"This... I can't do anything about this. These past few days, not only have people recording our program been here, but also the Spring Festival Gala rehearsals. Without an access pass, no one can get in..."
When Jin Pangzi heard Zhuang Rui's words, he looked a little embarrassed. He himself was an invited guest and didn't have the face to bring people in for a tour.
Let alone Kim Jong-un, even the biggest stars have to obediently listen to the instructions when they come to the Spring Festival Gala production team.
"Zhuang Rui, give this to him..."
Miao Feifei opened the car window and handed out a black leather ID with the words "People's Police ID" on the cover. Inside, there was a police badge and the words "Public Security".
"Hey, Officer Miao, your promotion came a little too fast, didn't it?"
Zhuang Rui opened his police officer ID and glanced at it. He saw that the position column actually read "Deputy Director of XX Branch of XX City," and the police rank was "Third-Level Police Inspector." This director was far too young.
Zhuang Rui had grown up with Liu Chuan and naturally knew the hierarchy of police ranks. A Level 3 Police Inspector was already a deputy director at the bureau level or a director at the section level. Liu Chuan's father had spent his whole life working as a police inspector and was only a section chief at the Level 3 Police Inspector level.
Miao Feifei is the same age as him, yet she is also a Level 3 Police Inspector. Moreover, Beijing is the capital of the country, and this level is one level higher than that of a prefecture-level city. In other words, the value of Miao Feifei's Level 3 Police Inspector title is even higher than that of Liu Chuan's father.
The jurisdiction listed on Miao Feifei's police officer ID card happened to be this area. The armed police officer guarding the gate glanced at Miao Feifei in the car with his ID card, saluted, and let her in. Zhuang Rui, on the other hand, had to register his ID card, and it took him a while to get in.
Stepping into the CCTV building, Zhuang Rui felt as if he were in a world of extremes. Outside, snow was falling heavily, but inside it was sweltering hot. Zhuang Rui took off his leather jacket and held it in his hand. Even though he was only wearing a sweater underneath, he still felt hot.
"Hey bro, come on... come on, change your clothes and get your makeup done, the director's getting impatient..."
In the lobby of the CCTV building, which was divided into many private rooms by curtains, Fatty Jin led Zhuang Rui to a small room that was about seven or eight square meters while talking on the phone. He took out a piece of clothing from a box and asked Zhuang Rui to change into it.
"So, we don't need makeup, right?"
Zhuang Rui took the long robe with the diagonal opening and put it on.
"Brother, even I need to touch up my makeup. Don't complain, just follow my instructions..."
Fatty Jin sat down in front of the mirror. Behind him, a makeup artist whose appearance was indistinguishable from Zhuang Rui's was using a powder box to work on Fatty Jin's face. Then, the makeup artist used hairspray to style Fatty Jin's hair. After this styling, Fatty Jin really did look several years younger.
"this……"
After Fatty Jin finished his makeup, the androgynous makeup artist pushed Zhuang Rui down onto a chair. Fortunately, she only applied some foundation to his face, making him look a bit fairer. She didn't apply blush or lipstick as Zhuang Rui had hoped.
Seeing Miao Feifei laughing at him, Zhuang Rui put on a fierce look and said, "Laugh? What are you laughing at? Believe me or not, I'll have him do your makeup and turn you into a shrew?"
"Oh my, if this lady put on makeup, she would be absolutely gorgeous, like a fairy. How about I do your makeup?"
The makeup artist was quite cooperative with Zhuang Rui. She looked Miao Feifei up and down, then extended a delicate pinky finger and tried to pull Miao Feifei to sit down.
Are you male or female?
Miao Feifei was much more direct than Zhuang Rui; she asked the question as soon as she opened her mouth.
Zhuang Rui glanced at the makeup artist's name tag and her flat chest, and said, "Zhang Dazhi, she should be a man, right?"
"My name is Mimi, so you can just call me Mimi, sister..."
The makeup artist rolled her eyes at Zhuang Rui, then reached out to pull Miao Feifei again, scaring the girl into darting out of the makeup booth like a rabbit.
Zhuang Rui burst into laughter. It turns out that this little thing is comparable to a cook. But thinking about it, it makes sense. Eunuchs appeared in China much earlier than ladyboys in Thailand. Plus, with China's huge population, there might be some people who think their little brother is in the wrong place.
Inside the CCTV building, several program recording teams were operating simultaneously. The busiest group was the Spring Festival Gala team. Groups of dancers moved back and forth in the lobby. Zhuang Rui followed Jin Pangzi all the way here, and he couldn't take it all in.
Of course, Zhuang Rui wasn't looking at those shirtless women with exposed thighs; instead, he saw many film and television stars, including several talented actors that Zhuang Rui really liked.
Officer Miao acted like a fangirl, taking photos with several male actors along the way, especially the bald, small-eyed actor, whom Miao Feifei dragged around to take several photos with.
