FLME Ch36

The first episode recording was over, and Yu Wen slept for an entire day and night at the hotel.

It wasn’t that he was tired, but the story of the first episode of the “Battle Royale” had a significant impact on him. Even after leaving the recording site, he couldn’t get back to his senses. The projection of the evil dragon circling the sword and the sight of the four guests watching him leave from upstairs kept lingering in his mind…

He had done his best within his capabilities, but he still felt it wasn’t enough.

Perhaps a bittersweet ending is the norm in life, Yu Wen thought regretfully.

The first episode was over, but the work wasn’t done. The production team had coordinated with the artists’ companies, and besides recording, post-production voice acting and interpretation also required the artists’ cooperation.

Each episode’s schedule took nearly half a month.

This is the power of a national-level variety show.

That night, Yu Wen received a WeChat message from the staff, which startled him.

The content of the WeChat was as follows:

[The novice level is over, conqueror: one person.

Yu Wen, registration number xyum667, has been bound to the novice gift package. Please choose your reward for conquering —]

At first glance, it seemed like a strange WeChat message, but when Yu Wen clicked on it, he realized it was from the production staff he had previously dealt with. The other party had changed their WeChat nickname to “Assistant No. 001.”

Her previous WeChat nickname was “Escape Game Xiao Lin.” Yu Wen found it simple and clear, so he lazily didn’t add it as a note, which is why he almost didn’t recognize it after the nickname change.

Fortunately, he had saved Xiao Lin’s phone number earlier, so he could still identify this WeChat account.

Yu Wen: [Xiao Lin?]

A buzzing sound came, and Xiao Lin sent a text message outside the WeChat chat box: [Teacher Yu, it’s a process of the production team! Just consider me as a private assistant for the “Battle Royale”! Don’t think of me as Xiao Lin!]

Yu Wen understood, even the meticulous production team had to play cosplay in private.

Xiao Lin: [Teacher Yu’s reaction should be a bit panicked! Because it’s a normal person who was inexplicably bound by the escape game. This WeChat chat will be made into post-production material and become the opening of this season!]

Yu Wen replied with a “Okay,” then quickly withdrew the message, thought for a moment, and replied: [?]

[td.]

Assistant No. 001: [……]

Assistant No. 001: [Sorry, the registration number cannot be canceled, and the game cannot be exited. Please choose the reward for conquering —]

Assistant No. 001: [Reward 1: ‘Sword-wielding Journey’. Lonely heroes, although you reunite with the evil dragon, the undead will eventually return to the reeds. Accompanied only by the fleeting wish of the soul, farewell is quietly approaching. Please take all your friends’ blessings and become a lonely and brave hero.

In this reward, the hero will be invincible, free from illness and disaster, and live happily ever after.]

……Reunion, but still parting, what kind of human suffering is this.

Assistant No. 001: [Reward 2: ‘Undead Mode’. Unwilling to accept such an ending, the always stubborn hero decides to fight fate again, staking life and everything, and team up with the undead friends with limited time to conquer the remaining eleven levels.

This reward is extremely risky. A single misstep, and everything is lost.]

Yu Wen read the rules carefully. If he had to choose, he would definitely choose 2. However, since this was the entire season’s setting, he was a bit worried about whether it would affect other guests’ schedules.

So he returned to the text message page and asked Xiao Lin: [Will my choice affect the subsequent levels and the schedules of other guests?]

Xiao Lin: [No, in fact, Teacher Yu, you can only choose 2. Crying.jpg]

Yu Wen: “……”

He went back to WeChat and typed: [……Undead Mode. I do not accept the conclusion of the hero team.]

Assistant No. 001: [‘Undead Mode’ has been selected. Note: ‘Undead Mode’ is a senior player mode with the ultimate goal of resurrecting the undead. Form a team with the other four players. The higher the survival rate in each task, the higher the player score. High scores will help achieve the ultimate goal.

The second level is about to start, the final mission of this season: resurrect the undead, and reassemble the hero team.]

Assistant No. 001: [Welcome to Battle Royale.]

–

The production team had reserved a day of rest for them. On the morning of the third day, Yu Wen took a taxi to the recording studio. All the text information in the show needed to be voiced by the guests.

He arrived early, and there were only staff members busily coming and going in the recording studio. Since Yu Wen was a pleasant person and the staff had a good attitude towards him, they smiled and greeted him during their busy intervals.

Yu Wen sat on the rest sofa. The assistant sister passing by handed him a cup of juice.

It was still warm.

It was orange juice, a bit sour.

