Chapter 70 He most wants to see, and only wants to see...
Chapter 70
The scriptwriting process is progressing rapidly, and at the same time, it has acquired a new name—Silent.
The protagonist of the story, Afu, will be performed in the play using a combination of sign language and narration. The actor playing Afu will need to convey emotions through rich facial expressions and body language, and make corresponding accurate sign language gestures.
Even if the audience doesn't understand sign language, it's okay, the narrator will read the corresponding lines in sync to ensure that the audience can understand the storyline without any obstacles.
However, when the first draft of the script was finally finalized and everyone was ready to enter the rehearsal stage, a very real problem belatedly surfaced.
Nobody knows standard sign language!
With only two months left until the Youth Day performance, the drama club members, who usually had heavy academic workloads, could only squeeze out two days a week on weekends and a few afternoons when they had no classes to rehearse.
The actor playing Afu is a sophomore in college. He already has a tight schedule, let alone the time to learn the sign language corresponding to the lines.
Just as everyone was worrying about this and discussing whether they should hurry up and hire a sign language teacher, Yu Pan said, "I can."
Upon hearing this, the members who were discussing nearby immediately fell silent, and all their eyes turned to Yu Pan.
"Yu Pan! Did you even learn sign language specifically to write this article?!" Member A asked, both surprised and delighted.
Member B also cast an admiring glance: "You're amazing! You've thought of everything so thoroughly!"
Yu Pan simply smiled and offered no further explanation. He did not intend for others to connect this story with his own past.
Therefore, in addition to teaching classes, Yu Pan also has the additional responsibility of "sign language instruction".
In every subsequent play rehearsal, he would arrive at the rehearsal hall on time, patiently correcting "Afu's" sign language movement by movement.
The rehearsals proceeded smoothly. Yu Pan stood offstage, watching the character he had created, who shared a similar fate with him, being brought to life, interpreted, and performed on stage. This feeling was quite magical to him.
With only one week left until Youth Day, the drama club completed the third and final full dress rehearsal of "Silent".
Three days before Youth Day, the festive atmosphere on campus gradually intensified, with various clubs enthusiastically carrying out ticket giveaways, and the drama club was no exception.
They not only invited the teachers from the School of Literature, but also successfully invited several writers who are well-known in Beijing to come and provide guidance.
The Youth Day theatrical performances will last for three days, with nine plays being staged in rotation. Yu Pan's "Silence" is scheduled for the evening of the second day.
As the original creator of the script, Yu Pan naturally has the right to invite her friends and family to watch this performance.
Yu Pan's first thought was, and naturally so, of Shen Yanzhou.
Shen Yanzhou is currently in a new phase of his career, and his company just completed its relocation last month.
The day of the relocation happened to be a Friday. Yu Pan had no classes in the afternoon, so he specially bought a plane ticket and went back to Qingyu. He looked up and carefully counted the office building, which had a full twenty floors.
Looking at the neatly planned, tree-lined streets before her, Yu Pan would never have believed the dramatic changes that had taken place in just two years if she hadn't witnessed the desolate state of the area firsthand.
As the company grew, it also meant that Shen Yanzhou had a heavier burden on his shoulders. When he came to Beijing to accompany Yu Pan, his cell phone would often ring, mostly about work.
Fortunately, during those days, Yu Pan also devoted herself to club activities. While Shen Yanzhou handled work at home during the day, Yu Pan would carry her schoolbag and run to the drama club.
In the evening, the two of them would quietly snuggle on the sofa, watch TV, chat, and do things they liked, without saying a word to each other.
Tan Ming once came with Shen Yanzhou. Seeing their way of getting along, he couldn't even laugh. He said, "Seriously, what's the point of you two meeting like this? It's like you're just living together, trying to show off your tacit understanding."
Upon hearing this, Yu Pan wrinkled her nose and retorted confidently, "You don't understand us."
Tan Ming was taken aback for a moment, then raised his hands in surrender: "Okay, okay, I don't understand, I won't say anything more, alright?"
Finally, the day of the official premiere of "Silent" arrived.
Shen Yanzhou had arranged his work in advance and rushed from Qingyu to Beijing. He appeared at the entrance of the Beijing University Auditorium wearing a well-tailored dark suit. His tall figure and calm demeanor attracted a lot of attention.
Yu Pan had been peering eagerly through the gap in the curtain backstage for a long time. When she finally saw that familiar figure sitting down in the reserved front row seat, her heart immediately calmed down.
He took a deep breath and turned to immerse himself in the final preparations.
The lights dimmed, the curtain slowly rose, and the story of Afu began.
The quiet conversations from the audience gradually subsided.
My older brother went away to work, leaving only Afu at home.
Afu is mute, but he also wants to help his older brother, so he timidly goes out to find work.
The scene changed, and Afu stopped in front of the bookstall.
The old man at the bookstall looked up at him and said, "Take whatever you want to see."
Afu read for a long time, and before leaving, he kept looking at the manuscript paper in front of the old man at the bookstall.
Seeing that Afu was staring at him, the old man at the bookstall picked up a piece of paper...
As Yu Pan watched this scene, it was as if she had returned to many years ago when she stood in the bookstore and asked the old man at the bookstore if she could also write articles and submit them.
