Chapter 103: Jiang Lun's Strategy!

“Quick! Bring it over! Let me see what it is!” Li Donghe eagerly stood up.

The two chefs exchanged meaningful smiles as they placed the tray before them. “Please enjoy!”

Li Donghe hurriedly lifted the lid, but after just one glance, he collapsed back into his chair, rolling his eyes.

“What is this?”

Curious, everyone gathered around to take a look. Jiang Lun also leaned in with his chopsticks, wanting to see what had been prepared for Li Donghe.

At first sight, everyone burst into laughter.

Zhang Ziling’s face flushed red, a mix of irritation and amusement, pouting, “Is this even edible?”

“Why not?” You Chao pointed to the little crabs crafted from orange peels on the plate. “They’re very nutritious! I often use them to brew tea!”

“Then give me one to try!” Li Donghe jumped up suddenly, grabbing one of the orange peel crabs and chasing everyone around, shoving it into their mouths, sparing no one—not even Jiang Lun.

After a morning filled with fun and games, Jiang Lun had loosened up considerably; he was now able to catch on to jokes and chat more comfortably.

Following lunch, the production team arranged for everyone to rest. After the morning’s rough-and-tumble, they changed into fresh clothes.

They rested until four in the afternoon, when the sun was less intense, and then resumed recording the next segments. They worked straight through until ten at night, completing the first day’s tasks.

…

Back at the hotel, Jiang Lun didn’t even bother to change clothes; he just collapsed onto the bed and fell asleep.

But barely two minutes later, there was a knock.

“I’m here!” he yawned, dragging his weary body up. Squinting tiredly, he opened the door and was surprised to find Director Chen Hao and Chief Planner Sun Jun’an standing there.

“Director Chen! Sun Ge!” Jiang Lun greeted them politely. “Anything I can help with? Come in.”

“Sorry to disturb your rest,” they entered.

Chen Hao said, “Thanks for your hard work today! Overall, your performance was quite good, especially after you relaxed later on. We hope you’ll keep it up tomorrow.”

“Ah!” Jiang Lun yawned, “Okay, I’ll do my best!”

“We came by to discuss tomorrow’s task with you.”

“Tomorrow’s task?” Jiang Lun asked curiously. “Can I know in advance?”

“Not exactly in advance. Since you’re the only newcomer among the guests this episode, we have a special task for you—to wake everyone up one by one early tomorrow morning,” Sun Jun’an explained.

“What time?” Jiang Lun scratched his head, half-smiling, half-worried. “If it’s too early, will they beat me up?”

“Well… hehe, that’s possible!” Chen Hao laughed. “But don’t worry. Cameras will be rolling, and the regular guests know the show rules. Once the cameras are on, they’re actors. Even if they get annoyed, they can’t take it out on you.”

“Sigh! Another way to make enemies!” Jiang Lun chuckled bitterly.

“In that case, pick a plan,” Sun Jun’an said, pulling out the script. “We’ve prepared two options. One is to wake the guys first—that’s riskier. Those three veterans might get pissed off, and who knows how they’d retaliate! The second is to wake the girls first—that’s even riskier. If they’re not dressed or have some quirks exposed, they’ll surely blame you. As for how they might get back at you… well, who knows!”

Jiang Lun’s face darkened as he rubbed his face, carefully weighing the two schemes.

Suddenly, he recalled something he’d seen on a variety show on that secondhand laptop—a prank wake-up method that was quite funny. He couldn’t help but say, “Sun Ge, Director Chen, I have a new idea. Not sure if you’d be willing to try it?”

“A new idea?”

They exchanged glances. What was the planning team for if not to devise show games and segments? Since the debut of “Speed Run,” these folks had been racking their brains daily and were nearly out of ideas.

Could Jiang Lun’s idea actually be better than theirs?

“Go ahead,” Sun Jun’an said directly. As a planner, he was curious. Regardless of whether it was feasible, it was worth hearing.

“My idea is this,” Jiang Lun said, gesturing as he spoke. “We can design a spinning wheel with different wake-up methods written on it—like snapping chestnuts, blowing on ears, spraying water, ear-twisting, plucking hair, kissing, playing music on a phone, using ice cubes, and so on. Then, we throw darts at the wheel. Whichever method it lands on, that’s how we wake them up! As for who to wake, we can draw lots with room numbers to create the illusion that no one knows who’s staying in which room. How about that?”

When he finished, Sun Jun’an and Chen Hao were utterly speechless, staring blankly.

“This…” Chen Hao was the first to recover, “Isn’t that going a bit too far?”

“That’s what makes it entertaining for the audience, right?” Jiang Lun smiled. “If someone gets angry, even better—it creates buzz!”

“How on earth did you come up with this…” Sun Jun’an looked at him in disbelief, then said, “Wait, say that again. I want to write it down!”

“Sure!”

Jiang Lun repeated his plan, elaborating on details like using a relay to wake everyone.

Originally, the show’s design called for the newest guest to wake all the veterans—meaning Jiang Lun alone had to wake the other seven.

This time, it would be a relay. Jiang Lun would still start, but the new plan allowed the audience to watch those seasoned veterans get mischievous.

After thoroughly discussing it, Sun Jun’an sighed, “I’m seriously impressed. This idea is brilliant. Young people really have the creativity. Sigh, we’re all getting old!”

Chen Hao chuckled. “There are young planners on the team, but can their ideas be used? Not a single one so far.”

He then looked at Jiang Lun. “How did you come up with this?”

“Hehe,” Jiang Lun smiled. “I just like watching variety shows and messing around with ideas.”

He didn’t forget to promote himself. “Actually, I have many game ideas, some even more advanced. If you ever need them, just contact me. Though…”

Though what? Of course, he wanted to get paid!

Jiang Lun had known them only half a day; they weren’t relatives or friends. How could he give away such ideas freely?

Chen Hao immediately caught on. “Alright, if our show needs anything, we’ll definitely reach out. Don’t worry about payment—we pay our planners according to market standards. Including the plan you just proposed, after it airs, we’ll evaluate it based on ratings and pay accordingly.”

“Sounds good!” Jiang Lun nodded, smiling. He wasn’t a professional TV person and had no intention of blindly copying shows from another world, but selling some game designs and program ideas was fine.

Besides, the variety shows in the two worlds weren’t so different. Both had similar types of programs, just with different formats and selling points. The other world had phenomenal shows like “The Voice” and “Running Man,” while this world had “Star Show” and “Extreme Run.” Like songs, both worlds had their own classics, and neither had the intellectual edge over the other.

…

Summer mornings came early.

The next day, just as dawn barely broke, someone quietly opened Jiang Lun’s door.

“Jiang Lun! Jiang Lun! Wake up!”

Director Chen Hao himself took charge. He shook the sleepy Jiang Lun awake and whispered, “Time to get up!”

“Huh?”

Jiang Lun, groggy and just coming to, looked around, then suddenly recalled yesterday’s task. Seeing the cameras rolling and lights on, he realized the show had already started and looked surprised and confused. “What’s going on?”

“It’s five a.m. We’ve begun a new day of filming. You have a choice: who do you want to wake up next?”

Chen Hao said, handing Jiang Lun a black box for drawing lots.

Jiang Lun rummaged in the box, pulled out a room card, and squinted at the camera. “308!”