He obediently drank the orange juice until it was empty. The staff in charge of him came in through the door, a girl who had just graduated not long ago. Her business skills were excellent, and her personality was lively and unrestrained, which matched well with Yu Wen.

Xiao Lin wandered around and found Yu Wen on the sofa. She stood at attention and said, “Report, Teacher Yu! Assistant No. 001 is at your service!”

Yu Wen looked up with the plastic straw in his mouth, mumbling, “Is this also material…?”

“No, hehe…” Xiao Lin smiled and said, “Just letting you get used to my identity in advance. I saw you seemed a bit startled yesterday.”

“I wasn’t so much startled,” Yu Wen said, “just a bit dazed.”

The two chatted for a while, and Tong Li and Fan Xiangyang arrived at the recording studio one after another.

Each season of the “Battle Royale” was very careful in selecting guests. As a top variety show of the entertainment industry, the “Battle Royale” was never short of investment. What the production team has to think about is how to make the show more interesting.

In addition to costumes, the content of the levels had always been a major weapon of the “Battle Royale.”

Therefore, as a reasoning variety show, the production team prefered actors who excel in improvisation for regular guests rather than those who were more cerebral.

After all, the highlight of the show was clear to the production team. It all started with the drama of the levels, and this advantage must not be abandoned. Other shortcomings could be gradually supplemented. Once the initial advantage was lost, the loyal audience following the show will also drift away.

That would be called “losing its flavor.”

Losing its flavor was usually the beginning of a variety show’s decline.

In the third season, besides Fan Xiangyang, all the regular MCs are actors. Yi Ming was a new generation powerhouse actress, Tong Li is a hidden gem actor, and Daniel Li was well-known for being melancholic and takes every role seriously.

Even the first episode’s guest, Jian Heng, was in a period of transitioning to an actor. Although his reasoning performance was lacking, Jian Heng’s comedy effect was rich and could bring occasional humor to the tense atmosphere of the show.

It was evident that the production team was very attentive in their selection of people.

Seeing the seniors, he stood up. As soon as Tong Li opened the door, she saw him from afar and smiled, “Hey! Melon King!”

Yu Wen: “……”

He hadn’t been online much recently, so hearing this nickname again felt like a lifetime ago.

The same was that he still felt embarrassed and curled his toes.

Tong Li had been surfing the internet intensively and witnessed the entire process of him being dubbed the Melon King. She was very curious but unfortunately forgot to get his contact information during their last recording. She had to endure the curiosity until now because the first episode’s recording had the camera on him all the time, so she couldn’t find a chance to ask him about the gossip.

Tong Li rushed over without any senior demeanor, and like someone meeting a secret agent, asked him, “How was it? Did you get any juicy gossip these days? Share a bit with me.”

Yu Wen met her eyes full of expectation.

“……For more exciting gossip, please follow Xiao Yu’s Weibo,” Yu Wen skillfully used his fan-favorite phrase, “Follow Xiao Yu, and you’ll get the gossip.”

“I’m following,” Tong Li said. “Hahaha, didn’t expect that, huh? I even created a secondary account to join your fan support club. During the recording the other day, I was searching for you while looking for clues. But you were missing the entire time.”

The conversation shifted to the show recording, and Yu Wen took the opportunity to say, “I wanted to join you all midway, but I got stuck in the production team’s secret room.”

Tong Li thought for a moment, “Speaking of which, when the sister let you leave early, weren’t you moved to tears?”

Yu Wen enthusiastically responded, “Not just that, Xiao Yu cried secretly under the covers all night.”

Tong Li could tell from his expression that he was making it up, but she didn’t feel dismissed. Instead, she was amused by his serious demeanor.

She was very satisfied with her performance in the episode.

It was purely a flash of inspiration to try and fit into the ‘princess’ role based on the existing clues. After calming down, she felt a bit anxious, as her status among the guests was not very high.

Unable to resist, she subtly asked the director team last night, and the answer finally let her sleep peacefully.

The director was very satisfied.

Not only the PD, but the entire director team was pleased. The final scene where all the guests performed exceptionally well perfectly matched the roles of each guest. At that moment, they seemed like the hero team, and this material made the post-production team excited all night, almost popping champagne to celebrate. It’s clear that the final presentation would not disappoint.

She felt quite grateful to Yu Wen. Yu Wen stood there with a determined expression, just like the hero himself. This gave her the impulse to act, which led to the subsequent developments.

Yu Wen met Fan Xiangyang for the first time outside the show, and after greeting each other, they sat on the sofa and chatted.

