Chapter Sixty: Sincerity, The Anti-Fraud Bank

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“Xing, what made you want to join this show?”

This was the assistant director’s first question.

According to the script, the standard response would be something along the lines of “I really like this program,” a perfunctory, polite remark that Lin Xing found rather meaningless. As for claiming he needed the money, the audience wouldn’t believe it, and given the current public mood, they’d only think he was putting on an act.

So Lin Xing simply told the truth.

“I came because you invited me.”

He replied with a smile.

The assistant director was taken aback.

Was he really going to be that straightforward?

So the assistant director continued with the second question: “Had you followed ‘Comedy Must Make You Laugh’ before?”

“No, I only watched a few episodes after I found out I’d be appearing on the show,” Lin Xing replied, once again eschewing the standard answer.

Third question: “Then which work do you like best?”

The assistant director was genuinely curious to know which act Lin Xing preferred.

After all, “Comedy Must Make You Laugh” had been airing for over two months now, sometimes as many as six episodes a month. It was a joint production between Smile Media Culture and Fawn Video, and exclusively broadcast on Fawn Video.

The first few episodes had really made waves, thanks to the team’s intensive preparations since last year, so the initial works were particularly outstanding.

Lin Xing had caught up on a few episodes, focusing mainly on the works of the group he’d be assisting.

So when asked which act he liked best, Lin Xing answered directly, “My favorite is ‘Onstage and Off’ by the duo Grunt and Ha.”

“That piece really moved me. They say ten minutes onstage comes from ten years’ work offstage, and that’s already the best-case scenario. In reality, many people spend ten years honing their craft offstage, but never even get those ten minutes under the spotlight…”

…

After the pre-interview, the assistant director said to Lin Xing, “Alright, Xing, I’ll take you to meet the members of the ‘Go, Go, Go’ troupe now. They should be rehearsing.”

“Alright,” Lin Xing nodded gently.

At this stage, “Comedy Must Make You Laugh” had moved into the quarterfinals, with eight troupes preparing eight acts to perform for the live audience, from which four would advance.

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Lin Xing was assisting the “Go, Go, Go” troupe, which currently had eight members. His favorite act, “Onstage and Off,” was performed by the duo Grunt and Ha within this troupe.

“No, this isn’t right. You should be anxious here — after all, you don’t feel like you’ve been cheated at all.”

“And Feng Jia, you need to pause and reflect for a few seconds before you come on.”

“The rest of you are doing fine, but be sure to manage your expressions at all times and really immerse yourselves.”

…

Even before reaching the rehearsal room, Lin Xing could already hear a commanding voice offering guidance inside.

In the rehearsal room, a middle-aged woman was giving the troupe detailed feedback — this was Situ Hui, the acting coach for “Comedy Must Make You Laugh.”

She herself was an actress, though she had taken on fewer acting roles in recent years and focused mainly on coaching and running her own training courses.

Yes, she was in the same field as Kong Tian.

“Especially remember the ‘Time Reversal’ bit…”

Situ Hui was sternly instructing everyone when the assistant director opened the door and announced, “Ms. Situ, Mr. Lin Xing has arrived.”

“Oh!” Situ Hui’s demeanor changed instantly. She turned and smiled, “We were just waiting for Lin Xing to start rehearsing.”

“Hello, Ms. Situ.”

Lin Xing entered the rehearsal space, and the official rehearsal began.

“Hello, Lin Xing,” Situ Hui said warmly. “Wasn’t the last time we met a few years ago?”

Lin Xing couldn’t help but smile inwardly — the last time had been on stage, where she had criticized all the washed-up celebrities mercilessly. Still, he replied, “Yes, four years ago I participated in a show called ‘Any Problems with This Performance?’ and you were the acting coach.”

“That’s right. I remember thinking you were diligent and steady, not like the other celebrities at all. Looks like my judgment was right — you really are a proper actor now.”

“Yes, and I have to thank you for your help back then.”

Lin Xing spoke as he began introducing himself to the others. “Hello, everyone, I’m Lin Xing.”

“Hello, Mr. Lin, I’m Feng Jia.”

“Hello, Mr. Lin, I’m…”

…

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The eight members of the “Go, Go, Go” troupe introduced themselves to Lin Xing in turn. Besides Situ Hui and the troupe members, the scriptwriter Ding Bai for the program “Fraud Prevention” was present in the rehearsal room.

“So how should I cooperate?” Lin Xing asked the group. “Since I’m here to support you, just tell me what to do — whatever will benefit ‘Fraud Prevention,’ that’s what I’ll do.”

Ding Bai replied, “Mr. Lin, please take a look at the script first.”

“Just call me Lin Xing, I don’t dare claim the title of teacher. Let me take a look at the script first.”

Lin Xing took the script for “Fraud Prevention.”

The story centered on an elderly person who had been scammed over the phone and came to deposit money. The bank teller and branch manager tried to convince the elderly person they’d been tricked, but the old person didn’t believe them, so the manager worked to keep the person there until the police could arrive.

It was a positive, relevant story, especially since telecom fraud had become a hot topic lately.

“Mr. Lin, in this script you’ll be playing the branch manager. There’s only one particularly challenging scene — everyone needs to remember their positions, so we may need to rehearse it several times…”

Ding Bai explained the role to Lin Xing as they spoke.

Lin Xing asked, “When will we record this segment?”

Today, Lin Xing was mainly here for some preliminary interviews, to meet the members of the “Go, Go, Go” troupe, and to do a rehearsal before the official recording.

In other words, he wouldn’t need to appear on camera today.

“The day after tomorrow,” Situ Hui interjected. “This act is scheduled for recording then, so if you’re free these two days, Lin Xing, please come rehearse with us.”

“No problem,” Lin Xing agreed at once.

After all, this was his last variety show before joining the cast of his next project.

Besides, now that he was here, he was determined to give his full support.

This put both the troupe and the scriptwriter, Ding Bai, as well as Situ Hui, at ease. They hadn’t expected Lin Xing to be so cooperative.

“But, Teacher Ding, since the story is set in a bank and our theme is anti-fraud, why not simply call it… ‘The Anti-Fraud Bank’?”

Lin Xing looked up from the script and suggested.

…

…