Chapter 205 Of course I'm proud: The chaotic concert
But MJ's Moscow concert was destined to be as unpredictable as the weather.
Just as the performance was about to start, something strange happened.
I don't know where the rumor came from, but it said there was a bomb in the stadium.
Wang Xiao and the others were already sitting in the front row with umbrellas, and they were terrified when they heard about this.
Fortunately, the Russians' unwavering composure in the face of adversity was on full display at this moment.
Even though everyone was quite frightened, they still evacuated in an orderly manner under the guidance of the staff.
Of course, the soldiers played a significant role in this process.
As those who helped build the concert venue, they received complimentary tickets and came to the concert dressed in military uniforms. Wang Xiao estimated that their number exceeded two thousand.
Think about it, if two thousand well-trained soldiers can cause chaos anywhere, it's definitely a serious war.
So everyone left the venue to the sound of The Beatles.
Don't ask why it was Beatles music. Wang Xiao didn't know what the organizers were thinking, insisting on playing Beatles' performance on the big screen to warm up the crowd.
Anyway, everyone left in a daze.
A large number of fans without tickets had gathered outside—in this kind of weather, those who could brave the heavy rain and wait patiently must have a deep passion for music.
Their love is no less; they just can't afford the 50,000 rubles.
They stood on tiptoe to peer inside, hoping to get free tickets to enter.
Seeing so many people come out, and no one knows who started it, rumors began to spread among the crowd: "The rain is too heavy, the concert is canceled."
The shouts grew louder and louder, seemingly all coming from that one voice.
People looked around blankly, and some people actually walked towards the subway.
Wang Xiao was so angry she wanted to curse.
What are you yelling about? She just sold the tickets and gathered a support team of 35,000 people. If she disbands now, she'll have nothing left.
The worst part is that the entire concert organizer is completely incompetent, with coordination abilities practically nonexistent, and they haven't reacted at all even now.
Wang Xiao panicked, rushed to the side, and picked up the vendor's megaphone.
Well, you have to admit that business people have a keen intuition. They won't give up doing business in any place with high foot traffic, even in a downpour like this.
Wang Xiao grabbed a megaphone and shouted, "Are you all crazy? You spent 50,000, 100,000, or 150,000 rubles—that's money! Shouldn't you be asking what's going on? You're already here!"
Seriously, what are Muscovites thinking? They're so easily fooled.
Back in China, even climbing the Great Wall involves steps so steep they're like ladders to heaven, practically standing upright; but since we're already here, we might as well climb them.
With a keen sense of smell, wholesalers like Third Sister bought a lot of tickets for the fleece clothing and brought her nephews and nieces to the concert. Now, pulling her fleece coat tighter, she chimed in, "Exactly! Since we're already here, it's fun to run around like this."
Hey, this coat is nice.
She used to feel hot when she wore it indoors during the day.
That night, with the wind blowing and the rain falling, I realized this outfit was really good.
No wonder Americans wear these kinds of clothes when hiking. It's cold and damp up there, so they need to keep warm.
She sidled up to Wang Xiao and said, "Mr. Wang, I want this. Can you just send me a whole box? I'll give you a discount, you old sister."
Wang Xiao readily agreed: "No problem, you're my third sister, who else would I give a discount to if not you?"
She then shouted through a megaphone, "Stop running! Come back in, I'll treat everyone to milk tea. Don't forget, we're all MJ fans, we're no less than anyone else, and we're determined to make him leave a fiery impression in Moscow!"
The young people in the audience started screaming and shouting, "Michael! Michael!"
The elderly women, holding umbrellas, murmured, "God!"
Wang Xiao admired the quality of the Muscovites.
The elderly women were clearly not very interested in the American pop star's song and dance performance, but because they had bought fleece coats for 50,000 yuan, they kept their promise and braved the heavy rain to go to the concert to support Michael Jackson.
Whether the reason for staying is the allure of hot milk tea is no longer important.
The milk tea shop was bustling with activity. When they ran out of milk tea, they brought out coffee—instant coffee, as long as it was hot—which the Muscovites in the cold wind and rain welcomed.
It was noisy outside, and everyone was anxiously waiting in the wind and rain.
Reporters were also holding microphones, asking people everywhere, "Is the concert going to take place or not?"
