Chapter 704: The Audacious Sketch

Beijing, inside a certain residence.

Mrs. Zhong Lin brought a fruit platter out from the kitchen, placed it on the living room coffee table with a beaming smile, and then began refilling the two old men's cups with hot water.

To be cared for by her in this way, these two old men were naturally of extraordinary status.

One of them was Mrs. Zhong Lin's grand-uncle, He Ping'an.

The other old man was currently complaining to He Ping'an.

"Old He, oh Old He, I come to your house as a guest, and it's one thing that you don't serve me good wine and food, but you actually don't watch our CCTV gala, and instead play the Octopus TV New Year's Eve Gala right in front of me, the station head. What is the meaning of this?" said the old man named Ji Huawen.

"Tsk, Station Head Ji, what great official authority you have. I'm just a viewer; I watch whatever channel I want in my own home. Is that any of your business?" He Ping'an said while blowing on his hot water.

Mrs. Zhong Lin watched the two old men bickering from the side, not daring to interject.

Peacefully watching TV. jpg.

Ma'am, in your heart, you must also want to watch Octopus TV, right?

To speak truthfully, she felt that this year's Octopus TV New Year's Eve Gala was indeed very good.

She particularly liked "First Day," which Chen Shanqi had sung earlier, and wanted to add it to her playlist.

In her view, this song was very suitable for listening to while driving on the way home from work.

As for the subsequent dance "Palace Night Banquet," Zhong Lin was left stunned.

It was too stunning, truly too stunning!

This combination of culture, history, and dance struck the hearts of the Huaxia people too deeply!

That sense of being moved and the resonance, along with the national pride, was simply too intense!

While watching the program, she would steal glances at the old man Ji Huawen from time to time.

"I wonder what thoughts are in his heart now that Uncle Ji sees Luo Mo and Ning Dan putting on such a spectacular gala?" Mrs. Zhong Lin thought to herself.

But Ji Huawen did not show his emotions, continuing to bicker with He Ping'an with a smile, as if he didn't care much.

However, in their past bickering, Ji Huawen, who prided himself on being a semi-intellectual, would always yield a little to He Ping'an and not hold it against him, so as to avoid him starting to curse if he couldn't win the argument.

He Ping'an was actually quite fluent in the style of Li Yunlong from "Bright Sword" on Earth.

But in today's bickering, Ji Huawen clearly had no intention of yielding.

This made Zhong Lin unable to help saying several times: "Eat some fruit, eat some fruit. Grand-uncle, Uncle Ji, I worked hard to cut this, please eat at least a little."

Just at this moment, a new program was about to take the stage.

It was the sketch comedy program by Sixth Senior Brother Liu Gongming.

On the screen, the program title appeared—"Catering to Preferences."

Among all types of gala programs, what He Ping'an loved watching most was sketch comedy.

So he immediately said: "Forget it, I won't argue with you, don't affect my watching the sketch."

The two old men declared a truce and began to watch the program with great interest.

Zhong Lin looked at the small text under the program title and said: "The screenwriter is Luo Mo."

"Is that so? Then I must take a good look at what kind of sketch this small text can write," said He Ping'an.

Zhong Lin took the opportunity to complain: "Grand-uncle, it's not work hours now, so I'll say a few honest words in private. This person Luo Mo only knows how to make things difficult for me. The things he comes up with are always very sensitive, increasing the difficulty of my censorship!"

"Alright, alright! Then today, Grand-uncle will help you take a good look at his sketch with the eyes of a censor, and then we'll see if your complaint just now was truly sincere," He Ping'an said with a chuckle.

Ji Huawen chimed in from the side: "You don't even believe your own grand-niece's words. Zhong Lin, your ability is so strong, why don't you just come to our CCTV."

He Ping'an immediately glared at him.

At this moment, the sketch officially began.

Sixth Senior Brother Liu Gongming made a brilliant entrance.

One could imagine that the moment he appeared, the bullet comments in the Live Broadcast must have exploded instantly!

There was no helping it; Sixth Senior Brother truly became famous overnight, and now he could be said to be in a state of explosive popularity.

Everyone wanted to laugh the moment they saw him.

Even if he did things with a straight face, everyone still found it funny.

Many viewers watching the Live Broadcast felt extremely surprised.

"Sixth Senior Brother is here to perform a sketch!"

