Chapter 23

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「So cool!」

  Liu Ye circled the notice board repeatedly, admiring his own photo displayed inside.

  ”Cool? You’re just riding on Lin Hao’s popularity. All they managed to capture was a small bit of your face. Don’t get cocky now,” said Niu Qingfeng, still groggy from lack of sleep. After grueling military training followed by a National Day holiday, most people had gone wild. But with classes now in session, he hadn’t forgotten and urged him on, “Come on, stop looking. You’ll have time to admire yourself after class.”

  “Oh yeah, where did they go?”

  “They got up ages ago. We tried to wake you, but you didn’t respond. Still, it’s hard to say what those two are up to, getting up so early.”

  “Exactly, I don’t get half the things Lin Hao and Qin Hao do,” Liu Ye nodded in agreement.

  “Right? If I were Lin Hao, I’d get into a relationship first. Hey, do you think he’s just oblivious? He has a prime opportunity here, and he’s not even chasing a single girl. Is he really that uninterested?” Niu Qingfeng was puzzled as well.

  “No idea, but I think he’s just being dumb.”

  What neither of them realized was that, at their age, the girls around Lin Hao were still like “little sprouts” — immature and not yet fully developed.

  Reluctantly glancing one last time at the slightly blurry photo of himself, Liu Ye quickly followed Niu Qingfeng to the classroom. The course they were attending was a required class focused on voice, body movement, and presentation, with their first class being a performance session with Ms. Chang Li.

  The classroom was already pretty full.

  The seats lined the edges, leaving a space in the center for performances. Following Niu Qingfeng’s gesture, Liu Ye spotted Lin Hao and Qin Hao already seated over there.

  …

  Class started on time, and everyone was present.

  Looking at the faces below, some appeared excited, others tired, and some even seemed lost in thought. Witnessing this mix, Ms. Chang Li, taking on the role of homeroom teacher for the first time, felt her decision was validated.

  She reiterated the main points emphasized at the start of the semester, understanding that the break may have caused many to forget after the intensity of military training. She emphasized avoiding impatience, discouraging thoughts of rushing to start acting roles, and refraining from accepting random acting gigs.

  She stressed the relationship between teacher and student as one rooted in artistic connection and encouraged everyone to love acting, reminding them that all efforts here must prioritize performance.

  Lin Hao could tell she genuinely loved her craft and was committed to this role. Her speech lifted the spirits of the class, and she soon announced, “Alright, now let’s start our entrance assessment.”

  “Huh?”

  The class let out a collective, synchronized gasp. Just like that, everyone’s morning drowsiness disappeared. Wait, weren’t we supposed to ease into it a bit? Was this intense start really happening on the first day?

  “Enough with the ‘huh’s. I’ll give you your prompt: it’s called ‘Making a Phone Call.’ Now everyone go outside, no peeking. Based on your test scores, we’ll go one by one. You each have one minute, and you must think on your own outside without consulting each other. Zhang Tong and Niu Qingfeng, you’ll help supervise.” Ms. Chang dismissed their pleas and promptly sent them all out of the classroom.

  What’s there to complain about? I’m the one who should be complaining!

  Lin Hao was beginning to understand a new saying: “The early bird gets shot first.” Just as they tormented me in military training, now I have to go first?

  …

  “Come in,” Ms. Chang called, seeing Lin Hao peeking in from the doorway, “I believe in you; let’s get started!”

  “…Actually, I…”

  “Come on! After that performance the other day, I’m looking forward to seeing what you’ll do.”

  Well, no use in arguing.

  Lin Hao took a few steps forward, made a gesture to open the door, and then stepped in to “pick up” the phone.

  These actions were solid, showcasing his years of experience and body control. When opening the “door,” he had the strength and precision down pat, moving with the right pace and control. Ms. Chang was impressed; she’d seen plenty of freshmen “open the door” with a flimsy wave, which lacked authenticity.

  She was beginning to see how much extra training Mr. Tian must have provided him.

  Then, Lin Hao picked up the phone, showing a hint of agitation, pressing his thumb and forefinger together as he gazed downward, then glancing back at the phone.

  Ms. Chang thought he was probably checking a number, though Lin Hao was actually stalling to give himself a bit more time to think.

  Then, an idea struck him.

  Pulling himself together, he picked up the phone and started dialing.

  As he did, his fingers moved from a brisk pace to a more deliberate one, trying to convey the character’s inner conflict and hesitation. With solo performances like this, there’s no one to act alongside you, so it’s important for the audience to follow the logic of the unseen counterpart.

  …

  “Hello?”

  “Ah… um, it’s me, Lin Hao. So…”

  “Yes, yes, it’s me!”

  “I heard from Erhu. Yeah, I didn’t know you’d ended up over here until he mentioned it.”

  “Yeah, so I… Oh, nothing, just doing some small business. And you? What are you up to?”

  “Really? That’s great.”

  “Sure, sure! I’m pretty free these days, should be no problem!”

  “Oh… right, you already have a kid, huh? Congratulations…”

  “Stop! Time’s up!”

  Before Lin Hao could finish expressing his emotions, Ms. Chang stopped him, and he was left a bit flustered. Hiding any signs of satisfaction or disappointment, she quickly called in the next student, Zhang Tong, without sending Lin Hao out.

  The second performer, Zhang Tong, came in visibly nervous but clearly prepared, beginning with, “Hello? Mom! I told you, stop calling me. I’m fine here!”

  Yuan Quan followed, “Mom, I know. It’s fine, no need to keep calling.”

  Tian Zheng said, “Hello, Mom, I forgot some stuff at home.”

  “Mom!”

  “Enough!”

  Liu Ye, caught off guard, watched as Ms. Chang stormed up and addressed the students, her fiery expression mirrored by a few awkward classmates. Those lacking much performance experience overthought it, while Ms. Chang stood by the door, declaring, “Listen up! No more calls to ‘Mom’ next round. Next!”

  …

  When the test wrapped up, it turned out that everyone except Lin Hao had called their mother.

  No one even called their father.

  In Ms. Chang’s words:

  “Leaving aside the narrow thinking, your performances didn’t embody the right movement. Where was your eye contact? Your body language?”

  She summed it up with three key points:

  First, body movement was subpar. Many seemed unaware that the phone was stationary and wandered all over the place.

  Second, eye contact was poor; too many watched Ms. Chang’s reactions, sneaking glances instead of focusing on the emotions tied to the call.

  Third, their lines were weak. Once they moved past the familiar intro, they floundered, spouting words that sounded stilted even to themselves.

  “Lin Hao, don’t smirk. You have these issues too!”

  What? That’s unfair; I wasn’t even smirking!

  “Class, listen.”

  Ignoring Lin Hao’s bewildered look, Ms. Chang continued seriously, “These tests aren’t one-offs. Throughout your freshman year, there will be many of these assessments. Each one will count toward your grade.”

  Seeing the class finally take her words seriously, Ms. Chang delivered her final point, “If you want to avoid failing, you’ll need to work hard. And I’m declaring now: apart from Lin Hao, all of your first performances were unsatisfactory.”