"Today is the last day of filming for 'Travel Together'," Zhao Hengsheng announced in person on the final day of filming, deviating from his usual task cards and instead making the announcement himself, "Today, a big bus has come to the village, I inquired about it, and it's the Tan Troupe coming to perform for the villagers. So, I have an idea, I thought we could borrow the stage they provided and put on a temporary performance to show our appreciation for the warm hospitality of the villagers during this time. What do you all think of my proposal?"
The five people who were announced to perform a temporary show: Not so great! Except for Xu Yin, who is a singer and has had plenty of opportunities to perform on stage, the others are primarily actors and don't have much experience performing on stage.
The key issue is that the preparation time is too short, not even enough for a rehearsal! But faced with Zhao Hengsheng's smiling face and the surrounding cameras, even though they wanted to curse in their hearts, they all smiled and agreed.
After lunch, with no time for a nap, the five hurried to the stage that Tan Troupe had just set up.
The leader of the Tan Troupe had already prepared to welcome them early, and seeing the figures of those big stars, which he usually only saw on TV, he hurried over to greet them even more eagerly.
Even he didn't expect that just by accepting the local subsidy for a routine performance, he would encounter such a rare opportunity.
When Zhao Hengsheng, the director, found him and proposed borrowing the stage for filming a variety show, he agreed without hesitation.
Although his Tan Troupe was also a formal folk art troupe, they usually toured various towns and villages with subsidies, earning a hard-earned living.
Rarely did they have such an opportunity to appear on a television program, and only a fool would refuse.
"Please come in, teachers, please come in. Because we just started cleaning up, the backstage is a bit messy, please don't mind."
Jiang Lingxi discreetly surveyed the stage, which had been set up by a large vehicle converted for this purpose.
Even the original owner of her body had never seen such a mobile troupe before.
The backstage was indeed very messy, with various props and costumes being rearranged, and many people were already starting to apply makeup.
It was well known that theatrical makeup was not easy to apply, especially the elaborate headpieces, which could take up to an hour to prepare.
Even in the palace, she would instruct the actors to start preparing an hour before the performance, leaving them enough time to prepare.
However, despite all this, they still managed to clear out a relatively quiet and clean space for them.
Zhao Hengsheng followed closely behind, sitting down on an empty chair with interest and asking, "Tell me, what kind of performances are you all preparing?"
As soon as the words fell, silence spread.
Xu Yin was the first to respond, "I'll sing an old song from the last century, the kind that the elders in the village have all heard before. Can you find accompaniment for me, Director?"
Zhao Hengsheng slapped his chest, "Count on me. What about the rest of you?"
Jiang Kaiyuan responded with a pained expression, "How about I demonstrate my super-fast gaming skills?"
Zhao Hengsheng replied with a cold face, "Rejected."
Jiang Kaiyuan shrugged, "Oh."
Lin Xuefei looked at him and then at Zhao Hengsheng, "I remember you can also do some street dance, right?"
"Just a little bit."
"Well, I know a bit of jazz dance. How about we collaborate?"
Her jazz dance was just at the beginner's level, and performing alone wouldn't be very entertaining, but with two people working together, it would be much better.
Jiang Kaiyuan shrugged indifferently, "Sure."
Lin Xuefei smiled at him, "That's settled then!"
She Man glanced at Jiang Lingxi, who was sitting quietly on the side playing with a prop sword, "I've acted in a play before, playing a role of a singer. I even learned a bit of Huangmei Opera at the time. How about I embarrass myself on stage today?"
Jiang Lingxi noticed Zhao Hengsheng's gaze on her and quietly put the prop sword back, "I have a performance too."
"What performance?"
"It's a secret for now."
Zhao Hengsheng: "..."
He was speechless for a moment, "Anyway, this is the last performance. Don't let me down."
"I promise I won't."
With a deep look at Jiang Lingxi, who promised confidently, Zhao Hengsheng turned and left.
He also had to prepare and promote the performances of their guests to the villagers.
Xu Yin's song only required accompaniment, Lin Xuefei and Jiang Kaiyuan's collaborative dance only needed some practice beforehand to facilitate their interaction on stage, and She Man's performance required some assistance from the Tan Troupe.
Everyone began to busy themselves.
She Man got up to leave, noticing the footsteps following behind her. She turned around to see Jiang Lingxi walking in the same direction.
"Xiao Xi, what are you doing?"
"I'm also asking for help from the Tan Troupe."
Since it was work, Jiang Lingxi had no intention of being perfunctory.
But the original owner of her body really didn't have any talent to speak of, and upon closer examination, her own skills weren't suitable for a stage performance.
So she had to find another way.
The reason she said it was a secret earlier was also because she didn't know what to call the performance she had thought of.
The leader of the Tan Troupe was pleased to have two people seeking his help. After hearing She Man's request for costume and headpiece accessories, as well as musical accompaniment, he sighed with relief and said they could accommodate her requests. He immediately called someone over to help.
But after listening to Jiang Lingxi's needs, his expression became somewhat hesitant.
"Jiang Teacher, although the weapons and props in our troupe are not sharp, they still have some weight to them. Accidents happen, and even if they're not serious, getting hit and getting a bruise is common. Although only the martial arts actors in our troupe handle them, the others rarely touch them. I'm really afraid to make an exception."
Rejected right from the start, Jiang Lingxi looked at the Tan Troupe leader's hesitant expression and pondered for a moment. Then, she suddenly reached out and picked up a wooden stick about as thick as her wrist that was standing nearby.
If the person in charge didn't believe she could protect herself, then she would have to use some real skills to convince him.
Using the wooden stick as a spear, she moved with agility and grace, creating a fierce and powerful display.
As the troupe leader watched her create a flurry of spear techniques, he couldn't help but applaud in admiration.
After the stick was returned to its original position, he came back to his senses, a hint of astonishment still lingering on his face. "I didn't expect Teacher Jiang to have this skill."
She's quite the martial arts actress!
It's a pity that she's a star, much more promising than his small troupe.
Suppressing his regret, he made a decision, "Seeing that Teacher Jiang has a good foundation, I can lend you this prop spear, but just to be safe, I'll need Teacher Jiang to sign a waiver."
If there were any accidents, his small troupe couldn't bear such a huge responsibility!
"It's understandable."
With the most difficult part, borrowing props, settled, the rest of the process became much simpler.
After applying makeup and changing into costumes, and coordinating with the music team for their performance later, all that was left was to wait for the show to begin.
She Man finished her makeup and changed into her costume, preparing to join the other guests. Just as she stepped out, she saw a figure dressed in a white robe with embroidered fish and carrying a long spear walking towards her.
Looking up to meet the gaze of the face that was unusually dignified with just drawn eyebrows and lip color, She Man was truly astonished, "Jiang, Jiang Lingxi?"
"It's me, Teacher She."
"You're dressed like this... and with this flower spear..."
"It's necessary for the performance. As for the content, Teacher She will see it soon."
She Man: "..."
She really, really hadn't expected this.
The delicate young girl transformed into a dignified young general, with just a pair of drawn eyebrows?