Chapter 123 2/2

Don’t underestimate these ninety million; in some countries, the entire population doesn’t reach ninety million. Yet in this venue, there were ninety million people from all over the world simultaneously present.

Those twinkling lights, not one missing, landed in front of these ninety million people.

Under the surprised and puzzled gazes of the audience, they joyfully danced up and down, gradually unfolding their brightness. In the end, in just over ten seconds, they turned into a voting board, emitting a faint white light around the edges.

Note that this voting board was about half the size of a blackboard, with all the group introductions attached to it.

Little Bird, amazed, looked through the perspective of the audience who uploaded the video and saw that this luminous voting board not only had group introductions but even included a small screen on the right, showing a brief recording of the group’s performance.

This viewer was also clearly amazed. Seeing the magnification icon next to it, she extended a sheep hoof and waved it gently. The originally small recording immediately magnified and appeared three-dimensionally in the video.

The video didn’t show the effect well, but it was visible to the naked eye. It floated in 3D in midair; even though it had been enlarged, it still looked like an ordinary tablet in size. So, it seemed like ten small elf-like figures were singing and dancing.

“Damn!”

A standard Huaxia expression burst out in the video, synchronizing with Little Bird’s spontaneous “damn.”

Little Bird: Okay, now I know this person recording the screen is from Huaxia.

Ninety million people now have their own voting boards.

Because it was in the game and because holographic technology was used, the size of the space wouldn’t affect their freely spreading out their voting boards. They also didn’t have to worry about others influencing them.

No matter which group they clicked on, they could see the 3D little figures’ recording, ensuring that they could carefully compare and make choices.

Moreover, they could even individually click on the contestant’s name. The contestant’s personal video would immediately appear in front of them. These talented yet somewhat naive contestants, some lively, some shy, would introduce themselves to the audience (camera).

“Hello, everyone. I am contestant No. 14, Qiqi, from ‘Through the Star Sea.’ I’m 18 years old, and my special talent is…”

“Hello, everyone. I am contestant No. 378, Wuxiang Wang, from ‘Through the Star Sea.’ I’m 19 years old. I’m super happy to be able to participate in ‘Through the Star Sea.’ Let me perform a magic trick for you.”

 “Hello, everyone. I am contestant No. 456 from ‘Through the Star Sea.'”

As the audience recording the video clicked on each contestant one by one, these contestants, who were originally just photos, seemed to come to life on the voting board, joyfully standing on what had become a “stage,” talking and smiling.

Little Bird stared in astonishment.

Watching on the phone, the visual effects weren’t apparent, but just like this, she felt her blood boiling with excitement.

This voting mode, this audience experience, was more thrilling than the incredibly spectacular stage.

No wonder, no wonder everyone who had been to the holographic stage was raving about it!

As a viewer, as a passerby about to start following “Through the Star Sea,” she just imagined having such a voting board, lying at home enjoying a fantastic stage performance, and then voting in such a delightful manner…

Little Bird couldn’t wait to fly to the holographic stage like a bird.

Just like that foreign netizen said, I’m so excited in real life that I’m in tears, for I can actually enjoy all of this.

The definition of the holographic stage was vividly displayed at this moment.

In the end, Little Bird watched as the audience member who recorded the video hesitated among several contestants, eventually selecting the group where Tu Zhu was and even giving him a thumbs up.

The little Tu Zhu then smiled shyly, made a small heart gesture, looked into the camera, and softly said, “Thank you.”

Ah—

Little Bird felt like she had been hit!

On the other side of Huaxia, Little Bird’s friend was still messaging her.

【It’s been a day. You said you were going to enjoy some entertainment; where are you?】

【Hey!】

【Where are you?】

【Are you asleep?】

After her friend sent the latest message, she couldn’t wait and continued to browse various holographic stage recordings circulating on the internet.

Just as she opened the website, Little Bird’s message popped up:

【I’m going to buy a holographic headset!!!】

Friend: 【???】

Following that, she received another message.

——【Just wait and see!!!】

——【I’ll be there at the next holographic stage performance!】

****

Anyone could see that the entertainment industry was about to experience a major earthquake because of this stage.

