novelraw Chapter 37 - Variety Show Sense or Attention-Seeker? No! It’s All for the Camera!
Chapter 37 - Variety Show Sense or Attention-Seeker? No! It’s All for the Camera!
Chapter 37: Variety Show Sense or Attention-Seeker? No! It’s All for the Camera!
“Brother Chao, Xiao Lang, it’s your turn now. What do you say we do?”
Chen Chichi burst into laughter and threatened, “Are you guys ready?”
Shen Lang and Deng Chao exchanged glances and said, “We didn’t cause any trouble earlier…”
“Who was it that filled our water to the brim at first, then left us with barely any later?” Chen Chichi exposed them.
“I was just worried Sister Yang might spill it on…”
“Enough talking, let’s start the game!”
Chen Chichi grabbed a watermelon and shouted.
The “Big Black Bull” (Li Chen) also held a watermelon filled with water and yelled, “Hurry up! It’s payback time!”
Baby cried out, “No way! I was just watching from the sidelines. Don’t target us like this!”
Chen Chichi grinned and said, “According to Xiao Lang’s earlier logic, Xiao Lang, you’re up first. Brother Chao, you’re second, then Xiao Lu and Baby. So… Xiao Lu and Baby are off the hook.”
Lu Han and Baby looked at each other and sighed in relief.
As for what would happen to Deng Chao and Shen Lang, they could only pray silently.
“Bring it on! You think we’re scared?”
Shen Lang lay down dramatically and said calmly, “Let me make one thing clear—my fanbase might be small, but they’re fierce. Who knows, they might just cyberbully someone. So…”
Deng Chao picked up the thread, “And don’t forget our ‘1997 Super Waves’ duo. Our CP fans are even stronger. I suggest some of you think carefully about whether you can handle the consequences of being cyberbullied.”
Chen Chichi, Big Black Bull, and the others were stunned. Were they seriously being threatened like this?
“Alright, let’s start the game.”
Deng Chao and Shen Lang exchanged glances and even urged them to hurry up.
Chen Chichi turned to the production team and shouted, “Director, can we just forfeit? Declare the White Team the winners already?”
“Or how about this—I’ll help them…”
With that, Chen Chichi grabbed a watermelon full of water and dumped it straight into the “Windflow Eye,” announcing, “This round is over! The White Team wins! They’re the champions!”
Chen Chichi’s ridiculous move left everyone speechless.
Even Shen Lang was at a loss for words. He had only been joking, but Chen Chichi had turned it into a gag.
Deng Chao and Chen Chichi played crucial roles in Running Man. After this season, Deng Chao, Chen Chichi, Lu Han, and Wong Cho-lam all announced their departures.
When new members joined in the next season, Running Man became less entertaining.
Of course, at this point, it was still decent, with solid ratings and laughs in every episode.
The director was exasperated but thoroughly satisfied with the comedic effect.
“The game continues!”
Chen Chichi refused to cooperate. “The White Team already won. What’s left to compete for? I don’t want to get cyberbullied!”
Shen Lang said coolly, “Brother He, acting like this will only make it worse. The best choice is to play the game properly!”
“Chichi, hurry up! Even if you boycott the game, it won’t change anything!” Deng Chao yelled.
The game resumed. Chen Chichi didn’t take on a support role this time—he knew Shen Lang and Deng Chao were up to no good.
The whole “cyberbullying” and “game over” bit was just for show. If he were really afraid of online backlash, he would’ve quit long ago.
Besides, this was all part of the game’s entertainment value.
“Chichi, why aren’t you helping us fill the water?”
Deng Chao saw Chen Chichi keeping his distance and tried to call him over.
“No way, my back hurts!” Chen Chichi gave a flimsy excuse.
“I’ll do it…” Zheng Kai and Big Black Bull volunteered at the same time.
Shen Lang and Deng Chao exchanged glances. They had originally hoped to rope in Big Black Bull, Zheng Kai, and Chen Chichi together, but Chen Chichi had seen through their plan.
The first round of passing began. Big Black Bull placed a large watermelon bowl full of water on Shen Lang’s feet—without any mischief.
But that wouldn’t do. Where was the entertainment value?
Shen Lang shook his leg and shouted, “Brother Chao, catch it~”
Yang Mi protested, “Xiao Lang, stop copying me!”
“I’m not!” Shen Lang retorted. “Sister Yang, you yelled ‘Catch it!’ I added ‘Brother Chao’—that’s two extra words!”
Yang Mi was annoyed and raised her hand as if to hit him.
“Xiao Lang, stop shaking your leg…”
“Brother Chao, your leg’s shaking too…”
As they bickered, they passed the bowl.
The next second, a huge splash of watermelon water drenched Big Black Bull’s face.
Shen Lang and Deng Chao started blaming each other.
“Xiao Lang, why weren’t you being careful?”
“Brother Chao, you’re the one who didn’t catch it!”
Big Black Bull: “???”
Who am I? Where am I? What just happened?
Seeing this, Chen Chichi burst into laughter. “Brother Chao, Xiao Lang, I knew you two were plotting something! Hahaha—”
Big Black Bull was furious. “Brother Chao, Xiao Lang, just you wait!”
Deng Chao corrected him, “Brother Chen, please call me Little Chao.”
“Just you wait!”
Big Black Bull filled another bowl, ready for revenge.
“Change the order!”
Deng Chao immediately shouted. “From shortest to tallest—Baby first, then Xiao Lu, me third, and Xiao Lang last.”
“No way!”
“I’m the White Team captain—gahaha—”
Deng Chao and Shen Lang got up and swapped places with Baby and Lu Han. The passing continued.
With Baby now first, Big Black Bull couldn’t bring himself to retaliate.
“Just wait until the name tag ripping round…”
Shen Lang wasn’t worried. “We’re not doing name tag ripping today, so…”
“Director, can you invite Shen Lang back for the next episode?”
“Sorry, I’ll be recording a variety show at Hunan TV next week… Oh wait—am I allowed to say that?”
“This is a recording, not live. The editors will cut it out, so no worries…”
Everyone was speechless, but they had to admit Shen Lang’s variety show instincts were sharp.
After changing the order, things proceeded smoothly without any mischief. Shen Lang had considered kicking the bowl over, but the “Windflow Eye” was a single unit, so he gave up.
This round had already provided plenty of footage.
Attention-seeking? No! It was all for the camera!
The White Team finished with a total of 1,200ml of water. Most of the losses came from Shen Lang and Deng Chao’s messy passes, but they still ranked first.
Deng Chao pumped his fist and yelled, “Who else?!”
Chen Chichi said, “This was decided from the start. The White Team are today’s champions. I said it, and even the directors wouldn’t dare argue—or else, bad Douban reviews incoming.”
(Douban is a popular Chinese online platform that brings together people with shared interests in books, movies, music, and various activities.)
“Brother He, how could you? Using Douban reviews to threaten the production team?”
Shen Lang clutched his chest and hammed it up. “Oh heavens! How could someone be so terrifying? Threatening the directors? Director, I suggest not inviting Chen Chichi next time. Replace him… I think I’d do just fine. I’ll reluctantly take his spot for a few episodes.”
Deng Chao nodded. “Good idea! Our ‘1997 Super Waves’ duo should stick together!”
Chen Chichi immediately grabbed them both, hooking an arm around each of their necks, and shouted at the camera, “I quit! I’m taking these two down with me!”
Big Black Bull and Zheng Kai rushed over, yelling, “No need for that, no need!”