Tuesday, December 16th.
Knowing that Wu Chen and Pu Songri were going to the Performance Department to help with photography today, Chu Tianshu and Xiang Zhuo wrapped themselves in overcoats and braved the biting cold wind to leave, not forgetting to grumble, “No loyalty,” as they closed the door.
At 8:30 AM, the dormitory’s Chunyan brand alarm clock suddenly blared, its tin casing vibrating the enamel mug on the windowsill, causing it to hum in resonance.
Wu Chen lazily stretched, but the moment he threw off his covers, the icy sensation swept over him.
Wu Chen shivered as he pulled on his long johns, then swung his legs out of bed, kicking Pu Songri’s bed frame along the way. “Get up, hurry! That alarm is so loud it can’t even wake up a dog like you.”
“Huh, where are Xiang Zhuo and the others?” Pu Songri opened his eyes groggily.
“Nonsense, they went to class!” Wu Chen was about to turn on the faucet when he found it completely frozen.
“No way, again?”
Wu Chen complained helplessly. Guangzhou was so much better; why was using water here such a hassle?
“Chen Ge, move aside, watch me.” Seeing this, Pu Songri’s bulky body nimbly bounced, pulling Wu Chen back a few steps. He then directly kicked the faucet three times in a row, and finally, a thin stream of rusty water sputtered out.
“How’s that?” Pu Songri immediately boasted.
“Damn it, this faucet is just a cheap piece of junk, it even has a masochistic tendency!” Wu Chen grumbled, not offering a single word of praise. “And when will this dormitory get better? Is the school that poor?”
“This generation of ours is out of luck.” Pu Songri shook his head. The moment he touched the cold water, his entire plump body shivered slightly.
...
Beijing Film Academy’s Performance and Directing Building, third-floor small theater. The wooden floor still bore burn marks from cigarette butts from the student performance of “Red Sorghum” in 1987.
“Is everyone here?” Wang Jinsong arrived late, looking at the people already preparing, and called out.
“Teacher, all ten people are here,” Zhou Yang replied loudly. “It’s just that the senior brothers from the Photography Department haven’t arrived yet!”
“Hmm, I know. They’re on their way with the equipment. You can start preparing. Don’t waste these two days of rehearsal time. I specifically brought in the Photography Department because I want you to find your own problems after the rehearsal.”
Wang Jinsong said calmly, then glanced at the time.
As soon as he finished speaking, there was a rush of footsteps from the doorway.
Wu Chen and Pu Songri hurried in with their equipment. Seeing Wang Jinsong, they quickly called out, “Teacher Wang!”
“Hmm, you’re here. Thank you for your hard work.” Wang Jinsong smiled.
“It’s nothing, it’s what we should do. It’s also a good exercise for us,” Wu Chen replied with a smile, skillfully setting up the Manfrotto 055 tripod.
“This tripod has so many problems, the squeaking is so loud,” Pu Songri complained, also starting to set up the Lowell Diva-Lite 300 portable softbox.
“The fluid head lacks damping oil, so there’s a metal friction sound when panning. It’s normal!” Wu Chen replied without lifting his head. In the blink of an eye, he had the tripod perfectly set up, then mounted the Sony DSR-PD150 analog camera, and even adjusted it by hand.
“Perfect, I’m done here. Songri, how about you?”
“Done! The microphone is also set up. I’ll do a sound check!” Pu Songri was clearly not as skilled as Wu Chen and was still a bit flustered.
Wang Jinsong watched all of this, nodding silently.
“As expected of the talent Lao Mu recommended. He’s got something.”
...
On stage, Zhou Yang and a few others were already contemplating their lines, while Liu Yifei sat in a corner, holding her script and quietly reciting it, as a substitute might still need to go on stage.
The commotion of Wu Chen and Pu Songri setting up their equipment eventually drew the attention of the Performance Department class. Many secretly peeked over.
“Oh, Xixi, isn’t this the senior brother we saw in the cafeteria yesterday? They’re actually from the Photography Department…” Zhou Yang said with some surprise.
Liu Yifei heard this, her small hand barely brushing the stray hairs on her forehead, and looked up.
“It really seems to be them!”
“They know Senior Sister Dong Xuan and the others, so they’re probably senior brothers from the fourth year. But how come fourth-year senior brothers feel so young?” Zhou Yang stroked her chin, unable to figure it out for a moment.
“Hehe, won’t we know if we ask later?”
“……”
“Clap, clap!” Wang Jinsong stood on stage, clapping his hands. “Alright, now put down your scripts, get ready for three minutes, and then we’ll start the rehearsal!”
Immediately, the ten people on stage quieted down, putting their things away, though two people remained seated in the corner.
Wu Chen and Pu Songri finally had time to look at the people on stage.
“Chen Ge, the quality here feels much better than the girls in our class,” Pu Songri whispered to Wu Chen, his eyes wide.
“That’s a no-brainer, isn’t it? This is the Performance Department. If they were all ugly, who would the audience watch? Actually, the two girls in our class aren’t bad, but they’re certainly not as good as the ones here.”
Wu Chen swept his gaze across them with an appreciative eye, only slightly surprised because it seemed like someone was missing, until his eyes landed on the corner.
Dressed in a black down jacket, her small head propped up by her hand, she sat quietly in the corner, her clear eyes fixed on the people on stage.
Seemingly sensing his gaze, Liu Yifei slightly looked up, her eyes meeting Wu Chen’s.
The moment her gaze met Wu Chen’s, two lines of laughter crinkled at the corners of her eyes. The collagen unique to a sixteen-year-old girl created a rippling halo, fresh as a pear blossom blooming in early spring.
Wu Chen smiled slightly, nodding in acknowledgment from across the room.
“Chen Ge, that’s Liu Yifei, who’s so popular right now, right? I heard she’s only a little over 16, and she’s already so famous, and she’s so beautiful. What window do you think God closed for her?”
Pu Songri sighed with emotion.
Who wouldn’t be confused by this beginning?
“Probably the chat window with you,” Wu Chen joked.
“Ah!” Pu Songri was stunned for half a second. “Bah, bah, bah!”
“Chen Ge, you’re not much better than me. You’re just a bit taller than me, a bit handsomer than me, a bit better at photography than me, a bit more popular with teachers than me, a bit…”
As Pu Songri kept enumerating, he suddenly deflated like a wilted eggplant, his voice growing softer and softer.
“Mm-hmm, keep going, don’t stop,” Wu Chen said with a satisfied smile, listening contentedly.
Enjoying it!
“I’m not saying anymore, it’s too demoralizing.”
Pu Songri raised his chubby hand and pretended to wipe the corner of his eye, though there wasn’t a single tear there.
“What are these two Photography Department clowns doing down there? Their expressions and movements are more exaggerated than our Performance Department class.”
Wang Jinsong was about to tell Wu Chen and Pu Songri to get ready and focus, but he unexpectedly witnessed the whole scene. Although he didn’t hear what they were saying, their expressions were certainly rich enough.
The students from the Performance Department on stage couldn’t help but chuckle.
“Xixi, did you see that? Those two senior brothers from the Photography Department are quite amusing!” Zhou Yang quietly stepped back and whispered to Liu Yifei.
“I saw!” Liu Yifei couldn’t help but smile. She had watched the entire scene unfold as well.
“Xixi, you look so beautiful when you smile!”
Zhou Yang couldn’t help but exclaim in admiration at that moment.
At this moment, the thin winter sunlight pierced through the windows of the tiered classroom, bathing Liu Yifei’s hair in a translucent golden-brown hue, which, combined with her earlier charming smile, looked like a scene etched in time….