Chapter 414: Olympic Opening Ceremony

Chapter 414: The Olympic Opening Ceremony

“Flag bearer for the opening ceremony?”

Meng Fan’s mind didn’t quite catch up, and his expression slipped out of control: “Really? Are you two directors not joking with me?”

This truly was something Meng Fan hadn’t expected, hadn’t even dared to imagine. In his mind, the flag bearer for the Olympic opening ceremony was exclusively a basketball player’s role, and he had even mistaken the previous Games’ fencer Lei Sheng for a national basketball player.

Director Zhou, with a serious face but unable to suppress a smile, said, “How could we joke about something like this? Look, here’s the notice.”

Meng Fan took it and read it—it was indeed true, but he still found it surprising: “Isn’t it always a basketball player?”

Director Xiong joked half-seriously, “Last time it wasn’t a basketball player, and this time the competition is open. In terms of fame and ability, you’re qualified to compete. The key to securing it is your handsome looks.”

And indeed, being handsome was a key factor. Of course, the premise was that one had to excel in both fame and athletic performance. If those aspects were on par with other competitors, then good looks naturally became the deciding factor.

Additionally, the fact that Meng Fan was competing in three major events and five sub-events at the Olympics was a significant reason he was pushed to the final candidate list. Moreover, it was clear to anyone that in four of these five sub-events, Meng Fan had the strength to win gold. At the very, very, very least, a conservative estimate would be at least one gold medal!

No Chinese delegation had ever had an Olympic opening ceremony flag bearer go on to win a gold medal at those same Games.

Director Zhou’s smile faded, and he asked seriously, “Meng Fan, are you willing to accept this task?”

“Of course I am!”

For such an honor, Meng Fan naturally couldn’t refuse.

Afterward, Meng Fan followed the two to the delegation’s temporary office, where someone specialized taught him the relevant etiquette: the posture for holding the flag, the walking movements, the pace, and so on. Though it was simple, everything was explained in meticulous detail, and Meng Fan practiced.

On July 24th, starting from the afternoon, all of Kyoto seemed to have entered Olympic time. By 5 PM, the main venue for the 2020 Kyoto Olympics, the New National Stadium, began its pre-ceremony performances. A series of spectacular shows rich in regional and ethnic characteristics were staged, broadcast live to the world.

Around 7 PM, spectators began to file in.

“Auntie.”

Xiaonanshan had arrived a few days after following Meng Caiju. During these days, the Meng family naturally met with the Wu family, who had come as well, staying in the same hotel. Xiaonanshan had grown familiar with Wu Tong, and whether under the “encouragement” of Meng Caihui or Meng Cailan, he had long grown accustomed to this affectionate address.

Wu Tong brought a small telescope for Xiaonanshan, so he could spot where his uncle was during the opening ceremony.

With the telescope hanging around his neck, Xiaonanshan held Wu Tong’s hand with one hand and swung the new toy with the other, behaving very well while waiting in line.

The two families, over thirty people in total, chatted and laughed as they queued to enter.

The families were generally good-looking, especially the seven daughters of the Meng family and Wu Tong, drawing the attention of many passersby in line. Of course, many domestic spectators who had come to watch the opening ceremony focused mainly on Meng Caiwei and Wu Tong. Meng Caiwei, needless to say, was a top-tier domestic star, while Wu Tong had remained highly popular ever since being dubbed the “Most Beautiful Painting Restorer.”

Domestic media also came to interview them, asking similar questions, all related to Meng Fan. It was almost like asking the obvious: for example, “Did you come to Kyoto mainly to cheer him on?” or “Do you think Meng Fan can win an Olympic gold this time?”

Meng Caiwei, who usually refused to say more than half a sentence about non-work matters to the media, was surprisingly cooperative this time and even spoke quite a bit.

As spectators entered one after another, the Meng and Wu families also made their way into the New National Stadium, took their seats, and naturally began taking photos while waiting for the opening ceremony to start.

At 8:20 PM, the much-anticipated 2020 Kyoto Olympics opening ceremony finally began.

The Olympic opening ceremony follows a fixed pattern. The first procedure is welcoming distinguished guests, primarily the host country’s head of state and the IOC president, followed by raising the host country’s flag and playing the national anthem. The second procedure, the most important for the audience and the core part, is the cultural performance, which typically lasts one to two hours.

