Mao Feifei narrowed his eyes, his expression far from pleased.
"What's this, big shot bossing everyone around? You got to direct this and suddenly you think you're hot stuff, huh?"
"I could quit right now, and you'd still have to deal with it, wouldn't you? An outsider always trying to meddle in our comedy, you're hilarious."
Mao Feifei's words infuriated Qiu Chengdong.
The other directors had pretty good tempers, but Director Qiu was not so easygoing.
Hearing Mao Feifei's tone, he immediately flared up.
"You're quitting on me? Get out right now, and forget about the Central Television station in the future. Now that you're a little famous, you think you're the greatest, huh?"
Mao Feifei's expression shifted slightly. "Director Qiu, I wasn't aiming at you..."
Qiu Chengdong said, "I don't care who you're aiming at. Both of you, get out. If you don't leave, I'm calling security to clear you out."
Mao Feifei's expression was extremely ugly. He hadn't expected Director Qiu to be so protective of Lin Chudong.
He's just a singer, isn't he? Why does it seem like everything falls apart without him?
"Director Qiu, I was just speaking out of anger. We've rehearsed for so long. If I don't perform in this program, wouldn't it be ruined? I don't care about myself, but Teacher Zhao's efforts would be wasted."
Lin Chudong said, "Teacher Zhao's efforts won't be wasted. You leave. I'll perform myself."
Mao Feifei frowned. "You? Are you kidding? You're not an actor. You give me a few instructions, and you think you're better than me?"
"Da Fei, think carefully. If you mess up at the Lantern Festival Gala, you'll ruin more than just yourself!"
Qiu Chengdong said, "Are you done talking? Get out!"
Previously during the Spring Festival Gala, Qiu Chengdong wasn't the chief director. He had to listen to Ma Youfu and consider all aspects.
But now that he was in charge, he wouldn't indulge such people. Threatening him with quitting at a critical moment? They were asking for it.
Mao Feifei and Chen Ya walked out, standing at the television station entrance.
Chen Ya said, "Honey, what should we do? Can you still perform?"
Mao Feifei said, "Wait here for a bit. Da Fei is just a singer. How could he possibly act well? Maybe they'll still need me."
Mao Feifei was also trying to reassure himself.
His role didn't actually require strong acting skills. Da Fei had personally demonstrated and coached him before, and he had performed quite well.
It seemed that Da Fei could do it himself, but he lacked stage experience and might not be able to improvise well.
Mao Feifei didn't believe it. A singer actually dared to perform in a skit at the Lantern Festival Gala?
Liang Yin whispered, "Da Fei, can you handle going on stage?"
Lin Chudong nodded. "I'll give it a shot. I didn't study acting on my own for nothing these past few weeks."
Da Fei's many skills all came from the system.
He'd spent so much money opening treasure chests, but the system hadn't given him a single acting skill. He had no choice but to learn on his own.
He'd been studying for over half a month, and he had gained some understanding.
Moreover, acting still required some talent.
Lin Chudong had extensive stage experience. Playing a supporting role in a skit was more than enough for him.
He had also witnessed various incidents on stage and should be able to handle them with ease.
Even if some of the jokes didn't land, his psychological fortitude should be fine.
Lin Chudong said, "Director Qiu, is it okay for me to go on?"
Qiu Chengdong nodded. "You go on. If it works well, there's no problem. If it doesn't, I'll still have to cut it."
Da Fei doing two performances was already special treatment. Performing three acts on such a major gala was unprecedented.
Even a favored child of CCTV wouldn't be treated like this.
But if the quality of the performances was excellent, even the station leaders wouldn't complain.
Da Fei's first two acts, "Where Did Time Go" and "Coin Through Cup," were irreplaceable. No one else could perform them.
This time, the skit with Teacher Zhao depended on the live effect.
Before their rehearsal, Qiu Chengdong was still quite satisfied. Teacher Zhao and Bai Guixiang performed well, but Mao Feifei was a bit lacking, not quite letting loose in his performance.
This time, Da Fei had replaced him. He wondered how it would go.
Fortunately, it was pre-recorded, so they could just cut it if necessary.
Although they wanted Teacher Zhao to be the finale, they couldn't let her appearance affect the overall quality of the program.
"Da Fei, rehearse a few more times quickly. You'll be on stage soon."
"Okay!"
After Qiu Chengdong left, Zhao Jinrong sighed, "Little Mao is a bit too selfish."
Zhao Jinrong had worked with Mao Feifei twice before and was quite clear about his intentions.
This conflict with Da Fei left Zhao Jinrong feeling somewhat uncomfortable.
