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

It was almost noon when I left the agency.

The sun in Beijing in early June is scorching hot, making people feel burning hot on their skin.

Ma Li walked beside Chen Yang, waving the signed letter of intent in her hand, her lips never drooping.

"Five now."

She counted on her fingers.

"Zheng Kai, Baby, Chen He, Shen Teng, Li Chen."

"Adding Wang Baoqiang's side, it's basically a done deal, that makes six."

She stopped laughing and looked at Chen Yang.

"There's only one left."

"Deng Chao".

Chen Yang hummed in agreement.

"What's the situation on his end?"

Ma Li took her phone out of her bag and pulled out a text message.

"His agent replied this morning, saying that Deng Chao is very interested in the show, but doesn't want to talk about it in the office."

"He wants to meet you, the director, in an informal setting."

Chen Yang stopped in his tracks.

"Where should we meet?"

Ma Li handed over her phone; an address was displayed on the screen.

"A private indoor basketball court in Chaoyang District, Beijing."

"Seven o'clock tonight."

Chen Yang looked at the line of text and chuckled.

Basketball court.

Is this guy going to test him on his home turf?

"interesting."

He returned the phone to Ma Li.

"Sister Li, don't go tonight."

Why?

"He arranged an informal occasion, and bringing his agent would have made things seem distant."

Chen Yang hailed a taxi.

"We have to give the captain enough face."

"I'll go alone."

……

It was exactly 7 p.m.

A high-end private indoor basketball court in Chaoyang District, Beijing.

Chen Yang stood outside the gate, changed into a pair of sneakers, and took off his jacket, draping it over his arm.

The room was brightly lit, and the sound of sneakers rubbing against the wooden floor came through the crack in the door, mixed with the muffled thud of a basketball hitting the floor.

He pushed open the door.

An orange shadow, accompanied by a sharp whooshing sound, hurtled straight toward his face.

The basketball, spinning in an arc, hurtled straight toward Chen Yang's face.

Not slow.

An ordinary person would either dodge or take the hit.

Chen Yang did not dodge.

He raised his right hand, slowly and deliberately, with his five fingers spread, and slammed the basketball down less than thirty centimeters from his nose.

Snapped.

The dull thud of leather hitting the palm echoed throughout the empty indoor court.

The basketball remained motionless in his hand.

The whole process took less than half a second.

There were two other people playing around in the half of the court, but when they heard the noise, they stopped dribbling and turned around at the same time.

Chen Yang looked down at the ball in his hand.

A standard Spalding.

Without much thought, he shifted half a step to the right and stood outside the three-point line.

With a flick of the wrist, the ball rests on the fingertips; the knees are slightly bent, and the waist and abdomen exert force.

Shot.

The ball traced a textbook parabola in the air.

Swish.

Hollow-core netting.

The net wobbled twice from the impact, and the basketball bounced a few times on the floor before rolling to the baseline.

The entire stadium was silent for two seconds.

Then a round of applause rang out from the direction of the center circle of the stadium.

Pop, pop, pop.

The applause was neither hurried nor slow, carrying a roguish air of appreciation.

Deng walked over from the center circle.

The thirty-year-old man was wearing a flashy orange basketball jersey, shorts, and Nike sneakers. He hadn't wiped the sweat from his forehead, and his short, choppy hair was soaked with sweat in strands.

His smile was as bright as a college student who had just finished playing basketball.

But not in the eyes.

His eyes are sharp.

Beneath that smile, she was carefully scrutinizing every detail of Chen Yang.

"nice shot."

Deng Chao walked up to Chen Yang and extended his hand.

His palms were sweaty, and his handshake was just the right amount of pressure.

"Director Chen, I've heard so much about you."

"Brother Chao, just call me Chen Yang."

Chen Yang shook hands with him briefly, then released his hand and smiled.

"This is quite a generous gift; it wouldn't look good if it were thrown in your face."

Deng Chao chuckled and pointed to the basketball hoop.

"Let's see how fast your reaction is."

He wiped the sweat from his forehead with the back of his hand and tilted his head to look at Chen Yang.

"But this move of yours doesn't seem like something a director would do."

"Walks right across the three-point line, with that wingspan and that touch, he must have played on the school team, right?"

"Yeluzi."

Chen Yang draped his jacket over a bench by the court, picked up the ball from the ground, and spun it around twice with one hand.

"Just playing around, not professional."

Deng Chao's expression changed again.

Whether a person can spin a ball with one hand is immediately apparent from the stability of their wrist and the control of their fingertips.

Chen Yang spun around like a top.

It doesn't seem like a self-taught approach.

But Deng didn't expose him; instead, he just waved his hand dismissively.

"Come, come, sit down."

There was a row of folding chairs by the court, with two bottles of mineral water and an opened bag of beef jerky next to them.

The two sat down facing each other.

