Chapter 9

In the living room of Mu Jianmin, laughter and joy never ceased, from beginning to end. No one even remembered that the second half of the soccer match had already started, and they even enjoyed the following highlights.

After the stage performance of "Laughing at the Slippery" ended, Yang An and the others wiped their sweat, panting and breathless, as they commented on everyone's performance. They teased and mocked each other, and then the production team played a clip of the entire cast singing and dancing to "A Set of Pancake Rolls," which delighted the audience at home.

As the time approached 3:30 PM, the "Laughing at the Slippery" segment finally ended, and advertisements were aired in preparation for the next segment.

Mu Jianmin and his friends were all discussing the show, laughing and joking around.

"Hey, watch the game, it's past the time!" Liu Ziji suddenly remembered and urged everyone.

"No changing the channel! We're watching 'Jianghu Laughter Talk'!"

"Whoever dares to change the channel will have to kneel on the washboard tonight!"

"Mu Jianmin, if you dare to change the channel, I'll make you sleep on the couch for a month!"

The women at the mahjong table erupted, and Mu Jianmin's wife pounced, snatching the remote control with a smile and returning to chat with her friends.

The men, helpless, continued to drink beer and eat braised meat while watching, but the following program was boring. After five minutes, even the women couldn't bear it, and the men switched to watching the soccer match, while the women resumed their mahjong game.

The soccer match was intense, but Mu Jianmin's mind was wandering. He asked, "Hey, what do you think of the show just now?"

"Pretty good, very down-to-earth."

"I like it. Our Red Maple TV should have launched this type of show long ago. This episode's ratings will definitely be high."

Everyone's comments were high and quite fair.

Mu Jianmin picked up his phone and headed to the study. He had noticed that "Laughing at the Slippery" had no sponsor, and he had a reason for joining the top business circle in Red Maple City at the age of thirty.

"Mr. Zhang, check the situation of our Red Maple TV's 'Jianghu Laughter Talk' program. Yes, the one broadcast at 3 PM on Sunday. See if there's a chance to cooperate with them. They seem to have just revamped. I don't need to explain the difference between helping in a crisis and adding to success, right? In any case, get this done as soon as possible!"

Mu Jianmin hung up the phone, reflecting on the show, and smiled. Then he returned to watch the soccer match.

...

On Monday morning, as soon as Yang An walked into the office area, he was surrounded by colleagues congratulating him.

"Director Yang, congratulations! I watched the show yesterday afternoon, it was hilarious!"

"My son didn't even do his homework, he watched it once and then insisted on finding the replay online. When I came back from my evening walk, many neighbors stopped me to praise our new version of the show. It was so face-saving!"

"The online reaction is great. Everyone is saying our show has blossomed, and the revamp was a success. Especially the 'Pancake Rolls' dance, which has spawned over ten different versions online in just one night. Many square dance aunties are learning it. I bet in no more than ten days, the streets will be filled with 'A Set of Pancake Rolls'!"

"This time, the pancake roll vendors will make a fortune. Director Yang, you can charge them for advertising, a hundred yuan per stall!"

Seven or eight people gathered around, laughing and talking, and Yang An's face was beaming. However, just as everyone was enjoying the moment, an unpleasant voice came from outside.

Li Yang coldly said, "Aren't you being a bit too optimistic? The hot posts online might be from the production team's hired trolls, and the dance adaptation might be their push. The ratings for yesterday's show haven't come out yet. How can you be so eager to credit Yang An? Isn't that a bit hasty? It sounds like you're trying to flatter him!"

Gu Yunfeng was furious. "Hey, Li Yang, can you speak properly? We're just chatting and laughing, how is that flattery?"

Song Xiaomei was angry. "Li Yang, I'm in charge of the publicity. I can assure you that the hot posts online are definitely not from our hired people!"

Li Yang sneered again. "Miss, listen carefully. I said the film crew might have done it, not you. How do you know they didn't hire more online promoters? And what I can't stand is that you all keep congratulating and praising, as if the entire hour-long show was made by Yang An alone. Is the rise in ratings all his doing?"

Hey, this guy, what's his problem? Can he speak like a human?

The colleagues were all furious. The situation was clear: Li Yang was envious and jealous of Yang An's success. He was worried that after Duan Haisan retired, Yang An would compete with him for the director's position. But the director's position should go to the most capable person. Instead of improving his own skills, he was targeting a newcomer with all sorts of underhanded tactics. That was too much!

Gu Yunfeng stepped forward, standing in front of Li Yang and said, "Li Yang, are you on the wrong medication? You've been picking on Xiao Yang since last Monday. What did Xiao Yang do to you? If you were capable, why haven't you improved the ratings? You've been the scriptwriter for our show for two years, and the ratings have been declining, finally dropping below 0.3. What right do you have to criticize others?"

Li Yang, being scolded, was furious. He slapped away Gu Yunfeng's hand. "Gu Yunfeng, you're the one with the problem! Oh, the low ratings are all my fault? And the rise in ratings is all Yang An's doing? Are you being reasonable?"

Gu Yunfeng, with his short temper, almost came to blows with Li Yang.

