Actor: Thank you.

He went alone to the Deyuanshe Theater on the second floor.

It's the place where the restaurant was on the first floor and the crosstalk performance was on the second floor.

After going up the stairs, wearing a hat and sunglasses, he went straight backstage.

He arrived right on time, just as the party was ending.

Before even entering the house, I could hear a lively chattering noise coming from inside.

"Teacher Guo, you truly live up to your reputation as the head of the Deyun Class!"

"Yes, that part was really good."

"Especially that punchline in the middle, brilliant!"

Most people were talking to Teacher Guo.

Seeing that the other party was having a good time, Zhang Yuan didn't disturb them.

Zhang Yuan didn't recognize most of the people who were praising him; only a few of them were familiar to him.

Teacher Guo had told him before that the crosstalk club is now a big name.

We make money, but many small theaters in the same industry don't.

So he wanted to create a "crosstalk alliance".

This would compensate for the group's current lack of experienced actors and also provide a livelihood for their peers.

This was a good thing, so he didn't object.

But deep down, Teacher Guo knew that besides saying these things, she also had a desire to feel proud and triumphant.

Back then, I was struggling and had no food to eat.

I'm different now!

Not only can you make a lot of money, you can also "be the boss".

I can also ensure that others have food to eat.

As long as you follow me, you can make money.

In this way, he not only had apprentices under his command, but also a group of artists surrounding him.

This has led to the current situation.

These people all depended on him for their livelihood, working under the Deyuan Society's name, which meant they were "living under someone else's roof."

Of course, we must praise Teacher Guo in every possible way.

The more gigs you do, the more performance fees you get.

Once money is involved, they become more talkative.

In addition, the art of crosstalk relies entirely on eloquence, so good words just keep flowing out in strings.

Zhang Yuanting kept picking at his ears until his earlobes felt sticky.

However, this is not the case for everyone.

Just like in school, there are always a few "shrewd" people in the class who run errands for the homeroom teacher.

Not only do they serve tea and water, but they also take the initiative to take notes on students who are daydreaming in class, helping the teacher to "monitor all officials".

However, such people are usually not the ones with the best grades or the strongest abilities in the class.

If your mind is all on this, how can you excel in your studies?

But the teacher is happy to have such people around him, because he is alone while there are dozens of students.

Having an inside accomplice to "divide and rule" greatly facilitated his management.

As long as the students are not of one mind, they cannot unite to confront me.

Now, Teacher Guo is like the homeroom teacher, and these people are like the "active members" in the class.

The students who truly excel during this time don't get involved in these troublesome activities in class.

The same applies to Deyuan Society.

Zhang Yuan glanced around and saw that the fat man Sun Yue was also there.

His condition for joining the crosstalk club was that he would take over his entire team.

He's done it now, and he and his friends are still here.

But Teacher Sun just smiled and watched, without flattering her.

Hou Zhen, the son of the eldest son of the Hou family, was also sitting on the armrest of the sofa, watching without saying a word.

Both of them have family connections and strong backgrounds, so they don't need to flatter or fawn over others.

Besides the two of them, Zhang Yuan also spotted someone who looked familiar.

The stand-up comedy industry in China became incredibly popular in later generations, even squeezing out the survival space of Deyuan Society in small theater performances.

After all, young people prefer stand-up comedy to crosstalk.

In fact, under Guan Dongtian's arrangement, Zhou Libo had already embarked on a path similar to stand-up comedy, which was quite ahead of its time.

Mr. Guan Dongtian truly lives up to his reputation as a veteran in the performing arts and entertainment industry, possessing a keen grasp of market trends.

It's just a pity that he can't judge people...

When it comes to the "founding father" of Chinese stand-up comedy, many people say it's Luo Yonghao.

This guy made a lot of money through his comedic speeches.

But in reality, the person who truly made the national audience aware of and expanded the stand-up comedy market is the one Zhang Yuan is currently looking at, namely Wang Zijian.

Later, those stand-up comedians with questionable values ​​were originally writers and supporting actors on his show, "Tonight 80's Talk Show".

If it weren't for the fact that he suffered severe depression due to domestic violence from his wife, who had studied Taekwondo, and hadn't left the stand-up comedy industry...

Otherwise, he would be the "OG patriarch" of this industry in China by now.

Yes, it's not just women who suffer from domestic violence; men do too.

Moreover, there is even less statistical data on domestic violence by men, which is far lower than the actual incidence rate.

Because in the traditional mindset of men, being beaten by their wives is a very shameful thing, and they are ashamed to talk about it.

Furthermore, domestic violence by women against men is not a serious issue in the country.

