Rebirth 09: Starting from taking charge of Running Man on CCTV

Chen Yang drew a circle in the air with his finger.

"What do you mean? The scriptwriting team designs the rules and general direction of the game, but they don't dictate how you should do it."

"If you want to betray us, then betray us; if you want to turn against us, then turn against us; whatever crazy tricks you come up with on the spot, just do it."

"But you have to bear the consequences. If you betray your team, your teammates will be really angry and chase you all over the field, that's for sure."

"The camera followed the entire time, without cutting a single second."

"Your expression, your reaction, whether you panic, how you try to smooth things over—it's all on camera."

"What the audience sees is not a staged variety show performance, but a real, living Deng Chao."

Deng Chao slowly withdrew his fingers.

His expression changed.

It was no longer a test, but a focused performance triggered by an actor's unique keen intuition.

"you mean……"

"No script?"

"It has a framework, but no script."

Chen Yang's tone was resolute.

"All the laughs, conflicts, and memorable moments are the result of the real interactions between the seven of you within the rules."

"My writing team is responsible for creating the conditions for the collision; you guys are responsible for sparking the chemistry."

Deng Chao took a breath and sat back down in his chair.

He lowered his head and thought for a few seconds. When he looked up again, the defensiveness in his eyes had completely disappeared.

Instead, there was an irrepressible excitement.

"Chen Yang, this is something I've never seen before."

To be honest, I'm tempted.

He chuckled and added another sentence.

"But I have one more question."

"explain."

"You said seven people, who are they?"

Chen Yang leaned back in his chair and announced the seven locations one by one.

"Li Chen, the tough guy from 'My Chief and My Regiment' just finished airing, is the epitome of strength."

Deng Chao nodded.

"Chenzi, I know him. He's a good actor and a very genuine person."

"Wang Baoqiang, 'My Brother is Called Shunliu' will be on CCTV-1 next month."

"Baoqiang?" Deng Chao's eyes lit up. "He's coming? That's great! He's a natural actor; he can put a great show anywhere."

"Zheng Kai, a newcomer recently signed by Huayi Brothers, is fast and has the background of a national second-level athlete."

Deng tilted his head and thought for a moment.

"I don't know him, but he sounds interesting."

"Chen He, a fresh graduate from the Shanghai Theatre Academy, is a chatterbox, cheeky and adorable, and a natural comedian."

"Shen Teng, a stage actor from Happy Twist, a heartthrob from the PLA Academy of Arts, and a master of dry humor, is a walking joke."

Deng Chao's expression changed from curiosity to subtlety.

"I've never heard of either of them."

"normal."

Chen Yang smiled.

"Nobody knows them now."

"But Brother Chao, let me tell you the truth."

He leaned forward halfway and lowered his voice.

"Once the show ends, everyone will know them."

Deng Chao frowned slightly, half believing and half doubting.

"There's one more."

Chen Yang raised his last finger.

"Angelababy, a girl from Hong Kong, is twenty years old and the only female MC in the team."

"I don't know him," Deng Chao replied simply.

"She's beautiful, unpretentious, not afraid of getting dirty or tired, and has a stubborn streak in her bones."

Chen Yang withdrew his finger.

"Seven people: three well-known and talented individuals, three unknown but promising talents, and one Hong Kong girl who is completely unknown in mainland China."

"This group would seem uneven in any program."

He looked at Deng Chao.

"But it is precisely this diversity that makes a team leader needed."

Deng Chao's hands were resting on his knees, and he didn't move.

But his body unconsciously leaned forward slightly.

"Hey bro, do you know what the captain does?"

"It's just about leading the way."

"Taking the lead is only half the battle."

Chen Yang shook his head.

"The other half is a safety net."

His tone changed, switching from relaxed to a serious and weighty composure.

"Among the seven people, there are those who are talkative and like to make noise, those who are quiet, those who are new to the place and dare not let loose, and those who can't keep up physically and fall behind."

"These people can cause a huge uproar when they get going, but once things get out of control, someone needs to bring things back on track in a second."

The guest was embarrassed, and the team leader helped him out.

"The newcomer got stage fright, so the team leader pulled him into playing together."

"When someone gets injured or someone gets upset, the captain is the first to step up and take responsibility."

"He's the craziest person to outsiders, but the most reliable person to his family."

"Think about it, what did you study at the Central Academy of Drama?"

"Performance."

What is the core of performance?

"……figure."

"right."

Chen Yang slapped the armrest of the chair.

