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

The entire promotional video was filmed in just three hours. Zhao Bin worked through the night to produce a 30-second version.

The entire video is in slow motion with a black background.

Seven people walked one by one from the darkness into the light, tearing off name tags, running, and confronting each other.

There wasn't a single funny scene in the main movie.

There was no mud pit, no acupressure mat, and no cactus-patterned underwear.

There was only one slogan, printed in white on a black screen—

"August 8th, the brothers start running."

The promotional video was handed over to various CCTV channels on the same day and began to be broadcast frequently during prime time.

Chen Yang returned to his office and dialed Chen Xi's extension.

"Is everything ready?"

On the other end of the phone, Chen Xi's voice was filled with barely suppressed excitement.

"Director Chen, I've already arranged the posts on the Tianya gossip forum. I've also contacted the moderators of the Liu Xiang, Deng Chao, and Wang Baoqiang forums on Baidu Tieba. I've compiled thirty-two high-resolution Reuters photos, which will be released in three batches."

"Remember, no screenshots from the actual film are allowed. Only leaked photos are permitted."

"Understood. The photos of him falling in the mud, wearing a tight-fitting outfit on the subway, and the GIF of Liu Xiang reaching the summit in fifteen seconds are all taken from candid angles. The better the off-road student."

Have you come up with a title for the post?

Chen Xi read two aloud.

First: [Shocking! CCTV forces Liu Xiang to jump into a mud puddle, what kind of perverted program is this?]

"Second: [I ran into Deng Chao on Beijing Subway Line 1 wearing a tight-fitting outfit handing out flyers, with an unflattering photo of himself printed on his chest. I was so shocked I almost died on the spot.]"

Chen Yang's lips twitched.

"writer of sensational headlines."

"You taught me."

"Send it."

Chen Xi hung up the phone, and within two hours, 32 high-definition Reuters photos bombarded Tianya and Tieba like a ton of bricks.

The effect is immediate.

On Tianya Entertainment Gossip Forum, a post received over a thousand replies within forty minutes of being published.

It jumped directly to third place on the hottest post list.

"Holy crap, Liu Xiang's face is covered in mud? What show is this?"

"That photo of Deng Chao in that tight-fitting outfit is hilarious! Was that ugly picture of his chest photoshopped?"

"It's not photoshopped! My colleague saw it with his own eyes last week at Fuxingmen! The real person is even funnier than the photo!"

"CCTV? CCTV makes this kind of thing? It must be fake!"

"It's not fake. I checked, it seems to be called something like 'Run, China!'"

Baidu Tieba went even crazier. A post on Liu Xiang's Tieba forum got 300 replies in half an hour.

"Brother Xiang is actually participating in a variety show? What show has such a big name for him?"

"The key is that Brother Xiang's form is just too good! Look at how fast he climbed to the top, he's even more impressive than in a competition!"

At the same time, promotional videos from CCTV's various channels were being played on the television screens of hundreds of millions of viewers across the country.

Thirty seconds, black suit, slow motion, menacing aura.

It's so high-end it doesn't feel like a variety show, it's more like a movie trailer.

The contrast is striking.

When I turned on the TV, I saw seven people who looked as cool as if they were about to save the world.

When I turned on my computer and went online, I saw the same seven people, their faces covered in mud, looking like they had just crawled out of a pigsty.

This extreme sense of unease precisely struck at the most primal curiosity of netizens in 2009.

"What big move is CCTV planning?" This question became a trending topic on Tianya, Tieba, and Douban within three days.

Chen Yang sat in his office, looking at the data summary sent by Chen Xi, his expression calm.

Everything is going as expected.

The landline on the table rang.

Chen Yang answered the call.

"Director Chen, it's President Cao on the phone."

"It's the younger generation." Cao Guowei's voice couldn't hide his excitement.

"Director Chen, the Weibo beta version is finalized. The accounts of all seven members of the Running Man cast, Liu Xiang, and the cast of Chinese Paladin are all activated. They have all the privileges, including authentication badges, personal page templates, and initial recommended follow slots."

"Will it launch simultaneously on August 8th?"

"On time." Cao Guowei paused for a moment. "Director Chen, I have one more question. Could you give us an exclusive version of your promotional video on Weibo? Even just fifteen seconds would be fine. I'll give you all the homepage splash screen content."

"Mr. Cao, it's written in the contract."

"A contract is a contract, but we're discussing this."

Chen Yang chuckled.

"Okay, I'll have Zhao Bin edit a separate version for you. But on the day it goes live on Weibo, the official Running Man account must be the first variety show account to post content across all platforms."

"No problem! Not a second of delay!"

He hung up the phone. Chen Yang leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes for a couple of seconds.

Release date announcement, license, promotional video, online buzz, Weibo collaboration—all the pieces have been placed in their proper positions.

Now, it's time to work on the second phase.

7 month 5 day.

Hengdian.