After all, there is only the Women's Federation, not the Husband's Federation.

Including trafficking cases, only the crime of trafficking in women and children is included. That is to say, trafficking in adult men is not punished as a crime of trafficking.

Selling men doesn't count as selling; at most, it's kidnapping or deception, not trafficking.

The law originally included men, but it was later changed.

The changes were made during the years when the mining industry was booming.

In fact, men are sometimes a vulnerable group... and with the "progress" of the times, they are becoming increasingly vulnerable in some matters.

"Teacher Guo, my performance is over, I'm leaving now."

Amidst the playful crowd, a girl with big eyes and a parted hairstyle stepped forward, said something to Teacher Guo, and then turned and left.

This is Li Jing, one of the "veterans" of the Deyuan Society.

Nicknamed Big-Eyed Li.

He was already in the regiment before Zhang Yuan arrived.

Logically speaking, he should be the person most familiar with Teacher Guo.

But now he's the one who talks the least.

He said hello and left without saying another word.

And as he left, he kept shaking his head slightly, as if he was quite dissatisfied with this scene of circling around and flattering him.

"Senior brother's gone." Zhang Yuan greeted him as he reached the door.

He nodded coldly, forced a smile to say goodbye, and continued walking out.

Only then did everyone realize that he had arrived.

"Wow, a big star!"

"Both the movie and the stand-up comedy are a hit!"

“I’ve read the Harry Potter series you mentioned, that’s great.”

When are you going to teach us?

As soon as they saw him arrive, the group turned to him.

Zhang Yuan waved his hand, showing no interest in their flattery.

If he wanted to hear this, he would hold parties at home or listen to it for more than ten hours a day on set.

With his current net worth, there are plenty of people vying for his attention.

Those who know him well, especially the actors in the company, know this.

I know he doesn't like this.

Simply put, Zhang Yuan is someone who loves to flatter others but doesn't really like being flattered.

This is a typical characteristic of people from humble backgrounds. Being praised too much can make them feel uncomfortable and even give them goosebumps.

It's better now, I've gotten used to it.

Zhang Yuan was afraid that being praised too much would make him lose his sense of proportion and become clueless.

But Teacher Guo clearly enjoyed it.

Unlike Brother Qian, Brother Qian yearns for the life of a leisurely prince in the Qing Dynasty.

He'd take a birdcage out for a stroll whenever he had free time, and he could have a drink with anyone.

Besides wanting to become a famous ancient opera singer, Teacher Guo also had another aspiration.

Those were the big thugs of the old society!

Du Yuesheng and Huang Jinrong of Shanghai, Li Jin'ao and Yuan Wenhui of Tianjin.

Teacher Guo secretly admires these people.

You can tell from listening to him tell stories that he gets excited and energetic when he talks about big gangsters; he's a great conversationalist.

His management style is actually somewhat biased in this direction.

He established his own faction, recruited followers, and challenged the mainstream management.

Their clothing and appearance also tend to lean in this direction.

Traditional performing arts and the ways of the martial arts world have many things in common.

Li Jing's attitude just now clearly showed that she was dissatisfied with Teacher Guo's current state and that a rift had formed between them.

"Teacher Sun, it's been a long time."

"I heard from Teacher Guo that we met at the zoo years ago, and that's when I remembered." The fat man looked honest, but he was actually quite shrewd and had sharp eyes.

"Yes, it's so good that you could come."

Zhang Yuan glanced at Xiao Yue, who was standing in the corner.

The two haven't teamed up yet; it's not the right time.

"I wonder how those elephants are doing now?" Zhang Yuan joked.

"With him gone, the elephants will be fine," Brother Qian replied while smoking.

"That's right, after he left, all the elephants shed tears, hoping he wouldn't come back," Teacher Guo chimed in.

Zhang Yuan was very pleased.

After Sun Pangzi arrived, these two brothers finally stopped making fun of themselves.

He specifically sought out Wang Zijian for a chat.

His crosstalk teacher was Hou Yaohua, and his storytelling teacher was Ma Qi. In terms of both paths, they were his junior brothers.

Don't let his current status as a comedian fool you; he used to have a long-term stutter when he was young.

This is all Jiang Wen's fault.

Because Wang Zijian watched "Keep Cool" when he was a teenager.

It's the movie starring Jiang Wen, with Zhang Yimou and Zhao Benshan making cameo appearances.

He played a character with a stutter.

As a result, Wang Zijian imitated him and started to stutter himself.

There's an old saying that you shouldn't bully or imitate disabled people, or you'll easily suffer bad luck.

Two years ago, after my stuttering was cured, I picked up crosstalk again.

