School Anniversary
When the news came, Ou Liyao felt like the sky was falling. They had worked so hard to rehearse for more than a month, and then this disaster struck at the very last moment before the preliminary selection. She anxiously grabbed Xu Changjia's sleeve, "Jiajia, what should we do now?"
Everyone gathered around, looking helplessly at Zhuo Hui holding the number plates in his hands. Everyone had put in their hard work and sweat, and no one wanted the show to fall apart. Only Zhang Yuning looked up at Li Teng, and the sight of him staring at him made people uneasy.
"Hey, Zhang, the academic genius, why are you looking at me like that?" He was completely baffled and could only ask.
Zhang Yuning didn't answer his question, but instead pointed to the person next to him and asked, "Was everything he just said true?"
He didn't understand what the person meant by the question, but Xu Changjia, who was standing next to him, seemed to realize something and looked at him expectantly, "He means, did you really memorize the entire script of 'The Legend of the Republic of China'?"
Li Teng's heart skipped a beat, as if he understood their intentions, and he nodded seriously, "Yes."
Xu Changjia, his two friends, and Zhuo Hui put their heads together and decided to try anything, even if it seemed hopeless. They suggested that Zhuo Hui give up the role and replace him with Li Teng. Zhuo Hui felt very guilty, but he still didn't quite trust this student from another class, especially since he was a poor student who had reportedly received a major demerit from the head of student affairs. How could he feel at ease with him? After all, this concerned the collective honor of their class.
He pulled Zhang Yuning aside, pointed to the people next to them, and asked in a low voice, "Master, are that guy and the people he brought reliable? Can we trust them?"
Zhang Yuning retorted, "Class monitor, what is it about them that makes them untrustworthy? He saved our seats for us, and he ran around doing all the work for our program. Even if they don't deserve a thank you, don't look down on them."
This was the first time he had ever confronted someone so directly. Only after it was over did he realize that he had actually spoken up for Li Teng and the others. He wondered if he had been influenced by Xu Changjia and Ou Liyao, or if he had developed some feelings for them after spending so much time with them. This was a question worth pondering.
While he was communicating with the class monitor, Xu Changjia and Ou Liyao were already explaining the script to Li Teng. Time was tight, so they couldn't explain too much to him. They could only explain some of the key scenes to him. Li Teng had memorized the script, so he understood it easily with just a few words from them. They quickly went over the plot with him.
The preceding performances were all singing and dancing, each lasting only three to five minutes. In no time at all, it was their turn. Xu Changjia waited with them, her heart pounding so hard it felt like it was going to jump out of her throat. Although she wasn't going to perform, she was even more nervous than the people on stage, constantly worrying: "I forgot to tell Li Teng this, or I didn't remind them of that. What am I going to do on stage later?"
She watched scene after scene, and thankfully, she made no mistakes. She passed the next scene unscathed. Just as the plot was reaching its climax, turning from joy to sorrow, she breathed a sigh of relief. She had caught it all.
When Li Teng's character and his henchman died on the battlefield, even she, the person directing the play, had tears in her eyes. Their performance was truly excellent, very immersive, and drew the audience in. The short ten-minute script, with its three dramatic twists and turns, impressed all six judges, who nodded in approval of their acting and the script. They immediately announced that the performance would be retained and performed again at the school anniversary celebration. The performers on stage were overjoyed and bowed repeatedly in gratitude.
As soon as they left the stage, Xu Changjia handed out wet wipes from her bag to each of them to wipe their sweat. "Thank you for your hard work, everyone." Ou Liyao took the wipes, put a hand on her shoulder, and her face said, "Praise me, okay?"
"You are all amazing!" Xu Changjia praised them and was genuinely happy for them. In particular, Li Teng, who was brought in at the last minute, performed unexpectedly well. He not only carried the show without making a single mistake, but he also seemed to be surpassing the two main actors. Who would have known that this was his first time acting and his first time on stage?
The group chatted and laughed, then returned to their seats to watch the other performances. This is where the advantage of having your show earlier in the program became apparent: once it was over, you could go back to your seat and lie down to enjoy the next seventy or eighty acts. But watching for too long could be tiring. The last few dozen song and dance performances gradually became boring, and some even fell asleep in their seats.
Ou Liyao tilted her head to the side, still sleepy as she leaned on her shoulder after waking up. "Jiajia, how many more shows are left?"
