I really just want to grind for entries related to crossover anime/manga.

Nagura Jun immediately followed up, speaking in his characteristic sarcastic tone.

"Yeah, compared to people like us who can only play dumb and make a living by appearing on variety shows year after year, Sakurajima's life trajectory is simply the ultimate perfect template for 'other people's kids'."

“Every time I see news about Sakurajima-san, I can’t help but go back and reflect on my own life.”

As he spoke, he struck a funny pose resembling a "thinker," eliciting uproarious laughter from the audience.

Kenji Horiuchi held his head in his hands, making an extremely "heartbroken" expression, his voice trembling with tears.

"Don't even mention it. When I was Mai-san's age, I was working all night at a convenience store, struggling to save money for a meal."

Yoshimi Tokui and Mitsunori Fukuda were not going to miss this opportunity to liven up the atmosphere, and they joined in with their own吐槽 (tu cao, meaning to roast or criticize), creating a lively and joyful atmosphere filled with laughter, applause, and cheers.

Mai Sakurajima maintained an impeccable and polite smile throughout, sometimes covering her mouth with a light laugh, sometimes nodding in agreement, and sometimes lightly brushing it off with a witty and tactful remark, cleverly turning the passive situation of being "teased" into a stage to showcase her high emotional intelligence and affability.

After introducing Mai Sakurajima's impeccable resume, Shinya Ueda abruptly changed the subject, like an experienced hunter turning his gun on a new target, turning his gaze to Yu Genkawa, who had maintained a calm and smiling demeanor.

"Now, the next guest I'd like to introduce is Yuu-san Genkawa, who has risen to prominence in recent years at a comet-like speed, achieving astonishing success in the seemingly unrelated fields of acting and writing!"

The next moment, even more enthusiastic screams and applause, especially from female voices, instantly flooded the studio.

Genkawa Yu gave a slight bow, his smile gentle and reserved, a stark contrast to Sakurajima Mai's radiant beauty, yet strangely harmonious.

"Upon closer examination, Genkawa's acting career is indeed quite dramatic."

Shinya Ueda looked at the electronic teleprompter in his hand, his tone clearly guiding and with the intention of "stirring things up".

"My debut film was '49,' in which I played a supporting role... Well, a very solid and respectable starting point."

He paused deliberately here, his gaze sweeping meaningfully over the other eager hosts, as if to say, "The show is about to begin."

Sure enough, Horiuchi Ken immediately seized this opportunity like a shark smelling blood. He widened his eyes and spoke loudly in an extremely exaggerated, confident tone.

"Have you all noticed that he went from a minor supporting role in '49' to quickly gaining huge popularity after participating in the phenomenal dating reality show 'Love is a Required Course in Life', and then directly leaped over the dragon gate to become the absolute male lead in the hit drama of the year, 'Alice in the Land of the Dying'!"

"Genkawa-kun's growth trajectory is also impressive. Could you share some stories with us old hands?"

This was a pre-arranged process. After all, Genkawa Yu's rising fame was accompanied by a lot of negative news, so this was a good opportunity to explain and create some entertainment value.

Upon hearing the question, Genkawa Yu gave a slightly embarrassed smile, neither arrogant nor overly timid, and calmly explained.

"I am truly flattered by what you say, Horiuchi-san. In retrospect, every step has been full of coincidences."

He first mentioned the crucial turning point: dating reality shows.

"Before participating in 'Love is a Required Course in Life,' I actually knew nothing about variety shows. It was only when Director Aoyama asked me to play a werewolf that I thought I could give it a try."

"Hehe, my wife was watching the show at the time, and she thought it was really too much for Genkawa-kun to refuse three people," Arita Teppei joked with a smile.

"Yes, I was also conflicted when I was doing these things, but I had no choice but to do it this way in order to consider the final theme."

Genkawa Yu smiled and said, "Any viewer who has watched the show should understand Director Aoyama's good intentions. After all, love is very difficult."

"That makes sense, after all, falling in love is a major life event."

While it's true that saying this is fine, the hosts of "Chat 007" are not to be trifled with.

The next moment, Fukuda Mitsunori immediately seized on an extremely sensitive keyword and asked with a smile in a seemingly casual tone.

"Speaking of which, when Genkawa-kun participated in that dating reality show, didn't he meet the very outstanding Kurokawa Akane-san through it? After the show ended, are you still in touch privately? What's your relationship like?"

This question was like a pebble thrown into a calm lake, instantly creating invisible ripples throughout the studio.

The scene fell silent for a moment. All eyes, including those of several high-definition cameras, were fixed on Genkawa Yu's face like spotlights, and the air seemed to freeze.

This question directly touches on the most sensitive private life of celebrities, and a slightly careless answer could cause a huge uproar.