Veteran hosts are best at controlling the scene and naturally have a friendly demeanor. Yu Wen himself wasn’t too reserved, and after chatting a bit, they quickly became familiar.

When talking about the previous night’s “Battle Royale” information, Fan Xiangyang laughed, “Hahaha, you received it too? Don’t worry… It’s a basic trick of the production team. During the first season, we really got scared by the text messages.”

The process in the first season was quite similar. The production team was harsher with guests back then, not only did they not arrange meals in advance for everyone to get acquainted, but they also added unexpected segments during the recording without any prior notice.

Several guests at that time really thought they had fallen into an infinite loop.

Fan Xiangyang was a veteran of the first season and witnessed every new guest getting terrified by the production team. He told Yu Wen, “This season is better. Xiao Lin will tell you the truth. Before, no matter how we asked the staff, they wouldn’t say a word, like a gourd with a saw.”

Tong Li took out her phone. “I received it last night too, but my assistant had already given me a heads-up, so it was okay. My message was like this.”

Tong Li showed them the conversation. Since these were post-production materials and would eventually be shown to the national audience, Yu Wen didn’t feel much psychological pressure and leaned over to take a look.

Tong Li’s message was a bit different from his. It seemed the production team wrote messages based on each person’s role and final outcome.

[Novice level is over, conqueror: one person.

Tong Li, registration number xyum668, novice level failed, the elimination procedure will soon be activated—]

[Elimination procedure terminated—Player xyum667 chose ‘Undead Mode’, Player xyum668 is automatically bound, and will team up with Player xyum667 to conquer the levels together.]

[Note: ‘Undead Mode’. A senior player mode with the ultimate goal of resurrecting the undead. Form a team with the other four players. The higher the survival rate in each task, the higher the player’s score. High scores will help achieve the ultimate goal.

The second level is about to start, the final mission of this season: resurrect the undead, reassemble the hero team.]

The last sentence was exactly the same as Yu Wen’s: [Wel.]

Just looking at it made the goosebumps rise. If there hadn’t been an advance notice, it would really be terrifying.

As they talked, the remaining guests arrived one after another. Daniel Li, hearing their conversation, smiled and added, “Every season it’s like this, the production team not only tortures the audience but also tortures the guests.”

Yi Ming agreed, “When I got the message yesterday, I almost had a nightmare.”

Fortunately, Daniel Li had subtly reminded her in advance. Although the contract had a clause prohibiting sharing settings, it mainly restricted pre-recording exchanges. After recording, if hinted subtly, the production team wouldn’t inquire too much.

Yu Wen finished his orange juice, let out a small burp, placed the glass on the table, and heard Tong Li ask, “I was wondering why this material can’t be collected before the first episode. I see that the ‘Battle Royale’ world view is always introduced only at the end of the first episode…”

Fan Xiangyang explained, “It’s a little trick of the production team. In the setting, we are ordinary people who are randomly bound by the escape game. The first level of each season is our novice level. Before this, we have no hints, and the players are unfamiliar with each other, which perfectly matches the state of new guests.”

Li Daniel added, “Moreover, the first level runs throughout the show. The guests need a very strong sense of immersion to make the decisions the production team wants, like Xiao Yu choosing ‘Undead Mode’. If he hadn’t regarded himself as a hero from the beginning, even if he chose ‘Undead Mode’, the audience wouldn’t believe it. To maintain immersion, the game’s presence needs to be appropriately minimized.”

Yu Wen was stunned after hearing this.

“So I’ve been living in the production team’s scheme all along.”

Fan Xiangyang was amused by his choice of words and waited for about ten minutes before the staff came to remind them that all departments were ready, and they could start.

Jian Heng had other work today and took leave from the director. He arrived late, only after everyone else had entered the recording studio. When he saw Yu Wen, he nervously said:

“Xiao Yu, I feel like I really fell into the ‘Battle Royale’.”

Yu Wen:……

The production team is truly ruthless.

*

Voice acting work is essentially a process of review.

The clues that the guests didn’t find and the emotions they couldn’t deduce will be fully provided to them before recording, helping them understand the characters and lines.

Yu Wen finally explained to Jian Heng that it was just the production team recording material, not a real escape game. Jian Heng closed his eyes, clasped his hands together in a devout manner, “In this lifetime of doing good deeds, why must I suffer this kind of pain…”

Yu Wen estimated that he hadn’t slept well all night and had dark circles under his eyes. Fortunately, there was no on-camera requirement today, so he comforted him with a pat on the shoulder.

