"Da Fei is really stubborn. Among all the teams, Team Two is the strongest. Did Da Fei really just pick his opponents based on their strength?"
"No doubt, it's for the show. The director probably arranged it."
"The weakest team is going up against the strongest one. Da Fei's The Ladies' Team is going to lose in the first round."
"Maybe not. What if it's really a chess match?"
"Impossible! This is a competitive sports show. The director said it's chess, but it won't be that simple."
"..."
There were a lot of Zhuge Liangs in the comments, and their analyses were very insightful.
Arriving at the second round venue, all the audience members and contestants were once again stunned by the grand production. It was a giant chessboard, complemented by a holographic projection, creating a rather shocking scene.
"The rules for the second round are as follows: Each person on a team will play one or more chess pieces. First, the team members will use the computer screen above their own King to control the moves. Then, the team members will push the giant chess pieces to the designated positions. Finally, a rock climber will climb up from below to press the timer, marking the end of the round."
"If one side runs out of time or is checkmated, they lose."
Upon hearing these rules, everyone revealed expressions of "I knew it," clearly indicating that it wouldn't be as simple as just playing chess. It would require physical exertion as well.
Several staff members demonstrated the process, and it took about three or four adult men to easily push a chess piece.
"The chess pieces are made of solid materials, each averaging 150kg. You have five minutes to prepare."
After the director announced the rules, the two teams immediately gathered to discuss tactics.
Luo Jia said, "Da Fei, what should we do now? You'll definitely be the one to move the chess pieces. What about the other tactics?"
Lin Chudong said, "Since it's a test of physical strength, we don't need to prioritize winning the game. Fifteen minutes might not be enough."
"So, my tactic is to stall for time. Prioritize taking their pieces. As long as we aren't checkmated, we can run out their time. I'm choosing black, so a draw is a win."
"Who can go rock climbing on the other side?"
A fitness girl named Li Xinran raised her hand. "Da Fei, I can give it a try. I can go alone. If I can't do it, I'll call for help."
Lin Chudong nodded. "Then, the most important piece, the King, will be mine. The Guards and Pawns go to Li Xinran. The rest of you, listen to my instructions."
Team Two on the other side obviously couldn't hear Lin Chudong's tactics, but the audience could see it very clearly.
"Da Fei has some skills. He knows his team's weaknesses and strengths. If this tactic is really executed, he might win."
"If they really can't win, those girls just need to call him 'Brother', and give Da Fei a shot of adrenaline. He might be able to take on Team Two all by himself."
"Adrenaline is so awesome, one 'brother' and Da Fei immediately transforms into a Super Saiyan."
The competition began, and the atmosphere immediately became tense. After Da Fei finished operating the screen, he immediately took the girls to push the chess pieces.
Then Li Xinran began to climb, completing this set of movements with flowing ease.
The audience quickly saw the problem. If there were no time limits, then whoever had the higher chess skill would definitely win.
But now that there were time limits, it was about who could better coordinate their physical strength and mental power.
Lin Chudong's tactical thinking was very clear: try to eat as many of the opponent's pieces as possible, and ensure that his own side wasn't checkmated.
Because if they ate an opponent's piece, the opponent would likely lose a team member. When they only had two or three people left, the situation would become incredibly difficult.
Liang Yin and the others watched on the television, feeling incredibly nervous, as if a speed race was playing out. This show, it must be said, was very attractive.
There was a lot in the show that Lin Chudong could learn from. Even though he was already a senior director, there was still a lot of room for improvement. Watching the variety show he recorded and learning from it was also a way of studying.
However, Lin Chudong had already experienced it, so he wasn't interested in watching it again.
He picked up a copy of Basic Acting for Beginners and sat down to read it with great interest.
The system didn't give him any acting skills, so he had to study on his own.
This segment didn't have any comedic content, it was all about passion. Team Two's captain, Sima Peng, was also a very smart person. He saw through Lin Chudong's tactics and immediately adjusted his strategy.
The two sides fought fiercely. With five minutes left, only three people remained on Lin Chudong's side.
Li Xinran, who had climbed over the wall more than ten times, Lin Chudong, and Luo Jia.
At this point, everyone's stamina was greatly depleted. Every time they had to move a piece a long distance, only Lin Chudong and Luo Jia were struggling.
