Brother Dao Took the Entertainment Industry by Storm, Fans Beg Me Not to Kill Anymore

Chapter 761: Final Box Office Results for Two Films Are Out!

Elder Qian nodded, then shook his head, explaining, "I'm not that capable. It was the museum's restoration center that recommended you, and combined with the recent case where the police specifically mentioned your help, the Calligraphy Association submitted your name."

"After careful consideration, the program team also decided to have you as the first special guest star for the opening episode."

Xiao He understood: "I see."

"The buzz around cultural relics has indeed gained massive attention lately, and everyone has gained some understanding of the field, so the program team decided to use Emperor Chen's calligraphy works for the first episode."

Elder Qian continued explaining, "Originally, the Calligraphy Association planned to have the president serve as the narrator, but your knowledge of Emperor Chen's works surpasses even ours, so he also agreed that you're perfectly suited for this role."

Moreover, this was essentially an official endorsement. Xiao He could also publicly reveal his status as a key member of the China Calligraphy Association's first floor, which was a high-level recognition within the industry. If he could also showcase his "talents," the show would basically be delivering heat and fame to Xiao He on a silver platter.

At the same time, it was the kind of heat and fame that would genuinely elevate Xiao He.

Whenever there was an opportunity, it absolutely couldn't be missed!

Especially since he'd be the narrator! That meant even more screen time.

"Alright, when is it approximately? What's the show called? I'll have Sister Liu keep an eye on it."

Without any hesitation, Xiao He directly called Liu Rulan over.

Liu Rulan was equally thrilled and immediately began discussing the show's general details with Elder Qian.

-

While Xiao He's variety show path was once again blooming brilliantly thanks to the cultural relic investigation case, good news also arrived from the film industry on the other side.

Both "The Phantom Thief Alliance 2" and "Let the Mistake Slide" had officially ended their theatrical runs.

That's right, after several extensions, "The Phantom Thief Alliance 2" finally concluded after the May Day holiday.

That kid Zhuang Hongyi had really managed to push "The Phantom Thief Alliance 2" all the way to May Day, skimmed a bit more profit, and then wrapped up beautifully.

His only regret might be that Phantom Thief 2's final box office still stalled at 4.7 billion, lacking the momentum to break 5 billion even with the extension to May Day.

Still, he was overjoyed nonetheless. After all, setting aside the initial costs, every extra day was pure profit. Phantom Thief 2 had essentially locked in this year's box office champion, and Zhuang Hongyi's career trajectory was enviably smooth.

As for "Let the Mistake Slide," it naturally couldn't match Phantom Thief 2's phenomenal performance, with its domestic final box office settling at just 1.7 billion.

After all, it was only a remake. Even with Xiao He boosting quality, casual viewer interest, and fan economy, it couldn't salvage the fact that the male lead was Ren Yibai. How many people had given up on the film because of Ren Yibai would likely remain an eternal mystery.

But on the flip side, "Let the Mistake Slide" performed unexpectedly well overseas. Adding up all the international markets, it nearly matched the domestic box office.

This was the second film after "Law of the Jungle" to achieve near parity between domestic and international earnings. However, last time, "Law of the Jungle's" box office was mostly from Europe and America, while this time, "Let the Mistake Slide's" base was in the Asian region.

It could only be said that Ren Yibai's diligent roadshow promotions had been quite useful. At the very least, neighboring countries were unaware of his domestic reputation, so after his hardworking promotional tours, people were willing to buy tickets just to see Xiao He's name.

Well, that last sentence wasn't a mistake.

It was all for Xiao He.

Xiao He's film "No Bait" had already laid a foundation in these regions, and the body-swapping theme of "Let the Mistake Slide" naturally appealed to local audiences. So while Ren Yibai traveled abroad extensively to promote what he considered his crucial comeback film, more people ended up remembering Xiao He instead.

After all, as the saying goes, once you become famous, your face gradually becomes clearer in a sea of people.

