sovbooks Chapter 30 I don't want you to misunderstand
Chapter 30 I don't want you to misunderstand
Backstage at the theater.
Lin Hao, dressed in a plain blue robe, stood by the side of the stage, watching the program unfolding on stage.
Today's opera performance features twelve programs in total. His performance of "The Fairy Couple" with Huang Shengyi is the seventh, which is in the middle to later part of the program.
Several episodes have already been aired.
The first performance was a selection from the Peking Opera "The Drunken Beauty," starring a third-year female college student. She was beautiful in appearance and had solid singing skills, receiving continuous applause from the audience.
The second piece was a segment from the Kunqu opera "The Peony Pavilion: A Dream Interrupted." The two senior students worked together seamlessly, demonstrating excellent water sleeve skills and capturing the ethereal feeling perfectly.
The third act was a Sichuan opera face-changing performance. Although the speed and sophistication of the face-changing were not quite up to par with professional Sichuan opera actors, it was still quite impressive. The audience erupted in cheers of "Bravo!"
The fourth piece was an excerpt from the Yue Opera "The Butterfly Lovers." The actress playing Zhu Yingtai had an excellent voice, and Lin Hao couldn't help but applaud in his heart for her handling of several high notes.
The fifth performance was the Henan Opera "Hua Mulan". The aria "Who says women are inferior to men?" was sung with great momentum and full of energy, drawing cheers from the audience.
Lin Hao stood backstage watching the shows, with only one feeling in his mind.
As expected of Beijing Film Academy.
These students may be young, but each of them has a solid foundation in their skills.
From her catwalk to her singing style, from her facial expressions to her stage presence, it's clear that she has put in many years of hard work.
Some of them are just as skilled as young actors in professional theater troupes.
Compared to them, he, a half-baked Huangmei Opera student who had only studied it for ten days, was indeed lacking in confidence.
But lacking confidence is one thing, and not going on stage is another.
Having spent ten years working his way up on film sets in his previous life, the most important lesson he learned was: when an opportunity comes, seize it; don't hesitate, don't dawdle, and don't look for a way out.
Are you afraid of losing face so you won't do anything? Then you won't get anything done.
In the backstage corridor, actors from other shows gathered in small groups to chat.
Most of them were students from the Beijing Film Academy, and they knew each other or at least recognized each other's faces, so the atmosphere was quite relaxed.
However, Lin Hao noticed that several people looked at him with curiosity and scrutiny.
He wasn't a student at the Beijing Film Academy; he was a "foreign aid" that Li Hao temporarily brought in, making him a complete outsider among this group.
It's normal for people to be curious.
Who is this? Where did he come from? What's his skill level?
Lin Hao had experienced this feeling of being scrutinized countless times in his previous life.
Every time I join a new film crew, I am scrutinized from head to toe by the other actors in the crew.
I'm used to it, I don't care anymore.
Huang Shengyi was standing right next to him.
Today she was wearing a white costume, a simple headdress, and her long hair was draped over her shoulders.
With her already outstanding features and figure, she does indeed have a resemblance to the Seven Fairies.
She remained quiet and didn't say much after arriving backstage.
Her fingers unconsciously twisted the hem of her clothes, a small gesture that betrayed her inner nervousness.
Lin Hao assumed she was nervous about going on stage, so he didn't disturb her.
Huang Shengyi suddenly spoke up when the fifth program ended.
"Junior..."
Lin Hao turned to look at her.
Huang Shengyi opened her mouth, hesitated for a moment, and then closed it again.
Then it opened again.
"I...I want to tell you something."
Her voice was much lower than usual, and her eyes were somewhat evasive, making her completely different from the usually outspoken and straightforward Huang Shengyi.
"What is it?" Lin Hao asked her casually.
Huang Shengyi took a deep breath.
She thought about it a lot.
I've been thinking about it for several days.
At seventeen, she had already acted in a major production directed by Yu Min.
Next, I'll be auditioning for the male lead in another film.
His comprehension was so high that even veteran actor Li Hao wanted to take him on as an apprentice.
He takes everything he does extremely seriously, displaying a maturity and composure far beyond his peers.
He's also handsome.
She'll probably never meet someone like that again.
If we can only be friends... it's really hard to be content with that.
She's not the type to keep her thoughts to herself forever.
It's more painful to keep it to yourself than to say it.
And if we don't say anything now, we'll be on stage soon, and if all we can think about on stage is this, then things will really get messed up.
"What my roommate said in the cafeteria that day..." she finally began, speaking much faster than usual, "Those things like 'rich second generation' are all nonsense. There really wasn't any rich second generation chasing after me. I... I'm not that kind of person. I don't want you to misunderstand."
Lin Hao was stunned for a moment.
He truly didn't expect Huang Shengyi to say something like that at this time.
Big brother, you're about to go on stage!
Although this wasn't a confession, the signal was quite clear.
If a girl comes to you specifically to clarify that "no one is pursuing me" and "I'm not a gold digger," she's clearly telling you that she cares about what you think of her.
And what does "caring about what you think of me" mean? I don't need to say more, right?
Lin Hao's mind raced.
Let's not even discuss whether there will be any development between him and Huang Shengyi.
This question is too far removed from our current understanding; there's no need to even think about it now.
The most important issue right now is that she's nervous.
A nervous person who brings their emotions to the stage is bound to cause problems.
He had to bring her back to her senses.
"Senior," Lin Hao said, looking at her casually, "I know."
"what?"
"If you were materialistic, you would have chosen an expensive place when you treated me to dinner the first time, instead of the cafeteria."
Huang Shengyi was stunned.
"And it was all vegetarian," Lin Hao added, his expression sincere. "That meal left me starving. A plate of romaine lettuce and a plate of cold wood ear mushrooms. After I got back, I went out and bought two meat buns to recover."
Huang Shengyi's lips twitched slightly.
"So—" Lin Hao patted her shoulder, "after the performance, you have to treat me to a meat meal to make up for the vegetarian meal you had that day!"
Huang Shengyi stared at his earnest begging for food for a couple of seconds, then burst out laughing.
The anxiety and unease that had been building up for days dissipated with that laugh.
"Okay, okay, okay!" Her voice brightened again. "It's on you, senior! Consider it a celebration party for our successful performance!"
"That's a deal!"
"It's a promise!"
Lin Hao breathed a sigh of relief.
Okay, the emotional issue is temporarily resolved.
As for the deeper meaning behind Huang Shengyi's words... let's talk about it after the show is over.
Right now, there's only one thing on my mind.
Go on stage.
Time passed by, second by second.
After the sixth program ended, the host went on stage for a break.
Next up are them.
Lin Hao stood up, stretched his wrists and neck, and took a deep breath.
Huang Shengyi also stood up and straightened her headdress and clothes.
The two exchanged a glance.
"Let's go," Lin Hao said.
"Mm." Huang Shengyi nodded.
The host's voice came from the front of the stage.
"Next, please enjoy the classic Huangmei Opera excerpt, 'The Fairy Couple,' performed by Huang Shengyi and Lin Hao from the Performance Department of Beijing Film Academy."