Chapter 472: Time for a counteroffensive!
In the room.
They stared at each other.
Yao Jiancai said in a stunned manner, "Sign up for what?"
Zhang Ye said with fervent energy, "The crosstalk competition!"
"Are you really awake? Let’s go back to sleep. I'll sleep a bit more too." Yao Jiancai rolled over to go back to sleep. "Both of us are banned anyways, so what's there to sign up for!"
However, Zhang Ye sat beside him and countered, "I'm asking you Old Yao. This kind of talent show, this kind of professional competition... is there any regulation that prevents people with criminal records from participating? Even if they committed crime in the past, once their sentence has been served, are they not allowed to participate in the talent show activities and artistic competitions?"
Yao Jiancai was momentarily dumbfounded. "Definitely not. After finishing one's sentence, they are equivalent to ordinary citizens once they are released. They cannot be deprived of the most basic citizen rights."
Zhang Ye said, "If a person with a criminal record can participate, why can't either of us?"
Yao Jiancai was truly put in a daze by Zhang Ye's question. "Uh."
The more Zhang Ye thought about it, the clearer his mind became. He also felt high-spirited. He immediately switched on his computer and loaded the document that detailed decree #43. "Old Yao, take a look."
Yao Jiancai immediately leaned over.
Zhang Ye pointed to a line on the screen and said, "Look at this statement in the document. It prohibits all television stations and news agencies from airing the videos or anything else the banned artists' have participated in. That is the range of their jurisdiction. As for other things, they have no right to interfere with it. Look here. This line. The document states in black and white that the television station is not to air any broadcasts that the banned celebrity has participated in. For example, the television drama you acted in cannot be aired, but it does not mean you cannot act. Acting is your personal freedom and right. Decree #43 can't prevent you from doing so. It just means that after you are done filming, it cannot be aired. As such, producers and drama crews definitely will not invite you to act. That results in the ban taking effect, right?"
Yao Jiancai nodded. "That's right."
Zhang Ye slapped his thigh. "Then that's right. There is no problems with us joining the talent competition at all!"
"But then the Central TV website will not air us!" Yao Jiancai asked.
Zhang Ye gave a smile like he was not afraid of the world sinking into chaos, saying, "The preliminaries are aired on the internet. Alright, even if they need to follow the requirements of decree #43, and ban our participating work, what about the elimination rounds?" He saw a flicker in Yao Jiancai's eyes as they changed. Zhang Ye smiled and said, "The elimination round is broadcasted live! It is broadcasted live throughout the entire country! If the two of us reach the elimination rounds, and even reach the finals, or even become the champions, I really f**king won't believe it! The Central TV’s crosstalk and skit competition's organizers will stop the competition because they don’t want to let us appear on television?! If they really can stop it, then I think they are awesome!"
Yao Jiancai inhaled a deep breath.
Zhang Ye looked at him. "The last time, you mentioned to me in passing that before you began acting, you were a professional crosstalk actor, and that you were the fall-guy?"
Yao Jiancai said, "Although I said I was a professional, it was actually me learning from my master for a few years. My standards aren't at that level yet, and in the industry, I'm just a dabbler at best."
Zhang Ye smiled and said, "That's enough!"
Yao Jiancai leered at him, "What about you? Are you up to it?"
Zhang Ye said, "I do talk shows, and although talk shows and crosstalk are two different things, there is a lot in common between the two. It's just a repackaging and a change of design, and it would do."
Yao Jiancai said uncertainly, "Are you really up to it?"
"I graduated as a professional broadcaster." Zhang Ye said confidently, "I've narrated ghost stories, children's fairy tales, history programs, and talk shows, so why can't I do crosstalk? It's just the leading role!? Leave that to me! Leave the crosstalk jokes to me too! How about it?"
Yao Jiancai stared at Zhang Ye for a long while. Old Yao had witnessed Zhang Ye's eloquence. It was much better than him back when he was still in crosstalk. Although he had never heard Zhang Ye do crosstalk, it was something worth anticipating. As for crosstalk jokes, he had heard how all the jokes and words said in "Zhang Ye's Talk Show" had not been produced by any team, but were all created by Zhang Ye, the host, alone. Zhang Ye's literary talent and wisdom was something Old Yao always admired. Hence, he, too, felt that his jokes would be worth looking forward to.
Zhang Ye said, "It's pointless to think too much about it. Let us register first before we talk any further. The registration for the crosstalk competition ends at 11. Anyway, if we unluckily get eliminated, then there's no loss on our side either way. On the other hand, if we are to register, the ones suffering would be them!"
Yao Jiancai suddenly slammed his hands down on the table, "Then what the f**k are we waiting for!?"
"Let's go old bro!"
"Let's go little bro!"
Yao Jiancai began throwing his clothes on while Zhang Ye went to wash his face.
After checking themselves in the mirror, the two of them went downstairs and rushed straight to a Central TV registration booth!
......
After 9.
At a small plaza, this was the third registration booth for the National Crosstalk and Skit Competition.