"Wow! Screenplay by Luo Mo, performed by Sixth Senior Brother, this is great!"

"There are so many surprises in today's gala!"

"I'm sorry, he clearly hasn't even spoken yet, but I've already started laughing happily."

"So you're the one called Xia Luo, right?"

"What a disaster!"

And the very first sentence spoken by Hao Jian, played by Liu Gongming on stage, made He Ping'an and Ji Huawen's pupils shrink in unison, realizing that this sketch... was extraordinary!

Hao Jian was seen saying anxiously: "It's over, it's over, it's over, it's over... something big has happened! Our unit's old Bureau Chief was unfortunately swatted in by a fly swatter! And the higher-ups have sent down another... no, another one!"

Alright, there was no need to keep watching.

Zhong Lin's complaint was true!

He Ping'an and Ji Huawen exchanged a look; the more the subject matter was like this, the more curious they became, and the more they wanted to watch.

【Hao Jian】, played by Sixth Senior Brother, continued to face the audience, explaining the background: "As soon as the new Bureau Chief came up, he started a rectification campaign, and our Section Chief immediately summoned me."

"I have so many little bad habits usually, I guess my rice bowl is not safe this time."

"Oh, it's over!"

After Hao Jian finished stating the background of the sketch, he began to walk into the office interior set up on the stage.

Loud snoring also rang out at this moment.

"Section Chief Ma," said Hao Jian.

Section Chief Ma (Ma Jingjing), having been startled awake, immediately stopped her loud snoring: "Eh, little Hao, come in, come in."

"Sorry to bother you while you're sleeping," Hao Jian said reservedly.

"It's fine, I sleep in short bursts like this, it doesn't get in the way," Ma Jingjing said: "Sit."

Then, Ma Jingjing began to drink tea.

Her way of drinking tea truly captured the essence of it.

The slurping sound had to be loud, and from time to time, she would spit out tea leaves that had accidentally been sucked into her mouth.

Watching her realistic performance, He Ping'an and Ji Huawen slowly put down their water cups in tacit agreement.

"Recently... is everything at home doing well?" Ma Jingjing said.

"It's passable for now, as for the future... I'll leave it to fate," Hao Jian replied.

"I heard that you love to play table tennis whenever you're free at work?" Ma Jingjing said.

Hao Jian sat there, legs pressed together, his whole body hunched, and said: "I repent!"

"I'm too playful! Playing table tennis harms others and myself; if I play table tennis again in the future, I'll cripple my own hands!"

"I... I refuse pornography! I refuse gambling! I refuse table tennis!"

Zhong Lin burst into laughter instantly.

Ma Jingjing looked at Hao Jian and said: "Let me put it to you this way, this newly transferred Bureau Chief Du, it's a coincidence, he also likes to play table tennis. You understand what you should do now, right?"

The three people sitting in the living room immediately understood why the sketch was called "Catering to Preferences."

So it was talking about this social issue!

Unexpectedly, Hao Jian looked at Ma Jingjing with a bitter face and said: "Section Chief Ma, you're making it hard for me. I can manage myself, but how could I dare to manage the Bureau Chief!"

Zhong Lin almost laughed out loud, and the two elderly men also couldn't help but chuckle.

"Hao Jian!" Ma Jingjing began to pace in the office and said: "Your ability to grasp intentions is too poor. The reason for this is that you have no desire for progress in your thinking!"

"Let me tell you, if you go on like this, you'll just be a Section Member for the rest of your life!" Ma Jingjing said.

Hao Jian, off to the side, stood up excitedly with a thrilled look on his face: "Really?"

He nodded and bowed while smiling and saying: "Then I can rest easy, my job is finally stable!"

Look, the wrinkles of flesh on his face are smiling again.

Ma Jingjing began to talk to Hao Jian properly, telling him that as long as he kept the Bureau Chief company well in table tennis, he would soar to the top.

The dialogue here originally contained content from *The Deer and the Cauldron*, but since *The Deer and the Cauldron* does not exist on Blue Star, Luo Mo cited a historical fact from Blue Star regarding a powerful eunuch faction member named Wei Zhongquan.

"Look here, Wei Zhongquan accompanied the Emperor to play kickball, and in the end, what did he become?" Ma Jingjing said coaxingly, her face full of anticipation, waiting for his answer.