Zhang Yuan thought highly of him and chatted with him about everyday things.

They also invited him to host and perform at Duowan Games' annual meeting.

Because, like Wan Qian, he is also a hardcore gamer and a big player of World of Warcraft.

Besides performing crosstalk, this person is also involved in advertising production, television directing, and magazine writing. He is quite versatile and definitely a talent.

But the problem is that he's too smart and a jack-of-all-trades, so he lacks stability. He'll do one thing, get bored with it after a while, and then switch to something else. Before the next performance started, Zhang Yuan dragged Guo and Yu downstairs to eat.

A group of people also wanted to go.

If someone comes to the film industry, let's get to know them a bit. Maybe they'll even get me a chance to act in a movie too?
Zhang Yuan knew what these people were thinking and found it troublesome, so he only invited Sun Yue and Hou Zhen.

No one else could say anything; they could only stare helplessly.

After all, both of them are family heirlooms.

"I'm negotiating with Youku right now," Zhang Yuan said, getting down to business as he ate some fried meatballs.

"Oh?" Teacher Guo perked up.

The crosstalk troupe has also made a lot of money by acquiring the online copyrights for commercial performances.

Because this money doesn't require any extra effort; there's already a practice of secretly filming and uploading videos online, and now it can be sold for profit.

"Firstly, with the price of online copyrights skyrocketing, a price increase is definitely in the works."

Upon hearing this, Teacher Guo smiled.

It's good to be able to earn more.

"And there's also the plan for a long-form stand-up comedy routine..."

Zhang Yuan first needed to reassure Teacher Guo, communicate with him, and reach a consensus.

Otherwise, they are easily defeated one by one.

It's like a teacher in a class hiring a mischievous student as an inside agent.

His demand was that no matter what conditions Youku offered, Mr. Guo should simply ignore them.

I will handle everything myself.

Only by consolidating power can we gain more bargaining chips.

That was the original intention behind the establishment of the European Union, but unfortunately, each side has its own ulterior motives.

"I guarantee that I will maximize the group's benefits."

"But I have to talk to him, because I have some big collaborative projects with Mr. Gu recently."

"I intend to include your piece."

"I will tell you the final terms, and we, as fellow disciples, will discuss them together."

“Yes, let’s discuss it together, fellow students.” Teacher Guo raised a glass, and the matter was settled.

After all, Zhang Yuan has a good reputation and has never let him suffer a loss.

This is also Zhang Yuan's principle in doing things.

People will only trust you when it benefits them to follow you.

They chatted about the apprentices in the troupe and discussed matters related to commercial performances.

We've almost finished eating, and the show is about to start.

"That's enough, let's take it."

"No rush." ​​Brother Qian waved his arm and said, "We can go after the first match.

This is the calmness of an old artist.

"There are still so many dishes left to eat."

"If that doesn't work, we can feed it to the elephants," Teacher Guo said, looking at Fatty Sun.

Sun Yue: ...

"Master, master!"

Just then, they suddenly heard hurried footsteps coming from afar.

It was still that sound of someone going down the stairs.

Soon after, the sound of someone calling for the chef could be heard outside the private room of the restaurant.

"Here it is!"

Teacher Guo shouted, and a few seconds later, a man with a buzz cut rushed in.

"Master," the man said, pointing upstairs, "something has happened."

Everyone went upstairs.

When problems arise within the team, it's always them who step in to keep things under control.

The main reason is that Sun Yue is there, and his weight can always be kept under control.

When it comes to having a large stomach, Teacher Sun is just as impressive.

Backstage at the theater, several people were arguing.

The main characters are two tall, thin young men.

One of them is Cao Yunjing, who has recently become a rising star.

Another one is Luan Yunping, a famous idiot behind the scenes who later became the head steward.

Jin Zi became famous after the CCTV crosstalk show.

There's a constant stream of outside work.

Taking on a job outside can earn you the equivalent of half a year's income from the troupe.

Therefore, in recent months, he has performed at the troupe much less frequently than before.

Zhang Yuan had heard before that Jin Zi had become increasingly arrogant lately.

He was currently wearing an unbuttoned long gown and was struggling with Luan Yunping.

The incident began when Jinzi had just returned to the troupe and was about to go on stage to perform after getting dressed.

But his name wasn't on the program, so he wanted to go on stage at the last minute.

Now that Luan Yunping is in charge of the program schedule, he is being prevented from appearing on the show.

That's when they started arguing.

"Master, are you saying I can't perform now?" Jinzi complained as soon as they arrived.

“Master, we have to follow the rules. The program schedule has been finalized long ago,” Luan Yunping replied.