There was a huge tent set up in the plaza, as there were banners regarding the contest, as well as pictures of more than ten judges and celebrities hung up. However, there weren't many people at the venue. It was mostly staff busying themselves with work. As the crosstalk competition's registration was about to close, and the registration for the skit competition was about to begin in a few days, it was still early. Hence, most of the people who wanted to register for the crosstalk competition had already finished registering. Hence, the empty registration booth only had a handful of people lining up to fill in the forms.
"This year's competition will be interesting."
"That's right, I heard there will be a mysterious celebrity appearing this year."
"Not only that, some famous crosstalk actors are said to be participating. Hai, isn't this just not leaving any room for us? I don't expect myself to reach the second round."
"Let's register first. All eyes will be on this for this year's competition anyways. If we can show our faces, it would already be good. Don't expect too much."
A few of the applicants were chatting.
Passers-by also began discussing when they saw the registration banners. All eyes were indeed on this year's crosstalk and skit competition. Many television dramas and variety shows usually did not like to air during this period of the year, as encountering the National Crosstalk and Skit Competition would cause their ratings to drop. From this, one can see how the annual competition was extremely popular!
On the roadside.
A BMW stopped.
About seven staff were handling the last few applications. As they looked at their watches, they were prepared to pack up.
"Hold on!" Zhang Ye ran forward while wearing sunglasses.
A female staff looked up. "Are you registering?"
Zhang Ye said, "Yes, give me a form."
Yao Jiancai also hurried behind. "Give me a form too!"
The female staff acknowledged it and passed them a form each. "Are the both of you registering as a team? Hurry up. We will be stopping registration shortly, so be quick."
Zhang Ye began to fill in the form and as he wrote quickly, he was done in a minute. "I'm done."
The female staff took it from him and gave it a look.
Name, Zhang Ye?
Job...None?
Former jobs...radio broadcaster? Host? Musician? Teacher?
Only then did the female staff shout out, "Ah!"
A colleague beside her heard this and walked over. "What's the matter Xiaowang?"
"Take a look!" The female staff handed the form to them.
A few people gathered over with curiosity. Each and everyone of them had a rich expression on their faces as their eyes landed in wonder on the youth's face. "You...you are Teacher Zhang Ye?
Yao Jiancai was also done filling out the form.
After looking at it, the staff was also dumbfounded. "You are Teacher Yao?"
Holy sh*t!
Holy sh*t!
Holy sh*t!
The few staff members cursed in their hearts three times!
Weren't these two celebrities the ones that had just appeared on the ban list!? The higher-ups have already announced that all their programs were to be banned from airing! Why did these two gods of plague come to them for?
Zhang Ye hurried them, "Hurry up and give us our preliminary cards."
A person-in-charge wiped his sweat as his said. "About this, hold on. Hold on." He could not make the decision and hurriedly found a spot with no one around before giving his leader a call, hoping to receive advice from his superior.
When the Central TV leader in charge of this received the phone call, he too was dumbfounded. "What? Zhang Ye and Yao Jiancai want to participate in the crosstalk competition? Are you sure you didn't make a mistake? One of them is a host, while the other is an actor. Why are they participating in the national crosstalk competition!? Isn't that a complete mismatch!?"
The person said, "But they have already filled out the form. Should we just reject their registration?"
His leader said, "What reason can we use to reject their application?"
The person said at a loss. "I don't know."
His leader said, "Give me a moment. I need to ask my superiors too!"
At this moment, the internal Central TV team in charge of the crosstalk and skit competition received this stunning news. Then all of them had one feeling. Zhang Ye and Yao Jiancai weren't here to join the f**king competition, they were clearly here to give their Central TV Department 11 trouble!
Accept?
But how could they air their programs!?
Reject?
What reason could they use to reject them? They weren't criminals or fugitives! The applications of others were accepted, so what reason could they use to not accept theirs?
Their heads ached!
Their balls ached!
......
At the registration location.
Zhang Ye said angrily, "Hey, what are you guys doing?"
Yao Jiancai also stared and said, "Is this discrimination? Complete the registration for us!"
"Why are you hemming and hawing so much over a registration? What sort of work attitude and aptitude do you have?" Zhang Ye and Yao Jiancai said one sentence after another.
The staff members were nearly in tears.
Not a while later, a phone call from their superior came.
The person-in-charge said with relief, "Sorry for making both Teachers wait. As there was a fault with the computer a while ago. We will immediately hand you the preliminary certification."
The resignation paperwork was done.
Zhang Ye and Yao Jiancai drove off in satisfaction.
In the car, Yao Jiancai said, "Tomorrow will be the preliminaries. There's not much time for us to prepare."
However, Zhang Ye was humming away with a little tune. "It's fine. This bit of time is enough. When we get back, we'll try matching out lines and practice a bit to harmonize ourselves."
"Great, haha. Both of us can be considered quite big shots after all. I never expected there will be a day where I would participate in a talent competition. You don't say, but I'm feeling quite excited!" Yao Jiancai was eager to give it a shot.
Zhang Ye smiled and said, "After suppressing it for the past few days, it's time the two of us launched a counteroffensive!"