Chapter 31

 Chapter 31 - The Hilarious "Undercover Trainees"

A little earlier.

The stage curtain of the Science Auditorium was currently closed. After the host's introduction, the projection on the curtain displayed the name of the skit, the cast, scriptwriter, and other related personnel.

Starring: Liu Bo, Lv Yixiao, Zhao Haoyan

Special Appearance: Freshmen from the Game Design College

Scriptwriter: Lu Zhixing

Upon seeing this program list, many audience members who had initially thought about leaving after Lu Zhixing's singing paused.

"Huh? The scriptwriter is Lu Zhixing? Can he even write a skit?"

"How interesting! I'll stay and watch."

Next, the projection on the curtain introduced the background of this skit.

"With the continuous development of the fan economy and the evolving nature of idol groups, more and more entertainment companies are attempting to form their own talent competition teams. The popularity of the variety show 'Universe Trainees' has intensified the competition among major entertainment companies.

"At this time, a group of undercover agents, arranged by other entertainment companies, infiltrated the 'Universe Trainees' show. Their mission was to uncover the show's dark secrets and destroy it completely!

"However, the 'Universe Trainees' production team was no pushover; they quickly exposed all the suspected undercover agents from other companies. But they accidentally left behind a fish that slipped through the net.

"And this fish that got away is the last hope for those wanting to destroy the 'Universe Trainees' show..."

This description, along with the images on the curtain, created an atmosphere of suspense and intrigue, akin to a spy thriller, leaving the audience eagerly anticipating comedy due to the unexpected contrast.

Soon after, the curtain rose, revealing a dormitory that appeared to be for trainees of a talent competition. The dorm was empty at the moment, but there were conspicuous rankings of the trainees. Lv Yixiao, ranked first, and Zhao Haoyan, ranked second, were particularly prominent, hinting at some hidden message.

Liu Bo stood in front of the audience, his expression serious as he typed on his phone while delivering his lines.

"Young eagle calling the nest: I've made initial contact with the enemy's interior. The first batch of information has been sent; please confirm receipt. I believe that with this scandal, it should stir up a massive public opinion storm outside.

"Next, I will continue to get closer to the top two trainees and extract more information from them!"

Suddenly, he seemed to hear something outside and quickly hid his phone.

Zhao Haoyan swaggered around as he spoke on the phone, "What? Brother Yixiao, one of the trainees, is an undercover agent among us?"

As these words were spoken, the atmosphere in the auditorium instantly grew tense, accompanied by suspenseful sound effects, creating a palpable feeling of tension.

However, in the next moment, Zhao Haoyan whispered into his phone, "Brother Yixiao, is this undercover agent you?"

This sudden twist had many audience members bursting into laughter. The second-ranked contestant heard about an undercover agent, and his first reaction was to suspect the top-ranked contestant? That kind of thinking was truly unique.

Sure enough, Zhao Haoyan was reprimanded over the phone and, with a puzzled look on his face, he scratched his head, saying, "If it's not Brother Yixiao, is it me? But that can't be..."

In just two lines of dialogue, a comically clueless character was instantly established.

The following scenes unfolded according to Lu Zhixing's original script, divided into three segments: "Undercover Insights," "Espionage Drama," and "The Unveiling of the Truth."

Throughout these three segments, the humor was non-stop, keeping the audience laughing continuously. The jokes from one punchline had barely settled before the next punchline seamlessly followed.

In the "Undercover Insights" segment, the focus was mainly on Zhao Haoyan and Liu Bo's interactions. It revolved around Zhao Haoyan teaching Liu Bo, the rookie, all the ins and outs of being a talent show contestant. Liu Bo, viewing everything from a normal person's perspective, created a delightful contrast.

"So, your stage name is Zhao Haoyan? Very appropriate, truly reflects your temperament."

"Isn't it common for us trainees to have distinctive stage names to help the audience remember us? I believe your name is quite unique as well, right?"

"Oh... I'm Liu Boer."

As soon as he mentioned his name, the audience burst into laughter.

"Liu... Boer? Your self-introduction is way too simple. Nobody taught you when you came in? Look at me: Hey, yeah, I'm Zhao Haoyan, AKA the Fearless Youth! @#￥%&*... Please listen to me, listen to me, listen to me @#￥%&*..."

"...Zhao Ge, aren't you afraid of people remembering you with that self-introduction?"

"What are you talking about? Isn't that how trainees introduce themselves? Your self-introduction is just a name, not even a label. How could the audience possibly remember you? Go ahead and ask, does anyone remember your name?"

Zhao Haoyan looked into the audience, and immediately, the audience responded in unison, "Liu Boer!"

Zhao Haoyan looked a bit embarrassed and replied, "Hey, did you just learn to buy water army? Good, you have potential. Stick with me; I'll teach you. By the way, it's mealtime. Let's go to the cafeteria first. What do you like to eat?"

During the dining scene, there were references to concepts related to talent shows, such as "Idols must maintain a distance from their fans" and "We must cherish the roast pork."

Next, the stage transitioned into the second phase of the skit, "Espionage Drama." Behind the scenes, the stage crew members were busy moving various props, changing the set, and adjusting the holographic projection equipment. Meanwhile, on the curtain, the name of the second act and a comical short video of Liu Bo's life in the show played on the screen.

The short video was presented in a whimsical manner, without dialogue but accompanied by funny actions and cheerful background music that had the audience in fits of laughter.

