, while the stands were decorated in a cyberpunk style, with various neon ad boards pasted around. The big screen was playing urban VCRs that matched the atmosphere, fully committing to the cyberpunk theme.
Everyone let out a collective "Wow" upon entering, then immediately pulled out their phones to take pictures.
The interior was set up like an arcade, with many game machines, although there were actually only four types of equipment: capsule machines, card claw machines, card vending machines, and card fishing machines.
The gameplay was similar to an arcade too. You buy game coins through the APP, scan the QR code at the machine, and play. Two of the four types of machines were special, with a certain probability of failure, which tied into the rarity levels of the four versions of mini cards.
The card claw machines and fishing machines had more SSS cards. If you didn't get one, you'd still get a basic version mini card to break even, but if you did get one, you'd hit the jackpot.
Ling Cheng, still on the stairs, quickly pulled out Galaxy to buy game coins. Even though there were nearly a hundred game machines on site, she still felt there weren't enough to go around, so she quickened her pace down the stairs.
-
"Title: Gossip discussion / Hot off the press pop-up store report! I got an SSS!"
"There are many on-site report photos on Weibo, they all seem to have the same style. Let me show you our cyberpunk interior from the Xi'an location, it's so cool!"
"My luck was incredible today, I got all four versions (though not my bias, waiting to exchange cards). The card claw and fishing next door aren't at all like what that person said, even if you don't grab one, you'll still get an R card as a base, so everyone feel free to go for it!"
"Also, all the mini cards are tech cards, divided into four versions: R, SR, SSR, and SSS. My R card is Chen Wu's, it's a heat-sensitive card where the black background reveals itself when heated. The SR is Sang Mo's card, a frosted heat-sensitive card. The SSR is Wang Silu's card, a winter limited edition."
"The first three are ones we've all seen before, nothing much to say, but the SSS card is truly amazing. Even looking at it now, I still find it incredible."
"My SSS card is Gao Xiayu's, and how should I put it... it moves."
"It's not the kind that moves when you scan it with your phone to watch a video, nor the kind where the image changes as you tilt the card. It's... it actually moves."
"My mini card looks like this [image]"
Gao Xiayu's mini card is a selfie from his birthday, with small dabs of cream on both cheeks, holding a cake with unblown candles.
"You might not see anything special, but when you hold it in your hand (or even if you don't), the candlelight actually moves! Even the warm yellow light reflecting on his face is moving! Gao Xiayu's hair is moving too! Ahhh! Who understands! Who understands the shock in my heart! What kind of magic is this?!"
"You can actually see it in a video, but I don't want to expose my other platform accounts, so everyone wait for feedback on other people's SSS cards. Anyway -- this card is going to be hyped like crazy!"
"PS: Setting up a small stall, everything except SSS is for sale, DM if interested! Also looking to buy Yao Shuo's SSS, price negotiable in DM!"
Comments:
"Who understands, I spent 600 and got all R cards, not even a single SR..."
"How much did the OP spend on four cards?"
"I saw someone at Galaxy offering 30,000 for Pei Luming's SSS card."
"I bought ten cards and only got one SSR, ahhh how do I get an SSS?"
"Am I the only one focusing on the fact that Galaxy has so many venues? If so, can they do a tour for their next concert?"
"The on-site decor was really cool, I actually just bought one card and spent the rest of the time taking photos, though it was too dark and needed flash."
"Waited all morning just to see one SSS card, my goodness... It was already card hell, and now they've added rarity levels, I really -- my card reseller DNA is stirring."
"Who said Pei Luming's winter limited edition would make a comeback? Made me look forward to it for so long..."
"Has no one noticed the APP? I found out you can click into the voting section, it shows how many cards have been drawn for each trainee."
"Really! You can click in! Pei Luming has only had 29 SSR cards drawn so far, and not a single SSS."
"What do the monthly timeline card album and toast plushie mean below the ranking? We don't have those at our location."
"Those two are gifts for reaching certain thresholds. You get the monthly timeline card album for 100 cards, the toast plushie for 200 cards, and 3 chances for priority seating selection at Galaxy's concert for 300 cards."
"This ranking is so cruel, I love it."
"Ye Xing's family has too many rich fans, over 300 people have already chosen Ye Xing's monthly timeline card album, and over 70 have chosen the toast plushie."
"Wait, it's just been one morning, it's only the first week, are you all going crazy?"
"...Who stole my rich second generation life [lights cigarette]"
As the event began, various repo posts appeared online. The hashtag #SmallCardHell# climbed the trending list without any marketing accounts pushing it, rising higher and higher.
"This is true small card hell. The Korean scene is nothing compared to this."
"I've spent 3000 yuan and haven't pulled a single card of my bias..."
"Yesterday I was saying 50 yuan per card seemed too cheap. How wrong I was... I had no idea the four versions would have different drop rates."
"Now I'm incredibly grateful my bias is lower ranked. The cards are even cheaper to buy secondhand."