Chapter 522 CCTV Scandal (Part 2)
Zhuang Rui's impression of the entire CCTV lobby could be summed up in one word: chaos. Everything was in disarray.
The sounds of some singers practicing their voices as if no one else was around, urging actors to go on stage, and even some people who looked like directors gesturing and giving instructions to the actors made the whole place noisy.
There was a group of children running around wildly, and Zhuang Rui thought it would be nice to bring Nannan and Yaya over to play.
Zhuang Rui and Fatty Jin walked almost through the entire hall and arrived at the entrance of a small hall at the very back, which was about thirty or forty square meters in size.
This shooting studio must have been temporarily converted. The so-called door was actually a rolling door with wheels underneath. Two large red lanterns were hanging at the entrance, and there were also New Year's "double happiness" characters pasted on it. A middle-aged man wearing a jacket and a melon-shaped hat was standing at the entrance, looking around anxiously.
"Teacher Jin, is this the person you've been waiting for?"
Upon seeing Fatty Jin approaching, the man hurriedly went to greet him, his expression a mixture of anxiety and annoyance.
"Director Hu, this is Teacher Zhuang. Everyone's busy during the New Year, and Teacher Zhuang only managed to squeeze in this opportunity to come..."
Seeing that Director Hu's expression was somewhat unfriendly, Fatty Jin quickly tried to smooth things over. Of course, he wouldn't say that Zhuang Rui had overslept at home.
"What's the point of coming now? The exhibition hall where we were filming is occupied by someone else. We have to wait for two hours. Sigh, young people these days have no sense of time at all..."
Hu Ming is the chief director of this Spring Festival treasure appraisal program. He has been a program producer and assistant director for seven or eight years and has worked at CCTV for more than 10 years. This time, he finally got the Spring Festival treasure appraisal program after many years of hard work. Unexpectedly, problems arose on the first day of filming.
This frustrated Hu Ming. He had finally managed to secure this filming studio from the station's leaders, but because of Zhuang Rui's lateness, the Spring Festival Gala production team had to give way. They said they would only need it for two hours, but who knew how long it would take?
Therefore, Director Hu didn't think much of Zhuang Rui, the culprit. In addition, Zhuang Rui was too young, and although he was wearing a cultural shirt, he didn't have the demeanor of an expert.
"Director Hu, I'm so sorry I'm late..."
Zhuang Rui also stepped forward to apologize, after all, it was his late arrival that caused the program to be unable to start filming, and he couldn't blame others for being anxious.
"What's the use of apologizing? Just wait over there..."
To be honest, Hu Ming looked down on these experts. Being able to appear on CCTV and face the whole country was an incredible stroke of luck. Even if they charged appraisal fees later, they would be a level above other experts. So when he spoke to Zhuang Rui, he used an impatient tone.
"Damn it, my buddy doesn't even want to come..."
Seeing the director's arrogant demeanor, Zhuang Rui raised an eyebrow, turned to Fatty Jin, and said, "Teacher Jin, just give me a call if you need anything. I'm going to take a stroll. Officer Miao, come on, see which handsome guy you like? I'll take a picture of him..."
Zhuang Rui couldn't stand these self-important people. He said goodbye and left with Miao Feifei. CCTV was a huge place, and since they rarely came here, they would just treat it as a visit.
In fact, Zhuang Rui didn't know that a program director has a status similar to an emperor in the crew. He doesn't allow others to express different opinions. If he is a big director, he will even have female celebrities to keep him company at night. This has spoiled these directors and made them arrogant.
"This...this, Teacher Jin, who is this person? They have absolutely no sense of discipline. Can't we find someone else?"
Seeing Zhuang Rui's attitude, Hu Ming angrily grabbed his hat. He had worked at CCTV for over 10 years and had never seen such a powerful person. Even top-tier celebrities didn't obediently follow the director's instructions when they were on set.
"Director Hu, this young man is quite remarkable. He's very well-known in the jade industry. Young people are bound to be proud and arrogant, so please don't take offense. Teacher Zhuang is a good person..."
Fatty Jin chuckled and tried to smooth things over. He didn't know much about Zhuang Rui's background either, but someone who could buy a courtyard house of several thousand square meters in the very heart of Beijing certainly couldn't be judged by the standards of an ordinary collector.
"Hey, Ms. Jin, has Ms. Zhuang arrived yet?"
Liu Jia came out of the rehearsal hall, along with another male host, the famous variety show king Li Jia, and several other experts. They had been resting inside and watching others rehearse, acting as temporary audience members. Zhuang Rui, however, hadn't gone in at all, which is why Liu Jia asked Jin Pangzi this question.
"Uh, our show won't start for a while. Xiao Zhuang went to watch the Spring Festival Gala production team..."
"Oh, Ms. Jin, please call me when Mr. Zhuang comes back..."
Upon hearing that Zhuang Rui had gone to watch the Spring Festival Gala rehearsal, a hint of disappointment appeared in Liu Jia's eyes.