"It will definitely open!" Wang Xiao declared resolutely, like a revolutionary fighter. "There's no such thing as cancellation; those are just rumors!"
Her supporters echoed, “Yes, it’s all rumors. Those troublemakers are trying to ruin the concert. They’re spreading rumors, they’re making it rain, they’re messing up the weather, they just want to cancel the concert. Michael won’t let their schemes succeed, Michael will definitely be on stage.”
Wang Xiao was taken aback.
She had only heard about artificial rainmaking for the first time tonight.
If it's true, then she has to admit it.
Those who didn't want this concert to take place are really going all out.
In a sense, their plan succeeded.
Michael Jackson's most sensational concert to date was the Dangerous tour in Bucharest last October, which was broadcast live on radio and television in 61 countries worldwide. HBO cable television paid £12 million for the broadcasting rights alone. This performance also set a new record for HBO's highest viewership in cable television history—21.4% rating and 34% household coverage.
What caused the biggest sensation at the time, directly igniting global media coverage, was its bouncy fireworks opening.
Given the insane downpour in Moscow tonight, there's absolutely no hope for fireworks.
"They're out! They're out!" someone in front shouted.
Then, the burly men in raincoats escorted out another burly man in a raincoat—or rather, two or three men.
My God, how many people were setting off bombs in the stadium?
Wang Xiao shouted through a megaphone: "Has the problem been resolved?"
The person on the other end used their hand as a megaphone and shouted at the top of their lungs, "No bombs!"
Why were people being taken out? The scene was chaotic, and no one could answer that.
A young man ran out of the door, carrying a box and shouting, "Madam, who wants to come and do some work? 5,000 rubles, come with me right now and do two hours of work."
The elderly women who were closest immediately rushed forward. Their pensions were small, and they would not easily let go of any opportunity to make money.
The crowd erupted in cheers once again, shouting, "Enter! Enter!"
This time, the tickets should have been checked again.
However, someone said that the rain was too heavy and they had run out in a chaotic manner and couldn't find their ticket. After that, the ticket inspector saw that he was wearing a fleece support outfit and let him in.
Seeing this, more people's eyes lit up, and they also emphasized that they had lost their tickets.
But the ticket checker wasn't stupid; he clearly remembered that everyone had come wearing support outfits.
You either need a ticket or the clothes; otherwise, don't even think about taking advantage of the situation.
However, after the qualified audience members entered, the ticket checkers finally gave in to the excited fans outside who didn't have tickets, and let them in, but only allowed them to watch from a distance on the outermost edge.
Wang Xiao only found out about all of this after the concert ended.
She entered the venue and sat down in the front row, only to find the stage in complete chaos.
The man in the expensive overcoat was mopping the floor himself while directing the madams he had just recruited for 5,000 rubles to squat on the ground and wipe the stage.
I had to wipe it; the rain was too heavy, and Michael was a superstar who sang and danced all the time.
Xiang Dong stared wide-eyed at the stage and exclaimed, "There are quite a few unexpected situations when organizing a concert."
Wang Xiao instructed him, "Pay close attention and study it carefully. If we take on Michael's concert, we can only do it better. We'll use high technology. I'll write you a rough outline later, and you can contact the research institute yourself to see if they have a way to implement it."
Seriously, she wants to use drones at her concert.
How can short-range drone control be achieved without satellite technology support?
If this goal is achieved, then drones can be initially developed. With market applications and profitability, they can become self-sufficient and capable of self-evolution.
Xiang Dong couldn't take his eyes off her and nodded hastily, "Okay, no problem."
Oh my god! He regretted it. He should have worn a Lei Feng hat; autumn in Moscow is worse than snow. He felt that rain was colder than snow!
As more and more people began mopping the stage, making everyone wonder if it had become part of the performance, the exciting music finally started.
The atmosphere in the room was instantly elevated as everyone saw Michael walking down the aisle on the two huge screens on either side.
He was dressed in a glittering gold suit and jumped up from the right-hand opening of the stage, suddenly appearing on the stage.
White smoke billowed out, and heavy rain poured down.
"Oh my god!" Wang Xiao screamed.
I'm grateful she's rich, and I'm grateful she got a front-row ticket.
Michael was facing her directly, less than five meters away, staring straight in her direction.
