In the studio, a group of behind-the-scenes staff donned headphones, the heads of each department finally indicated they were ready, and Director Zhang's voice sounded—
"Countdown to the program!"
"Three, two, one, begin!"
The sound of music erupted on the stage, lights darting back and forth in tandem with the tunes, as the audience already erupted in applause and cheers, followed swiftly by the entrance of the three hosts.
"Dear audience and friends, welcome to Happy Together!"
After warming up the crowd, the lead actor of the youth idol drama "Love Tornado," Zhang Yilin, the second male lead Sun Zhi, and the second female lead Kong Yuanyuan were each invited onstage.
As first- and second-tier young actors and actresses, the arrival of the first three immediately garnered a warm welcome from the audience, with screams rising one after the other and calls of 'goddess' and 'brother' coming in succession, demonstrating their immense popularity.
As a complete newcomer, Tang Shu was placed last, and as she stood in the furthest corner, host Wang Jie approached with a microphone, "Beautiful girl, tell the audience your name loudly!"
Tang Shu was dressed in bell-bottoms with a white blouse, making her look clean and tall.
"Hello everyone, my name is Tang Shu."
[Eh? Who is this young lady, has she appeared in the drama before?]
[This aura is a bit cool and chic, she looks rather impressive!]
The host smiled at the words of the audience in the front row and smoothly continued the conversation, "Tang Shu plays Lin Yiyi in the drama, I'm sure everyone has a deep impression, right?"
[Holy crap, it's Lin Yiyi, the 'white lotus' character!]
[This tough-looking young lady is Lin Yiyi?! Doesn't seem like it!]
The difference between Tang Shu on and off the screen was too great, and for a moment the audience couldn't recognize her. Staring at the girl who looked completely different, those in the audience seats who had meant to curse were stunned into silence.
[This actor... doesn't quite seem like the one from the TV drama, is it an illusion?]
[Say what you will, the sister's good looks are definitely impressive~~~]
Host Pan Yang was witty and funny, driving the rhythm of the recording, giving the leads a lot of camera time, and Tang Shu was also cued once or twice, soon leading to the "You Act I Guess" game segment.
"This way, our four guests can be perfectly divided into two teams."
Originally in the script, the lead actor Zhang Yilin would pair with the lead actress Mu Ziwei, and the second male Sun Zhi would pair with the second female Kong Yuanyuan. These pairings from the television drama were arranged by the Program Team to ride the wave of the couples' popularity. However, now that Mu Ziwei hadn't arrived, and Tang Shu's standing was too low, this became the biggest upset.
Proving his experience as a host, Pan Yang quickly and thoroughly figured things out, planning to break up both CPs (celebrity pairings) and reallocate.
"Yilin, you and Yuan—"
Before the grouping was finished, Director Zhang's voice came through the earpiece, "Put Zhang Yilin and Tang Shu in one team, and keep Sun Zhi with Kong Yuanyuan in the other team as originally planned."
Pan Yang was taken aback. Director Zhang had decided to sacrifice Tang Shu to garner topicality, given that in the drama she was the female rival who loved the male lead in vain, and at one point became hot search fodder due to netizen's scorn.
"Ahem, Yilin will pair up with Tang Shu, and Sun Zhi with Yuanyuan, who, being lovers in the drama, I trust have great rapport."
With a single sentence, he diffused the prior awkwardness.
"Alright, alright! Looks like I get to team up with my girlfriend again—"
The two exchanged a glance, spotting the shared amusement in each other's eyes, before turning to Zhang Yilin and Tang Shu, "You guys better try hard, don't lose too badly!"
"Hey! Who says we're going to lose? Don't be crying later!"
Zhang Yilin was unabashedly combative, even as he stepped back to stand with Tang Shu, then quietly discussed strategy, "I'm not great at drawing, how about you draw first, and I guess?"
Tang Shu had never played this kind of game, and for her, either role was the same. Hearing this, she nodded noncommittally.
"Okay."
"Now, let's have Yuanyuan's team go first," said Pan Yang.
With Pan Yang's cue, Sun Zhi and Kong Yuanyuan started to act and guess, quickly displaying their synergy and cruising to a remarkable twelve points within just ten minutes.
[Wow, impressive! These two are truly lovers in the drama, the CP vibes are strong!]
[They got twelve points, they guessed every word that appeared on the hint board, and even though they started slow, they got into the groove!]
Clearly, the CP team received a wave of enthusiasm from the audience, as chants of their unbeatable pairing filled the studio.
Pan Yang was smiling from ear to ear—this was sure to boost the ratings.