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

Guomao Station.

end.

The last 100 flyers were distributed.

The four people stood on the steps of the Guomao Station exit, their eyes squinting in the June sun.

Deng Chao let out a long sigh.

"Zhang Lei".

"Um?"

"Tell Director Chen, I've remembered this grudge."

Zhang Lei nodded without changing his expression, then turned and said something into the walkie-talkie.

"That's it for today, everyone evacuate."

The cameraman puts away the camera, the stagehands collect the reflectors, and the van drives up from around the corner.

The moment the four people got into the car, Deng Chao pulled down the collar of his bodysuit.

"I'm so bored."

Baby huddled in the last row of seats, covering her face with her coat, her voice muffled.

"I never want to wear these clothes again."

"Never again."

Liu Xiang leaned against the car window with his eyes closed.

"But to be honest, it's pretty fun."

Deng Chao turned to look at him.

Liu Xiang opened one eye.

"Those students were really happy."

Deng Chao was silent for two seconds.

"Yes," he said. "They're happy."

12:30 a.m.

West Fourth Ring Road vegetable market.

Chen Yang was carrying a red plastic bag containing two pounds of pork ribs, a bunch of scallions, and a block of firm tofu.

He was wearing a faded gray T-shirt, and his hair was a little messy from the wind.

When he passed by a fruit stand, he casually bought two pounds of peaches.

"Boss, is it sweet?"

"Don't worry, young man, it's guaranteed to be sweet! If it's not sweet, bring it back to me tomorrow."

"Okay, then give me two pounds."

He took out some change to pay the bill, stuffed the peaches into a plastic bag, and carried it back to the residential area.

From CCTV chief director to a vegetable market vendor, switching identities only requires a street.

As I pushed open the door, the aroma of food wafted towards me.

Zhang Xiulan was cooking in the kitchen, the spatula flying and the range hood humming.

"Why are you back? Did you wash your hands?"

"I've washed it."

Chen Yang placed the ribs on the side of the stove and peeked into the pot.

"Mom, what did you make today?"

"Stir-fried tomatoes and eggs, your favorite. I'll make pork rib soup for dinner."

"OK."

He turned and walked into the living room, where Chen Weiguo was sitting on the sofa watching the news.

"Dad, would you like some tea? I'll make you some."

"No need, I just made some." Chen Weiguo pointed to the enamel mug on the coffee table. "Why are you back so early today?"

"Once the important work is done, Zhang Lei will keep an eye on things from here on out."

Chen Weiguo nodded and didn't ask any further questions.

But there was a slight smile on his lips.

For him, the best news is that his son can come home for dinner on time.

Chen Yang sat down on the sofa, picked up the remote control, and changed the channel.

The sound of the evening news broadcast was replaced by the theme song of a TV series.

Zhang Xiulan's voice came from the kitchen.

"Xiaoyang, have you finished filming your show yet?"

"The first episode is finished filming, but there's more to come."

"Don't overwork yourself. If you don't have enough money, just tell Mom."

"Okay, Mom."

"Your dad's back is hurting again today. I told him to drive less, but he wouldn't listen."

Chen Yang turned and glanced at Chen Weiguo.

Chen Weiguo immediately straightened his back and coughed.

"It's nothing, just an old ailment, it's nothing serious."

Chen Yang didn't expose him, but he remembered it.

Once the show airs and our income stabilizes, the first thing we'll do is get the old man to stop driving the taxi.

When Zhang Xiulan came out of the kitchen with the dishes, Chen Yang had already set out the bowls and chopsticks.

Three sets of bowls and chopsticks, three cups of water, with the chopsticks pointing in the same direction.

This is a habit he developed from childhood, and he never breaks it.

"Come on, eat it while it's hot."

Zhang Xiulan brought out scrambled eggs with tomatoes and a plate of cucumber salad, wiped her hands, and sat down.

"Your sister is coming back today for the weekend; she said she'll arrive tonight."

"Is Xiaoyu back?"

"Yes, they said they wanted to eat the dumplings I made."

Chen Yang smiled.

"Okay, I'll knead the dough for you in a bit."

"I don't need you, I can do it myself. You eat yours."

Zhang Xiulan picked up an egg for him.

"Eat more, you've lost weight."

Chen Yang lowered his head and ate his rice quickly and quietly.

Chen Weiguo slowly ate his porridge beside him, glancing at his son every now and then.

The three people sat at the dining table, while outside the window, the noise of children playing in the neighborhood could be heard.

very common.