However, Yuan Chuanyu had already prepared a plan. His expression was calm and unwavering, and even his eyes did not flicker. His tone was natural and steady, as if he were stating a very ordinary fact.

"Of course we're in touch. Kurokawa-san is an excellent actor who takes acting extremely seriously. We have a lot in common when it comes to acting and our careers, and we're also very close friends in private."

He deliberately used the word "friends," clearly defining the boundaries and showing an open attitude. He neither tried to avoid suspicion to appear guilty nor became overly intimate to cause misunderstandings, striking the perfect balance.

"Hey! Fukuda, you're so bad at reading the room!"

The seasoned and shrewd hosts knew they had achieved their goal, so Harada Taizo immediately jumped out to play the role of "troublemaker," pointing at Fukuda Mitsunori with an exaggerated expression as if he had discovered something heinous.

"Didn't you see our leading lady sitting right here tonight? What are you trying to do by asking Genkawa-kun such a question in front of her?!"

As soon as she said that, the photographer in charge of the camera understood perfectly, and immediately locked the camera on Mai Sakurajima, giving her an extreme close-up.

Mai Sakurajima seemed to be a beat slow to react before she opened her captivatingly beautiful eyes slightly. Then, she immediately demonstrated her improvisational skills and variety show sense as a top actress.

She turned her head, her gaze quickly shifting from initial confusion to a complex look of scrutiny, staring intently at Yuan Chuan You's profile. Her delicate face displayed subtle and vivid expressions, her full red lips slightly pursed, as if silently accusing him.

"puff--!"

"Hahahahahaha!"

"Sakurajima-san's expression is priceless!"

The audience and hosts were instantly amused by Mai Sakurajima's impromptu performance as a "melancholy heroine," bursting into deafening laughter.

This scene will undoubtedly become one of the classic moments of this episode. Genkawa Yu also cooperated by showing a slightly helpless smile with a hint of "please let me go," and raised his hand to touch his nose. This subtle little action added to the comedic effect.

After this dangerous yet exciting little episode, the experienced Ueda Shinya skillfully steered the conversation back to the main topic of promotion.

He asked, "I heard that the crew of 'Alice in the Land of the Dying' went to Xia Country for promotional activities? They went to the international metropolis of Shanghai, right?"

"Yes, Ueda-san."

Mai Sakurajima picked up the conversation, quickly regaining her elegant and composed goddess demeanor, as if the "jealous" little girl from before was just everyone's illusion.

"Shanghai is a very impressive international metropolis with towering skyscrapers and a high degree of modernization. The night view of the Huangpu River after dark is especially dazzling and very romantic."

"Oh, so besides your busy work schedule, have you made time to experience the authentic local cuisine?"

Teppei Arita seized the opportunity, never letting any chance to uncover details slip by.

“Yes,” Mai Sakurajima nodded with a smile, naturally steer the conversation in a direction that might create a chemistry between them, “After work, I tried some street food near the hotel, such as pan-fried buns and xiaolongbao. The taste was very authentic and left a deep impression on me.”

"A roadside stall?"

Yoshimi Tokui immediately seized upon this keyword, which was full of life and imagination, like a cat smelling fish. His eyes narrowed into slits, and he revealed his signature smile.

"Who did you go with? Would you mind telling me, Sakurajima-san?"

He deliberately dragged out his words, leaving a huge cliffhanger, instantly putting the audience on the edge of their seats, filled with anticipation.

Mai Sakurajima glanced at Yu Genkawa beside her, a barely perceptible smile flashing across their eyes as they met, before she said frankly, "Yes, I went with Genkawa-kun."

"Eh—!!!"

The audience immediately erupted in a cacophony of cheers and applause, filled with an air of ambiguity and excitement, as if they had discovered some incredible secret.

As the key figure in controlling the situation, how could Shinya Ueda miss this opportunity to press his advantage?

He immediately pressed for the most crucial and attention-grabbing detail, "Was it just the two of you? No staff members were with you?"

Genkawa Yu nodded and took the initiative to continue the conversation, explaining in a reasonable tone.

"Yes, it was just the two of us. We had a very busy day with promotional activities, and it was quite late when we got back to the hotel. Everyone was exhausted."

"We thought we just wanted to grab something to eat nearby and didn't want to bother our assistants and agents who had worked hard all day, so we went out and found a decent-looking stall to have dinner ourselves."

"I see, it's to show consideration for the staff!"

"What a considerate actress!"

The hosts all wore ambiguous smiles that said, "I understand, I understand," and "You don't need to explain, explaining is just covering up." Although they said they understood, their winking expressions, meaningful tones, and tacit eye contact had already created the show's "troublemaking" effect and topicality to the fullest.

The core of variety shows lies in topics that are unsubstantiated and lack any concrete evidence. This satisfies the audience's gossip-loving mentality without actually touching on the privacy and bottom line of celebrities, thus avoiding trouble. This is the essence of why the national variety show "Chatting 007" has been able to remain popular for so long.

