Back in the private room.
After reseating themselves, the atmosphere had subtly changed.
Wang Jing again asked a couple of questions about Yu Jinhua, but Chen Feng skillfully deflected them.
He just said he didn't know him.
No relation.
The more he acted this way, the more suspicious the others became.
But there was nothing they could do.
They were all seasoned veterans and knew Chen Feng didn't want to discuss it, so they stopped asking.
However, they all kept it in mind.
Yu Jinhua was a multi-billionaire in Hong Kong.
Although he wasn't a figure in the entertainment industry, he held a very high social status and had extremely wide connections; if he could also be connected to Chen Feng, then Chen Feng's identity would be intriguing.
Make a friend first.
So, after dinner.
Whether it was Wang Jing, Gu Zai, or Xu Xianglin, they all re-added Chen Feng as a friend and exchanged private contact information.
Afterward, Chen Feng followed Hua Zai and left the film and television base.
Back in the city.
After confirming the show's broadcast time with Hua Zai, the two parted ways.
Hua Zai's schedule was also packed.
Although there were no commercial activities here, he had old friends to meet.
So, Chen Feng went home by himself.
For the next period, he rested.
No more wandering around.
He just spent a few leisurely days at Longhu Yihe Villa.
...
The Yan Jing Grand Theater's Top Three Competition was drawing nearer.
And the two 'topic kings' among the top five had been continuously building momentum, posting various updates online to attract traffic.
Not just Yan Jing, there were ten major competition zones across the country.
People in every competition zone were operating online.
Because the Top Three Competition in each zone included an online voting segment, giving netizens a better sense of participation, online popularity became crucial to the competition.
For a time, the variety show What is an Actor saw its popularity continuously soar.
It quickly became the most eye-catching variety show in the country.
According to the competition rules, after each sub-competition zone determined its top three, these three would undergo another PK to determine the true zone champion.
Only the sub-competition zone champion could participate in the national finals.
Ultimately winning the national championship of What is an Actor and receiving the title of 'Best Newcomer King of Entertainment New Talent Show'.
Winning a national championship in a variety show also brings significant exposure.
So the competition was extremely fierce.
Previously, Chen Feng had never even thought about entering the national finals; he just wanted to show his face in the Yan Jing sub-competition zone and participate in as many rounds as possible.
It was also a way to gain some traffic.
But now it was different.
He was now among the Yan Jing Top Five, and the next round of the competition would feature a heavyweight like Hua Zai, so he believed his performance would be good.
Once he advanced to the top three, he could then participate in the sub-competition zone's grand finale.
Since he had the system backing him, why not strive for the national finals?
At that time, there would be many more opportunities to try different roles.
Currently, Level 1 required experiencing 30 roles, and he had already experienced 13, almost halfway there.
With future exposure, he estimated that many people would seek him out.
Opportunities to experience roles would definitely increase.
So, no rush.
Just take it easy.
With the power of his system, winning the national championship was not a dream.
...
Time flew by, and finally, the day of the Top Three Competition arrived.
On this day, the autumn air was crisp and refreshing, with a clear sky.
A rare good day.
Yan Jing in autumn was the most beautiful time of the year.
The maple leaves on both sides of the long street had turned red.
Looking out, it was like red clouds reflecting the long street for miles.
Outside the Yan Jing Grand Theater.
It was packed with people.
Today, each of the top five contestants brought their assisting performers.
Everyone knew that Li Han had invited International Zhang, the film queen, while Xu Yao had his mentor, Heitu, personally present to support him.
Just these two were enough to shock Yan Jing.
Fans had gathered early at the Grand Theater entrance, waiting to see these two heavyweights of the entertainment industry.
Everyone was discussing that the final champion of the Yan Jing competition zone would definitely come from either Li Han or Xu Yao.
The others had no chance.
Even Chen Feng, the dark horse who appeared out of nowhere, had no chance.
Mainly because he lacked capital and backing.
It's important to know that any variety show needs buzz.
With buzz, you can go far.
Without it, one behind-the-scenes manipulation could ruin you.
...
Around 9:30 AM.
A black Mercedes luxury business car slowly pulled up to the entrance of the Grand Theater.
Fans screamed.
Someone's here!
Who was the first to arrive?
When the car door opened and Li Han's flamboyant figure stepped out, the surrounding area instantly erupted in screams and cheers.
The sound waves nearly burst eardrums.
Li Han was very pleased.
He turned and respectfully invited another heavyweight guest from the car.
International Zhang.
She wore a black, sexy yet dignified gown, with exquisite makeup on her face.
The scene once again erupted in piercing screams.
Flashlights blurred into a continuous stream.
After International Zhang got out of the car, she elegantly smiled and waved to the surroundings, then, escorted by security personnel, she followed Li Han into the theater entrance.
One wave of excitement ended.
Ten minutes later.
Another, even more luxurious Porsche Cayenne slowly entered the venue.
The crowd grew even crazier.
Just by looking at this car, everyone knew that Heitu had arrived.
Only he would come in such an ostentatious and luxurious car.
Indeed.
After parking, Xu Yao in a black suit and Heitu got out of the car, smiling and waving to the surrounding fans.
They were accompanied by several actors from Heitu's club.
All very familiar faces.
Presumably, they were all there to support Xu Yao.
This popularity...
It was no less than Li Han and International Zhang, even subtly showing a tendency to surpass them.
Soon, this group also went inside.
The fervent fans outside finally slowly calmed down.
They had seen both heavyweights, so there was nothing left to anticipate.
What big figures could the remaining three find?
At first, there were rumors that Director Jiang Wen would be Chen Feng's assisting performer, but the production team directly announced that judges were strictly forbidden from serving as assisting guests for contestants, so that plan fell through.
Thus, the crowd outside the Grand Theater was noisy and on the verge of dispersing.
In fact, many of these people were hired by Li Han.
It just looked good.
There were genuinely few who wanted to support him.
Even International Zhang was not a very approachable figure, and not many fans came.
Conversely, there were many fans of Heitu and the Northeast F4, who were relatively more enthusiastic.
Just as the fans outside the theater were noisily preparing to leave, sudden screams and shouts faintly echoed from the long street in the distance.
Cheers resounded like thunder.
It felt like a wave was approaching.
Everyone at the entrance of the Grand Theater was stunned.
Holy cow!
What's going on?
Why is it still so lively outside?
Everyone craned their necks to look.
Soon, they saw a dense crowd on the long street following two cars slowly drive into the small plaza of the Yan Jing Grand Theater, gradually approaching the main entrance.
Amidst the crowd, one could vaguely hear people screaming the names 'Hua Zai' and 'Gu Zai'.
The people in front of the Grand Theater immediately erupted.
What the heck?
Hua Zai and Gu Zai are here?
Is the production team that generous?
Are they sparing no expense to invite Hua Zai and Gu Zai as guests?
Everyone was confused.
Until the two cars slowly stopped in front of the theater entrance.
Two very ordinary Audi A8 sedans.
Immediately after, stepping out of the first car was none other than the dark horse contestant, Chen Feng.
A gasp of surprise rippled through the crowd.
Then, following closely behind him, the person dressed simply, wearing sunglasses and a mask, was none other than Hua Zai.
The crowd instantly erupted in a mountain-shaking roar.
At the same time, people also got out of the car behind.
The first to alight was Gu Zai.
And following him, surprisingly, was the famous Hong Kong director Wang Jing?
This time, the outside of the Grand Theater completely exploded.
The screams of the crowd echoed for a hundred miles around.