It's so ordinary that it makes you feel like the CCTV prime time slot, the more than 100 million yuan in investment, and the fates of the seven celebrities are all from a completely different world than this dinner table.

But for Chen Yang, this dinner table was the only reason he was willing to work so hard.

at the same time.

Tianya Forum - Entertainment Gossip Section.

A post titled "[Real Footage! Four Celebrities in Tight Clothes Spotted on Subway Line 1! Suspected to be a New CCTV Program!]" quietly appeared.

The poster is a white-collar worker in the Guomao area, and took three blurry photos with their phone.

The first picture is Baby's profile; her bright red bodysuit stands out starkly against the drab subway background.

The second picture shows Liu Xiang surrounded by students from behind.

The third picture is the most amazing—Wang Baoqiang is grinning as he hands out flyers to a group of middle-aged women, while Deng Chao looks utterly dejected next to him.

Within twenty minutes of posting, the number of replies exceeded two hundred.

"Holy crap, is this for real?"

"Liu Xiang wearing a tight-fitting outfit??? What kind of program is this?"

"That girl in the red dress is so pretty, who is she?"

"It says it's from CCTV, what's it called 'Run, China'? I've never heard of it."

"Shagen's here too! The one in purple is definitely Shagen!"

"Hahahaha, I took a screenshot of Deng Chao's face, it's classic."

The "Liu Xiang Bar" on Baidu Tieba reacted even faster.

Someone posted all the photos taken by the students in the train carriage. Although the image quality was poor, the ugly photo of Liu Xiang with his face covered in mud was clearly visible.

"Brother Xiang got tricked by the production team, hahaha!"

"CCTV actually makes this kind of program? Isn't it always supposed to be high-class and sophisticated?"

"This is so refreshing! It feels completely different from the variety shows I've seen before."

"I want to watch it! When will it air?"

The post's popularity is climbing at a visible rate.

Without any paid online commentators or promotion, relying solely on passersby's phones and curiosity, blurry photos spontaneously circulated among QQ groups and forums.

This raw, unbridled popularity is something that no amount of money could buy in 2009.

7 PM.

Chen Yang was serving Zhang Xiulan pork rib soup in the kitchen.

The sound of a key turning came from outside the door.

"Mom! I'm home!"

Chen Yu's voice exploded into the room like a firecracker.

The eighteen-year-old girl, carrying a backpack and with her ponytail swinging, changed into slippers as soon as she entered the house, then went straight to the kitchen and hugged Zhang Xiulan.

"Mom, I'm starving! Have you made dumplings yet?"

"Just wrapped it up, wait a moment."

"elder brother!"

Chen Yu peeked out and saw Chen Yang; her eyes lit up.

"Brother, you're actually home!"

"Nonsense, where else would you go on the weekend if not home?"

"Hehe, I thought you were working overtime again."

She tossed her schoolbag onto the sofa, kicked off her shoes, lay down on the living room sofa, took out her Nokia slider phone, and skillfully flipped through some pages using the buttons.

Chen Yang came out carrying two bowls of soup, placing one in front of Chen Weiguo and the other in his own seat.

"Girl, wash your hands and eat."

"Wait, wait!"

Chen Yu's eyes were fixed on the phone screen, her expression shifting from curiosity to shock, and then to an unbelievable ecstasy.

Then she suddenly jumped up from the sofa.

"elder brother!!!"

She rushed out of the room, holding her phone, and shoved the screen in front of Chen Yang.

The screen displays a blurry photo from Baidu Tieba.

Liu Xiang, wearing a fluorescent green bodysuit with an unflattering photo of his face covered in mud printed on his chest, was surrounded by a group of students in a subway car, looking on with a helpless smile.

Chen Yu's voice had reached the frequency of a dolphin's cry.

"Bro! This weird show isn't the one you said you were going to direct last time, is it?!"

Chen Yang took a sip of the pork rib soup without changing his expression.

"Have a meal."

"Answer me!!"

Zhang Xiulan peeked out from the kitchen.

"Chen Yu! Wash your hands and eat! What's all the noise about!"

Chen Yu gripped her phone, glaring at Chen Yang.

Chen Yang put down the soup bowl, picked up his chopsticks, and raised an eyebrow at her.

I'll tell you tomorrow.

"you!"

"Let's eat dumplings first. They won't taste good when they get cold."

Chen Yu bit her lip and glared at him for three seconds, then stomped her foot and turned to wash her hands.

But her eyes were full of light.

That kind of light—"My brother is definitely someone who's going to do great things."

In the living room, Chen Weiguo silently picked up a dumpling without asking anything.

But the curve of his lips was a little wider than before.