Team Two's situation isn't great either, they also have three people left, but three men are still a bit stronger than The Ladies' Team.
Looking at the situation on the field, Lin Chudong suddenly said, "We only need to move the King next, just one square each time, and wear them down, stall for time."
Luo Jia nodded, understanding the tactic. They were the defending side, so a draw would be a win.
"I just don't know if Li Xinran can hold on."
Lin Chudong said, "Didn't I already teach you the tactic? Just move the King back and forth."
"The two of you push this piece, just pushing one square shouldn't be a problem. I'll go replace her."
As the words fell, Lin Chudong quickly ran out, went to the climbing wall, and replaced Li Xinran.
"Da Fei's tactics are really awesome, but he's already so tired, can he still climb?"
"Their strategy revolves around Da Fei, using the least amount of stamina to buy as much time as possible. We'll see how Team Two handles it."
"Team Two has less time than Team One. If they keep this up, they're definitely going to lose. Who knew Da Fei was this strong? He's actually holding his own against Team Two."
"Da Fei always brings the entertainment on variety shows. He's practically the God of Variety now."
"Yeah, every time I see a variety show with Da Fei, I have to watch it. Otherwise, I'll miss out on so many iconic moments."
"Do you think Shen Jianbin is regretting everything now?"
"Absolutely. If Da Fei was still around, he'd be a cash cow for him."
"Shen Jianbin was short-sighted. He brought it on himself. What can you do?"
"Haha, every time Da Fei creates an iconic moment, Shen Jianbin gets dragged out and roasted online."
Lin Chudong's climbing skills had been assessed by everyone in the first round, and they knew that if they kept up this way, they definitely couldn't outlast Team One.
Sima Peng immediately changed tactics, no longer trying to checkmate the opponent, but instead focusing on capturing their remaining two pieces.
They only had three pieces left now; if they could take one more, they'd have a hard time finishing the game.
Seeing Sima Peng charging toward their last Pawn, Lin Chudong's expression immediately shifted slightly.
"Don't move, wait for me!"
Lin Chudong removed his harness and quickly ran over, operating the computer screen, and then said.
"Move, push the pieces with me!"
The three of them pushed the pieces together, and after they were done, Lin Chudong ran off to climb again.
The athletes who had retreated were shocked by Lin Chudong's actions.
"This stamina is incredible!"
"Did Da Fei go to sports school before, or did he train in some sport?"
"I haven't heard anything about that, but he's really strong."
"Team One might actually win."
The camera cut back and forth, showing Lin Chudong running frantically, covering the entire field by himself.
On the other side, Sima Peng was covered in cold sweat, visibly anxious, trying to break the deadlock.
The two timers kept switching as well, and Yan Ming's use of the camera was excellent, creating a strong sense of urgency.
Finally, at the last second, Team Two's time ran out.
Team One had fifteen seconds left, they won with a fifteen-second lead!
"Congratulations to Team One for their victory!"
Immediately, The Ladies' Team cheered, and Lin Chudong lay directly on the ground, visibly exhausted.
This was really tiring, I can't even move.
Several girls directly lifted Lin Chudong up, celebrating and cheering.
Lin Chudong hurriedly shouted, "My hairstyle, don't mess up my hairstyle!"
"You can lose your head, but not your hairstyle!"
"Hahaha, Da Fei is really a talent. Even at a time like this, he's still worried about his hairstyle!"
"That saying is also a classic: 'My head can be cut off, but my hairstyle cannot be messed up!'"
"I'll come up with a couplet: 'Blood can flow, but my leather shoes must be polished.'"
"Talent, hahaha! This show is so good. When will the next episode air?"
"More episodes! I will definitely watch any show with Da Fei in it from now on!"
"The true god of variety shows. Da Fei has contributed too many classic scenes this year; the editors can't keep up!"
Accompanied by high praise, the show ended.
Looking at the data on the SkyNet video, the number of people following the show had already exceeded three million!
This number is terrifying.
Yan Ming, as a director whose variety show went viral, had a certain level of popularity himself.
Coupled with the fact that the quality of the variety show was indeed good, it was expected to become a hit.
And thanks to this variety show, Da Fei also became popular again.
The Spring Festival Gala only made the audience feel that Da Fei was really popular, but those in the industry knew that there was something fishy going on. Da Fei might have a special relationship with CCTV.
