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

Don't take parallel universes too seriously!

[Tomato Specialty: Brain Freezer!]

[Those who don't use their brains, please sign in here!]

[This is a slice-of-life story. The beginning does lay the groundwork for some plot development. If you don't like the beginning, you can skip to the later parts and watch the recording directly.]

[The author put a lot of effort into creating this story, so please don't just give it one star. I'm a successor of the motherland, after all, so please give it five stars, okay?]

......

Chen Yang suddenly opened his eyes.

A dull pain came from the back of my head, as if I had been sleeping on the table for too long and my cervical spine was numb from the pressure.

Before me was an old Dell laptop, its fan humming, and the cursor on the Word document on the screen was still blinking.

"Traditional Folk Art Inheritance Project - Innovative Exploration of Studio Variety Shows Centered on Beijing Drum Music".

The document is only half-written, the layout is crooked, and the font size is not yet consistent.

Chen Yang stared at the headline, his mind going blank.

He recognized the proposal.

No, he knows him too well.

In his previous life, he had respectfully handed over this mediocre, unremarkable thing, and it naturally disappeared without a trace, without even making a splash.

Then again?

The proposal failed to be selected, and he continued to be the runner-up, working as an assistant to others, doing the hardest work, and taking the blame for the worst. It took him a full 15 years to finally rise from executive assistant director to independent director.

By the time he finally had the chance to sit in the top seat, his body had been pushed to its limit.

He remembered the stark white light in the ICU until his death.

Chen Yang clenched his fists instinctively.

The touch from the palm was too real; it wasn't the calloused, swollen knuckles of the hand I remembered, but a young, firm hand.

His gaze swept towards the corner of the table.

A Nokia N95 lay there quietly, its silver-gray metal casing reflecting the faint light from its screen.

He turned on his phone.

2009年5月12日，23:47。

Chen Yang froze in his chair.

2009 years.

I will turn 25 in 4 months.

Three years ago, after graduating from the Communication University of China, I joined Anhui TV's "Super Winner" and started as an intern director.

Last year, "Super Winner" was canceled and the production team disbanded.

He was appreciated by Sun Bin, the chief director of CCTV's "Happy China Tour," and was transferred to CCTV's variety channel as an executive deputy director through his recommendation.

It's been exactly eight months since I was transferred to CCTV.

The deadline for submitting proposals for innovative programs for CCTV's Variety Channel in 2009 is tomorrow morning.

"Holy shit."

Chen Yang cursed under his breath.

He really came back.

Two memories flooded into my mind like a torrent: my 15 years of experience producing variety shows in my previous life, every frame of every hit show, every camera movement, every editing point, and the original memories of this 24-year-old body before me, all gradually merging together.

Suddenly, at the age of 24, I gained 15 years of memories!

I remember the opening sequence of the first episode of the first season of "Running Man".

Remember the lighting angles, chase routes, and background music timings during the name tag ripping game.

I remember the camera angle switch when Deng Chao first shouted "we are a family".

I remember the ratings curves for each episode, accurate to two decimal places.

Before Chen Yang could process this massive amount of information, a piercing electronic voice suddenly rang in his mind.

"Ding! The Omnipotent Entertainment System is binding... Binding successful... Please wait, host..."

"I am System 9527, it's my pleasure to assist you!"

Chen Yang was taken aback.

system?

Before he could even speak, the electronic voice suddenly changed tone, transforming from a standard mechanical announcement into a kind of... panicked, heavy breathing.

"Wait...wait, wait, wait, wait!"

"Number verification...M89 Nebula...September 1984...Chinese nationality...Variety show director...Chen Yang..."

"Damn! The number is corrupted!"

Chen Yang: "?"

"The Chen Yang I want to kidnap is from that parallel world on planet M89, born in September 1984! Not the one from your world!"

The electronic voice was so anxious it was almost cracking.

"You two have the same name, the same birthday, the same occupation, and even look almost identical. How am I supposed to tell you apart?!"

Chen Yang opened his mouth, but before he could say anything, he did.

"Alright, alright, there's no time to explain. Initiate the unbinding agreement immediately. I need to get out of here quickly. Headquarters is pressuring me. Do you know how much the KPI deduction is for binding the wrong person? Three hundred years' worth of bonuses are gone!"

"Hey, hey, wait a minute." Chen Yang finally spoke, his voice very low, "You're just going to run away like that? At least leave something behind!"

"..."

The electronic voice remained silent for two seconds.

"Why are you trying to extort money from me?"

"Who's trying to extort you?" Chen Yang leaned back in his chair, his tone unhurried. "You bound and unbound the account without my permission. If I report this to higher authorities, do you think I'll lose three hundred years' worth of bonus money or three thousand years?"

"you!"

