America: A Prodigy of Stereotypes

David put on heat-resistant gloves and took the baking tray out of the oven. The roasted potatoes on the tray emitted an enticing aroma.

"We have to wait for them to cool down."

“Even if it’s not hot to the touch, you have to be careful. It’s like it’s filled with volcanic lava inside. If you take a bite, it can burn a layer of skin off your mouth,” David warned.

"When you go to college, you will definitely run into financial difficulties, and at that time, even filling your stomach will be a luxury."

"How did we solve this problem back then? The luckiest we could get a job at a restaurant. If the owner was nice, he would give us a meal; if not, we'd sneak a bite to eat. And if we were unlucky, we'd have to sell our blood..." David started reminiscing about his youth again, telling Li Qun and the other high school students stories.

David exhibited serious occupational habits. Although he was hosting the weather forecast, he was secretly preparing to host popular shows, and fluent speaking was a basic skill for him.

“You were all asleep last night, but I watched David’s show at 3:30 in the morning.”

David's expression froze upon hearing Li Qun's words.

“The show isn’t actually boring; it’s the contents of the letters that are boring,” Li Qun comforted David.

"You're right, child."

“We’ll send some interesting letters to your show; it’s guaranteed to boost the ratings,” Li Qun said.

“No, no, no, I’ll skip the letters that are too sensational. Besides, the show isn’t live; it’s only broadcast late at night, so it will be edited,” David said.

"Does this program have a dedicated editor?" Li Qun asked with concern.

“The editor is a part-time job; he also handles content for other shows,” David Cage honestly replied.

"You should add some small details to your show, such as tonight's letters being about wallets. That way, the audience will be more intrigued by what you're reading. And with anticipation comes ratings."

"Do I really need to boost the ratings for a show at 3:30 in the morning?" David asked hesitantly.

“David, I’m a huge fan of yours! You’re my favorite TV host!!” Li Qun said.

“I can only say that your hobbies are unusual,” David said, looking at Li Qun.

“Anyway, there’s nothing left to lose. Your TV station probably doesn’t have a worse position than this program, right?” Li Qun asked.

“Yes.” David nodded.

Even TV shopping programs have ten times the viewership of his midnight letter-reading program.

Chapter 123 Kissing the Princess

The somewhat oppressive winter has finally passed, and spring has arrived, bringing with it a vibrant scene of all things flourishing.

In early spring, the weather is still quite cold, and it's common to see students at Midtown High School wearing thick winter clothes. The prospective athletes on the school team take off their clothes to show off their muscles during after-school group training, but after training, they still wrap themselves up tightly in thick clothes.

Spring is in the air, and so are young men and women.

Every year, in order to channel the restlessness of students during the spring, the school organizes activities in late March to deplete their energy.

These activities are very targeted, and every year, students with budding romantic feelings are drawn in by school teachers and leaders.

"Theatrical performance?"

"Liz, do you want me to stand on stage and perform? Or as the male lead?"

In the school cafeteria, Li Qun was so shocked by Liz's invitation to participate in a play that he couldn't even show his expression.

"My script has been reviewed and approved. The teachers all said it's a very good script!"

"Please, Li Qun, you're the only one for the male lead." Liz grasped Li Qun's hands and looked him in the eye.

"What kind of character is that?" Li Qun asked hesitantly.

“It’s perfectly tailored for you,” Liz said.

"To be more specific."

"It's a short story full of cultural clashes, but it ends happily with the cultures merging," Liz replied.

"You want me to play a role that causes cultural conflict? I remember there are similar scripts and stories in Broadway plays," Li Qun said.

“I’m just borrowing ideas; my script is more original and more in line with the audience’s tastes,” Liz told Liqun.

“I’m quite busy. Can I recommend Peter?” Li Qun turned his head and looked at Peter.

"What?!" Liz looked at Peter in surprise.

“The male lead in the script is Asian,” Liz emphasized.

Peter became nervous and started to stutter, unable to utter a complete sentence for a long time.

"Just interact with each other's identities."

