Chapter 25 The happiest thing is having a paid vacation...
Professor He Tinglan closed her lesson plan, just as the bell rang to signal the end of get out of class.
She didn't leave immediately, but instead packed up her lecture notes and went straight to Yun Qingqing, who was still sitting in her seat.
"Yun Qingqing, please wait a moment."
Yun looked up at the sound and saw that Professor He had already walked to her desk.
Gu Mingyan had intended to leave hand in hand with her, but stopped when she saw this.
“I didn’t have time to say much in class just now.” He Tinglan took out a business card from the folder and handed it to Yun Qingqing. “This is my contact information. If you are really interested in radiation physics, feel free to contact me anytime if you have any questions or need any learning advice.”
Yun Qingqing took the business card with both hands and saw that it simply read "He Tinglan, Professor and Doctoral Supervisor, School of Physics, Yuncheng University," followed by her email address and office phone number.
"Thank you, Professor He." She carefully put the business card away.
He Tinglan nodded to her before turning and leaving the classroom.
As soon as she left, the atmosphere in the classroom immediately relaxed.
Ji Sihan was the first to come over, patting his chest exaggeratedly: "Qingqing, you're amazing! I was completely lost the whole time, but you were able to talk back to the professor so fluently!"
He gave a thumbs up: "Wow, that's a genius!"
Even the usually taciturn Yu Ran turned slightly and commented, "Very impressive."
Gu Mingyan raised her chin high, even happier than if she had been praised herself: "Of course! Our Qingqing is just low-key and doesn't like to show off, but she's actually very smart!"
Meng Xian stood a few steps away, listening to every word of the conversation, which made her even more annoyed.
She thought that with her careful preparation, she could easily outperform Gu Mingyan and Yun Qingqing in this class and win back some points.
Unexpectedly, Yun Qingqing was able to keep up with Professor He's questions without making a sound, and even received such rare recognition.
Meng Xian has always had a smooth life, but on this show, she always feels resentful of being outdone by others.
She composed herself, stepped forward, and interjected with a smile, "Qingqing is truly amazing; I was completely blown away. It seems I'll have to learn more from her in the future."
Then, she turned to the director and asked in a lighthearted tone, "Director, what are we going to learn next? Is it going to be another hardcore course?"
She tried to steer the conversation away from Yun Qingqing.
The director glanced at the schedule and replied, "The next class is an acting class. Considering that we have many actor teachers among our guests, the production team has specially arranged acting training."
"Acting class?" Meng Xian's eyes lit up instantly.
Acting is her area of expertise.
Although she wouldn't dare say her acting skills were superb, compared to Yun Qingqing, a complete novice, and Gu Mingyan, whose acting was ridiculed by the media, she definitely had an advantage.
The group then went to another, more spacious dance studio with wooden floors.
Pushing open the door, a middle-aged male teacher was already waiting inside. He was wearing a casual suit, and his hair was neatly combed, somewhat different from the casual image of artists that people usually have of him.
Upon seeing him, Meng Xian couldn't suppress her smile: "Teacher Xu Hui! It's actually you!"
The teacher, Xu Hui, turned around upon hearing the voice, and upon seeing Meng Xian, smiled gently: "Little Meng? What a coincidence?"
The director interjected at the opportune moment: "So, Teacher Meng and Teacher Xu know each other?"
"I know him more than just acquaintances!" Meng Xian exclaimed admiringly. "The actor training class I attended last year had Xu Hui as the main lecturer! Professor Xu is a titan in the drama world, and his 'immersive situational teaching method' is incredibly powerful..."
She spoke at length about her experiences and gains from teaching, praising Xu Hui's teaching achievements and professional standing.
Xu Hui couldn't help but show a pleased expression on his face as he was publicly fawned over by his students.
"Xiao Meng, you're too kind. It's because you've put in the effort. I remember you performed very well in the training course, which is truly rare among young actors."
Meng Xian blushed slightly and lowered her head modestly: "It's because the teacher taught me well."
The two continued their mutual flattery for several minutes, until Gu Mingyan grew impatient and let out a lazy yawn.
"Teacher, when will we officially start classes?"
