Chapter 310
Chapter 310: Fan Base
Translator: Min_Lee Editor: Tennesh
Yanbei retirement home for former officials .
A disgruntled Great-Grandfather Fang was frowning at his tablet .
He had wanted to buy the headsets Fang Zhao was endorsing . After all, it was Fang Zhao's first time endorsing a luxury product . The first time Great-Grandfather Fang had seen the ad, he had checked his savings and done the math . He had decided to buy the basic model .
But no such luck .
"What is Fiery Bird thinking? They're a big company, after all . Didn't they think to cater to elderly customers who are slower to act? How are we going to compete with those kids? What year is this that we still have to place orders manually? What's the point of smart automation? To put on a show? It's downright insulting to the elderly that we can't preprogram our purchases . "
Great-Grandfather Fang was grumbling non-stop .
Great-Grandmother Fang, teapot in hand, was about to water their plants on the balcony when she heard her husband's rant . She raised her eyebrows, threw her spouse a glance, and continued with her chore . "This is called 'hunger marketing . ' My understanding is that many luxury brands come out with limited edition products . This is quite common . It's not just Fiery Bird . Don't file a complaint and make much ado about nothing . You'll give Xiao Zhao a hard time . "
"I know!" Great-Grandfather Fang was just venting . He had no intention of filing a formal complaint .
"If you really want those headsets, why don't you ask Xiao Zhao next time he gets internet access on Wai?" Great-Grandmother said .
Great-Grandfather Fang shook his head . "I'm not going to bother Xiao Zhao over something trivial like this . What a tough shoot Xiao Zhao has . Who am I to waste his time over a pair of headsets? I heard just a few days ago that some of his fellow cast members got so immersed in character they needed to stick around for psychotherapy after they completed their scenes . It pains me to hear things like that . I had no idea that acting was so hard . Any kind of radical change requires hard work . Xiao Zhao must have paid a heavy price to deliver such a great performance . He won't be due for a bento box for a few more seasons . Sigh, the thought of him getting his bento box pains me even more . "
One one hand, he wanted Fang Zhao to finish his shoot soon and get some rest at home . On the other, he didn't want to see Fang Zhao's character exit the show . Great-Grandfather Fang was quite conflicted .
Great-Grandmother Fang raised her eyebrows again and threw her husband another glance . The older this old fart gets, the more sentimental he becomes .
But soon, Great-Grandfather Fang shifted gears . Even though he was upset about failing to place an order for the headsets, he was also a bit emotional . It would have been even more embarrassing if a product Fang Zhao endorsed didn't move, but the new headsets Fang Zhao was endorsing were selling like hotcakes . What did that say?
That meant that his great-grandson was competent, that he had influence!
That line of thinking got Great-Grandfather Fang excited again . He tidied up the outfit he was wearing and told Great-Grandmother, "There's still some time before lunch . I'm going for a walk . " He walked out with his hands folded behind his back .
There was a flat-screen billboard within the retirement home compound . Great-Grandfather Fang chose a route that passed the billboard on purpose . The flat screen played the latest commercials every day .
After taking in the ad for the Diting Z Series headsets endorsed by Fang Zhao as if he were admiring a work of art, Great-Grandfather Fang wanted to gloat . But when he turned his head, he couldn't see a single soul .
"Where is everyone?"
He canvassed the area . All of the folks who had been taking walks nearby were gone .
————
Maybe it was nostalgia for the Old Era, or perhaps it was the influence of "Founding Era . " Anything that had to do with the Old Era was evoking strong emotions in folks .
The retro headsets from Fiery Bird's Diting Z Series sold out instantly on every continent, regardless of the model . It was impossible to snatch a pair unless you acted swiftly . The earplug model and stereo system from the same series also sold out quickly .
Several days later, the folks who had managed to land the first bath of headsets received their goods .
What was the first thing they did when they got their shipments?
Eight out of 10 buyers showed off their headsets on their social media accounts first .
One of the new stars of the professional gaming scene in Jinzhou posted a series of pictures on his account .
"My headsets have arrived! The same model that Zhao God uses . Come to think of it, Zhao God was the one who inspired me to become a professional gamer . Pity he has switched industries . "
Professional gamers from other continents also showed off their new Diting Z Series headsets online . Most of them mentioned Fang Zhao . Some mentioned him in passing, but others did it intentionally to boost their own exposure and brag about their wealth at the same time .
But most of the gamers who had never faced Fang Zhao and yet were lamenting the fact that he had switched industries were merely paying lip service . They sure as hell didn't want to face off against Fang Zhao . Even though Fang Zhao's gaming career had been brief, he had made a significant mark . Footage of his avatar in action was often reposted and dissected . The reason some gamers still called Fang Zhao "Zhao God" was because no professional e-sports team or single player had been able to match his results since his retirement .
So Fang Zhao was truly the reason why some of the current stars of professional gaming coordinated with each other when ordering headsets from the Diting Z Series .
Jinro, the current captain of Silver Wing's professional gaming team, noticed all the posts claiming they missed Fang Zhao's presence in the e-sports industry and wanted to face off against him . He screenshotted a few of the more representative posts and posted the pictures on his social media account with the following message: "I'll show Zhao God these screenshots after he finishes his shoot . I hope you're ready to face off against him then . "
The gaming department at Silver Wing had new management, and the professional gaming team also had new leadership, but the gamers still referred to Fang Zhao as "Boss" internally . In public, they went along with the "Zhao God" moniker .
Jinro's post inspired gaming fans to follow suit .
"Captain Jinro, you're missing a few screenshots . Here are some more . [picture] [picture]"
"Here are two from mighty Tongzhou! [picture] [picture]"
"Five from mighty Leizhou! . . . "
"Here's 10 from Huangzhou, mightiest continent of them all! . . . "
After gaming fans from different continents and curious onlookers from outside the industry joined the screenshot frenzy, gamers kept posting pictures of their new Diting Z Series headsets, but few made any mention of wanting to face off against Fang Zhao .
The first few rising stars of the gaming world who had posted such messages now wanted to delete those posts, but deleting them now would be too obvious . They could only wait until the discussion died down . All we did was bullsh*t a little . Was it necessary to resort to screenshots?
Some gaming publications reported on the screenshots in their social media posts, which gave the phenomenon even greater exposure .
Of course, not everyone followed the latest developments in the gaming industry, so the screenshots weren't a big deal . Overall, they didn't cause a major ripple . No one took them seriously . After some kidding around, the controversy soon died down .
The hot topic was still the Z Series headsets . Music lovers and headset aficionados who had managed to land them were busy writing reviews . Folks who had failed to snatch a pair were either jamming Fiery Bird's customer service department with calls about the official launch date or shifting their attention to the company's other headset lines .
There were also folks who had bought the headsets simply to show off . Simply posting pictures of their headsets online didn't give them their fix . They also wore their headsets in public, hanging out strategically in spots that had the most foot traffic .
At a major mall in downtown Qi'an .
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