"The character you play in the TV series is one that someone else has already written."

"But in my show, you're playing yourself."

"Deng Chao was as crazy as he could be, and as reliable as he could be."

"This kind of duality—one second he's rolling around on the ground making fun of himself, the next second he's standing up to protect all his teammates—the audience has never seen this kind of contrast before."

"You could play a hundred different roles in a TV series and still not be able to portray something like this."

"Because this isn't acting, this is you."

Deng leaned back in his chair, tilted his head back, and stared at the lights above the stadium for five seconds.

The lights were blinding.

He squinted, and a slow smile spread across his face.

"Chen Yang".

"Um."

You know me better than I know myself.

He lowered his head, his eyes filled with excitement.

"Do you know what I hate most?"

"What?"

"What I hate most is when people tell me, 'Professor Deng, you are a very capable person, you need to be more reserved and maintain your image.'"

He slapped his thigh.

"I can't keep it up! I'm a natural attention-seeker!"

"But when filming TV dramas, there's no way around it. I have to act whatever the script says. If the director tells me to be handsome, I have to be handsome."

"But this thing you're telling me about..."

He rubbed his hands together, his barely suppressed urge radiating from his eyes.

"Crazy, but not recklessly crazy. Reliable, but not fakely reliable."

"I can be silly and playful, but I can also stand up for everyone in crucial moments."

"This is Deng Xiaoping's style!"

He suddenly stood up, pointed at Chen Yang, and raised his voice.

"OK!"

"If you dare to direct, I dare to play along!"

"You give me a big stage, and I'll give you the support that's right!"

He stretched out his hand, his five fingers spread wide.

When will the contract be signed?

"Tomorrow."

Chen Yang stood up and exchanged a palm strike with him.

Snapped!

The sound of slaps echoed through the empty stadium.

"Bring your agent."

Chen Yang patted him on the shoulder.

"Brother Chao, this captain position can't be filled without you."

Deng Chao grinned, a radiant smile that came from the depths of his being and carried the spirit of youth.

Don't worry.

He patted his chest.

"With me here, none of your brothers will escape."

……

It was almost nine o'clock when I came out of the stadium.

The night breeze in Beijing in June was a bit hot and dry, and felt sticky on my face.

Chen Yang walked in the parking lot, twirling his keys in his hand.

Ma Li stood beside him, looking down as she scrolled through her phone.

She didn't go into the stadium; she waited in the rest area outside for over an hour. When Chen Yang came out just now, she knew from his expression that it was a success.

But her joy didn't last long.

Because the phone vibrated twice.

She glanced at the screen.

His expression changed.

First came surprise.

Then there's that weird feeling of wanting to laugh but also feeling it's not quite right.

"What's wrong?"

Chen Yang's hand, which was meant to flag down a taxi, froze in mid-air.

Ma Li held up her phone, the screen facing him.

Two text messages.

The first one was posted by Zhang Lei.

"Chen Xi reports that Chen He has arrived at the CCTV building. He took a 12-hour hard-seat green train and is waiting at the entrance on the 12th floor. He said he has been hungry for three meals."

The second one was posted by Xiao Wen.

"Shen Teng has arrived too!!! He just entered the elevator on the twelfth floor!! He bumped into Chen He face-to-face in the corridor! The two didn't recognize each other! They were just standing there staring at each other!!!"

Chen Yang lowered his hand.

"Walk."

He opened the back door of the taxi.

"Back to the station."

"What's your hurry?"

As Ma Li climbed into the car, she asked.

"We have to be in a hurry."

Chen Yang closed the car door and gave the driver the address of CCTV.

"Those two can chatter their way through the hallway in less than ten minutes."

"I have to get there before they finish their conversation."

The taxis merged into the traffic flow in the night.

Ma Li leaned back in her seat, staring at the third text message from Xiao Wen on her phone screen, and finally couldn't help but laugh out loud.

Shen Teng just asked Chen He, "Dude, are you here for an interview too?"

Chen He said, "What interview? I was invited by CCTV!"

Shen Teng said, "What a coincidence, me too."

The two remained silent for three seconds.

Then Shen Teng said, "So, between the two of us, who has the bigger star status?"

Ma Li placed her phone face down on her lap, laughing so hard her shoulders shook.

"Director Chen, your corridor has probably turned into a comedy show venue."

Chen Yang leaned against the car window, watching the streetlights flash by outside, and a slight smile curved his lips.

The Crouching Dragon and the Young Phoenix are now complete.