Chapter 1

Yang An stood by the sink, looking at the mirror where a face with distinct features, slightly handsome but utterly unfamiliar, stared back at him. He gently touched his chin and pinched his ear—ouch, it hurt!

After confirming he wasn’t dreaming, Yang An sighed, “It looks like I really have crossed over, and to a parallel world at that. Fortunately, I’m a bit more handsome here…”

Upon waking up, Yang An found that this world was very different from his original one. The country, place names, and language habits were still the same, and industrial and technological development was similar. However, the history after the Qing Dynasty had completely changed. There were no monsters or spirits after the founding of the country, and all cultural and entertainment forms were different.

This was a world full of opportunities.

Yang An was certain that he had taken over the body and some memories of the original owner. In his previous life, he was an unremarkable office worker, but now he had become... another unremarkable office worker. He was a junior stagehand at the Red Maple TV station, a contract worker who had been there for only half a year, without a permanent position. He had been doing odd jobs in the equipment department, carrying machines, and his right hand had become slightly more muscular than his left.

“Damn, I almost forgot, it’s Monday today, and there’s a meeting at the TV station in the morning!”

Yang An was jolted awake by the mirror, realizing he was running out of time. He quickly washed his face, grabbed his backpack, and rushed out.

Yang An lived in a distant suburb, and the Red Maple TV station was located in the city center. He ran all the way from the subway station, panting and gasping, and just managed to arrive at the broadcasting building on time.

At 9:00 AM, the leaders held the regular meeting. Yang An was responsible for the daily tasks in his program group, such as cleaning, changing the drinking water, and checking important instruments and equipment.

Yang An’s program group, "Jianghu Laughter," was a long-running variety show on Red Maple TV that had been running for three years. It aired from 3:00 PM to 4:00 PM on Sunday afternoons, a time slot that was not very popular. The program group had a complete structure, from the producer and director to the writers, stagehands, and technical staff, totaling fifteen people.

Yang An was working on maintaining the cameras with the photographer, Gu Yunfeng.

The two of them were busy disassembling and cleaning the equipment, while the stagehands and writers were either reading news or playing games, chatting casually.

“Hey, did anyone see the ratings from yesterday?”

“Not yet, the main station hasn’t had time to notify us. I guess the statistics will be sent over soon!”

“Even if they don’t send them, we know what to expect. The biggest mystery is whether we broke 0.3%.”

“I don’t think so! Our 'Jianghu Laughter' is just two months away from its third anniversary. The ratings have been declining steadily. The previous episode was 0.309%, and the one before that was 0.304%. At this rate, yesterday’s episode probably just hit the 0.3% threshold!”

“I think it’s not bad. Whether it’s Red Maple TV, Purple Onion TV, Blue Sea TV, or even CCTV, how many variety shows can run for three years?”

“There is one, the News Broadcast!”

“Li, are you being sarcastic? The News Broadcast isn’t a variety show!”

“People watch the News Broadcast every day and feel happy. Isn’t that entertainment?”

“Go away!”

The group laughed and chatted, the atmosphere was very relaxed, as if they were discussing someone else’s program.

Yang An asked in a low voice, “Gu, isn’t it true that a variety show will be canceled if the ratings drop below 0.3%? Our 'Jianghu Laughter' is about to break 0.3%. Why isn’t everyone worried?”

Gu Yunfeng, who was carefully maintaining the camera lens, said without looking up, “Director Duan is retiring in two months. 'Jianghu Laughter' has been running for three years, and it’s time for it to end. The new producer won’t continue it. Since the outcome is already decided, why struggle? After these two months, the new producer will take over, and we can switch to a new program and start over. The station won’t cut our salaries!”

“Gu is right. When the new producer forms the team, I’m determined not to work on entertainment programs. It’s too hard to come up with good ideas, the audience is hard to please, the ratings are low, and the advertisers’ sponsorship fees are minimal. Who wants to do a thankless job?” This was Li Yang, a writer in his early thirties, who was already balding, with only a few strands of hair left, which he claimed was due to the mental strain of coming up with ideas.

Li Yang’s words resonated with everyone. Most of the permanent staff were just going through the motions, waiting for 'Jianghu Laughter' to end.

However, contract workers like Yang An were worried. If the program was canceled, they might lose their jobs.

Yang An was speechless. The program group had been working together for almost three years, yet the atmosphere was filled with a sense of disintegration and lethargy.

'Jianghu Laughter' mainly invited domestic celebrities to comment on social hot topics, tell jokes, sing songs, and entertain the audience. It also promoted the movies, books, and music albums of the invited celebrities.

In the first year, Red Maple TV provided strong support, inviting top-tier celebrities and promoting blockbuster movies and best-selling albums. The host was excellent, and the program was very successful, with a peak rating of 1.5%, ranking among the top five nationwide.