Take the simplest example: a movie poster hanging on the street. Before a celebrity becomes famous, passersby might only know it's a poster with a vaguely familiar face, but they can't remember it at all, and it leaves no impression.

But once that celebrity becomes famous, passersby will subconsciously recognize them as a Chinese star and remember the content on the poster.

And that's exactly Xiao He's current state.

Ren Yibai didn't have Xiao He's established reputation overseas; he was a stranger to many. Yet he still had to grit his teeth and travel to various countries for promotions, fighting for himself to expand his overseas market.

Who would have thought that after all his babbling promotions, people would look at the poster and suddenly have an epiphany: "Ah! So it's Xiao He's work!"

It's not that Ren Yibai didn't work hard, but the truth was indeed heartbreaking.

Moreover, "Let the Mistake Slide's" plot both began and ended with Xiao He's character. The face most people remembered vividly was naturally Xiao He's.

As a result, some even mistakenly believed Xiao He was the protagonist and Ren Yibai was just a supporting character.

All that effort, all that effort for nothing, ultimately becoming someone else's wedding dress.

Of course, it wasn't that Ren Yibai deserved no credit for the overseas box office, nor that he gained nothing. But compared to Xiao He's situation, his circumstances looked rather pitiful.

When Ren Yibai learned of this, he almost vomited blood. He never imagined his hard work would end up like this.

Just thinking about it made him furious.

"Seriously, I already know I can't compare to Xiao He no matter what, but does the gap have to be this brutal?!"

Ren Yibai clutched his chest, looking at the various summary data provided by his agent, feeling like his heart rate was going irregular.

If before Ren Yibai had still entertained thoughts of stepping on Xiao He to rise, now he had long since faced reality.

Only, this reality was truly too harsh to accept.

Instantly, rage ignited from the depths of his heart.

Ren Yibai slammed the table and stood up: "Where's the director? The director of 'Let the Mistake Slide'? If it weren't for his meddling back then, I would have cut my scenes properly! How would others be confused about who's the male lead and who's the supporting character? And I thought that director was biased from the start, deliberately changing the ending to a damn nonsense version just to prop up Xiao He! And look at it now! All the heat has been sucked away by Xiao He! We didn't gain a single thing ourselves!"

It infuriated him!

It absolutely infuriated him!

And that director of "Let the Mistake Slide" was just as annoying!

He couldn't deal with Xiao He now, but could he at least deal with a minor director from the company?!

So Ren Yibai rolled up his sleeves, ready to find him: "Director, where's Director Zhan? Where is Zhan Min right now?!"

The assistant Xiao Gao gave an awkward smile and spoke quietly from the side, "Bro Ren, Director Zhan Min has already jumped ship. If you want to find him, it might be a bit difficult."

"What?! When did he jump ship?!"

Ren Yibai was shocked.

"Uh-"

Xiao Gao scratched his head, playing dumb.

If he directly told Brother Ren that Director Zhan had jumped to Xiao He's company, Linghui Entertainment, it would probably cause an explosion.

Better to let him discover it on his own...

However, within a few minutes, Ren Yibai still found out.

Because-

"Ah, I'm so anxious. The next project is a joint production by Linghui and Hanbei. I wonder if Director Zhan will be easy to get along with-"

Zhao Qinyuan, who had successfully become Hanbei Entertainment's Top Star, said this in front of Ren Yibai with a "worried" expression.

Ren Yibai's eyes widened, nearly cracking: "What?! When did you all-"

Damn it! These people were collaborating without including him!

But the next moment, Manager Lin's furious roar came from behind: "Ren Yibai! Didn't I tell you to cause less trouble?! From now on, we're partners with Linghui. You'd better watch your mouth, or else you won't be attending the celebration banquet for 'Let the Mistake Slide'!!!"

Ren Yibai: ...Heaven is my witness, who exactly was causing trouble just now?!