Chapter 2

Yang An, responsible for ordering meals, had just finished a phone call in the corridor when he saw Duan Haishan come out to smoke. He quickly approached and lit a cigarette for Duan Haishan, saying, "Director Duan, I have an idea that could solve the current困境 of the show."

Duan Haishan actually took good care of Yang An, the small stagehand. During each recording, he would intentionally or unintentionally give Yang An some pointers, and a few times even let him do the work of an assistant director, such as engaging the audience and distributing gifts.

Duan Haishan blew a smoke ring and smiled, "Little Yang, did you hear what everyone said just now? There are so many difficulties that can't be solved. What good idea could you possibly have?"

Yang An chuckled, "Director Duan, I believe that methods are always thought of by people. Humans are the most adaptable creatures. In my view, these difficulties are no big deal!"

Duan Haishan asked, "Then let me ask you, how do we solve the budget problem?"

Yang An raised a hand, "With my idea, the additional budget will not exceed 5000 yuan."

Duan Haishan asked, "The guests lack artistic talent and comedic timing. How do we solve that?"

Yang An confidently patted his chest, "Rest assured, I will make sure the whole show is filled with laughs."

Duan Haishan asked, "Who do we invite as guests? We can't afford top-tier celebrities!"

Yang An shook his head, "We don't need top-tier celebrities, Director Duan. We just need good-looking men and women to make the audience laugh."

Several questions in a row didn't seem to stump Yang An, and Duan Haishan finally took him seriously. He stubbed out his cigarette and said seriously, "Little Yang, tell me your idea."

Yang An opened the program proposal he had sent earlier, flipped to the guest list page, and pointed to a row of names, saying, "Director Duan, for this episode, I want to invite the male and female leads from the movie 'Marriage of Convenience' as guests. Then, I want to add a game interaction segment called 'Laughing Slides.' As long as you agree, I guarantee that the budget, the laughs, and the ratings will not be a problem. At the very least, we can ensure a 0.3% rating!"

Yang An quickly explained his idea, and Duan Haishan's eyes grew brighter. He couldn't help but exclaim, "This idea is interesting! Come with me, tell Li Yang and the others about your idea, and let's perfect every detail!"

Duan Haishan eagerly pulled Yang An back to the meeting room, but Yang An didn't move, looking a bit embarrassed, "Director Duan, can I make a small request?"

Duan Haishan asked, "What request?"

Yang An scratched the back of his head and smiled sheepishly, "Can I also participate in the performance?"

Duan Haishan's eyes widened in disbelief, almost laughing out loud. He nodded in a perfunctory manner and pulled Yang An back to the meeting room.

After Li Yang and the others heard Yang An's idea about 'Laughing Slides,' they laughed, especially when Yang An said he wanted to perform. Everyone thought he was joking.

Li Yang played with a pen and said distrustfully, "Yang An, first, I admit your idea is somewhat interesting. Adding a 22.5-degree slope to the performance room to make everyone slide involuntarily could indeed create laughs. But the key is, how will your participation in the performance help?"

Yang An said, "We need someone to perform with the guests and liven up the atmosphere. I volunteer."

Duan Haishan nodded in support with a smile, "Little Yang has interacted with the audience a few times. I've seen it, and he's quite good at livening up the atmosphere."

Li Yang was still skeptical, "But you are just a stagehand, not professionally trained, and have no experience in comedic performance. Wouldn't it be better to have the host, Luo Ke, go on stage to liven up the atmosphere?"

Yang An shook his head, "Luo Ke has been hosting for half a year. I think he is very skilled in conversation, but his image is not suitable for comedy. If he goes on stage, the final effect might not be good. I think I am the only one here who can let loose and go wild. After all, I am new, so I don't mind making mistakes or looking foolish."

Li Yang was still unwilling to give up, "No, I think it's still not appropriate for you to go on. Director Duan, if we don't let Luo Ke go on, I suggest we choose someone from the host team of 'Happy Saturday.' Their artistic talent is top-notch, and the effect will definitely be great."

Duan Haishan chuckled, "Who do you want to choose?"

Li Yang said, "Zhang Mingde!"

Duan Haishan, well-versed in the intricacies of the station, smiled, "Let Little Yang try. Our show, 'Jianghu Laughter,' has finally come up with a reliable idea. Of course, we should cultivate our own people. Do you want to see other program teams take the credit?"

Everyone laughed and expressed their support for Yang An. Li Yang didn't argue further. His attempt to get Zhang Mingde a chance was a natural move to benefit himself. Zhang Mingde might not even be interested in 'Laughing Slides'!

Moreover, isn't Yang An a bit too confident? How can he be so sure that 'Laughing Slides' will be popular? You are just a stagehand, and a spontaneous idea can't possibly skyrocket the ratings. What about the face of our scriptwriters? This is what Li Yang resented the most.

