The show finally concluded amidst the audience's laughter.
Zhang Ji Yeye pushed the wheelchair back onto the stage and took a bow with Wang Shuliangliang and Liangying.
"The execution of this show was flawless, especially how it flowed seamlessly. I feel like we're on the edge again today!"
"Yeah, I never expected Wang Shu's creative ability to be this strong. Today's performance wasn't just packed with more laughs, but the pacing was also excellent."
"I won't say much more, but even though this is the first act of the day, I don't think many of the subsequent performances will be able to top this!"
On the contestants' bench, many of them were frowning deeply.
Wang Shu's skit had placed immense pressure on them. Moreover, the skit was filled with so many punchlines and set such a high bar.
For the acts that followed, it would be difficult to elicit laughter from the audience without equally explosive humor.
After finishing their performance, Wang Shu, along with Zhang Ji and Zhang Liangying, returned to the contestants' seating area.
While a few groups congratulated him, many others watched in silence.
Before coming to this competition, they had scouted the characteristics of many of their peers.
However, they had never anticipated that an amateur group could be so formidable.
Now, this amateur group had become their biggest threat.
Furthermore, many of them understood that to integrate comedy into the entertainment industry and gain a wider audience,
They had to showcase their best in this program. Yet, they had already deployed their signature skills, but there was still a significant gap compared to Wang Shu's work.
Wang Shu, seated in the prime position, also felt the hostile gazes from several other teams. Although they were all in the comedy business,
The comedy industry was not as lighthearted and humorous as everyone imagined.
Instead, everyone harbored countless schemes.
The comedy industry was also a kind of martial world. When most comedians crafted jokes and skits that made people laugh, they were often suffering internally.
Thus, while others built their happiness upon the suffering of others,
Comedians built others' happiness upon their own pain. Such prolonged creation would inevitably lead to a situation where everyone was less inclined to laugh in private.
And this martial world was not as amicable as others imagined; undercurrents of conflict were the norm.
Therefore, once Wang Shu showed he was a threat to other teams, many teams already regarded him as a thorn in their side.
Wang Shu, however, paid little attention to all this. He had no intention of interacting with these people from the comedy circle.
"Mr. Wang Shu, your performance today was truly excellent, even more so than the last one!"
At this moment, Shen Teng from the Happy Fried Dough Twists team, sitting not far from Wang Shu, looked at him with a smile and gave him a thumbs-up.
"Thank you! Teacher Shen, what performance have you prepared for the next few days?"
Wang Shu felt a good impression of this middle-aged man named Shen Teng and responded with a smile.
"We're sticking to our usual, a skit! But it will surely be inferior to yours!"
Shen Teng replied with a smile.
"This is my partner, Ma Li!"
After speaking, Shen Teng specifically pointed to a woman standing nearby.
"Hello, Teacher Ma!"
Wang Shu greeted her politely.
"How many people are in your Happy Fried Dough Twists team now?"
Wang Shu then asked Shen Teng with great curiosity.
"Including us two, there are two people in total!"
Shen Teng answered.
"What you said is exactly what you said!"
Hearing Shen Teng's reply, Wang Shu humorously remarked.
One had to admit, Uncle Shen Teng was indeed one of the few exceptions in the comedy industry.
Because in this industry, he could maintain a relaxed attitude and answer questions humorously to anyone.
This earned Wang Shu's admiration.
"Actually, I have a few scripts that would be quite suitable for your team..."
Wang Shu said to Shen Teng meaningfully.
"Really? That would be fantastic, but we don't have the money to buy them!"
Shen Teng heard Wang Shu mention scripts suitable for them, but then he thought about how he had no money to buy them right now.
Comedians were truly struggling these days. He had spent all his savings to open a small comedy theater.
As a result, he had lost so much money that only he and Ma Li were left. Other members had either changed professions or run away.
Now that they had finally gotten a chance to participate in the "Happy Comedian King" program, they hoped to win a place and earn some money to reopen their comedy theater.
"Money is a minor issue. The main thing is that I have high hopes for the two of you as a duo!"
Wang Shu waved his hand generously, not mentioning money at all.
He valued talents like Shen Teng.
Moreover, he believed that Shen Teng had a promising future in the comedy world, but the comedy industry in this world received too little attention.
Consequently, the livelihoods of comedians were extremely difficult, and precisely because of this, fewer and fewer people were entering the comedy profession.
Over time, comedy directly became a declining art form.
Wang Shu bringing comedy performances to the screen this time also provided an opportunity for comedy programs to regain their vitality.
"Then we can't accept this."
Shen Teng refused directly. Although he was poor and lacked fame,
He had his principles as a person. He was unwilling to accept handouts from others for no reason.
"Consider this my investment!"
Wang Shu looked at Shen Teng seriously and said.
He could tell that Shen Teng was a man of principle, and he was not a great philanthropist to simply give the scripts away.
Since Shen Teng said he couldn't accept them for free, he saw no harm in treating it as an investment.
"If it's an investment, then I am willing to accept it!"
Shen Teng smiled and said happily when he heard Wang Shu call it an investment.
"Alright, after today's competition, let's meet at the cafe outside the television station!"
Wang Shu said directly.
Then he quietly watched the performances of the contestants from other teams.
However, the more he watched, the more bored Wang Shu became.
It was no wonder people didn't like watching comedy shows in this world; these shows were too formulaic, and many jokes were stale, lacking any humor.
Of course, the reason these few teams had made it into the top ten was that their basic skills were indeed solid.
And these individuals, by relying on their own pacing, managed to inject some interest into these formulaic content.
For instance, the two xiangsheng (crosstalk) actors from Deyu She, although their jokes were old and stereotypical,
Their solid foundation, humorous delivery, and perfectly timed pacing still managed to elicit waves of laughter from the audience.