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

In the control room, Zhang Lei watched this scene on the monitor and collapsed into the back of his chair laughing.

Su Xiao dropped the script in her hand to the ground; she was laughing so hard she couldn't straighten up.

"What... what kind of meme is this?" Zhang Lei covered his face, his shoulders twitching.

Su Xiao smiled.

"If this segment airs, I bet it'll be number one on the trending topics."

On the lawn, two men, squatting on the ground and clutching their chests, stared at each other.

Chen Yang couldn't hold back any longer.

He took off his mask, revealing a face that was flushed red.

"...Stageman! Stageman, come here! Get me two outfits! Quickly!"

Li Chen turned his head away, refusing to look at the camera.

"I've never been so humiliated in my life."

Deng Chao and Wang Baoqiang were standing on the sidelines, already laughing so hard they were squatting on the ground.

"Chen... Brother Chen, you're amazing..." Deng Chao laughed so hard he could barely speak, "You even tore the director's clothes off..."

Wang Baoqiang slapped his thigh while wiping away tears.

"I've never seen this kind of fighting style in my entire life!"

The stagehand jogged over and brought two new outfits.

Chen Yang took it and looked at it.

There's no spare black one.

All that was left was an extra red Running Man team uniform.

The two stood side by side, like an awkward pair of twins.

Deng Chao's laughter cracked.

"Alright." Chen Yang clapped his hands, forcefully stabilizing the situation. "Continue."

He turned to Li Chen, his eyes sharpening once more.

"Brother Chen, this is for real."

The embarrassment from before was no longer in Li Chen's eyes.

That tug-of-war just now made him realize something.

This director's power is truly terrifying.

But... it is not invincible.

"Come."

The two of them separated again.

This time, there was no probing like in the first round.

Chen Yang made the first move, quickly cutting in and attempting to repeat the route he had taken to circle around from behind.

But Li Chen wasn't buying it.

He didn't reach out to grab it, but the moment Chen Yang cut in, his upper body suddenly swayed to the left.

Feint.

Chen Yang paused for a moment.

Just this half-beat.

Li Chen's right hand coiled around Chen Yang's left arm like a python, gripping it tightly.

Chen Yang tried to break free, but Li Chen's arm was too strong, like an iron clamp welded to his body.

Li Chen's left hand reached around Chen Yang's back, his fingertips touching the edge of the name tag.

Chen Yang sensed it and twisted his body sharply, trying to break free.

But it was too late.

Hiss.

The sound of name tags being torn off echoed beneath the steel dome of the Bird's Nest.

Li Chen raised his hand high.

He was holding that crumpled name tag in his hand, with two words written on it!

"Chen Yang".

The lawn was silent for a second.

Then, all the sounds erupted at once.

applause.

Cheers erupted.

Whistling sound.

The shouts of the staff.

Everything was mixed together, like a bomb detonating inside the Bird's Nest.

Li Chen knelt on one knee on the lawn, panting heavily.

Sweat slid down his forehead and dripped onto the name tag in his hand.

He won.

Chen Yang stood still, looked down at his empty back, and then looked up.

He smiled.

He put on the coat handed to him by the stagehand, walked over, and slapped Li Chen on the shoulder.

"Brother Chen, that's amazing!"

Li Chen raised his head, revealing his tiger teeth, and gave a simple, honest smile.

"No...it's nothing, I was just lucky."

Chen Yang took the brass key off his torn clothes and handed it to Li Chen.

"Here's the key. The medal is on the second-floor honor wall; go open the box."

Li Chen gripped the key and walked steadily toward the second-floor passage.

Deng Chao and Wang Baoqiang followed behind, still savoring the memorable scene from earlier.

"Brother Chen, the way you clutched your chest just now was even more embarrassing than my daughter," Wang Baoqiang said with a smile.

Li Chen's ears turned red again.

"Don't even mention it."

In front of the second-floor honor wall, boxes containing medals stand quietly on display cases.

Li Chen inserted the key and turned it.

Click.

The lid popped open.

Four gold-inlaid jade medals lay neatly on a velvet lining, gleaming with a warm luster under the emergency light.

Green Team won!

Chen Yang picked up the walkie-talkie, and his voice regained the clarity and crispness of the director.

"Attention all teams, the final mission is over. All cameras move to the podium at the Bird's Nest entrance. Lighting team, turn on all lights. Sound team, check wireless microphones. Event management team, set up props in advance."

"Release the prisoners and bring the rest to the podium."

"The awards ceremony will be held in ten minutes."

The walkie-talkie crackled with replies.

Chen Yang turned off the walkie-talkie and glanced at the watch on his wrist.

1:17 AM.

This is the last segment of the first episode's recording.

The crowd marched in a grand procession toward the podium at the entrance of the Bird's Nest.

The five people in prison were finally released. Shen Teng, Chen He, Zheng Kai, Baby, and Liu Xiang stretched and walked out, looking blankly at Li Chen, who was covered in grass clippings, and Chen Yang, who was wearing a red team uniform.

"Wait, Director Chen, why are you wearing a Running Man team uniform too?" Chen He's eyes widened.

"Don't ask anymore," Chen Yang said expressionlessly.

"They tore each other's clothes apart," Deng Chao added.

Chen He's expression was priceless.

Shen Teng slowly glanced at Li Chen, then at Chen Yang, and a smirk appeared on his lips.

"This scene... is an eyesore."

Baby covered her mouth and chuckled, but Chen Yang quickly glared at her and shut her up.

In front of the podium, all the lights were turned on, illuminating the entrance to the Bird's Nest as bright as day.

The eight guests stood in a row.

Liu Xiang smiled and clapped, displaying great sportsmanship.

Wang Baoqiang crossed his arms, his face showing a stubborn "I'll come again next time" expression.

Baby pouted, but her eyes were full of excitement.

Deng Chao put his hands on his hips, verbally protesting.

"Don't do that again, Director Chen. What kind of skill is it to get involved yourself?"

Chen Yang smiled but didn't reply.

He turned his head and glanced at the stagehand behind him, nodding slightly.

The stagehand understood immediately and pushed up a small cart covered with a red cloth.

The wheels made a faint creaking sound on the ground.

Beneath the red cloth, some strangely shaped outlines could be vaguely seen.

Chen Yang smiled, his voice not loud, but everyone present could hear him clearly.

"Before the awards ceremony..."

He reached out and slowly lifted a corner of the red cloth.

"Let's deal with the loser's punishment first."

Deng Chao's smile froze.

Wang Baoqiang subconsciously took a half step back.

Baby's eyes widened instantly.

Liu Xiang glanced down at what was peeking out from under the red cloth, and for the first time, a crack appeared on his composed face.

Under the red cloth...

There were four sets of brightly colored, garish, unidentified clothing, and several strange props whose purpose was unclear.

Deng Chao's Adam's apple bobbed up and down.

"Director Chen, let's talk this over..."

Chen Yang lifted the red cloth even higher, revealing a full smile.

"There's no room for negotiation."