Seeing Li Yang's reaction, Yang An suddenly understood and felt annoyed. He knew that Zhang Mingde was Li Yang's good friend and only the third MC on 'Happy Saturday.' Li Yang was deliberately recommending his friend to seize the opportunity to appear on camera.

After everyone finished laughing, Li Yang asked, "Yang An, I have one more question. Why do you want to invite the male and female leads from the movie 'Marriage of Convenience'?"

Yang An explained, "Because of the eyeball economy! We want good-looking men and women!"

Li Yang sneered, "A small movie with a production cost of less than 2 million yuan, and the leads are third-rate stars. How can this attract any attention? Moreover, Director Duan, our show's style has always been consistent. Suddenly changing it will make the host and guests feel uncomfortable. The work arrangements for props, photography, lighting, scriptwriting, and stagehands will all need to change, and the audience might be confused. Director Duan, I think we shouldn't bet on 'Laughing Slides.' We can't afford to lose this time!"

Li Yang's words made others hesitant. With less than a week left, adding a new game segment meant a lot of work from scratch. Could they complete it?

Duan Haishan hesitated for a moment and said, "Let's do this. Since the 'Marriage of Convenience' crew is already on the backup list, let's choose them as the guests for this episode. Little Li, try to add more lines and comedic elements to the script. Little Yang, prepare the 'Laughing Slides' segment on your own. We'll have a backup plan. When the guests arrive, we'll see how the live recording goes. If it's not good, we'll cut this segment."

Li Yang closed his notebook, "No problem!"

"Alright!" Yang An had no choice. The previous episode's rating was 0.295%. If this episode's scriptwriter, Li Yang, performed exceptionally well, returning to 0.3% was very possible. Duan Haishan's backup plan was for stability, not to deny him the opportunity.

Yang An secretly cheered himself on, determined to let 'Laughing Slides' win over the entire production team.

...

On Tuesday morning, the 'Marriage of Convenience' crew received a notification from Red Maple TV, setting the recording time for Thursday.

Yang An arrived at the TV station early in the morning and handed the proposal he had worked on overnight to Duan Haishan, "Director Duan, here is my proposal."

Duan Haishan flipped through it. The proposal was divided into three parts: the first part was the prop preparation plan, the second part was the game segment process and script, and the third part was the behind-the-scenes and post-production plan.

Duan Haishan praised, "Not bad, Little Yang. I didn't expect you to be able to write a proposal."

Yang An said, "That's because of your good teaching. I've learned a lot in the past six months. Thank you for giving me this opportunity!"

Duan Haishan nodded, "Youth is to be feared. Go ahead, I'll talk to the prop team. Set up the stage as soon as possible and do an internal rehearsal."

Yang An first went to the finance department to collect the budget. The mere 5000 yuan was discounted to 2000 yuan. When he went to the prop team, he encountered more trouble. They said they couldn't cooperate.

The prop team leader said helplessly, "Little Yang, according to your design, a 22.5-degree slope on the ground requires a steel frame and special flooring. You also need to fix the bar, tables, chairs, and microphone stands. This will cost a lot, and 2000 yuan is not enough!"

Yang An managed to convince them to advance part of the cost, first building the empty frame of the 22.5-degree slope. He promised to pay the rest by Thursday when the recording would take place, and then complete the flooring and props.

Next, he tried to find people for a preliminary rehearsal, but everyone in the production team was busy and no one was willing to help.

Even if Yang An was slow, he knew something was wrong.

At that moment, he saw Li Yang walking in, looking smug and smiling at him.

Li Yang asked, "Little Yang, how's the preparation for your 'Sliding Ball' show going?"

Yang An stopped and said, "It's 'Laughing Slides,' not 'Sliding Ball.' I'm currently looking for someone to read through the script, but everyone is busy. I wonder if the great scriptwriter Li can help check it?"

Li Yang sat down, half-lying in a computer chair, and took a sip of coffee, "I'm very busy too. I only have two days to write the comedic elements, and I need to rewrite the entire script. I really can't help you."

Another scriptwriter joined in, sarcastically saying, "Little Yang, you finished so quickly? Amazing! You don't even need us! If you can't find anyone to read through the script, you can ask the people at 'Happy Saturday.' They have more free time. Our production team is too busy, even the stagehands are taking on production roles, it's too busy!"

Li Yang added, "Yeah, it seems Zhang Mingde is free. You can ask him if he has time."

Why can't you just speak normally? Why do you have to be so sarcastic?

Yang An was really angry now!

We are all colleagues in the same production team. How can you sabotage each other like this? Who says a stagehand can't be a scriptwriter or a producer? I won't let you two get your way. I'll stick it out with you guys today!

"Fine, I'll ask!" Yang An coldly said and left the room, heading straight home.

Ask you what?

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