The electronic voice was clearly panicked.

"...Fine, you win."

"Hush money, two passive skills, that's all. Take it or leave it."

"What skill?"

"【Superhuman Physique】, max level passive skill, comprehensively enhances physical functions, endurance, strength, agility, and recovery far exceed the standards of national-level athletes, allowing for continuous high-intensity work for 72 hours without losing performance."

"Anything else?"

"【Photographic Memory】, max level passive skill: all existing memories in your mind are permanently locked, with 4K Blu-ray level precision, can be retrieved at any time, and will never fade."

Chen Yang narrowed his eyes.

"That's all? No quest system? No daily login reward? No in-game store?"

"You want an in-game store too!?"

The electronic voice was exasperated.

"I'm just a temporary worker. Giving you two passive skills is already a huge sacrifice! The sign-in shop is for full-time employees! I don't have the authority to access it!"

"Alright, these two will do."

Chen Yang was not ambiguous either.

Two max-level passive abilities: one ensures his body is always at full health, and the other ensures his memory bank from his previous 15 years is never lost.

enough.

He didn't need any system tasks to interfere.

The truly valuable things are all in his mind.

"Then I'm leaving!"

The electronic sound was as if granted a pardon.

"The skills have been written into my account; they are irreplaceable and non-transferable. Don't bother me with after-sales service. Goodbye!"

With a soft "poof" sound.

My mind went completely quiet.

It runs faster than a rabbit.

Chen Yang chuckled softly and stretched his shoulders.

An abundant, almost overflowing power surged up from the depths of the bones, as if every muscle fiber had been rewoven and every joint had been lubricated to the extreme.

I slept on the table for more than three hours. In the past, my neck would have been stiff for half a day.

Now?

I didn't feel anything.

I felt as clear-headed as if I had just slept for eight hours.

Chen Yang clenched his fist, feeling the power emanating from his knuckles.

This body is so useful.

He turned his gaze back to the computer screen.

The Traditional Folk Art Inheritance Plan.

The Word document lay there quietly, the cursor still blinking below the title, waiting for him to continue writing.

Chen Yang stared at the line of text, his mind racing.

In his past life, he was just too "stable".

Within the CCTV system, seniority is an ingrained rule.

An executive assistant director transferred from a local TV station submitted a perfectly standard and unremarkable proposal for a traditional Chinese opera variety show, which no one could find fault with and no one would give it a second glance.

Safety.

Decent.

Then continue to be invisible.

Then, he continued to work as someone else's assistant for another 15 years.

Chen Yang held the mouse in his right hand.

Ctrl+A.

Select all.

All the text on the screen instantly turned blue and became highlighted.

His index finger hovered above the Delete key for less than half a second.

I pressed it.

The entire "Traditional Folk Art Inheritance Plan" was completely wiped clean, not a single word was left.

The screen was now completely white.

Chen Yang's fingers landed on the keyboard.

Type five large characters on the first line of a blank document.

"Run, China!"

Bold, size 2, centered.

He did not hesitate at all.

2009 October.

Just nine months after the closing of the Beijing Olympics, the national fitness craze is still at its peak.

The National Fitness Regulations have been passed and will officially take effect in October.

The domestic variety show market is still stuck in the Stone Age, with its studio-based quiz shows and lucky draws.

Is this the original Korean version of "Running Man"?

That thing only premiered in July 2010, and it hasn't even been officially approved yet.

Globally, there is no established outdoor competitive reality show with a fixed cast of celebrities.

This is a blue sea that is so blue it's almost black.

Chen Yang, on the other hand, has the complete production details of all the hit variety shows for the next 15 years in his mind.

It's not a vague impression, but a 4K Blu-ray level memory that is precise down to the position of every frame of on-screen text, the beat of the music every second, and the angle of every camera position.

He closed his eyes, and the planning proposal for the first season of Running Man from his previous life unfolded in his mind like a high-definition projection.

Program positioning, core gameplay, competition structure, guest configuration logic, single episode process template, design principles for the name tag ripping chase route, complementary personality model of guest stars...

Everything is here.

But he can't just copy it.

The technological conditions, policy environment, and artist ecosystem in 2009 were completely different from those in 2014.

It needs to be changed.

It needs major changes.

Chen Yang opened his eyes, and his fingers began to fly across the keyboard.

The proposal's background can be traced back to the national policy of promoting fitness for all and the legacy of the Olympics.

The program is positioned as China's first fully real-scene celebrity outdoor competitive reality show, emphasizing the word "originality".

The core gameplay combines three intersecting elements: team battles, strategic gameplay, and physical fitness competition.

Tearing off name tags, keeping them—that's the soul of it.

Guest lineup?

His fingers paused for a moment.

This is the part of the whole plan that requires the most thought.