Hu Ming, who was standing to the side, was very surprised. This leading lady from Beijing TV was quite a character. He had tried to invite her to dinner last night to discuss how to plan the program, but she had refused. He never expected that she would take a liking to that guy and call him "teacher" all the time.
Hu Ming still had some feelings for Liu Jia. Back when he was an assistant director, he could only sleep with minor, low-tier actresses. Now that his position had risen, his standards had naturally risen as well. He had originally planned to discuss male and female anatomy with Liu Jia after finishing their filming, but now it seemed the problem lay with that guy surnamed Zhuang. ...
"Hey, Officer Miao, if you want an autograph, you should bring your own notebook. What's the point of taking mine?"
Zhuang Rui followed behind Miao Feifei, feeling incredibly regretful. If he had known that Officer Miao preferred ugly men, he would have been better off just sitting there and resting, saving himself the pain of looking at her.
This woman's aesthetic sense is really problematic. She doesn't look for any female celebrities, but specifically seeks out male celebrities who have distinctive, well, or rather, unpleasant looks for autographs and photos.
And so, they've approached that person again who greets everyone with, "I've missed you all so much!"
Zhuang Rui had a good impression of this skinny crosstalk performer, so he took some time to go over and take a photo with him. He then sat next to Miao Feifei and watched them rehearse their skit.
"Zhuang Rui, have some sense! Go and take a towel to Teacher Feng. Honestly, what are you grinning about..."
Just as Zhuang Rui was laughing at the crosstalk performer who claimed to be a "friend of women nationwide," he was suddenly nudged by Miao Feifei, who handed him a towel and gestured for him to take it to Teacher Feng.
"Why should I? I'm here to participate in the show, not to be a waiter..."
Zhuang Rui muttered something under his breath, but he still couldn't afford to offend Officer Miao, so he obediently picked up two towels and handed them to Teacher Feng, who had just finished rehearsing, and another actress.
"Thanks……"
The woman's friend was quite kind; he assumed Zhuang Rui was a staff member of the conference. However, the actress glanced at Zhuang Rui a few more times upon seeing his attire.
"I told you to give Teacher Feng a towel, why are you being so attentive to that girl..."
Zhuang Rui had just sat back down when he heard Miao Feifei's nagging. He felt incredibly frustrated. He stood up and said, "I'm going to go look around somewhere else. You can stay here and watch Teacher Feng's performance..."
If I can't afford to mess with you, I'll just avoid you, okay?
"Where are you going? Wait for me, I still need to see you act like an expert later..."
Miao Feifei followed Zhuang Rui, and her shouts attracted the attention of many people around them.
Although many domestic celebrities are gathered in the CCTV hall today, Miao Feifei's delicate and flawless face is even more beautiful than those celebrities.
This made many famous directors in the hall secretly inquire about Miao Feifei's background. Their own film crews were exactly lacking someone like her, and of course, they also needed someone to warm their beds.
"Hey, you kid and you little girl, come here, they're calling you..."
A somewhat arrogant voice suddenly rang out in the hall. Zhuang Rui thought it sounded familiar, but when he turned around, the hall was full of people, and he couldn't figure out where the shout had come from.
"Hey kid, I'm calling you, what are you looking at?"
"Can't you speak properly, Xiao Rui? Come over here..."
This time, Zhuang Rui finally saw clearly that Ouyang Si Shao was sitting leisurely on a sofa in a corner of the hall with Xu Qing, the famous star. Xu Qing was waving at Zhuang Rui, and when she saw him looking over, Ouyang Jun even winked at him.
When the well-known directors saw that someone from the sofa area was calling Zhuang Rui, they immediately shut their mouths. They didn't know Ouyang Jun, but they knew Xu Qing. They all knew that Xu Qing had married someone with a very powerful background. Anyone who could get involved with such a person was someone they couldn't afford to offend, so their idea of finding Miao Feifei to warm their bed naturally disappeared.
"Fourth Brother, did you get sand in your eyes? Why are you squeezing them like that?"
Zhuang Rui walked over with a smile, and his first words made Ouyang Jun so angry that he spat out the mouthful of coffee he had just taken a sip onto the coffee table in front of him.
Chapter 523 CCTV Scandal (Part 2)
"You brat, what are you saying on New Year's Day? I'm just praising you..."
When Ouyang Jun saw that Miao Feifei had followed behind, he immediately shut up. He had already experienced Miao's formidable nature before; she had almost embarrassed him at the club that time.
Ouyang Jun really admired his younger brother. He looked listless, but now that they were about to get engaged, he still had the eldest daughter of the Miao family chasing after him.
"By the way, Fourth Brother, Sister-in-law, what are you doing here? It's so messy, it's not good for Sister-in-law's health..."
Xu Qing's pregnancy is quite obvious; although she's wearing loose-fitting clothes, it's still somewhat noticeable.