Chapter 794: "A Wandering Journey Through Mountains and Rivers" - A Side Story of a Trip to Hong Kong
"I probably won't go."
Xiao He said bluntly.
"That kind of banquet doesn't really suit me, but if it's as you said and others from the industry are invited, I might get an invitation for the sake of the traffic."
Being invited was one thing; whether or not to go was another.
Facing Zhou Junhao, Xiao He spoke very frankly.
Zhou Junhao also expressed his understanding.
"That's a pity then." Then his slightly regretful voice came through, "I even mentioned flying to Hong Kong then to find you guys and hang out!"
Xiao He was speechless: "Didn't you just finish the news report over there? Why are you still thinking about coming to Hong Kong for news? And aren't you in the social news section? Why are you snatching work from the paparazzi?"
Why did every person he knew have the attributes of a competitive king?
He had just fired a missile at the loophole in the medical system, and there must be many people who hated Zhou Junhao to death right now. Yet this kid still wouldn't stop and even wanted to "stretch" his hand into Hong Kong...
Xiao He didn't know whether to say he loved his work or was just ignorant of the heights of heaven and depths of the earth.
"Eh, right? I'm not an entertainment reporter, why am I being so proactive..." Zhou Junhao realized belatedly, "Is it because I've known Brother Xiao for so long that I can often dig up big news on the fringes of the entertainment industry?"
Xiao He was speechless.
"Hahaha, and besides, it's an upper-class banquet! I heard them say that during past parties, the cruise ship would even head out to the High Seas for a lap. No one can say for sure what will happen on the sea then... This sounds just like the style of a Hong Kong movie! How can one not be curious?"
Zhou Junhao chuckled, "Brother Xiao, you're my only connection! Besides, I'm not saying I'm going to look for news! Is it not okay to just come for a vacation? Brother Tong and I have been exhausted these past few months, so the company gave us a long break to let us rest."
"If they're telling you to rest, it means they want you to settle down and stop digging everywhere." Xiao He massaged his temples, "And you said it yourself, you'll be going out to the High Seas later. If something really happens, people won't even know how you disappeared."
Besides, these kinds of activities were always very formal now! After all, they had to go through formal procedures for approval. It shouldn't reach the point of being like those old films where Gangs gathered, private deals were made, and there were underground casinos...
"That's hard to say."
Zhou Junhao muttered, but he didn't try to persuade Xiao He to get on the ship. He just lowered his voice and said, "What I said just now was a joke. This incident caused too much of a stir. My sister and brother-in-law won't allow me to leave Shanghai for the time being, so I definitely can't go to Hong Kong."
"That's good."
Xiao He breathed a long sigh of relief.
"But—" Zhou Junhao suddenly changed the subject, "I noticed Brother Tong is processing the relevant visa. I think he plans to go directly to Hong Kong to take a look."
"Ah? Teacher Tong is coming?"
Xiao He was startled.
On the other side, Liu Rulan, who was personally on the phone with Tong Junhui, received the same news.
"You're coming to Hong Kong? Why?"
Since she was in her own room and it was very safe, Liu Rulan couldn't help but raise her voice a bit.
"Don't you know how eye-catching recent events are? The medical system issue involves the interests of too many people. Although it has been exposed now, the higher-ups are still investigating. It will take some time for the real consequences to land. It's better for you and that Reporter Zhou not to run around everywhere during this period."
Liu Rulan had met Reporter Zhou and later learned part of his family background from Xiao He, so she knew that as long as Reporter Zhou and Tong Junhui stayed in Shanghai, they would definitely be safe.
But if they ran to Hong Kong, things would get complicated.
"Don't worry, my presence isn't conspicuous. Zhou Junhao has been shielding me." Tong Junhui explained, but he didn't say much about why he was coming to Hong Kong.
Tong Junhui's identity was too complex. Once targeted, there were too many places to attack him, which would be very disadvantageous. Therefore, except for the name "Reporter Li," Tong Junhui's presence in the entire investigation report was very low. Basically, all the credit and fame were given to Zhou Junhao.
Zhou Junhao was originally a bit embarrassed, but Tong Junhui didn't really care about these things.
"Alright..."
Liu Rulan didn't know what Tong Junhui was thinking and didn't try to persuade him further. She just told him her current hotel address, "Xiao He and I will be here for the time being. You can come visit the set then and hang out with us."
"Okay."
After Tong Junhui agreed, he hung up the phone.
Liu Rulan remained standing there, staring at the phone and thinking.
...
Perhaps because things happen when you talk about them, the next day Xiao He heard Liu Rulan mention that the company had received an invitation.
"They really sent me an invitation?"
During a break in his makeup, Xiao He took the phone Liu Rulan handed him and glanced at the electronic invitation on it.
Not to mention, this electronic invitation was very high-end. The gold-rimmed design was full of style, somewhat reminiscent of the invitations in "Law of the Jungle," making one feel it was very high-class at a glance.
It was just that they were attending a banquet this time, not a battle royale.
"Yes, and the other party directly invited you and Shu Han to attend this time."
Liu Rulan said, "Shu Han can only return from abroad next month. He can just make it over to attend."
"Eh? Didn't you disagree with me attending before? Why did you agree to him attending?"
After his surprise, Xiao He teased on purpose, "Sister Liu, you can't be so double-standard!"
Liu Rulan was speechless: "First of all, Shu Han's Agent isn't me. His decision to attend was a decision between him and Agent He; I won't interfere. Secondly, he has attended these kinds of events abroad, so he's not unfamiliar with them, and I fully believe he can take care of himself. Finally, he's attending this event as part of a variety show, so the safety is much better than for those of us going alone."
"Ah? Where did this variety show come from?"
Xiao He was astonished.
"It's the Hong Kong Special Episode of 'Travelogue of Mountains and Rivers'."
Liu Rulan crossed her arms and explained seriously, "The first season of 'Travelogue of Mountains and Rivers' has officially concluded, and the broadcast results were excellent. Because the episode you were in successfully ignited public opinion, they even added many new advertisers for the later episodes. This was an S+ investment project to begin with, and many investors placed heavy bets. This time they really made a fortune and became this year's dark horse variety show. They certainly won't stop so easily."
"So, unsurprisingly, the second season of 'Travelogue of Mountains and Rivers' is already in the project list. But it's definitely impossible to get it out that quickly, so the Program Group created a 'Special Episode,' bringing back the regular guests they could pull in to participate in the special program, using it to quickly monetize."
This could be considered another way for many hit variety shows to quickly monetize their traffic. After all, starting a whole new season would be rushed in terms of time and personnel, but if they temporarily created a "Special Episode" intended as a benefit for variety show fans, even if it was a bit casual, informal, and brief, it would definitely attract a large number of variety show fans to watch and support.
It could even be said that this was a benefit for variety show fans, and also an important way for the market to harvest this group of fans again and refine the fan base.
But of course, now only hit, phenomenon-level variety shows received this kind of treatment; otherwise, they would just wait to flop.