Yang An quickly held back Gu Yunfeng and said, "Brother Gu, don't say anything more. Li Yang, shut up. Li Yang, you've been picking on me repeatedly, and I've been tolerating it, waiting for today! I always believe that facts speak louder than words. I don't want to argue with you now. Wait for Director Duan to bring the ratings, and it will be clear! Who contributed to the show and who is incapable, we'll let the data speak!"

Li Yang, furious, kicked a chair and shouted, "What are you? I, Li Yang, have been in the industry for over ten years, been the scriptwriter for seven shows, and served as an assistant director for three years. You've only been a stagehand for a few days, and you're bouncing around like this? What right do you have to speak to me?"

"He has the right!"

A stern voice came from behind, and Duan Haisan strode in.

The colleagues parted to make way, and Duan Haisan slammed the file in front of Li Yang, coldly saying, "The ratings for this episode are out, 0.355%. Do you think Yang An has the right to speak to you?"

The previous episode was 0.295%, and this one was 0.355%!

The other members of the production team were overjoyed. This was a significant improvement!

"Great, we've saved the red line! Thank goodness, we won't be cut!"

"Fantastic! A major breakthrough, this is a major breakthrough!"

"Let me calculate. The ratings have increased by 20% compared to the last episode! My goodness, Director Yang deserves a lot of credit!"

"Director Duan, you promised, don't forget to treat us to a big meal!"

The colleagues were elated, pulling Duan Haisan to treat them and high-fiving and hugging Yang An, celebrating this hard-won victory!

Duan Haisan smiled at the other colleagues and then turned serious, looking sternly at Li Yang. He knew Li Yang's character well; this mad dog wouldn't give up easily and would definitely have more tricks up his sleeve.

Sure enough, Li Yang didn't back down under the intense gaze of everyone. Instead, he smiled and said, "0.355%, not bad. At least our show won't be cut."

Duan Haisan wouldn't let him off. "What was your earlier criticism of Yang An about?"

Li Yang, not daring to be too bold with Duan Haisan, said, "Director Duan, you misunderstood. I was being objective, not personal. Before the ratings came out, I just reminded everyone not to get too complacent. Also, I believe that the success of the show is a team effort. No matter how well Yang An did, it still relied on all of us working together. So, we shouldn't overemphasize individualism, right?"

Duan Haisan laughed. "Li Yang, you've worked under me for two years. Do I not know your character? You know what teamwork is? I find that word quite jarring!"

The colleagues expressed their anger. Li Yang's arrogance was clearly targeted at Yang An, and now he was pretending to be reasonable, which was extremely disgusting.

Li Yang protested, "Director Duan, I really meant it. I..."

Yang An interrupted him without hesitation. "Scriptwriter Li, there are some things I didn't want to say, but some people have gone too far. To clear my name, I'll show you something."

Yang An pulled out an A4 paper from his script folder and handed it to Duan Haisan.

Duan Haisan looked at it carefully, grunted, and slammed the A4 paper on Li Yang's desk. "You have the nerve to criticize others! Hmph!"

Duan Haisan turned and left. Li Yang's face turned red and white, and he picked up the A4 paper, his face turning red with shock, his lips trembling, unable to say a word, staring at Yang An in disbelief.

Gu Yunfeng quickly snatched the A4 paper and read aloud, "Real-time ratings chart for 'Jianghu Laughter Talk'...

15:00-15:10, 0.285%,

15:10-15:20, 0.601%,

15:20-15:30, 0.359%,

15:30-15:40, 0.288%...

"

There was no need to read further. Everyone could tell that the ratings during the "Laughing at the Slippery" segment exceeded 0.6%, while the ratings for other segments were mostly below 0.3%. The 0.359% was also due to the inertia of viewers watching "Laughing at the Slippery."

Song Xiaomei chuckled. "Hey, Li Yang, it looks like without Yang An's 'Laughing at the Slippery,' our 'Jianghu Laughter Talk' would have been below 0.3% again, and we wouldn't have had to come to work today, as the show would have been canceled!"

Gu Yunfeng sneered. "I finally understand. You were trying to take credit from Yang An and attribute it to the entire team because you were worried about this! Your segments were all below 0.3%, dragging down the overall ratings. Yang An's segment exceeded 0.6%, raising the average. Instead of thanking him, you targeted him. You're really no good!"

The other colleagues watching the scene laughed, and two of them even gave Yang An a thumbs up from a distance.

This Xiao Yang is really something. Bringing out this data at a critical moment, it's a slap in the face. How will Li Yang respond? Will he admit defeat?

...

PS: The contract has been sent. Please feel free to collect and vote.

Even during the free period, the book has received over 10,000 collections, and a reader "Devil★Tears" has given a reward. I am both delighted and grateful, but also very cautious. I save my drafts every day and don't update twice a day. I revise each chapter four or five times, carefully considering before posting, for fear of any issues with the plot or pacing.

I've seen many entertainment novels collapse, which is very regrettable. I've collected the pitfalls of many entertainment novels and try to avoid them. In the days to come, I will tread carefully, striving to write the ideal king of variety and entertainment in my heart.

I wish I can do well, and I hope you all can do well too!

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