Traffic Star Development Program

Chapter 86 Just you?

"Hmm." Chu Ran also lowered his voice, his fingertips digging into the seam of his pants. "The teacher said that if you dare to take on the challenge, you'll get a chance."

"I know I can take on the challenge," Tian Xiwei said anxiously, clutching her hand warmer. "But this is 'The Caged Ape'! Last year, my senior messed it up and failed. What are you doing?"

"Holy crap, Chu Ran really dared to choose this?"

By this time, everyone had noticed the exam content.

Two boys in the back row huddled together and whispered, their voices not too low, just enough for those around them to hear.

One of the boys, wearing black-rimmed glasses, pointed at the play title on the blackboard with a sour look on his face: "Last year, Senior Li performed in this play, but he forgot his lines halfway through, and then just gave up entirely. The teacher slammed his script on the table on the spot, and he ended up giving her a failing grade. I heard she almost didn't graduate. And she, on the other hand, became incredibly famous with Yu Wanyin's performance in 'What Kind of Conduct,' and now she thinks she's invincible?"

Another boy in a hoodie nodded, glancing sideways at the stage, his tone tinged with jealousy: "Exactly! 'What Kind of Conduct' is all the rage right now, and she's gained a ton of fans with Yu Wanyin's voice. Her resources are almost on par with graduating students, and she's still joining in the final exam frenzy by choosing such a difficult role. Isn't she just trying to show off her amazing acting skills?"

Their words reached the ears of the girls nearby, and several girls began to whisper among themselves, their opinions divided into two camps.

"I heard the original script for 'The Caged Ape' is a tough nut to crack in the theater world; even professional actors don't dare to touch it easily. She just became famous through a web series, and she dares to adapt it? Isn't she getting too big for her britches?" The girl in the pink coat rolled her eyes, her jealousy practically overflowing. She and Chu Ran entered the acting class at the same time, and now Chu Ran has become the household name Yu Wanyin, while she's still playing minor roles. She's long felt resentful.

"You can't say that," the girl with the ponytail next to her quickly smoothed things over with a fawning smile. "Chu Ran has a wide network of connections now, she might have already figured out this role. Besides, her crying scenes when she played Yu Wanyin were so moving, I think she might actually have some talent, maybe she can do it well?" This was ostensibly a compliment, but she was actually trying to build a relationship. After all, Chu Ran was famous now, and if she could get on her good side, she might be able to benefit from it.

"Come on," the girl in the pink coat scoffed. "What's so technically demanding about Yu Wanyin's role? It's just a naive and innocent character, isn't it? It's all thanks to the good script. Anyone else could have been a hit! She dares to take on 'Caged Ape' now, I think she's just trying to grab attention. I'm waiting to see her fail!"

"Exactly, they really think they're big stars now. They're even giving us special treatment in the final exams, choosing roles that others wouldn't dare to play. Aren't they just trying to outdo us?"

A few girls huddled together, whispering, "After the assessment, let's go say hello to Chu Ran and ask if she has any resources she can introduce. After all, she's currently working with Sunshine Entertainment, and they have a lot of projects there."

"I think it's a good idea. She doesn't seem pretentious at all, so she might actually be able to help us."

The murmurs drifted intermittently to the side stage. Tian Xi, sitting closest to Chu Ran, heard everything clearly. Her cheeks puffed out in anger. She nudged Chu Ran's arm and muttered in a low voice, "These people are really something! If they're envious of your popularity, they should just say so. They're just being sarcastic and trying to curry favor. It's disgusting!"

Chu Ran didn't speak, but simply pulled the scriptbook on her lap closer to her chest. The cover was worn from repeated readings, and the inside was filled with annotations and character transition markers in different colors. Her fingertips were slightly cold as she gently stroked the words on the paper. It was the script she had revised through countless sleepless nights, the result of countless rehearsals in front of the mirror. After "What Kind of Conduct" aired, she did gain a lot of attention, but it also attracted a lot of jealousy. She knew all this, but she didn't want to dwell on it.

"Ignore them." Chu Ran glanced at Tian Xiwei, a faint smile appearing on her lips. "You'll see when the performance starts."

Tian Xiwei clutched the hand warmer, still feeling worried for her.

With fame comes trouble, and she suddenly understood why her sisters had done what they did.

