-----
-----
"Comedy Elimination Round Set — Kyle and Mia in the Spotlight!"
"Do you support Kyle and Mia doing satirical comedy?"
"Breaking: Kyle and Mia went to a mysterious location right after the show~"
"Shocking! Turns out it was roasted lamb chops that changed Kyle and Mia!"
"Master Matt speaks again: 'The world needs harmony, young people need transformation!'"
"One blogger says: 'In global rankings, our country's crime rate is 73rd~'"
"A waiter claims: 'Master Matt needs five people to serve him, and spends 7,000 Dollar just on breakfast every day~'"
"Guo Degang comments: 'Some folks are freaking out because someone stepped on their tails. But really, the master is just an ancient tribal chief~'"
The internet was buzzing with wave after wave of info—no one could make sense of what was really going on.
But in the elimination group voting, Kyle and Mia's votes just kept skyrocketing.
"Xiaofan, give me your phone~"
Dai Xiaofan frowned. She was a junior in high school and swamped with schoolwork.
Still, her mom always wanted to check her phone, which seriously annoyed her.
"What now? Didn't you just go through my phone yesterday?"
"Hehe, no no, don't get me wrong. I just want your phone to vote for Kyle and Mia~"
"Ha! Mom, seriously? You're still into fan voting at your age?"
"This isn't about fan voting! Are you gonna vote or not?!"
Mom's patience lasted a solid five seconds.
"Alright, alright, I'll vote! Chill!"
Xiaofan quickly grabbed her phone and voted.
Once her mom happily left, she shot a message to her classmate:
"Hahaha, can you believe it? My mom's fan-voting now!"
"Sigh, I feel you. My dad's out here rallying votes too — it's for Kyle and Mia, right?"
"Yup yup, your parents like them too?"
"Yeah! My dad said he loves comedy that calls out shady stuff in society!"
"Omg, lots of adults are into this kind of stuff now~"
"For real. Anyway, gotta go — my teacher just messaged... haha, told me to vote too!"
"Hahaha, same here~~"
Originally, the "Comedy Stars" show team just meant to run a chill voting event. But it went completely viral.
Kyle and Mia's votes hit 145 million!
To put that in perspective, Weibo has over 500 million registered users, but only around 200 million log in daily.
So basically, at least half the active users had voted in the past day!
"Director, look! Over a hundred million votes! Even if you add up all the others and multiply it by ten, they still don't come close!"
Producer Lao Liu was hyped, waving his phone. The director looked just as excited.
"This is huge! Clearly, the audience loves this type of comedy. Hurry! Get in touch with Kyle and Mia!"
The director was thrilled.
This was now a national conversation — he had to seize the moment.
Meanwhile, Master Matt's disciples were flipping out.
As performers from the mainstream comedy world...
Actually, to be precise, they were part of the super " praise-and-worship" style of crosstalk comedy, known as the Matt Group.
They weren't happy.
In the performance world — with opera, local theater, traditional music, crosstalk, and skits — the stage space was already tight.
And when it came to making people laugh? Only crosstalk and skits really did that.
Skits? Mostly owned by folks from Northeast the country.
And crosstalk? It's split between orthodox vs. folk, North vs. South styles.
And then within the northern, orthodox branch — you've got the Matt Group, which came from the Matt family line.
It's not huge, but Matt had official ties and connections, so he got the spotlight.
Even if their jokes weren't funny, they still got to perform.
And when you're on stage, you get famous. Once you're famous, boom — money, women, everything.
But now if other styles started showing up? That's a problem.
It's a straight-up threat to their livelihood!
Just look — in all the big gala shows: mostly singing, some dancing, a little opera...
And then maybe one or two comedy skits or crosstalk bits.
So yeah, they had to make sure only Matt-style acts got on stage.
When the crosstalk scene took a hit a few years ago, Master Matt had to step back in himself.
Things were going well. Newbies were lining up to join, eager to learn. They were all doing "safe," mainstream performances.
Until Kyle and Mia came in with their "Thief Company" — a full-on satire skit that totally smashed the usual "let's all be nice" vibe.
"'Thief Company'? Totally meaningless. Who still has bureaucratic offices these days? Everything's flat management now! Pfft, ridiculous~"
"They're just being funny for funny's sake. It's all slander! If we don't cancel them, we're failing society~"
"They clearly hate seeing the country grow strong. Must be foreign shills~"
"Kyle and Mia betrayed their mentors just to get famous. No morals at all~"
"Living it up in two-star hotels, pigging out… total loss of artistic integrity!"
"The country says 'clean your plate,' and these two are out here wasting food~"
One smear campaign after another, and all it did was boost Kyle and Mia's fame even more.
Back in a luxury suite, Matt and his disciples were enjoying the city skyline, feeling real smug.
"Master, you nailed it. With that move, I bet those two won't even make it to the elimination round!"
"Totally, look — the internet is full of criticism. Tomorrow, they'll be done for!"
"Master, I brought you some Wudang mountain mushrooms. You gotta try them!"
All the flattery made Matt sip his tea in delight.
"I appreciate your loyalty. Here's the deal — you all come up with a performance, and I'll see who gets a shot at the Spring Festival Gala."
"Really?! Thank you, Master!"
"Thanks, Master! I'll give it my all!"
Surrounded by praise, Matt was in high spirits. "Funny comedy? Outstanding content? What a joke. What we need is order and glory!"
But before he could enjoy himself too long, one disciple turned pale.
"Master… bad news. The show just announced — Kyle and Mia will be performing in the elimination round."
One hour earlier
Kyle was sorting through private messages when he got a call from the show's director.
"Kyle? Mia? It's the director. You're set for the third performance in the revival round. You can choose your own material."
"Wait… you're not kicking us off the show?"
"We're not a dictatorship. Advancement or elimination — there's a process."
"Aren't you worried about Matt?"
"Him? His admin status doesn't control us. Our only goal is to make people laugh."
"Can you guarantee it'll be fair? I don't want to go just to get backstabbed."
"I'll talk to the judges. Just show up for rehearsal tomorrow."
Before Kyle could say yes or no, a system alert chimed in:
Ding~ Super Comedy King System mission unlocked. Choose one of the following shows to perform!
"Made-Up Rules" — perform this to win 10 million Dollar and gain the performer's abilities!
"Main Character & Sidekick" — same deal: 10 million Dollar + skills!
"Odd Jobs Adventure" — perform this for 10 million Dollar + abilities!
OH. MY. GOD.Another ten million?!
"Alright, Director — Mia and I will be there tomorrow. Thanks!"
After hanging up, Kyle started seriously thinking through the three shows.
Eeny, meeny, miney… let's see which one's the perfect pick for the stage
"....."