C5

　After all, Cai Rongxi was still a veteran, and after a brief moment of disorientation, he immediately returned to a calm demeanor.

　　In this industry, he had seen many actors with excellent acting skills, just because there was a great contrast with the expected result, and the change in this teenager’s emotions in the audition was really… it would not be too much to describe it as a hangover.

　　But no matter how good it was, he was still just a newcomer.

　　The knowledgeable Director Cai picked up the microphone, his voice calm, “Take the props you prepared, Yifeng, you go help him.”

　　Even if the others present didn’t realize how amazing Zhou Yuhe’s performance was to the contestants, at this time, hearing that Director Cai had the male lead, Xie Yifeng, audition with him, they had to know how much importance Director Cai attached to this audition.

　　First, he brought milk tea on stage, then the audition for a new role was rejected, and then just a bit into the performance, Director Cai actually asked for Zhou Yuhe to play Xu Chang, and also asked Xie Yifeng to help him with his scene-…

　　The successive unexpected developments made even the air in the scene become very tense.

　　Especially Ceng Ang, who was sitting under the stage, when he first heard Zhou Yuhe say that he wanted to change his role to play Xu Chang, his hands were squeezed together, and it was hard to hear Director Cai’s rejection before he was slightly relieved… unexpectedly…!

　　What the hell was this guy trying to do? Even he had never seen Zhou Yuhe like that in the few seconds of performance he had just given, and despite being a depressed and decrepit character, he had that agile air about him that made it seem like he was glowing!

　　Uneasy, nervous, and many more eyes watching the show stared at the stage.

　　Compared to the audience who were waiting with bated breath, the few people at the center of the stage were much more calm.

　　After receiving instructions, Zhou Yuhe took the milk tea and Xie Yifeng to one side behind the curtain to discuss how the rest of the play would be performed.

　　Xie Yifeng stood in the shadows, and the light could only slant just enough to illuminate his beautiful, sharp jawline.

　　”Do you think it’s okay?” Zhou Yuhe asked with some apprehension.

　　”Just do as you say, I think it’s okay.” Zhou Yuhe couldn’t see his expression in the shadows, only the slightly quirked corners of his lips were distinctly clear at the meeting of light and shadow.

　　The curtain shuddered slightly, and the two of them negotiated their way out, ready to begin the performance.

　　The scene was silent, and everyone was waiting with bated breath.

　　Xu Chang and Zhang Qi, at first glance, the two characters didn’t seem to be much different from each other.

　　Distinguishing these two characters was a common challenge for all the contestants who auditioned for Xu Chang and Zhang Qi.

　　They thought of using small props and stage design to enhance their characters, such as motorcycle helmets, baseball bats, and of course, most commonly, cigarettes.

　　After seeing so many similar “Xu Chang” and “Zhang Qi”, the contestants were eager to see what Zhou Yuhe would do.

　　Would he use props or purely physical expression? It was too dry to show two similar characters with only physical expression, but where were the props if he wanted to use them? It couldn’t be that milk tea!

　　Just when people have speculation, two teenagers from far away from the other side of the stage ran in a panic, wearing a dark gray cardigan, the face of the young man was full of exuberance, fine black hair wavering as he ran, but not messy, the hand that was folded into the trouser pocket of the corner of the coat was also pulled out. Young and graceful, his temperament was no longer just “Zhang Qi”.

　　Xu Chang held a cup of tea in one hand, frequently turned back, as if there was someone chasing them behind.

　　The two of them just ran straight to the center of the stage.

　　”Eh, I said okay, they shouldn’t have caught up,” Xu Chang put one hand on his knee and gasped for breath, raising his eyes and seeing Shen Yan who was also in a mess, he couldn’t care less about himself and mocked the other first, “Hahaha you, the third best student actually has today….”

　　The laughter was crisp and clear, and it just suddenly crashed into everyone’s ears, driving away the little remaining impression of the previous performance from their minds.

　　Zhang Qi? Who was that? Couldn’t remember anymore….

　　Looking at the teenager who switched freely on stage, many of the contestants began to unbelievably go over the scripts in their hands to see if they were wrong about the two characters….

　　How could a person who was almost the same on paper act so differently!

　　And milk tea…it was really milk tea! How was Milk Tea going to help in acting like a rich school bully?

　　This question wasn’t just for the players, even Cai Rongxi and Fang Lin were curious, they were different from their previous scattered expressions, they sat at the table and looked at the two people in the center of the stage.

　　”Don’t say so much for now, give me some.” The elegant and tall Shen Yan swallowed his dry throat, and after receiving the milk tea handed over by Xu Chang, he directly sat on the floor, and when he tilted his head, the milk tea that was already cold but still had a mellow and sweet smell was poured down his throat and into his stomach.

　　Hmm? It was good?

　　Xie Yifeng raised his eyebrows slightly and pulled back quickly into the character, and handed the cup of tea to the young man who had also sat down and was watching him eagerly like a large dog.

　　The two of them took turns taking a sip, and when Xu Chang took the milk tea from Shen Yan’s hand again, he frowned and said, “Hm? How come it’s gone? I just took a sip!”

