Chapter 3

Yang An had been waiting until Thursday for the artist guests to arrive. He hadn’t begged anyone for help; instead, he held his breath, meticulously pondering his lines, planning the program flow, and preparing the background music, determined to do everything himself and not let anyone else help.

On Thursday, seven people from the "Men Marry, Women Wed" film crew arrived: the male lead, Shen Hui; the female lead, Liu Suxi; their respective agents; and the crew's publicist. Duan Haisan personally greeted them at the entrance of the TV station, leading them to the large meeting room to meet all the staff, showing a high level of importance.

Shen Hui and Liu Suxi had only been in the industry for three or four years, reaching the level of third-tier stars. Their acting skills were not great, but they had a wealthy backer willing to fund their movie, mainly because the man was handsome and the woman was beautiful!

"This is today's schedule: script reading at 8:00, makeup at 8:30, recording of the first segment 'Guest Chat' at 9:00, and 'Slippery Chat' at 10:00..." Duan Haisan introduced to the artist guests.

Shen Hui suddenly interrupted, "Director Duan, is 'Slippery Chat' a new segment?"

Duan Haisan nodded and gestured for Yang An to step forward, "This is the producer of 'Slippery Chat,' Assistant Director Yang An. He will also be interacting with you, so please cooperate well."

Yang An extended his hand, "Hello, Brother Hui! You might be quite busy today!"

Shen Hui, not quite understanding, smiled, "Hello, Director Yang. It's normal to be busy during recording, I can handle it."

Yang An then shook hands with Liu Suxi, "Hello, Sister Suxi. Have you had breakfast? If not, I'll have someone bring it to you. Recording can be quite tiring!"

Liu Suxi smoothed her bangs and smiled, "I didn't expect Director Yang to be so handsome. I love playing games with handsome guys. Don't worry, I'll definitely cooperate!"

The two kept calling him "Director Yang," which grated on Li Yang's nerves. He muttered, "What a phony 'Director Yang'... He was just a lowly stagehand last week..."

This complaint was low in volume, so Shen Hui and Liu Suxi didn't hear it, but their agents and Yang An did.

Yang An didn't refute it on the spot; this wasn't the right time to confront Li Yang. He let the young man have his moment.

Duan Haisan continued speaking, and everyone quickly entered their work mode, preparing systematically.

At 9:00, during the recording of the most important first segment, 'Guest Chat,' the two agents whispered to Li Yang. Soon, they approached Chief Director Duan Haisan with a grim expression, expressing their dissatisfaction, "Director Duan, we heard that the assistant director, Yang An, was just a stagehand last week?"

Duan Haisan turned off his walkie-talkie and led them to a secluded area, displeased, "So what if he was a stagehand? A stagehand promoted to assistant director, do you have a problem with that?"

The two were taken aback. Was he really going to be so protective? This was completely ignoring their face, and it was too blatant!

The agent asked again, "Is 'Slippery Chat' his proposal? He's so young, can he handle this job? Will it affect our artists?"

Duan Haisan laughed, "You're overthinking it. You'll see if the proposal is good once it's recorded. As for the impact on your artists, I think it will be minimal, if any."

Duan Haisan's words were laced with sarcasm, and the two agents picked up on it. He was mocking them, implying that their artists weren't that famous and were acting like big stars, talking about impact, which was quite pretentious!

The two agents were furious but didn't dare to confront Duan Haisan. They left angrily, planning to warn Yang An, picking on the weak.

The program had been recording for about half an hour when a young man approached Li Yang. It was Zhang Mingde, the No. 3 MC of "Happy Saturday."

Zhang Mingde asked, "Yangzi, why did you call me over in such a hurry?"

Li Yang said, "There's a new game segment coming up. See if it's worth it."

Zhang Mingde looked around, seeing no one paying attention, and whispered, "Is this a new segment you guys came up with? I'm not laughing at you, but everyone in the station knows your show is dying. Are you trying to make a last-ditch effort to revive it?"

Li Yang said, "I just saw the script, and it's quite interesting, so I called you to check it out. If you think it's worth it, I'll try to get you a spot as the MC."

Zhang Mingde said, "Thanks for thinking of me, but I'll pass this time. 'Jianghu Chat' has no future. Why are you still struggling? Once the show is canceled, come to 'Happy Saturday' and help me."

They chatted for a while, and the 'Guest Chat' segment ended.

Shen Hui and Liu Suxi went to change, and the prop team quickly dismantled the old set. Four or five people pushed carts, setting up a steel ramp.

The audience didn't know what was happening, seeing Yang An walking around with a megaphone, directing the setup.

Host Luo Ke walked off the stage and approached Li Yang, greeting Zhang Mingde, "This is quite a big deal, isn't it?"