At that moment, Wang Xiao felt as if her heart had been squeezed.
That introverted and shy man in the Metropolitan Hotel room, who was like a socially awkward child, instantly transformed into a war god once he stepped onto the stage!
This is his kingdom, and he is the King of this kingdom!
He was like lightning, instantly igniting this cold and dark world!
Thousands of people began to roar, and the entire outdoor stadium erupted in cheers.
Countless hands waved glow sticks frantically, shouting, "Michael! Michael!"
He actually took to the stage, and his first song was "Jam," which he performed with great singing and dancing. He also performed the Earth's Center Leaning Dance and the classic Moonwalk.
That's all Wang Xiao remembers.
For the entire two-hour concert, she felt just like when watching the Qiantang River tidal bore; she had no idea how to describe what she saw and heard.
All she remembers is her palms turning red from slapping, and her voice becoming hoarse from shouting.
The rain was pouring down, but she completely forgot about the cold. Like everyone else there, she had steam rising from her head.
It turns out they had so much heat in their bodies without even realizing it.
Some people couldn't help but burst into tears, which mingled with the rain.
Someone was holding a bottle of liquor, drinking while seemingly laughing or crying.
Someone waved their arms wildly, leaned back, and fainted from excitement.
Oh, that's a familiar part of concerts. The medical staff handled it very quickly, preventing any bigger problems.
Thank goodness, otherwise I don't know how the concert would have ended.
After all, Russian banks are going bankrupt every few days, so who would dare to rely on insurance companies' payout rates?
Gasparov suddenly had a bottle of vodka in his hand. As he drank, he cried and muttered to himself, "We did it, didn't we? We did it! Michael came on stage, look how great he was! What a magnificent concert! The enemy lost, they lost completely!"
Wang Xiao's voice was already hoarse, and even with a raincoat and umbrella combined, it couldn't stop the rain from seeping in everywhere.
She had neither the strength nor the inclination to respond to Gasparov.
Poor guy, he won but he also lost.
At most, 20% of the ticket revenue would barely cover Michael's performance fees. The remaining costs, such as venue construction, Michael's team's expenses in Moscow, airfare, and various other miscellaneous expenses, including how he managed to get the concert approved, could potentially bankrupt him.
“It’s alright,” Gasparov murmured, as if trying to reassure himself. “At worst, I’ll just sell my house and car.”
Ivanov earnestly emphasized to him, "If you want to sell, sell to me. Don't worry, we've been in the same trench, I won't try to lower your price."
What a truly devoted capitalist! He didn't take advantage of his illness to kill him.
The show ended, and Michael said goodbye to the audience on stage.
Perhaps due to limitations, or perhaps because he didn't want to repeat himself, he didn't change into the astronaut suit again and perform the iconic jet exit from his Bucharest concert.
But so what? He has already presented the audience with the most spectacular performance!
Wang Xiao covered her face with her hands and murmured to herself, "He is the greatest singer, dancer and artist I have ever seen!"
Honestly, she's seen so many concerts, and anyone who can sing live without cracking or going off-key, and who can simultaneously sing and dance, is a true master; only Michael, watching him live is more breathtaking than watching his music videos or listening to his CDs.
Xiang Dong was also incredibly excited, repeatedly shouting, "Awesome! Damn it, I'm going to bring this to China, I'm going to put on such an awesome concert!"
The last time he was this excited was when he went to a Cui Jian concert.
His youth, his aspirations and fantasies about the future when he was young, were all given to him by Cui Jian.
However, he must admit that the impact of Cui Jian's performance on him was partly due to his emotional attachment to the performance.
Unlike Michael Jackson, Xiang Dong only seriously listened to MJ's songs and watched his music videos after receiving a call from Wang Xiao.
He knew very little about this American singer.
Even so, he was deeply shocked.
Awesome! He's not very educated; he can't find more suitable words to describe his feelings.
Wang Xiao patted him on the shoulder and affirmed, "Just keep this attitude when you talk to them, and tell them your true feelings. If we can take on this concert and apply the new technology, it will be much smoother to take on large-scale concerts in the future. Especially for Hong Kong and Taiwan stars, we have a big advantage: we have a large number of foreign actors."
