Meanwhile, Connie also began to ponder what to wear tomorrow.
Just as she was about to return to her room to look through her wardrobe, her peripheral vision caught sight of Mike sitting on the sofa as if nothing had happened.
"Mike, as tomorrow's 'main character,' don't you need to prepare?" Connie reminded him.
"What's there to prepare? My performance outfit is just that Santa Claus costume," Mike replied.
The Santa Claus costume he wore for his previous performance was very suitable for a Christmas song performance.
He had also worn that costume back after playing with Regina and others that day.
"That's true. Our little Mike looks handsome no matter what he wears," Connie recalled Mike's Santa Claus look at the school's evening performance, then praised him in agreement.
Afterward, Connie didn't stay long in the living room. Upon returning to her room, she went to her wardrobe to pick out her outfit for tomorrow.
At the same time, the same scene was unfolding in the homes of Cady, Regina, and other girls.
...
The next day, at dawn, Connie and the Coopers were ready to depart.
It was evident that everyone had put a lot of effort into their appearance for today's event.
Especially Georgie, wearing a large red scarf, who, for the sake of looking handsome, wore only a thin black suit with shiny pointed leather shoes on this cold morning.
This emphasis on style over warmth gave him a constant, unique flair.
The outfits of the others, compared to Georgie, were much more normal.
Most wore a full set of winter clothing, paired with hats, gloves, and other warm accessories.
Mike, too, had put on a warm down jacket over his Santa Claus costume.
At 7 AM, Connie and George drove to the intersection of Medford Town, where they met up with the convoy of cars from Regina, Cady, and the other girls' families.
Here, Mike met Regina's father, a somewhat portly middle-aged man.
"Dad, this is Mike."
Seeing Mike arrive, Regina happily introduced him to her father, "The song for our performance this time was written solely by him..."
The impeccably dressed middle-aged man, upon hearing his daughter's introduction, gave Mike a scrutinizing look for a few seconds before nodding slightly in greeting.
It was clear that this middle-aged man, also named George, was not an easy person to get along with.
Mike, for his part, politely stepped forward and wished the man "Merry Christmas."
Politeness never hurts, after all.
Since Mike had, in a way, taken advantage of someone else's 'precious cabbage,' he naturally adjusted his attitude to accommodate the other party.
Afterward, he went on to greet the other three girls from The Plastics and their parents.
At the same time, the parents of the girls, Connie, and the Coopers also briefly got to know each other.
Sharing common topics, their relationships quickly became familiar.
Then, the convoy headed towards the local TV station.
After more than two hours of travel, everyone successfully arrived at the Texas TV Station.
At the entrance of the studio, the on-site staff confirmed Mike and the others' identities before leading them into the studio hall.
"That's Alana Jackson, and Owen Wilson..." As soon as she entered the hall, Connie spotted several celebrities she recognized.
Although it was only ten o'clock, and there were still about two hours until the recording of the "Christmas Joyful Day" program, many celebrities and their families had already arrived in the studio hall.
Around the semi-circular stage, some round, dining-table-like tables were scattered, giving the venue a cozy, home-like atmosphere.
The celebrities who had arrived early were sitting around the tables with their families, eating snacks and chatting.
Being able to see star in such an approachable light was also a novel experience.
Connie and the others, who hadn't seen many "live" celebrities, were clearly a bit surprised by the scene.
Among the group of parents, Regina's father was arguably the most composed.
"Look over there, it's 'Golden Snake'!" Georgie exclaimed with surprise, as if he had discovered a treasure.
Following the direction Georgie indicated, a short-haired woman in her twenties with a very well-proportioned figure was seated.
Nina Brie, a renowned contortionist specialist, had repeatedly astonished audiences with her incredible flexibility in public performances.
Her superb skill had earned her the title, "Golden Snake."
Seemingly hearing Georgie's exclamation, Nina Brie turned her head, glanced over a few times, and then nodded kindly to everyone.
Once she looked away, Mary immediately warned in a low voice, "Behave, Georgie. Don't make a fuss."
Georgie, still immersed in the joy of making eye contact with Nina Brie, didn't pay much attention to his mother's warning.
Thinking about it, Mary's surprised expression earlier wasn't much better than her eldest son's, so her warning naturally carried little persuasive power.
The staff member leading the way for everyone, however, was already accustomed to such minor incidents.
After leading Mike and the others to the table labeled "The Plastics" and "Mike," the staff member then exited the hall.
"Ho, the TV station is quite thoughtful!" Connie said with a smile as she sat down.
On the table in front of them, besides two bottles of champagne, there were various small desserts, dried fruits, and fresh fruits.
This setup was enough for a small discussion.
Connie, being naturally sociable, opened a bottle of champagne and poured a glass for each of the parents.
Mike, meanwhile, took a large bottle of juice from the table and shared it with the rest of the group.
Afterward, the mothers gathered together began to chat about their children.
However, their conversation quickly shifted from their children to celebrity gossip.
The men, who had less in common, were much quieter.
...
Around eleven o'clock, when most of the participating celebrities had arrived, several TV station staff members began to verify the guests' information table by table.
"Your song fits the Christmas theme very well, so it has been scheduled first," a staff member said after verifying the information for The Plastics and Mike, then asked, "Can you accept this arrangement?"
In the relaxed atmosphere of the studio, it would not be easy to immediately capture everyone's attention with the first performance.
Evidently, the first act to go on stage would likely serve as a warm-up for the subsequent performances.
Or, rather, to help everyone get into the mood.
Of course, from another perspective, the first act to perform also had its advantages.
That is, if the performance was spectacular enough, the ones who delivered the opening show would clearly leave a deeper impression on the audience.
Facing the staff member's polite inquiry, Mike exchanged glances with the girls and then shook his head, indicating that they had no objections.
"There's a dressing room over there. Before the program starts, you can all go there to fix your makeup or touch up," the staff member said, then thoughtfully reminded Mike and the others before leaving, "Oh, and if you have any questions later, you can always contact our staff."