The two quietly went inside. Everyone was focused on their own scripts, not looking up.

After watching for a while, Tong Li tried to find the princess’s voice.

When she spoke, Yu Wen was surprised. Tong Li’s natural voice had a mature quality, with connected articulation and a unique charm, but as soon as she spoke, it was still her voice. It seemed to only be a little higher in pitch, but the crisp feeling immediately came through. Even her expression conveyed the princess’s essence.

Is this what it means to be a skilled actor?

The guest appearance in “Fenghua” didn’t count. To date, Yu Wen only had one work, “Legend of the Immortal Sect,” which was a small production. The director’s requirements for them weren’t high; it was enough to perform well on camera, and if they could voice it, great, if not, they would try their best. Anyway, without money to hire voice actors, how it turned out was up to fate.

Yu Wen used his original voice in the show, but at that time, the crew didn’t pay much attention to the voice acting work. He recorded it in his normal speaking tone.

Chu Zhiyao was a spirited and reckless young man, and using his normal speaking tone didn’t seem out of place.

But hearing Tong Li’s voice acting now, Yu Wen felt like a new door was opening before him in the entertainment industry.

Every aspect of voice, platform, and performance… seems to have a lot of depth.

He decided to ask Sister Tong to be his mentor later.

Tong Li tried a few lines, and the effect was unexpectedly good. The others couldn’t help but applaud.

Jian Heng whispered to Yu Wen, “So impressive, when will I ever have such a solid foundation in lines…”

Yi Ming was spurred into competitive spirit and picked up the script, ready to go.

The elf’s character wasn’t clichéd. Unfortunately, they hadn’t pieced together the complete puzzle of the elf’s character throughout, resulting in a very vague portrayal.

She should be a character who appears shy and weak on the outside but has a continually flowing strength inside, hoping to become someone her companions can rely on.

Without all the information, even if the elf’s complete character was recorded, it could only be included as additional content. It was really a shame.

“I am hope? What hope am I? Am I the hope that killed the great magician? No, it shouldn’t be like this. Healing magic is indeed precious, but I’ve been behind my companions for too long. I need to fight in my own way! Frozen time, see the determination of a healing elf—”

The elf’s voice was thin and weak. From the text, it could be seen that she was a girl who wasn’t used to speaking loudly, her voice always being covered by the noise of her companions.

Yi Ming portrayed this weakness and added some subtle determination.

Yu Wen looked at Yi Ming with admiration.

He decided to ask Yi Ming to be his second mentor later.

Next was Fan Xiangyang. Teacher Fan was not an actor, but the skills of a veteran host were undeniable. His voice was deep but clear, perfectly presenting a scruffy yet resolute dwarf.

Finally, it was Daniel Li. He wasn’t professionally trained, but he had a natural advantage: his gentle voice. Although his foundation wasn’t as strong as the other seasoned actors, that voice carried a kind of tenderness, fitting for an older, steady great magician.

After everyone tried their lines, Fan Xiangyang was the first to enter the recording studio.

Yu Wen stared blankly, and Jian Heng leaned over to ask, “Xiao Yu, what’s wrong? Lost in thought?”

Xiao Yu replied, “Can a person have four mentors at the same time?”

Jian Heng was taken aback, scanning the other guests and realizing, “Oh, you want to be mentored. Who do you want to be mentored by? It seems like all the seniors are amazing…”

Yu Wen felt a bit shy.

“I want all of them.”

Only children make choices.

Jian Heng: …

Yu Wen was the last to enter the recording studio.

With the example of his seniors before him, he couldn’t help but be cautious, constantly thinking about what the hero’s voice should be like…

The hero was outgoing, romantic, and full of childlike wonder. Using his original voice for recording seemed fine. If it were before, Yu Wen would have just gone with it.

But today, he wanted to make a little change for the character he liked.

The hero was a 26-year-old adult male. Even if he was cheerful, he was different from the youthful Chu Zhiyao.

Yu Wen hesitated for a moment and began:

“O invincible hero! Again and again, draw your sword—”

As soon as he started, Jian Heng outside the recording studio couldn’t help but give him a thumbs up.

Tong Li also showed an astonished expression and clapped unconsciously.

This line was delivered with the right intonation and rhythm, fitting the hero’s emotionally rich character. Yu Wen added a hint of smile to his normal tone.

It was barely noticeable, but the whole line shifted from a mere slogan to an uplifting and positive statement, as if the person shouting it truly believed in it.

The hero’s voice should be like this.

Always smiling, no matter what is said.

So optimistic that even the sunlight pales.