But this program made all the producers see Da Fei's variety show value.
All the variety shows Da Fei had participated in had gone viral.
Although "Crossover Singer" was related to music, after Sister Deng left, his performance was also quite amazing. He was extremely strict with the male contestants, but oh so gentle with the female contestants.
That show was already worth watching, with Sister Deng directly advancing to the finals, and these last few episodes were all carried by Lin Chudong.
And this "I Can 48" has nothing to do with music, yet Da Fei still performed so outstandingly. His variety show skills are really impressive.
After the show, Liang Yin said.
"How much should we charge for your variety show appearance fees in the future?"
"One and a half million, let's try that first. If they all accept it, we'll go with that price."
"Okay."
Thinking back to before, their performance fee at the music festival was only fifty thousand, thanks to Tian Yingxiong's connections. Now, Da Fei's appearance fee alone was one and a half million. That number was truly terrifying.
"Da Fei, with our reputation, can we hold a concert now?"
Lin Chudong frowned. "We'll study it later. Concerts require a significant investment. It's fine if we can fill the seats, but we also need someone on the performance side. We'll have to take things slowly."
Putting on a concert requires accumulation.
Da Fei's band had accumulated fans for three years before they dared to hold a concert.
Firstly, concert investments are huge. You first need to find investors, then find a performance company, and finally, there are scalper ticket issues. The waters are deep. Even if they invested themselves, they'd still need the cooperation of the performance company.
In the end, after all the fuss, the band might not even get much money.
Currently, Lin Chudong needed to use his money wisely. He was involved in film and television and games, and he could predict the market, knowing these things would definitely be popular.
But when it came to holding a concert, he really wasn't confident.
The popularity was high, and he was quite popular now, but if he asked the audience to pay one or two thousand to see his concert, he might lose money.
It wasn't that Lin Chudong lacked confidence, but rather that scalpers had monopolized the tickets. The organizers only released about twenty percent of the tickets.
That meant out of the five thousand seats, only a thousand tickets were available for fans to purchase. The rest had to be bought from scalpers.
If the concert wasn't popular and didn't sell well, he'd lose money, and the organizers would lose money. It would be a thankless endeavor.
If the concert was popular, fans would be upset by the high ticket prices and would only criticize him. His reputation would collapse. Although he'd make money, he'd be hurting his fanbase.
He'd consider concerts when his fanbase was larger, or if he could bypass the scalper issue.
After the show aired, Liang Yin received many calls, all for variety show invitations. She quoted one million five hundred thousand yuan, as Da Fei had instructed.
Surprisingly, no one refused. An increase from one million two hundred thousand to one million five hundred thousand was a significant raise. However, the show was incredibly effective, full of variety show appeal. Those who called could generally afford the price.
Lin Chudong also received a call, from Qiu Chengdong.
"Director Qiu?"
"Da Fei, the show is great. I watched it, and the effect is excellent."
"Thank you for your attention, Director Qiu. What can I do for you?"
"Yes, the Lantern Festival Gala is under my direction this year. I'm the chief director, and I'd like to invite you to perform in a program."
Lin Chudong was taken aback, "No problem. When do we record?"
"The thirteenth day of the first lunar month. I spoke to the station leaders about your situation. They don't have any objections, especially since you have Sister Deng's connection. As long as the sponsors don't cause trouble, you can perform without worry."
"However, I have two requests of you. First, you have to sing an original song, and the effect should ideally be similar to the Spring Festival Gala's, something that moves people to tears."
"Second, I need you to help me arrange a language-based program to support the show. The Spring Festival Gala's 'Kung Fu Order' was my achievement. You're very talented in this area, so just consider it a favor to me."
Lin Chudong said, "No problem. The Lantern Festival Gala is much easier to handle. Is Teacher Zhao still participating?"
It was indeed difficult to work on the language programs for the Spring Festival Gala, but the review process for the Lantern Festival Gala wasn't as strict.
However, most of the programs at the Lantern Festival Gala were ones that were rejected by the Spring Festival Gala. They still had that awkward style, so if you wanted to stand out, you'd have to put in some effort.
"Teacher Zhao is still coming, and I mentioned you to her. I asked you to be the scriptwriter and director for her skit, and Teacher Zhao agreed."
Lin Chudong said, "Since Teacher Zhao agreed, then leave her program to me."
-----------------------
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