However, Da Fei had indeed gone too far today. Relying on his slight fame, he made his wife replace Bai Guixiang. How could he bully people like that?
"Da Fei, let's practice a few times, follow your lead."
"Alright!"
As the program recording neared its end, Deng Siqing took the stage.
"Does everyone remember the old lady from the Spring Festival Gala who knew Kung Fu and sang pop songs?"
"She is a representative of our Chinese elderly. This time, Teacher Zhao has brought us a new work."
"Next, please enjoy the skit, Working Encounter, please give a round of applause!"
Deng Siqing finished announcing, and warm applause erupted from the audience.
Zhao Jinrong was quite popular. She had great programs on the Spring Festival Gala in the past few years, and this time, Kung Fu Order was even more beloved by the audience.
Everyone felt they hadn't seen enough of the ten short minutes of the Spring Festival Gala.
A fashionable old lady with a heavy Tangshan accent left a deep impression on everyone.
Teacher Zhao had a performance again at this Lantern Festival Gala, and everyone was very much looking forward to it.
Along with the applause, Bai Guixiang took the stage.
She walked onto the stage with a few accompanying dancers, a smile on her face, and the exaggerated background music began to play.
Bai Guixiang said, "Please welcome our General Manager!"
Against the backdrop music, Lin Chudong, dressed in the clothes of an ancient official, swaggered onto the stage.
His face was exaggerated and arrogant, and as he took a few steps, the audience below burst into laughter.
Many people whispered to each other, their faces filled with surprise.
"Why is Da Fei on stage again? Weren't it supposed to be Mao Feifei and Teacher Zhao?"
"I don't know, Da Fei's walk is hilarious. The performance is so over-the-top, but I can't help but laugh."
"Da Fei can actually perform a skit? Three performances in one gala, isn't that a bit much?"
"It might not all be broadcast, who knows how the director arranged it."
"…"
The audience at the scene only cared about the quality of the program. After all, it would still be edited before being broadcast, and who knew what the effect would be when it aired.
However, Da Fei's first two programs probably wouldn't be cut. The show was too good, even more exciting than the Spring Festival Gala programs.
"Stop, stop, stop!"
Da Fei pinched his voice, looking angry, and said to Bai Guixiang.
"Our Western restaurant has been changed to the Empress Dowager Restaurant, so why are we still playing this Western music?"
Behind the monitor, Qiu Chengdong showed a smile. Da Fei really had some talent.
In this program, the character Da Fei played was a restaurant general manager, who opened an Empress Dowager Restaurant. Teacher Zhao was invited to play the Empress Dowager, so he, standing beside the Empress Dowager, would naturally have a bit of a eunuch's air.
But every time Mao Feifei performed, he couldn't get into that character, which hurt the show's effect.
Now that Da Fei was on stage himself, he was very relaxed, and the comedic effect was excellent. Although there weren't any obvious punchlines, the audience below still laughed.
Lin Chudong struck a pose on stage, every move exuding the demeanor of an Eastern Depot eunuch.
"I'm telling you, all of you be on your toes! Today, our Empress Dowager Restaurant is opening, and we're recruiting for a Cixi-like waiter. We looked for thirty-seven old ladies, but none of them fit the bill. I wonder how this one will do today. Bring in number thirty-eight, onto the stage!"
As Zhao Jinrong appeared, the entire audience immediately screamed and cheered.
The old lady's popularity was extremely high, overshadowing even Da Fei.
Liang Yin and the others stood backstage, becoming nervous again.
"Do you think Da Fei can do it? Performing a skit and singing are completely different things!"
"I think Brother Fei can do it. That little bit earlier had me in stitches. Brother Fei's grasp of the eunuch's demeanor is spot on."
"I really saw Brother Fei studying acting this time. We all know about Brother Fei's self-study skills."
Liang Yin nodded. "Indeed, I saw it too."
Before, Da Fei always talked about self-studying, but no one ever saw him actually studying.
This time, everyone saw it. Da Fei's office had a lot of books on acting, and a lot of video materials. He'd watch the lessons on his phone when he had nothing to do. He was really working hard.
The punchlines on stage kept coming, and the applause from the audience never stopped.
This was much better than when Mao Feifei was on stage! Wang Zhi and the others were laughing so hard they were bent over, and Liang Yin's heart gradually relaxed.
One gala with three programs, Da Fei is unstoppable!
"Manager, it's the price bureau calling!"
Da Fei immediately panicked, saying, "Just say I'm not here!"
Bai Guixiang took the phone and said, "Our manager says he's not here!"
Laughter immediately erupted from the audience.
Bai Guixiang had a simple and honest look, this gag wouldn't have the same effect if Chen Ya were to deliver it.
