novelslam Chapter 444 That's child's play.
Chapter 444 That's child's play.
Chapter 444 That's child's play.
The lanterns hanging high in the hall resembled ripe red persimmons, their vibrant colors dazzling, and the "Fu" (good fortune) characters pasted on the walls were even more strikingly red.
The rich festive atmosphere seemed to spread freely along the edges of these decorations, permeating the entire space with a warm and festive spirit.
Perhaps because it was close to the Spring Festival, and it was just past 1 p.m., the staff of Hunan TV were all at their posts, making the already spacious public area particularly quiet.
Looking around, there were few people.
Only the footsteps of Yu Huan and Sister Ru echoed back and forth.
Yu Huan's gaze swept over the festive decorations, and she inadvertently noticed a petite girl walking briskly toward them.
She wore large-framed glasses, her eyes behind the lenses were clear and bright, and her bob hair swayed slightly with her steps.
She glanced at Yu Huan and Sister Ru, and finally her gaze settled on Yu Huan's eyebrows and eyes above her mask.
In the blink of an eye, the two sides had met.
"Hello, are you Mr. Yu?" The young woman tilted her head slightly and greeted him in a light and quick voice.
Upon hearing the familiar voice, Yu Huan nodded slightly and replied with a gentle smile, "It's me, Director Zhang. Sorry to keep you waiting."
Zhang Yue's face instantly lit up with a warm smile. She quickly extended her hand, shook hands with Yu Huan lightly, and said with a smile, "I really didn't keep you waiting long, Mr. Yu, you are the first guest to arrive!"
As he spoke, his gaze turned to Sister Ru, who was standing to the side, with a hint of curiosity.
Sister Ru was wearing a pair of brown sunglasses, the large lenses covering most of her face, revealing only her slightly upturned lips and chin.
For some reason, it inexplicably felt somewhat familiar to Zhang Yue.
Zhang Yue's smile deepened, revealing a row of neat, white upper teeth. She extended her hand warmly and proactively, introducing herself: "Hello, I am Zhang Yue, a director from the 'Day Day Up' program team. Please take care of me."
"Hello Director Zhang, my name is Wang Jingru, and I'm here for this project—" Sister Ru politely shook Zhang Yue's hand.
Just as she was about to let go, Zhang Yue heard her voice and, as if suddenly remembering something crucial, abruptly gripped her hand tightly, a look of sudden realization on his face.
Her eyes sparkled with excitement as she blurted out, "Sister, you're Lin Su's manager, right?! I saw you backstage yesterday when we were recording 'I Am a Singer'! It was so chaotic with people coming and going back and forth, I never expected to run into you here today, what a coincidence!"
Upon hearing this, Sister Ru calmly withdrew her hand, then took off her sunglasses and carefully examined the enthusiastic girl in front of her.
I met all sorts of people yesterday, a huge variety.
She didn't really have a strong impression of this girl.
However, Sister Ru immediately showed a knowing look and nodded repeatedly, saying, "Oh, it's you. It's a pleasure to meet you."
Yu Huan stood aside, watching the two exchange pleasantries, and chimed in at the opportune moment: "It seems we're all acquaintances. This circle is really small. This is my first time on a show, so I'll have to rely on you two for your help from now on."
Zhang Yue nodded hurriedly and replied, "Of course, Mr. Yu is a special guest personally selected by Brother Han, so we must take good care of him."
She emphasized the word "special," as if there was a deeper meaning behind it.
After she finished speaking, Sister Ru couldn't help but speak frankly to Yu Huan: "Yu Huan, don't be modest here. With your eloquent tongue, recording a talk show would be a piece of cake."
Yu Huan waved his hand with a smile and said, "Sister Ru, please don't flatter me too much. I know my own limitations. I'm just here to record this show because I was forced into it. I just have to bite the bullet and do it. I just hope that nothing goes wrong and that I can finish recording the show smoothly. I'll be so grateful then."
Hearing this, Sister Ru shook her head speechlessly. The longer she spent with him, the more she realized that this kid was truly shrewd and experienced.
He gives off the same vibe as Uncle Lin – he doesn't speak too much, doesn't act ostentatiously, and seems easygoing on the surface, but he's actually quite cunning.
"Yu Huan, you'd better do your best and not let your wife down!"
Zhang Yue, standing to the side, was startled to hear Sister Ru's words. Her eyes widened involuntarily, as if she had heard some earth-shattering secret, and she was filled with astonishment.
She thought to herself, "The 'leader' is so young, he's probably only been out of school for less than two years."
I never expected that they were already married?
Yu Huan remained calm, nodded slightly, and said, "Of course I can't let them down. Although I don't have much stage experience, since I'm already here, I have to do my best. I can't just back down now."
