Chapter 104: First Variety Show Appearance

Although the scandalous misconduct of the Vermin family and Aichixiang had gradually come to light recently, neither traditional nor online media outlets had published any corresponding reports. Perhaps money really can smooth over many things.

However, just as the Godspeed Racing Team found itself unable to do anything about the Vermin family, the uncle-nephew duo faced an unsolvable dilemma: preventing Mo Shu from winning the championship.

The ERC had gradually become a race devoid of suspense. After three days and dozens of stages of competition at the Monte Carlo Grand Prix, the sub-station championship once again fell into the hands of Mo Shu of the Godspeed Racing Team. Despite Aichixiang’s desperate pursuit in the final stages, Mo Shu was always just that tiny bit faster. It was precisely because of this slight lead that no opponent could threaten Mo Shu throughout the entire race, and it had been a long time since he had needed to use the Supreme Spirit Ring in his possession.

If the "Mechanical EMP" skill went unused, the acquisition of experience points became minimal. Mo Shu was dying to level up, but unfortunately, no one was willing to help him achieve it.

Following the conclusion of the Swiss and Monte Carlo legs, Mo Shu held a significant lead in the driver standings. The racing points system in this parallel world was basically the same as in Mo Shu’s original world: each sub-station winner received 25 points, the runner-up 18, and the third-place finisher 15, with points decreasing accordingly down to 10th place. Looking at the scorecard after the first two races, Mo Shu had accumulated 50 points from two victories, leading Aichixiang—who had earned two third-place finishes—by a massive 14 points. The results were gratifying.

Since things were going well, it was naturally time to relax. Wang Yu, Mo Shu, and Wang Yining set off together back to their hometown, Nanshan City. However, upon returning to Nanshan, Mo Shu realized that only his two companions could truly relax. As soon as he stepped off the plane, he had to rush to Nanshan Television to prepare for the recording of "Extreme Partners," the variety show debut that Wang Yu had meticulously arranged for him. Fortunately, Mo Shu only needed to meet and consult with the production team that day; if he had been expected to change into costume and stand in front of the camera immediately, he certainly would have walked out.

Nanshan Television, formally known as the Nanshan Radio and Television General Station, operated an FM radio program under its broadcast branch that enjoyed a stellar local reputation. Most drivers, including Mo Shu, listened exclusively to the Nanshan Traffic Broadcast frequency during their daily commutes. It featured 24-hour rolling broadcasts covering road conditions, news, entertainment, gossip, and other topics of great interest to listeners, which was a testament to the powerful and swift influence of this traditional media outlet. The annual profit of that single radio station alone exceeded 300 million, a figure highly commendable in an era where online media is prevalent.

Yet, if that 300 million were compared to the brother unit of the radio station—the Nanshan Satellite TV channel under Nanshan Television—it would barely cover the title sponsorship fee for a single variety reality show. With this comparison, Mo Shu instantly understood the painstaking efforts Wang Yu had made to secure this show for him. Since this program’s ability to attract capital was so strong, it meant its viewership ratings were undoubtedly at the forefront in all of China. Countless film and entertainment stars fought tooth and nail just to be a guest for one episode, showing just how much effort Wang Yu had expended to help the team and Mo Shu build a sterling reputation.

Upon entering the office building of the television station, Mo Shu found someone already waiting in the lobby to greet him. A young, elegant woman stepped forward quickly upon seeing him and introduced herself. "Hello, Mr. Mo Shu. I am your Follow PD for this episode. You can just call me Xiao Lian. Welcome to the 'Extreme Partners' program."

"Hello, Ms. Xiao Lian, it is a pleasure to meet you." Mo Shu greeted her with a smile. Wang Yu had mentioned before he arrived that Xiao Lian was a very kind person, easy to deal with, possessed excellent professional skills, and was young enough to make communication easy. It was precisely for this reason that the production team had specially arranged for Xiao Lian to be responsible for the daily work of their new guest, Mo Shu.

A "Follow PD" is a production director who follows the stars and artists at all times, responsible for supervising the program’s flow and visual effects. Xiao Lian settled into her role quickly; as she guided Mo Shu toward the elevators, she began conducting a preliminary assessment.

"Mr. Mo Shu, although I have already acquired some of your basic personal information, I still have a few questions I would like to ask you in person."

"Please, go ahead."

"Do you mind wearing makeup? Do you mind waking up early? Do you mind waiting? Do you mind being exposed to the sun? Do you have any dietary restrictions? Are you willing to interact with fans...?" Xiao Lian rattled off at least a dozen questions in a row.

There were too many questions for Mo Shu to remember all at once, let alone answer one by one, so he simply replied that he didn't mind any of them.

"That’s fantastic. Let me briefly describe the schedule to you. An electronic version will be sent to your email later, and you can review it carefully. Basically, tomorrow’s itinerary is as follows: Makeup at the station at 5:00 AM, and we begin recording at 6:30 AM. Since the entire day will be outdoor activities, you can ask the makeup artist to apply sunscreen suitable for your skin type. We will ensure the guests are well-fed for all three meals, but the exact dining times will depend on tomorrow’s filming progress. We will discuss the game segments during the recording in detail at the meeting later, but there will certainly be a huge crowd of fans watching on-site, and interacting with them will be essential..."

Xiao Lian spoke incessantly; Mo Shu was worried she might run out of breath. Since he couldn't remember it all anyway, Mo Shu thought he would just study the email later. However, he could see that recording a show was no easy task; judging by Xiao Lian's high-speed work rhythm, the intensity of the job was evident.

Living is difficult, but being a celebrity is even harder. Mo Shu deeply grasped this now, and he only hoped that this show would be easier to handle than Aichixiang.

Following Xiao Lian to the conference room, he discovered he was the first guest to arrive. Looking around, the small meeting room was packed with over 50 staff members. The middle-aged man sitting in the center must have been the show’s chief director, the renowned Mr. Xiao Yao.

This Mr. Xiao Yao was the equivalent of a top-tier team manager for a top-tier racing team in their world. The planning, preparation, operation, promotion, and recording of a program’s early stages, as well as the post-production, broadcasting, cooperation, and licensing—all of these required his final approval. He was truly a god-like figure. Almost every show he touched became a super-hit that swept the ratings in the broadcasting industry. From Nanshan Satellite TV’s early talent shows featuring ordinary people to music variety shows featuring A-list stars, and now to the currently red-hot celebrity reality shows, Mr. Xiao Yao’s title had always appeared in the final few lines of the end credits: Chief Director.

Seeing Mo Shu enter the room, Xiao Yao immediately stood up, waved, and smiled. "You must be Mo Shu. Hello, come sit over here."