Xu Hui abruptly stopped mid-sentence. He turned to Gu Mingyan, a hint of displeasure at being interrupted flashing in his eyes.
“Since some students can’t wait, let’s start the lesson.” Xu Hui’s tone turned cold. “Let’s do some impromptu exercises first to get a feel for it.”
He gestured to his assistant to distribute several pages of the script to everyone.
This is a classic scene adapted from an award-winning suspense film.
The film roughly tells the story of a young female police officer investigating a case against all odds. Two high school girls are found dead from a fall at a construction site behind their school. After a preliminary investigation, the police determine that the two girls accidentally fell to their deaths during an argument and shove, and close the case.
But a newly recruited young policewoman had a gut feeling that something was amiss. Despite pressure and obstruction from her superiors, she insisted on reinvestigating, ultimately uncovering the bloody truth—
On the surface, he appeared to be a highly respected and excellent teacher, but in reality, he was a lecherous beast in human clothing who molested his students. When he attempted to assault one of the girls and was met with fierce resistance, he killed her in a fit of rage. He was then caught in the act by another girl who happened to be there to apologize to a friend, so he brutally murdered the witness and meticulously staged the scene as an accidental fall.
"Have you finished reading the script? Let's start assigning roles now." Xu Hui's gaze swept over everyone.
As soon as he finished speaking, Yun Qingqing raised her hand almost without thinking:
"I want to play a corpse."
Xu Hui was taken aback, probably because he had never seen a student so proactive in taking on the role of a "corpse" in an acting class.
Gu Mingyan lowered her voice and reminded her, "Qingqing! This kind of role is somewhat taboo in the industry; it's considered unlucky and doesn't offer much room for performance. Why don't you choose something else?"
Meng Xian almost burst out laughing.
She had been on high alert, thinking that Yun Qingqing was clever in a low-key way, but now, in this obvious opportunity to show off and win the spotlight and favor, the other party actually took the initiative to play a corpse lying motionless, possibly without even a clear view of the face.
Isn't this just being foolish?
Yun Qingqing, however, stated righteously and sternly: "It is precisely because everyone feels it is unlucky and is unwilling to act that someone needs to stand up. There are no big or small roles, no noble or lowly ones, and I am willing to accept the challenge of playing a corpse."
The comments section was filled with rows of question marks:
[That's weird, everyone. I felt like Yun Qingqing's lips just curved into a slight smile?]
I saw it too. Although I quickly suppressed it, she did chuckle.
Damn, I have a feeling she really wanted to play this role!
Meng Xian didn't think that much about it. She scoffed inwardly, thinking that Yun Qingqing was just being deliberately mysterious and trying to be different, using this kind of attention-grabbing method.
She stopped paying attention to Yun Qingqing and focused all her attention back on the role assignments.
The subsequent role assignments proceeded as planned.
Jiang Mingqian, with his calm yet melancholic demeanor, is responsible for playing the role of that hypocritical and depraved teacher.
Ji Sihan and Nan Xu play the roles of worker A on the construction site and witness who discovers the body, respectively.
Ding Manni wisely chose the deceased's female classmate, who had a small role but a likable personality.
Yu Ran plays the veteran police officer who initially believes the case is an accident and tries to persuade the female lead to give up the investigation.
At this point, the only remaining main characters are the actor who played the last corpse and the female protagonist who persists in pursuing the truth.
Xu Hui made the decision almost without hesitation: "Meng Xian, you will play the policewoman."
Meng Xian felt a surge of joy, but a hint of unease appeared on her face: "Teacher Xu, if I play the female lead, what about Mingyan..."
Xu Hui bluntly stated, "This role has many emotional layers and is very difficult to perform; not everyone can handle it. If it were given to an inexperienced person to play, it would only ruin the entire performance."
Meng Xian immediately said apologetically to Gu Mingyan, "Mingyan, don't take it to heart. Teacher Xu just has high expectations for classroom performance, not that you're bad..."
[Xianxian is so kind! She clearly deserves the lead role based on her own talent, yet she still considers other people's feelings.]
[That's right. Teacher Xu explained it so clearly. This role is challenging, and Meng Xian is a great actress, so of course she should play it.]