However, the ratings declined year by year. The host changed several times, top-tier celebrities were reluctant to appear, and second- and third-tier celebrities couldn’t attract the audience. The program content became stale, and the novelty decreased. The audience lost interest, and advertisers stopped investing, leading to a gradual decline and the current risk of cancellation.

At this moment, Director Duan Haishan and Deputy Producer Li Song entered the room. Duan Haishan clapped his hands, “Everyone, put down what you’re doing. Director Li has something to say.”

Yang An noticed that both Duan Haishan and Li Song looked grim. He quickly put down the camera and joined the others by the partition.

Li Song, a man in his forties and the deputy producer of the variety show department, was also the producer of 'Jianghu Laughter.' He said sternly, “The ratings for 'Jianghu Laughter' yesterday have been released. The national satellite TV variety show rating is 0.295%. I’m sure everyone knows what this means.”

Everyone’s heart sank. The 0.3% threshold had been broken!

Once the 0.3% threshold was crossed, the program would be canceled. The 3:00 PM to 4:00 PM slot on Sunday afternoons, though not very popular, was coveted by many other programs that didn’t even have a chance to air. They would fight to get this slot.

Li Song’s voice grew louder and angrier, “Director Duan is retiring in two months. What do you want to do? Can’t you let him retire peacefully? You’ve been with him for three years, and you can’t even last two more months? Everyone, snap out of it! I’m giving you one last chance. If the ratings drop below 0.3% this week, everyone will be transferred to local stations!”

No one in the office dared to speak. Li Song left with a heavy sigh, leaving Duan Haishan to face his team alone.

Duan Haishan, in his sixties, was not as domineering as Director Li. He was nearing retirement and had lost the desire to compete. Unfortunately, 'Jianghu Laughter' was declining rapidly, and he wouldn’t be able to retire with a good reputation.

Duan Haishan looked at his team and sighed, “Director Li was just venting. Don’t take it to heart.”

Li Yang, the writer, asked, “Director Duan, do we really only have one last chance?”

Duan Haishan replied, “Yes, there’s a lot of controversy within the station. They say we’re occupying a slot without producing results. The leaders of the economic channel, local stations, and even the provincial channel are all eyeing our slot. If we follow the station’s rules, our group would have been disbanded today. Director Li faced a lot of pressure and fought for this last chance. He’s actually doing this for your benefit.”

Gu Yunfeng, who had a good relationship with Duan Haishan, frowned and asked, “Director Duan, if the ratings don’t reach 0.3% this week and the program is canceled, what will you do?”

Duan Haishan smiled bitterly, “What can I do? Retire early and pack my bags, I guess.”

Everyone fell silent. Duan Haishan had worked hard all his life, but he wouldn’t have a good ending. This made everyone feel uncomfortable, as if they owed him.

Duan Haishan said, “For this episode, we’ll go all out. We’ll fight with our backs against the wall. I, Old Duan, beg you all to work hard for the next two months, so I can retire with dignity. What do you say?”

“Brothers, let’s get our spirits up and get to work! We can’t let Director Duan down!”

“Director Duan, rest assured. We won’t slack off. We’ll make sure the ratings exceed 0.3% this week!”

“Everyone, let’s brainstorm and think of ways to boost the ratings and make the program more appealing. We can’t let Director Duan down!”

The atmosphere in the 'Jianghu Laughter' program group finally became lively. Those who had been thinking of slacking off felt ashamed and started to use their brains to come up with ideas to help Duan Haishan.

Yang An blinked, thinking about how to use this opportunity.

In his original world, there were many high-rated variety shows. Rebranding 'Jianghu Laughter' wouldn’t be difficult, but he was just a contract worker without a permanent position, a junior stagehand. He had no qualifications or experience. How could he gain Duan Haishan’s trust and maximize his own benefits?

The program group colleagues regained their enthusiasm and enthusiastically discussed how to boost the ratings.

“Director Duan, I think the problem lies with the guests. We should try to invite bigger stars for this episode.”

“But our budget is exhausted. We can’t afford to invite big stars.”

“I think the guests aren’t the main issue. Many of them don’t have good stage presence. We should focus on the script and make it funnier.”

“But we don’t have enough writers. Should we borrow some from other departments?”

“We need to improve the music and post-production. No offense, Xiao Zhang, but your post-production is too cliché. The audience can’t see the live show, so many of the laughs are created in post-production.”

“...”

Regardless of whether these ideas were useful or could solve the actual problems, it was a good start. The program group showed a long-lost vitality, and Duan Haishan finally smiled.

Yang An remained silent throughout. After work, the entire team stayed to work overtime. He finally found an opportunity to talk to Duan Haishan alone.

...

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