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

7:15 a.m.

Chen Yang got out of the taxi and stepped onto the stone path outside the south gate of Olympic Park.

The air carried the dry heat of early summer. The steel structure of the Bird's Nest gleamed with a silvery-gray metallic sheen in the morning light, while the blue membrane structure of the Water Cube lay quietly not far away, like a giant gemstone.

Zhang Lei was already waiting at the south gate, clutching a walkie-talkie in his hand, his face showing signs of exhaustion from not having slept enough.

"Brother Lei, how's it going?"

"The entire team was in place by 6:00 sharp. Security line, red carpet, curtain wall, acupressure mat track, and little red room—everything was ready."

Zhang Lei reported as he walked, speaking at a rapid pace.

"Old Zhou's camera crew set up their cameras at 5:30 a.m., with seven fixed cameras and sixteen mobile cameras, and all of them were calibrated."

"Feng Tao's sound recording team is also in place, with one wireless microphone for each MC and three spares."

Chen Yang nodded, continued walking without stopping, and went straight to the core recording area through the security passage.

From afar, you can see the huge cloth wall with five large gold characters printed on a dark blue background: "Run, China!"

In front of the fabric wall was a red carpet that stretched from the venue entrance all the way to the main recording booth. Small flags with the program logo were placed on both sides.

The area behind the cloth wall was completely blocked off; that was the track for the pressure plate obstacle course. The seven MCs standing in front wouldn't be able to see what was going on inside at all.

Chen Yang glanced at the side of the main recording area. The curtain of the Olympic red house was drawn tightly, and the five Olympic rings were embroidered on the red cloth.

"Has Liu Xiang arrived yet?"

"I arrived at 6:50. Security Director Dong Jun personally greeted me and took me directly through the VIP channel into the little red room without being seen by anyone."

Zhang Lei lowered his voice.

"He's doing well; he's even doing stretching inside."

Chen Yang's lips curled up slightly.

The confidentiality of the guest stars was well maintained.

He picked up the walkie-talkie and pressed the call button.

"Attention all teams, the director is on call. Security team, confirm the three outer perimeter security lines; camera team, confirm all cameras are ready; sound team, confirm no interference on the wireless frequency bands; stage management team, confirm the red carpet entry route."

"Each group should respond within ten seconds."

The walkie-talkie crackled with activity.

"Security team in position, all three outer perimeter lines sealed off."

"The camera crew is in position, and all twenty-three cameras are ready to go."

"The radio is in place, and the frequency band is clear."

"The event crew is in place, and the red carpet traffic is unobstructed."

Chen Yang closed the walkie-talkie.

"Let's go check out the artists' cabin."

The artists' cabin is located 50 meters east of the recording area. It consists of three temporary makeup tents, and three vans are parked outside the tents.

Ma Li stood at the tent entrance, making phone calls one by one with the notices in hand.

"Director Chen, Deng arrived at 6:40, the earliest."

"Li Chen and Wang Baoqiang arrived at 6:45."

"Where is Shen Teng?"

"Just arrived, said he almost couldn't get up."

"Chen He and Zheng Kai?"

"They arrived at the same time and were fighting over a mirror in the tent. They almost got into a fight over who should do their hair and makeup first."

Chen Yang chuckled.

"Baby?"

Ma Li glanced at her phone.

"The van will be in the park in five minutes."

Chen Yang nodded.

"Once everyone is here, we'll have half an hour for makeup and costume changes, and we'll start recording promptly at 8 o'clock."

After he finished speaking, he turned and walked towards the monitoring area.

Dong Jun jogged up to meet him, a hint of nervousness on his face.

"Director Chen, there's something I need to report."

"explain."

"The park opens at 7:30 a.m., and there are already quite a few elderly people doing their morning exercise lining up outside the south gate. Although our recording area has been cordoned off, this area is open to the public, and you can see our setup as soon as you enter the park."

Dong Jun pointed to the distance.

"Several early-arriving tourists were already taking pictures on the perimeter and asked the security guards what they were doing."

Chen Yang turned his head and glanced at it.

Sure enough, a dozen or so people were already standing in twos and threes outside the cordon. There were elderly men carrying birdcages for a stroll, young mothers pushing strollers, and a few young people taking pictures of the fabric wall with their phones.

"I'm not afraid."

Chen Yang spoke calmly.

"It's good for people to watch, but don't let them rush in. The opening recording is scheduled for 8 o'clock, when the park has just opened and the flow of people is not too large, which is enough."

Seven fifty-eight.

Everything is ready.

Chen Yang stood in the tent in the monitoring area. Six monitors were set up in front of him, a walkie-talkie was clipped to his waist, and he held a megaphone in his hand.

He took a deep breath and pressed the intercom button.

"Attention all groups, the first episode of 'Keep Running China' is now officially in production."

"Entertainers, notify the MCs to prepare for their entrance. First up, Deng Chao."

Ten seconds later, the tent curtain at the end of the red carpet was lifted.

Deng Chao strode out.

He wore a bright red Li-Ning sports jacket, and his hair was meticulously styled. He pushed his sunglasses up on his head and smiled at the camera.

The program crew members on both sides of the red carpet spontaneously applauded.

Deng Chao first pretended to straighten his collar, then put his hands on his hips and shouted loudly.

"Hello everyone! I'm Deng Chao! Your captain is here!"

Chen Yang stared at the screen on the monitor, a slight smile playing on his lips.

This guy was born to be in front of the camera.