The assessment began quickly. The first contestant was a boy who was acting out a love story. He delivered his lines with great emotion, but his body language was somewhat stiff. The teachers in the audience just kept their heads down, writing something on their record sheets, without even lifting their eyelids.

Number two, number three, number four... contestants went up and down the stage one by one. Some performed adequately, and the teachers didn't react much; some cried when they got emotional, and there were only a few soft sighs from the audience; and some forgot their lines because of nervousness, stood on the stage at a loss, and finally ran off the stage with a red face, which attracted a chorus of whispers.

The atmosphere on the side stage grew increasingly tense. Everyone was on edge, either reciting their lines with their eyes closed or constantly rubbing their hands. Chu Ran sat in her chair, unusually calm. She no longer looked at the script, but simply closed her eyes slightly, as if she were preparing her emotions or recalling every detail of the script.

Tian Xiwei sat next to her and could feel that her breathing was very steady, but the knuckles of her hands, which were resting on her knees, were slightly white.

"There are only three left until it's your turn," Tian Xi whispered, reminding her. "Want to get up and stretch a bit?"

Chu Ran opened her eyes, nodded, stood up, and walked into the shadows behind the side stage. She stretched her arms, moved her neck, then rubbed her face with both hands, her fingertips tracing her cheeks, her eyes slowly changing. The calm from before vanished, replaced by a complex mix of emotions: tension, anticipation, and a hint of barely perceptible madness.

Contestant number fifteen left the stage, and the teachers below remained expressionless, only making a couple of scribbles in their notebooks. Contestant number sixteen was a girl who also performed a solo act about family. Towards the end, she cried first, and several girls in the audience also had tears in their eyes. But the teacher only glanced at her, said, "Too much emotion, tone it down a bit," and let her leave.

Number seventeen, number eighteen—time flew by. As contestant number eighteen bowed and left the stage, the host, microphone in hand, announced the next name: "Number nineteen, Chu Ran, performance: 'The Caged Ape'."

As soon as he finished speaking, the small theater fell silent for a moment, and then murmurs quietly emerged again, even more lively than before.

"Here she comes, finally it's her turn!"

"I want to see what kind of performance Yu Wanyin herself can deliver."

"It's probably going to be a disaster. Even Li Xuechang couldn't pull it off last year. Can she, who usually plays naive and innocent characters, really handle it?"

"Don't say that. What if she really does a good job? Then we'll have to try and get closer to her."

Tian Xi's palms were sweating with nervousness as she gripped Chu Ran's arm tightly: "Ranran, don't be nervous, you're the best! Don't let those people laugh at us!"

Chu Ran smiled at her, patted her hand, and didn't say anything. She took a deep breath and straightened her clothes—just a plain white T-shirt and jeans, without any decorations or props.

She walked out from the side stage, not standing in the center like the other contestants, but slowly walking forward until she reached the front of the first row of the audience and stopped in front of the three judges.

The lights in the small theater were bright, shining on her and casting a long shadow on the ground. She lowered her head slightly, her hair hanging down, obscuring part of her face and making her expression unclear.

The murmurs from the audience gradually subsided, and all eyes turned to her. Jealous, curious, and befriending glances shone on her like searchlights, but she seemed oblivious, maintaining her bowed head.

The three judges also looked up, their eyes filled with a hint of curiosity and scrutiny.

The chief judge was Professor Zhang, who had taught acting for over a decade and was known for his discerning eye. He looked at Chu Ran, tapping his fingers lightly on the table, but remained silent.

Suddenly, Chu Ran moved.

His shoulders slumped down little by little, his back arched as if weighed down by an invisible weight, slowly forming a taut arc. His arms hung at his sides, his fingers slowly curled up, his knuckles turned white, curling into the shape of sharp claws, his fingertips trembling slightly in the air.

"Waaah—"

Chu Ran kept her head down, her long hair covering most of her face. A low sob rolled out of her throat, inhuman, carrying a primal despair that echoed softly in the silent theater.

The audience fell silent instantly, even their breathing became cautious. The girl in the pink jacket froze, her mocking expression turning serious; the girl with the ponytail gripped her clothes tightly, her eyes fixed on the stage; the boys in the back rows also dropped their playful smiles, their expressions becoming solemn. Tian Xiwei's heart clenched, she bit her lip tightly, her knuckles turning white, afraid of disturbing the people on stage.

