Chapter 191: This makes things rather difficult... unless you pay extra!

Other matters did not require her to worry.

After adjusting her mental state, Bai Ling arrived at the main shooting venue.

At this point, it was not yet time for Bai Ling to make her appearance.

The resident cast members of the live show had to go on stage first, followed by special guests and flying guests like Bai Ling.

The whole concept was built around the element of "surprise."

Meanwhile, the production team had already started the livestream, and official recording was underway.

There were five resident guests and three flying guests, making a total of eight people.

Bai Ling was quite curious about who the remaining two people were.

"Welcome everyone to the livestream room of the second season of *Happy Challenge*."

"Good afternoon, dear 'challengers'!"

The challengers referred to the guests.

The five of them waved in unison.

"Good afternoon, everyone! Good afternoon, Director Wang. Why did you suddenly start the livestreaming today?"

"Facing the audience in the livestream room like this makes me a little shy."

Among the five people, there were four men and one woman.

Mu Jingyuan, Li Zhuowen, and Mou Jiahao were of similar age, around thirty years old.

They were all actors who had graduated in the same year and were very good friends.

However, their achievements in acting varied.

Mu Jingyuan was an idol-type actor who made movies, usually playing relatively handsome roles.

Most of the films he starred in lacked depth and were primarily commercial movies—they had name recognition, but nothing particularly astonishing.

Mou Jiahao, on the other hand, appeared in grassroots roles more often, and his acting skills were much more brilliant and delicate.

However, his recognition was quite low since he mostly acted in art-house films.

As for Li Zhuowen, he was an idol-type television actor with the poorest acting skills.

Nonetheless, he was very handsome and had the aura of an idol star.

Consequently, his popularity was actually the highest.

The other male cast member, named Peng Jiannan, was the most unique. He was originally an athlete who joined the entertainment industry after retiring.

His fan count was neither high nor low, but his supporters were quite steadfast.

In the show *Happy Challenge*, Peng Jiannan was absolute "strength incarnate."

As for the female side, the only female resident was Lü Duo.

She used to be a singer before transitioning into an actress, mostly playing second female lead roles.

The show's director did not speak.

Instead, the host in charge of guiding the show said at this moment, "You don't need to be nervous. Due to the special nature of this episode, we had to switch from pre-recorded to live broadcasting."

"Besides, the number of viewers in the livestream room isn't very large yet, so everyone can just act naturally."

Peng Jiannan and the others instantly grew curious.

"Special? In what way is it special?"

The production team seemed to be discussing whether to reveal the truth.

Soon, having reached a decision, the host said, "This episode is the twentieth episode combined across both seasons of *Happy Challenge*, so we've specially prepared a special program—consider it a special edition of the show."

"Therefore, the recording for this episode might be a bit tough on you all."

Hearing this, everyone nodded. "Twentieth episode already? A special edition."

If that was the case, it made sense—just shifting from pre-recorded to live streaming.

It was no big deal.

"Alright, next, let's welcome our guests for this episode."

"First up, Teacher Zhuge Ming!"

Bai Ling, standing backstage, froze.

"Zhuge Ming?"

"Isn't this kid from my studio? Why is he participating in this show without telling me?"

On second thought, however, she seemed to have neglected her studio's affairs lately.

Therefore, it was normal that she wasn't aware even if Zhuge had taken on a gig.

Thinking about it this way, she actually felt much happier.

The appearance fee offered by this show was quite substantial, wasn't it?

Shouldn't Zhuge Ming fork over thirty percent of this appearance fee to her?

"Woohoo, it feels so great to be a boss! Even if I might get strung up on a street lamp later on, I will forge ahead bravely!!!"

Following Zhuge Ming came another girl whom Bai Ling did not recognize.

Her name was Gu Fengtong, an actress who had just debuted not long ago and reportedly came from a girl group background.

Seeing the first two people, the five resident guests showed excitement, but it wasn't all that fervent.

That display of excitement felt somewhat rehearsed.

After all, neither of these two had much mainstream popularity.

People in the entertainment industry understood all too well how to treat people according to their status.

However, when Bai Ling was called out by the production team, those five resident guests could barely contain themselves.

"Holy crap, Bai Ling!"

"Director, you actually invited Bai Ling to the show?"

"Isn't this a reality show? Could it be that you've arranged some kind of singing challenge, Director?"

"No way, Director, playing it this big? Among us lot, only Lü Duo can sing a couple of notes."

"Isn't this a bit like bullying?"

The host chimed in at this moment, "Don't talk nonsense. We haven't arranged any singing challenges."

"On the contrary, because this is a special edition, we have arranged quite a few challenge activities related to your respective professions."

"We hope everyone performs well in this episode."

Bai Ling had already arrived at the spot where the resident guests were gathered, mingling with the other two people to make a total of eight.

With a straight face, Bai Ling said, "Director, when you asked me to come, you didn't mention it was a special edition, nor did you say it would be broadcast live."

Everyone seemed surprised that Bai Ling would be so serious.

Even the production team grew somewhat nervous.

Oh no, could it be that Bai Ling was going to throw a tantrum?

If it were other artists, they wouldn't be worried at all.

Those celebrities might look glamorous on the surface, but in reality, they were just money-making tools pushed in front of the screen. What kind of waves could they possibly make?

Bai Ling was different, though. This girl had genuinely turned a show completely upside down.

*I Am an Actor* was currently visibly dead and cold.

What if they failed to serve this "grandma" properly? Wouldn't they completely crash and burn?

However, just as the production team started wildly imagining scenarios, Bai Ling dropped her stern expression, smiled playfully, and joked, "With you guys acting like this, it's very hard for me to do my job."

"You've got to pay more!"

Hearing this joking remark, everyone immediately relaxed.

Then, they broke into somewhat awkward smiles.

"Pay more? Paying more is easy to talk about."

The director snatched the microphone directly from the host and said, "Don't worry, Bai Ling. Because it's a special program, confidentiality was required."

"That's why we didn't tell you beforehand. Don't worry, the appearance fee will be calculated additionally."

Bai Ling was stunned. "I was just joking, and you're taking it seriously?"

Director: "..."

"So can I take it back?"

Bai Ling chuckled. "My friends, the director just said he'd increase the appearance fee, but now he wants to go back on his word. Do you agree?"

The other guests instantly started egging it on. "We disagree!"

The director stamped his feet. *Alas, I dug a pit for myself.*

"Then it all depends on everyone's performance today! Try your best, and the appearance fee will be no problem!"