Laila quickly finished reading through the skit script and placed it back on the table.
Seeing her silent expression, Wu Yuan's heart skipped a beat. "Miss Moran, is there something wrong with the script?"
Laila looked at him and asked, "Do you want to hear the truth or a lie?"
Wu Yuan blinked. Even foreigners were playing this game?
"Of course, I want the truth!"
"Okay," Laila shrugged. "I think it's quite average."
This brutally honest assessment left Wu Yuan clutching his heart in disbelief. He was accustomed to the subtlety of the East, so this level of directness took him by surprise.
But he was open to suggestions. He quickly asked her, "Is there a way to salvage it?"
Everyone in the room was amused by his choice of words, including Laila. People with a natural sense of humor had a special charm, and Wu Yuan was one of them.
"This skit focuses on supporting education, and it can indeed be considered a patriotic piece, but there is a lack of humor."
Hearing an "outsider" use words like "patriotic" in her description, the Easterners in the room wore strange expressions. They had assumed she was an Easterner from her behavior, but this was another level of proficiency.
Wu Yuan nodded vigorously, "I've considered this issue too, but think about it, it's not easy to find humor when the topic is supporting education, right?"
He had always felt that there were some shortcomings in his skit, and making it this far was already quite fortunate. However, he felt that he had come so far and couldn't afford to fail at this stage. That's why he was eager to make improvements and ensure he wouldn't regret not giving his best.
Laila raised an eyebrow and pointed to the script. "Since you've included both of us in the skit and introduced humor based on the cultural clash between the East and the West, why not take it further?"
Laila provided an example: "For instance, 'How_old_are_you?' What do you think it means?"
This was a common phrase, and students typically learned it soon after mastering the ABCs. But Wu Yuan suspected there was more to it and tentatively answered, "Isn't it 'How old are you?'"
Laila smiled faintly. "In English, yes, it means that. But what if it's interpreted literally by someone who knows English only superficially?"
Except for Roy, who remained perplexed, the others in the room pondered her question. Laila grinned and added, "What does 'how' mean?"
The translator was the first to respond, "How, as in 'how' or 'what.'"
"Old?"
"Old."
"Are?"
"Are."
"You?"
"You."
Laila shrugged. "Combine them?"
"(⊙_⊙)" Everyone in the room was bewildered.
But Wu Yuan was quick to catch on, clapping his hands and exclaiming, "Why is it always you!"
"Exactly," Laila nodded.
The translator and others burst into laughter. They realized that English could be played with in such a creative way. Who wouldn't find it amusing to twist the language like this?
"Haha!" Wu Yuan laughed heartily. "Miss Moran, your mind works in mysterious ways! How did you come up with such a usage?"
Laila felt proud. She was like an elder among them, and she could effortlessly come up with all sorts of jokes from her vast experience. Of course, she humbly replied, "I just thought of it."
"Don't be humble; I could never think of something like this no matter how hard I tried," Wu Yuan said as he took back the script. His enthusiasm was clear, indicating that he already had new content in mind.
"This kind of cultural collision between the East and the West is indeed interesting and innovative. If we add a few more lines and jokes like this, the audience will not only enjoy it but also recognize the importance of learning English. After all, we need to maintain the main theme," he emphasized.
"Can you give me more inspiration?" he didn't want to waste any opportunity and immediately asked Laila for more jokes.
Laila didn't disappoint him and casually provided some funny phrases from later periods. These made everyone in the room burst into laughter, except for Roy, who was still in the dark. The translator wanted to translate for him, but he was laughing uncontrollably and didn't have the time to explain.
Seeing everyone in the room almost hysterical with laughter, Roy made an important decision – he had to learn Chinese. Otherwise, he'd always be sitting there like a fool while others laughed their heads off.
When Wu Mo called to inform them that they could go for dinner, all he heard on the phone was bursts of unstoppable laughter. Hearing this, he also became one of the confused people and went to keep company with Roy.
At dinner at Quanjude, Laila had enjoyed Peking duck in her previous life, but she hadn't found it particularly delicious back then. However, this time, she had acquired a taste for greasier foods due to her regular consumption of health-conscious meals, so she was in the mood for it.
With Wu Yuan's lively presence, the meal never had a dull moment from start to finish. However, Laila noticed that Roy's mood was somewhat low.
"What's wrong?" she asked him when others were talking. "Don't like the food here?"
"No, the food is delicious."
Laila found his response suspicious.
"Then why do you look so upset, as if someone owes you money?"
Roy huffed, "Go talk to them, don't bother me while I'm eating."
Laila realized her mistake; the others were having such a good time, and he couldn't participate in the conversation. She forgot that he couldn't understand Chinese, and the translator couldn't translate every word for him.
"It's for work; don't be mad. How about we go out together later and explore the area?" She wanted him to see more than just Quanjude roast duck; countless things would amaze him!
Roy pretended to be indifferent and responded with a casual "Sure," but a faint smile tugged at the corners of his mouth.
After the meal, Wu Yuan promised to have the new script ready in a day, giving them at least a week for rehearsals. He now had great confidence in their collaboration and believed they could create a skit that both the audience and the censors would love.