After two days of intensive rehearsal under Wang Shu's guidance, the group had perfected their performance.
"Not bad, I didn't expect you two to have such acting talent," Wang Shu said, pleased as he looked at the recording on his phone, addressing Zhang Ji and Zhang Liangying.
"Of course, I actually wanted to be an actor when I first started," Zhang Liangying replied with a smug smile.
"Oh, come on. You're the worst actor among us three. Zhang Ji's acting completely crushes yours!" Wang Shu poured cold water on Zhang Liangying's boast. Zhang Liangying, apart from her good figure and voice, truly had rather mediocre acting talent. However, Wang Shu couldn't find any other suitable actors at the moment, so he had to make do, letting Zhang Liangying perform. At least Zhang Liangying had her strengths; her physique was decent. Even if her acting was average on stage, her looks and figure might win over the audience.
"We'll rehearse until here for today. Tomorrow is the official recording of the program. Our opponents will be seasoned actors from the comedy industry, so you must thoroughly study your roles when you get back," Wang Shu instructed Zhang Ji and Zhang Liangying. Gong Tao had already contacted him, confirming the contestants for the first episode and that recording would begin tomorrow.
"Don't worry, we definitely won't hold you back this time!" Zhang Ji promised, patting his chest.
"Yeah, don't worry. With me here, your show is sure to win first place!" Zhang Liangying confidently added, then quickly dashed off. Two days of high-intensity rehearsal had taken a toll on her.
...
After both of them left, Wang Shu, dragging his tired body, headed back to the hotel. On his way back, he received a call from the publisher, informing him that the book "To Live" had been printed and was ready for sale. Fifty thousand copies were distributed to major bookstores, and they would send him a few sample copies, requesting his mailing address.
...
The next day, Wang Shu contacted Zhang Ji and Zhang Liangying early in the morning, planning to rehearse one more time before the official start to familiarize themselves with the lines and movements. Although Zhang Liangying was somewhat resistant, she obediently followed along for the rehearsal. When the morning rehearsal concluded, there was less than an hour left before the program officially began. Wang Shu then took his two guests to Jiangnan TV.
Meanwhile, at Jiangnan TV, many of the veteran staff were eagerly awaiting Gong Tao's downfall.
"This is the first time I've seen someone dare to do a comedy show like this. They really don't know their place."
"Does he really think he can make anything popular just because he created 'The Masked Singer'?"
"When this show flops, let's see if the old station chief will still favor him."
"If it flops, even if the old chief doesn't let him go, Deputy Director Zhang won't tolerate him."
At this moment, inside the program recording hall, a few veteran employees stood idly in the viewing area, chatting without restraint. Some younger employees were diligently busy organizing props in the recording hall. In their eyes, Gong Tao was a senior they respected and who often took care of them, so they were fully supporting him this time.
When Wang Shu arrived at Jiangnan TV, the backstage waiting area was already packed with dozens of people. There was a crosstalk duo called Deyu Society, a sketch group called Happy Meat Rolls, as well as various acrobats and talk show hosts. When these people saw Wang Shu leading Zhang Liangying and Zhang Ji into the waiting area, they were all surprised.
"Isn't this a comedy show? Why are these three singers?"
"I admit Wang Shu's songs are good, but I've never heard him do comedy."
"This is outrageous. Are these three going to sing on stage later?"
"Damn it, these three have so many fans. If they sing later, wouldn't that violate the show's rules?"
The contestants in the waiting room discussed amongst themselves when they saw Wang Shu and the other two. They had been told by the director beforehand that it was a pure comedy variety show. But they didn't expect some singers to join the fray.
"Are these guys here to be funny? I'm curious what kind of comedy three singers can perform."
"Exactly, isn't this just messing around? Do they really think the barrier to entry for comedy is this low? Anyone can come and perform?" Two crosstalk actors said with a roll of their eyes, in a self-righteous tone.
