That incident was too big and rumors quickly spread throughout the backstage.

Moreover, the people backstage were excitable. It was soon spread through countless phones. In an instant, countless reporters were hounding the issue.

In a matter of minutes, the rumor of the Spring Festival Gala having a blank slot spread like wildfire.

The Spring Festival Gala was still ongoing!

Many viewers were still hyped up with Visit Home Often, talking excitedly amongst themselves.

"This year's Spring Festival Gala is quite good. This song is wonderful."

"The other programs are just average. This song just saved the Spring Festival Gala."

"That's right. This song is just amazing. Who's the composer?"

"It's Singer Y! He's a super talented musician!"

"No way! You haven't heard of Singer Y? I recommend that you listen to Some People, My Deskmate...each of them are classic among classics!"

"Luckily we switched off the Stick Nation's program. The Spring Festival Gala management made the right choice!"

Right then, a few surprising news announcements came up on news sites unaffiliated with the Spring Festival Gala!

[Sina News: Unprecedented mistake, Spring Festival Gala potentially facing a lack of program!]

[Jinri Toutiao: Sensei Guo Dongshan leaving the performance in anger!]

[Entertainment News: Hyun-Min Kim heavily injured by a rat, causing temporary cancellation of a program without another backup program in place!]

[Tencent News: Spring Festival Gala plagued with problems. What will it do?]

Those things were impossible to be kept secret as it would eventually be revealed to all.

In that instant, the entire internet went berserk, stunning all.

[OMG! What's going on?]

[That can't be right. It's the Spring Festival Gala! How can such a situation happen?]

[Spring Festival Gala running short on programs? Stop joking…]

[They deserved it for letting the moronic director invite people from the Stick Nation. You reap what you sow!]

[Those from the Stick Nation are just too unreliable. Heavily injured by a rat? LMAO!]

[Guys, stop gloating over their misfortune. This is the Spring Festival Gala. It mustn't be ruined.]

[This mistake is just too big. They're doomed.]

[How could such a thing happen after the wonderful performance of Visit Home Often?]

…

The netizens rambled on with all sorts of perspectives.

It was only over a dozen minutes to the next program, yet the performers were gone. How can the show survive? What can they do in such a short time? Everyone was panicking for the Spring Festival Gala.

As for the entertainment industry, it went nuts.

[F*ck! Spring Festival Gala is running short on programs?]

[If I knew this would happen, I'll be waiting at the scene. Who knows if they might just let me go sing on stage.]

[Director Feng Xiaofeng is doomed. The Spring Festival Gala is rife with problems. The higher up won't be happy.]

[This can't be true. With so many people there at the Spring Festival Gala, can't someone just step up for it?]

[It's useless for someone to volunteer. There's not enough time.]

[If something went wrong, the entire program crew would be doomed. The punishment won't be light.]

[That'll depend on how they handle the critical situation.]

…

On the backstage…

Everyone looked at Ye Lingchen in shock.

Especially Feng Xiaofeng, whose forehead was filled with cold sweat and was on the verge of tears.

Next was Yue Yunpeng. At first, he did not feel anything, but as the hour approached, his plump face lost all color as his teeth chattered. His face was filled with fearful sweat.

"You're nervous?" Ye Lingchen asked.

"A lit-t-tle b-b-bit." Little Yueyue wiped his sweat.

"You've not been on the stage before?"

"I've b-b-been on s-s-tage before, b-b-but n-n-not on such a stage like the Spring Festival Gala. N-n-normally I p-p-practice on s-s-stage when I g-g-go on tour with my m-m-master."

"It's fine if you've been on stage before. Just relax. All stages are the same." Ye Lingchen chuckled. "I'll teach you a way. You just treat everyone below the stage as cabbages. Just remember, you're performing crosstalk in front of cabbages."

Pfft!

Ye Lingchen's words caused Chen Xiaoyan and Zhao Liangying to spurt out a laugh. Only he would dare compare the audience of the Spring Festival Gala to cabbages.

However, Ye Lingchen's words were effective. It managed to calm Little Yueyue down. Although it seemed like simple banter, it was Ye Lingchen's attempt at subconscious suggestions, something akin to hypnosis.

"Brother Ye, how is it? Will it work?" Lin Ao asked impatiently.

Ye Lingchen rolled his eyes. "At this stage, it has to work."

"If you say so!" Lin Ao displayed full confidence in Ye Lingchen.

"Your confidence is fanatical. I'll have you know that I've never done crosstalk before. Although Little Yueyue is an amateur, you picked me instead."

"That can't be helped. You have to go regardless," Lin Ao replied with a smile. "Moreover, I have confidence in your abilities."

"Can you both stop talking? Hurry up, the script is not done yet!" Feng Xiaofeng impatiently interjected, his voice close to breaking.

It was too much of a trial for his heart, almost giving him a heart attack.

Ye Lingchen stopped joking. He had a habit of either not caring at all, or doing it with his full effort. 'I'll do my best on this crosstalk!'

Time was short, so the script could not be too complicated.

To keep things simple, the props needed to be kept at a minimum.

There would be two characters, the straight man and the fool.

The crosstalk must be funny, eye-catching, and noteworthy!

After laying out the key points, a plan appeared in his mind.

"The lines aren't difficult. You go have a look. Memorize as much as you can. It'll still need you to play it by ear later." Ye Lingchen quickly finished the script and passed it to Little Yueyue in less than five minutes.

'So fast?'

Everyone shifted their attention over.

Little Yueyue held onto it, the sweat on his palms making the script wet.

On the other hand, Ye Lingchen did not feel pressured at all. That was the confidence that comes with his ability. Moreover, wrote the script himself. He could just simply improvise on the spot.

One minute!

Two minutes!

Everyone read the script from cover to cover!

Finishing that, Feng Xiaofeng was stunned speechless. "Y-y-you wrote this in five minutes?"

"F*ck, the quality is good."

"Yes! Is there a problem?" Ye Lingchen was amused by the surprise on them.

Zhao Liangying suddenly pinched Ye Lingchen's cheeks, then gave it a good kneading.

Ye Lingchen looked at her in confusion. "What're you doing?"

Zhao Liangying's beautiful eyes blinked. "I'm just checking if this is your real form."

"What? Could I be a transformed demon?"

"Even if not a demon, you're still a monster," Lin Ao said in amazement. "Your writing is just way too fast! I realized that I'm still underestimating you."

Ye Lingchen shrugged. "Just tell me straight. Will this script work?"

Little Yueyue nodded. He was the professional after all. "This will definitely work. It's a good script. Even my master will be impressed after reading this!"

Ling Ao burst out laughing. "This will do!"

"We'll get out now and let Little Yueyue prepare," Feng Xiaofeng quickly interjected in a sincere tone. "It's up to both of you now. You have eight minutes left."

…