They get paid for performing on shows, so Jin Caoyunjing doesn't come often, and they simply don't schedule him for shows.

You have a lot of outside work, don't you?

Go ahead and go.

The backstage area of ​​a crosstalk performance is full of scheming; the holes in the walls are all part of their schemes.

How do we determine who is right and who is wrong right now?

"Master, we have so many people backstage now, do we still need me?" Cao Yunjing continued to press the issue.

Teacher Guo looked at his two apprentices with a worried expression.

The performance must not be disrupted; things must be resolved.

However, both of them were his apprentices, and Cao Yunjing had put a lot of effort into training them.

So simply trying to persuade both sides didn't have much effect.

"I've been listening for a while now," Zhang Yuan finally spoke.

"Jinzi, take off your long gown first." Zhang Yuan raised his chin slightly towards Cao Yunjing.

"Uncle Master..."

"If you can't take it off yourself, should I help you take it off, or should I ask Li Hedong to help you take it off?"

Li Hedong was the former professional hooligan he personally recruited into the troupe.

Upon hearing this, the gold immediately began to sag.

He couldn't beat Li Hedong, and Zhang Yuan could kick him half to death with a single kick.

The kind that's embedded in the wall and you can't pry it out.

Zhang Yuanzhen put down his long gown and shouted, calling over the former thug.

The main thing is to see if you're still afraid of yourself, and whether your words carry weight.

Seeing the scarred man's smiling face, it was clear that it was quite effective.

Sure enough, the flying kick at the entrance of the police station was something he would never forget for the rest of his life.

"Help your senior brother put away his robe."

"Hey, Uncle-Master." This person picked it up and started folding it.

Upon seeing this, Luan Yunping straightened his back.

Haha, look, even those who used to praise you aren't helping you anymore.

Everyone knows that Zhang Yuan went to great lengths to get Jinzi to continue competing and win an award.

Without him, according to Teacher Guo's plan, he would have withdrawn from the competition long ago.

Naturally, it wouldn't be as glorious as it is now.

But Luan Yunping had barely straightened his back for a minute when Zhang Yuan pointed his gun at him again.

"Appearing on shows without prior arrangement is against the rules, and that won't do."

"But I also want to ask, why wasn't there a show for Jinzi?"

"He's quite popular right now, and the audience loves watching him, so how could he not have a chance to go on stage?"

Zhang Yuan didn't mean he was too busy to go on stage; he meant he didn't have the opportunity to go on stage.

Brother Qian, who was standing nearby, immediately knew that this person was blaming the person who arranged the program.

"He's busy, he doesn't have time."

"So why do you have time today, but haven't made any plans?"

"Is there something to be improved in this area?"

"There needs to be better communication between fellow students."

Luan Yunping glanced at Lao Guo, as if pleading for help.

This senior apprentice is incredibly intimidating.

The worst part is that I don't dare to talk back, afraid he'll hit me...

"Now you two sit down and give me the time."

"Jinzi, let me tell you, this matter isn't over until we figure out the performance schedule for the rest of the day."

"Is the backstage area a place you can just wander in and out of whenever you want?"

Zhang Yuan raised his hands and placed them on their shoulders, then exerted force at the same time.

Feeling the force on their shoulders, the two sat down.

We had no choice but to bite the bullet and make a temporary settlement, and start working on the timeline.

"Senior brother, you're too kind."

He always doted on his apprentice.

"That's when we have to intervene!" Zhang Yuan said loudly on purpose.

"Yes, you have more management experience." Teacher Guo smoothed things over and went to change her clothes, preparing to go on stage in a little while.

Brother Qian took a moment to light another cigarette.

He glanced at Zhang Yuan and the others while smoking.

Cao Yunjing calls him godfather, and Qian Ge and Jin Zi actually have a very good personal relationship.

He knows that the child has changed recently.

But Brother Qian is a master at playing dumb; he sees through things but doesn't say anything.

But from what he had just witnessed, he realized that although Zhang Yuan did not perform with the troupe, he rarely came.

But it's clear that the situation behind the scenes is very clear.

Moreover, what he did just now, ostensibly to reprimand Cao Yunjing, was actually to help him settle things.

Ultimately, it was wrong of him to go backstage.

But after his words and actions, it became clear that neither of them was in the right, and both were equally to blame.

It's clearly biased towards gold.

Qian Ge recalled that Zhang Yuan seemed to have been secretly supporting Cao Yunjing all along.

It's been going on for more than just a day or two.

Brother Qian squinted as he pondered.

What exactly is he plotting...? (End of Chapter)