The close-up shot from camera number three precisely captured the detail of Deng Chao's smiling eyes as he walked onto the red carpet, while the panoramic shot from camera number one captured his signature pose with his hands on his hips.

perfect.

"Next up, Li Chen."

Li Chen walked out of the tent with steady steps and a straight back.

His black tracksuit made him look like an iron tower. His expression was a little tense, and he only remembered to wave at the camera after taking a couple of steps.

Deng Chao stood at the end of the red carpet and shouted to him from afar.

"Brother Chen! Hurry up! Don't make it look like a military parade!"

Li Chen's lips twitched slightly, and he quickened his pace.

He walked over to Deng Chao and stood down next to him. The two shook hands.

"Are you nervous?" Deng asked in a low voice.

"It's alright," Li Chen answered honestly, but the roots of his ears turned slightly red.

Chen Yang said something into the walkie-talkie.

"Unit Six, give Li Chen's ear a close-up."

The cameraman responded and quietly zoomed in.

I've got the joke footage for post-production editing.

"Next up, Shen Teng."

Shen Teng slowly strolled out of the tent.

He wore a loose-fitting gray hoodie, and his hair looked unkempt. He exuded an aura of "I haven't woken up yet."

He walked to the middle of the red carpet, stopped, looked around, and then said something to the camera.

"No, is this red carpet for me to walk on? I thought I was going to receive an award."

Deng Chao laughed so hard he bent over at the finish line.

Shen Teng swayed between Deng Chao and Li Chen, and looked up at Li Chen.

"Brother Chen, if you stand next to me, I'll take up even less space in the frame."

Li Chen was stunned for a moment, unsure how to respond.

Deng covered for him.

"Then standing further back will make you look taller, right?"

"If the camera is too far away, it won't be able to capture me, so it's not worth it."

The staff burst into laughter again.

Chen Yang shook his head slightly inside the monitoring tent.

This guy is full of witty remarks; the editing doesn't even need any captions.

"Next up, Wang Baoqiang."

Wang Baoqiang practically sprinted out of the tent.

Wearing an orange tracksuit and sporting a buzz cut, he smiled so broadly his eyes narrowed into slits as he waved to everyone.

Hello everyone! I'm here!

The group of middle-aged women watching outside the cordon immediately erupted in anger.

"Oh dear, is that Wang Baoqiang?!"

"Seriously! It's that guy who played Sha Gen!"

"Keep Qiang safe! Keep Qiang safe!"

Wang Baoqiang heard this, turned around and waved to the onlookers.

Chen Yang said something into the walkie-talkie.

"Show us a reaction shot from camera number seven."

The genuine reactions of passersby are more valuable than any script.

Wang Baoqiang ran to the end of the red carpet and gave Deng Chao a big hug.

"Brother Chao!"

"Brother Qiang! You're too fast, it's like you're running a 100-meter race."

"I'm in a hurry because I'm afraid of being late and getting punished."

Shen Teng added quietly from the side.

"If anyone should be punished, it should be me. I almost couldn't get up."

"Next, Chen He."

Chen He poked half his head out of the tent, looking left and right.

"Did you really film it?"

"I've taken the picture! Come out quickly!" Ma Li urged him from the side.

Chen He gritted his teeth and stepped onto the red carpet.

After taking three steps, he suddenly stopped, turned around, and shouted towards the tent.

"Kai Kai, don't push me!"

Zheng Kai's voice came from behind the tent curtain.

"I didn't push you! Hurry up and walk!"

All four people at the end of the red carpet laughed.

Chen He jogged to his destination, squeezed next to Shen Teng, and stood there panting.

"Brother Teng, I'm nervous."

"Why are you so nervous? We're not asking you to act in a play."

"I'm afraid I'll say the wrong thing."

"Then don't say anything."

Chen He glared at him.

"Then what am I here for?"

Deng patted him on the shoulder.

"Relax, make yourself at home."

"Next up, Zheng Kai."

Zheng Kai strode out of the tent, his demeanor completely different from Chen He's.

Wearing a white sports jacket and sporting a neat short haircut, she walked with a brisk pace, even slowing down to toss her hair as she reached the middle of the red carpet.

Deng clapped.

"Okay, let's do a model walk."

Zheng Kai walked over with a smile and punched Chen He on the shoulder.

"See? This is how you walk on the red carpet."

"Your departure wasn't much better," Chen He muttered.

"Last one, baby."

The tent flap was lifted, and Baby came out.

A white sports jacket, a high ponytail. She had no makeup on, only light makeup.

She paused slightly at the entrance to the red carpet, as if taken aback by the spectacle before her.

More than 20 cameras, hundreds of staff members, and an ever-growing crowd of onlookers outside the cordon.

She clenched her fingers, then took a deep breath and started walking.

As she walked to the center of the red carpet, she bowed to the camera in a soft voice.

"Hello everyone, I'm Angelababy, you can call me Baby."

His Cantonese was slightly trembling, but his smile was genuine.

Deng was the first to go forward.

"Baby! Welcome, welcome! Come on, stand over here."

He naturally led Baby to the very center of the group, where she was surrounded by six men.

Li Chen moved half a step to the side, giving her more room to stand.

Wang Baoqiang grinned at her.

"Don't be nervous!"

Baby nodded, and the corners of her mouth curved into a smile.

The tension was visibly subsiding.

All seven people arrived.

A row of people stood on the red carpet, from left to right: Li Chen, Shen Teng, Chen He, Deng Chao, Baby, Zheng Kai, and Wang Baoqiang.