Chapter 935: Fighter in the Box] - The Legendary Stage Play Fan?
Zong Jiwei, 48 years old, is the general manager of a logistics company. Due to work, he frequently travels overseas to different countries and regions.
As a middle-aged man with a successful career and a happy family, Zong Jiwei naturally has some personal hobbies—watching stage plays.
Ever since he first accompanied a client into the famous English Opera House, Zong Jiwei felt as if he had opened the door to a new world.
Sitting in the audience, I witnessed firsthand the joys and sorrows of the performers on stage in just a few hours. Occasionally, I could even softly sing along to the rhythmic melodies. The people around me were all gentlemen in suits and elegant ladies in fine clothes, and they weren't talking about vulgar work and life, but rather the tragic fates of the characters in the play and the resonant lives of the playwrights both on and off stage...
This feeling is unprecedented.
This also deeply impressed Zong Jiwei.
And after watching it, you will feel a sense of exhilaration, as if your tired soul has been cleansed.
So, taking advantage of his work, Zong Jiwei would visit local theaters whenever he flew to different countries, to appreciate the different theatrical styles and models of each region and experience the local characteristics.
After six or seven years of this development, he has unknowingly traveled to more than fifty countries, visited more than 130 professional opera houses or theaters, and watched countless plays, becoming a well-known and experienced audience member in this field.
Of course, as a viewer, the more plays he watches and the more open his horizons become, the more he will naturally develop his own preferences and tastes.
Over the years, he has enjoyed many works and some have left a deep impression on him. Recently, however, his favorite is probably "The Dozen Mirrors".
—Of course, this "Twelve Mirrors" is not Xiao He's version, but the version from the original opera house of the Franco-Française.
The main attraction was the mirrored design and stage effects; few other opera houses have achieved such a stunning effect.
Even the stage effects replicated from Xiao He's birthday party were much simpler in his opinion. However, since it was a one-time event, such simplicity was understandable.
Xiao He's performance largely made up for these shortcomings, and it was the first time that Zong Jiwei had ever looked at a young actor with new respect.
I don't mean anything by it, Zong Jiwei hasn't paid attention to the entertainment industry for many years. In his eyes, all young actors are "little fresh meat" (a derogatory term for young, attractive male celebrities).
So Zong Jiwei left a relatively objective comment using his garbled account.
Unexpectedly, this led to my connection with the actor Xiao He, and later, for various reasons, I began to pay special attention to him.
He even changed his online name to "【fighter jet】" later...
Note: Actually, the full name is 【Fighter Jet in the Box】. The prefix was secretly added by her daughter because, according to her, if you want to express your love and appreciation for a celebrity, it's best to include the celebrity's name or a homonym in your online name so that others can know.
Since we're all fans, we should all be together—
So Zong Jiwei's online name became "【The Fighter Jet in the Box】".
Although Zong Jiwei still doesn't quite understand why Xiao He is called "Hezi" (Box), which is really unlucky, cough cough, this middle-aged man who is trying to keep up with the times will try his best to understand it.
Zong Jiwei took leave to fly to Bosnia and Herzegovina specifically to watch the World Olympic Drama Competition.
Although people outside the entertainment circle don't pay much attention to this, he, as a long-time viewer, is quite looking forward to it.
The last time I came to watch this match was six years ago. I was too busy at the time and didn't have time to watch many games. Later, when I learned that the match had been postponed indefinitely, I regretted it for a long time.
This time, Zong Jiwei finally got to watch the World Olympic Drama Competition, which might be the last one.
He never expected that he would learn that Xiao He would also be participating in the competition as soon as he landed!
To be honest, Zong Jiwei was genuinely surprised when he learned about this.
In a way, he could be considered a fan of Xiao He's stage plays...?
But Xiao He was simply too busy.
Zong Jiwei never expected Xiao He to participate in this kind of competition.
Therefore, it was only natural that Zong Jiwei was placed on high hopes by his other fans who were still in China and by his own daughter.
【This is all thanks to you, hardcore stage play fan!】
【Hey fighter jet captain, you need to step up your game! You absolutely must go see it live! And remember to give us feedback afterward!】
【Trust me, boss! Seeing Brother Xiao perform live is far more amazing than watching it in videos!】
...
However, they were destined to be disappointed.
Because Zong Jiwei and Xiao He's meeting didn't happen on the day of the performance!
It was actually the first performance of the official competition schedule!
"So that's why, Dad, you chatted with Xiao He all night, but in the end you didn't take any photos, didn't ask for an autograph, and didn't ask about his future plans!?"
Zong Jiwei's daughter was so angry she almost died.
Yes, Zong Jiwei's daughter is also a fan of Xiaohe.
To be precise, because his daughter was going through a rebellious phase, Zong Jiwei went to research these things in order to get closer to her.
As a result, he accidentally became a big shot among his fans.
But who would have thought that such a big shot would be relentlessly criticized by his daughter for not getting her autograph?
Zong Jiwei looked completely innocent: "I just got so excited that I completely forgot."
I don't think so.
His daughter coldly exposed his lie: "You were able to chat with the other person for so long so calmly, from Shakespeare to Sherlock Holmes, and from Brecht to the wandering Sanmao. I now seriously suspect that you were trying to maintain the image of a cool and aloof stage audience big shot, and that you were too embarrassed to ask me, Brother Xiao, for an autograph or a photo."
"Cough, cough, cough—"
Zong Jiwei could only pretend to be deaf and dumb on the other end: "Huh? Hello? Daughter, don't worry! I'll definitely get it for you next time I see him!"
Daughter: "...I hope so."
Her father's influence is immense; everyone knows who he is!
As expected, my dad is unreliable!
...
Completely unaware that his daughter had given up on him, Zong Jiwei made up his mind that he would ask for an autograph and a photo at their next meeting.
However, he never encountered Xiao He again in the subsequent matches.
After all, tickets for the live performance are not easy to buy together, and Xiao He also has to rehearse, so he has even less time to watch other people's performances.
And so, they waited until the day of the performance of "The Root of All Evil"—
-
On the day of the competition, Zong Jiwei could clearly feel that there were more people in the theater, and even the entrance was packed with people.
Zong Jiwei was somewhat surprised: "I didn't expect Xiao He to have so many fans today."
This was all done under the circumstances of them deliberately delaying the release of specific information.
If it had been announced in advance, this place would probably have been packed with people.
Zong Jiwei followed the other audience members in line to have their tickets checked and enter the venue, during which he refused inquiries from more than ten ticket buyers.
Hearing the ticket offer from the other side, which was many times higher than expected, Zong Jiwei, though not short of money, couldn't help but marvel at Xiao He's charm.
Meanwhile, in front of the stage, Xiao Chen and the cameraman set up a camera.
Countless comments flooded the screen, and the number of viewers in the live stream skyrocketed.
Liu Rulan stood to the side with her arms crossed, staring calmly ahead, only her eyes sparkling under the light.