At this moment, Huaxia had become the world’s focus.

The chairmen of various entertainment companies in Huaxia naturally received this news.

Honestly, before this, they were in a dilemma.

A dual dilemma of physiology and psychology

Applying holographic technology to entertainment was essentially a significant blow to traditional entertainment. After last night’s stage, these CEOs seemed calm on the surface, but in reality, they had already planned their next steps, pretending to be ordinary players while secretly watching the entire show.

Watching it, they were equally stunned. Such a visually enjoyable performance.

After watching it: Damn! It’s over!

It was like they were still in the Stone Age, polishing stone tools, while the cave next door had already built a cannon. How could they keep up?

As long as Xingmang wanted to, within two years, they could make them all lose their jobs.

The CEOs spent a sleepless night full of anxiety! They were more attached to each other than during their dating period, and they were calling each other to the point where their phones were overheating.

But their communication was not very effective; they could only console each other and ponder whether they could hitch a ride on Director Sheng’s capabilities to obtain some holographic technology.

What? Contact other connections to get the technology.

They had already displayed all their skills when holography was revealed to the world; wasn’t it useless?

Of course, this incident also indirectly confirmed that director Sheng Quan had an extraordinary background.

So, they couldn’t even join forces to deal with Xingmang.

After a night of anxiety, the CEOs felt intense mental fatigue. The next day, they were still rushing to find countermeasures with matching dark circles under their eyes.

As a result, news from various countries came out.

The high-level executives of Huaxia’s entertainment companies: Um…

That’s right.

Xingmang was overwhelming, not only for them but for the entire world.

Since the entertainment industry on Blue Star began to vigorously develop, after many years of changes, the cake had stabilized, and the entertainment industry hadn’t seen a top-tier company shift for more than a decade.

It wasn’t that there were no emerging stars in the industry; mainly, the cake had already been divided, and the market couldn’t change. Those who came early got to eat meat, and those who came later could only join as a share.

In recent years, the entertainment industry in Huaxia has developed rapidly, but everyone knew that the market had matured. The top global entertainment companies had developed to a state of near-perfection in all aspects.

In this situation, newcomers couldn’t push the old players aside, no matter how hard they tried.

As a result, Sheng Quan did not follow the conventional rules.

While others were working hard to break into the market, she directly flattened the original market, built a brand new market, and asked, would the audience who had tasted the delicious cake still be willing to eat the remnants?

As for whether it was Huaxia’s remnants or the leftovers from various countries, what difference did it make to the audience?

The CEOs suddenly calmed down.

Although they were still being overwhelmed, for some reason, when they thought about those world-class top dogs also being toppled, their mood became less anxious.

“Let’s think positively.” One CEO scratched his few remaining hairs. “Even though the previous entertainment model is gone, we can still integrate into the holographic entertainment model.”

“New technology is hard to handle, but it’s not that difficult to mimic. Let’s join forces to target Xingmang’s work. We can surely bite off a piece of meat.”

“Yes, no matter how amazing Xingmang is, if they force us into a corner, we’re not afraid of Director Sheng!”

“She has a lot of money, and the sum of our several companies is not small either. Plus, those top-tier companies will definitely go after Xingmang. So, it seems Xingmang may not have it all easy.”

Xiaoniao Corporation’s chairman, Xie Wanzhao, was also present. Even though the entire industry had weathered a storm last night, she still had her hair impeccably arranged, and her sharp and determined eyes were as always.

“It might not be a bad thing,” she said slowly. “A new era naturally represents new opportunities. Market restructuring may not be a bad thing.”

As she finished speaking, the phone on the table buzzed a few times.

Xie Wanzhao looked at the name displayed on it and answered the call with a smile: “Director Sheng, I guess you’re about to tell me some good news.”

Sheng Quan had just finished reviewing the new plan sent by Gu Zhao and had another hour-long meeting. At the moment, she was standing on the balcony of the program group’s building, watering the little potted plants and sunbathing there.

Upon hearing Xie Wanzhao’s words, she also smiled. “It’s not exactly good news, just an invitation.”

