Chapter 933: He participated in the World Olympic Drama Competition?!
When news of Xiao He's presence in Bosnia and Herzegovina reached China and became a hot topic, netizens were still somewhat taken aback.
【When did Brother Xiao go to Bosnia and Herzegovina?】
【Where is Bosnia and Herzegovina? Is it a country?】
【If you don't know, search it up yourself.】
【Is Xiao He there to film a movie? When did he accept the role?】
【Could it be that filming for "Phantom Thieves 3" has started? I've been waiting for so long, but there's still no news.】
【It shouldn't be "The Strange Case of 3". Didn't you see that Brother Xiao and the others just finished filming in Hong Kong with Director Zhuang? Judging from this production cycle, it's unlikely that a third one will be made anytime soon. We probably won't see it until at least the Lunar New Year holiday next year—sigh, it's so sad, it feels like we have to wait a very, very long time.】
What kind of event is that? Does anyone know?
【I don't know, even as a small box fan, I'm not too sure.】
【Is it just a simple trip? Last time at the Flying Eagle Awards, Brother Xiao said he wanted to take a break and travel around.】
【Impossible! Do you believe Brother Xiao, the King of Scrolls, would just give up, or do you believe I'm Emperor Chen? Immediately add me to your VIP 50 list and let's see your strength.】
Netizens are still in a daze, having no idea what Xiao He went there to do.
There's no way around it; even international drama competitions are completely unfamiliar territory and topic for most people. Even now, with the competition about to begin, there's almost no publicity in China. Even when official channels promote and share the event, the likes and comments are pitifully few.
This has created an information cocoon where only their own people pay attention to such competitions.
Therefore, even if Xiao He appeared in Bosnia and Herzegovina with the troupe, no one would connect these events.
However, the fastest to react were naturally the local fans still in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Xiao He was caught by several groups of fans while he was out having dinner with the troupe that evening.
To be honest, even Xiao He himself was a bit confused.
"Are you here for tourism or to work? How come you keep running into fellow countrymen here?"
As Xiao He signed his name, he asked a question with a puzzled expression.
It's one thing for him to encounter foreign fans abroad, but how come he also encounters domestic fans?
"We work right here."
“My husband is here, so I came along.”
"We came here for tourism, and we never expected to run into you, Brother Xiao, here!"
The answers from passersby and fans varied widely, but in the end, it was all a serendipitous coincidence that brought them together.
Xiao He finally understood that saying—Chinese people will always be found in every corner of the world.
It is said that there were Chinese people selling instant noodles in the Amazon rainforest before.
Yes, the title of "world's street hustler" is well-deserved.
Even Yang Heng was laughing at Xiao He: "This is bad. I feel like there will definitely be a lot of people watching on the day of the competition. I feel even more nervous for some reason."
Xiao He didn't seem to care. Thinking of Linghui Entertainment, which he had prepared in advance, he shook his head and said, "It shouldn't be that bad."
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The next day, someone saw Xiao He traveling and training with the troupe at the National Theater in Sacheng, and immediately spread the news further.
This essentially confirms the real reason why Xiao He appeared in Bosnia and Herzegovina: he participated in the World Olympic Drama Competition as a special guest actor.
Immediately, tickets for the National Theatre of Saskatchewan became unprecedentedly popular.
Unfortunately, the theater here can only seat about 400 people each time, and tickets are sold online a month in advance. So by the time Xiao He's fans realized what was happening and rushed to the online website, the tickets were already sold out.
Because it had never experienced such a surge in online ticket purchases before, the usually stable website of the International Theatre Institute crashed three times in just a few hours.
Finally, Linghui Entertainment stepped in to explain the situation and released the online live stream link for the World Olympic Drama Competition, as well as the competition time for Xiao He and his team. Only then did his fans finally stop their frantic ticket-buying frenzy.
Thank goodness.
To be honest, if I could watch it online, I would definitely prefer to watch it online. Although Bosnia and Herzegovina is currently peaceful ✧ NоvеIight ✧ (Original source) and there is no war, the surrounding area is not exactly safe. Xiao He doesn't want his fans to fly all the way here just to see his play.
That would be too dangerous.
Therefore, after discussing it, Xiao He and Liu Rulan decided not to announce the trip in advance.
That's perfect. He can have a competition while he's at it, and his fans can watch the live stream online. That's great.
—Incidentally, Linghui Entertainment had negotiated the online broadcasting rights long in advance and presciently monopolized them.
In other words, currently, the only entities in China authorized to broadcast this performance live are the official CCTV channel and Linghui Entertainment.
It goes without saying that CCTV channels will broadcast international open competitions.
However, these kinds of live broadcasts have always been niche, and apart from true theater enthusiasts, almost no one actively pays attention to them, let alone waits for them to broadcast at a fixed time.
However, both Liu Rulan and Xiao He knew that this was only in the past.
Once Xiao He's popularity and online traffic are exposed, the viewership of this live stream will definitely skyrocket!
Isn't this the time to make a killing?
So when Linghui Entertainment openly approached the organizers of the International Theatre Institute to discuss broadcasting rights, they simply bought out the online live streaming rights.
The organizers didn't expect so many people to watch such a drama competition, so they offered a modest price during the transaction, almost a low price, and gave it to Linghui Entertainment.
Now things have turned out differently. As soon as Xiao He's news came out, the broadcasting fee skyrocketed. The price was already ten times higher than Ling Hui's cost price, and it continues to double.
Representatives from various online video platforms visited Linghui Entertainment one after another, seeking to purchase broadcasting rights.
Lin Cheng, who was in charge of negotiating cooperation with these people, grinned from ear to ear, taking the opportunity to make a hefty profit.
As for which platforms hold these broadcasting rights, don't worry about them not making money. They can easily break even by simply stuffing in a few ads, and they can continue to add ads when the broadcasts resume.
It's actually a win-win situation.
How many people regret missing out on the opportunity is not something Linghui Entertainment will care about.
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Having discussed the domestic situation, let's move on to the international situation.
The full schedule of the World Olympic Drama Competition will last for two weeks.
After the troupes from various countries arrive, they will first hold a public lottery to determine the stage order of all the plays. Then, they will enter the theater in different time slots for rehearsals, allowing all parties to adjust the stage design and on-site details.
Once the competition officially begins, the first day will only feature an official opening ceremony and special performances, with the competition officially commencing on the second day.
Due to the limitations of a single theater, the performance time of a single musical or play is generally more than two hours, and the time spent on intermissions is relatively long. Therefore, the theater only schedules two full performances each day, one in the afternoon and one in the evening.
However, with so many entries, the competition was destined to be impossible to complete in a short period of time.
This is also why Xiao He needed to free up the entire month of November in advance.
Today, they officially completed the lottery process and entered the intense rehearsal and waiting phase.