Chapter Six: The Burden Completely Exploded

“Sir, I may be young this year, but I’ve figured something out: life is actually very short. Sometimes, it feels just like sleeping,” he said.

“Eyes close, eyes open, one day’s gone—wow!”

“Eyes close, never open again, and a whole life passes—wow!”

Listening to the roaring laughter from the audience below, Xu Ming felt even more exhilarated.

He had a lively, flamboyant personality, and now he was completely in his element, even subtly surpassing the original Xiao Shenyang from his past life.

After all, his performance was like an upgraded plus version.

“Sir, I don’t mean anything else by it.”

“What do you mean then?”

“I mean that one shouldn’t value money too much. Money is an external thing. Do you know the most painful thing for a person? It’s dying with money left unspent.”

“And do you know the most painful thing in life? It’s living with no money at all.”

Uncle Benshan joined in with enthusiasm. Could a master let his disciple outshine him?

Who was he? The King of Sketch Comedy!

Their call-and-response was like dropping bombs both onto the stage and through the television screens.

Boom!

The punchlines exploded completely.

The audience felt for the first time what it means when one wave of laughter pushes the next, doubling the mirth.

“Damn, this Xu kid is really something. How come we didn’t feel this during rehearsals?” remarked the playwright Xu Zhengchao sincerely.

He hadn’t expected that the carefully crafted jokes that fell flat with Yadan would all explode perfectly with Xu Ming.

His own family’s performance seemed to carry a divine force—no one, not even Uncle Benshan, could fully contain it.

“What’s the actor’s name? Uncle Benshan’s disciple? First time seeing him,” the Spring Festival Gala backstage director asked into the intercom while watching the monitor.

He knew this kid would definitely become famous after tonight.

“Xu Ming. Just took him as a disciple last year.”

The staff wiped sweat from their brows, knowing little else.

For those unfamiliar with the internet, Xu Ming seemed to have sprung up out of nowhere, like a stone from a pile—completely unknown.

Back in Qianying Village, the atmosphere shifted.

“Big Sister Xu, your son’s going to be a star! When he makes it, don’t forget us folks back home.”

“Yeah, when Xiao Ming was little, I used to help him pee. That spray went far!”

“Ahem, Old Xu, remember when we drank before, you said Mingzi should be matched with my daughter?”

Everyone instinctively complimented Xu’s parents. Even if they didn’t understand the industry, it was clear Xu Ming was destined for fame.

Just look at the audience laughing like the village fools in the screen.

The last young man to make everyone laugh like this on the Gala was Chen Xiao’er.

He’s nowhere to be seen now, but people still remember how popular he once was.

“Ah, we’re not the decision-makers. That kid has a mind of his own. Let’s wait till he comes back to talk,” Xu’s mother evaded the topic.

She suddenly realized that bearing children wasn’t so bad after all. So what if he’s a bit effeminate? Didn’t women hold up half the sky?

Her son combined the spirit of both men and women—wasn’t that enough to hold up the entire sky?

The artists of Benshan Media felt even more complicated.

They hadn’t expected the master, who had brought several disciples on stage before, to really spotlight one this time.

But no matter how jealous or bitter they were, they obediently took out their phones to send Xu Ming and Yadan congratulatory messages.

After the new year, who called whom “brother” wasn’t so certain.

At the moment, they all felt Xu Ming was about to break out, but no one could imagine just how big his fame would become.

On stage, after finishing his song, Xu Ming was greeted by thunderous applause.

He didn’t overstay his welcome; once his punchline landed, he quietly followed his master’s rhythm.

Seeing this, Uncle Benshan’s eyes gleamed with appreciation.

When performing sketch comedy, the biggest mistake is overacting, which can backfire.

“What’s your name?” Bi Fu asked.

“My Chinese name is Xu Xiaoming.”

“You have an English name too?”

“My English name is Xu, Xiao, Ming.”

“What?”

“Didn’t catch that? My English name means ‘need little life,’” Uncle Benshan joked.

He truly laughed out loud this time, though no one could tell because everyone was laughing along.

The jokes designed for the past life’s Xiao Shenyang and Xiao Sunyang were reworked for Xu Ming’s performance, naturally transforming the material.

It was this exchange that made the audience firmly remember Xu Ming’s name.

One must admit, an actor’s fame often strongly associates with their character’s name.

For someone like Xu Ming, using his real name made it easy for the audience to remember him after the show.

Like Shen Teng, who became famous playing Hao Jian, had to work hard to shake off that label so people would recognize him as Shen Teng.

After Uncle Benshan said, “Actually, my grandfather’s surname is also Bi,” the sketch came to a close.

He took off his hat and bowed alongside Xu Ming and the third performer toward the audience.

After leaving the stage, everyone did the same: wiped the cold sweat from their brows. They had made it through.

On a national stage, failing to shine is one thing, but making mistakes is much worse.

“Sorry, Master, I—I was nervous.”

Yadan’s voice cracked with tears. She had wanted to die on stage. Thankfully, the show hadn’t faltered because of her, or she truly wouldn’t have survived.

“It’s okay. Everything went smoothly.”

Uncle Benshan smiled. “Now it’s up to the audience. But I heard the reactions on stage, and Mingzi’s punchlines hit much harder than usual. This kid really has a lively personality.”

Before the performance, the weight on his shoulders was heavy; after, he felt light as air.

“I don’t know what happened either. My mind went blank, so I just performed as I usually do,” Xu Ming scratched the back of his head. “Still, Master and Teacher Bi guided me well.”

He neither claimed credit nor shied away from it—he knew the spotlight was his to take; no one else could steal it.

Don’t be fooled by the effeminate image. Several breakout disciples of Benshan Media gained fame precisely because of it.

For example, Xiao Shenyang, Song Xiaobao, Wen Song—all were like that.

Even Zhao Si’s dance moves had a touch of effeminacy. These days, the national audience probably hasn’t seen much cross-dressing.

Unlike in Northeast China, where they’re all used to it.

As for pride:

If I go on stage and you call me “sissy,” I won’t argue.

But offstage, how should you address me?

Even Xiao A-Giao, after making money and buying a luxury car, transformed into a Giao mentor.

These days, society laughs at poverty, not at scandal.

“This kid stays calm under pressure. He’s going to make it big,” Teacher Bi remarked.

“Heh, whether he makes it big or not, as long as he doesn’t cause big trouble,” Uncle Benshan patted his two disciples’ shoulders and laughed, “When you get home later, Master will personally make dumplings for you two.”

Xu Ming nodded, suddenly reminded of the dumpling-making mishaps they’d shared on the Gala in the past life.

He shook his head sharply. Having finally stood on the Spring Festival Gala stage, he couldn’t let these crooked ways taint him.