Zhang Yue snapped out of her daze, unconsciously smacked her lips silently, and then quickly put on a warm smile: "Gentlemen, why don't you come with me to the backstage of the studio to rest for a bit? We can take this opportunity to familiarize ourselves with the script and understand the details of the process."
"Okay." Yu Huan readily nodded in agreement.
Seeing this, Zhang Yue turned to the side and made a "please" gesture, taking the lead in the way.
Yu Huan and Sister Ru followed behind at a leisurely pace, their footsteps echoing in a rhythmic pattern, and they occasionally exchanged a few words along the way.
From Zhang Yue's few words, Yu Huan learned that the production teams of "Happy Camp" and "Day Day Up" were not on duty during the Spring Festival.
At that time, "Day Day Up" will broadcast a pre-edited Spring Festival special, which will integrate and present the highlights of the show from the past year to the audience.
As per the holiday schedule, the audience happily got through two episodes.
In other words, the episode that Yu Huan participated in recording should normally be officially broadcast on March 1st.
Before long, the group arrived at a lounge in the backstage area of the small studio.
Yu Huan slumped into the small sofa, casually took off her mask, and politely thanked Zhang Yue, who brought over hot tea.
I quickly skimmed through the script after receiving it.
After a quick glance at the detailed program schedule, Yu Huan was immediately surprised and realized that something was wrong.
Ni Ping and Zhao Zhongxiang are described as a golden duo, each taking turns hosting the first and second halves of the show.
What's strange is that throughout the entire program, from the opening to the closing, his name was prominently displayed in every segment, listed alongside the hosts.
Yu Huan couldn't help but wonder to herself, "What's going on? Could it be that I'm not here as a regular guest to make up the numbers, but instead have to stay on stage the whole time?"
Wang Han didn't invite him to be a guest; he clearly invited him to be a guest host!
On the other side of the small sofa, Sister Ru was leisurely crossing her legs, chatting casually with Zhang Yue, who was sitting in a chair opposite her.
They chatted enthusiastically about everything from current entertainment gossip to local delicacies, completely oblivious to Yu Huan's strange expression.
Yu Huan coughed lightly, interrupting their conversation, and asked Zhang Yue, "Director Zhang, when will Uncle Wang be coming? I still have quite a few questions that I need to ask him in person."
"Brother Han is still taking a nap right now, it should be around two o'clock." Zhang Yue said, while calmly taking out her phone from her pocket and glancing at the time displayed on the screen. "He'll be here soon."
These two people of the same age each have their own way of addressing Wang Han.
One is 'Uncle Wang', and the other is 'Brother Han'.
Hearing this, Sister Ru found it amusing and quickly suppressed her laughter, lest she burst out laughing uncontrollably.
After all, when they meet later, according to seniority, she will have to call him 'Uncle Wang'. Yu Huan smiled and said casually, "Why does it feel like my role is a bit special? It's not like an ordinary guest, but more like I'm here to guest star as a host."
"Really?" Sister Ru's curiosity was piqued. She raised her eyebrows slightly, turned to the side, and reached out her hand to him, saying, "Let me see."
Yu Huan nodded slightly and calmly handed a few pages of A4 paper to Sister Ru.
Sister Ru took the script, lowered her head, her brows furrowed slightly, and carefully examined each word and sentence.
Yu Huan also took the opportunity to fall into deep thought.
Looking back, he had firmly confronted Lin Yourong, expressing his desire to no longer work at the newspaper.
During this candid conversation between the couple, Lin Yourong must have talked to her mother about something.
Not long after, Lin Yourong came to tell him that in a few years, she could arrange for him to find a job in an administrative unit through a transfer.
Although Yu Huan refused outright, it was vaguely connected to the unusual situation that occurred during the recording of the program.
He couldn't help but wonder if his mother-in-law was using her connections to pave the way for him, perhaps wanting him to work at the TV station?
Yu Huan knew perfectly well that Lao Lin was definitely kept in the dark about these things. If Lao Lin had known that Yu Huan's ambitions lay elsewhere, he would have definitely dragged him in for a long talk.
After a while.
Sister Ru looked away from the script, turned around with a smile, and said excitedly, "Uncle Wang might have his eye on you, right? He's giving you a chance! If you perform well on stage, he might keep you as the host."
She genuinely felt that Yu Huan was cut out for this job; he had a good appearance and was eloquent, making him perfect for front-of-house work.
“We were joking before that Brother Han was planning to poach a new host, and it really is his arrangement,” Zhang Yue added with a smile.
Sister Ru's guess was somewhat confirmed, and she immediately clicked her tongue in satisfaction.
She said with great interest, "Yu Huan, see, I was right! Anyway, newspapers and TV stations are both in the media industry, so this isn't really a crossover."
Yu Huan listened to their back-and-forth conversation and simply smiled.
She understood that co-hosting with Wang Han was like being his accessory, a mere supporting character.