"Thank you Random Entertainment for curing my collector's addiction [smile]"
"Over 10,000 cards have been sold so far, and only one SSS card of Gao Xiayu has appeared. Random Entertainment, don't be so ridiculous."
The Galaxy app clearly displayed how many cards had been sold, so everyone knew exactly how much money Random Entertainment was making. Sales broke 500,000 yuan just two hours after launching. At this rate, selling 100,000 cards seemed effortless.
Many fans of other groups came online to watch the drama unfold, finding the scene quite novel.
Pop-up stores are certainly meant to make money, but this one hadn't opened any online channels. This subtle detail led many to speculate about Random Entertainment's true intentions.
Outsiders watched with amusement, while those in the fandom battled fiercely.
Ye Xing's fans weren't very enthusiastic about this pop-up store event initially, for reasons the knowledgeable would understand. So not many got up early to go. But everything changed once Ye Xing's photo cards were revealed.
Many of Ye Xing's fans were busy with work or class and weren't checking their phones. It wasn't until lunchtime that a Weibo post suddenly went viral.
The post included three images, showing Ye Xing's R, SR, and SSR cards. To the surprise of all his fans - the cards actually looked good!
"What's going on? Ye Xing, did you finally learn how to take selfies?"
"Damn, he's finally back to his handsome self!"
"Are these really Ye Xing's cards? I'm not used to him looking this good suddenly."
"There's clearly a reason for the different grades. The SSR looks the best!"
"Forget lunch, I'm heading to Galaxy right now!"
"How exciting, I can finally start card trading!"
"I wonder what the SSS card looks like. They say it's animated - how does that work exactly?"
Suddenly, a commotion erupted at the Shanghai pop-up store location -
"Oh my god! An SSS card! And it's Ye Xing's!"
"Holy crap, can I touch your hand to absorb some of your luck?"
"Is this the first SSS card today?"
"No, I saw on Weibo someone pulled Gao Xiayu's earlier."
"So jealous... I really do have terrible luck. I've been pulling all morning and only got R cards."
Ling Cheng stared at the SSS card in her hand, mouth agape.
She had arrived early this morning and was near the front of the line to enter. But because there were so many people, she didn't pull cards right away. Instead, she watched how others played and wandered around for over two hours.
In other words, on her very first 50 yuan card pull of the day, she got Ye Xing's SSS card.
Before Ling Cheng could even react, someone next to her asked, "Hey sis, are you selling that card?"
Suddenly, everyone's eyes were on the two of them. Ling Cheng looked at the person, still dazed.
The other person quickly added: "I'll give you 50,000 yuan. Will you sell?"
Ling Cheng: "..."
Holy crap! From 50 to 50,000 yuan!
News that Ye Xing's SSS card had been pulled spread rapidly across all platforms, along with the information that someone bought it for 50,000 yuan.
"Breaking News: Melon Eating Theoretical Discussion - The Second and Third SSS Cards Have Appeared!"
"I'm at the scene. YX's SSS was pulled. Didn't see the card face, it was unknown. A rich sister bought it for 50,000 yuan. But that's not the point. Sisters, the point is that SSS card only cost 50 yuan!!!"
"That girl pulled an SSS on her first try!!! She only spent 50 yuan! Ahhhhh!"
"Ahhhhh I'm going crazy, that girl pulled again and got PLM's SSS card ahhhhhhh!"
"The wealth gap between people is one thing, but how can the luck gap be so big too? I'm losing my mind!"
"100 yuan to pull two SSS cards, talk about turning a bicycle into a motorcycle! The PLM one was bought by a rich lady for 72,000 yuan!"
Comments:
"Ahhhhh I'm at the scene too!!!"
"So this is the joy of card trading? My hands are getting itchy."
"Wow... 120,000 yuan, that's enough for a down payment on a house in a second or third-tier city."
"Wait for me, I just finished eating. I'm heading there now!"
"This is a bit too scary. What if the prices crash after buying at such high prices?"
"Holy crap, YX's ranking interface jumps up by thousands of votes with each refresh."
"YX's card faces are out, and they're surprisingly good-looking. His fans who weren't interested before are all taking action now. All the YX fans on my feed are heading out."
"Next week's card faces are changing again... This is too crazy. This card trading auntie is so happy! Finally a fandom where I can go all out."
"Card trading aunties get out."
"Gosh... 120,000 yuan... How are you train conductors all so rich?"
"So envious of the sisters who can go. The purchasing agents are so expensive, starting at 100 yuan."
"Sisters, don't use purchasing agents. You might as well take a high-speed train and make it a trip with that money."
Such frenzied scenes were of course picked up by various marketing accounts. The rich lady who bought Ye Xing's SSS card generously shared a video.
In the photo, Ye Xing is smiling brightly at the camera, holding up a small tree branch. He's wearing white swimwear, with a blue sky behind him and seawater up to his waist. There are even three small fish near his waist. Looking closely, you can see that the ocean is animated, with the little fish slowly changing positions, while the blue sky and Ye Xing remain static. It's truly magical.
