FS-novel Chapter 490: Event Venue, Internet Celebrity Contestants
Chapter 490: Event Venue, Internet Celebrity Contestants
Although the location of the event was truly worthy of some roasting, the professional demeanor of the guests on-site was extremely high. They basically all carried out today's activities with smiles.There was no doubt that for this event, Xiao He had the highest status. The rest were essentially all internet celebrities.
Among them, a pair of internet celebrity couples and a blogger dedicated to live-streaming sales showed him an extremely high level of enthusiasm.
During breaks in the event, when the host was on stage introducing products, they all proactively came to chat with Xiao He. It was at this moment that Xiao He learned they were all contestants on the variety show "Public Enemy Number One".
Due to the unique nature of the variety show "Public Enemy Number One", as early as the filming of the preliminary rounds, the program team was in a state of filming and editing simultaneously. Basically, as soon as the program recording ended, the first episode of "Public Enemy Number One" was already ready for broadcast.
And now, the time had reached the final few days of June, and "Public Enemy Number One" was in the midst of a hot broadcast. Although overall, it hadn't achieved a breakout level of popularity and couldn't be considered an exceptionally huge hit of a variety show, it had still stirred up quite a wave and sparked a fair amount of topic discussion, big and small, on major short video platforms.
Because this variety show itself had the support of short video platforms, for the younger generation of netizens who frequently go online and enjoy browsing apps like Douyin and Xiaohongshu, the name recognition of "Public Enemy Number One" during this period was still very high. Even if some netizens wouldn't actively seek out the variety show, they would occasionally come across content clips from it, and in the end, a considerable number of people were attracted to watch the main show.
It's just that Xiao He paid relatively little attention to these matters. After all, as the boss, he only needed to know that the variety show was making money.
However, while Xiao He didn't pay attention to these people, the participating contestants naturally all knew about Xiao He.
This person's identity wasn't just that of an artist; he was also the boss of a company, the producer of the variety show.
If it weren't for the program team explicitly prohibiting contestants in the later finals from inviting celebrity artists to assist, to avoid damaging the fairness of the variety show competition, many of the contestants who had made it to the finals on-site would have wanted to invite Xiao He to assist in their live stream rooms.
After all, at that time, Xiao He had just become massively popular due to "No Bait", with extremely high name recognition and fame. If his timing of returning to the country hadn't been off, and if his good friend Handsome He hadn't already been eliminated by then, others really couldn't guarantee that Xiao He wouldn't have ended up participating in the final live stream to assist Handsome He.
However, it was also fortunate that Xiao He didn't do this. Later on, he also didn't agree to assistance invitations from other companies. From beginning to end, he didn't intervene in the competition process of "Public Enemy Number One", nor did he show favoritism to other contestants, or forcibly add a comeback project for Handsome He and others. Instead, during a later live stream with Handsome He, he even mentioned this variety show in passing, which could be considered helping with promotion from the boss's perspective.
So everyone's impression of Xiao He was still very good.
They also saw the brotherly affection between Xiao He and Handsome He.
Although Handsome He always joked that Xiao He was his "righteous father", and usually Xiao He would cheekily refer to himself as "your dad", their interactions were equal.
Even though some people ironically called Handsome He a backdoor contestant, and others mocked Handsome He for not knowing how to cling to a powerful connection and use Xiao He to help himself fight for the final championship, they all had to admit that a relationship as good as the one between Xiao He and Handsome He had already surpassed that of countless people within the industry circle.
Everyone laughs at Handsome He, but everyone wants to be the next Handsome He.
It's just a pity that during the recording period of "Public Enemy Number One", Xiao He was filming abroad. Many contestants who wanted to establish a connection with Xiao He could only return with regret, lamenting their missed opportunity.
However, what no one expected was that they would have such good luck this time, actually being able to participate in the same event as Xiao He!
Such a great opportunity definitely couldn't be missed!
"Brother Xiao, hello! I really like your 'Cangyue Calamity'. Your Senior Brother is super handsome. I cried for a long time because of you when I watched it yesterday."
The girl from that internet celebrity couple was called RabbitRabbit Doesn't Eat Grass. Her voice was sweet and coquettish, though Xiao He wasn't sure if it was his imagination.
But he was quite certain there was something off about her face, because when she spoke, her eyes twitched unnaturally towards him.
"Hello, thank you for your liking."
Xiao He responded politely.
"Hey, Brother Xiao, will you guys have a group variety show later?"
The live-stream sales blogger nearby also craned his neck, trying to get closer to Xiao He. "Brother Xiao, won't you guys do a finale reunion live stream later? I really like you actors. It would be great if you could reunite!"
Xiao He subtly took a step back, analyzing for a while whether this person was male or female. Looking at the exquisite makeup and the not-so-easy-to-distinguish wig, listening to this rather neutral voice, he wasn't too sure of his own guess. In the end, he simply gave up thinking and just shook his head briefly: "I don't know. The company will have arrangements for that."
"Brother Xiao, isn't the entire company yours? You still have to listen to the company's arrangements?"
The male from the internet celebrity couple, who hadn't spoken until now, asked with a somewhat ambiguous meaning.
It was just a simple inquiry, but it somehow carried a feeling of interrogation, making it very uncomfortable to hear.
Xiao He glanced at this guy, twitched his nose slightly, raised an eyebrow slightly, and scrutinized the guy and his girlfriend, RabbitRabbit Doesn't Eat Grass, back and forth. Then he said calmly, "In such a large company, decision-making isn't solely my dictation either. Moreover, group variety shows and live streams aren't things I alone can decide. If you absolutely need me to give an answer on this matter, then all I can say is 'I don't know'."
"So that's how it is. So even after becoming such a big star, you're still not free enough? Sigh."
The guy shook his head, seeming somewhat sighing with mixed emotions.
The atmosphere suddenly turned cold.
It seemed no one understood what this guy meant by saying that.
Even his girlfriend glanced at him, but for some reason, didn't help explain. Instead, she looked at Xiao He with an expression of anticipation, like an innocent little fangirl, and cautiously asked, "Brother Xiao, can we film a short video with you later? It doesn't need to be long, just showing your face is fine."
Xiao He hesitated for a moment, didn't directly agree, but instead looked at RabbitRabbit Doesn't Eat Grass's boyfriend and said, "How about this, let's take a photo together. It can count as promoting the event we're participating in together."
"Great!"
The live-stream sales blogger was also very enthusiastic, pulling out his own phone and looking at Xiao He cautiously. "Um... Brother Xiao, can I join you guys?"
"Sure."
Xiao He treated everyone equally, treating it as a chance encounter with fans for a photo.
So, in the corner, several people stood together, preparing to strike poses for a selfie.
Xiao He naturally stood in the very center. RabbitRabbit Doesn't Eat Grass decisively stood to Xiao He's left, and the live-stream sales blogger immediately occupied the position to Xiao He's right. RabbitRabbit Doesn't Eat Grass's boyfriend was naturally squeezed to the far left in the end, standing next to RabbitRabbit Doesn't Eat Grass.
Xiao He raised his hand, lifted his head, preparing for the photo.
"Three, two, one—"
Just as the photo session was about to end, Xiao He felt a hand seemed to reach towards his right waist, groping towards his pants pocket—
Xiao He was directly startled into a jolt, abruptly putting down his phone and taking several steps forward, exiting the standing circle of these few people.