Hao Jian's flesh wrinkles bunched together, and he answered in a second: "A eunuch."

He Ping'an laughed, while Ji Huawen was still holding it in.

Ma Jingjing said: "Alright, in short, your job from now on is to practice table tennis every day; put that work stuff aside for a bit."

"Distinguish between the primary and the secondary!" she said loudly.

Holy Ox, what a great "distinguish between the primary and the secondary"!

Zhong Lin thought to herself: "Luo Mo, oh Luo Mo, you probably never imagined that these two would sit together to watch your sketch, right?"

Hao Jian indicated that wouldn't that make him a sycophant?

Ma Jingjing: "Who are you calling names?"

"You want to keep cursing?!"

"If you can do the job, do it; if you can't, then leave and vacate that position for me. Let me tell you, our country is not short of people who can play table tennis!"

In an instant, the live audience was in an uproar, and the audience watching the Live Broadcast were also laughing their heads off.

But there is actually satire here.

On the surface, it is praising how awesome our Huaxia table tennis is.

But in reality, it is hinting that in this world, there is no shortage of people who know how to suck up.

"It's just playing table tennis, it has such miraculous uses? That can't be right, can it?" Hao Jian said.

Ma Jingjing indicated that since she now considers him one of her own, she would let him see how she walked step by step to her current position.

She opened her computer, and Hao Jian leaned in to look: "Leader's Preference Chart?"

Ma Jingjing pointed at the computer and said: "This one, likes fishing."

"I dive into the water and hang them on his hook one by one."

Hahahaha, what the hell is that!

"This one likes playing mahjong!"

"I dismantle my own hand every time to feed him the winning tile!"

"This one likes antiques, so I took my great-grandfather's sarira to string beads for him."

Hahahaha, that is truly absurd.

Of course, the strongest part is yet to come.

Ma Jingjing pointed at the next person and said: "This one, likes me."

After saying this, she realized she couldn't keep talking and hurriedly closed the laptop.

—Amazing!

Luo Mo, you really are a motherf***er for daring to write this!

When Ning Dan watched the rehearsal, she immediately thought of how Chen had ulterior motives toward her, which caused her to leave CCTV and withdraw from the election; this was a failure to "cater to preferences."

She didn't even know for a moment if Luo Mo wrote this part on purpose.

Is he alluding to me?

"Eh, wait, wait, why did you close it just when it got to the key part?" Hao Jian said, looking at the computer.

Later, Hao Jian said that her skill at bootlicking was flowing in her blood, which made Ma Jingjing feel Anger again.

He immediately reflected that he was bad at speaking and was always targeted in meetings, yet only Ma Jingjing could always be praised; could it be just because you are pretty?

"It's not just because of that," Ma Jingjing said with a straight face.

Well, being pretty is one aspect, too.

"Let me tell you, there is a technique to meetings."

"As soon as the leader starts speaking and throws out his question, I immediately give a: 'Hmm?'"

"The leader thinks, 'What's this? Are you questioning me?'"

"When he finishes everything, I don't even know what he said, but I must immediately follow up with: 'Oh~~~~~~~'" Ma Jingjing said, drawing out the long sound.

Zhong Lin felt she couldn't stop laughing.

Ji Huawen and He Ping'an, however, looked at each other and began to fall into memories.

"I want to make him feel that I have been baptized by his words, and that I have had a great awakening, and in the end, I even stand on the same side as the leader!" Ma Jingjing said with a laugh.

Hao Jian immediately replied: "Oh~~~~~~"

"Hearing your words is like overturning my life philosophy!"

——《Taught a Lesson》.

The two then began to imagine the future.

Ma Jingjing indicated that, let alone becoming a permanent employee, in the future, this office of mine will be yours.

She called out to Hao Jian: "Section Chief Hao."

He was immediately as thrilled as if he had been electrocuted, trembling all over, and saying: "No, no, no, no—"

Afterwards, he shyly covered his face and stomped his feet, laughing "hehehe" the whole time.

His appearance can be compared to when Ceng Xiaoxian called Zhang Wei "tall, rich, and handsome" in 《Love Apartment》; it has the same effect.

Zhong Lin felt she was going to laugh until she cramped.

Ma Jingjing also let him sit in her seat; as soon as he sat down, he said it was comfortable, no wonder you always sleep during work hours.

At this moment, the phone rang.