The creative team for this Kyoto Olympics opening ceremony was exceptionally strong. The general director was Nomura Mansai, a Japanese actor and renowned kyogen performer—kyogen being a traditional Japanese comedic interlude performed during Noh plays, an improvised short farce. He is hailed as a future living national treasure in Japan and has starred in classic films like *Onmyoji* and *Ran*, as well as directed various stage plays.

Also involved were film director Takashi Yamazaki (known for directing the *Always: Sunset on Third Street* trilogy and *Stand by Me Doraemon*) and advertising director Sasaki Hiroshi (creator of the “Kyoto Eight Minutes” segment at the Rio Olympics) as coordinators. Additionally, Shiina Ringo served as music director, alongside choreographer MIKIKO and film producer Genki Kawamura (the driving force behind *Your Name* and producer of *Parasyte*), forming the core creative team.

The cultural performance lasted two hours, rich in Japanese characteristics, blending classical with modern, reality with anime, telling the story of Japan and helping the world understand it better.

After the cultural performance, the third procedure began: the athletes’ parade. This part took a long time, as there were over 200 national and regional delegations. Each delegation marched in alphabetical order based on the host country’s language, with the exception of Greece, the birthplace of the Olympics, which entered first, and the host country, which entered last.

“Next to enter is the Chilean delegation. Chile has sent a total of…”

Domestic viewers watching the Olympic opening ceremony listened to the commentary while watching the live broadcast. Many familiar with the order of entry had their eyes lighting up by now.

“Next to enter is the Chinese delegation! This time, the Chinese delegation has sent the largest number of athletes in history to the Kyoto Olympics, a total of 422 athletes, who will compete in all events. The average age is 23, the oldest is 43, and the youngest is only 17… Serving as the flag bearer for the Chinese delegation at this opening ceremony is Meng Fan, a Chinese weightlifter, wrestler, and judoka. He will compete in three major events and five sub-events, including four individual events and one team event. All four individual events have the potential to win Olympic gold! He is the first athlete in Olympic history to compete across three major events, and he is also the athlete with the most events in our delegation.”

When the Chinese delegation appeared, Zhang Zhouwei and the others watching the opening ceremony in the lobby of Damei Studio immediately spotted Meng Fan walking at the front, and they started screaming.

“Meng Pang? Meng Pang!”

“Meng Pang! It’s Meng Pang!”

“It really is Meng Pang!”

They repeated these few lines over and over, all stunned.

Zhang Zhouwei broke the silence first, slapping his thigh and shouting, “Why didn’t I go watch the opening ceremony! I regret it!”

Wang Yanan, who was taking photos of the TV, shot him a cold glare: “If you were at the scene, could you see this clearly?”

“True, huh!”

Zhang Zhouwei instantly quieted down, unsure if it was because Wang Yanan was right or because her glare was too lethal. Then he squeezed in front of the TV to take a photo with Meng Fan on the screen, posting it on his Moments and Weibo with the caption: “Your rider is on the way (order: four Olympic gold medals).”

The trending topics on Weibo that day were almost all related to the Olympics. After the Chinese delegation entered, the hashtag #MengFanOlympicFlagBearer# quickly appeared among the trends, followed by another related trending topic: #HandsomestFlagBearer#.

This “handsomest” wasn’t just a domestic internet consensus. In the topic area, many netizens had screenshots from foreign websites, showing discussions abroad about this Chinese flag bearer. Words like handsome, dashing, charming, captivating, and perfect smile appeared most frequently.

As for Meng Fan’s physique, honestly, it seemed to be more popular internationally than domestically. At 190 cm (the latest check-up showed he had grown another 1 cm) and 113 kg, he didn’t look fat but was undoubtedly strong. While domestic audiences preferred a more athletic build, foreign audiences were more receptive to Meng Fan’s type.

Of course, the most important thing wasn’t his physique or even his looks, but the charisma radiating from his entire being. It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to call him the embodiment of masculinity. And throughout the flag-bearing walk, he wore a sunny smile, which added seven points of goodwill. This was universal, transcending borders.

It wasn’t just the viewers watching on TV; the live audience was also stunned by the charm of the Chinese delegation’s flag bearer. Many people stared blankly at Meng Fan on the big screen, overwhelmed by his charisma and the infectious power of his smile.