　　”Two people, a cup of milk tea, it’s strange that it’s enough to share.” Shen Yan hooked up the corners of his mouth, his smile was the same as his eyes, like the peach blossoms in late spring, like the stars in the summer night, high mountains and flowing water and gentle sentiments.

　　”That’s fine. Next time I buy you a drink, don’t take it out on my clothes when you are unhappy. It’s expensive.” Xu Chang stretched out his hand and touched the milk stains on his body, and his manners were frivolous and elegant.

He said “expensive”, but his tone and manner showed he didn’t care at all. A small move that definitely showed the rich kids’ attitude.

　　Shen Yan laughed, “I didn’t hit you on purpose, the teaching director was chasing after you, who knew you were in front of me.”

　　”It’s not normal for me to run away from evening study,” Xu Chang threw the empty milk tea cup in his hand, propped back with his left hand, half inclined, and pointed his right hand at Shen Yan, smacking his lips in a leisurely and lazy manner with a trifle of complacency: “Come on, you’re just retaliating, didn’t Yang Dingding just agree to go on a date with me? Look at your demeanor, you’re still number one in the school.”

　　Shen Yan’s face changed slightly, “Yang Dingding agreed to go on a date with you?”

　　Director Cai’s eyes gleamed with surprise, and the audition scene was about the drama where Xu Chang and Shen Yan, who were best buddies, confided in each other on a summer night and discovered that they both liked the female lead, Yang Dingding. Zhou Yuhe just added a little scenario in front of this plot: Shen Yan was caught running away from his evening study and ran into Xu Chang who was drinking milk tea outside the school while escaping. In just a few sentences, he explained the cause and effect of the story clearly, and naturally brought out the milk tea as a gadget to show the character.

　　This actor…not only had aura, he was also quite smart!

　　The treatment of the characters and the plot was aptly adapted, yet deeply personal.

　　It was as if he saw the arrogant and flamboyant teenager under the night sky, the hesitation of discovering his best friend’s heart, the step-by-step probing, and finally the discovery that his feelings were being exploited, but with an easy smile and a hidden heartbreak….

　　The pride, the relief, the spill! Everything looked like reefs and whirlpools sinking beneath an ice floe, seemingly calm, yet with an undercurrent. An ordinary piece of audition was acted out with a sense of the climax of the last act of a play!

　　Such line work, such presence, couldn’t at all be described as marvelous, but incredible!

　　Everyone’s hearts were itching to be provoked, and if this was a preview for a movie, they’d be paying for the tickets without hesitation! A refreshing look at this teenager’s past and his everything!

　　Cai Rongxi resisted the urge to ask Zhou Yuhe to perform another part, and suddenly felt a sense of emptiness flooding through his body as he watched the two equally upright teenagers stand on the stage in a curtain-raising manner.

　　It was the real end.

　　**********

　The result of the audition was undoubted.

　　Zhou Yuhe bowed his head and listened to Director Cai’s gracious encouragement and hammering until he walked out of the theater door, the spring sunlight from the window shining on his white face, and the feeling of being in a dream enveloped him more and more.

　　Xu Chang, this role that he had missed in his previous life….

　　Did it really just fall into his hands?

　　He shook his empty ten fingers, as if trying to grasp something, time, the past, the deceased….

　　Nothing.

　　A new life, a new future, awaited ahead.

　　He was no longer the Zhou Yuhe of the past.

　　Ten fingers gradually clenched into fists, Zhou Yuhe walked towards the theater doors with an indefinable feeling, his chest was filled to the brim with emotion, but was grabbed hard around a corner.

　”Ceng Ang?” Zhou Yuhe’s tone was cold and frowning.

“You said you won’t audition for Xu Chang, how could you break your promise!” This sentence was almost squeezed out by Ceng Ang’s tongue against his teeth, and the small echo brought up in the empty corridor was so cruel and deep.

“Trying a role is called breaking promises? This Xu Chang crawled out of your stomach, so you can act it, other people are not allowed? ” Zhou Yuhe hooked the corners of his mouth, as if he heard something funny. But in the next second, his eyes suddenly turned cold, and his words were as sharp and cold as a blade—

“Come, teach me, what do you mean by keeping your word? Are you obviously not GAY but deceiving my feelings, or are you raising a mistress outside behind my back?”

Zhou Yuhe’s voice was low, but Ceng Ang felt that he was suddenly thrown to the summit of snow-capped mountains with a height of tens of thousands of meters. The tension like lack of oxygen made his brain burst into a blank.

“You, you nonsense! Yuhe, how can I, you actually doubt my feelings for you! ” Ceng Ang’s eyes suddenly widened, and he argued incoherently.

Zhou Yuhe stared at him with cool eyes, he didn’t speak, but this kind of certain expression was enough to make the guilty Ceng Ang feel that he was falling from the sky.

“I know, you tried my role, you suspected me, so you splashed me dirty water first! Well, you Zhou Yuhe, you have the ability, do you want to break up? ” Ceng Ang’s face turned red, He would never have thought that his dirty things would be discovered by Zhou Yuhe, a simple and ignorant man. He did not care that this was the corner of the corridor. He increased his voice and threatened with ferocity.

Who knew-

“Yes, let’s break up.” Zhou Yuhe said with a straight face.