Hao Jian instinctively picked up the call: "Hello, I am Section Chief Hao, who is this?"

It was so ironic, but also so funny.

The two elders were in a very complicated state.

They felt it was very funny and hilarious, but also felt a bit heavy in their hearts.

Upon learning it was a call from Bureau Chief Du, Ma Jingjing immediately snatched it away.

Her voice, which had been rough and carried a bit of a Northeast accent just a moment ago, changed instantly, turning into what is currently called—【Clip Voice】!

Just this voice, just hearing it could make one's body feel numb.

Amazing! Too amazing!

It made the audience feel both amused and impressed.

No wonder her voice could change instantly in 《Charlotte Troubles》.

She also informed the person on the other end of the phone: "It just so happens I have some good news to tell you here."

She actually set up a ping-pong table in the office and indicated that they would play here from now on, and I will be the referee for you!

Before Bureau Chief Du came in, the two of them were "Section Chief Hao" this and "Division Chief Ma" that, having a blast.

Both were like they had been electrocuted, twitching and laughing over there.

Then, Hao Jian went to practice, while Ma Jingjing tidied up her makeup.

Liu Shixiong is too funny; he plays ping-pong against the air, which is also full of laughs.

Just at this moment, a voice came from outside the room: "Whoever plays ping-pong again, I will punish them!"

This voice stunned the two of them.

Bureau Chief Du walked in, and Ma Jingjing immediately went to host him.

Hao Jian stood to the side at a loss, not knowing where to hide the ping-pong paddle and table.

He silently stuffed the paddle into his pants and then took the net off the table.

"Playing ping-pong is originally a positive exercise, but if you use it to curry favor, that is a crooked trend!" Bureau Chief Du turned his head and happened to see Hao Jian clutching the net.

Hao Jian immediately wrapped the net around his neck like a scarf.

After the two sat down, Bureau Chief Du began to question Ma Jingjing on whether she had taken a leading role.

Ma Jingjing immediately exerted her talent and said: "I told them! I told them that no matter how much you practice, you won't reach your level. In your old unit, you were the champion every year."

"Eh, eh, eh!" Old Du raised his hand to correct her: "Don't flatter me; there was one year I was the runner-up."

The audience at the Live Broadcast site laughed again.

"Actually, this ping-pong, I don't play it very well," Old Du said: "How do you think I got the championship every year? It was all watered down!"

Ma Jingjing continued to bootlick: "That can't be, it wasn't all watered down; didn't you just say you were the runner-up one year?"

The runner-up must have been won with real strength, right? This logic is very sound! Give a like for my own wit.

"Yes, that year I was the Deputy Bureau Chief," Old Du said as a matter of course.

The audience couldn't stop laughing again.

I didn't expect this punchline to be used back and forth!

Old Du immediately indicated that they should stop talking about this topic; didn't you just tell me you had some good news?

Unable to make it up, Ma Jingjing immediately shifted the blame to Hao Jian: "Asking you, what good news?"

"Asking me?" Hao Jian, still wearing the net around his neck, was dumbfounded.

It was too realistic, and this scene was extremely ironic!

If there is credit, I take it; if there is a problem that cannot be handled, there is also a scapegoat—remember to take the blame.

Hao Jian looked at Old Du and finally said, "My surname is Hao, and my name is Hao Xiaoxi."

Old Du shook his head and laughed out loud: "Your name is Hao Xiaoxi?"

"His mother named him that; tell me, what kind of nonsense is that," said Ma Jingjing.

"Then what do you want with me?" asked Old Du.

"You ask what I want with you? Can't guess it, can you?" said Hao Jian.

Pfft—Zhong Lin was laughing herself to death.

"If you can't guess, I'll give you three days; tell me once you've guessed it." Hao Jian wanted to leave.

—"Slipped Away".

Ma Jingjing would not let him leave.

She insisted that he say something.

Many viewers watching the Live Broadcast felt that this sketch was truly bold and highly satirical!

Luo Mo really dared to choose this subject matter!

Everyone felt both amused and shocked.

Hao Jian had no choice; he wasn't good at this to begin with, and he was also very bad at speaking.

In the end, he could only bite the bullet and express that he wanted to report those practicing table tennis, as the commotion was too loud and they were screeching, which affected Section Chief Ma's sleeping on the job.

