Reborn in the Hong Kong entertainment industry in the 1980s

As Hu Xiaoxiao became more and more popular, there was more and more news about her, and more and more paparazzi came to stalk her.

Hu Xiaoxiao glanced at it a few times, then put the newspaper aside as usual and continued with her work.

Because of publicity matters, Hu Xiaoxiao went to the program department several times. After running into Fei Yi again, she finally called out to her. "I called you several times but you didn't answer. What are you busy with?"

Faye stood there for a moment, holding a pile of documents, before turning around. "Oh, it's Xiaoxiao. When did you get here?"

Hu Xiaoxiao approached and helped Fei Yi take some documents, lightening her burden. "Where should we send these documents?"

"Just send it to my office."

"Oh, you have your own office now?"

“It’s our production team’s office.” Faye scratched her head and smiled sheepishly. “I forgot to tell you, I got promoted and now I’m in charge of a program. I’ve been too busy to tell you.”

"Such a big promotion, how could you forget to tell me! What program are you in charge of now?"

"This show is rather obscure; you might not be fully awake when it airs."

What time is it?

Nine o'clock in the morning.

"I got up at six in the morning to practice my voice." When asked about the name of the show, Hu Xiaoxiao felt she had to support her friend, since it was her friend's first show.

"It's a program about health-preserving soups." After returning to the office, Fei told Hu Xiaoxiao about what had happened over the past year.

Since developing her ambition, Faye has worked even harder and constantly sought opportunities for advancement. Just last year, the company underwent a major personnel reshuffle, and Anna was promoted to manager, leaving the supervisor position vacant.

How could Faye let such a good opportunity slip by? She immediately went to compete for the supervisor position.

Thanks to her recent hard work and outstanding abilities, she successfully obtained a supervisor position, and her salary increased significantly.

Similarly, this also aroused jealousy and exclusion from others.

As a result, the program department specially arranged a program for her.

It seemed like she was being put in charge, but in reality, a huge pit was being dug for her.

"At nine in the morning, students are at school, office workers are at work, and housewives are at the market or preparing meals. How many people are actually sitting in front of the TV watching?" Having been frustrated for a long time, Faye finally couldn't help but vent her frustrations to Hu Xiaoxiao. "Those lunatics set performance targets for me, wanting me to create a new program with ratings several points higher than the old one. What do they mean? Are they trying to magically transform something rotten? They're crazy! If I had that ability, would I still be a junior assistant in the program department for so many years?"

Faye became more and more agitated as she spoke, “The team they arranged can only be described with one idiom—old, weak, sick, and disabled! The host is Aunt Dan, who is over sixty and almost retired, the director is a newly recruited newcomer with little experience, and the other directors, cameramen, etc., I’ve only seen a few times in all my years working at the TV station, which shows how transparent they are…”

Assigned to such a team, Faye had no choice but to bite the bullet and take the job. They discussed and discussed, but couldn't figure out what kind of program to do at nine o'clock in the morning. Finally, they learned that Aunt Dan liked to drink soup and was very good at making soup, so they decided to give it a shot and make a program that taught people how to make soup.

However, due to the poor production team, the low profile of the host, and the rudimentary production techniques, the show's ratings remained low after its premiere. Fortunately, the ratings didn't drop any further—because the ratings for this time slot were already at rock bottom, and couldn't fall much further.

To boost viewership, Faye spent every day researching and studying, often leaving her feeling dizzy and disoriented.

"Is the soup featured on the show real or fake?" Hu Xiaoxiao asked curiously.

"It's a real stew, one pot takes more than two hours to cook. Filming starts from introducing the ingredients and takes several hours, but it's edited down to twenty minutes for broadcast."

"What should we do with the soup after it's been cooked?"

"We drank it. After filming, everyone shared it." Fei patted her face and showed Hu Xiaoxiao the plumpness on her face. "Look! Although I'm mentally and physically exhausted, I've gained a few pounds, all because I drink delicious soup every day."

Hu Xiaoxiao swallowed hard. "What kind of soup do you usually make? Is it good?"

Fei then started listing the ingredients for Hu Xiaoxiao. They planned to make liver-nourishing soup for spring, cooling soup for summer, moisturizing soup for autumn, and nourishing soup for winter. From Monday to Friday, each day would be different, and each session would be unique.

"Today I'm making American ginseng, dendrobium, and old pigeon soup. It's nourishing and moisturizing, perfect for this season. I'll get you a bowl when it's done; it's very nutritious," Fei said.

Hu Xiaoxiao was incredibly tempted when she heard that she could have delicious soup every day. Wasn't all her hard work just for a good meal?

"Faye, do you think it's possible that your show's low ratings are because you don't have any guests? If you had a well-known guest, wouldn't the ratings go up?"

Faye chuckled awkwardly. "I've thought about it, but I don't have the money."

Hu Xiaoxiao immediately offered herself up, "Me! Find me! We're good friends, I'll definitely help you!"

“But, Xiaoxiao, I can’t afford your appearance fee. We’ve used all the program’s funds to buy soup ingredients.”

“We’re friends, why would I need an appearance fee? Besides, I can bring my own ingredients.”

Faye was tempted. "Wouldn't that be too unfair to you?"

"If you're worried that I'll feel wronged, you can pack another bowl of soup for me to take home."

It just so happens that "Mu Guiying Takes Command" is airing, so I'll go on the show to promote the drama.

Working while also getting free meals and drinks—for Hu Xiaoxiao, this was practically a dream job.

So, Hu Xiaoxiao and Fei Yi agreed to appear on the show "Aunt Dan's Delicious Soup". Since there's no time like the present, Hu Xiaoxiao simply chose today as a guest to get a taste of the delicious soup.

Of course Faye wouldn't refuse, and immediately said, "I'll go borrow some clothes for you right now!"

Hu Xiaoxiao came today to discuss business, and she was dressed casually. "No need to borrow clothes. Making soup is a very common thing, so it's perfect for everyday wear. I'll just do my makeup a little better."

Hu Xiaoxiao always keeps up with the trends. Although she dresses casually, she always wears the latest fashion items.

Moreover, the clothes provided by the production team were all old and had been worn more than once.

Fei Yi thought it made sense. "You can do your makeup first. No rush, take your time. There's still an hour before the soup is ready. You can come and drink the soup as soon as you're done. I'll go tell everyone the good news."

After discussing it, Hu Xiaoxiao found a dressing room, tidied up her clothes, and made some changes to the details to make them more in line with her personal style.

Then she opened her bag, took out her cosmetics, and chose a lipstick and makeup that matched her outfit.

Makeup for TV appearances is very different from that for filming. Usually, TV programs have dedicated makeup artists, but "Aunt Dan's Soup Recipes" is a small-scale production and didn't provide one. Hu Xiaoxiao did her own makeup; it was her first time as a guest, so of course she wanted to do her best in everything.

With the soup still a while away and nothing else to do, Hu Xiaoxiao leisurely designed her makeup.

During this time, she heard a slight noise outside the changing room. At first, she thought someone was coming in to change, but after a while, no one came in, and Hu Xiaoxiao became suspicious.

Another slight noise came, like the sound of someone walking quietly. Right at the door, Hu Xiaoxiao put down her cosmetics and walked to the door to open it.

But then they heard hurried footsteps outside the door quickly disappear into the distance.

Is someone spying on us?

Hu Xiaoxiao immediately chased after him and bumped into Chang Wanming, who was carrying a bag, at a corner.

"Xiaoxiao, I've finally found you!" Chang Wanming walked towards Hu Xiaoxiao with a face full of excitement.