Chapter 76: The Master of Chicken Soup (Third Update)

Currently, Southeast TV holds a top-tier position among domestic television stations, on par with Jiangdong TV. It once briefly attempted to challenge Xiangnan TV’s dominance, and now consistently ranks among the top three in ratings.

“One Stand to the End” is Southeast TV’s flagship show. It has long held the number one spot among variety shows in its time slot, with ratings breaking 2 and even 3 being a common occurrence.

The show boasts not only high ratings but also an excellent reputation, praised as the finest quiz program in the country, with immense popularity among viewers.

Yet, this flagship show now faces an awkward predicament: the contestants have begun to feel repetitive, and there is an urgent need for fresh blood. Without reform, its demise is inevitable.

Huang Siqi handed Zhang Chu a temporary visitor’s badge and began introducing him. “This is our studio. Tomorrow, you’ll be here for a recording session that lasts five hours.”

“Five hours?”

Zhang Chu was a bit surprised—wasn’t that rather long? Keeping one’s mind sharp for so long couldn’t be easy.

“Yes, the show goes through editing and reshoots. Sometimes a single episode takes half a day to finish.”

For Zhang Chu, this was actually good news. His opponents would inevitably have lapses or lose focus, while the system stayed online twenty-four hours a day, year-round.

“Are you into celebrities? Some of our other shows are taping right now. If you’re a fan, I can take you to see a live recording.”

Huang Siqi wasn’t sure how to approach this top-scoring student. Were all high-IQ people so mature? She couldn’t shake the sense that she was talking to an adult.

Zhang Chu shook his head. “No need. I’m not a fan.”

“True, you’re a writer.”

Clearly, Huang Siqi had researched Zhang Chu in detail. She reached into her backpack and pulled out a copy of “Detective Sherlock.” “I used to only know about Holmes, but after reading your book the other day, I found the two of them really charming. Will there be a sequel?”

“A sequel? There should be one in the future,” Zhang Chu replied, keeping it vague. He wouldn’t bring over any more related works until the Conan Doyle Estate issue was resolved. No point in letting others reap the rewards.

“Then can you sign this for me? I want to keep it as a collectible.”

Such a small request was easily granted, especially since he’d earned a few bucks from the book.

Now, with “Detective Sherlock” steadily slipping off the bestseller list and no longer in the top hundred, he could only wait for another surge in popularity.

…

Southeast TV, flush with cash, had booked five-star hotels for Zhang Chu and the others, which left him with a favorable impression of the station.

Early the next morning, he activated the system’s external assistance feature, setting it to five hundred reputation points to turn on, and consuming one point per minute. This expenditure was far less than the rate at which his reputation points were increasing.

Having not met the others the day before, all eleven top-scoring students gathered for the first time that morning in the hotel lobby—but none of them knew anyone else.

“Looks like I’m the best-looking of all the top scorers.”

Zhang Chu was brimming with confidence. There weren’t any antagonists around to stir up trouble, and no one who’d made it this far was a fool.

“Hello, everyone. I’m Guan Zhiming, the associate producer of ‘One Stand to the End.’ We’ll soon head to the broadcasting building for taping. A bit of advice from the production team: on stage, try to stay calm, don’t be thrown off by the cameras or the audience, and do your best.”

After Guan Zhiming finished, each liaison set off with their assigned top scorer, heading to the broadcasting building together.

Zhang Chu felt calm, but beside him, Huang Siqi was a bundle of nerves, as if she were the one about to go onstage.

Having lived two lives, this was Zhang Chu’s first time recording a program. Everything felt novel to him, as if he were a country bumpkin visiting a grand estate for the first time.

He had never known ordinary people like himself were also required to wear makeup before going on stage; he’d assumed they would appear as themselves.

They checked microphones, tested the lights, and reviewed the process. Time slipped away unnoticed.

…

The not-so-large studio was packed with an audience—some with complimentary tickets from inside sources, others who had actively signed up. For a hit variety show like this, there was no need to hire seat fillers.

The audience’s noisy chatter could be heard even backstage, making the previously relaxed contestants tense and quiet.

Huang Siqi had just returned from keeping order among the audience and looked at Zhang Chu in disbelief, as if seeing him for the first time.

“It seems like your fans are out there. You’re the only one with a fan club—even our own province’s top scorer doesn’t have one.”

“I am, after all, half a public figure. Is it that strange to have fans?”

Despite his words, Zhang Chu couldn’t help but peek down the corridor, curious to know just how many fans he actually had.

But reality was disappointing—among the five hundred-odd audience members, only a small cluster held up light signs in support, looking rather pitiful. Perhaps it would have been better if they’d brought nothing at all.

The eleven contestants took their places in their respective challenge zones. The director began directing the lighting and camera crew. “Three, two, one—action!”

“Welcome, everyone, to our Friday night broadcast of ‘One Stand to the End,’ sponsored by Silverlink Smartphones. I’m your host, Li Hao. The college entrance exams are over, and many students have made a name for themselves, earning a place at their dream universities. Some, however, didn’t perform as well and are preparing to try again next year. I hope everyone can enjoy this rare and precious holiday.”

Then the female host continued, “Today, we have specially invited eleven outstanding candidates from various provinces and cities, both current and past graduates, all of whom performed exceptionally well in the college entrance exam. What they have in common is that they were number one in their exams.”

“Here on site, we can see the aura of first place and also hear them share their study tips. Zhang Chu, do you have any secrets to your success? Why does everything seem to go so smoothly for you?”

Host Li Hao tossed the question to Zhang Chu, the most famous of the top scorers.

Zhang Chu, who had been idly waiting, perked up at the question. “People only see others’ dazzling success on the surface, but they don’t realize that, behind the scenes, things are just as smooth for them.”

The audience stared in astonishment—no one expected such a response from a top scorer!

Yet that small group of fans was ecstatic.

He’s here! Their beloved master of motivational quips was about to start cooking up his famous “chicken soup” once again!

“Some people appear to have high scores on their exams,
But behind the scenes,
They’ve also had plenty of fun.
You see some people spending extravagantly,
But fail to see that behind their backs,
They’re raking in fortunes.
When you’re poor, you think having money will make you happy.
When you finally have money, you realize…
Money really does make you happy!
If someday life deceives you, don’t lose heart, don’t despair, because you’ll soon discover—it’ll keep on deceiving you.”

Everyone on stage was left speechless. What on earth was this?

Where was the inspirational advice from the top scorer? This wasn’t the right tone at all!

The broadcast director glanced at the chief director and whispered, “Director Yan, do we need to reshoot this?”

“No, no!” Yan Mao was delighted. “If only the other top scorers were this entertaining! The kid’s got a great sense for variety shows. When editing, make sure to include the reactions of the audience, contestants, and hosts—this is going to be gold!”

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Tomorrow, we’ll kick off a bonus chapter event for recommendation votes: three chapters for a thousand votes, four for two thousand, and if it’s three thousand… well, let’s not kid ourselves. Still, there’s no upper limit!
Looking forward to your support~~~