The production crew arrived a day early and booked an entire four-star hotel next to the film studio.

Zhang Lei and his team started working at 2 PM. The camera crew checked the equipment, the props crew inventoried the materials, and the security crew and the Hengdian Management Committee conducted a final confirmation of the park's closure.

Ma Li's artist management team was working non-stop, with the seven members of the Running Man cast having flights scattered from afternoon to evening.

The cast and crew of the Legend of Sword and Fairy series also arrived one after another.

The hotel lobby was temporarily converted into a registration area.

Lin Xiaoyu stood at the front desk, clutching two stacks of room cards in her hand, her voice already hoarse.

Zheng Kai was the first to arrive.

When he pushed open the glass door of the lobby while dragging his suitcase, he almost tripped over the mountain of equipment boxes piled up at the entrance.

"This setup... is even more exaggerated than a movie set."

Chen He followed closely behind.

Two classmates bumped into each other in the lobby.

Chen He grabbed Zheng Kai's neck.

"Kai Kai! Why are you here so early?"

"You're early. What are you sitting on?"

"It took four and a half hours to transfer from the high-speed rail to the bus. I was so shaken to death."

"High-speed rail? Didn't you say you wanted the production team to reimburse you for a first-class ticket?"

Chen He's expression froze for a moment.

"...Economy class is gone."

Zheng Kai scoffed but didn't expose him.

At 6 p.m., the tour bus of the Legend of Sword and Fairy crew stopped in front of the hotel.

Yang Mi was the first to jump off the bus.

Wearing a short-sleeved shirt and jeans, with a ponytail, she exudes the neat and capable air unique to girls from Beijing.

She glanced around the hotel lobby and saw Deng Chao walking out of the elevator.

"Captain Deng!"

Yang Mi directly used the nickname she used in the QQ group.

Deng Chao was startled by the shout, then walked over with a smile.

"Yang Mi! Welcome, welcome!"

The two shook hands. Yang Mi's eyes darted around.

"Captain Deng, I have a crucial question to ask you."

"you say."

"Will there be a pressure point mat for tomorrow's recording?"

"..." Deng Chao's smile froze for a second. "You'll have to ask Director Chen about that."

"What about Director Chen?"

"He's upstairs. But I advise you not to go." Deng Chao's expression suddenly became meaningful. "His smile these past two days... seems a bit off."

Yang Mi blinked.

Brother Hu was the last to get off the bus.

He was wearing a simple white T-shirt and a baseball cap, with the brim pulled low.

When I entered the lobby, I saw Shen Teng lying on the sofa with his eyes closed, resting. Chen He and Zheng Kai were eating potato chips and arguing next to him, and Baby was squatting in the corner chatting with Liu Shishi.

The overall style was completely different from what he had imagined "CCTV recording".

It's more like a university club team building activity.

Brother Hu paused for a moment, then smiled involuntarily.

Chen He was the first to discover him.

"Senior brother! Brother Hu!"

Chen He dropped the potato chips and ran over.

"Senior brother, you've finally arrived!"

Hu Ge was a little embarrassed by his enthusiasm, but still smiled and patted him on the shoulder.

"Junior brother, what exactly is the schedule for tomorrow?"

Chen He's smile froze.

"Senior brother, this... I don't know either."

"Didn't you record the first episode?"

"That's why I didn't know—because I'd recorded it." A flicker of fear crossed Chen He's eyes. "Director Chen... he's really weird!"

Brother Hu remained silent.

Shen Teng opened one eye on the sofa.

"Brother Hu, there's something I need to tell you beforehand."

"Please speak."

"No matter what happens tomorrow..." Shen Teng's tone was sincere and earnest, "Don't run towards me if you can't outrun me. I can't help you."

"..."

11 p.m.

The lights in the hotel corridor have been dimmed.

Chen Yang sat in the top-floor confidential suite, with two black cards on the table in front of him.

The front of the card has four gold-stamped characters.

#TopSecretMission#

He opened the first page, which had a line of handwritten text on it.

"You're the mole. Your mission is: XXXXXXXXX."

The second one has the exact same content.

Two traitors.

They belong to different camps.

Chen Yang put the card into the envelope and pressed his fingerprint wax onto the seal.

Then he picked up the walkie-talkie on the table.

"Zhang Lei, are you there?"

"Yes, Director Chen."

"Do me a favor. Do it now."

"Please speak."

"Away from everyone else, bring Deng Chao to my room first."

There was a two-second silence on the other end of the walkie-talkie.

"and then?"

"After Deng took it, bring Brother Hu over."

"The two people can't meet?"

"cannot."

"Director Chen, what are you up to now?"

Chen Yang did not answer.

He placed the two envelopes side by side on the table, the curve of his lips almost invisible in the dim light.

The curtain is slowly rising on the first "insider scandal" in the history of Chinese variety shows, in the dead of night, unknown to anyone.