417: Netizens commented: "Is this how two poets greet each other? This is hilarious!"

"Why hasn't it started yet? I've been waiting here for ages. I have zero interest in these programs, okay? I just want to see the two poets battle with poetry!"

"Exactly! What's so good about these messy programs? If I really wanted to watch programs, I'd rather watch other TV stations; they're much richer."

"I think we can't entirely blame the organizers. After all, it's just two people battling with poetry, which is a bit monotonous and can't really support an entire evening gala."

"Let's just wait a bit longer. Since we're already here, we don't mind a little more time. Programs can be watched anytime, but a 'poetry battle segment' isn't available just anytime."

...

As the Mid-Autumn Poetry Gathering hosted by the Modern Poetry Association got underway, the audience at the venue and those watching the livestream were all waiting for the start of the final grand finale.

As for the programs before that, the audience clearly wasn't very interested.

Consequently, complaints could be heard everywhere, but there was nothing they could do.

Those Streamers who had been invited by the Modern Poetry Association to livestream the event could only pull out all the stops to keep the viewers in their livestream rooms as much as possible.

Because the amount of compensation they would receive was calculated based on the real-time number of viewers in their livestream rooms.

In fact, there were two groups of people who, although they were also complaining about the trashy gala, had much higher stickiness than the viewers in these Streamers' rooms.

That's right!

One of those groups was, of course, the fans of Our CEO Xu. These people had been with him from the very beginning, and their loyalty was extraordinary.

Moreover, as Our CEO Xu became busier and busier, it became harder for fans to see him appear or participate in any activities, so naturally, everyone wanted to support this poetry gathering.

The other group was the fans of the newly emerged genius poet, the persona Green Lotus Layman.

Although these people hadn't been 'fans' of Green Lotus Layman for long, they all had one characteristic: they were relatively literary.

Once such people set their minds on something, their stickiness was also extraordinary.

It could be said that the fans of Our CEO Xu alone supported half of the poetry gathering tonight.

Although outsiders didn't know this, that was the fact...

Amidst the bustling discussions, the Host at the live venue finally walked onto the stage with a smile and announced loudly:

"Sorry to keep everyone waiting. The next program is one that I'm sure you've all been looking forward to for a long time. That's right, it's our most dazzling poetry battle segment.

You should all be familiar with the two protagonists. One of them is the famous Director Xu Lu, and the other is the genius poet, Green Lotus Layman..."

As the introduction began, two split screens appeared on the large screen at the front, one on the left and one on the right.

On the upper half of the left split screen, the figure of Xu Lu sitting behind a desk soon appeared before everyone.

Seeing this scene, most of the people from the Modern Poetry Association at the venue looked on with hostility.

This guy is the one who previously made our entire Modern Poetry Society lose all face!

Fortunately, the screen on the right lit up soon after.

But what felt strange was...

No figure appeared in the frame; there was only a green lotus slowly rotating in the void, which looked a bit cool.

Seeing this, the people at the venue began to whisper:

"What's going on? Green Lotus Layman actually didn't show its face. It's truly as mysterious as always!"

"Exactly. Director Xu, on the other hand, looks quite calm; he's even waving at everyone."

"I wonder who will make the first move between the two of them, or if it will be arranged by the Host."

"Heh, do you think the Host on stage can arrange them? They must be improvising freely."

...

Meanwhile, the fans of both sides were gradually getting excited. On the 'Main Body Director Xu Lu' side:

"Hahahaha, Director Xu is still so handsome. Just sitting there is a feast for the eyes!"

"Isn't it? I was quite worried about him before, but seeing his appearance, I knew I didn't need to worry."

"Although Green Lotus Layman is powerful, CEO Xu is definitely not someone who relies on an unearned reputation. Who will win or lose is still undecided."

"It's just that this guy hasn't been doing his proper job lately. Instead of making movies, he actually ran over to battle someone with poetry."

...

And on the 'Persona Green Lotus Layman' side, everyone also chimed in:

"Green Lotus Layman is really too mysterious. It doesn't even show its face on such a big occasion. It looks like the rumors about it having social anxiety are true."

"I think this is actually quite good. It shows that it doesn't crave fame; after all, it doesn't even use such an opportunity to show its face."

"No wonder it's called 'Green Lotus Layman'; the lotus on this background is also quite nice!"

"Eh, text has appeared in the blank boxes below both of them. It feels like reading someone else's chat box."

...

While everyone was discussing this, text drifted from left to right in the blank box below the 'Green Lotus Background':

[So... shall we begin?]

The next moment, text gradually appeared out of nothing in the blank box of the 'Main Body Background':

[Sure, let's begin then!]

Seeing this somewhat sudden scene, the audience almost had their eyeballs fall to the ground:

"Hahahaha, is this how two poets greet each other? This is just too damn funny, hahahaha!"

"Yeah, I imagined all sorts of opening scenarios between the two of them, but I never expected this one."

"It feels... as relaxed as inviting someone to dinner. Come on, you are about to engage in a serious poetry battle."

"Regardless of anything else, the comedic effect is already maxed out. But to be honest, this also has a feeling of returning to simplicity."

...

The bystanders found it amusing, but as the initiator of this Mid-Autumn Poetry Gathering's poetry battle segment, Chairman Zhou's expression was somewhat dissatisfied, and he cursed inwardly:

"What is this Green Lotus Layman doing? Aren't you very good at writing poetry? You used poetry for every post you made before, so why are you being so casual with that kid now?

Come on, the guy opposite you is the public enemy of our entire Modern Poetry Association. If you greet him like this, people might mistakenly think you two are very close."

In fact, quite a few people really did feel that way after seeing that scene just now.

However, there wasn't much time for the audience to discuss it, and the real poetry battle finally began.

'Green Lotus Layman' made the first move.

In the blank box below the Green Lotus background, lines of poetry flew in from left to right like arrows:

'Sea... rises... bright moon... horizon... share this moment...'

'Lovers... resent the long night... all night long... longing arises...'

...

Four lines of poetry, like arrows, were nailed to the right side of the large screen.

For a moment, almost all the viewers were immersed in the beauty of the verses.

After a while, cheers erupted throughout the venue:

"As expected of Green Lotus Layman, this poem is written so well."

"Yeah, I think just this first line alone could be passed down through the ages."

"It's truly amazing. It was worth waiting so long tonight; it was definitely not a wasted wait."