Chapter Sixty-One: A Long, Deep Breath

"Hmm?" After Lin Xing finished speaking, he noticed Ding Bai's expression and smiled as he explained, "Mr. Ding, I’m just offering a small suggestion. As I said, I'm only assisting with the performance. However you need me to cooperate, I’ll cooperate."

"No, Mr. Lin, you've misunderstood me," Ding Bai replied, snapping out of his brief daze. He, along with the others, had previously considered what to name the program, ultimately settling on the straightforward and easily understood "Fraud Prevention."

But when Lin Xing suggested "Anti-Fraud Bank," Ding Bai’s eyes suddenly lit up.

Damn.

The setting is a bank, and banks have indeed borne the responsibility for anti-fraud efforts over recent years. The story also unfolds in a bank lobby, so "Anti-Fraud Bank" is just perfect.

If "Fraud Prevention" is simple and down-to-earth, then "Anti-Fraud Bank" directly hits the theme.

"I think 'Anti-Fraud Bank' is a fantastic title—just right. I’ll tell Ning about it in a bit, and our show will officially change to 'Anti-Fraud Bank.'"

At this, Ding Bai turned to Lin Xing with a smile. "Mr. Lin, we’ll be working together for the next few days. Please, don’t call me Mr. Ding—just call me Old Ding."

"Oh no, then I’d better call you Brother Ding instead. And please, don’t call me Mr. Lin. Just call me Lin Xing, as Ms. Situ does." Lin Xing waved his hand politely.

At that moment, Situ Hui, pretending to be upset, chimed in, "You’re not being formal with Old Ding and calling him 'brother,' yet you won’t call me Sister Hui?"

The eight members of the "Charge!" club looked on in shock at the scene unfolding in the rehearsal room.

Since the recording began, Ding Bai had been approachable enough, but Situ Hui was always strict—sometimes even intimidating the eight rookies during acting lessons.

They’d assumed this was just her personality.

But now?

Situ Hui was nothing but cordial to Lin Xing—not only polite but acting as though she were reuniting with an old friend.

Lin Xing, of course, had no idea what the eight members were thinking. If he had, he’d probably say, "You haven’t seen anything yet! When I first recorded variety shows, Situ Hui was much stricter."

With the ice broken, everyone became more comfortable.

They soon resumed their rehearsal.

Initially, Situ Hui had planned to give the eight members some more guidance before returning to the audience seats. But now that Lin Xing had arrived, she didn’t seem in any hurry to leave.

"Ah Xing, when did you join the cast of 'Sweeping the Underworld Waves'?" Situ Hui asked Lin Xing with concern during a break.

Lin Xing smiled. "I’m only joining the crew on September 20th, so don’t worry, Sister Hui—I won’t hold back this program."

"Heh, that’s not what I meant," Situ Hui replied with a shake of her head and a smile. "You’ll understand once you join the crew."

Lin Xing was a bit puzzled. Was Situ Hui also serving as the acting coach for "Sweeping the Underworld Waves"?

That made no sense. With a cast full of veteran actors, would they really need coaching from Situ Hui?

Honestly, it was hard to say who would be guiding whom.

But since Situ Hui didn’t care to explain, Lin Xing didn’t bother to ask.

So, for the next two days, Lin Xing threw himself into recording "Comedy Should Make You Laugh." In truth, it was more rehearsal than filming.

In "Anti-Fraud Bank," Lin Xing’s role as the lobby manager was quite substantial.

Initially, Ding Bai had been worried Lin Xing would be too busy to attend rehearsals due to his packed schedule.

He hadn’t expected Lin Xing to accompany the "Charge!" club for all the rehearsals—not only taking it seriously, but even ordering takeout for everyone from time to time.

While "Smile Culture" did have a canteen, the food was only marginally better than a school cafeteria.

On the 10th, Lin Xing officially took part in the recording of "Comedy Should Make You Laugh."

"Next up, please welcome the 'Charge!' club," announced Xie Ning, and the curtain slowly rose.

"Let me ask you—can I transfer my money or not?" an elderly man, dressed with a cane and brimming with indignation, declared, "Emperor Qin Shi Huang is still waiting for me to send him money to unfreeze his assets!"

"Sir, please listen to me, you’ve been scammed..."

"Heh, young man, me? Scammed? I’ve walked more bridges than you’ve walked roads. Let me tell you, back then, Emperor Qin Shi Huang achieved immortality by taking Xu Fu’s elixir..."

The old man sneered. "If you don’t transfer the money, I’ll... I’ll report you!"

"Sir, I’m the lobby manager here. Please, let me explain—these sorts of scams are common. There are also those so-called charity schemes, 'Wolf Warrior' special forces, police investigating bank cards..."

At this moment, Lin Xing entered the scene as the lobby manager. Just as he was about to explain that these were all scams, the old man cut him off.

"No need to say more. I know all about them," the old man replied with a self-satisfied grin. "I’ve quietly done all of that myself. Young man, let me tell you—your peaceful life in this world is thanks to people like us, silently bearing the burdens."

...

The entire 12-minute performance was well-structured from start to finish—not just packed with laughs at the beginning, but closing on a comedic note as well.

When the performance ended, thunderous applause erupted in the hall.

"Funny" is the highest compliment for a comedy show.

Everything else is secondary.

"Thank you, everyone. This is my first time acting in a comedy show. It’s only because Mr. Ding Bai’s script is excellent and everyone acted so well..." Lin Xing said, smiling as he introduced the eight members of the "Charge!" club. Except for the well-known "Hengha Duo," the rest were complete newcomers, rarely getting any camera time.

So Lin Xing made it a point to introduce each of them.

"If the audience enjoys this program, my contribution is just the finishing touch. The real credit goes to these eight outstanding performers..."

...

After the recording, Lin Xing was interviewed backstage by the assistant director.

"Brother Xing, how do you feel after participating today?"

Lin Xing replied, "I can finally breathe a sigh of relief."

The assistant director was puzzled. "Why’s that?"

"Think about it—you invited me as a guest star, and I played such a big role in 'Anti-Fraud Bank.' If they really failed, it wouldn’t matter much to me, but what about the 'Charge!' club? They need this opportunity..."

Lin Xing spoke honestly.

For the eight unknown members of "Charge!," any opportunity was like a lifeline.

But in the entertainment industry, success depends as much on fate as it does on effort.

...