The resume presentation and key announcement segments concluded amidst laughter and cheers. Ueda Shinya seized the opportunity, waved his hand dramatically, and announced in a suddenly loud and dramatic voice.

"Alright! That concludes our lighthearted chat! Now, it's time for the most intense and nerve-wracking segment of the evening—to perfectly echo the gripping life-or-death game theme of 'Alice in the Land of the Dying,' our production team has prepared a special—the 'Draw the Joker' life-or-death competition!"

As he finished speaking, the lights on stage suddenly changed, the originally bright and warm colors turning into a mix of dark blue and dark purple, creating a sense of suspense and competitive atmosphere.

The background music also switched to the fast-paced game theme song, instantly putting everyone on edge.

The staff, well-trained, quickly moved a specially made small square table and nine uniquely shaped chairs onto the large screen, and the rules were projected onto the screen in a cool animation format.

The game uses a standard deck of playing cards with the Jokers removed, plus a single black Joker card symbolizing "bad luck."

[After each player is randomly dealt cards at the start of the game, all cards that can form pairs are immediately discarded into the recycling box under the table. Cards that cannot form pairs are kept as "hand cards".]

Then, proceeding clockwise, each player randomly draws a card from the player to their left. If the drawn card can form a pair with a card in their hand, it is immediately discarded; otherwise, it is added to their hand. This process is repeated until all cards have been successfully paired and discarded. The player who holds the last card that cannot be paired with a joker is the loser for that round!

The punishment for the loser is to publicly wear that cheaply designed, plain white suit jacket with the three shameful words "Weakest King" printed in huge bold letters on the back, hold a joke card, take a photo, and post it on the official Twitter account to receive "public execution" from the entire internet's fans.

Because of the large number of hosts (seven in total) and two guests (a total of nine people), the competition was designed to consist of three rounds.

In the first two rounds, Yu Minakawa and Mai Sakurajima will compete against different hosts, each producing one unfortunate eliminated contestant.

The third round is the ultimate showdown, where the eliminated contestants from the first two rounds, plus one person chosen by the live audience through real-time voting who "most wants to see him/her punished," will compete in the final battle to determine the only "Weakest King" of the night!

Japanese variety shows are extremely adept at using the "small window" reaction mode to enhance interactivity and comedic effect.

While a round of competition is underway in a completely soundproof, independent small room, three high-definition small windows will be split on the large screen on the main stage to display the reactions, comments, and facial expressions of other non-participating members in the rest area in real time, creating a unique "inside and outside" interactive viewing experience.

Round 1: Mai Sakurajima VS the three hosts (Jun Nagura, Taizo Harada, Ken Horiuchi)

Before the competition officially began, the four contestants, guided by Shinya Ueda, entered a specially set-up competition room (the room was soundproof, so the discussions outside could not be heard).

On the large screen on the main stage, the images from the four cameras in the room were clearly displayed simultaneously, especially the cards in each person's hand.

The camera lens slowly zooms in, giving each person's hand a highly impactful close-up.

The moment the cards were clearly presented to everyone, Genkawa Yu's sharp eyes immediately noticed that between her slender, white fingers, she was tightly gripping the Joker card, which symbolized "misfortune"!

"Ohh ...

The remaining hosts on the main stage and the sharp-eyed audience also noticed this almost simultaneously, and in unison let out a series of exclamations that were a mixture of surprise and anticipation.

Ueda Shinya immediately seized this excellent opportunity for interaction, and like a cunning referee, quickly handed the microphone to Genkawa Yu, with an undisguised wicked smile on his face, and asked.

"Genkawa-kun, did you see that? This is bad! Sakurajima-san drew the most troublesome Joker card right at the start! Based on your understanding of Sakurajima-san, what strategy do you think she will use to deal with such an unfavorable start? Will she panic or remain calm and composed?"

Genkawa Yu's gaze was fixed on Sakurajima Mai's beautiful face, which always maintained an astonishing calmness, in the small window. He pondered for about a second, organized his thoughts, and then analyzed in a calm and confident tone.

"Based on my understanding of Sakurajima-san, I think that in this unfavorable situation, the most likely strategy she would adopt is the ultimate 'poker face' tactic, trying her best to control her facial expressions so that her opponents cannot read any clues about her hand from her expression."

"Oh oh oh."

Everyone looked to the screen expectantly, and sure enough, as Ueda Shinya announced the official start of the match from the small room, Sakurajima Mai really did implement the "poker face" tactic.

Whether it was a safe card that Nagura Jun carefully took from her hand, or when it was her turn to draw a card from Harada Taizo or Horiuchi Ken, her delicate face was always covered with a layer of cold frost.