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Matt sat there stone-faced. He had only one thought in his mind:As soon as this show ends, I'm giving it a one-star review!
Meanwhile, on stage, Kyle and Mia were soaking in the cheers from the laughing audience. Their hearts felt warm and fuzzy—not a care in the world for a few grumpy faces in the crowd.
And even if they noticed them—so what?
Mia rubbed her chin and said, "Well, you could say we're trying to break out of Asia and steal our way across the world~"
Kyle, still full of righteous anger, shouted, "What's really unacceptable is seeing other companies run ads on TV! We should have our own ads too!"
Mia was intrigued. "Wait, your thief company wants to advertise?"
Kyle straightened his collar proudly. "We even wrote a whole slogan for it!"
Mia raised an eyebrow. "Oh yeah? Let's hear it."
Kyle put on a kind, persuasive face:
"Friend, do you want to get rich quick? Join our thief company, and you'll be rolling in dough overnight. For more info, contact—"
Mia leaned in. "Who's the contact?"
Kyle turned serious. "Can't disclose that~"
Mia looked suspicious. "What about a phone number?"
Kyle remained mysterious. "Classified~"
Mia kept going. "Fax? WeChat?"
Kyle shook his head. "No comment!"
Mia scratched the back of her head. "At least give me a company address?"
Kyle stiffened. "We relocate after every job!"
"Hahaha! You move after every hit? So basically everything is top secret!"
"Forget the thief company—even some regular government offices are so secretive you can't find them, let alone get stuff done~"
The audience roared with laughter and broke into applause. They weren't paid clappers—they applauded from the heart.
"Relocate after every hit?"
Yeah, that kind of company's definitely shady!
Once the applause died down, Mia scoffed, "Then how's anyone supposed to find you? You better skip the ad."
Kyle sighed, "It's not like we don't want to be found—police have raided us several times already!"
Mia was surprised. "Makes sense. Look where you're operating!"
Kyle got all jittery. "As soon as I saw what was going down, I rushed to write a report:
'Due to heavy heat from law enforcement, I recommend the entire company immediately relocate. Approval pending!'"
Mia nodded. "Good suggestion. Did you submit it?"
Kyle grinned. "Of course! I handed it straight to the deputy team leader!"
Mia caught on. "Ah, so that's who handles that stuff."
Kyle made a little circle gesture. "The deputy took one look—and drew a circle."
Mia raised an eyebrow. "A circle? What's that supposed to mean?"
Kyle explained, "That's called a 'read and approved' mark. Basically means they're on board~"
Mia looked confused. "So that's it? He made the final call?"
Kyle shook his head. "Nah, there was a tiny note: 'Please forward to team leader for consideration.'"
Mia raised a hand to her brow. "Still needs the team leader's okay?"
Kyle handed it off again. "Team leader saw it and drew a circle too~"
Mia sighed. "Another circle? He can't decide either?"
Kyle continued, "Then it said: 'Please have the assistant director review.'"
Mia was getting annoyed. "Geez, how many layers of leadership is this?!"
Kyle shrugged. "Assistant director? Yup—another circle~"
Mia counted on her fingers. "That's three circles already~"
Kyle nodded, "Then: 'Please have the director review.'"
Mia closed her eyes like she couldn't bear to watch. "Four circles now~"
Kyle kept going, "Director drew a circle too. Then: 'Please have the deputy manager review.'"
Mia sighed dramatically, "Even the director can't decide?"
Kyle offered the imaginary document again. "Deputy manager? Yup—another circle~"
Mia laughed. "That's five circles! So then what?"
Kyle lit up. "Then it went to the general manager! Now that's someone who gets stuff done."
Mia was curious. "Really? What did the general manager say?"
Kyle squinted like he was reminiscing. "He saw the five circles and immediately got it!"
Mia smiled. "So he gave the final word?"
Kyle grabbed a pretend pen and said proudly, "He picked up his pen, and in a few bold strokes, wrote—"
Mia leaned in, "What did he write?"
Kyle puffed up, "Approved—to steal—at the Olympics!"
"HAHAHAHA! Steal at the Olympics? That's really going global with your crimes!"
"Stealing at the Olympics? The five rings? OMG I can't—hahahaha!"
The audience completely lost it. Applause thundered, people wiped away tears of laughter.
Matt, though, remained stone-faced.
This show—and these two performers—were now officially on his blacklist.
"That setup was brilliant. They said the fewer people, the more efficient—but then added five layers of leadership!"
"Hahaha, stealing at the Olympics? This general manager is something else!"
People in the audience genuinely felt the satire—and couldn't stop laughing.
Mia smacked her forehead and yelled, "Look again—was that really the Olympics?!"
Kyle snapped, "Didn't even finish the report! The cops stormed in and locked us down!"
Mia grinned, "Serves you right!"
Kyle looked aggrieved. "When those cold metal cuffs snapped on my wrists, I thought: It's over. All over…"
"I was desperate. The more I despaired, the more I regretted. The more I regretted, the angrier I got!Rage rose from my chest, and evil from my gut!"
"I yelled, 'It's all because of—this report! You! Officer, it's bureaucratic nonsense that ruins people!'"
That closing line dropped like a bomb—first silence, then an explosion of applause and laughter.
"'Bureaucracy ruins people!' Hahaha! This guy Kyle—he's got guts! I'm a fan now!"
"Even a thief sees through the BS—this is killing me!"
"'Officer, bureaucracy ruins people!'—from a thief! Hahaha!"
"Damn, this is too real! I applied for leave five times and only got two hours—barely enough to commute!"
"Waaah~ Lies don't hurt, but the truth cuts like a knife. This sketch really hits us working folks where it hurts~"
The crowd related deeply—but still laughed. It was hard to tell if they were genuinely happy or just laughing through the pain.
But Nick (the judge) was laughing from the heart.
There are many types of comedy. Satirical and improvisational comedy are among the more advanced forms.
Lyrical comedy, absurdist skits, and loud slapstick are usually considered lower-tier.
These days, "funny start, sad ending" types are everywhere—and mostly fall into slapstick.
Those sketches have weak conflict but exaggerated gestures, voices, and expressions.Add in an emotional ending and it turns into a weird mashup—neither fish nor fowl.
Like someone in a diarrhea emergency lining up for the bathroom, only to be told midway that their parents love them—completely unrelated!
But Kyle and Mia's sketch? Wild and imaginative.
It started out absurd, but every moment reflected real-life problems. Shady companies you can't run from.
Good suggestions ignored, bloated organizations full of ladder-climbers.
"Bureaucracy ruins people" wasn't just a punchline—it was a stroke of postmodern genius!
All of it was satire. The target? A fictional thief company.
But you could easily replace "thief company" with any real-world organization.
It was high-level art, with clever structure and sharp, witty lines.
And their performance? Seasoned and professional. This was a fully-formed, top-tier satirical comedy!
In that moment, Nick felt an urge to talk to Kyle and Mia—dive into the inspiration and process behind their "Thief Company" sketch.
Satire is hard to do well. But when it works, it becomes a classic.
Nick had always wanted to prove himself. But he'd been typecast.
A lot of people think comedians can't do serious drama or win acting awards—but satire? That's a whole different category.
Satire is considered serious theater.
And now, with two brilliant creatives like Kyle and Mia, Nick saw the potential for real collaboration.
With a good brainstorming session, they might just create the perfect masterpiece together.
"...."