Deng Chao unscrewed the bottle of mineral water and took two big gulps, then handed the other bottle to Chen Yang.

"Director Chen... Chen Yang, I'm a straightforward person, please don't mind me."

"explain."

"Sister Ma gave me a brief overview of your program."

Deng Chao placed the bottled water at his feet, rested his hands on his knees, and leaned forward slightly.

"An outdoor competitive reality show, with a fixed team of seven people, traveling all over the country, and filmed all day long."

He smiled, but his smile became more serious.

"Good stuff, I admit it."

"But I have a concern."

Chen Yang didn't urge him; he waited for him.

"I'm an extrovert, to put it nicely; to put it bluntly, I'm a madman."

Deng Chao spoke slowly, one sentence at a time, with a hint of self-deprecation.

Give me a stage, and I can rip the roof off.

"But the problem is... you're CCTV!"

He held up one finger and tapped the top of his head.

"It's on CCTV's prime time slot, watched by the entire nation."

"I know CCTV's review standards; there are so many rules and regulations that they could circle the earth three times."

"What am I afraid of? I'm afraid I won't be able to relax if I go."

"If I can't let go, I'll just stand there like a wooden stake."

"If the final cut isn't funny or good-looking, it will not only waste your platform but also ruin my own reputation."

He shrugged, his expression sincere.

"To be frank, it's not that I don't want to come, it's that I'm afraid I'll be bound like a dumpling by your rules once I arrive."

After listening, Chen Yang didn't rush to answer.

He unscrewed the bottle of mineral water, took a sip, and then asked a question.

"Hey bro, what do you think is the funniest thing on variety shows?"

Deng Chao blinked.

"You're asking me?"

"I'm asking you."

Deng Chao thought for two seconds, then grinned.

"reality."

"right."

Chen Yang held up one finger.

"The truth is the funniest."

"Then let me ask you another question. If there's a segment where seven people are playing hide-and-seek in the streets of an ancient town, and the team leader is being chased all over the place, he accidentally bumps into an old lady's tofu shop, knocks over a pot, and spills soy milk all over himself."

"The captain stood there, his head covered in soy milk, and said to the camera: 'No, that's not how the script was written!'"

"Would this scene pass CCTV's review?"

Deng Chao was stunned for a moment.

"...Is it possible?"

"Why can you?"

"Because...it wasn't outrageous? So it's just funny?"

"right."

Chen Yang withdrew his finger.

"Brother Chao, those rules and regulations you mentioned really exist."

"But you've got one thing wrong."

"The films that are rejected during the censorship process are vulgar, maliciously targeted, or involve safety incidents."

"No lag, no lag, no lag, no lag for your over-the-top personality."

He put the mineral water bottle aside and leaned forward half an inch.

"I understand why you said you were afraid of being tied up like a dumpling."

"But have you ever considered what it would be like to be more uninhibited on a TV show than when filming any movie or TV series?"

Deng Chao didn't reply, but the wariness in his eyes lessened by a fraction.

Let me give you an example.

Chen Yang's speech quickened.

"Episode 1, the opening gathering, the seven people meet for the first time."

"The team leader is in charge of warming up the atmosphere. You stand at the front and introduce each person one by one."

"Halfway through your introduction, you suddenly forgot your lines, stared blankly at the camera for three seconds, then laughed to yourself, turned to the person next to you and asked: 'Hey, what's your name again?'"

The whole audience burst into laughter.

"What do you call this? This is called the captain's dignified downfall."

"It's a hundred times more satisfying for the audience to watch you forget your lines and act silly with your handsome face than to watch you show off your coolness in a TV series."

Deng Chao's lips had unconsciously curled into a smile.

"etc."

He held out his hand and made a pause gesture.

"What you're saying sounds good, but I need to test where your bottom line really is."

He stood up, took two steps to the sidelines, turned around, and his expression changed to one of excited anticipation.

"I see, Director Chen."

"I'll tell you a few ideas I've come up with, and you tell me if they're feasible."

He raised the first finger.

"For example, during the game segment, there was a special punishment for the team captain: if they lost, they had to wear women's clothing and walk 100 meters down the street."

Chen Yang glanced at him.

"Women's clothing is not allowed; it won't pass censorship."

"But if it were changed to... the losing team captain would have to wear a mascot costume and bow to the tourists at the entrance of the scenic area to apologize, with a Pigsy headpiece."

"With the cooperation of the scenic area and the participation of tourists, the scenes are funny but not vulgar."

Deng Chao raised an eyebrow.

"Okay, that's interesting."

He raised his second finger.

"For example, during the name tag ripping game, the captain pretends to betray the team, deliberately selling out his teammates' positions to the other side, and then turns the tables and fights back at a crucial moment."

"Is this kind of script even possible to design?"

"No design required."

Chen Yang waved his hand.

"We don't write screenplays."

Deng was stunned.

"Not writing scripts?"

"We design the framework."