C17 No Newcomer Award Nomination

Lin Haoyu chuckled to himself. Worrying? That was off the table! As long as he could outsmart the system, he'd deal with everything else later.

After a lengthy yawn, Lin Haoyu, truly exhausted from the day's events, found himself unable to leave the comfort of his bed. He murmured sleepily, "Alright, it's too late now. I'm going to sleep... System, set an alarm for six o'clock tomorrow morning."

System: ...

Why is it that everyone else's system is treated with such reverence by their host, yet the exceptional talent he had wrestled away from two other systems ended up being a comedian in his case?

He really was something, treating the intelligent system like Siri to set an alarm...

The next morning, the alarm clock went off as expected.

"Ding-a-ling-ling!"

Lin Haoyu rolled over and tumbled out of bed in a less-than-graceful fashion. He quickly grabbed his clothes, slipped them on, and shoved his feet into his shoes in one fluid motion.

Upon arriving at the company, he headed straight for teletorium number three, only to hear Zuo Qiushu's booming voice from a distance.

"Hey, hey, hey, did you guys in teletorium two catch my 'Happy Crosstalk' show yesterday? It was hilarious!"

Whether it was actually funny, Lin Haoyu couldn't be sure, but his reputation had certainly taken a hit.

Zuo Qiushu, with a sly grin, sidled up to Zhang, a host from the second teletorium, and inquired:

"Zhang, you host the afternoon news program, right? Haven't any viewers come to you to vent about my skits?"

Zuo Qiushu wasn't afraid of criticism; what he truly feared was a lack of any reaction from the audience, which could inadvertently make Lin Haoyu's show even more popular.

The host cleared his throat and gazed off into the distance, "The weather is quite nice today, so blue... Oh, by the way, Zuo Qiushu, do you know where Director Kang is? I need to discuss some program revisions with her."

Lin Haoyu couldn't help but feel a bit exasperated at the host's clumsy attempt to change the subject, but to his surprise, Zuo Qiushu took the bait.

With a slight frown, Zuo Qiushu replied with a touch of irritation, "Director Kang is probably giving a report. She's expected back tonight."

Lin Haoyu entered with a beaming smile, feigning surprise as if he had just arrived through the main door. Approaching Zuo Qiushu with the utmost respect, he spoke in a mild tone,

"Ah, our esteemed pillar, Lord Zuo Qiushu, what brings you to Teletorium No. 2 in person? Are you here to offer some guidance to the veteran hosts on their program recording?"

His words hung in the air, prompting a momentary silence in the teletorium.

Zhang's brow furrowed. If one were to consider seniority, the hosts in Teletorium No. 2 were indeed older and could be regarded as seniors.

"Oh? So you, Lin Haoyu, realize that I'm not someone to be trifled with?"

Zuo Qiushu turned, scrutinizing him with a playful smirk before letting out a cold laugh.

Zuo Qiushu's reaction drew varied looks from everyone in the teletorium, with some unable to suppress their laughter, covering their mouths in mockery.

A soft chuckle did nothing to interrupt the two men's standoff. Zuo Qiushu's eyes spun with mirth, and he grinned, hatching a plan.

"Tell you what, in light of your perceptiveness, I'll treat you to dinner at the Imperial Dragon Hotel across the street tonight."

Lin Haoyu's eyes sparkled at the prospect of another free meal. He thought, why pass up a free feast, even if it's a setup?

If Wang Shijie were present, he'd surely notice that his own voracious spirit had been inherited by Lin Haoyu, crowning him the next king of foodies.

"Then I shall graciously accept your offer!"

He had intended to share a joke he'd concocted with the young man, but Zuo Qiushu had already turned and vanished down the hallway.

Unbeknownst to them, both of their programs were rife with the other's jokes, the kind that were mercilessly funny, involving topics like infidelity and incompetence...

"Yu, why do you seem to be ten minutes late today?"

Sugar greeted Lin Haoyu at the entrance of Teletorium No. 3 with a grin, eagerly waiting for him while assisting with the playback of yesterday's recording at half speed.

It was excellent, flawlessly perfect without a single blemish.

Lin Haoyu offered an apologetic smile. "Sorry about that. I ran into a bit of a fool at the door and got held up, but it's no big deal."

"A fool?"

The unmistakable sound of crunching preceded him, and there was Wang Shijie, arriving late with a crunchy cucumber in hand, munching away as he walked. "Yu, who are you calling a fool?"

Seeing the cucumber, Lin Haoyu realized he simply couldn't compete with the true "King of Foodies" – Wang was the first person he'd ever seen bold enough to snack on cucumbers in public like this...

"Wang, we were actually talking about you being the fool, so your timing couldn't be worse."

Sugar gave Wang Shijie a look that was both caring and slightly exasperated as she finished setting up the recording equipment, ready for Lin Haoyu's cue to start recording.

Wang Shijie let out a goofy laugh and cocked an eyebrow. "What's wrong with being a bit foolish? Without me, you wouldn't seem nearly as clever, Yu!"

With that, Wang Shijie took another bite of his cucumber, eventually nibbling it down to nothing like a contented hamster.

Lin Haoyu was ready to record, but before he could begin, Sugar shared some news about Zuo Qiushu that caught his attention. Her eyes narrowed as she glanced over the documents on the table, and she spoke with a hint of irritation, "By the way, Yu, the selection for this month's Best Host is coming up, and somehow Zuo Qiushu has managed to snag a nomination for the newcomer host category."

Lin Haoyu paused, puzzled. "What's this 'Best Host' title about? And what's a 'new host'?"

He remembered Jian Yang mentioning the station's unique competition, but since Lin Haoyu had joined mid-month, his chances of being nominated were slim.

Furrowing his brow, Lin Haoyu let out a soft sigh, thinking to himself, "But Zuo Qiushu shouldn't be eligible for nomination either!"

After all, he had joined the station one day before Zuo Qiushu. If he hadn't been nominated, why was Zuo Qiushu up for the newcomer award?

Without needing further thought, Lin Haoyu's expression turned cold, and a sharp glint appeared in his eyes. "Kang Biqin, you've got some nerve. I'm curious to see just how talented your Zuo Qiushu really is!"