“OMG! This Chinese flag bearer is so handsome!”

“Perfect smile!”

“That’s him! The Chinese guy who subdued a tiger! In terms of taming ferocious beasts, only he can compare with our fighting nation!”

“This Chinese man is so handsome! If I could have a romance with him, that would be amazing!”

“…”

The loudest voices came from the Japanese. When they heard the live commentary introducing the Chinese delegation and its flag bearer, many Japanese widened their eyes, covered their mouths, and looked incredulous!

“Nani! So he’s Meng Fan-kun! So handsome!”

“I never expected the manga artist I love to also be a super handsome athlete!”

“Did you know he’s competing in judo? I’m definitely going to watch!”

“What should I do if I’m captivated by Meng Fan-kun?”

“Can he not leave the screen so quickly?”

“Meng Fan-kun’s smile is so healing!”

“…”

Clearly, many manga fans knew that the author of *Strange People of the Mountains and Seas* was Chinese, had heard some rumors, and even seen photos, but they were still shocked by the charisma of his live walk, involuntarily screaming and applauding.

Undoubtedly, this was the delegation that received the most applause and screams so far, even more than when the American delegation—often considered the “father” by the Japanese—entered earlier.

Of course, the most shocked, proud, and happiest were definitely the Meng and Wu families.

“Mom, look, it’s Fanfan!”

“My son is so handsome!”

“Pengpeng-ge is the flag bearer!”

“This kid didn’t even tell us!”

“This is the pride of our Meng family!”

“I never thought someone from our family could walk out carrying the national flag at the Olympics!”

"Auntie! I saw Uncle! Uncle is holding a flag, and Xiaoshan knows that flag is the national flag! Xiaoshan has seen the flag-raising at Tiananmen, is Uncle going to raise the flag too?"

"Not now, but during the competition, Uncle will definitely raise the flag!"

"Really? When does the competition start? Xiaoshan can't wait to see Uncle raise the flag!"

"."

The Old Wu family was also surprised, but the elders spoke in hushed tones. Wu Tong, with sharp ears, seemed to catch something like "We must not let this son-in-law get away," and with Xiaoshan constantly calling out "Uncle" and "Auntie" in her ear, her ears reddened, and her eyes remained fixed on Meng Fan's direction.

Suddenly she recalled the first time Meng Fan confessed to her—he said he could become the person she liked, and she said she hoped he would become the person he himself liked. And now, this guy seemed to have become the person everyone liked!

Whew!

Finally, after finishing the march into the Chinese delegation's formation, Meng Fan let out a long breath. He spread his fingers and found both hands completely soaked. Despite the beautiful smile on his face, Meng Fan was extremely nervous!

"Very nervous?"

After entering the formation, positions were more relaxed. Several women's volleyball players came over to take photos with Meng Fan and the flag, asking with smiles. Seeing Meng Fan nod, they couldn't help teasing him a bit—yes, truly a big boy who loves to smile and looks good doing it.

Not only athletes from the Chinese delegation came for photos, but also athletes from other countries, with female athletes naturally making up the majority. A few outgoing ones stood very close to Meng Fan, even linking arms or hugging his waist, then running away shyly after the photo.

The athletes' entrance lasted about an hour and a half. The subsequent procedure was "speeches and flag-raising": the IOC President spoke, then the host country's head of state declared the Olympics open, followed by the playing of the Olympic Hymn while the Olympic flag entered and was raised on the stadium's flagpole.

Then came the oath-taking by athletes and referees from the host country, followed by the Olympic torch entering to light the Olympic flame. Next was the second half of the cultural performances, mainly songs and choruses, with a national treasure singer from the host country performing on stage, and finally the fireworks display.

"So it's not Hatsune Miku singing the theme song!"

Meng Fan silently grumbled. Actually, what Meng Fan had most looked forward to was seeing the already retired Namie Amuro appear on the opening ceremony stage, but alas, that was just a dream.

The opening ceremony came to a perfect end with the fireworks display. Spectators and athletes filed out one after another, buzzing with discussion and anticipation—discussing the wonderful performances and highlights of tonight's ceremony, and looking forward to tomorrow, the first day of competition.

(End of chapter)