All you have to do is stand there and follow the rhythm, it's an easy job that doesn't require much effort.
But he said, "Sister Ru, don't flatter me or make empty promises. Being a host isn't that easy. I have absolutely no experience."
As they were talking, the door to the lounge was gently pushed open a little.
Wang Han poked his head in first, quickly scanned the room, and immediately broke into a warm smile.
Immediately afterwards, he pushed the door open completely and strode in.
Upon seeing this, Yu Huan's face lit up with a smile, and she greeted him politely, "Uncle Wang, good afternoon!"
"Xiao Yu—hey! Sister Ru, you're here too!" Wang Han greeted her warmly, her cheeks puffing out slightly as she chewed betel nuts.
The door leaf slowly closed automatically behind him, making a soft "click" sound.
Sister Ru casually placed the script on her lap, straightened her posture, and waited for Zhang Yue to finish greeting Wang Han before smiling and saying, "Uncle Wang, I was just asked to come along. Yu Huan has never been on such a big show before, and I was worried he might make a mistake."
Wang Han laughed heartily, strode to the wall, stretched out his arm, and picked up a chair.
He neatly placed the chair diagonally opposite Yu Huan, sat down, and casually crossed his legs, exuding a sense of ease and comfort.
"Ru-meizi, what are you saying?" Wang Han tilted his head slightly, a hint of mockery in his eyes, and looked at Sister Ru: "Xiao Yu is a leader by nature, what hasn't she seen? It's a piece of cake for her to talk a few words on stage, isn't it? Who are you talking about? Are you afraid that Xiao Yu can't handle the stage? That's impossible!"
Sister Ru knew perfectly well that Wang Han was joking.
But with Zhang Yue, a junior editor, sitting next to me, there were some things I couldn't say directly.
She just chuckled and said, "Uncle Wang, you're right, but what's in front of the camera and what's behind the scenes are two completely different things."
Wang Han's cheek twitched slightly as he leisurely chewed his betel nut, saying:
“Ru, I’m very good at judging people. Look at Xiao Yu’s appearance. He’s got the looks and the presence. The moment he stands on stage, his energy and spirit shine through. He’s born to be a host. Let me tell you, even though his mother-in-law hasn’t mentioned it, I’m already thinking about finding a way to recruit him to the station.”
Upon hearing this, Yu Huan immediately understood that it was indeed his mother-in-law who was casting a spell.
He smiled brightly and picked up the conversation: "Uncle Wang, Sister Ru, please stop teasing me. I just read the script and I'm still feeling quite nervous. My role doesn't seem like that of an ordinary guest at all; it's more like I'm going to be Uncle Wang's backup the whole time. My legs are getting a little weak."
Upon hearing this, Wang Han burst into hearty laughter again.
He reached out and patted Yu Huan's solid thigh: "Little Yu, I told you you were born to be a host! With such eloquence and humor, it's a waste that you're not a host."
Yu Huan laughed along and said, "I'm just afraid that if there's an awkward silence, or I say the wrong thing, I'll make a fool of myself."
Wang Han's smile faded slightly, and he offered a rather serious suggestion:
"What's wrong with saying the wrong thing? Everyone makes mistakes. The key is how you make amends after you make a mistake. If you accidentally say something wrong, as long as it's not a matter of principle, just laugh it off and use it as a joke to make the audience laugh. That'll be the end of it. Besides, this isn't a serious news broadcast, and it's pre-recorded. What we need is authenticity and relatability. That's what makes it interesting, don't you think?"
Sister Ru, who was listening nearby, nodded repeatedly and chimed in, "Yu Huan, Uncle Wang is right. Just treat it as a challenge for yourself and break out of your comfort zone."
Wang Han nodded in agreement, put his hands on his knees and stood up for support: "Alright, don't just sit here. It's still early, I'll take you out for a walk and let you get familiar with the surroundings."
"I'll follow your arrangements," Yu Huan readily agreed.
Seeing this, Sister Ru hurriedly helped Yu Huan put the script into her bag.
The group filed out of the lounge and walked slowly down the spacious, bright corridor.
Yu Huan lagged behind Wang Han by one step. She watched as people passing by, regardless of age or gender, greeted Wang Han warmly, calling him "Brother Han" repeatedly.
I couldn't help but think to myself that Wang Han really had a chivalrous air about him, or rather, the demeanor of an elder brother.
A moment later, just as they turned the corner and saw the entrance to the studio, one of the hosts, Tian Yuan, grinned from afar and jogged over to greet them.
He bent down slightly, his eyes gleaming with excitement, and said loudly, "Brother Han, you're here early today! I heard the guest lineup for this episode is amazing, you'll have to put in a lot of effort."
Wang Han patted Tian Yuan on the shoulder with a smile and said, "Of course we have to put a lot of effort into the first episode of the year."
(End of this chapter)