The entire program was intended to play with ethical humor, with “the consort” as the main supporting role throughout. Xu Siyu feigned confusion, “What’s wrong with you all? He said he doesn’t want a woman.” This flipped the earlier setup again, enhancing the effect, and the audience, still laughing from the previous wave, chuckled anew. These lines were all improvised on the spot, showcasing the tacit understanding cultivated between the two and Xu Siyu’s quick reaction ability. This newly created sketch, “The Selection of Consorts,” revolves around Qi Shejiang’s selection of a partner, unfolding a story that drops various jokes, mainly using Xu Siyu as the focal point, critiquing from top to bottom. The ethical humor treats Xu Siyu as a daughter-in-law or, to put it another way, a consort. “My mom even said, ‘Hey, your partner isn’t cut out for this, just a lazy bone,'” Qi Shejiang mimicked Xia Yiwei’s tone, adding a touch of sharp criticism. Xu Siyu countered angrily, “Are you done yet? Let me tell you, I’ve been unable to stand your family’s attitude for a long time. Why is it just me that you’re picking on? Why don’t you look into it, which family has a mother-in-law as hard to serve as yours?” Xu Siyu’s frustrated and spoiled demeanor only made people laugh harder.
They were still trying to justify themselves, but this was really giving up, complaining about the “evil mother-in-law.” Especially with everyone associating the mother-in-law’s image with Xia Yiwei, it became even funnier. Xu Siyu wasn’t done yet, rambling, “You don’t even see it; who in all of Huaxia can handle your mom? Tang Shuangqin has gone bald from it!” Tang Shuangqin happened to be sitting in the audience, and once mentioned, the audience burst out laughing and turned to look at him. Tang Shuangqin played along, patting his head in a mock innocent manner, accepting the joke. “Come on, you’re using outdated information. Now Director Tang is happy to let me bring my mom into the cast; didn’t you see the news?” Qi Shejiang pointed at him, “I can see you just love to complain.” Xu Siyu slammed the table: “Who are you talking about? Who? You never help me!” From the audience, people joined in shouting: “Scumbag!” “Divorce!” “Let me do it!” Xu Siyu burst into laughter, pointing at the audience, “Does it make sense that you’re saying ‘let me do it?’” After regaining composure, she spat, “Get lost; none of you jokers are good men!” “How come you’re still angry?” Qi Shejiang tapped the table with a fan, asking, “Are you trying to get fired?” “I actually won’t serve anymore, get lost!” Xu Siyu threw her handkerchief at Qi Shejiang and angrily stormed off the stage.
Normally, when an actor gets genuinely annoyed and walks off, it enhances the stage effect. But right now, Qi Shejiang didn’t stop her, and Xu Siyu didn’t return; she just exited the stage, vanishing from sight. One second, two seconds, three seconds passed, and she still didn’t come back. Laughter and shouts from the audience continued, and eventually, there was some confusion: did Xu Siyu really leave?
Qi Shejiang calmly folded the handkerchief, tidied up the stage, and casually said, “If she wants to leave, let her leave; it’s hard to find a three-legged toad, and a queen… no, a supporting role is even harder to find.” He tilted his head and shouted toward the backstage, “Let me ask if there’s anyone who wants to come up!”
In the next moment, Zhang Yue, dressed in a red robe, walked elegantly onto the stage, holding the corners of his robe. The audience fell silent for a second before erupting into synchronized screams!
Chapter 40 Epilogue For this program, the host didn’t even come out to announce it; the audience didn’t even know the name of the show, let alone which actors were involved; otherwise, it would have exploded. Everyone knew Zhang Yue was present, but they all thought that at most, he would come on stage to accompany Qi Shejiang in a few jokes. They never expected that Zhang Yue would actually wear the robe and come up to perform crosstalk!
Although they joked about Zhang Yue changing careers, no one anticipated they would actually arrange for him to cross over to support.
With the groundwork laid by the prior interactions between Xu Siyu and Qi Shejiang, and the gossip between Qi Shejiang and Zhang Yue, the impact of this program was simply explosive.
The screams and cheers from the audience didn’t stop for a long time.
With a smile on his face, Qi Shejiang watched as Zhang Yue strutted up, teasingly reciting two lines of poetry, “Peach blossoms tire of the fragrant apricot, what harm does the bright moon do to the little stars?” The burden of this joke was a little heavy; for a moment, not everyone could respond immediately.
As soon as he began reciting poetry, the previously incessant screams in the audience gradually quieted down, allowing the program to continue.
Zhang Yue took his place behind the table, grinning, “Did you call me?” This immediately caused more laughter; when he asked if there was anyone who wanted to come up, there he was, directly saying, “Did you call me?” “Wh-why are you here?” Qi Shejiang appeared a bit surprised, “Don’t we have no supporting role back there? Why did a singer come up?” Zhang Yue said nonchalantly, “Hey, I was knocked out by the medicine.” Qi Shejiang gave him a thumbs-up, “Alright then, no poison, no husband.” Zhang Yue fiddled with his collar, “I’ve already changed into the red robe; we can perform the marriage ceremony anytime.” “Don’t, don’t,” Qi Shejiang pointed at the audience, “Look, you’ve scared everyone.” “I see they really want to watch,” Zhang Yue adjusted the microphone, “What’s wrong? Can’t I do it?” Qi Shejiang elongated his voice, “Can you…?” Audience: “Pfft!!” Qi Shejiang said meaningfully, “This, for now, we don’t know.” “Hey, you, you’re being unfaithful,” Zhang Yue didn’t give in, and as Qi Shejiang was joking with him, he retaliated, tugging at Qi Shejiang’s sleeve and accusing him, “You even said to me ‘day and night indistinguishable,’ but whether I can or not, you don’t know?! Are you reasonable?!”
Since Zhang Yue took the stage, the audience’s smiles hadn’t faded away; they were incredibly excited.
“What can I do, what aspect are you referring to?” Qi Shejiang again made a very innocent face, escaping Zhang Yue’s grip, and defended himself, “I’m looking for a partner; you’re not a professional, right? Although we get along well, you can’t perform cross-talk, standing next to me has some requirements.”
Zhang Yue immediately chuckled coldly, “Come on, since you debuted, I’ve been in ninety-nine percent of your shows!”
Another burst of laughter erupted.
Zhang Yue might not be on stage, but he truly is in the program!
qi Shejiang thought for a moment, then laughed, “That’s right, although you haven’t appeared on the cross-talk stage, you’re indeed very well-known among the audience.”
Zhang Yue clicked his tongue, “Thanks to you.”
“So, in that case, you do have an inexplicable connection to cross-talk; you’re not without qualifications,” Qi Shejiang nodded thoughtfully.
As “The Selection of Concubines” progressed to the second half, the critical Xu Siyu turned from picky to complimenting, revealing that singer Zhang Yue actually has great potential as a cross-talk actor. The designed contrast made the audience frequently recall corresponding segments previously in Xu Siyu, and with the comparison, they found it even more amusing. The four essential skills for a cross-talk actor are being funny, learning, engaging, and singing; Zhang Yue has no problems with the singing part, being a singer by profession, and can even compose. As for the others, his mouth isn’t a problem. As for being funny, it translates into Zhang Yue often mentioning solo cross-talk on Weibo—mocking people. When it comes to learning, it’s even more peculiar.