"Random Entertainment, a company dedicated to selling things others can't copy."
"Seeing the price made me want to comment about printing them myself, but seeing the card made me go: Holy crap?!"
"So even heat-sensitive cards are considered common now? You Random Entertainment people are too much."
"I've been asking for half a year, can someone please answer? What technology is this?"
"No joke, even though I don't know him, I really want to own this card."
"Pulled for 50 yuan, sold for 50,000 yuan... I'm tempted too."
"Because it's only available offline at six locations, there's more demand than supply. You can make a few dozen yuan profit just by reselling one card."
"Anyone need a purchasing agent? I can go buy for you."
"I pulled a Pei Luming SSR and sold it right away, made almost 1000 yuan profit."
If the morning was this lively, the afternoon was even more so once word had spread.
Getting an SSS card was very difficult. The chances were slightly higher on those two machines, but people couldn't just focus on those. Most used the card dispensers - after buying game coins, you'd scan a code, input the quantity, and cards would come out directly. There was no limit here and it didn't waste time, perfect for purchasing agents.
Most people coming here would buy 200 cards to start, because they needed not just the cards but also the two full-set bonuses, as the popular members' bonuses were in high demand.
Jiang Juyou, who had stayed up all night and only gone to sleep after 7 am, didn't wake up until after 4 pm. She rubbed her aching head and lazily crawled out of bed.
"..."
Her eyes weren't even fully open yet, but she reached for her phone first, only to find many unread messages.
This had become her daily routine - waking up to a pile of people looking for her, as if the world couldn't turn without her.
Yawning, she opened WeChat and saw a bunch of red dots once it loaded, suggesting things weren't so simple. Jiang Juyou scanned the screen gravely and selected the chat with the most unread messages.
Jiang Juyou opened Liu Yue's chat window and saw dozens of stickers she had sent, with the most recent one asking: "Does the card machine have SSS?"
"...Is that all?" Jiang Juyou didn't understand why she suddenly asked this, but still answered.
"@Juyou grocery store: Yes, we have all of them."
"@June is hot: OK!"
"@Juyou grocery store: What's up, are you going to try it?"
"@June is hot: Mmm."
Jiang Juyou asked another question afterward, but she didn't reply. Jiang Juyou went back to check other messages, most of which were from acquainted classmates asking about card information, and some asking if they could buy an SSS card from her. For requests like these, Jiang Juyou simply deleted the contact after reading.
The family group chat was also lively, with the two of them still chatting about something, but Jiang Juyou didn't click in to look.
After exiting WeChat, she first opened the company's internal software to take a look. She found that the company's large group chat was buzzing with discussion, with unread messages already maxed out.
Jiang Juyou clicked in to take a look, and the latest message was from Li Yao:
"Report -- Sales have broken 4 million!"
"Damn, it was just 3.5 million a moment ago."
"So much money, everyone's so rich."
"There are so many people next door, it's the first time I feel like people are about to overflow!"
"Ahhhhh congratulations!!!"
"What are you talking about?" Jiang Juyou knelt on the bed, scratched her head, not understanding.
"Can someone post the forum link again? I can't find it."
"【Gossip Discussion/Real-time updates on 21 Heartbeats of Youth pop-up store sales... Click to jump】"
Seeing this title, Jiang Juyou suddenly perked up and clicked on it too.
The main post was very concise, just listing the total sales and revenue for each time period, with a chart below showing the number of people who exchanged for merchandise from each company.
4:00 P.M
Sales: 80,067
Revenue: 4,003,350
Congratulations! Breaking 4 million!
Jiang Juyou: "………………?"
The room was quiet for a long time as Jiang Juyou stared at her phone, her vision going white several times, doubting if what she saw was real.
Then, she did something very silly, pinching herself very seriously to confirm that she was really awake.
"Ouch, it hurts!" Jiang Juyou came to her senses but still couldn't hide her shock.
Her eyes were glued to the screen, looking back and forth at those few lines of text. Later, thinking of something else, she immediately switched screens.
Jiang Juyou went to the financial backend, where real-time income was displayed, refreshing every five seconds. In the pop-up store project line, both cost price and profit were increasing rapidly.
"Ha... Hahahahaha! Ahhhhh hahahaha!" Jiang Juyou finally shouted out loud.
She jumped off the bed like a monkey, running back and forth in the few square meters of free space. Her blood was boiling, her brain and limbs softening together. After just a few jumps, Jiang Juyou couldn't go on and collapsed against the bed.
She had never been this happy in her entire life.
Today was just the first day of the pop-up store's operation, with four hours left until the end of the day, and she had already completed half of her task.
Jiang Juyou couldn't help but marvel, "I knew it, how could they give me such a difficult task? It turns out this task is so simple!"
After saying this, she looked at the string of numbers on her phone again and exclaimed with the utmost sincerity:
"I love the entertainment industry!"
Jiang Juyou: I really love it, it's true! I love the entertainment industry to death!