Gu Mingyan's acting skills are so bad, she could barely even play a pretty face. She shouldn't be vying for the lead role...
"What are you rambling on about?" Gu Mingyan interrupted Meng Xian's long-winded speech without any politeness. "When did I ever say I wanted to play your role? Stop talking to yourself."
Meng Xian was so choked up that her expression froze, and all the words she had prepared were stuck in her throat.
"and you……"
"Qingqing wants to play a corpse, so of course I have to play along. Otherwise, how boring would it be for her to lie on the ground all by herself?" Gu Mingyan rolled her eyes.
Yun Qingqing smiled throughout.
[What?! Although it's inappropriate, I'm totally shipping them?! What kind of life-and-death friendship is this?!]
[Haha, Gu Mingyan's words may be rough, but they make a valid point. She clearly wants to steal the female lead role, while Meng Xian just keeps talking to herself; it's quite pointless.]
Adding one more thing makes it seem like they're getting a good deal but are still acting innocent.
Xu Hui was slightly surprised by Gu Mingyan's attitude, but he still nodded: "Okay, then Gu Mingyan will play the other corpse. Everyone go change your costumes first, and we'll start rehearsing in ten minutes."
The acting class officially began.
However, everyone soon discovered a serious problem.
The heating in this spacious dance studio seems to be out of order.
While it wasn't quite freezing cold, the indoor temperature was noticeably low. If you stayed still in your spring or autumn clothes for a while, you could feel a slight chill.
To fit their roles, everyone except Yun Qingqing and Gu Mingyan, who played corpses, had to change into classroom costumes.
Jiang Mingqian's teacher's suit was quite thick, but the other people's clothes looked old and thin, and couldn't keep out the cold wind that was seeping into the classroom.
Especially Meng Xian, who was the female lead, was only wearing a light blue shirt with poor workmanship. When the cold wind blew in, she couldn't help but shiver.
As Meng Xian recited her lines, her voice trembling, she tried to comfort herself:
It's okay, just bear with it.
Although it's a bit cold, as the female lead, she definitely gets more screen time and generates more buzz than the two people lying motionless on the ground.
During halftime, Meng Xian was almost frozen stiff.
Using the excuse of composing herself, she walked to the edge of the camera and secretly took out her phone to glance at it.
Meng Xian fully expected everyone to praise her for her dedication, her nuanced acting skills, and her professionalism in maintaining her expertise even under such unfavorable conditions…
When you open the live stream, the comments are completely different:
[Hahaha, I'm sorry, but I really couldn't help it. Meng Xian's snot was practically dripping into her mouth while she was reciting her lines.]
[I saw it too!! It's yellowish, and you can see it clearly in the close-up shot.]
[Oh my god, what the person upstairs said makes me feel a bit disgusted; my fairy-like image has been shattered.]
Meng Xian suddenly covered her mouth, subconsciously looking around. After confirming that no one was paying attention to her, she quickly took out a makeup mirror from her bag.
The woman in the mirror had a red nose tip from the cold, and there were indeed faint traces of something not very clean under her nose.
She hurriedly wiped her nose clean, trying to find the comment she wanted to see from the live chat.
However, besides teasing her about her runny nose, many more people were posting two other names:
[Speaking of which, Yun Qingqing and Gu Mingyan were way too convincing as they played corpses, weren't they? They didn't move at all.]
Seriously, from the beginning until now, there hasn't been a single sound from under the white sheet. I was even thinking of calling 120 (emergency services).
[This acting is so realistic, it's a little scary.]
Meng Xian frowned, not understanding why two "corpses" with no lines or scenes could generate so much buzz.
Just then, Ji Sihan, who was also freezing, shivered as he put on his coat and rubbed his hands as he walked over to the two people lying on the ground: "Do you two want to get up and drink some hot water? You must be numb from lying there for so long."
As he spoke, he casually lifted the white sheet covering the two of them—
Yun Qingqing and Gu Mingyan were still wearing their thick sweaters and coats, their hands folded in front of their abdomens, their breathing even and long.
I actually fell asleep comfortably!
Ji Sihan's eyes widened: "...You two really know how to enjoy yourselves!"
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