Professor Zhang stopped tapping the table, leaned forward slightly, and his scrutinizing gaze turned into focused attention.

Suddenly, Chu Ran raised her head!

Her long hair was tossed aside, revealing a pale yet sharp face. Her eyes suddenly changed; the despair from before vanished without a trace, leaving only a cold indifference, like a knife tempered with ice, sweeping over everyone in the audience. Her back straightened instantly, her shoulders tensed, and her aura suddenly rose, carrying an undeniable sense of oppression.

"Stop yelling."

Her voice was low and cold, devoid of any warmth, a stark contrast to her earlier sobs. She tilted her head slightly, a faint hint of disdain playing at the corners of her lips, and her gaze swept over the audience with a condescending scrutiny.

Some people in the audience unconsciously held their breath, and several girls who had been gossiping about her earlier instinctively shrank back. Tian Xiwei clutched her hand warmer, her palms sweating profusely. She had never seen Chu Ran like this before; she was frighteningly unfamiliar. Teacher Li picked up her pen, then put it down again, her gaze fixed intently on Chu Ran.

The next second, Chu Ran suddenly tilted his head, twisting his neck at an unnatural angle. An exaggerated smile spread across his lips, a mocking grin spreading across his face, his eyes narrowing into slits, churning with a frenzied malice.

"Agree with you? Based on who you are?"

The voice suddenly rose in pitch, shrill and piercing, like fingernails scraping against glass, carrying a thick layer of mockery. She violently grabbed her hair with both hands, her knuckles digging so hard that her scalp turned white, her body twisting violently as if she were tearing and wrestling with something invisible. Her expression was ferocious, the madness in her eyes almost overflowing, and the veins on her forehead throbbing.

She abruptly loosened her hair, her hands frantically scratching at the air, her steps faltering, her body hunched over, as if trapped in a narrow space, desperately trying to break free.

"I want to get out! I want my freedom!"

His voice was hoarse, filled with a desperate scream, and his body crashed into the invisible "cage," his shoulders shaking violently.

The next second, she straightened her back, put her hands behind her back, walked steadily, and looked coldly: "Freedom? Can freedom put food on the table? Follow the rules, maintain your current popularity, and you can stay famous!"

Before she could finish speaking, she tilted her head again and laughed shrilly: "Stop dreaming! You'll never escape! The audience only recognizes your Yu Wanyin; you'll be trapped by this role for the rest of your life!"

Three tones, three expressions, three body language; sometimes hunched over and struggling, staggering, scratching with both hands; sometimes upright and indifferent, with steady steps and sharp eyes; sometimes twisted and crazy, shrill laughter and convulsing limbs.

Professor Zhang leaned forward completely, staring intently at her, his pen hovering in mid-air, not falling for a long time.

Chu Ran suddenly rushed forward, her hands gripping the table in front of Professor Zhang tightly, her body leaning forward, barely half a meter away. Her eyes were red and bloodshot, tears welling up in her eyes, but she stubbornly refused to let them fall.

"Teacher! Tell me! What exactly is a label?!"

Her voice was choked with sobs, yet it also carried a hysterical ferocity that made one's ears ring.

"Does that mean locking everyone in cages and turning them into identical puppets?!"

Her body trembled violently with excitement, her hands gripping the edge of the table tightly until her knuckles turned white.

"Am I only allowed to be Yu Wanyin, and not any other character?! Is it wrong to pursue what I truly love?!"

Professor Zhang was startled by her sudden action and instinctively leaned back. He then met her gaze, his eyes filled with complex emotions. The audience was deathly silent; not even a breath could be heard. Everyone's eyes were fixed on that small space.

She took a sudden step back, her legs buckled, and she squatted on the ground, covering her head with her hands, curling her body into a ball, trembling violently.

"It's no use...no one will understand you..."

The voice was so low it was like a murmur, filled with a deep despair, and it echoed softly in the theater.

"Nobody cares about you... You'll be trapped by the label 'Yu Wanyin' for the rest of your life, until you're forgotten by the audience and become a soulless shell..."

Finally, someone in the audience couldn't hold back any longer. A girl covered her mouth; the boys also frowned, their expressions serious; Tian Xiwei tightly covered her chest with both hands.

A few seconds of silence followed, broken only by Chu Ran's heavy breathing echoing through the theater.

Then, she slowly raised her head.