"Liz, you're both the screenwriter and the lead actress, and I'm the lead actor. We're both Asian, so how can the audience see the clever ideas in your script?"

“Look at Peter, he can attract the attention of the entire audience as soon as he steps on stage, and the idea that Asian women are strong is also a stereotype. You two can definitely give the best performance by partnering on stage.”

“Is that right?” Peter looked at Li Qun, then at Liz, and he himself was starting to believe that he was the best choice for the male lead in the school drama performance.

Liz was also sizing up Peter.

Peter was always either next to Li Qun or Harry, never really standing out.

If you take a good look at Peter, he's actually quite handsome.

"Peter, will you agree?" Liz was persuaded by Li Qun.

“I…” Peter hesitated.

"May I?" Harry asked from the side.

“No, Harry, you’re too dazzling,” Liz refused outright.

“Okay,” Harry said with a smile.

"Will Mary Jane attend?" Li Qun asked Liz.

“Mary Jane certainly participated; she played the second most important female role in the script,” Liz said.

“I’ll give it a try,” Peter said.

This year, the school is organizing a stage play performance. Each grade will put on a show, and parents can come to enjoy their child's performance on stage on the day of the performance.

Since there are not many students in a grade, students from different grades may even participate in drama programs.

"Hi, Harry!!"

An older female student walked over to their table and greeted Harry.

"Is it an invitation?" Harry asked with a smile.

"Would you be interested in playing the prince who saves the princess?" a 12th-grade student asked.

Am I playing a prince?

“It’s a fairy tale play, so there’s no requirement for acting skills,” the senior student told Harry.

“I’d love to,” Harry said.

"See you after school."

Gwen looked at Peter and Harry's expressions and shook her head.

"Have you finished writing your letter to David?" Gwen asked Liqun.

"It's finished."

Can I take a look?

"I already mailed it out this morning."

"Will he be able to read your letter on the show?" Gwen asked without much expectation.

"David will message me after he reads my letter."

"I'll set the TV to record automatically at 3 a.m., so we can watch it during the day," Li Qun said.

“I don’t know what it is about David Cage that attracts you,” Gwen retorted.

"Don't you sense that David is someone who'll create interesting stories?"

“Perhaps the part of his story right now isn’t something that makes people happy,” Li Qun said.

"Oh right, I just remembered about the driving test..."

"What's wrong? Didn't we agree to take the test during spring break?" Gwen asked.

“Many people have the same idea as us, so we may not be able to make an appointment,” Li Qun said.

"What should we do then?"

"Let's postpone it further. Summer vacation is a long time, and I plan to wait until summer vacation," Li Qun said.

“I’m not going to wait,” Gwen said, frowning.

Peter scratched his head and said, "I'll wait until summer vacation too."

“That’s terrible, I won’t get my driver’s license until I graduate high school, which is a year later than you guys,” Harry said.

……

……

Following Li Qun's advice, Liz made extensive revisions to her script, reversing the original male and female roles, which created an unexpected and entertaining effect during the performance.

On the day of the play, Uncle Ben and Aunt Meryl Streep both came to the stage, and Aunt Meryl Streep recorded the entire performance with a home video camera.

Laughter filled the theater as Peter's performance was so lifelike that even Lillian, Gwen, and Harry in the audience couldn't tell whether Peter was actually acting or not.

After the performance, they ran backstage, where Peter, covered in sweat, was laughing and talking to Mary Jane.

“Peter, a great success!!” Harry said to Peter.

"My performance is tomorrow."

"Harry, is your dad coming back tomorrow?" Peter asked naively.

“Bernard and Mr. Leopold will be coming, and Bernard will send my dad a video of the stage performance,” Harry replied.

“Scientists who focus on scientific research are extremely busy; they don’t even have time to eat during the day,” Li Qun chimed in.

“Uncle Norman must be busy with a big project,” Peter said.

"I've been so busy I've forgotten all about my son." Harry chuckled. "It's fine that he can't come; the plot requires me to kiss the princess."