Meng Jingyuan also comforted him with a smile: “Then just relax and let me take care of it.”
“Peeling the Jacket” has been around for a long time and has been performed by many famous artists since Qi Zhi Jiang’s time.
This skit is based on a story from “A Comprehensive Collection of Humorous Anecdotes” and has always been performed by three people.
In group sketch comedy, there’s a role called “tie” that means to tie up the gaps between the comedian and the straight man.
The tie in “Peeling the Jacket” is also an important role that requires a lot of skill.
Meng Jingyuan and Zeng Wen have always been a duet team that audiences are familiar with.
Although it’s an old skit, Qi Zhi Jiang needs to study how to make it more suitable for him now. The three of them started discussing how to make up the package.
Besides, they were using the modified script, which was slightly different from what Qi Zhi Jiang had originally learned. He had to ask them for advice on how to perform those parts effectively.
Qi Zhi Jiang prepared carefully at home and didn’t know that his schedule for going to Curve Arts TV had been leaked out.
On the day of recording, Qi Zhi Jiang put on his big coat and went to the recording site. Meng Jingyuan and others were already there. They discussed the details of the recording. Qi Zhi Jiang also got some attention because of his association with Meng Jingyuan and Zeng Wen. They sat together in a single room waiting for their turn.
At one point, Zeng Wen went out for a smoke and came back with a different expression on his face. “Jessie, you’d better prepare yourself. There are many fans waiting for you in the audience.”
“What?” Qi Zhi Jiang was shocked.
Meng Jingyuan was also frightened: “Jessie’s fans? You mean they’re young girls?”
Zeng Wen covered his forehead: “No kidding. I don’t know where they got these tickets from. I think they bought them from scalpers. They’ve occupied half of the seats.”
Meng Jingyuan whispered: “I didn’t expect this…”.
They have a lot of experience with performances but didn’t expect this situation.
They usually perform at Curve Arts TV in front of art enthusiasts. So when they studied their parts earlier, they were planning for an audience that understood sketch comedy. But now they were facing a different crowd. Although they have to perform live on TV for a wide audience, sometimes the atmosphere in the live studio can also affect their performance.
Qi Shejiang’s expression was not looking good. He glanced at the time; there were still less than two hours until the approximate time specified by the director. He immediately grabbed paper and pen, saying, “I’ll revise the script; let’s modify it as we go.” Meng Jingyuan and Zeng Wen exchanged glances, agreeing that it was the only way to proceed. Qi Shejiang made last-minute revisions until just a minute before going on stage, with the three of them still going over their lines. “…Let’s go.” Qi Shejiang closed his eyes for a moment, relaxed his expression, and stepped out.
At today’s recording venue, many people in the audience had specifically come to see Qi Shejiang. Since his debut, he had only participated in three shows: the first variety show was recorded in various locations, often outdoors; the second one was a gala; and the third was “Gui Yuan Tian Ju,” which also didn’t allow for much public viewing.
When fans found out he was recording a show at the Quyi station, they were thrilled, spreading the news and scrambling to get tickets for the live recording. After waiting for a long time, it was finally time for Jesse to take the stage! “Ahhhhhh Jesse!” “Qi Shejiang—” “I love you, my husband!!” Before his figure even appeared, the audience was already in a small uproar. The host earnestly read out a script, concluding with, “Alright, up next is the traditional cross-talk ‘Ba Magu’, performed by cross-talk artists Zeng Wen and Meng Jingyuan, along with young cross-talk performer Qi Shejiang!”
The venue erupted with applause and cheers. However, soon amidst the enthusiastic noise, a discordant voice arose. “Did she just say young cross-talk performer??”
Chapter Fourteen Collaborating with veteran artists on cross-talk is called being talented and versatile, entertaining the public. However, being formally introduced as a young cross-talk performer by a television station is another matter altogether. It wasn’t until Qi Shejiang and the others walked on stage that some people didn’t even react. The director on site quickly said, “Wait, let the audience respond and take it again; what kind of expressions are these? Don’t whisper.”
They wouldn’t lead the audience in applause throughout the entire performance; in fact, many segments had been wrapped up with applause at the beginning. Yet, with the actors on stage, the audience was still in a state of unrest. Fans: … This is the expression of confusion, misunderstanding, and daze! They clapped again, bewildered.
Qi Shejiang and the other two stood at the front of the stage, bowing. Zeng Wen and Meng Jingyuan wore matching black coats, while Qi Shejiang still wore his dark blue coat, but he had put on a deep blue overcoat. Zeng Wen noticed the initial audience reaction and calmly opened his mouth, “Just to avoid any confusion, the young cross-talk performer Qi Shejiang that was mentioned when introducing was not me; it’s this guy next to me. I’m Zeng Wen.” He pointed at Qi Shejiang. Meng Jingyuan smiled, “Alright, no one will mistake that!” The audience burst into laughter; this opening line had a good effect. A few cross-talk enthusiasts in the audience recognized Zeng Wen and Meng Jingyuan, and seeing what Qi Shejiang looked like deepened their impression of him. But how good is this young man, really? Dare to perform “Ba Magu,” he can’t be too bad, right?
Zeng Wen smiled and continued, “Let me introduce this gentleman, my partner, Meng Jingyuan—definitely no one will mistake this one. In the past, I usually collaborated with Teacher Meng; today, we have this young cross-talk performer as our third wheel…” The audience understood: “yoooooooo~” In an instant, Qi Shejiang’s eyes widened slightly, unnoticeably. “Wait a minute, what do you mean by ‘between us’; wasn’t it the right side?” Meng Jingyuan smiled, purposely glossing over that line. Zeng Wen pretended to be clueless, “Yes, yes, right side.” Meng Jingyuan: “Just hold on a second; I wanted to say this earlier, the one you introduced earlier is a cross-talk performer? That’s not right, is it?” Zeng Wen laughed, “What’s not right? Haven’t you two performed together before? At a gala.” Meng Jingyuan waved his hand, “That was all for entertainment.” Zeng Wen added, “Now it’s not for entertainment, Jesse, come on, tell Teacher Meng.” Only then did Qi Shejiang speak, “Here’s the thing; after we performed the last cross-talk, the response was pretty good. I wanted to pursue this direction, so I sought out Teacher Zeng. Teacher Zeng is really nice; he said sure, come perform with me.” “So casual?” Meng Jingyuan said to Zeng Wen, “Do you know how capable he is that you just call him a young cross-talk performer?
Zeng Wen said with satisfaction, “You wouldn’t know; he is exceptionally talented.” Meng Jingyuan looked at Qi Shejiang, “Is that so?” Qi Shejiang honestly said, “Yes, Teacher Zeng mentioned especially about my face.” Zeng Wen: “Ah, yes, yes, yes!” “Hahahahahahaha, right.” The venue was filled with applause and echoes of agreement.
Zeng Wen said, “How about this, Jesse? Teacher Meng and I will choose a song, and you sing. Sing three segments; if you can sing well, that shows you have some singing ability, and you can keep that title of young crosstalk actor!” Qi Shejiang nodded, “Sure!” Meng Jingyuan and Zeng Wen whispered to each other for a moment, then raised their heads and exchanged mischievous smiles with Qi Shejiang, “Sing ‘Time of Love’ for us.”