Lin Chudong snatched the phone, "You don't even know how to lie!"
Then, he immediately switched to a fawning tone, using a woman's voice.
"Hello, he's not… no, no, no, he's not here, I'm his female secretary. Don't worry, we set our prices fairly, reasonably, and affordably. He'll definitely call you back when he returns. Okay, goodbye, bye-bye, hehehehehe…"
The audience burst into laughter.
Da Fei is really something, his voice imitation is actually pretty good.
Qiu Chengdong clapped his hands in satisfaction. He should have let Da Fei perform earlier!
Even though the performance still seemed a bit green, this slight awkwardness actually created a great comedic effect in the skit, without any sense of incongruity.
It looks like this program is really going to be broadcast.
There might be some trouble during the leadership review. Three of Da Fei's programs in one gala, there's never been a precedent like this before.
But these three programs are all Qiu Chengdong's favorite works, and he couldn't bear to cut any of them. He'd just have to argue with the leaders then.
Dressed in Qing Dynasty attire, Zhao Jinrong elevated the atmosphere of the performance.
"There are regulations, no three-way entertainment!"
The audience roared with laughter; the contrast between the veteran artist and the popular elements was simply adorable.
This scriptwriter is a genius!
Lin Chudong said, "We won't actually let you eat; you'll just be a commentator on the side."
Zhao Jinrong said, "So you mean they sit while I stand, they eat while I watch? Isn't that a bit miserable for the Empress Dowager?"
Lin Chudong rolled his eyes. "Why don't you understand your role yet? Didn't I tell you? You're playing the Empress Dowager, and you're there to get customers to eat!"
Zhao Jinrong said, "If you'd said it like that earlier, wouldn't I have understood already?"
"I'm the plant!"
Lin Chudong said, "Don't say that to anyone else!"
Zhao Jinrong said, "What are you afraid of? It's been exposed on TV a long time ago."
"Cloth sellers have cloth plants."
"Sock sellers have sock plants."
"Shoe sellers have shoe plants."
"I'm... the restaurant plant!"
The audience below burst into laughter again, and Liang Yin and the others in the backstage couldn't help but laugh along.
"I've seen Da Fei's script before, and it wasn't this funny when I read it. But it's hilarious now that they're acting it out."
"Teacher Zhao is naturally funny, but Da Fei is also good. He's definitely a qualified supporting actor!"
"Not just qualified, but outstanding. Compared to Mao Feifei, it's like heaven and earth."
"Is Da Fei going to become a comedian?"
"Maybe, your Fei-ge is too versatile."
Deng Siqing recorded a short clip backstage with his phone and sent it to Cheng Huanhuan.
"Don't share it, see if Da Fei is funny."
Cheng Huanhuan: Wow, Da Fei is doing a skit?
Deng Siqing: Yeah, it's the third act.
Cheng Huanhuan: He really is the son-in-law of CCTV, are the station leaders giving you so much face?
Deng Siqing: It has nothing to do with me, it was Director Qiu's arrangement.
Cheng Huanhuan: I'm so envious. I'll have to call him Brother Fei from now on. He has to take me with him. I can do skits too.
Deng Siqing: Then you'd better suck up to him. Da Fei is closer to those directors now than I am. His words carry more weight than mine.
Cheng Huanhuan: Aren't you going to whisper in his ear for me?
Deng Siqing: What whispering in his ear? Nonsense!
Cheng Huanhuan: Tsk tsk, you dare to do it, but you won't admit it?
Deng Siqing: Play your game. I'm busy.
At this moment, music was already playing on stage.
Teacher Zhao was originally a master of Pingju opera, and with Lin Chudong's arrangement, the effect on site was excellent.
Teacher Zhao's performance was unrestrained and passionate, singing with a unique flavor.
"I make, the explosive belly, stir-fried meat, and fish fillets, sweet and sour kidneys, fried spareribs, pine flowers turn into egg whites, water chestnuts and lotus roots, jellyfish mixed with belly, the taste is just right, four cold and four hot, eight dishes, Bai Gan old wine, hey, warm a pot!"
"Go everywhere, look, taste, and try, is the food I make fragrant, fragrant or not?"
This arrangement of Pingju opera combined with pop music directly pushed the atmosphere of the scene to a climax.
Even Qiu Chengdong couldn't help but praise, Da Fei was truly a musical genius.
If it were just a pop music adaptation, it wouldn't have achieved this effect.
But Da Fei arranged a combination of Pingju opera and pop music, which allowed Teacher Zhao to fully display her strengths. The live performance was simply unprecedentedly good.
Compared to Da Fei's previous two programs, this skit was even more explosive!
-----------------------
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