Chapter 72 Compartments

Lu Yanhe thought for a moment, but couldn't figure out what everyone would be talking about.

He had no choice but to go back to his seat and sit down.

But even after he sat down, the eyes of those around him still seemed to drift towards him, albeit subtly.

Lu Yanhe had no choice but to turn to the neighbor and ask, "What's going on? Can you explain why everyone is looking at me?"

The people next door said, "They were just talking about the live broadcast of your rehearsal footage from last night."

"Huh? What's there to discuss about this?"

"They're talking about the questions the host asked you. She asked if many girls at school liked you, and she also asked if you had a crush on anyone."

"..." Lu Yanhe felt inexplicably embarrassed.

His classmate was considerate of his feelings and stopped the conversation at the right time.

At this moment, Li Pengfei arrived.

He laughed twice as soon as he entered the door and said, "Old Lu, what exactly happened to you last night? How did you end up with such a brain-dead host?"

His loud voice was so loud that the whole class could hear him when he shouted.

Lu Yanhe: "You should sit down quickly, don't start babbling as soon as you walk in like a loudspeaker."

Li Pengfei: "..."

That's the kind of place schools are; if someone makes a news story, it can spread throughout the whole school in less than half a day.

Last night's live interview didn't actually attract much attention online, and it wasn't very popular. However, if one student shared it in the class group, it meant that all the class groups in the school would forward it.

Lu Yanhe was one of the two stars of their No. 13 Middle School, while the other, Yan Liang, was rarely seen at school, so Lu Yanhe naturally became the one who received the most attention.

Li Pengfei asked, "You're officially recording tonight. Have you decided what you want to sing?"

“Yes.” Lu Yanhe nodded. “We rehearsed yesterday, so of course we’ve thought it through.”

“That makes sense. So what time are you leaving?” Li Pengfei asked.

"We have to leave at five o'clock, and we still need to get our hair and makeup done," Lu Yanhe said.

“The last class is taught by Lao Lin, she might be sarcastic or sarcastic towards you again,” Li Pengfei said.

"fine."

Lu Yanhe didn't have a bad impression of Mr. Lin, the geography teacher. Although he spoke directly and wasn't very pleasant, he meant well and never intentionally tried to disgust students.

Previously, because Lu Yanhe often missed school, Lin Jue said in front of the whole class, "You are not Lu Yanhe, so you don't need to study hard. Anyway, you can become stars in the future." Lu Yanhe felt uncomfortable hearing this, but after thinking about it, he understood that the person was not targeting him, although the words were definitely meant to express some dissatisfaction with him.

Lin Jue is a rather old-fashioned teacher who believes that students should stay in school and study diligently. Therefore, she disapproves of Lu Yanhe's previous inconsistent study habits. She uses Lu Yanhe as an example to motivate the unserious students in the class to make the most of their remaining time and work hard.

In the afternoon, after the first class, Lu Yanhe went to Lin Jue's office.

"Teacher Lin." He knocked on the door.

Lin Jue was bent over preparing his lesson.

She looked up at Lu Yanhe, glanced at him with some surprise, and said, "Come in."

As Lu Yanhe approached, she spoke, "A rare guest indeed. Is there something you need?"

Lu Yanhe said, "Teacher Lin, because I have a program recording tonight, I need to leave school at five o'clock and can't teach today's geography class. I'd like to ask you for leave."

"Just ask your homeroom teacher for leave," Lin Jue said directly.

"Yes, I've already invited them. I came specifically to let you know since it's your class."

Lin Jue's expression softened slightly at this moment.

"You came all the way here to tell me, so it seems you really respect me, Teacher Lin."

“I have always respected you,” Lu Yanhe said. “I want to improve my grades, and I hope you can guide me more in the future.”

A look of relief flashed across Lin Jue's eyes.

“It’s good that you have this idea. I also saw your exam results last time. You’ve made great progress. However, it’s harder to improve as you go on, especially with your foundation.” Lin Jue asked, “You’re going to take the art exam route in the future. The academic score requirement isn’t high. If you study hard, it won’t be difficult to get into a good performing arts school.”

-

Many people still believe that Lu Yanhe will participate in the art exam.

Lu Yanhe used to explain, but he won't anymore.

Whether others understand these things or not is not important. He has only one goal: to get into a good university through the college entrance examination.

If Lu Yanhe had this idea before because he had no other choice but to follow this path, now he still insists on it because he is thinking about his future.

What kind of person does he want to become?

Of course, he could pursue the path of an entertainer. But he didn't want to be so passive. Sudden fame, news coverage, and TV show invitations all happened unexpectedly, without warning, and he didn't have any control over the situation.

Lu Yanhe wasn't unwilling to inherit the original owner's ideas and make a name for himself as an artist, but he wanted more initiative and choices.

This is certainly not easy, but if he gives up on the college entrance examination because of this sudden surge in popularity, he knows that he will always be in a passive position.

Not to mention, his agent, Zhou Ping'an, for some reason, always wanted to terminate his contract.

Lu Yanhe hadn't really thought it through. Even if he got into a good university, it wouldn't give him much more say, but at least it would be a path unrelated to acting, a fallback plan.

Having a way out means you won't be stuck with one thing and won't gamble everything.

-

"Don't give me any more gigs like 'Little Songs Gathering'. Not many people watch it, so singing is pointless."

Chen Ziliang glanced at his manager with displeasure and said, "Look at all the people recording the show with me. Who are they? Louis Wang, an internet celebrity singer; Liu Zhilan, a forty-year-old auntie who's been washed up for ten years; Qin Zhibai, a newcomer I've never even heard of, just a nepotism hire, stuffed in by the investors; and that guy, Lu Yanhe, damn it, a washed-up idol... Who are they?! Are you expecting me to carry all of them?"

The agent explained helplessly, "Ziliang, this program is a hardship for you, but it's a program of Aurora Video. We have a cooperation framework agreement with them. When we signed the regular contract with 'Ace Person,' there was a clause that we had to participate in other programs of Aurora Video. You know that, just bear with it. It's just an occasional recording."

"What, only record one episode occasionally? You mean I have to keep recording this lousy show?!"

The voices of Chen Ziliang and his agent faded into the distance.

Lu Yanhe didn't come out of the restroom stall until their voices had completely disappeared.

Being directly called a "washed-up idol" by Chen Ziliang made Lu Yanhe feel a tightness in his chest. Although it was true, being so dismissively denied still ignited a fire in his heart.

At that moment, the door to the next cubicle was also pushed open.

Lu Yanhe turned his head in surprise.

(End of this chapter)