Ma Jingjing fell right off the sofa, a classic move—【Dropping the Stool】.

Hao Jian hurriedly changed it to: "It affects the writing of documents!"

"Snitching on me?" said Old Du: "This little comrade is very timely, just after I have already sorted out the situation."

—"Timely".

Ma Jingjing looked at him and mocked: "Is that redundant?"

Old Du suddenly mentioned Hao Jian, saying that he had strong professional capabilities and was proactive in his work, and decided to make him a permanent employee.

Hao Jian was immediately excited, and after screeching, said: "I, I am truly happy for him!"

"Hao Xiaoxi, you should learn more from Hao Jian." Old Du looked at him and said.

Then, he took off Hao Jian's "scarf", hung the net back up, and said: "And you, don't always take on some stage name; otherwise, when good news really comes, you won't be able to accept it—how pathetic that would be."

Old Du actually understood everything.

"I am Hao Jian, I'm sorry, I was wrong," Hao Jian said sincerely.

"Enough! Is this your fault?" Ma Jingjing shouted loudly.

"Director Du, it is my fault; if you want to scold someone, scold me." Seeing that the situation was unfavorable, she even rushed to admit fault first to prove that her ideological awareness was very high, continuing to suck up and flatter.

"Enough! Ma Jingjing, you sycophant, a black sheep! I came today just to see for myself, and it has truly been an eye-opener! Wait for disciplinary action!"

Old Du turned and left, and Ma Jingjing immediately went to chase after him.

At the very end of the sketch, Hao Jian said to the audience just as he did at the beginning: "Something big has happened; Section Chief Ma of the unit has also been filmed."

—"Echoing Beginning and End".

"I have finally understood: to be a competent cadre, one must reject pornography, reject gambling, and reject sycophancy!"

"Don't always think about what the leaders like; think more about what the common people need!"

The sketch "Catering to Preferences" officially ended, and the final words were truly resounding.

In the Live Broadcast, the bullet comments went crazy instantly.

"Luo Mo, you are so brave!"

"You've got some nerve!"

"Laughing to death, it hasn't just been one or two days; you guys only just realized?"

"Both funny and satirical, and it has meaning and value!"

"Luo Mo is awesome, Liu Shixiong is awesome! Ma Dongmei is awesome!"

This "Catering to Preferences" is about these people catering to preferences and engaging in sycophancy, but the final effect achieved is—catering to the preferences of the common people!

After watching the sketch, Zhong Lin kept stealing glances at He Ping'an and Ji Huawen.

She liked this sketch very much and thought it was quite interesting.

The two old men looked at each other, and finally, He Ping'an started first: "Good, this sketch is good!"

He even said directly to Zhong Lin: "You get in touch with the newspaper offices and the media, promote it well, and push its positive influence!"

"You got it," Zhong Lin immediately agreed.

Ji Huawen nodded slightly from the side, expressing his approval of this sketch.

In reality, on Earth, this sketch was on the Spring Festival Gala for 15 years.

Shen Teng and Ma Li also had another sketch that was also very daring to perform, somewhat similar, only it satirized the other side; it was called "Going Through the Motions". In terms of performance form and satirical intensity, Luo Mo personally felt that "Going Through the Motions" was even more powerful.

However, when it comes to works, the most important thing is suitability.

The timing of the appearance of "Catering to Preferences" was the best.

What Ji Huawen was thinking in his heart now was: "Such a program should actually appear in our CCTV gala; it should be on the Spring Festival Gala!"

A sketch with this kind of stature, when broadcast on Octopus TV, really lacked something.

And what he feared was, what if the sketches on CCTV were not as daring to perform or speak, and didn't have as grand a stature as theirs?

Then that would be troublesome!

Besides that, Ji Huawen watching this sketch was equivalent to Luo Mo planting a mine in the bottom of his heart.

It only lacked an opportunity to be completely detonated!

Of course, before that, he still needed to make the Octopus TV gala even more popular and have higher heat!

However, it does not matter; this is not a big problem.

After all, Xu Chujing and Luo Mo himself have not even gone on stage yet.

(PS: It is the last day of August; if you do not cast your monthly votes now, they will expire.

At the editor's Requirement, I am continuing to update the preview. This chapter was updated on August 31st at 15:34, and the next chapter is expected around 6:00 PM tomorrow.)

(End of this chapter)