Chapter 922: 921 Surprise Appearance

“””

Ding.

The elevator doors opened, and before Li Wei could react, a paper confetti cannon went off right in front of him–

“Surprise!”

A figure stood before him, wearing a t-shirt, jeans, and slippers, hair only half-done, held in place with little clips.

Confetti fired; cheers prepared.

But the elevator offered no response–like facing a puff of air, no fright, no joy, nothing at all. The atmosphere quickly cooled.

Awkwardness hung in the air.

Li Wei quietly examined the figure in front of him, his gaze akin to studying a statue, silently brushing past the person and stepping out of the elevator.

Statue: …Something feels…just a little off.

“Wait, wait!”

The statue called out to Li Wei.

“That’s it?”

Li Wei turned back to look at him, full of confusion.

Statue: “I meticulously prepared a welcome ceremony, and that’s your reaction?”

Li Wei looked innocent, “I came here to visit you guys personally, and this is the welcome ceremony? This? Are you sure? Feels like I’ve walked into a daycare center.”

The statue shrugged lightly. “Then, what were you expecting?”

Li Wei thought about it seriously, “I don’t know, but shouldn’t you guys be the ones surprising me?”

The statue froze momentarily, straightened up, shoved the confetti cannon handle behind him, then turned and walked away in large strides, leaving Li Wei standing alone in front of the elevator, disoriented like a lone figure in a swirling wind.

And, no twist came.

One turn of the corner, gone.

Outwardly composed, but inwardly, Colin Jost panicked. Sure enough, Li Wei was a tough nut to crack.

Jost kept convincing himself: Stay cool, stay cool, don’t freak out; it’s now a matter of who can keep their cool and take the upper hand.

After turning into the adjacent corridor, Jost closed his eyes and counted down from three.

Three! Two! One!

Then, Jost spun around and jumped back towards the elevator, shouting loudly.

“Surprise!”

But…

“Li Wei?”

Where was he?

The corridor was empty, no sign of him. Li Wei, who had stood here moments ago, had disappeared without a trace.

Jost froze: Damn it! The prank backfired.

Shit!

Jost hurried over, frantically pressing the elevator button.

Ding!

The elevator doors opened once more, and a dark figure lunged forward.

“Surprise!”

The shout stunned Jost, making his eyes widen and breath freeze. His knees buckled, nearly dropping him to the floor as he supported himself with both hands on his knees, his calves shaking uncontrollably.

Seeing Jost’s utterly defeated appearance, Li Wei couldn’t hold himself back any longer.

“Hahaha, hahahaha.”

Laughter erupted like thunder.

And not just laughter–full-on belly laughs.

In an instant, heads began poking out of the “Saturday Night Live” workspace and the writers’ room, watching the scene unfold. One after another, no one could suppress their smiles–

He had only just arrived, and Li Wei had already bested Colin Jost, one of the show’s head writers.

Looks like tonight’s show is worth anticipating!

Jost gasped for air, “God, my heart practically jumped out of my chest. I mean it–I couldn’t tell how far you’d go with jokes. If you’d stormed off in a rage, tonight’s live broadcast might have turned into a disaster.”

Yet Li Wei, grinning ear to ear, remarked, “Exactly, and that’s why my counterattack worked so well.”

Jost couldn’t believe his ears, “Oh, God.”

Li Wei laughed wildly, “Hahaha.”

Having worked at “Saturday Night Live” for over ten years, Jost was no stranger to pranks, and he finally regained his composure, letting a smile appear on his face, “Scarlett was worried about you, but now it seems totally unnecessary.”

Li Wei spread his hands wide, “Who knows? Maybe I seem fine now, but once I’m in front of live TV cameras, I’ll turn into a puppet.”

Jost wasn’t buying it, “No, no, no, impossible. The way you handled that just now proves again why the core of ‘Chiefs Special’ lies in your performance. Are you sure you’re not interested in working in Hollywood?”

Li Wei, utterly at ease, replied, “Looks like I won’t need to worry about retirement life.”

Jost let out a hearty chuckle.

Colin Jost, the writer at “Saturday Night Live” who later took over the show’s headline segment “Weekend Update,” had become one of the pillars of the program.

Simultaneously, Jost had another title–his girlfriend was Scarlett Johansson. The two had been dating steadily for two years. Not long ago, Jost proposed, Scarlett said yes, and the two were planning to get engaged next month.

A happy event was just around the corner.

Li Wei had met Scarlett at last year’s Super Bowl victory party–just a passing acquaintance. But this year’s Super Bowl, Scarlett had gone to the Mercedes-Benz Stadium to watch the game, and they’d formed a closer bond off the field, enough to call each other friends.

What truly changed their relationship, however, was the Annie Gallas Foundation.

Scarlett had a daughter and deeply empathized with Li Wei and Annie’s story. At last night’s charity gala, she not only attended but wrote a sizable check to sincerely support Li Wei in making a difference.

After hearing that Li Wei had been invited to appear on “Saturday Night Live,” Scarlett showed her straightforward, loyal side, asking Jost to take good care of Li Wei and offer some guidance.

Jost wasn’t worried about Li Wei–Wednesday and Thursday’s rehearsals had made it clear that Li Wei was a natural performer with comedic potential. Still, given the live broadcast’s uniqueness, Jost came to personally greet him.

Now, it seemed even that wasn’t necessary.

As they wandered corridors together, Jost introduced Li Wei to people, knocking on dressing room doors for greetings one by one. Although Li Wei could’ve done this on his own, having a guide made everything much easier.

Without exception, Li Wei was met with cheers.

In just three days of rehearsal, Li Wei had blended in seamlessly with the crew.

Jost couldn’t help himself, “At this rate, I feel like a third wheel.”

“Anyway, no need to worry. I’m sure you’ll perform excellently. And even if something goes wrong live, don’t sweat it–we trust the cast will handle it. We do this week after week; we know how to manage mistakes.”

Li Wei quipped, “But if things go really south, you guys won’t be able to save the day, right?”

Jost shrugged lightly without a moment’s hesitation, “Then we’ll just call upon the God of Shows.”

“It’d be a good thing–we might witness an epic live broadcast. The show could blow up.”

His nonchalant attitude showcased his veteran confidence to Li Wei.

Jost shot a glance at Li Wei.

“No matter what happens, we’ll benefit in the end. After all, you’re an ‘Edgerunner,’ so we’re quietly praying for the God of Shows to descend.”

Wait, why does that statement sound a bit off?

But before Li Wei could respond, Jost moved forward, knocking on another door. After receiving permission, he pushed it open and walked in first.

“Hey, Taylor, welcome.”

Li Wei stared at Taylor Swift, who was posing nonchalantly in front of a vanity mirror with a magazine in hand, utterly baffled.

Swift, however, acted like she hadn’t noticed Li Wei’s astonishment at all. Breezily greeting Jost, she gracefully stepped in front of Li Wei.

“Welcome to ‘Saturday Night Live.'”

Li Wei glanced at Jost, then at Swift, his face filled with disbelief.

In the next moment, Swift flashed her left hand from behind her, showering Li Wei in glitter, then cupped her hands around her mouth like a megaphone.

“Surprise!”

Ah, so the real ambush was here all along.

“””