The studio, scheduled to start at one o'clock, was still some time away from its opening, but the audience began to enter early. Xu Danli was worried that if they delayed any further, Hu Xingfa might tear down the makeup room herself!
It was the same familiar opening speech, but today, Xu Danli had announced in advance that the guest was Liu Chen, currently popular on Weibo, and her father, invited to reconcile their strained family relationship.
Therefore, most of the audience members seated below were the families of the station's leaders. After all, the audience seats were not large, accommodating only about a hundred people when full.
After finishing the opening remarks of the interview, Xu Danli sat on the sofa and began introducing today's guest:
"Today's guest is Mr. Hu. Mr. Hu runs an excavator rental company. The company was quite large, but it encountered some issues in the first half of last year. Now, the scale has been reduced, and he's starting over. Logically speaking, what business could such a Mr. Hu have with our program team?"
Saying this, Xu Danli put down the microphone with a puzzled expression and turned to Hu Xingfa.
Hu Xingfa opened his mouth:
"Didn't your program team contact me first? The reason I agreed was that I wanted to get in touch with my daughter Chenchen."
Then ask her for money.
As he was about to say the latter part, Hu Xingfa suddenly realized what he was doing. He immediately closed his mouth and refused to open it again, no matter what.
He broke out in a cold sweat, his mind racing. What was wrong with him today?
Was he possessed?
Why did he keep wanting to blurt out his inner thoughts? If he really said them, not only would he not get any money, but that crazy woman Liu Fang would probably come after him!
That's right, Hu Xingfa had initially considered getting his daughter's contact information from Liu Fang, but she had chased him away directly with a broom.
Hmph! He was right to divorce her back then. She was just a shrew from the market! She would spend her life selling vegetables in her market! httpδ:/m.kuAisugg.nět
Xu Danli, meanwhile, maintained a stiff smile, her voice almost squeezed out from her throat:
"Heh heh, Mr. Hu is quite the comedian. You mentioned your daughter Chenchen, who is she? Why doesn't she contact you?"
According to Xu Danli's script, Hu Xingfa should have started reminiscing about the warm moments between him and Liu Chen.
Instead, Hu Xingfa just shook his head, his face a mask of bitter smiles, but he refused to speak.
At this moment, Xu Danli wished she could kick him in the face with her high heel and kill him!
What a coward!
He had been so eloquent at the tea house, but now that he was in the studio, he was scared? He couldn't speak?
But as the host, Xu Danli could ask leading questions, but she couldn't state the facts for the audience, otherwise, the act would be too obvious.
With no other choice, Xu Danli smiled and addressed the audience and the cameras:
"It seems our Brother Hu is a bit shy. Seeing so many audience members, he's too embarrassed to speak. It's okay. Mr. Hu, how about we go backstage for a two-minute break, and then continue the interview?"
Hu Xingfa nodded quickly and, with the earpiece still on, hurried off the stage and found a chair behind the set.
Xu Danli also went backstage and, seeing the earpiece still on Hu Xingfa's ear, pointed with her finger, signaling him to turn it off.
Hu Xingfa thought something had gotten on his face and rubbed his face vigorously.
Seeing his action, Xu Danli suppressed the urge to roll her eyes and gritted her teeth, trying to keep her tone calm: "There's a switch on the transmitter at your lower back. Flip it to the other side to turn off the microphone."
"Oh, oh."
Hu Xingfa then reached for the small, bee-like device clipped to his lower back, fumbled around, found the switch, and pressed it down.
After confirming it was off, Hu Xingfa let out a sigh of relief. His mouth had been shut tight, and it was exhausting.
As he relaxed, Hu Xingfa's mouth became restless again.
"Lili, let's be frank. You actively called me, this biological father who's been separated from his child for years. We both know what you're scheming.
I admit, wanting to contact my daughter Chenchen before the show started today was a bit underhanded, but if you want me to cooperate with you on the show to badmouth my daughter for publicity, I advise you to give up on that idea."
This was Hu Xingfa's true intention. Although the main reason he was unwilling to badmouth his daughter was his fear of truly angering Liu Chen and losing a wealthy daughter who could support him in the future.
Both Xu Danli and Hu Xingfa thought the microphone was off. After Hu Xingfa turned it off, he double-checked. After confirming, the cuff of his coat accidentally brushed against the microphone's switch again.
Thus, Hu Xingfa's microphone was actually still on.
But neither of them talking realized it.
Meanwhile, the audience members in the seats were getting excited. They exchanged glances and asked the person next to them:
"Did the host and Mr. Hu just say that?"
"It sounded like it. How can this host be like this? For ratings, she actively calls someone up just to get them to speak ill of their own daughter on the show?
Isn't that crazy? Even if he can't contact his daughter, she's still his biological daughter. How could he do the hostess's bidding?"
"Ladies, I think there might be some misunderstanding between the host and Mr. Hu!"
This was from someone who frequently watched this talk show. He still felt that with such a beautiful host, how could she do something like this?
There must be a misunderstanding!
While the audience members in the stands were engaged in excited whispers, Xu Danli, behind the backdrop, was also extremely annoyed.
"Mr. Hu, I think you've misunderstood. How could I possibly ask you to badmouth your daughter? Our script is very clear. My goal today is to help you and your daughter reconcile."
Hu Xingfa grinned and said, showing no sign of backing down:
"Fine, whether you admit it or not is irrelevant. I'll be direct with you today. I'm here to get money from Chenchen, and nothing else matters. If you ruin our relationship and I can't get the money, it's over. And you won't have an easy time either."
At these words, Xu Danli's expression changed drastically. After all, she had been a host at the television station for so many years and was familiar with the sound of the station's audio.
She had been so angered by Hu Xingfa's words that she hadn't noticed at first. But now, with Hu Xingfa speaking such a long string of sentences, Xu Danli finally sensed it clearly.
"This idiot Hu Xingfa, the microphone isn't off!"