After the short video, the stage was set, and the curtain displayed a preview video of the first public performance and the current rankings.

"Now, the first public performance of the 'Universal Trainees' begins!"

The curtain slowly rose, and the male students from the Game Design College who were performing the extras appeared on stage, all wearing talent show uniforms. They danced in an unconventional and amusing style, as they hadn't seriously practiced dance. Their chaotic and quirky dance moves were exactly what the audience wanted. These students danced in a way that resembled the messy and exaggerated performances of talent show contestants. In one corner, Liu Bo, who was barely participating, looked utterly out of place. This absurd stage setup and the students' chaotic performance made the audience laugh heartily.

After their performance, the students were all left breathless. Liu Bo, looking puzzled, whispered to Zhao Haoyan, "Zhao Ge, we only danced a little. Is it really necessary to pant like this?"

Zhao Haoyan quickly reminded him, "No time for chatter; start panting with me, or your teammates will think you're slacking!"

The public performance ended, and everyone else exited the stage. Liu Bo, noticing that no one was around, discreetly took out his phone once more. "Eagle calling the nest: I have gained preliminary trust from the second-place contestant, Zhao Haoyan; he seems to be quite gullible, almost like a simpleton. Have you received the second piece of scandal information by now? Very well, I will continue my undercover mission to get closer to the first-place contestant, Lü Yixiao."

However, Zhao Haoyan suddenly burst in, saying, "Damn undercover agent, you actually exposed all the scandals of our program under the nose of more than thirty trainees' eyes! Hey? Strange, after I got the scandal from Brother Yixiao, I only told you, how did it leak... Liu Bo, who do you think the undercover agent is?"

The stage lights dimmed instantly, suspenseful music played, and Liu Bo had a calm expression on his face, saying, "Heh, so, I've finally been discovered, huh? Yes, that undercover agent is... me!"

As he confessed, the suspense in the atmosphere reached its peak. But just when the audience thought this matter was going to be unresolved, Zhao Haoyan suddenly patted Liu Bo's shoulder, "What are you joking about! You?

"I noticed you from the very first day you came. You couldn't even come up with a stage name, didn't know how to address the teachers, couldn't sing or dance without panting, and often sneaked off to the restroom alone... Anyone could tell you were not normal.

"Do you think they'd place such an obvious undercover agent on our show?"

Liu Bo looked bewildered, "No, they wouldn't."

Zhao Haoyan said, "Exactly, they wouldn't! So next time, don't crack such funny jokes in the dorm. This is a serious talent show!"

He left, muttering to himself, "My suspicion seems to be reasonable; Brother Yixiao Might really be the undercover agent..."

Later in the story, Lv Yixiao entered the scene. He appeared much smarter than Zhao Haoyan and several times directed suspicion towards Liu Bo through deduction. As other trainees similar to Liu Bo were eliminated one by one, it seemed like Liu Bo was on the verge of being exposed.

Then, there was another performance, and the story entered the third part, "The Unveiling of the Truth."

Just when Liu Bo thought he was finished, the results of the performance were announced, and surprisingly, many audience members passionately voted for him, causing his ranking to skyrocket. His previous seemingly poor performances could be explained as a unique persona.

Even after his sudden rise to fame for acting poorly, the production team continued to give him more screen time. Lv Yixiao, who had been the top pick, fell out of favor instantly, overturning all his previous suspicions about Liu Bo.

Lv Yixiao looked at Liu Bo, his face filled with frustration as he analyzed, "This time, only the three of us knew about the plot. Zhao Haoyan is my most trusted brother; he would never betray me, and he definitely doesn't have the mindset to be an undercover agent...

"But you can't be the undercover agent either because you're now the center of attention as the show's rising star. If you were an undercover agent, the production team's reputation would be ruined, right?

"Since you're not the undercover agent, then it can only be me!"

Liu Bo: "Ah?"

Lv Yixiao continued to analyze, "Well, yes, it makes more sense if I'm the undercover agent. I've been deeply undercover, and I have Zhao Haoyan as my accomplice to pass on information without suspicion. That's why I was never discovered!"

Zhao Haoyan chimed in, "See, I told you earlier that you were the undercover agent!"

Lv Yixiao's expression turned serious, "I am the undercover agent... So, it turns out that Old Zhao's guess was right, I really am the undercover agent..."

"I must complete my undercover mission and expose all the dark secrets of ''Universal Trainees''!

"And as for you..."

Lv Yixiao turned to look at Liu Bo again, "Since you're not the undercover agent, you must be the infamous capital-endorsed celebrity and a rising star, right? Well, I'll expose you mercilessly to the media, and make you utterly infamous!"

Liu Bo: "Huh?"

Before he could offer any defense, the production team forcibly dragged him away, and he debuted as the first-place trainee.

The curtain slowly fell, and the last scene projected onto the screen was Liu Bo, who had successfully debuted by acting poorly, appearing hopelessly on the cover of an entertainment magazine.

……

Author Note:

P.S. It's really challenging to convey the humor in skits through text. I won't be writing skits anymore in the future. I recommend a few prototype skits for everyone:

 《偶像服务生》、《代号大本钟》、《少爷和我》、《警察和我之蛇我其谁》

("Idol Waiter," "Codename Da Ben Zhong," "Young Master and Me," "Police and Me: Snake, Who Am I")

 These are my favorite works from the annual comedy competition. I've incorporated some classic scenes from these skits into this part of the story for a more enjoyable reading experience.