Benshan's beloved disciple, starting from the 2009 Spring Festival Gala - Chapter 2

Chapter 2 Talk, Learn, Tease, and Sing — All for Loyalty

Uncle Benshan was currently in a rehearsal room backstage at the Spring Festival Gala. With him were the scriptwriters of Benshan Media.

Sketches like Sending Cake and Super Big Star were all the works of these writers. So, the pressure on them was even greater than on Uncle Benshan. Each of them held a cigarette, puffing away amidst clouds of smoke, their brows furrowed in deep thought, racking their brains for ideas for a new show.

There were less than fifteen days left until New Year’s Eve. To polish a skit in such a short time—one that must be high-quality and pass the Gala’s strict review—was no easy feat. In fact, it was extremely, extremely, extremely difficult!

Creak—

The rehearsal room door opened. Fresh air poured in, blowing away some of the smoke in the room. Everyone could finally see who had entered. Qu Yiming also got a clear look at who was in the room.

“Master, …”

He greeted everyone one by one.

Uncle Benshan nodded slightly and gestured. “Find an empty seat and sit wherever you like.”

“Yes, Master.”

Qu Yiming sat at the far end from Uncle Benshan. Though “far,” there were only a few people between them.

Looking at Qu Yiming, Uncle Benshan continued, “Yiming, you’re young, quick-witted, and you’ve written a few good skits already. Tell us—do you have any ideas that might be fit for the Spring Festival Gala?”

All the writers turned their eyes to Qu Yiming. They had all joined the company earlier than him. In a company built on a master-apprentice structure, seniority was inevitable. As someone in the circle, Qu Yiming had no choice but to stand up and answer.

“I do have an idea, but I’m not sure if it’s good enough for the Spring Festival Gala…”

“Kid, don’t be so reserved. I called you here so we could brainstorm together. Speak up—this is a safe space!” Uncle Benshan encouraged him.

Qu Yiming replied, “Yes, Master. So here’s the thing—when I first joined the company, I was broke. I invited my senior out for a meal, but I really wanted to act like I wasn’t short on money. So I secretly slipped the waiter a tip and told him, no matter what expensive dishes I ordered, say they’re out of stock. In the end, we had just two dishes—Di San Xian and Guo Bao Rou. After the meal, my senior cursed me for pretending to be rich while clearly being broke.”

“Hahahaha…”

The story had everyone in the room laughing. Even Uncle Benshan chuckled.

“Hey!”

A writer suddenly lit up with inspiration and said, “What Yiming described—I’ve experienced something like that too. I remember a farmer inviting some important person to a meal, and he used the exact same trick.”

“Yes, yes, I’ve seen similar things happen too…” another writer chimed in.

“Inviting someone to dinner, claiming you’re not short of money, but actually being broke—that’s a great setup for comedic conflict! I think we could absolutely use this as the framework to create a skit,” said the most experienced and senior writer in the room.

Uncle Benshan then said, “No rush, no rush. Let’s hear the rest of your ideas too.”

The others, who had been racking their brains earlier, shared the ideas they had come up with. But after everyone had spoken, it was clear—none of the concepts topped Qu Yiming’s.

“In the end, Yiming’s idea really is the best…”

The other writers all began praising the idea. Uncle Benshan looked at Qu Yiming approvingly and then said, “So we’ll use Yiming’s idea as the framework, then? Any objections?”

Everyone shook their heads. They knew full well that their own ideas didn’t hold a candle to Yiming’s. Plus, no one could say for sure whether their next skit would even pass the Gala’s review. If, by chance, the Spring Festival Gala decided this year to cut Uncle Benshan entirely, who would take the blame?

Would it be these writers who had already seen two of their scripts rejected in a row?

Would it be Uncle Benshan himself?

Or would it fall on the Gala organizers?

Someone would have to shoulder the burden—share the fire of backlash from two rejected skits and the possibility that Uncle Benshan might not even appear on the show this year.

And now Qu Yiming just happened to come up with a strong concept—so they were more than willing to support it. Uncle Benshan understood this perfectly. Here was someone who could handle pressure and had solid creative instincts.

Without realizing it, he had grown increasingly impressed with Qu Yiming.

Uncle Benshan continued.

“Yiming’s idea is good—but it lacks depth. Why is someone hosting this meal?”

“Is it to get a child into school? Pull some strings with a superior? Maybe build on the theme of refusing to accept bribes?”

“Or perhaps…”

The writers began throwing out suggestions one after another.

Too cliché, can’t be aired, not deep enough…

After hearing everyone out, Uncle Benshan still wasn’t satisfied.

“Yiming, any ideas on your end?”

Qu Yiming replied, “How about this: it’s about chasing a dream. A grandfather wants to help his granddaughter pursue her dream of performing on stage, so he tries to treat a talent show judge to dinner. But because he’s short on cash, he resorts to this little trick.”

“Tsssss~”

The room lit up with realization.

“Dream-chasing is great—positive message, and it’s got depth.”

“Plus, showcasing talent can spotlight the performer. Brilliant!”

“So what kind of talent would she perform?”

Everyone looked to Qu Yiming again.

Uncle Benshan encouraged him.

“Come on, kid—spill everything you’ve got in your head.”

He could tell that Yiming definitely had a whole concept sketched out in his mind. It was likely he’d already drafted the whole skit, but he didn’t want to steal the spotlight while everyone else was still brainstorming.

“Yes, Master.”

Qu Yiming said, “Teachers, how do you feel about having the judge be Mr. Bi from Avenue of Stars?”

Avenue of Stars was currently the hottest singing talent show.

“Genius!”

“Singing doesn’t need any props—just open your mouth and sing. If it’s good, it’ll shine.”

“Best of all, Avenue of Stars is a CCTV program too.”

The writers now had a detailed creative direction.

“Alright then—let’s get to work. Let’s polish the script and submit it for approval as soon as possible.”

With a wave of his hand, Uncle Benshan set things in motion. Everyone dove into writing. Qu Yiming couldn’t leave—he had to stay on as a creative consultant. Though, for now, they didn’t need him just yet.

With a bit of downtime, Uncle Benshan asked him to sit beside him, and they started chatting.

“Yiming, how long has your contract been since you joined last year?”

“Five years. I actually wanted to sign for thirty or forty, but I had just graduated then. I wasn’t bringing any skills or fame to the table, so the artist management team wasn’t too keen. They just gave me a five-year actor contract and sent me to Liu Laogen to polish my acting and singing.

If I hadn’t been lucky enough to write a few half-decent skits, and if Brother Shen Yang hadn’t taken me on commercial performances, I’d still be at Liu Laogen honing my skills.”

That last part was half true. When he had crossed over into this world last year, he discovered he had already become Uncle Benshan’s apprentice and had signed a five-year actor contract with Benshan Media.

Uncle Benshan laughed, amused.

“Why’d you want such a long contract?”

“To take care of you in your old age, of course.”

“Hahaha, you really know how to flatter!”

Whether or not he was being sincere, Uncle Benshan was clearly pleased.

“Yiming, you got the guts to go on the Spring Festival Gala stage?” Uncle Benshan suddenly asked.

“I’ll follow your lead.”

No matter what “talk, learn, tease, and sing” meant—before he could fully grow into his role, Qu Yiming had already taken one stance.

Loyalty.

Uncle Benshan stroked his chin and said no more.

…