Encouraged, Afu began writing an article and soon submitted it, only to receive a rejection letter as expected.
Afu lowered his head and folded the rejection letter into a crooked little square, again and again. He didn't cry, and even smiled when facing his older brother.
The older brother noticed and took him out.
...
At the end of the story, Afu received the acceptance notice and his first payment. He held the thin piece of paper, his hands trembling violently.
Afu raised his head, looked at his older brother who had been silently supporting him from a distance, the bookstore grandpa, and the landlady grandma, and opened his mouth.
Then, he raised his hand and began to sign language, the movements gradually increasing in speed and force, accompanied by Afu's inner monologue playing from the side of the stage:
"I did it. I am not a burden. I can also use my pen to write a small world."
As the last sign language gesture came to a stop, Afu looked at his older brother, a bright smile spreading across his face, his eyes glistening with tears.
The older brother didn't say anything; he just walked over and, as he always did, ruffled Afu's hair.
The music reached its climax at this moment.
The curtain slowly closed amidst applause, separating the stage from the audience. Yu Pan remained standing there, her heart pounding, the enthusiastic applause from the curtain call still ringing in her ears.
Before he could even catch his breath, he heard someone shout, "Get ready quickly, we're going on stage for our curtain call! Everyone's going, so get ready right away!"
Yu Pan was pushed and shoved by several excited members, joining the crowd preparing to go on stage again. Everyone's faces were filled with excitement, and they even helped each other adjust their costumes.
The heavy curtain was slowly pulled back to both sides once again.
The stage lights were all on, illuminating everyone's face clearly.
They stood in several rows, with the senior student who played Afu standing at the front. His eyes were still a little red, clearly indicating that he had not yet completely detached himself from the character's emotions.
A wave of applause, louder than ever before, surged forth, and all the actors stepped forward and bowed deeply.
After straightening up, Senior Afu turned to the side, his gaze searching through the crowd behind him. He quickly locked onto Yu Pan, who looked a little uneasy, and smiled as he gestured for her to enter.
The other members understood immediately and made way for Yu Pan, smiling as they pushed her to the front of the stage to stand alongside Senior Afu.
The spotlight shone on him, and Yu Pan could feel his face burning hot. He stood there somewhat awkwardly under the lights, facing the audience who were still applauding, his heart pounding in his throat.
Yu Pan subconsciously looked toward Chen Yanzhou's location.
Shen Yanzhou remained seated, no longer clapping, quietly watching the stage. The stage lights created a halo around Yu Pan, making him look somewhat unreal.
He naturally saw the look in Yu's eyes, which contained nervousness and shyness, but more than anything, a reliance seeking his confirmation.
Shen Yanzhou nodded with approval at Yu Pan, who was once timid and prone to crying but is now able to stand on the university stage and receive applause from the crowd.
With just this one action, Yu Pan felt as if she had received the best reward in the world, and all her tension vanished in that instant.
He took a deep breath, faced the audience below the stage, and bowed deeply once again to his partners who had fought alongside him.
After the performance came to a successful close, Yu Pan did not go out for a meal with the other members, but went straight to Chen Yanzhou.
Right now, the person he most wants to see, and only wants to see, is Shen Yanzhou.
-
Unlike the excited Yu Pan, he also failed to notice that there were three people with different expressions sitting in the audience below the stage.
Wu Chongzhi was dragged to school by his parents to receive literary education. He has never been interested in plays and would fall asleep while watching them.
Fortunately, these campus performances don't last too long. Just as he was about to fall completely asleep, the show finally ended and the curtain fell.
Wu Chongzhi squinted, looking at the stage with a bored expression, until the boy pushed to the front by the crowd and called the original author Yu Pan came into view. His eyes widened instantly, and all sleepiness vanished.
Is it him? Yu Pan, who is said to look a lot like him?
Wu Chongzhi had heard his classmates mention that a girl named Yu Pan from the School of Literature looked remarkably like him and they often mistook one of them for the other.
When he heard this, he thought these people were making a fuss over nothing. There are plenty of people in the world who look alike, so what's so strange about it?
My classmate shook his head and said, "You'll see when you get there."
Wu Chongzhi didn't care about it at all, nor did he make a special effort to look for it. In addition, the school was so big and there were so many people that the chance of seeing it without making a special effort was almost zero.
Upon seeing him again, he subconsciously touched his face, thinking to himself, "He really does look quite like me..."
Even more astonished than Wu Chongzhi were his parents, Wu Zewen and Su Wenjun, who were standing beside him.
Su Wenjun trembled uncontrollably. She grabbed her husband Wu Zewen's hand, her nails almost digging into his flesh. "Zewen, is he...is he Xiaoyuan? He is Xiaoyuan, isn't he?"
Wu Zewen also stared intently at the young man on the stage. The way the boy smiled, especially the shape of his eyes, did indeed... did indeed bear an uncanny resemblance to his wife when she was young.
But having been through more, Wu Zewen was more composed than his wife. He took her cold hand in return and whispered, "Wenjun, don't get agitated. Calm down. We've been searching for so long, and we've met people who look similar. We... we still need to confirm."
However, he could not take his gaze off the figure that was bowing.
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Author's Note: Panpan [Cathead]: Do you see how much I resemble my former self? [Okay][Sprinkling flowers][Cathead]
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