Chapter 9

"Disgusting guys are everywhere!" "Hahahaha!"

"Everyone can't live a normal life anymore!" "Hahahaha!" This time, the laughter even began to mix with applause.

"Would you let your cute kids play in the nearby park!?" Zhou Xiao countered.

"Of course not!" The audience, of course, didn't answer, so he immediately asked and answered himself.

"Because there are too many weirdos!!" He waved his hands to emphasize his point.

"Female college students living alone are in danger! There are a bunch of disgusting guys!" When he said this, Zhou Xiao even pointed at a few obviously very young girls in the audience. These girls had already been laughing a lot, and when they saw Zhou Xiao pointing at them with the small underwear on his head, they laughed even more, their laughter completely abandoning any sense of propriety.

"Wait, I have more to say." Zhou Xiao didn't stop; he continued, "Nowadays, society has become one where it's hard for young people to have dreams!"

"Huh? How did it jump to dreams?" The audience was puzzled. They didn't know that all of this was something Zhou Xiao had suddenly thought of with almost no way out, so it was normal for his thoughts to be a bit scattered.

"But, I want to say, to young people like me!" Zhou Xiao extended one finger.

"Have dreams! Strive to achieve your dreams! Yes, there will definitely be times when you feel like you can't go on, I've had those times, many times when I felt like I couldn't go on!"

"You're about to give up now, right!?" The audience thought to themselves as they looked at the small underwear on Zhou Xiao's head.

"Strive harder, keep pursuing your dreams! In the end, I finally stood here! I became what I am now!" Zhou Xiao said.

"Hahahahaha!" All the audience in the theater finally burst into the biggest laughter of the day.

Zhou Xiao let out a long sigh of relief. He had slightly deviated from the main point, but after a few sentences, he finally brought the topic back around.

"So, if you feel like you can't go on, come talk to me!"

"You're not alone!"

"I'm here, no! There are a bunch of people like me!" When he said this, Zhou Xiao emphasized "a bunch."

"Finally, when your dreams come true, girls, give me your small underwear!!! One... no, give me two!" After hesitating for a moment, Zhou Xiao held up two fingers.

"Hahahahaha!"

The final punchline was a very obvious direct hit. The entire segment had been full of innuendos and metaphors, and this direct hit was very effective, stirring up laughter throughout the theater. In Zhou Xiao's memory, he had never heard such a loud, almost roof-lifting laughter!

In the backstage, everyone was stunned!

Sakaguchi was stunned, Fujiwara was stunned, and Inoue was stunned.

No one could have imagined that Zhou Xiao would actually come up with another joke at such a critical moment!

No one had heard this joke before, making people doubt that he had made it up on the spot.

Even if it wasn't made up on the spot, the joke was still brilliant. Although Inoue wasn't a comedian, his judgment was still good. In his eyes, the joke was very complete and very brilliant. The use of punchlines, the space left for the audience to react, and the overall balance were all perfect. Each laugh point appeared at the perfect time. One could say that with just this joke, Zhou Xiao could sign a contract with the agency!

Inoue could hear the value of the joke, and Sakaguchi, who had been in the entertainment industry for ten years, could certainly hear it too. But he never imagined that Zhou Xiao could actually do it.

To come up with such a good joke while standing on stage, so nervous, and to get the entire audience to laugh and applaud? This was something Inoue had never achieved in his dreams.

"This feeling... it's so happy..." Listening to the applause and cheers around him, he smelled a fragrant scent. During the performance, he was so nervous that he didn't notice, but the small underwear on his head was emitting the scent of laundry detergent.

"So fragrant..." Zhou Xiao thought, a bit perverted.

After bowing in gratitude, he walked off the stage amid applause, whistles, and cheers.

"You little brat!" Inoue punched Zhou Xiao's chest. "I didn't expect it, I really didn't expect it, you actually did it!"

Saying this, Inoue looked very moved, even with a hint of tears in his eyes.

"Yes, I did it, I didn't let you down!" Zhou Xiao said. He himself might not have cared much about whether he could continue on this path, but in that situation, he naturally hoped to walk off the stage with dignity. If he had messed up, it wouldn't have been good for the theater. After a bad performance, the audience might not come back or might question the theater's selection of performers, and Inoue, as the manager, would have to take some responsibility.

"Hmph! Doing it once doesn't mean anything!" As soon as Zhou Xiao finished speaking, a jealous voice came from the side.

Turning to look at Sakaguchi, Zhou Xiao smiled easily. "Sorry, I made it through, so you didn't get your chance."

"Anyone can write a joke like that. In a different situation, it might not get any laughs. Don't get too cocky!" Sakaguchi said, his words not matching his thoughts.

"Oh? Is that so?" Zhou Xiao smiled more disdainfully. When one is happy, one feels good. Although he still had many problems and troubles, the performance had not only made the audience happy but also made him happy. So, he didn't care much about Sakaguchi's words. Say whatever you want; I've done it. Even if I don't plan to go far as a comedian, this joke can at least ensure I have enough to live on for a month or two. As for what happens after that, I have so many things in my head that I can easily come up with something that could earn more money than you could ever dream of.

Would a dragon care about an ant's provocation? Now, perhaps no one thinks he's a dragon, but he doesn't care. He knows it in his heart.

"Sakaguchi, your previous suggestion was good. Should we start implementing it today?" Inoue suddenly turned and asked.

"What suggestion?" Zhou Xiao asked.

"While you were performing, Sakaguchi suggested that after each show, the audience would judge the performances. The best performer would get the most money, and the worst performer would get nothing," Inoue explained.

"Really? That's a good suggestion!" Zhou Xiao's eyes lit up.

"..." Sakaguchi could only remain silent in response to Inoue's words.

However, in the end, Zhou Xiao still only received 5000 yen. Even if the suggestion had operational space, it wouldn't be implemented immediately. On one hand, after Zhou Xiao's performance, the audience started to leave, and the staff wouldn't have time to collect the audience's evaluations. On the other hand, such a decision would need to be approved by the theater's actual management.

But 5000 yen was already quite good. The theater's comedians perform twice a week, but usually, Zhou Xiao could only perform once a week because there were at least seven or eight groups of performers who regularly performed at the Daido Theater. With this joke, Zhou Xiao might even get to perform twice a week. Even if it's once a week, four days of performance a month would bring in 20,000 yen. Considering that he might find other jobs or ways to earn money after today, if he spends carefully, he can at least survive.

Taking the 5000 yen from Inoue, Zhou Xiao felt a bit sentimental. Although he was familiar with Japanese culture, his mind still had Chinese values, and 5000 yen was already a significant amount.

"Although I agreed to your performance in the theater, to be honest, I had doubts about whether you could stay in the entertainment industry. But seeing your performance today, I'm very happy. Perhaps in the future, you really have a chance to become a big star!" Inoue said as he gave Zhou Xiao the money.

PS: Many in the comments hope I'll keep writing this Japanese entertainment novel. I've been persistent with the previous book, and I'll still be persistent with this one. But while I'm being persistent, please be persistent too. Give me more favorites and recommendations!