Li Yang sneered, "Brother Luo, a twenty-something stagehand wants to be a screenwriter, a producer, and even a host, trying to be a star. Isn't that ridiculous?"

Luo Ke was also annoyed. He had been hosting 'Jianghu Chat' for half a year, and when he heard about a new segment by a young guy who didn't want him on stage, he almost threw his cup!

Zhang Mingde, being from another team, didn't want to stir up trouble but watched the stage setup with interest.

Yang An led by example, personally helping the prop team. Six or seven employees with hand drills went on stage, securing the table and chairs with rivets. In just fifteen minutes, they set up a bar scene.

The camera crew had three cameras. The main camera was placed at a 22.5-degree angle, with two mobile cameras on either side for close-ups and normal shots.

Shen Hui and Liu Suxi, who had just changed, approached the stage, both shocked. They looked at each other, speechless.

Liu Suxi exclaimed, "My goodness, this is what 'Slippery Chat' means?"

Shen Hui touched the 22.5-degree floor, frowning, "How can anyone stand on this? We have to climb up?"

The guests were stunned, and the audience was buzzing with excitement. The stage was already a laughing matter before the recording even started.

"Wow, that staff member is really mean. Look, he's waxing the floor!"

"This idea is interesting. The room is tilted, and they have to perform normally. They'll definitely fall, which will be hilarious!"

"Nice one, 'Jianghu Chat.' Why didn't they think of this earlier? If they had, the ratings wouldn't be so low now!"

Yang An smiled, "Are you two ready?"

Shen Hui was hesitant, "Director Yang, isn't this too difficult? I can't even stand!"

Yang An laughed, "Brother Hui, you're a tough guy in 'Men Marry, Women Wed.' Is this a small challenge for you? Let's try it. If we mess up, we can do it again. The final edit will be great!"

Liu Suxi put her hand to her mouth, giggling, "Director Yang, please hold me. I've always had poor balance and will definitely fall."

Yang An was speechless, "Should I get someone to rig you with a wire?"

Liu Suxi covered her mouth, laughing, "Sure, sure!"

Duan Haisan checked the artists' readiness over the walkie-talkie, confirmed that Yang An's setup was ready, and the camera crew was prepared. He then ordered the second segment to begin.

Yang An helped Shen Hui onto the stage. Shen Hui, wearing a bartender's suit, carefully placed his right foot on the floor, feeling secure, then put both feet down.

"How's it going?"

"It's okay, just feels a bit strange, the room is tilted."

"Try walking a bit? Go to the bar."

"Alright, the floor is a bit slippery... Oh no!"

Bang!

Shen Hui slipped and fell after just three steps, even before the recording started. The audience burst into laughter, rolling in their seats.

"Are you okay?" Shen Hui's agent rushed over, leaning against the room to ask.

Shen Hui stood up, waving, "I'm fine, I'm fine. It was my fault. These leather shoes are too slippery!"

The agent walked off the stage, passing by Yang An, giving him a hostile look. If Shen Hui got hurt, he wouldn't let Yang An off!

After a few minutes, Shen Hui finally adapted, following Yang An's instructions to the middle of the room, leaning on the bar, breathing heavily, and giving Yang An a thumbs-up, indicating he was ready.

Yang An then said over the walkie-talkie, "All units, 'Slippery Chat' first recording, get ready."

Duan Haisan, looking at the monitor, took over, "On-site director, quiet the audience, lights on, artists in position, cameras 2 and 3 to alternate shots of the audience every minute, music ready, five, four, three, two, one!"

After a lively opening music, the recording officially began.

The on-site director's voice echoed, "This Dish bar is where Shen Hui and Liu Suxi first met. The poor bar owner couldn't afford many staff, so Shen Hui worked as a DJ, bartender, and security guard."

Ha ha...

The audience chuckled, finding the first line hilarious. The bar was so poor that one person did three jobs!

Shen Hui, the cool bartender, was struggling, hands on the tilted bar, feet constantly fighting gravity, slipping down, pulling back, slipping down again, and pulling back. The side camera captured this perfectly, and the cameraman almost couldn't hold back his laughter.

The on-site director continued, "The bar was empty, with no customers. To attract customers and alleviate boredom, Shen Hui decided to dance. He chose a song and walked to the center of the stage."

Ha ha ha ha...

The audience noticed Shen Hui's expression and burst into laughter.

Shen Hui was almost petrified, looking at the on-site director in disbelief. Stand still and dance? This wasn't mentioned in the script!

Below the stage, Liu Suxi covered her mouth, laughing, and the staff with the DV camera captured this moment. Liu Suxi bent over, gasping for breath, "I finally understand... when Director Yang said it would be tiring... ha ha..."

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