Xie Wanzhao replied, “It seems like quite an important invitation.”

Sheng Quan said, “You should also be able to see that the holographic era has truly begun. As far as I know, major world-leading entertainment companies, led by CA, have already researched some holographic technology, and new projects are rapidly underway.”

Xie Wanzhao wasn’t surprised by this news. “Innovating technology is always difficult, but replicating it is different. They have much stronger reserves than we do.”

“Yeah, so I don’t plan to wait for them to catch up.”

Sheng Quan skipped the preamble and got straight to the point: “Xingmang will share some holographic technology with other entertainment companies in Huaxia.”

Xie Wanzhao had already guessed the rough idea when she answered the call. However, upon hearing it, she couldn’t help but be surprised. “Have you really thought this through? Those big companies will take time to catch up. As long as Xingmang seizes the opportunity, they can undoubtedly establish a prominent position in the global entertainment industry.”

“Such a good opportunity, and you want to share it with us? You should know that even if we go against you, under the current circumstances, our arms won’t be able to twist your thigh.”

Several CEOs who were originally trying to listen carefully heard Xie Wanzhao’s words and immediately brightened. They quickly moved closer to her with a silent and urgent lip-syncing: “What? What? What is it?”

“Share what??”

“What thigh? Is it Sheng Quan’s?”

However, Xie Wanzhao had no intention of paying attention to what they were doing. She focused all her attention on Sheng Quan’s voice on the phone.

“Just sharing a part of it. Of course, I won’t give away the main part.”

Xie Wanzhao still didn’t quite understand. “Just to turn us from rivals into teammates?”

“That’s part of it. Xie Dong, you also know that, without harming our own interests, I prefer a win-win situation for everyone.”

“Xingmang can indeed become one of the world’s top entertainment companies with the advantage of holographic technology.”

The young girl, who seemed too young for her role, spoke softly:

“But in the end, it will still be like it is now. Xingmang is famous, and Xingmang’s works can win awards, but when people talk about Huaxia, it’s still considered an entertainment-weak country. Whether an award is valuable or not still depends on whether it’s obtained from overseas.”

Her tone sounded like casual chit-chat.

“Do you want to see Huaxia become an entertainment powerhouse in the future? You want it, and I want it too. Sometimes, as business leaders, staying within our own little circles will only keep us stuck here. But by building a diverse world together, we can go further together, don’t you think?”

It was a very ordinary tone, but it made Xie Wanzhao’s breathing slightly quicker.

The voice on the phone continued, “I don’t believe, Xie Dong, that you only care about Huaxia.”

Sheng Quan concluded, “Xie Dong, we’ve always been on the same front.”

—Xie Wanzhao’s heart thumped rapidly.

Around her, a group of usually proud CEOs were still shouting various “What?” “What are you talking about?” “Let me hear! Let me hear!” “What is it?”

Then, they heard Xie Wanzhao, who was usually calm and reserved, speak with a slight tremor in her voice yet resolute:

“I agree.”

As she spoke, she looked again at the CEOs, who had been chanting “Let’s unite to defeat the evil forces of Xingmang” earlier but were now eager to crowd around the phone.

“They will agree too.”

CEOs: “We don’t rashly agree to things on our behalf!”

They had integrity, after all!

Xie Wanzhao said, “Director Sheng asked if you would cooperate. Entertainment companies across the country will join hands to explore new global markets.”

CEOs: “!!!”

Oh my, what a windfall.

Who wouldn’t want to be adversaries with Sheng Quan, someone who is rich, powerful, and clever, if they could make money together?

“Yes, I just said I agree.”

“Yes, yes, yes, we agree, we agree.”

“I’ve been wanting to cooperate with Director Sheng for a long time. How about we all go out for a drink? Of course, I know Director Sheng doesn’t like alcohol, so let’s have tea. We’ll drink tea.”

In an instant, what was initially a tense atmosphere turned into a harmonious one, as if they were all family.

What?

Targeting Xingmang?

No such thing!

All the entertainment companies in our Huaxia! Support Xingmang!