What does this mean? It has a subtle relationship with the mentality of Chinese people. Nowadays, Hong Kong and Taiwanese stars, especially Hong Kong stars, are very willing to have white backup dancers on stage when they hold concerts.
Xiang Dong said confidently, "No problem, I'll have a good talk with them tomorrow."
It's definitely not going to work today.
He had been singing and dancing for two whole hours in the heavy rain in Moscow in mid-September, and he even suspected that the unlucky American singer would catch a cold and develop a fever that would make him unconscious.
Wang Xiao couldn't hold on either.
It seems she used up all her energy during her exciting concert.
Now, finally realizing the cold, she stammered, "Let's go, let's go back quickly."
Oh my god! This rain has ruined her makeup completely.
Without frame-by-frame retouching technology, she couldn't even imagine what a terrible sight her face would look like if it appeared on the videotape.
I want to die! She might as well wear a mask; at least that would give her a cool and aloof boss vibe.
Sachiko Ito and Saori Yamada were also annoyed. Although they used water-repellent cosmetics, they still wanted to hide their terrible faces in the mirror.
Good heavens! They've never been this close to the stage before; they completely overlooked this detail.
Ivanov stared in disbelief at the girls' sighs: "Are you all focusing on the wrong thing? At a time like this, you're wasting time on such trivial matters..."
He is no longer jealous of MJ, and he announced that starting tonight, he is officially an MJ fan.
As it turns out, no matter how much of a playboy he is, he can't hide his straight male nature.
His unreasonable remarks immediately drew a retort from the woman: "What do you know!"
Xiang Dong was laughing so hard he almost went crazy: "Boss, don't talk nonsense. Women will come up with all sorts of tricks to make their photos look good."
He admired the ingenuity of the models under his management.
They'll do anything to get the film done!
Wang Xiao was too lazy to waste words with these guys; her life's mission was to release films—that was her last act of defiance.
But she couldn't care less about that now; she was freezing to death.
"Let's go, let's go have some mutton offal soup to warm up."
The restaurant where they drank soup was about a 15-minute drive from the stadium. It was a medium-sized restaurant, and the owner was from Inner Mongolia. He was one of the earliest traders in Moscow.
Later, he settled down and opened a restaurant in the area. His restaurant was one of the more popular choices among middlemen and traders.
The rain was too heavy today, and it was probably too late, so the restaurant was deserted except for the owner and his wife watching TV.
As soon as Wang Xiao entered, he made one request: "Lamb offal soup, bring on the lamb offal soup right away."
The traditional Mongolian mutton offal soup has a strong flavor, which doesn't really suit the tastes of Muscovites, nor is it very popular with traders.
Now the owner has made improvements, and in Wang Xiao's opinion, the taste is closer to the cooking methods in the Henan area.
She didn't know if other people liked it or not, but she certainly did.
As soon as she entered the house, the rich aroma of mutton offal soup made her mouth water.
The middlemen and women who came with him shouted loudly as soon as they saw the boss: "Hey, Old Meng, you should go. Damn, this American singer is awesome, singing and dancing, so cool."
The boss didn't care: "I'm not going. If I went, who would watch the shop for me?"
"Then you'll lose a fortune!" The reseller, his face flushed with excitement, emphasized. "Seriously, I've been to so many concerts in China, and this one is the most damn interesting. I'm so glad I came, or I would have lost out."
The people next to him mocked him: "You came here to see the concert? You're just here for the fleece...fleece jacket."
In Moscow today, both wholesale and retail markets are in a state of extremes, with some suffering from severe drought and others from severe oversupply.
If your goods are good and suit your taste, you can sell as many boxes as you want without even looking.
But if the goods are not right, there is no other way but to find a way to carry them to remote areas and sell them little by little.
Muscovites have become quite picky.
Therefore, everyone is chasing after the source of goods. The best-selling items are those that people are begging the manufacturers to ship.
For example, take fleece now. Everyone here is a seasoned wholesaler. Who doesn't have a high opinion of it?
I washed it in water yesterday, and the color didn't fade; it dried quickly.
I wore this top today, and wow, despite the wind and rain, it was actually quite warm.
Furthermore, they discovered that the clothes didn't absorb water very well. Even if rain hit you, you could shake them off and the inside of the clothes would still be dry and warm.