"Esteemed teachers, it's a pleasure to have you all at the 'Happy Comedian King' competition. This time, besides the different competition format, we've also added daily observation of you all," Gong Tao said, entering the waiting room with a cameraman, addressing everyone present.
"What does that mean?" The group was baffled by Gong Tao's words. What was "daily observation"?
"This is something I just thought of today. Many viewers, besides focusing on the contestants' stage performances, are also very interested in what they're like offstage. Therefore, this program will also record your performances backstage," Gong Tao explained patiently.
"Next, please move directly to the contestant area at the front stage!" After explaining the new rules, Gong Tao instructed everyone in the waiting room. Everyone then got up and headed to the front stage.
"What's the meaning of this?" When they reached the front stage and saw the seating arrangement, everyone was surprised. The contestant area seats were arranged in a pyramid shape, with the highest seat numbered 1, extending downwards with increasing numbers.
"These are our self-evaluation seats. You can choose your seat according to your perceived strength!" Gong Tao continued with a slight smile, introducing this idea he had come up with that day. Although Wang Shu's concept for the show was excellent, his added creativity undoubtedly increased the show's appeal. Wang Shu also found Gong Tao's fancy ideas quite interesting.
"Where do we sit?" Zhang Liangying asked curiously after looking at the seating arrangement.
"No rush, let them pick first!" Wang Shu remained unhurried, standing calmly.
Then, the crosstalk duo they had just mentioned exchanged glances and directly took the first seat.
"Cao Jin is too arrogant, daring to sit in the first seat?"
"Yeah, the acting skills of these two are just so-so, yet they rated themselves so highly."
"Forget it, let's find our seats quickly, before there's nowhere to sit." Many contestants, seeing Cao Jin and his partner take the first-place seat, shook their heads helplessly and said. Then they all rushed to grab their preferred seats. By the time it was Wang Shu's turn, only a few corner seats were left. Wang Shu, not being picky, calmly walked over and sat down.
"Now that everyone has an idea of their own strength, the program will officially begin recording," Gong Tao said, seeing that everyone had found their seats, and then instructed the audience to enter the studio and take their seats.
"I've never watched this type of show before, so I'm quite looking forward to it!"
"Mainly because I heard Wang Shu will be participating, and I'm a fan, so I signed up directly."
"I prefer watching skits, but it's been many years since I've seen a work that made me laugh heartily. I don't know if this show will deliver today." The audience chatted in low voices as they walked towards the audience seats. They had never seen a comedy competition show like this before; at most, they had watched some comedy performances in theaters or listened to crosstalk in small venues. Seeing these programs on a TV stage was a first for them. Therefore, they were full of anticipation, although some were Wang Shu's fans, who came specifically to see him. Gong Tao had used Wang Shu's fame in his promotion, which attracted so many young and attractive girls. After all, the front-row audience members at a TV station also needed a certain level of attractiveness.
As the audience members settled in, they noticed that the contestants were seated in the center of the audience area.
"This is the first time I've seen this format. Isn't the competition supposed to start later? Why are the seats already decided?"
"What a cool seating arrangement, the first seat is like a dragon throne."
"Who are those two in the first seat? I've never seen them before. How did they get up there?" At this moment, many audience members noticed the contestant ranking seats and looked at the two bald men in the first seat with confusion. They didn't recognize Cao Jin and his partner Liu Tian in those seats.
"Dear audience, welcome to the 'Happy Comedian King' stage! The seating arrangement in the contestant ranking area is based on their self-evaluation of their strength, and they chose it themselves! However, after today's competition, their final position will be determined by your votes! So, today, whoever is funnier, cast your vote for them to ascend to the throne of comedy!" Gong Tao, acting as the host this time, stood in the center of the stage with a microphone and introduced to the audience.
"No wonder those two bald guys can sit in the first seat. So it's self-evaluation!"
"That's hilarious. These two are really confident, daring to sit in the first seat. If they get eliminated later, won't that be a huge embarrassment?"