"It's ninety-one, there are only six more shows left, you can sleep a little longer." She gently patted Ou Liyao's head and coaxed her back to sleep.
After all the programs were screened, only fifty programs remained. One of the teachers came out and read out again which programs were left. Zhuo Hui's solo performance was selected, and Xu Changjia's class also had five programs selected.
The teacher who read the announcement said that their program would need to be rearranged and the order would be changed. They would need to rehearse three times a week, on Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays, until the school anniversary. No leave or lateness was allowed for rehearsals, and they had to wear their performance clothes. The teacher hoped that they would treat every stage performance as a performance and take it seriously.
Li Teng hadn't expected that acting in a play or rehearsing a program would be so troublesome. He could have found two or three days to study, but because of the daily rehearsals for the school anniversary celebration, he had no time to prepare for his college entrance exams. Several times he considered telling Xu Changjia that they should just quit the play with his good friends. They were spending most of the day there every day, making them lose focus in class. The top students didn't care; being good at their studies meant they didn't have to worry about the exams and could pass with minimal effort, unlike them, who had to put in 200% effort to get their diplomas.
But looking at Xu Changjia, he hesitated whether he should ask her to come. She didn't have to come, but she still ran errands for them, helping with everything, from what anyone needed to their clothes to whoever needed it. She stayed with them for three or four hours every day. He was the one who cried and begged to join this little theater, and now that he was one of the three main actors, he was the one who wanted to quit. Wasn't that unethical?
He sighed and calmly recited his lines again, then continued acting, day after day, week after week, until finally the day or two before the school anniversary celebration arrived. All they had to do was submit the USB drive and script again, and then they could wait for the performance with peace of mind.
Zhang Yuning took the two items from Xu Changjia and said he would hand them in. Seeing that there was still time, he went to the office, borrowed a cell phone from the homeroom teacher, Teacher Wang, and called that person.
He waited all day, doing several practice tests but still somewhat distracted, until Teacher Wang came over after evening self-study and showed him the text message. Only then did Zhang Yuning hand over the USB drive and script to the studio right on time.
On the day of the school's anniversary, the morning included a speech by the principal and a rally for the senior students to pledge their commitment to the school for 100 days. At noon, the school arranged a buffet lunch and a visit to the school history museum. In the evening, in addition to the students and parents of Junzhou No. 1 Middle School, they also invited some local TV stations, singers, and dancers to be part of their program.
The script for "A Playful Tale of the Republic of China" was placed in the third chapter of the four-part series. Xu Changjia accompanied them during the waiting period and rehearsed for over a month. The teachers all knew that she had written the original script and was also the one who orchestrated the entire production. The seven programs they selected were all incorporated into various singing programs, and even Zhuo Hui's solo was added to a song and dance medley. Only their script could be shown for ten minutes on its own and was even broadcast on Junzhou TV. The quality of this program was beyond question.
Xu Changjia sat in the audience, watching Ou Liyao and Zhang Yuning on stage, as well as Li Teng, who was pulled in at the last minute but performed earnestly.
Their performance, as passionate as a heavy snowfall, stirred up a bittersweet feeling in her heart. The once noisy studio fell silent. Xu Changjia, sitting in the audience, had tears welling up in her eyes. Every magnified detail on the big screen drew thunderous applause when each piano piece played its background music at just the right moment.
The final scene of the play shows Li Teng's character rushing to the battlefield with his brothers, fighting tenaciously against the invaders, and finally falling in a pool of blood. Then, memories of his lost youth flood his mind, and he shouts the resounding line, "I have fallen, but millions of people behind me have stood up. Our spirit will never be extinguished, and will live on forever."
Xu Changjia found it strange that the drum rhythm did not start, but paused for almost a minute, and then a spirited song was released. It was Zheng Ruoqian's voice!
Her smile was tinged with tears, I couldn't tell if it was because she was moved by "The Legend of the Republic of China," or because the entire four-person team had participated in this event, and no one had missed a moment. No wonder, it turns out he actually found Zheng Ruoqian, so the piano piece at the beginning was also played by him. He re-recorded all the background music for our little theater, and this song, he must have rewritten it too, right?
Eager for an answer, she crouched down and ran backstage as the curtain fell, when a voice rang in her mind, "Ding-dong—"
"Congratulations, host, for successfully creating more possibilities for the future of Zheng Ruoqian, Ou Liyao, and Zhang Yuning. You are rewarded with three months of lifespan."
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