Everyone immediately realized that it would become the new darling of the Moscow wholesale market, following down jackets, ski jackets, and leather coats.
The mutton offal soup was served, and some people couldn't even wait to drink it: "Mr. Wang, give me a straight answer..."
The third sister glared at them: "Hey, hey, can't you see our faces are all white from the cold? At least let us have something hot to eat."
"That's right, that's right." People around him echoed, and someone else was making arrangements, "Bring me some flatbread, I want to have it in soup, I'm starving."
I don't know why, but I got so hungry just from watching a concert.
After Wang Xiao finished a bowl of mutton offal soup, she felt a warmth emanating from her body and finally let out a satisfied sigh.
That soft sigh was like flipping a switch; immediately, a frantic wholesaler pressed, "Mr. Wang, give us a straight answer. What price can we get for these clothes from you?"
Wang Xiao put down his chopsticks and slowly wiped his mouth: "We're all family, so I won't mince words. I won't give you a discount."
"Fleece fabric is now only made in the US. You can check the prices of American goods yourself at department stores. In the US, this is something only the wealthy wear."
The third sister chimed in, "Of course! What poor person would be so bored as to go hiking every day? Don't they think their lives are tough enough?"
A burst of laughter erupted in the restaurant, and someone gave Third Sister a thumbs up, praising her: "No poet or philosopher can compare to our Third Sister's sharp insight."
The third sister waved her hands repeatedly: "I'm just a roughneck, and I speak like a roughneck. Let's listen to what our boss, Mr. Wang, has to say."
Wang Xiao laughed and said, "You're being modest. These are all insightful observations. I'm not trying to play the victim, but it's impossible for me to import fleece fabric from the US to make clothes, right? I imported a whole production line from Japan. I set up a factory specifically for this purpose, built the factory according to Japanese standards, and trained the workers to produce fleece fabric. As for importing it, I just have to pay whatever they ask for, no matter how much they want."
Someone said cryptically, "Oh, Mr. Wang, you're really spending real money for the development of our country's textile industry."
Wang Xiao, however, was not modest at all: "I really dare to admit it."
"Why did I make fleece? I did it for the sake of all of us."
"As everyone has seen, how many factories in Moscow have stopped operating?"
"They used to be able to make their own overcoats and cotton-padded clothes, but now many of those factories have stopped operating."
"There is no cotton because of the war; people don't have time to grow cotton and grapes."
"Without foreign exchange, even if we have cotton, we can't import it."
"But people need to wear clothes in winter; they can't rely on their own righteousness to resist the cold."
This idea was novel, and many people in the room laughed.
Wang Xiao laughed along, "We can only rely on down jackets, ski jackets, and fur coats to keep warm. I'm thinking that the demand for down jackets will definitely increase significantly this year. But duck and goose down can't grow in a day. If production can't keep up, will chicken feather coats make a comeback? What will happen to our reputation that we worked so hard to turn around last year?"
“But if we give up this part of the market, others will take it away. Even if our production capacity catches up later, it will be extremely difficult to take it back.”
"Fleece is what I came up with—a garment that can fill the gap in down jacket demand in the shortest amount of time."
"So even if it costs a lot of money and incurs huge costs, I'll bite the bullet and do it anyway."
"You say I'm contributing to the country's textile industry, and I wholeheartedly agree. Whether in Russia or in our country (note: at that time, the term 'domestic' generally referred to the mainland region), fleece was the best we had."
Someone laughed: "Alright, alright, we know you've had a tough time, Mr. Wang, so give us a fair price. What wholesale price can you offer for this one I'm wearing?"
Wang Xiao glanced at it and said with certainty, "35 US dollars, fixed price."
A collective gasp rippled through the room. Someone frowned and said, "Mr. Wang, isn't this a bit too much? Look at that cotton trench coat. It only costs about $20 in a Beijing department store, and it's even cheaper if you get it directly from the factory. You're making this yourself in the factory and charging $35? That's outrageous."
Wang Xiao remained unyielding: "This is already the cheapest I can offer. In the US, because it performs better than cashmere, it would sell for a higher price."
Everyone fell silent upon hearing this.
The United States is the United States, and China is China.
The cotton trench coat I just mentioned sells for $70 apiece in American stores in Moscow.
Can they even be compared?
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
